It looks like we've got ourselves a match. :)
Life isn't exactly turning on a dime, but 6 weeks from profile-viewing to baby delivery feels like a tight enough turn for us. Last week we signed on to a contract to adopt the baby of a birth mother from New Orleans. Her official due date is July 22.
After reading through her profile I liked this birth mom. She was brief with her thoughts, but I appreciated what she had to say. And the smiley face next to her signature won me over. We have spoken with Jane* on the phone a few times now. The adoption agency connects us up on a 3-way call. The smiley face, from what I can discern over the phone, is consistent with her sunny disposition. Our conversations have been brief, but she has been warm, friendly, confident, and humorous. All this despite what would appear to be less than ideal circumstances. We are agreed to an open adoption, sending letters and pictures, with the possibility of visits in the future.
Up until Wednesday there were some questions as to whether the delivery would be natural or C-section and whether she would have the baby in Louisiana or Utah. (Once again we are working with a partner agency in Utah and a birth mother in a different state). Wednesday Jane arranged a call from the doctor's office so we could get the latest information. The baby is breech, so they are calling for a C-section. Jane has also decided to deliver the baby in Utah. The good news about a C-section is that we can be there for the birth -- if the baby doesn't come early -- since it is now a scheduled event. That would be July 13 . . . 19 days from today. The reason for Jane traveling to Utah is that she will receive more support than if she stayed home. There she will have the benefit of the agency's staff and possibly the company of other birth mothers.
We're still struggling somewhat to prepare for an event, a person, that seems like something from the world of make-believe. Being matched with a birth mom has brought a touch of reality to it all, and yet . . . . People ask "are you excited?" Mostly I just feel nervous. I'm busy trying to prod all our ducks into a row. This weekend, I'll be packing our bags, so we are ready to go at a moment's notice if necessary. It's time to explore the pile of boxes full of baby things.
At the doctor's office, Jane offered to hand the phone to a nurse so that I could find out the sex of the baby. I declined. Jane thinks its a boy. We're happy not knowing for sure until we meet. And then, she held the phone up to the monitor so that I could hear the baby's heart beat. I love that she did that. I wish I could hear that heartbeat all day long. Because that was real.
* not the birth mother's real name
p.s. We would appreciate your prayers for Jane, for the baby, for our preparations, and for our FBI clearance to come through on time (more on this later).