One year ago today, I got a phone call from Love Basket that changed our lives forever! I'll never forget it- I was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet when the house phone rang. I figured it was a courtesy call and almost didn't even check the caller ID. When I saw that it was Love Basket, my heart skipped a beat. Sweet Jo told me that our profile had been chosen by a birth mom, but it was a special situation, as she had recently moved to Michigan. I did not miss a beat in telling her that was NO problem! She went on to tell me that the baby was a boy and due in about a month! Wow! I tried to keep from jumping up and down and screaming as tears rolled down my face. I was afraid to get too excited. I immediately began running through all that could go wrong. It makes me so mad at myself that I immediately went to the negative. I guess that is just a result of all the disappointments we have been through. I then started making phone calls! I first called Stan- no answer. Then, I called Ashley- no answer. On to mama's cell - no answer! I was LOSING my mind! I then called Mama's house phone and got Daddy. He got to be the first to know. The rest of the night was spent crying, laughing, talking to friends, hugging, screaming, shopping online (!), more crying, planning, planning, planning. Neither of us could really believe we were actually going to be parents.
The next day, Love Basket sent us all the info and told us that the birth mother really wanted to meet us as soon as possible. Thanks to Candace's buddy miles, we flew to Michigan a couple of weeks later and met the lady that will forever be an angel to us. She was quiet, funny, sweet, precious, scared, beautiful, lovely, and smart. We fell in love with her instantly. I have tears in my eyes just thinking of her. What a gift she gave us. We will always love her, and we will always let Gaines know what a wonderful person she is. I miss her every day!
The next month and a half were a whirlwind of excitement, nerves, joy, fear, and planning!!! I still cannot believe that it has been a year since we found out about our sweet boy. I wonder how in the world we would be able to keep on living without him, and we didn't even know him a year ago. He is the brightest spot in every day. His sweet personality and easy laugh make my heart sing. I feel that Stan and I are the two most blessed parents in the world to have him in our lives. I find myself pinching myself almost daily to see if I'm dreaming. I truly thank God for Gaines's birth mother and the selfless act that she performed. She knew that she could not raise him the way he needed to be raised. She told me the day he was born that she was sad, but that she would never have to worry about Gaines, because she loved us, and she knew that we would love him so much every single day. She just can't imagine how right she is. We try not to take a single moment for granted - even the sleepless nights and dirty diapers. It's all something I have longed for for years. God knew what He was doing all along, and when we finally decided to listen to Him, we were granted the most precious gift ever!
