Remembering Adoption Day

I do not claim to have any sort of ESP, but I will say there have been several times in my life, when I knew, just somehow really knew, something was about to happen.  And I knew this little one was coming.  I knew that the 2 year wait was coming to an end.  Around the 10th of August, 2009, I got a strong feeling news of "our" baby was coming soon.  I let it quietly percolate in my heart.  On Wednesday night, I turned to my husband in bed and said, "The adoption agency will call tomorrow and tell us we've been picked."  "How do you know that?" he wondered.  "I just do.  I can feel it."  The next day I waited for the phone to ring, and when in the early afternoon, the caller ID showed the agency's number, I was not surprised.  I was told that a baby boy was to be born soon and we had been picked by the birth family to adopt this baby.  I called my husband at work and resisting the urge to say, "I told you so!"  informed him that he would soon be a father.   I could say that Austin was mine already, that he had been destined to be ours, to be part of our family, that God had made this match before He hung the stars.  And it would be true.  But not in the sight of the law.  That took place today, 2 years ago.  Adoption Day.

Austin was 8 months to the day on the day we went to the courthouse and he was proclaimed officially and forever a member of our family.  It was a hot day for so early in June and our car had no air condition.  I can't remember complaining, we were so excited and nervous.  Never having done this, we didn't know what to expect.  We were told the Judge would review our home study and paperwork from the agency and ask us a few questions.  Could he deny the adoption?  Would he see something in our paperwork that would be a problem?

Seven minutes.  From start to finish, it took seven minutes.  In about the same time as it takes to cook a pot of spaghetti, a new family was born.  I remember sitting in the witness stand and being asked if I was willing to love and care for Austin as if he were naturally born to me.  If I was willing to take on the responsibilities of being his parent.  Through tears and a huge lump in my throat, I answered, "Gladly".  It is a shame that not all parents get to stand before a court of law and publicly make this sort of commitment.  We take marriage vows but we have nothing similar when a child enters our lives and changes it forever.  So I was glad to have this moment, set aside in time, to remember when we officially became a family.  A memory to share with Austin through the years of when Papa and Mama stood up and told the world that he was, is and always will be ours and we will always love him.