There are very few moments in life in which every detail is etched into our memories. Maybe you can remember what song was playing on the radio, what you were wearing, how the air smelled or actually feel the butterflies in your stomach. The moments we remember with this level of clarity are often the ones in which our lives change drastically and/or suddenly. Though years may pass, you can go back to these times and feel the emotion as if it were happening all over again. Recently, we asked some of our adoptive families to tell us about their experiences getting “The Call”- and wow did we receive an overwhelming response! There are so many stories to share that we will publish them in a series of blog post. We hope you enjoy reading as so many families reminisce about these very special times.
Julie was at home. I had to interrupt my husband at work because we had to pack and make arrangements and leave the next day bright and early! Having already been though a failed match, we both felt excited, but also a calm peace about it. It was a girl and we both felt in our hearts that we were going to have a girl. We did not even speak of this calmness. We made arrangements for the dogs, packed our suitcases, opened the nursery door (for the first time in awhile) and packed everything imaginable that a baby would need. I went through the already packed suitcase and took out all the blue clothes, kept in the yellow and green and wished I had time to go buy some pink! Next morning, first stop, Adoption STAR, where we got a pink outfit! And everything was perfect.
Jaime was on a lunch break at Wegmans. I still have the napkins I wrote all of the info adoption star gave us on the call!
Lisa was in the car with her husband, having just left a dentist appointment and dropping him off at work. Since I assumed that our Family Advocate was returning our call after leaving an earlier message, it started off like a normal conversation and then at some point she said, “oh, and you’ve been chosen for the baby due in Indiana.” WHAT??!!! So we drove around the block for a few more minutes to hear the rest of the information. Baby due in 6-ish weeks. No prenatal so no ultrasound yet. Waiting on medical reports. We didn’t *really* believe that this would be *it*. Because we’d just had a very fast failed match the month before (after waiting 2 years with nothing), we weren’t quite jumping up and down yet. About 2 weeks later, I called STAR to discuss what they needed for supplies to send down to Haiti (after the earthquake). Zach answered the phone and hesitatingly put me on hold for a minute. Our Family Advocate got on the phone and suddenly said, “Lisa, you’re a mom! Your baby was born last night!” I couldn’t believe it. I asked her what it was and she didn’t know! I had to wait another few minutes to hear and find out that we had to be in Indiana the next day!
Terri Sue was at work at a training/coalition meeting in Niagara County. STAR called and I had to go outside the building and try to talk on my cell, grab paper and pen to write things down all while my hands were shaking and my heart was racing. Since there was no immediate need to leave I had to go back to my meeting and try to remain calm.
Jill Barton Christiansen was in her classroom being observed by the principal. He’s known since we began the process about me needing my cell…so, of course it rings mid teaching, and I see the 716 number, so I excuse myself. I find out from our advocate that a baby boy was being discharged from the hospital that day in FL, and if we chose to be we would be 1 of only a select few families being looked at. This was the first referral (after about 25-30) we had ever had for a baby already born. So, of course, we said yes, and then I had to wait for 2 hours before the return call. I know I busied myself doing things, but have no idea what! When our advocate called back to give us the good news, I barely knew what to do. From that moment on it was frantic figurings to get everything done to get to FL to get our precious Eli (He will be a year old in only a few weeks!)
Jessica was also at work – first day back to school and starting a brand new position. I felt so grateful to be given the opportunity to do what I loved best. My boss knew we were waiting to adopt. We got the profile call early in the morning, but the expectant mom was only 3 months along so we didn’t expect to hear back so soon. I stopped by my old building to visit with some teacher friends and see if the needed any help with anything and my phone rang. I couldn’t imagine why we were getting a call back so soon, yet at the same time I just knew it was going to be our baby. Sure enough, it was Sue saying that we had been chosen! Then we had to settle in for a really, really long wait, but it was all totally worth it! Our second time around I was only working part-time, so I was home when I got the call about being profiled and traveling on my way home when I got the call about being chosen. That was serious shock – I had the same feeling of it being the one, but it was so soon after our first that I just couldn’t believe it until we were home and 30 days were done!
Alison was at work. We received a call about a baby boy was born the day before in Long Island. We sent our profile the next day and got called (again at work) that his birthmom wanted to speak to us both on the phone. So I drove to my husband’s work and he met me in the parking lot. We made the call sitting in our car and after speaking with her for several minutes she asked us to be her baby’s parents! A few days later we traveled to Long Island, got lost on our way and had a mad rush to the hospital! With our second, I was at home on the 4th of July dancing with our son. A few weeks before, we had a failed match so we were not expecting another opportunity so soon, and we were very cautious. I went to work with my parents at the farmers market. When my phone rang I told my parents it was a work issue. But in actuality it was the news that we were picked for another baby boy born the day before. I must have sounded completely shocked and scared because they actually asked me if I was sure I wanted this baby. Um YES! But given the recent failed match I was trying to protect my heart some and we decided not to share the news with anyone. We told my parents we were going on a friend’s boat so they would watch AJ. We actually went to Buffalo to pick up Andrew! We surprised them by walking in the house walked into our house with a car seat. My Granny’s reaction was priceless and my dad fell off the couch! All this was captured on video. With our third, I was driving to Buffalo when we got the call that an expectant mother wanted to meet us. A few days later we went to lunch and it was the most perfect meeting. Seriously. It couldn’t have gone any better. It was at this lunch that she told us she wanted us to be her baby’s parents! We went to lunch again and to a doctor’s appoinment and then scheduled a birthing class together. But our daughter surprised us all and came into the world 8 weeks early. That phone call from her Birth grandma at 5:40 am is forever imprinted in my head and heart. I thought it was going to be the worst of all calls with terrible news about this teeny baby born so early. But we soon found out just how TUFF this ‘lil girl is.
Amy was at work, both times. For our first, it was our very first profile call and within 15 minutes we received a second call that we had been chosen! The kids were leaving to go home on the bus and I got the call. I sobbed and was so happily overwhelmed. With our second, the call also came at work, asking us to meet the prospective birth mom. At the meeting, she told us that we were her choice. Even now, I can’t think of those days without getting incredibly emotional!
Molly was at school, in a team meeting. It was 3:31 and the secretary called me and said Kathy was on the phone (I had no idea who that was at the time) but my team members said, go take the call. I picked up the phone and she immediately said, “Hi Molly, we’ve got your baby!” We had no idea we were being profiled, and we had already been chosen by our son’s birthmom. Jake was born the next day and we left the following day for the road trip of a lifetime!
As you can see, “The Call” can truly come anywhere and at any time!
Stay tuned for more stories about our clients getting “The Call.”