Oliver's Birth Story 1/6/2015

I feel terrible that I am just sitting down to write this but as you can imagine I have been a little busy! :) I have been wanting to share Oliver's birth story with the exception of some details to respect his birth parents privacy. So I will start with the day we got the call from "L", Oliver's birth mom, telling us her doctor gave us the go ahead to head down to Louisiana. She had just left her appointment and called me to tell me that the doctor said she was 3 cm dilated and that she thought Oliver would be here by New Years ( this call was on Tuesday, December 30). The doctor gave L the option to be admitted then or wait it out at home, she chose to wait at home.  So I called Jimbo & my mom (she came with us on the trip) to tell them that we needed to hit the road. We got to Louisiana at 3am on Wednesday morning.  We spent time with L & J while waiting for Oliver to make his appearance, & I am glad we did! L had several false alarms but never ended up going back to the hospital. We were on pins & needles are very stressed waiting! L spoke with her doctor and found out that she could be induced on the following Tuesday (January 6). We were excited that there was an end in sight since Jimbo & my mom had taken off work and we didn't know how long our stay would be. During the week a series of bad events happened to L & J that I will not go into detail. But it was bad. L was really struggling and had no support. My heart broke for her. It was so hard to be there and not be able to do anything to help her. Seeing her in so much pain was the worst. Tuesday finally came around and I was supposed to pick up L that afternoon to take her to the hospital for the induction, well we got a text that morning saying she was at the hospital and 5cm dilated!! We got to the hospital and she was contracting a lot. I sat with her & talked with her to try and calm her nerves. The doctor came in and said it was time for the epidural and that she would want to take a little nap after. So we stepped out to grab some lunch, little did we know that Oliver was making his arrival when we were waiting for the anesthesiologist to give the epidural. She progressed from 5cm to 10cm in 30 minutes and gave birth in only 4 pushes! After L had alone time with Oliver she invited us to come in. We were so nervous & excited, I thought I was going to throw up! When I finally laid eyes on him, I sobbed! I had never seen such a precious face. The moment L placed Oliver in my arms is indescribable. I have never felt such joy in my life! I couldn't stop crying and staring at his sweet little face! And when Jimbo held him for the first time, GAH SO CUTE. We got to watch him get his first bath and get all cleaned up. I spent a lot of time with L. I wanted to make sure she knew I was there for her & how much I cared for her also. The next few days in the hospital were rough. The hospital part of adoption is nothing anyone can prepare you for. It is so heartbreaking, stressful, exciting, happy and terribly sad all at the same time. We were hoping the hospital was going to be adoption friendly but sadly they were not. L was still having a rough time and we were giving her as much time as she needed with Oliver to say her goodbyes. I cannot begin to imagine how she felt in those 3 days at the hospital. She was about to endure the hardest day of her life, signing day. Signing day was horrific. I have never prayed so hard in my life, we truly needed a miracle & God provided! The hours leading up to the signing were the hardest moments I have ever endured. I know they were the same for L. We were almost sent home without Oliver but God had a bigger plan. I am so glad that he was in control. I know that those hard moments have only made me stronger. After the signing was finally over after being drawn out forever, we said our goodbyes to L & J. This was another gut wrenching happy/sad time. L handled the goodbye with such grace and I sobbed for her. She was experiencing so much grief and pain & we were on the receiving end of her selfless act. I love her & I am so glad that she chose a better life for her son. After our goodbyes and L & J went home, we could finally hold and love on Oliver as our own.

 I felt so much sadness for L and such extreme joy at the same time. I sobbed and sobbed holding my sweet boy ( Daddy cried too). I could finally let go of all the frustrations and fear and feel like his Mom. A moment that we have waited and worked so hard for. Every invasive interview, all the paperwork, the doctor visits, the waiting, every tear and worry was all worth it in that moment.  The next week we spent in the hotel enjoying being parents but missing home. We had to wait for the state to clear us to return home. We were finally able to return home on January 15 and we are enjoying every minute!
We are so thankful for adoption. It was a long journey to bring Oliver home. It took a lot of unconditional & unwavering love, patience and understanding. Holding and seeing my sweet boy made it all worth it! Thank you everyone who has followed our story & I hope you continue to because we are now beginning the new journey of parenthood! :)
So much love to you all!!
Becka