After praying and petitioning the Lord for "just closure, PLEASE," we finally got some information today. We have been in the dark for a couple weeks now, watching Candice's due date come and go, not knowing if she had the baby and chose to parent, left the baby at the hospital, or if she was still pregnant. It's been a heavy weight on our hearts and it's caused both Zach and I to go in and out of heaviness and emotionally flat-lining. Today, a break in the clouds…
Today Candice finally picked up the phone and called our adoption agency, a very important step in the right direction. She also called her attorney and touched base, another big step. She is still planning on placing the baby for adoption and she is scheduled to be induced this Thursday at 7:30am. When asked if she wanted to meet us before Thursday, she declined, but she said she'd be fine with us being at the hospital. So our plan is to go meet her Thursday morning once she gets settled into her hospital room and gauge the situation. Since the hospital is less than 3 miles from our house, we'll be able to tag team throughout the day (assuming she will be in labor most of the day, since she isn't dilated at all yet) and work things out logistically with PJ's babysitter as things progress.
Candice's attorney will meet with her and have her sign consent forms giving Zach and I power of attorney for the baby so that we can make medical decisions for him, etc. Once the baby is 72 hours old, Candice's rights will be forfeited permanently. Her attorney will also be serving the birth father with consent forms, so we're praying he signs off without a problem (if not, he has 30 days to contest).
We've spoken with our attorney as well and put things in motion.
While things at this point look positive, we know all too well that there is still a lot of time for the situation to shift out of our favor. At this point we are praying for the baby's health more than anything else. Without any real prenatal care, we just don't know what his condition will be. We are also praying for continued courage and wisdom for Candice to act in the baby's best interest. Please continue to pray that she will be come to know the Lord through this life changing decision, and that her life will turn a positive corner when all is said and done. Pray also for our time with her on Thursday. Though we've done it many times before, meeting a birth mom is just plain ol' awkward and uncomfortable. There is no stranger and more complicated relationship than that between a birth mom and adoptive parents.
Regardless of the outcome, we are confident the Lord's will will prevail. And if nothing else, having Candice and her situation brought to our attention has caused an enormous army of prayer warriors to begin a Godly warfare on her behalf, and that is worth every minute of emotional topsy turvy that we've endured the last two weeks.
