Our Adoption Story: Part 1

As I look for a minute to schedule this year’s mammogram, I couldn’t help but reflect on what was happening in our home, just one year ago this month.  I thought you might be interested in reading a multiple part post from that time. It’s a tale of pregnancy, breast cancer, adoption and God’s plan for our lives.

*****

Friday, June 4, 2010 - Although I’ve been dreading this day for months, I am choosing to be happy and joyful in my circumstances.  Today I will have my second bi-lateral breast biopsy.

I am looking in my bathroom mirror to make sure my make-up is just right.  My hair is stylin’ and I feel very pretty as well as comfortable in what I’ve chosen to wear.  You might be asking “What is your problem??”.  No problem.  Today I have a date with my future, and I want to look and feel good.  Besides, I am choosing to trust God with it all, why worry?

My nanny takes the circus over as I kiss every child, with assurances that I will be back later that night.  I took plenty of time last night to cuddle with them and answer any and all questions they had.  It was time to go.

First, pre-op.  This is the fun part, where they squish your ta-tas between thick plates of plastic and shoot long needles into them.  I am not joking here.  The good feeling had worn off by now as the excruciating pain caused me to feel like I would black-out.  The nurses were all over it, bringing cold rags and trying to keep me from passing out.

It took about 15 minutes for me to regain my composure, then we did the second one.  Good feelings definitely gone.

As I sat there with 2 long wires fished into my breast to the point of concern, I tried to breath and remember that this was the right thing to do.  Father, please help me to cope with the pain.

*****

It wasn’t that long ago, January 2008, that I got my first suspicious mammogram report.  That snowy week in January proved to be one of greatest tests of our faith, both personally and as a couple.

It was New Year’s week and I was trying to get a mammogram in before the normal schedule resumed.  Mammograms aren’t my favorite past-time, but since the removal of a sebaceous cyst a few years ago, I was a part of the club.  Monday, I had the mammogram done.  One thing checked off the list.

Another list item was to get a pregnancy test, I was very late, which isn’t unusual for me.  Just ruling out…..you guessed it, I was pregnant. Oh Lord!  This was Tuesday of that week.

Wednesday, just hours after I had broke the news to my husband that we would be expecting #7, we got an email from our adoption agency.  There’s a bit of a story to fill in here.  In October of 2007, after experiencing a miscarriage that almost took my life, I succumbed to the temptation to look at the updated “waiting children” site.  I try not to do those things without my husband, my emotions go all over the place.  I know…bad me.

I was quite familiar with most of the faces I saw that day, but wait, a new listing!  Three siblings that caught my eye instantly, an older girl and two little boys.  They were beautiful!  My heart jumped with emotion and I wondered if these were the ones for us.  The plan was two children, two little girls.  Wait a minute, this didn’t fit at all.  Then I called the agency to get some information about these cuties.  I was told that they were already ‘claimed’ with a long waiting list for them.  Oh.  I felt pretty foolish at that point, what was I thinking?  I just miscarried and had a hemoglobin of barely 8, I needed time to heal.  We knew we wanted to adopt and were getting our ducks in a row.  After the first of the year, we would get more serious.

Back to the story…on Wednesday of that week, our agency called.  It had been a couple of months since I had spoken to them.  Quite to my surprise, the three siblings, named Rahel, Bereket and Epherem were available for adoption.  Say WHAT??!!

They wanted to know if we might still be interested.  I inquired about the ‘long waiting list’, but all of those people had gone on to adopt other children.

There was just one, tiny little problem…I never told my husband about the call in October.  I wasn’t hiding anything, I really just felt foolish and didn’t want to be embarrassed.  Besides, the chances of getting them were extremely low.

I had just told my husband the day before that I was pregnant, and now today I have to tell him about these kids.

More next time….