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A
phone call Sunday, March 5, 2000 was the end of 7 years of waiting
and the start of a new beginning in our lives. The call was
telling us that our new child's birth mother's water broke and she
was in the hospital and we should come to Nebraska.
Let me start at the beginning. I am Kay. We live in rural Oregon.
I am a 42 year old mother of 3 wonderful homegrown children,
Melissa 19, Jordan 16, Allison 14. I have been married to my best
friend Russell for 22 years. For the last 7 years I have known and
prayed for the other child I knew was still to join our family.
Last November I started talking with a young woman who emailed me
after seeing our information on my web site http://www.preciouskids.org/
. She was looking for a family for her unborn baby. Christmas week
she asked us to parent her baby. I then began 8 weeks of
preparation to breastfeed our adopted child.
March 6, 2000 Miss Haley Elizabeth was born to a wonderful young
high school couple who chose to give her life and place her with
us. We arrived in Nebraska 24 hours after that Sunday evening
phone call and phoned the hospital. We were told, "You have a
baby girl!" We could not get there fast enough. We still had
3 hours of driving to go. We arrived when she was 5 hours old.
That night we met Connie and Mike and their family for the first
time. We met our daughter! What a joyful, emotional, and confusing
time. After a couple of hours we had to leave them to go to the
hotel for the night. It was so difficult to leave our daughter.
The next morning we arrived at the hospital. Connie was alone with
the baby so Russell left to run some errands so I could visit with
Connie alone. After being assured by Connie that we were going
forward with the adoption, I asked if I could nurse her. Connie
knew of my plans and preparation and was supportive. She said yes!
I put the baby to my breast and she latched on perfectly. She knew
exactly what to do. What joy and bonding I felt at that instant.
Connie later told the social worker how much it meant to her to
see me nurse Haley and bond with her so quickly.
The rest of the day we spent at the hospital. That afternoon
Connie went home. That was an emotional time for all of us. Connie
and Mike love her so much. It was very difficult for them. They
knew they were making the best choice for Haley. I nursed her and
held her most of the day. That evening we had to leave her in the
hospital again as we went back to the hotel. The next morning we
returned early to spend the day with our daughter. That evening
her birth parents returned to the hospital to sign the paper
releasing Haley to us. We then walked out of the hospital with a
new daughter.
That night we met Connie and Mike and Connie's family at their
church where we had a wonderful ceremony dedicating ourselves to
loving Haley and raising her to the Lord. We had asked Connie and
Mike to be Haley's God-parents. Afterwards we put Haley in her car
seat. Russell and I walked to the car as we left Haley with Connie
and Mike so they could say their good-byes. After several minutes
they brought her to us in the car and we said goodbye. That is the
last time we saw them. We returned to the hotel to hold and watch
the miracle daughter God had brought to us. As we lay in bed and I
nursed her to sleep, such a great sense of peace flooded me. I had
a new daughter!
Monday
3-13-2000 Haley and I arrived home to Oregon to meet our other
children Melissa 17, Jordan 15, and Allison 12. Russell had flown
home 3 days earlier, while I stayed in Nebraska to wait for the
Interstate Compact approval to take the baby home.
I
stayed in the home of a wonderful woman I met online. Her family
had also adopted. In her home Haley and I got to know each other
and got used to our nursing relationship.
Melissa,
Jordan and Allison could not wait to each hold her. They will be
wonderful big brothers and sisters. Melissa had no college that
week and has taken the week off work to be home and help me. I
home school Jordan and Allison so they are home too. It is a sweet
time with our new family member.
PS.
We continue to have a wonderful open relationship with Mike &
Connie. We send emails and photos every month and have occasional
phone calls. Mike & Connie and their families sent Haley
birthday and Christmas presents.
We brought home lots of mementos from Nebraska to be able
to share with Haley where she was born. Mike & Connie were
married February 2001 (a week before Haley's 1st birthday). Haley
is truly blessed to be loved by 2 families.
See Haley's photos at http://www.preciouskids.org/haley.html
Copy
Rite 2002 Kay Green http://www.MyPreciousKid.com
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