It’s amazing how quickly a life can dramatically change whether it be a good or a bad change. Seven years ago, I was looking forward to vacation with my husband and his family. We were going to Mexico at the end of the month and staying at an all-inclusive resort. I couldn’t wait!
While we were waiting for vacation, we were also waiting to adopt. Waiting to bring home a baby. Waiting to become parents. But it could be months or years, or truthfully, never. So we didn’t put life on hold. We booked the vacation and were fully expecting to go. In January of that year, we thought we were going to be bringing home a baby boy. We were young, naïve and didn’t quite understand adoption like we do now. It was a tough loss. A vacation was just what we needed and it was nice to have something to look forward after experiencing that loss (although truly he wasn’t ever ours to lose).
And then that phone call came that changed our lives. A baby boy was born and he was going to be ours. I was so giddy with excitement. I could hardly believe it was really happening. I couldn’t stop shaking. I was about to become a mom. And with that phone call, vacation quickly became a distant thought.
One phone call made me a mom. One phone call made my dreams come true. One phone call made my life a whole lot fuller. I went from desperately wanting to be a mom to essentially becoming a mom overnight with little warning. I literally had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Yet there was another mom in the picture. The one who birthed my son. The one who loved him first. The one who was having one of the worst days of her life while I was having one of the best. That will never be lost on me. Truly bittersweet. Both of our lives changed dramatically in different ways.
This month, our oldest turns 7. Not sure how that’s possible. It’s been an amazing journey. Being mom has been my favorite thing ever. Sometimes the days can feel long, but the years go by so quickly. I also really love being an *adoptive* mom. It can be complicated and emotional, but it’s also an incredible blessing to know that there’s another mom out there who loves my kids (probably) as much as I do.
Happy Birthday, Matt! You are an amazing kid and I’m so glad I get to call you mine. You are far better than any vacation!