A Birth Story…Through the eyes of an adoptive Mama

I have been wanting to write this story for you since the second I first laid eyes on our baby boy however I have been busy being a first time Mama.

At 5:35 pm on June 15th my phone rang, I thought it was the Birth Mother (V) calling to let us know how her 37 week Dr. appointment had gone however it was V’s friend letting us know she was in labor. IN LABOR!!! We had expected her to go early but not that early. I had planned on flying down that following weekend to wait for our beloved baby boy to join us I also had hoped to be there for his birth however, he had other plans he wanted out! We instantly booked my flight getting a 6:30 a.m. departure the next morning. I was so excited and scared and emotional while waiting for that phone call to say he had arrived. At 9pm that evening the phone rang again, he was here, he had arrived at 8:20 pm 5lb 2 oz 18 1/2″.

Fast forward to the next morning my husband A, bonus children M & G and myself were all piled in the jeep heading to the airport. All I could think about was arriving in Florida, getting to the hospital and holding our baby boy. I arrived at the airport in plenty of time, checked in and grabbed a coffee before looking at the flight screen to find out my flight had been slightly delayed. No big deal I thought just a half hour I still have plenty of time to catch my connector out of Atlanta. That half hour passed and another and another and another. We learned at that time that we were delayed indefinitely due to a lightning strike that had hit the plane the night before we needed clearance from the FAA before we could take off. It was 2:30pm when we finally did take off. I FINALLY arrived to the hospital at 9:15 pm that evening, 9 hours past the original time I should have arrived. Talk about emotions running high that day, it was awful but worth every second when I finally laid eyes on our beautiful baby boy!

At that time he was technically not ours yet however I knew deep down that this situation was good, that I was meant to be this amazing baby boy’s Mama. When I first took him into my arms I melted, I was in love it was a love I had never felt before. We had chosen the name Tripp for him. Tripp means “to travel” which we thought was a very fitting name for this baby boy. I wished my husband could have been there with me but because it happened so quickly only one of us could go.

I spent that evening and the entire next day with V and T in the hospital, it was so special to have that time with her and to be allowed to care for T before he was actually released into my custody. V did not have to do this she could have had me wait until the 48 hour waiting period was up but she didn’t, and for that I was so grateful. That evening at 9 pm T was released into my custody and I was on my way to my Aunt and Uncle’s hours away in another part of the state. My awesome cousin A had driven up to get us and had coined this adventure “Operation Tripp Southbound.”

The next week we waited for our Interstate Compact Clearance to travel. If you are adopting an infant from another State the sending State must send the appropriate paperwork to the receiving State to clear the infants travel to the receiving State. While we waited I fell more and more in love with my baby boy, if that was even possible. I felt as though we were bonded instantly and I could not wait to bring him home to meet his Papa and bonus siblings. I could not wait for us to be a family!

During my adoption research I read hundreds of adoption stories, some good, some bad, some in between. We are so lucky to have experienced nothing but the good in our journey. We are beyond grateful to the powers that brought Tripp to us. He is perfect in every way and I can’t imagine my life without him.

The pictures I have attached are of myself leaving the hospital with him after he was released into my custody, me handing him to Papa for the first time after our flight home, Papa holding his baby boy for the first time and the beginning of “Tripp Through the Months”.

***Update to our Adoptive Birth Story… on September 21, 2011 (my 38th birthday) our adoption was finalized baby T is forever ours and I received the BEST birthday gift anyone could ever get!

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Warmly,
Jessica
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click here for info on how to submit your birth story.