Lucy's Adoption Story

After we had been trying to get pregnant for several years, we came to a place where we needed to make some decisions on what our path to parenthood was going to look like.  Steve and I made this a matter of prayer, because we had no idea what to do.  The answer that we received was that we needed to pursue adoption.  We both felt very strongly about this answer, and so we applied to adopt.  We started our paper work in January of 2009 and we were finally approved in May.  Over the course of the next year, we had a few people contact us via e-mail.  We went in and even met one birth mother, but nothing worked out.  The interesting thing was that I had always felt very strongly that our baby was a girl.  I wasn't opposed to a boy, but I just felt that we would have a girl.  There were some points where it was very difficult to wait and watch situations not work out, but we went forward knowing there was a baby that was meant to be in our family.

In June of 2010, I came home from Girl's Camp.  Steve was still at work, so I saw he had left a note for me on the counter.  It said that I needed to call him right away.  So I called him, and he said don't freak out, but we've been contacted by a birth mother.  He told me that he had e-mailed her back already and was just waiting to see if would get a reply.  The peace that I felt about the situation was instantaneous.  I felt very good about it.  Part of me wondered if I was just on a high from Girl's Camp, but as time continued on I always felt peaceful and good about the situation.  Steve is usually cautious about getting his hopes up, but he also immediately felt very good about this situation, even without much info to go on.

Over the summer, we continued to e-mail this special birth mom.  We were able to talk on the phone with her and develop a good relationship with her.

Then finally, she asked us if we wanted to be the parents of her baby.  We of course replied that we would love to!  We were thrilled to call family members and tell them that a new baby would be joining our family in November.  All of our friends and family were thrilled for us.

In November, we got the call that our precious Lucy had been born.  It was such a surreal feeling to know that our baby was girl finally here.  We took the train to Nebraska to go pick up Lucy.  The train ride was long, but we enjoyed ourselves.  We were so strengthened by the power of prayer that we were able to be peaceful and calm (for the most part). When we arrived in Nebraska, we had to wait for a few more days until placement.  We tried to keep busy by making sure we had all our necessary baby supplies, visiting the Winter Quarters visitors center, and watching TV.  However, time seemed to crawl!

Finally the night of placement arrived.  We nervously drove to the hospital wondering if everything was going to work out, but feeling calm and peaceful.  Shortly after we got to the hospital we got a call from the lawyer saying the papers were signed and we could come see our daughter.

When we arrived in the hospital room, we immediately went over to our sweet birth mother and her mom and gave them a hug.  Then our birth mother handed Lucy to Steve first (he still likes to gloat about that).  After he held her for a little bit then he passed her to me.  It was such an amazing moment to hold her for the first time.  She was SO beautiful and SO precious.  We fell in love with her completely.  It seemed so surreal that I was going to be her mom and Steve was going to be a dad.

After some precious time in the hospital with our birth mother and her mother, the time came for us to take Lucy home.  It was a bittersweet moment.  I was so excited to be Lucy's mom, but I was so devastated for the pain that our birth mother and her mother were feeling.

We took Lucy home (to the hotel).  We spent the whole night awake with her.  She didn't like sleeping in the travel bed we had brought, so Steve and I just took turns staying awake with her the whole night.  The next day, we spent the day cuddling with her.  That night we bundled her up and took her to the train station.  We got on the train to come home.  Again, we didn't sleep all night.  We traded off under my orders.  I told Steve that he was to watch and make sure the baby didn't stop breathing (yes, I'm a worrier!).  It was a LONG train ride home.  I worried about every squeak she made. Part of our train ride home was on Thanksgiving Day.  The train had a delicious meal and they sat us with a very nice couple.  So even though it wasn't with family, we still enjoyed the day, especially because we had our Thanksgiving miracle with us!

We finally made it home.  It was a glorious sight to see my parents, my sister and brother-in-law waiting for us at the train station.  Even though it was a cold night, we pulled up a corner of the blanket, so they could peek at our sweet daughter.

It was very late when we arrived at the train station, but we went back to my sister's house, so everyone could meet our darling little Lucy.  It was such a wonderful time to introduce her to our family.  The next few weeks, were so fun as the rest of our family and friends got to meet Lucy.   Steve and I enjoyed spending so much time with her that occasionally we had to "take turns" holding her.  We fell in LOVE with her more everyday.

Looking back over the past year, it has been one of the best years of our life.  I am so grateful that we get to have her in our family.  Everyday I thank Heavenly Father for the miracle of Lucy, and for the courage and strength of her sweet birth mother.

Birth parents hold a special place in our hearts.  They are often judged and misunderstood by those around them, even close friends and family members.  Our experience is that they have an absolute love for the child(ren) they place and strength and wisdom beyond their age as they make the heart-wrenching decision at placement and handle the grief and pain that follows afterwards.  Birth parents are amazing!!