An Extraordinary Thursday

Thursday, April 30th was just a regular day for us. I was at home, enjoying my day off. Travis was at work trying to figure out a difficult furnace. Neither of us had any idea as to what the day would bring. It was late afternoon and I was doing some of our grant paperwork on the computer. Travis called, and I could tell something wasn't right. When I asked him how he was doing on the furnace, he told me he could care less about the furnace right now. Of course I thought something was wrong, especially when he wouldn't answer right away. Finally he was able to choke out, "We have a son." I was in disbelief. I asked him over and over if he was joking, and when I finally believed him, I started to cry. We both cried and he shared the information our social worker knew. We were able to get a copy of the referral emailed to us within a few hours, and seeing our child for the first time was amazing. We spent the rest of the night looking over the information, calling our friends and families, and crying some more. We were so happy, and still in shock that this long awaited moment was finally here.

Among our excitement and joy, a little bit of nerves and fear are mixed in, too. Since baby Joel came earlier than we thought, we are a bit short on finances. It's also just a little frightening to think of being parents. Both of us have this doubt in the back of our minds, "Will I be a good mom/dad?" I'm sure all of these feelings are normal for first time parents. In fact, we feel a little bit like parents whose baby came a month or two early when nothing was ready. We have a list of house projects to get done before our referral that will now get done after our referral (if at all!). But despite all of our fears, worries, and insecurites, there is a deep peace and joy. At long last, we are parents. For so long, it seemed that God was silent to our cries for a child. But no longer--God has answered our prayers and blessed us with a perfect baby, and we couldn't be happier.