One year ago

One year ago today we got the phone call that would change our lives forever.

One year ago today we got the phone call we had been waiting months to get.

It was late. 10:30 pm.  We were sleeping.  I will never forget hearing the phone ring and looking over to see our agency's number on the caller ID.  My heart skipped and sank at the same time.  We had received a phone call  like this twice before and I wasn't sure if I was ready to have to say "no" again.

I answered.  And I remember the sweet waiting child coordinator from our agency saying to me, "Are you sleeping? Well, wake up! Labor comes at all hours of the day".

She went on to tell us they had the file of a little girl they thought we would want to see.  She told me a little about her I agreed to take a look.   I woke Rob up, we turned on the lights, got the ipad out and opened the email.  And saw this:

 

 

And our hearts melted. 

 

I would love to say that we just "knew" in that moment that she was ours (it happens like that for many people), but that would not be the truth.  We thought she was adorable, but we were also scared.  She carried a diagnosis of congenital heart disease, her physical development was delayed and she was barely speaking.  We were scared.  But we couldn't stop staring at her.  We couldn't stop looking at those sad eyes. 

 

We spent the next day consulting with doctors, reading her file over and over again, and basically searching our hearts trying to decide what to do.  It was one of the most stressful days of my life. 

 

Ultimately it came down to this:  while we may not have been 100% sure we were ready to say yes, we were 100% sure we could not say no.  Not to her.  She was the one that we just could not say no to.   

 

The next morning we signed and submitted our Letter of Intent to adopt Vivian and never looked back.

 

Here we are almost 9 months home and I am happy to say it was the 4th best decision the two of us have ever made together.  And it was made very much together.  It was a total leap of faith and it has been far more rewarding than either of us EVER could have imagined.

 

We greatly appreciate all that CCAI (our agency) did to help us find Vivian.  We are thankful for the wonderful advice of our doctors and appreciate all the time they devoted to us throughout our adoption process.  We are amazed every day that, of all the orphans in China, and of all the families around the world waiting that night to be matched with a child, we somehow found Vivian.  We thank God, fate, luck and all the forces that came together to make this happen.

 

Vivian is a dream come true.

 

 

It worked out that the week of our referral we were scheduled to take a trip to visit my parents.  We decided to surprise them, and the kids, with the news of our referral.  At this time last year I posted this video of us sharing the good news and I will post it again here.  It was such an exciting time!

 

 

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com