A little backstory...We have had a web site for our adoption profile up since we decided upon adoption in 2005. After our first failed adoption, we started doing "finding" instead of "waiting" as suggested by many adoption agencies including LDS Family Services. We started doing advertising (in states where it was legal), networking, and outreach efforts. It was becoming too time consuming and emotionally draining. In November, we joined an adoption advertising service that did all that work for us. Since the service already screened contacts from their ads, we figured we would keep our web site up and let them screen the contacts from it as well. So, we put their toll free number as the sole way to contact us and also put up the new profile they had us do.
Saturday morning of March 3rd, I checked our web site statistics to see who visited. I noticed 3 visitors came to our web site. One of which is connected using an Internet connection from Oregon. We were all ready to go out the door at about 11:30. As I am about to walk out to the car, where Barry and Owen are waiting, I hear my cellphone ringing. I had forgotten it. I scramble to find it (Owen had been playing games on it earlier) but it stops ringing just as I find it. I look at the number who called and didn't recognize it as it wasn't a local number. I called the number back and it was our adoption advertiser Carol.
She tells me there is a baby girl born in Oregon, south of Portland, Friday night and her parents have chosen to place her for adoption. She had spoken with the baby's grandma that morning and the birthparents were looking at a few adoptive couples. I tell her that I had checked the visits to our personal web site that morning and there had been a visitor from Oregon and they had found our web site searching Google. Carol doesn't want us to get our hopes up, but wants us to stand by and prepare in just in case we are chosen. While I'm talking to Carol, Barry comes in and asks what's holding me up. I'm speechless so I hand Barry the phone.
An hour or two pass by and Carol calls back. We've been chosen! We pack a suite case for Owen and Barry calls his mom, who was driving from her work in Rexburg to home in Idaho Falls, if she could stop and get Owen after explaining what was happening. We quickly packed for ourselves and packed our car seat and bassinet as well. One thing, though small, that proves God's hand in our story is we didn't even have to worry about packing for the baby, because I never unpacked the baby's suitcase after coming home from our scam in December. We hop into the car and start the 12 hour drive to Portland.
We quickly call our local caseworker at LDS Family Services and tell him this time is for real. He calls the caseworker in Portland. This caseworker calls us to update that he has met with the birth family and has the paperwork done for placement tomorrow morning. We were able to talk to the birth grandma on the way too. She is such a great lady. We were really glad we were able to meet her. We also texted with the birth parents and we agreed to meet 9 AM. We got to there at 2 AM and stayed at one of the two hotels in the town.
It was a LONG day and LONG night!
Oh come on! Post part two!!!
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