adopting penn liam - part II {birth mother in labor}

Adopting Penn Liam - Part I

SO May 5th was when our little guy was due to be born via c-section!

We had that date circled in red on our calendars and all plans made around that day, but like most things...plans quickly changed!

Ryan had a few days off before we planned to leave for Virginia {where the baby would be born} and they were packed full!! We were trying to sell our car, install a water softener, clean the house, prepare for a newborn, get everything packed for our trip....you get the picture. When our social worker called on the morning of Wednesday, April 29 we were in the midst of doing all those things! Like bottles all over the counter, the car in the driveway with mats out getting washed and vacuumed, stuff just kind of everywhere....I kept thinking about how I was glad to have a few more days to get the house in order before we headed out.

But, nope! Our social worker called and told us that our birth mother was in labor that morning and due to have a c-section that afternoon @ 3pm!

#panicmode

I ran out to the driveway where Ryan was washing the car mats and told him to turn off the vacuum...then I started crying and screeching and told him the news!!! He dropped the vacuum and just stared at me. HAHA!

I called my Mom right away to see if she could get to VA and watch Keaton the next couple of days while we were at the hospital - thankfully she cancelled plans and packed her bags! I paced back and forth for a good 15 minutes just thinking and thinking and then turned on my overdrive.

Because we were adopting in another state we needed to get interstate approval from both VA & PA before returning home with the baby. This can take from 7-10 days, or longer. So we were basically packing for a 1 1/2 week long vacation with a one year old and newborn.

AHHHHH!!

I basically packed my entire dresser and then some. Like I made Ryan get a bigger suitcase so I could use some of his extra space.

Would I need 4 sweatshirts in 80 degree weather??
No.

Was I ready just in case??
Yes.

Even though we knew we'd be getting this little boy soon, we thought we still had a few more days to get ready! Thankfully, I had most of baby's items packed. I had actually made him a little onesie with his name on it just the day before so it would be done and packed. Thank goodness!

It was crazy and a whirlwind and I was legitimately on the verge of a heart attack, but I loved it!! It was such a rush!! The van was packed and we were on the road to VA in less than 3 hours!

And can I just say something quick about Keaton?? He is just amazing. He rode 6 hours in the car like a champ. Slept in his pack n' play in the hotel each night, all night like a champ. Was flexible and just a happy boy the entire time!! He kept Ryan and I sane through all the waiting and unknowns.

We got to the hotel around 8:30pm and still hadn't heard from our social worker. I sent her a text and she said that the social worker working directly with our birth mother would contact us when she got more information.

That's how this process is - hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait.

We knew our boy was born {or at least we thought!!} but didn't know anything else about him! Was he born? Healthy? Big? Small? 10 fingers? 10 toes? Hair?

It was a long night....still not knowing anything about our little guy, but we got through and the next morning we got a call from our birth mother's social worker telling us to be at the hospital at 10:30 that morning.

All we knew is that he was healthy.

We got Keaton ready to spend the day with his Grammy and then headed to the hospital to hopefully meet our boy....