The New Addition

Things after we got the phone call seem to be a blur. I remember a lot of tears, a case of the shakes and maybe even a shout out or two. As soon as we got home, we started making plans. Our case worker advised us to be in Washington by Monday. The birth mom had two totes full of clothes, a crib, an exersaucer and a few other things she wanted us to take, so we decided it would be best to drive. We headed out early Sunday morning and drove all day. Around 5:30 that evening, we finally pulled into our hotel in Portland, Oregon.
On Monday morning, my parents flew in to Portland and met us at the hotel. Darrel had to return to work as soon as he could, so we had planned on flying him home and having my parents tackle the eleven and a half hour drive home with me and the baby.
I immediately called my case worker. I had no idea what the next step was. He said all we could do was stay busy and wait for the phone call. How do you stay busy in a foreign town? We called for reinforcement. Cathy, the babies aunt, was there to rescue us and provided us with the proper information for navigating the town. It was nice to talk to her. We have not seen each other for over four years and had at one point even lost contact. While at lunch, the birth mothers case worker called and let us know that placement was scheduled for the following day at 4:00 pm. We were so excited and once again, I cried. I asked if we would be able to see the baby before placement and she informed us that there would not be enough time to get it scheduled. That night, we treated the birth mom and her ten year old son to dinner. We wanted them to get to know us and we wanted to know them better too. We got lost on the way to the restaurant but it was a fun night anyway.
Tuesday was filled with shopping, eating and napping. I was so anxious for 4:00. I could not sit still. As the time approached, Darrel and I knelt beside the hotel bed and said one last prayer before placement. I was a mess. I did not know what to expect. I was not sure if the baby would like me. I wondered if the mother would change her mind and want him back before we left. As Darrel prayed, the tears slowed down, the questions subsided and the fear was replaced with complete gratitude and love for a selfless mother who was giving her baby more than she was able to provide.
Since I was fortunate enough to give birth to a child five years ago, the only way I can describe seeing the baby for the first time is to compare it to the first time they placed Jaxon on my chest after my C-section. I knew that he was meant to be with our family. I knew that this lucky baby had two moms who loved him so much already. I knew that my yearning for a child over the last four years was to prepare me for this moment. I wanted to remember every minute.