Our Adoption Story - Part 9 - Birthday

Part 1 - Infertility
Part 2 - Waiting
Part 3 - A New Goal
Part 4 - Comfort
Part 5 - Chosen
Part 6 - Charlotte
Part 7 - Expecting
Part 8 - Shopping


Shopping for car seats is the worse. I work all day, then, spend my entire evening looking for the perfect infant car seats. Determined to find something tonight, I shop every store in the city, some of them twice. I am not excited about my choices, but, I finally choose a matching pair. In the morning, I try installing the seats. That evening, I insist Eli do the installing. I read and reread the instructions to make sure my poor husband does it exactly right.

March 14, 2005

Monday, I put in a full day at work and as I am finishing up the receptionist informs me that I have a call on line 1. I answer. My babies have been born --- 4 weeks early! They are healthy and all are doing well. I am confused because we were suppose to be called when she went to the hospital to deliver and I am so disappointed that I didn't know earlier. "Why?" But, I am too busing trying to find a scrap paper to jot down the rambled off details to ask. The boy was born first, he's just over 6 pounds, and, the baby girl, born 3 minutes later, weighs just under 6 pounds. I announce it to my coworkers and tell them good-bye. I won't be coming back. I'M A MOM! I drive home to get Eli and grab my little baby bag. Then, we'll be off to the hospital --- I can't wait to see them!

But... Eli wants to find new car seats. He doesn't care much for the ones I found. Fine! Let's go get some. We look and look and look. Oh, I am anxious to leave and don't want to be pushy --- but we are looking at all the same ones I have already looked at! Finally, he decides on a pair of matching, over-priced, Winnie-the-Pooh carriers. We go back home to install them. At home, we get a phone message telling us that they are waiting to see if the little girl will turn before they do a c-section. It seems kind of weird to me because we have already been told they are born. (It occurs to me now, as I write this, that the message must have been left earlier in the day.) The seats don't install quickly. It's getting late much too fast. WHY CAN'T WE JUST LEAVE! I can't stand this waiting! Finally, Eli tells me we're NOT going tonight. NOT GOING TONIGHT?!?! These are our babies! I want to scream, but, I don't want to fight, so I relent. We'll do it his way. As I change my focus and take a few deep breaths, I realize it has gotten really late. I certainly don't want to bother Charlotte at midnight. (Oh, how I do want to peek through the nursery windows though.)

My little brother will be getting married on Friday. I make arrangements to make it to that. Our sister-in-law will watch our babies while we are in the temple. (It turns out we need special permission from LDS Family Services to take the babies out of the state. So, we get that.) I try to pack a suitcase for the babies, but, there are so many extra little details to worry about now, and, since the adrenaline rush earlier --- I am tired! My mother-in-law will finish packing for the wedding part of the trip. However,m Eli does not want to travel with band-new babies. Me, I can't wait to show them off.

Part 10 - Hospital