I decided to go to Sacrament and wait to call the adoption agency back. I NEVER EVER take my phone to church with me. For some reason, I felt a very strong prompting to take it into Sacrament with me. (Yes, I have since repented.) :) During the opening song, I felt very strongly that I should check my phone. Why? Everyone who calls me knows that I am in church and Marcus has been on an airplane for a few hours. I wasn't expecting any phone calls. But I decide to check my phone anyway. I had just missed a call from Marcus!! How did that work? He was high in the sky flying to Georgia for three weeks. I grabbed my jacket and went outside to call him back.
I call him while he was on the phone with Jane, who works with the agency we were using.
Marcus had been upgraded to first class and had a big comfy chair. Marcus being Marcus, he immediately fell asleep. He woke up an hour and a half later, and they were still on the ground. He asks his buddy who is with him what's going on and he told him that there was something wrong with a water tank or something so they had to get that fixed, and then as soon as that had been fixed, one of the engines was having trouble. They went back to the gate so a mechanic could check out the engine. The flight attendant told them they could turn their phones back on and let anybody who may be waiting for any of them know that they were going to be late. Marcus didn't have anyone to call; he didn't have to be to work until Monday and I was at church. He felt like he really needed to turn on his phone though. When he turned on his phone, he had two voice mails; one from Jane and one from me..completely freaking out. He tried to call me, but my phone was on vibrate, so I didn't hear it. He then called Jane to get more details.
There was a beautiful 12 month old little boy who needed a home. He had been living with his birth family, but because of some circumstances, his birth mom knew he needed a better life. He was in Alabama, but he, along with his birth mom and sister would be flying into Utah the next day. Were we interested in adopting him?
Marcus told Jane that he couldn't make this decision without talking to me and there was no way of getting a hold of me and he was on his way out of the state. The situation wasn't really what we had planned on, (we originally wanted a newborn baby girl.) and he had to talk to me first. Just then, I called him. He hung up with Jane and gave me a rundown of what was said. He asked me, "Do we do this?" I thought about it for probably two seconds and then said without a doubt in my mind, "Yes". As soon as we had decided, the door to the plane opened. (I still get chills even now writing this.) It's as if the Lord was saying, "I made a way for this to happen, now get off the plane and go get your baby." Marcus told the flight attendant he had to get off the plane because we had to go get our baby. She said that he must have been the reason the plane was having all the problems.
I had to sneak back in to Sacrament and tell our friends to let someone know I wouldn't be in Primary that day. (I was over the singing in Primary at the time.) I left straight from the church to go to the airport to get Marcus; we had a lot to get ready for the arrival of our little boy.
After we stayed up pretty much all night, went to Walgreens at 2 in the morning to get copies of our family scrapbook and finished all the paper work, we were ready to meet our little boy. But..we had to wait until about 9:00 that night. We met Christian and his family at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway. I can't even begin to try to explain our emotions that night. I was so nervous; I was sick to my stomach. What do you say to the person that is going to make all your dreams come true?? After we waited for what seemed like an eternity, in walked Tammie, (Christian's birth mom) carrying the cutest little boy with the biggest brown eyes and chubbiest cheeks in the world.
We had dinner and a nice time with everyone and made plans to meet up the next day. We went to Wingers for lunch and got to talk some more and ask questions. After lunch, we took them back to their hotel. We weren't suppose to get to bring Christian home until Tammie had signed the papers, but she insisted on us bringing Christian home. We got to bring our baby home that night!!
The next morning we signed all the papers and made everything "official." We took everyone to The Treehouse Museum to play. After that, we took Tammie back to the hotel for the last goodbye; she was flying back to Alabama the next morning. I still can't talk about this day without crying. Yes, I was becoming a mommy finally, but I was also taking away someone's baby. When we were getting ready to go, Summer (Christian's sister who was three at the time) came and grabbed my leg and said, "Leave Kitchen here. Don't take Kitchen." (She called Christian Kitchen because she couldn't say his name.) This broke my heart and it took every ounce of self control I had to not completely lose it right then and there. Tammie patted Christian on his back and said, "Bye, Buddy" and we left. That was it. The second the door closed, I was bawling. Adoption is such an emotional thing. I was finally a mommy. I had my own baby. But Tammie's heart was breaking. She gave me the greatest gift I have ever received. She is my hero.
We came home to a little party. Marcus' family all came over to welcome Christian home.
There never really seemed to be a big adjustment period for Christian or for us. Everything just seemed so natural right from the beginning. I have loved this little boy since the minute I laid my eyes on him. If my faith is every wavering, all I have to do is think about all the miracles that happened to bring this little boy home. This was definitely the Lord's work, and for that, I am forever thankful.
How do I put this nicely...2010 was a year from Hell for us!!
