The Best Day Ever!

CELEBRATING OUR REFERRAL OF BABY EDEN!!!!!

First off I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone for your beautiful comments and e-mails and phone calls! I never, ever thought that this day would come. Our journey to our family has been 6.5 years long, and now that we see our little girl's face, I wouldn't want anything different than it has been. We waited 15 months and 3 days for our referral, and there were times that it was hard to get out of bed and start the day. But being a part of our special adoption community, and having encouraging, awesome people to cheer you on and always lend their shoulder to lean on has gotten us through those 15 months! We have a little Ethiopian Princess, sigh...

I could hardly sleep last night, because I thought that if I went to sleep and woke up, it would all be a dream and Eden really wouldn't be ours. But it's true!!! I can't even describe the joy of getting a referral. Seriously, when people used to say, the wait goes away after you see the picture, I did not agree one bit. How could it really disappear? How can you forget the wait? But it does, it does. I would have waited forever for her. She's so beautiful and sweet and we can't wait to hold her in our arms forever.

So here's the scoop.....

I was at school and the phone rang at about 10 AM or so. I saw the Gov't of SK caller id thing come up and I think my heart fell to my knees. I picked up and I hear my social worker say: "Are you sitting down because I have a referral for you"!!!!!! Immediately, I went into the ugly cry and got the shakes. My hands would not quit trembling. She said "It's a baby girl, a new little baby girl"..."just 6 weeks old". I managed to stumble out the words "what's her name" and she said "Eden" and then I cried some more and said "her name is so perfect, that's what it was supposed to be". So much for Princess Banana Hammock...... (maybe for a middle name).

She e-mailed me the information, so that was so great she was able to do that for our family! After I hung up the phone, I called Kristin and said "hey, daddy...you have a baby daughter"!!!! And then I kept crying. Kristin was like, "get home like NOW!!!!!!" All right, all right... So then I had to call my bff, Ricki and share the amazing news with her. I was so humbled to be a part of her special day, when she got the call about Yonnas, so she just had to be a special part of our day! Yes, Auntie Ricki you were right about the baby girl but Julie M. you guessed, October 16 and 1 baby girl so you were the closest guesser won my little poll!!! I'll be in touch :)

And then after that, I called my friend Becky to the office at school (because my principal and friend Frances wasn't here) and then we had our scream fest, cry fest, high fiving moment!!! Good thing I'm telling this story today, because I was in such a daze after that call, I hardly remember the drive home......where I was on my cell phone calling Sandi! I know, bad, bad, driving and cell phoning at the same time. Honestly, it was an emergency.

I pull in to our driveway at home, threw open that door, and screamed "we have a baby daughter!!!!!"....and let the hugging commence! Even though my social worker had e-mailed all of Eden's referral information to me at work, I held off and didn't look at her picture until I got home and we could look at it together. Now that was the hardest thing ever!!!! Nope, I didn't even sneak a peek! Enter: dial-up internet on the farm. Not what you want to see when you're trying to see your baby's face for the very first time. Finally, Kris said "let's go into the living room so we don't have to watch the progress"......and then the moment came. Click.......

And there she was. All dressed in an orange and pink hoody ten miles too big for her and with little yellow pants. Ohhhhhhhhh...with big brown eyes, and so much dark hair. Our hearts just melted. She is perfect, I couldn't have imagined our daughter any other way.

Off to meet with our social worker we went. The drive actually went so much faster than I thought. Well, I guess I was talking on my cell phone the entire time, spreading the good news! (and no I wasn't driving this time). We met with our social worker, signed our acceptance papers as our doctor had said all was well with our little princess and she looked very healthy.

My mom happened to be in the same city yesterday, so she met us at of all places, Peavey Mart. Yes, everyone, I still am married to a farmer! Poor Oma, she must be sore from all that dancing and jumping up and down. And off shopping the ladies went......except everything I seemed to pick up was brown or light pink, which Oma ixnaed because Eden has to wear bright colors, bright colors to bring out her skin color!

This new mamma went shopping for her baby girl!!!!

My mom (Oma Corrie) went shopping for Eden too...

leopard print, how sweet is that!!

We got home and I posted the news on our adoption board and blog and the overwhelming support has been so wonderful! We had a house full last night, Kristin's mom and dad and sister and the girls, and auntie and cousin and our friends came over. Ricki, that bottle of wine got cracked open in celebration! I already have pictures of Eden plastered all over the house. On the fridge, in our room, on the tv stand. Pinch me.....it still feels like a dream. So this is what happiness really feels like. I think this is the best day of our lives!!!

Beautiful flowers from "Auntie Ricki & Uncle Bruce"

They are so beautiful! Thank you!!!

I hope our hardest part of the wait is over. It's going to kill us that she can't be with us for now, but we know she's in a great place that is taking special care of her.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS & FAMILY!!!