We coordinated to meet on Thursday. Josiah and I made the trip to Rhode Island where the birthmother lives. Adoptions always take place in the state of the birthmother. We talked for an hour, learned about each other, and spoke about the future for this baby. The mother was incredibly nice, kindhearted, and gentle. She is young, has had some struggles, and is trying to move away from a period of instability. She shared her heart for her son, particularly her desire for him to have security and stability. She expressed her hope that we would bond quickly with him, and she was excited to hear our ideas about names and our thoughts on our changing family dynamic. There were a lot of beautiful moments in that conversation that I will cherish forever. As uncomfortable and nerve wracking as these meetings can be, they are also very powerful and amazing.
The baby boy is due on August 11th. He is Italian and French Canadian. All of the ultrasounds show him to be healthy, but he may have a hard first few days. Please pray for him in the next few weeks as he grows. These prayers would mean the world to us. On the way home we prayed, asking Christ to show us if we were following His plan for our family. Josiah made the point that we may be overthinking it. If there is a mother that is asking us to raise her son, how can we say no? Sometimes after you pray, you just need to take a leap of faith, trusting that if God doesn't want this adoption to go through, He won't allow it. We can trust Him to be in control when our decisions are big and heavy.
As always, there is the chance that the mother will change her mind. The social worker indicated that the birthmother has always seems really confident in her decision to put her son up for adoption, and the meeting yesterday added a peacefulness to her confidence. That being said, nothing is set in stone until the baby is 15-25 days old and Rhode Island and Massachusetts agree that he is ours. The birthmother can change her mind from now until that happens.
I hope this is a good update for all who have sent text messages, called, or asked about our meeting! We also hope this gives you another peek into the adoption process. All parts of it are amazing and unique. God willing, we will have more updates for you soon.
Please pray for continued wisdom and clarity as we navigate these very brand-new situations, health for the birthmother and her son, and for our family as we prepare for what is ahead. Know that your prayers are felt by all of us and that we have felt so supported and loved through this entire process.