nursemom

Thank you all for all your kind words and for letting me share our story. Parenthood is better than I ever could have expected. We are so overjoyed. I will post pictures so you all can see Julia Grace once we get a little more organized. We're still spending most of our time just staring at her. I feel like all other things can wait. I'm still convincing myself it's real. But by the happiness and contentment I feel in my heart I know it is. I'm keeping all you parents-in-waiting in my prayers. You too will feel the joy a new child can bring. Have faith. Enza

Hi everyone. This is the proud, happy, blessed, and overjoyed mamma of Julia Grace, the first baby placed in 2003. Thank you all for you kind words. I was asked to share my story so I will. It started 1 year ago at the January 2002 orientation in San Antonio. We were so excited and knew that 2002 was going to be our year. At orientation we were known as the vacationing couple because we love to travel. A few weeks after orientation we had traveled to Aruba where we got our first phone call from a birthmom who wanted to match. So we did. We were in correspondence with her until she delivered at the end of April, when she decided to parent. That was difficult, but the very next day I had spoken with another birthmom and the day after that I was matched again with a birthmom who was going to have her baby 3 days. We traveled to San Antonio to meet the newborn baby girl and spent 4 days there and the birthmom decided to parent. It was very difficult flying home with empy arms and having 2 disappointments so close together. At that time we were also in a position where we could adopt from our home state, Michigan. We got word of a little boy that the birthmom had wanted to place. It was a very high risk situation, but I took my chances and brought the baby boy home. Being a newborn nursery nurse I felt like I could do as good a job caring for him as a foster home and I really wanted to have a baby in my home. The birthmom had put our chosen name and last name on his original birth certificate and everything, so we had a false security. We had the baby at home for 1 week and the birthfather decided he wanted custody and so the birthmom decided to parent. That was very difficult. That was when I really had to rely on my faith and my faith was starting to wear thin. We had a very difficult summer. At the end of summer we decided to visit some friends in Memphis who have 2 adorable Abrazo babes themselves and we felt like we were ready to dive in the process again. Our energy and will power was rejuvinated. A few more months of waiting had passed, but through all the past experiences I had learned how to be patient. I also learned and truly understood what everyone meant by "if it's meant to be it will happen." I had to believe that with every fiber of my being just to get through and continue to have peace in my life. Well this was meant to be! After a very busy holiday season we had decided to vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my whole family. We were going to be there to bring in the new year. Last year my sister had bought me an ornament that said "Here's to you in 2002" Since 2002, I thought, had been the worst year of my life and I had endured so much pain during the year, I first wanted to smash the ornament, then I thought that would be too violent. So Brad and I decided to bring it with us on vacation and on New Years Eve set it to sea and let our pain of the past year drift away and have renewed hope for the new year. We know 2003 was going to be a great year. When we were packing I could not fit the ornament in my suitcase. So it stayed back home. On New Years Eve we had a wonderful day sightseeing and laying by the pool. Little did we know that our baby girl was being brought into the world by her wonderful birthparents. That night I was so emotional, but I had such a wonderful evening under the stars with my family. In Mexico there a tradition called "the 12 grapes of happiness" where you have a small bundle of grapes to make wishes upon. Well at the stroke of Midnight my whole family (21 of us all together) were shoving grapes in our mouths all wishing for 1 thing as fireworks were being shot off all around all around the bay. Our wish came true. So the vacationing couple was on vacation when their daughter was born. We enjoyed the rest of our vacation and returned home on Sunday the 5th. We had many messages on our machine. The phones were down in Mexico from the hurricane in Oct. (TIP: If you are traveling, call where you are staying before you leave to be sure you can reach that location from the U.S., I wish I would have.) Anyway. It was a blurry Monday where we had to udpate our homestudy- our appt was Tuesday, but we weren't going to waste another moment so luckily we have a great social worker here and she came that day. Our physicals were outdated too (update them every 12 months). And we had to pack and somehow prepare for a baby. Anyway we flew out on Tuesday morning. And for the first time in my life, it felt like, everything fell perfectly into place. We met the birthparents, who are such selfless, remarkable people and then met our new baby. A moment that will be locked in my memory forever. After we took placement of our baby girl we spent the evening with the birthparents. That night at the hotel, we just stared at her all night long watching her sleep. What an amazing feeling and what an amazing process. The emotions you feel are indescribable. Being from Michigan we had to wait for the interstate compact which is usually 5-10 buisness days and then 2 days later we were told we could go home. That also was so amazing. We did stay a few extra days to be sure the birthfamily could spend time with her since they were planning on a longer stay as well, but we flew home as a family on Saturday and were welcomed home by our ecstatic family. My heart is filled now with joy and gratitude and I have a happiness that I thought would never be possible. My daughter was born on the last day of 2002 and I feel like that was God's way of saying "don't give up on me" I was ready to just forget the year and it was the year my baby was born. To those of you who are parents-in-waiting, have faith. I know you have heard that a thousand times before, but turn to the people that give you the most support and do all the things you enjoy. For a period of time I felt like the adoption process took over my life and I had lost some of those things that make me who I am, so continue to enjoy your life while you wait and trust those folks over at Abrazo. They will come through for you. The happines you will feel at the end of your journey is immeasurable. Enza, Brad, & Julia Grace

Congratulations to the new Mamma and Pappa on their new baby girl!!!