A Beautiful Day

It was a very special day for our family! Justin and I got to meet the twins for the first time. It was just an unbelievable experience. Before I go in to today, let me fill you in on some things . . .

The twins were born on Friday, January 29 at 6:10 pm and 6:13 pm at Vanderbilt. They were induced for several reasons. The birth mom was experiencing preeclampsia and also the first baby was not getting as much food as the second one. They wanted to make sure she was able to feed well and thought she could do that better outside. The birth mom was able to push both girls out and they did GREAT! They did not even need to go to the NICU which we are so thankful for! They were 5 weeks early, so we weren't sure how developed their lungs would be and just other preemie concerns. The day they arrived, Nashville got more snow than I have ever seen followed by a sheet of ice an inch thick! We could not have gotten to the hospital at all until Sunday. We were sad to learn the birth mom had not approved us to come to the hospital at all. We began to be concerned about losing the girls. On Sunday we were told, the birth mom wanted a week at home without the girls to pray about her final decision. The process had been difficult and she was wavering on her decision to place them for adoption.

It was a long week, but one we spent in deep prayer. Honestly, it was a peaceful week for me. I knew the Lord had a plan, we would adopt the girls or we would go to Bulgaria to adopt. Either way would be a HUGE blessing for our family. Justin and I did not want to parent the twins if it was not God's plan for us. We trusted His ways were better than ours, even if it meant losing them. The truth is, we still do. I cannot tell you how much I felt the presence of the Lord last week. Another AMAZING thing was to feel the prayers of all of our friends and family who prayed so faithfully for us. THANK YOU for all of you who prayed!

On Monday, February 8, we got the call. The birth mom walked into Mercy Ministries office and told them her decision. Mercy said the birth mom looked different. She was more peaceful, joyful, happy, and her whole face was glowing. They said she looked as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She sat down and said, "I know that I know that I know that I am supposed to place the twins with Justin and Tiffany." PRAISE THE LORD! We were so happy to have the confirmation from her. We are so proud of the birth mom and her willingness to follow God's plan no matter how much it cost her. We can never be thankful enough for her sacrifice. She not only was brave enough to give them life, but also brave enough to give them what she felt was a better life than she could offer them. We are overjoyed.

Back to today. . . When I walked into this situation, I just didn't know how I would feel. Would I fall in love at first sight? Would I feel bonded to them? Would I feel like they were someone else's girls? Would I be able to tell them apart? Would I know what to do? The answers are just indescribable. It was definitely love at first sight. For all of you who have adopted, you know the answer. The Lord gives you a supernatural experience. It is almost surreal. I just didn't know I was capable of feeling the way I did today. Maybe it was realizing the end of this DARK journey of infertility and loss was imminent. Maybe it was knowing this was God's plan all along. All the miscarriages, failed in vitros, corrective surgeries, and all the PAIN was washed away in one moment. God is good. For any of you walking through dark and painful valleys, please remember, it is not the end of the story. It is just the road leading to His perfect plan. Walk the road and remember He is faithful, and the end is a beautiful forever with Him.