We received a call Thursday morning at 9:30 that the birth mom was in labor. I called Andy to come home from work and by 11:30am we were on the road to Jacksonville, Fla. 5.5hrs later we arrived at the hospital expecting to find a mom ready to deliver at any minute and instead we waited while she was in labor for another 12 hours. We were invited by the birth mom to hang out in the room with her the entire time. I think the only time I left the room was to get her and I a cup of crushed ice. Birth dad went to get BBQ for dinner and Andy took our luggage to the condo where we would be staying. While they were gone, the birth mom and I had a chance to talk. We didn't talk about the baby we just took a selfie and caught up on things like we were long lost friends. Ironically, her and I have a lot of similar interests so we were able to engage in conversation quite easily. We felt completely comfortable in the room with them - even in such an intimate setting. After we ate, the boys napped and I tried to do the same - no such luck. Every time she made a noise I jumped. Every muscle in my body was tense waiting in anticipation for a lil girl to be welcomed into the world. It. Was. A. Long. Night.
Savannah was born February 19, 2016 at 5:15am. She weighed 6lbs and 1oz and was 19 inches long. The birth dad cut the cord and then Andy cut the rest of it off. It was a beautiful moment. Savannah was whisked away to the nursery to evaluate her breathing as she was struggling a bit.
Andy and I ran to the nursery window to look at our beautiful baby girl. Laying there in the nursery receiving oxygen I knew she was ours. I had no doubt whatsoever. A miracle. Our miracle.
Andy and I spend the entire day in a small room taking care of Savannah and cuddling with her. We were not able to stay the night there but we wanted to soak in every minute. We left for a brief time to go take a quick nap and shower. When we got to the condo - it was disgusting!!! So we packed the truck and found a hotel closer to the hospital. We were worried about the cost of hotel compared to the low price of the condo but God provided! Someone we know called and offered to take care of our lodging expense! Talk about a blessing!!
We went back to the hospital and walked back and forth from nursery to birth moms room as she had several family visitors to see the baby. There was a minute I kind of freaked out. Well, not kind of - I did. I literally had a panic attack. It was overwhelming. We got back to the hotel and I prayed I could relax and sleep well because I knew the lawyer would be there the next morning. And, I did.
Faith. It never fails.
We arrived at the hospital early the next morning refreshed and hopeful for what the day would bring us. Waiting to speak to the lawyer we walked downstairs to the coffee shop. As we walked passed a security guard he said, "congratulations on your daughter!". Andy and I looked at each other. How did he know? We had never talked to him before! And she wasn't legally ours just yet. Andy said maybe it was a confirmation from God that everything will go smooth. And I believe he was right.
10am on Saturday morning, just 29 hours after birth and 19 hours early, birth mom signed papers to relinquish her rights to baby Savannah. She was officially ours. Wow. When we entered the birth moms room to sign papers for our side of things, I fell apart. I mean, after all this time....this was finally happening. I flashed back to all the years of not knowing if we would have children, the emotional roller coaster of being told we couldn't, the mountains of paperwork, the waiting, more waiting, the stress of not having enough money, being matched and then here we are....we have a daughter. Amazing. Totally worth it all. And something completely beautiful.
God is really good.
Since that moment we have had some rocky times. Savannah was transferred from the nursery to NICU for observation. She has had a hard time adjusting to this new world and having a hard time eating. Unless things change, we expect her to be discharged on Friday. While she is in NICU for observation we can only hold her when we feed her which is every 4 hours. It is hard to restrain that need to hold her. We've waited so long and here she is - struggling. I just want to comfort her but I can't. So we pray. We pray a lot. We pray more than I think we have ever prayed. We update family and friends, feed her, change her, hold her for a min, and pray. And God is there. We feel Him so strongly. We pray as we feed her that she will eat and she does. We feel His presence. Be still and know, cause He really is God.
What happens next?
Well, we will be discharged on Friday. Once that happens we will apply for ICPC which is the approval from the state of Florida to leave and from North Carolina to enter with Savannah. That typically takes a week. So we expect (if all goes well) to leave here on Friday, March 4th and head towards the Queen City. I can't wait to get home. And I can't wait for our sweet angel to meet everyone!
Thanks for all of the texts, calls and emails. Even though we are so far away we do not in any way feel alone in this. Everyone is praying for us. Even the hotel receptionist. ;)
Love you all!