2 yrs later...

I just have to say, I am having a great time writing this! Thank you guys (all 17 of you! woot!) for taking the time to read it :)

Buzzing right along.

After Kayleigh was born we said we would like to adopt again. Given that it can take years for a birthmother to choose you we thought, hell, let's reapply as soon as we can. Why not?

Here's a little something you may not know. When adopting you can not apply to adopt again until the child is over 1 yr of age and the first adoption is finalized. Kayleigh was born April 23rd, her adoption was finalized on Dec 22...so, on her 1st birthday we threw our hat, aka application, back into the pool. And waited.

We kept in contact with Frannie, meeting for lunch, she came over, we called one another. We were there when she got married. And were there when she moved down south to be with her husband's family.

We kept in contact through calling, letters and pictures.

Then one day...she called.

We were chatting away when she mentioned that she was pregnant, her husband had left her...she didn't want to parent...she asked if we would be interested in adopting this baby. We asked, "Is this is your choice?", she said, "Yes."

Now, the romantic stuff.

we called the social workers. When adopting you have to make sure that everything is up and up. That all parties are on board with the choices. That all decisions were made with a clear head and all choices for the birthmother were offered, that every avenue was shown to her to parent this child. She made the choice to come to Michigan to give birth, that choice was given to her by her social worker. Another piece of information, there are at least two social workers for each adoption, one for the adoptive family and one for the birthmother. Each social worker works only with their people. And they take their job a hell of a lot more serious than anyone working that I know.

Now, for those of you that think that we "did" something for her to choose us again, that this was not her choice. This is where I call bullshit on your shit :)

She was 9 months pregnant and got on a Greyhound bus to come from Kentucky to Ann Arbor. She called us and asked if we were interested in adopting the baby. She called her social worker. She called her family. She made the choice. She could have changed her mind after she gave birth up to 90 days after she gave birth.

This was her choice.

In fact, we had no control over the situation what so ever. In the state of Michigan an adoption can be nullified if you ask to adopt a child, an adoption can be nullified if money changes hands...even $5.00, an adoption can be nullified if all avenues of parenting are not shown to the birthmother. So, NO we did nothing, but answer the phone.

And I make no apologies for that.

Two weeks later on, July 2, 2004 we got a phone call at 5 am.

When we got to the hospital Frannie's parents were there. Her mom gave me a hug, grabbed my hand and dragged me into the delivery room. She told me to grab a leg and I watched my sweet boy being born...just like that. He flew into the world yelling as soon as his head was out! Frannie's mom laughed and said he was a fighter :). Frannie said she was hungry!

And like that,

our family...grew by one.