Two Years Ago -- Yesterday

With everything going on with Tyler and the basement and just life in general, I never got a chance yesterday to post about Emmalee's adoption day. Yesterday was two years since Emmalee Ann was placed into our arms. Even though I was busy all day yesterday, I thought about her placement day a great deal. Thought I'd share the story here.

Brent, Tyler and I flew all night from Salt Lake City to JFK and then on to Buffalo. We arrived early in the morning on April 20. By the time we rented the car and got to the hotel, we were exhausted. Before we left Utah, the doctors taking care of Emmalee at the hospital said that she would likely have to remain there for several more days. Given that, we figured we'd go to the hotel, nap and then go up to the hospital. When we got checked in and up to our room, I called the agency to let them know that we had arrived and what our plans were. They had great news for us. The hospital called and they were ready to release Emma! They were just waiting for our arrival. Apparently she had made some very positive changes and was ready to go. Forget the nap, let's go get our girl! After cleaning up and getting some food, we headed to the agency. We were so excited!

We got there and began going through all the paperwork, etc. This is kind of a lengthy process. Once we had all that done, Sara left to go pick up Emmalee. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for them to return. They brought us lunch. We waited some more. Tyler fell asleep, we continued to wait. Finally someone said they saw her car pulling in. We were on pins and needles.

They escorted us to the nursery and sat me down in the rocking chair. The moment was so surreal. It was like a dream. After a couple of minutes, Sara came in holding our baby girl. I remember the first thing I said was, "holy cow, she is so tiny!" She was the smallest baby I had ever seen. When Sara placed her in my arms, the tears started flowing. I can remember just staring at her tiny little face. It was as if she and I were the only two people in the room. The little piece of my heart that had been missing suddenly filled in. The joy was overwhelming. She was perfect and beautiful and so clearly meant to be our child.

We had a great time hanging out at the agency, letting Daddy hold Emmalee and showing her off to all the staff. We undressed her and looked at how tiny she was. Even the preemie outfit she was wearing was too big. We held her and fed her and tried to comprehend the fact that she truly was coming home with us.

Looking at her now, it is almost impossible to remember the tiny baby I held for the first time that day. She has grown and changed so much in two short years. I am still amazed that she is ours.

This I know for sure, adoption is a miracle. It's true that I never pictured my life turning out this way. I never thought for one moment that this is how my children would come to me. But, now I realize that this is God's perfect plan for our family. I may not understand all the reasons why but that's okay. I am just truly thankful that He has sent these beautiful children. I can't wait to see who comes next!