Getting the Call to Go

It was Sunday afternoon and we got the call from the birth mom that she thought it may be time. I had been so anxious about missing the birth that we rushed home, packed, and were on the road an hour and a half later. My parents took Jenna because she wasn’t feeling well and Matt and I headed on to Boise. That felt like the longest drive ever and all we could think about was how incredible it was that we were about to meet our son. About an hour before we got there we got another call that they sent her home. No baby that night. We were sad but also thankful that at least we were in Boise and knew we wouldn’t miss his big appearance now.

A friend in Boise so graciously set us up with a two bedroom apartment in Boise free of charge and it was one of the biggest blessings ever. Matt and I settled in there and were thankful for our little baby moon even though we hadn’t planned on having one of those. We were able to swim, rest, get quality time together, see other friends in the area and also get more time that week with the birth mom. Those were precious days that I’m super grateful for even though it was hard to sit and wait and also to be away from Portland as some of our team was beginning to kick off the school year at some of our campuses. God’s timing is not our own.

Friday finally came and it was time to do the induction. We were all as calm as could be expected and things started well. A few more blessings in this was that the birth mom’s doctor was a Christan and incredibly great through everything. The nurse that we spent most of the day with was also amazing. The best nurse I’ve ever seen and to top it off she had worked in Bend at the hospital so we had connections and she had been in a similar situation as our birth mom in college and chose to give up a child for adoption. She was so encouraging to all of us and kept assuring us that this was a great decision.  I just felt like God put people in our path the entire time to continue to give us all peace and be a part of the journey. I don’t know if I mentioned either that our lawyer who we both “randomly” selected and then the adoption counselor that a friend connected us with were all Christians and they had all worked together in the past. God didn’t forget even one detail. Amazing!

So back to the birth. As the day went on Isaac’s heart rate kept dropping and they were becoming concerned. About 4 it was clear that a c-section was in order. As they turned the pitosin off and were preparing to probably head to the OR Isaac’s heart rate dropped drastically and never came up again. The room filled with nurses, the doctor ran from another building, and we were being prepped to go in much more quickly than we had planned. We were crying because it was scary and frantically putting scrubs on. In 15 minutes we were ready to head in. They let me go in the room with them and you would all be proud to know that I didn’t pass out. The nurse even said, “stand up and take pictures.” I kindly told her that we would all be better off if that didn’t happen. So she took my camera. And believe me, she got a shot of it all. Even the one of his head poking out of her belly. Yikes! I just kept ducking down so I couldn’t see what was happening. Hearing it all was enough for me. They made an exception for Matt to stand outside the door and watch. He got to see it all happen from the other side of the sheet. I was also proud that he didn’t pass out. That is a hard thing to watch. At 5:33 they pulled Isaac out with the cord wrapped around his neck twice and he was definitely blue. Of course I cried instantly and as soon as they knew he was okay and wiped off I got to hold him and take him out of the OR. He was 7 lb. 13 oz. and 22 1/2 inches long. I first noticed his cone head. He had been stuck all day poor guy and then I noticed that his hands were huge (look at the picture for proof). This kid seriously has man hands. And somehow I still thought he was adorable. It was love at first sight! It was a day that will never be forgotten. We had the opportunity to be with Isaac sooner than we did with Jenna. She was whisked away to the NICU and I didn’t get to see her again until the next day. We got to spend the first 6 hours of Isaac’s life holding him and being right by his side. Truly a miracle. Again, none of that would have been possible had the birth mom not been so incredible and invited us to be a part. I’m quite certain there’s never been a more selfless birth mom.

It’s crazy how long we waited for that day and then how quickly and frantically the moment came to meet our son. Now he’s more than two weeks old and I just want to bottle every second. I don’t want to take for granted any of it, not even the 3 am feedings. What would motherhood be like if it weren’t for the deliriousness caused by sleepless nights? We’ll never know.