A New Life

Thursday was a beautiful day.  A little warm, but a nice summery day.  Work had been frustrating but all that was forgotten when I was told one of our dearest friends here in Springfield welcomed their 2nd child into their family. The kid isn't even mine but it's amazing how the beauty of a new life put a bit more pep in my step. Our friends invited me to come to the hospital that night to be their first visitor!  I went over and just enjoyed being part of their excitement and visiting with them.  Then they offered to let me hold their 6 hour old boy.

One of the things I am most worried about in our adoption is to be in the delivery room, be handed a baby in front of our birthmother, and look like a deer in the headlights.  I don't want to be nervous or scared (although I'm sure I will be as everything becomes real), and I don't want to do anything that makes our birthmother second guess that I am prepared to raise her child.

So back to my story.  Our friends let me hold their tiny child, and it was scary.  But as I held him, my confidence grew.  I was able to shift him around a bit.  Then hold him with one hand to get a pillow to put across my lap to help support my arms.  It wasn't so scary after all.  THEN, they asked me if I wanted to put him in his first onies.  Wow, what friends to invite me into such special moments and trust that I wouldn't break him.  So I picked him up and moved him to the bassinet.  Then the fun began.  With dad's help, I got his arms in the sleeves, but dad did most of the work with getting his fragile head in those tiny little neck openings.  It was just awesome to have someone there to help and teach me simple things.  It's the small things like that that give me confidence and I know I can be a parent.  In fact, I think every 10 minutes or so, I'd tell them, "yeah, I can do this."  

Then on Saturday, I picked up their daughter from where she ahd been staying and I had her for the whole day!  It started out with having to transfer her car seat from one car to the other.  Except no one had ever shown me or the other lady how to do it.  But after 10 minutes, we got it all done.  Then we ran to the store for milk.  Got all the way to the check out line, and I realized I didn't have my wallet.  Oh well. "Bug" (my new nickname for her) hung out with me all day and it was fun.  She is able to communicate very well with sign language and a few words.  

Me with Bug after naptime

Then around dinner time, I took her home and enjoyed chinese take out with the new family of 4!  I got to video tape Bug meeting her new brother, which she wasn't too sure about at first.  Then as both parents settled in to eat while each feeding a kid, I just helped so they could eat and relax.  After dinner, both Mom and Bug went to bed while I got to hold the baby and hang out with the dad.  We talked about kids and babies and things they have found that works or doesn't work.  They are a Godly couple and have shared some of their ways of disciplining and reasons for different views they take as parents.  It has been so awesome to just watch and take mental notes.

Gabe and I have been blesses with an amazing couple to call friend.  They allow us to be apart of their family and be close to their children.  They want us to be as involved with their kids as we want and encourage us to build strong relationships with them, even knowing we won't always live close. It is so humbling to have friends who trust you so much with their most precious possessions: their children. And I hope that I can spend as much time with them as possible so my confidence rises as a caretaker so I can be prepared for when my precious treasure is entrusted to me. I'm gonna rock the onies someday!