This is such a huge milestone for us.  I remember saying to David that I couldn't wait for the day that we were matched and got our "Are Matched" next to our name and picture, then next get to see "Have a Baby Boy!".  We looked forward to that from the very beginning, because we knew that it would happen for us, and when it did that we would be ready to welcome our precious baby home.

 

When we saw your note of congratulations we both cried.  Even though we have had Thomas Finley for a month already, seeing "Have a Baby Boy" next to our names gave us so much happiness and a sense of validation that we get to keep him.  We know that we have two more weeks until our thirty day waiting period is officially up, but we are confident that everything will work out the way it should.  That is going to be a big day for us, and we are counting down the days.

 

Our experience has been an amazing journey.  We always knew that we would be successful at adopting a child, but did not dream that it would happen so fast.  March 1st was an interesting day for us. That morning I learned that my brother and his wife were pregnant.  This would be their third child in three years.  Everyone in my family seemed to be with child, my sister is also very pregnant and due on April 17th.  So that morning I did some work and then took the afternoon off to get my head together.  David was coming home from work that afternoon, but I needed some time to be by myself so I took a drive over to the town where I grew up. 

 

I got some lunch and went to my favorite park to watch the ducks in the lake, and as I sat there I began to cry.  I needed to be by myself so that I could fall apart and not let anyone see how painful it was to hear that another person close to me was pregnant.  I was so happy for them, but so sad for us.  I let myself feel all of the emotions, and then I turned to God and asked him to take my pain from my heart and to help us be strong and loving and supportive.  I told God that I surrendered this to him and knew that he would help David and I get through our pain.  I felt his presence in my heart and he lifted me up.  As I drove home late that afternoon I called David and we had one of those conversations where you know what each other is feeling but you don't say the words, you just tell each other how much you love them and that is good enough.

By the time I got home David had to go to a Fire Department meeting in town, which was good timing since I looked a mess.  I went in, cleaned up, and was getting settled in to watch American Idol when the phone rang.  I looked at the caller ID, and did not recognize the number.  The thought crossed my mind to let it go to the answering machine, but I decided to answer it and that is when our lives began to change.  On the other end of the line was Adoption Coordinator, Veronica, from Lifetime.  I remember how calm she was, but the tone of her voice seemed urgent.  As the conversation unfolded it seems like everything began to proceed in slow motion. Veronica was giving me as much information as she had and I was frantically writing it down.  David came home from his meeting and an hour later, after a family meeting with my mom and sister, David and I were in the car on the way to meet our birthmother and baby.

 

We had very little information about our birthmother, since she had gone into labor six weeks prematurely and her Lifetime paperwork was in transition.  David and I knew that God was involved, and that He was asking us to have faith in Him and his plan. We turned to Him and each other and knew that our prayers were being heard, and as we drove we were both excited and scared. 

 

Within hours we were holding our son in our arms, surrounded by a wonderful NICU staff and our birthmother's Grandmother, we could not have been happier!  The next six days in the NICU flew by; Thomas passed all of his tests, ate well and started to grow.  That was our ticket home, and by the evening of March 8th, 2006 we were at home together as a family.

 

David and I constantly talk about how everything is working out for us, and know that God has been there for us every step of the way.  We also recognize the amazing resources we have in Lifetime, especially Libby, Veronica, and Diane.  Every question has been answered, every process explained, every request has been granted.  We are so fortunate to have them on our team, and know that without them our precious baby boy would not be with us today. 

 

The communication was timely and professional; the coordination with the hospital, the attorney, and social services was impressive.  They were attentive to every detail and truly gave us inspiration and confidence to deal with the situations that we faced.  We were so grateful to have such a cohesive group of professionals working for us and with us to get our son home.  They are always in our thoughts and forever in our hearts, we look forward to the day that Thomas gets to meet his amazing Lifetime team.

 

Thomas is one month old already and growing so fast!  We cherish each precious moment, and are having so much fun being parents! 

 

I know this is a long note, but I wanted to make sure that you knew how grateful we are, that God has a plan for each of us, and that hiring the right team made our adoption experience one that we will treasure forever and be happy to share with everyone.

 

Thank you to everyone at Lifetime for helping us become a family and filling our hearts with love.

 

Warm regards,

 

David, Annette & Thomas Finley