So, we have all spent our fair share dreaming about the day the call would come in. Everyone says it will come when you least expect it. I guess this theory is true. Tuesday morning, my son Wells crawled into bed with me. We talked about what our day was going to look like. He then casually said, “Mom, we are going to get our referral today”. I sighed and swallowed back heartbreak and told him “honey, it isn’t going to happen today. As a matter of fact, it is probably going to be a very long time”. He just shrugged and we went about planning our day.
Later that afternoon, we went swimming. I couldn’t get over a little bit of sadness from the conversation I had with Wells that morning. I texted another adopting mom and told her how discouraged I was. We exchanged the usual: feeling blue, will pray for each other encouragement we give to each other weekly. I went on visiting with my friend who was with me at the pool, and tried to put the sadness aside. We were deep into conversation when my phone rang at 3:41, out of habit I checked it and COULD NOT BELIEVE the area code popping up. Kristin told me she wouldn’t call unless it was “THE CALL”, so I knew.
I started screaming in the phone, crying, shaking, she confirmed indeed it was time. I told her I would get Josh and call her back. I sat in the lounge chair for a moment just sobbing and my sweet friend Tressa had to kind of take over, because at this point I wasn’t really functioning. I called Josh, of course he didn’t answer, so I called the office assistant (in what I am sure sounded like a crazy wife, feel sorry for that guy call) and he pulled him out of his meeting. I texted several friends the code we had devised when the call came in….817. I then shakingly drove home, thankful it was just the next neighborhood over, it wasn’t pretty.
Josh and I then sat for an hour and looked at the most beautiful, tiny, perfect 3 year old you’ve ever seen. She has HUGE brown eyes, long long lashes, sweet chubby cheeks. I mean she is delicious. We cried, and laughed, and went through every emotion. We celebrated, we mourned, we grieved, we gave thanks. It is so hard to explain the feeling of joy that comes from such sorrow, but that is what it is. We prayed for her and then we called our friends and family (who are so close to us we really don’t know the difference).
For the next 4 hours, our house had a constant stream of people coming in to celebrate the life of a little girl we’ve never met, but love with all our hearts. For those that couldn’t come, our phones blew up with text and calls. Of course, there were tons who would have come to celebrate, but I forgot to notify them…note to adoptive parents: this is like birth, make your call list before hand. You will not be thinking rationally.
Miraculous stories started coming in: families that had gone to Ethiopia and had met and fallen in love with M, to a family that was there at the time of our referral, and went to spend time with her the very next day, to my brother in law who was there with Kidmia 3 weeks before our referral and snapped her picture in hopes that she could be the one. Our family was shown over and over that she was worth the wait and meant for us.
So, now we wait through summer into the fall. We will begin praying for a quick court date in October. I can not wait to feel her chubby hand in mine. I can’t wait to see her snuggle in her Daddy’s lap. I can’t wait to hear her giggle at her brothers and sister. She is ours and I can’t wait…..
