Our journey started in February 2002 when we filled out our application for adoption. We chose a private adoption agency after a long research of agencies in our area. The agency we chose just seemed to “call to us.” Little did we know at that point why. We continued into our home study in the following months. Through this process our social worker recommended we get our foster care license as well. This would open up a world of opportunities for us. A great deal of adoptions in our area depends on foster care first, then turning into adoptions. Completing our license would allow a baby who would initially go into foster care to come immediately to our home while waiting for the adoption completion.

Our home study was approved in July and our foster care license was granted in August. After that the phone started to ring. We received many calls on children already in the system just being released for adoption. We gave special consideration to every call deciding if each situation would suite our family. None of the calls worked out for one reason or another. One Friday night we received a phone call from our agency. The voice on the phone told us of a baby girl about to be born at any moment. It was not what we expected. The little girl was Caucasian and we were waiting for a minority child. We are Caucasian and were looking forward to diversifying our family by adopting outside of our race. The social worker told us the story of a young mother not ready to parent a child and wanted to see our profile. She was looking for a family who had their foster care license and could take her baby home from the hospital to her forever family. We fit the bill.

The next day she was presented with our profile and within an hour we received a phone call. The words were surreal…”You Have Been Chosen.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Our baby was to be born within 2 days and we would bring her home within 5 days! The birthmother wanted us to come to the hospital after the baby was born to meet her and her family. We were more than thrilled and overwhelmed. The birthmother was induced on Monday and had Isabella Tuesday morning. We were to go to the hospital Tuesday afternoon to meet the birthmother and Isabella. The anxiety was unbelievable. Excited and scared all at once, we got to the hospital and met with our social worker first. She prepared us for who was in the room with birthmother. There was birthmother’s grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and brother. We were overwhelmed to meet all of them at once.

The social worker took us to the room, we entered and the feeling was so intense. We said hello and they all replied the same. The birth Grandmother was holding Isabella and instantly looked at me and said…”Would you like to meet your daughter?” I burst into tears as she handed Isabella to me. What a feeling. I can’t describe the emotion we felt. We were holding OUR daughter. We visited with our daughter and the birth family for about an hour. The meeting was like talking to old friends. Yet another amazing feeling. We were invited back the following day to visit again with Isabella. She was such a joy. Thursday, 2 days later, we went to pick her up from the hospital to bring her home. We waited while the birth family said their goodbyes. The tension in the waiting room was unbearable. The thoughts that ran through our minds were unthinkable. Would they change their minds?

The doors opened and we saw the birth family come through in tears. They immediately came to us, embraced us and thanked us for helping them. Beyond my comprehension I couldn’t imagine them thanking us when they were giving us our lifelong dream! They also handed us gifts for Isabella. One in particular was a hand crocheted blanket that was made 12 years ago. My mouth dropped open when I saw it. The two colors that made up the blanket were the exact shade of the two colors that we painted the nursery, baby yellow and orange. I knew this was a sign, our child had found us. It was apparent to the birth family they had made the right choice as well. We went in and picked up Isabella and brought her home. Within the next few months, more signs from God appeared in all ways proving to us this was meant to be. One in particular hit us out of the blue. Isabella was conceived the same month we applied for adoption. We waited exactly 9 months for our baby. We met again with the birth family on 2 more occasions. Isabella was again showered with gifts. The conversation continued like old friends that were just picking up where they left off. What a wonderful addition to our family, making us whole.

Isabella is now 5 months old and we can’t even remember our life without her. The feeling of knowing her forever grows daily. We are now and forever will be "A Family."