A Million Miles a Minute

So what was I say previously about all the waiting? Whew!...Disregard!! We are going from zero to baby in no time flat now.

We woke up Monday planning on having 15 days to get everything prepped and ready for meeting our little one; by Tuesday evening we were down to 5; it seems our little guy is just as excited to come out and meet us as we are to meet him!

Since being matched with our Birth Mom we've been overjoyed; we've also been running full-stem ahead to get things arranged at work, home, and on the legal side. There's been a slew of legal contracts and additional applications to complete,  some "sticker-shock" to get over (we'll dive into that later...but the price we were told has crept up...and up...), travel arrangements to make, and oh, yeah- the nursery!! (Not to mention the same day we found out our little guy is arriving early we also received orders from the Army - we're moving in July!) Good thing we aren't a fans of "boring!"

Timing could not have been better, though. As luck would have it my Parents just happened to be heading down to visit before we knew we had been matched. From the moment they pulled in the driveway we have kept them busy - I don't know how we could have pulled this off without them being here this week! While Mike and I have been making calls, running around faxing paperwork, and  trying to get everything organized at work and for the month ahead, my parents have been able to get the spare room cleared out and ready to become the nursery, and in a true labor of love my Mom has stripped down the antique dresser we had purchased and refinished it to become the accent piece in the room. We haven't had to worry about making dinner, doing laundry, dishes....if it weren't for them we'd probably gone all week without eating; there just hasn't been a second to sit and breathe!

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Last week we had planned on diving into the financial side of an adoption; I'm glad it worked out that we didn't get to that topic - obviously most importantly because it means we've been so distracted by the amazing news that we're going to be a Mommy & Daddy, but secondly because this week has been a crash course in "what a lawyer says isn't what a lawyer means." When we finally have the chance to sit down and write about the financial side, we will have a lot more experience and wisdom to pass on to you about this topic. Right now I won't lie - we are feeling completely overwhelmed with all the additional costs that we keep finding out about, but we are reminding ourselves that come Monday when we're holding our son (OUR son! Can you believe that?!!) none of the stress of this week will even matter.

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We have been able to talk to our Birth Mom through phone calls and e-mails a few more times this week, and she's even sent us a few ultrasound images! We feel so incredibly lucky to be able to get to know her; throughout this whole process we've tried to think ahead to what will be the best for our little one as he gets older and begins to ask questions. We've always felt it was important to be able to answer his questions, and want him to know about his Birth Mom. In focusing on what we feel is best for our child, we overlooked how much we would benefit as well. The relationship we have begun to build with her has really made this whole experience even more beautiful and enriching.

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With each State having its own adoption laws there's certainly a lot of added details in the process, but right now we are keeping our "eyes on the prize." Very soon we will be landing in another state, and meeting our Birth Mom at the hospital. (we're hoping our little guy can hang on 'till we get there- she's been having contractions!) We truly feel in our hearts that everything is going to go smoothly, but we will certainly still be holding our breaths. Our Birth Mom will go to court one day after she is released from the hospital to sign the paperwork relinquishing her parental rights. We cannot imagine the emotions she is feeling, and hope we have found the right words to express to her how much we respect her, support her, and are grateful for her. She will forever be in our hearts and lives, and hopefully she knows this. This little guy is already loved by so many of our friends and family; we want her to know without a doubt that she has made the best decision for herself and her baby. We feel like our conversations have put all of us at ease and at peace; now it's just hoping we are right.