In August of 2010, a good friend of mine took some amazing pictures of our family. Shad and I were blessed with our precious son Riley in 2007, but we both wanted Riley to have a brother or sister to grow up with, just like we had. So, at the time of these pictures, we were on the were on the waiting list at the adoption agency. As Becca was taking our photos, she and I joked that since we finally worked out a time in all of our schedules to take photos, this meant that the agency would call us about another baby.
Little did we know that the agency would call-- the very next day!!! They called and gave us some information about a potential birth mother and to see if we could set up an interview soon. Shad and I talked it over, we prayed, and we left that weekend to drive to Amarillo for the interview.
At the interview, we met a very sweet young girl who was just in over her head. We knew that we were not the only couple she was going to interview, but her due date was about a month away, so we knew she was going to have to make a decision sometime soon. We drove back home that Monday afternoon with hopeful hearts, and went back along our daily routines. As the weekend approached, I was becoming more and more anxious. That Friday, I spent the day coaching volleyball, but taking every break I could to call Shad and Cindy (from the adoption agency) to see if either of them had hear anything. Neither of them said they knew nothing, but to my surprise, this is what I saw as I walked into our home that evening.
The birthmother had made her decision that morning, but Shad wanted to tell me in a special way, not just over the phone. I came home to a family dinner with my two favorite boys, as we celebrated that our new addition would be here soon. A few weeks and a couple of false alarms later, the three of us were at an out of town football game. Just as we were leaving the field, we recieved the call--it was time to head to the hospital. Our birthmom was in labor, and she held on long enough for us to make the 6 1/2 drive to the Panhandle. Once we got there, we were rushed to the delivery room, and on September 25th, just after 6:30 in the morning, Kolden Ray was born.
Shad waited outside the delievery room, listening for the cries from his new son. I was blessed with the amazing expeirence of holding the birth mother's hand through the delivery and I even cut the umbilical cord. Kolden came out just perfect and after he was about an hour old, Shad and I finaly got out our cell phones to let everyone know the great news.
I'm not sure who all Shad called, but I remember exactly the three of the people I talked to. My mother, my grandmother Honey, and my Dad who was patiently waiting by his phone in Afghanistan. A few hours later, Shad's parents brought Riley up to the hospital so he could meet his new little brother. He was so excited and immediately wanted to hold and kiss him. He even had his new "I'm the Big brother" t-shirt on.
We spent the next two days at the hospital, feeding, changing and holding our new son. Then on Monday morning, we signed the papers, had our first family prayer with our two boys, and Kolden's birthmother, then walked out of the hosptial a family of four. As my friend Becca put it, our family was truely
custom made by God.
. "God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
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