We've been waiting a LONG time to finally post this announcement on our blog.... we have adopted a baby girl!!! Providence Joy was born on Tuesday, November 1st at 1:56am. She is 6lbs. 3oz. and 19" long. She is Filipino, and she has lots of beautiful black hair and gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. We got a call from our adoption agency on the 1st and we were told there was a baby girl just born in Anaheim (abt. a 7hr. drive south for us) who needed parents! We were also told she was perfectly healthy, passed all her tests with flying colors, and most importantly she did not test tox-positive for drugs or alcohol. The birthmom, Jacquelyn, did not want to parent the baby- she didn't know she was pregnant until she was 28 weeks along, and when she found out she asked for an abortion. Thankfully, she was too far along for them to terminate the pregnancy. Jacquelyn kept the pregnancy from everyone except her two best friends, Sarah & Marvel. When she went into labor she told her family she was going out of town so they wouldn't know where to find her or what was happening.
Zach and I proceeded cautiously, and decided to drive down to Anaheim the following morning. We were told both baby and mom would be discharged that day. The entire drive down we were getting more and more anxious. Every hour we didn't get a phone call with bad news, was a step in the right direction. We arrived at the hospital before noon and we met up with the hospital social worker. We were told Jacquelyn had already met with a social worker from the adoption agency the night before, and everything still looked good. She would be signing off her rights that afternoon, before she was discharged from the hospital.
A few hours later we were told Jacquelyn had signed the papers and they would be sent to Dept. of Social Services first thing in the morning- once that was done we were basically in the clear. (The birth father is unknown, so his rights will be automatically terminated by the court.) The weight on our shoulder began to lift...
There were lots of delays throughout the day, so we weren't able to meet the baby until early that evening. We tried to kill time as best we could, but it was difficult. While in the hospital waiting room, Sarah & Marvel (Jacquelyn's friends) found us. They were incredibly sweet and very emotional. They told us Jacquelyn didn't want to meet us herself, but they just had to talk to us. Through tears they shared with us how excited they were for us and they told us Jacquelyn knew we were the right parents the minute she saw our picture on our profile book. She understood this baby would never get the same opportunities if she kept her. Sarah and Marvel also said they'd been loving on the baby during her time in the hospital nursery and they'd also talked to her a lot while she was still in Jacquelyn's tummy. They took lots of pictures and even wrote the baby letters (which they'll give to our adoption agency for us to keep). They told us Jacquelyn comes from a very broken and dysfunctional family that would not be supportive of her pregnancy. She also is working and going to school, and simply unable to provide for a child. Sarah and Marvel were the only two people who knew about the pregnancy and they'd stood by her through the entire process. We expressed our gratitude to them for all they'd done and told them how great it was to know Jacquelyn would have a strong support during the days after. We knew there were no adequate words, but we asked them to tell Jacquelyn how profoundly grateful we were for what she was doing. They'd
read our profile book and they were so excited that we were Christians (they were too!) and they asked if they could pray with us. That is a moment I will never forget- Zach, myself, Sarah and Marvel joined hands in the hospital waiting room and prayed together for Jacquelyn and for the life of this child. It was a gift from God. The peace and assurance we felt after that encounter was priceless.
Soon after the social worker escorted us into the nursery to meet our baby girl. It was overwhelming. We were taken aback by how beautiful and perfect she was. The nurse said she's perfectly healthy, no concerns or complications. We left the hospital soon after and brought Providence back to our hotel. The rest of the night was spent making phone calls, Skype-ing with our parents, and staring at our amazing gift.
We drove back from Anaheim the next day, Anne's 29th birthday. It was a long journey, but Providence slept the entire time! We were exhausted when we arrived home and still a bit shell-shocked that everything worked out this time! We actually have a baby after nearly 2 years of trying to adopt and another year of trying on our own. Our prayers had finally been answered. It blows our mind how quickly our lives changed in just 24 hours. We are soaking up every moment with her, with each other, and with the steady stream of visiting family and friends.
We will never be able to say 'thank you' enough to those of you (some of who we don't even know!) who have prayed us through this long and difficult journey. Without your love, support, and prayers we would never have made it this far. Providence will be told every day about the people who prayed for her long before she even existed. She is, without a doubt, the most loved child in the world. ;-)
Now we are just adjusting to parenthood! Middle of the night feedings, diaper changes, and mastering the swaddle. :-) Providence is a great eater and a wonderful sleeper. She's made our transition so smooth. We pray this will continue to be her temprament, but we know better than to assume as much. :-) She had her first doctor's appointment on Friday and everything looks great! We'll be taking her back in a couple weeks.
*To see pictures we've taken so far, visit our Facebook pages.
*If you would like to visit us, or bring a meal, please let us know and we'll make it happen!
*We are registered at Babies R Us and Landof Nod.com
