“Our path to baby W started in October 2014 after a family move from Texas to Pittsburgh to Oklahoma. Todd and I knew we wanted more kiddos and we both have always felt led to adoption and knew this was part of our journey. Little did we know what an amazing miracle God had in store for our family.
On Nov. 25, our adoption agency called and asked if Todd and I could come by to sign some papers quickly. We were busy packing the kids and the dogs for our trip to the lake for Thanksgiving. I asked if we could come by and sign the papers when we got back in town, but they were very adamant that Todd and I needed to come by as soon as possible. I left Todd and the kids home to continue to pack and I got ready to go get the paperwork.
On my way out the door, Todd told me he saw a news report on a baby boy that was dropped off at a local urgent care with his umbilical cord still attached. His mom said she was homeless and couldn’t care for him. I said, ‘That is the saddest thing ever. Do you think that is our baby?’ Todd said, ‘I doubt it. He’s probably pretty sick,’ and off I went to get the paperwork. Little did we know on that short mile-drive, our life was about to be blessed beyond all understanding.
When I arrived at the agency, I could tell everyone had been crying and the only thing they were interested in was where Todd was. I feared the worst — that something had gone wrong with our paperwork – and I finally asked, ‘Is everything OK?’ That’s when they handed me a piece of paper with the headline reading, ‘Woman Leaves Newborn At Tulsa Clinic.’
‘Oh my gosh, Todd just told me about this little one,’ I said.
They replied: ‘You don’t have more paperwork to sign. He’s waiting for you in the NICU. He’s yours.’
There are no words to describe all the emotions I felt at that moment. They explained they wanted both of us there to tell us at the same time that us being a match with W was nothing short of God. That’s why they had been emotional and crying — they had just witnessed God. Even now this brings goosebumps and tears. It blows our mind that God chose us to be his parents.
So, how do you tell your husband and big kids we have a baby waiting for us? I couldn’t talk very well and knew I couldn’t call so I drove home, sat them down and handed the article to Todd. He read it and said, ‘This is the story I was telling you about.’ I told them, ‘He is ours. He’s waiting for us!’
Our plans sure took a different direction. We loaded up, stopped by the store, bought him an elephant stuffy and a gray blanket, and off to the hospital we went. We came up with a name we all agreed on. When we arrived, it took us a bit to get to him as the only nurse that knew his story was the head nurse. We were given a secret 4-digit number to get back to him.
When we finally got to him, we knew instantly he was ours. He was so perfect! He wasn’t the healthiest of babies, but he sure was holding his own for what he had been through. His name tag read Baby Boy Unknown, which broke our hearts, but it didn’t stay that way long. The big kids got a pad of sticky notes from the nurses’ station and had his NICU area decorated with his name and cute drawings in no time.
We spent the next week with him in the NICU being monitored like a rockstar with his own nurse. We would be there for the feedings, would run to buy more baby stuff for his room and back and forth we went. At one point his nurse mentioned they thought he was suffering from withdrawals and was concerned, but when we arrived for his next feeding she said that was not the case — he was only fussy when we weren’t there by his side. Oh, my heart!
W came home and all was good!
Then began the adoption process. We thought the paperwork before the adoption process was emotionally draining. Well, that is nothing compared to the adoption process. If you let it, fear and doubt can take you over. The state has its agenda and process it must follow and you just have to roll with it.
The next Thanksgiving was one for the records. W was officially ours on Nov. 11, 2016, and the next day our tribe celebrated Thanksgiving as well as W turning the ‘Wild One!’
W is a one of a kind. He is the healthiest, happiest, most full of life 2-year-old. He has brought so much fun and joy to our family. God moved some mighty big mountains to align our paths. It has been a huge reminder that God’s plan is better than we could ever imagine. We want all the people who prayed for him to know that their prayers were answered before they were spoken. God has big plans for our little tornado and we are grateful to be along for the ride!”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Amy, 43, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Submit your story here.
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