“We matched you with a baby!” were the words I heard at 8:30am on Friday 15, 2008.  “What?!!What?!!” was all I could say through gasps and tears.  “How?!!” I asked.

Betty our China Coordinator responded, “From the Special Needs List.”

“Ooohh!” I said again through gasps and tears.  Then the thought hit me.  “What special need?” I asked.

“She had an atrial septal defect(ASD) that has already been repaired,” said Betty.

“What, it has been fixed already? I can’t breathe!  I am shaking!” and crying.

Well that was how part of the conversation went.  I was the first one to arrive at work that morning when my cell phone rang.  Betty asked me if I was driving and I told her no, but it was still an okay time to talk because I had just walked into work.(had no clue why she was asking)  She said, “You might want to sit down.”  I thought, oh great, more paperwork. And it is that bad that I have to sit down?  Then came the, “We matched you with a baby.”  I have never been taken by emotion like that before.  In the middle of this call my customer walked in and I am sure she thought that someone was dying.  Betty told me I needed to take off from work because we had a lot to do today.  I was filling in for Vicky who was out of town.  So now I needed to have Anne fill in for me.  When I called and left Anne a message on her phone, I was crying and hard to understand. (When Anne arrived at work she asked how were we expected to get to China in 24 hours when it’s like a 16 hour flight and we still had to pack! Ha! Ha!)  She misunderstood that there is only a 24 hour window for us to lock her file.  Well, back up.  Before I called Anne, I called CHRIS! I just told my customer while I was in hysterics that it was okay,  I just had to tell my husband first.  I couldn’t tell the shop before Chris knew.  She would just have to listen in on the phone call. Of course I could not get Chris to pick up his cell phone.  So after the third time in a row, I called his office phone from my work phone and his cell from mine at the same time.  I thought surely he will understand that he needed to pick up the phone!  He did as I could hear him asking someone if they could please hold on.  I was crying and trying to get it out, “Betty called and we have been matched with a bbaby!”  I can not tell you what he said.  I don’t remember.  I told him Betty would be emailing her file and we need to take off work.  I told him if I got home before him, I would wait and not look at her picture until we were together.  And he said,  “I can get our email from here!  I’m lookin at her!”  AAAhhhh!  And he did!  I knew because when I was leaving work I got a text.  Chris sent me her pix on my phone.  In the parking lot at work in the sunshine her face appeared to me for the very first time.  I couldn’t see very well, so I had to go back inside.  She was perfect.  She actually looked like I imagined.  Did I mention she was perfect?  Okay, now I had to focus.  We had a deadline of 5pm.  We had to consult with doctors, come to a final decision and fill out paperwork.  My mom, I thought.  I texted her picture and just put ‘our baby’.   Oh, my word!  My mother has been calling hourly ever since, asking if we know anymore or to tell me she has thought of something.

Well, Chris immediately called my Dr. at Riley.  Did I mention the fact that the baby and I have the same heart defect that has been repaired.  The one special need that we felt the most comfortable with and that is the one she had.  That was another reason I was so emotional when Betty called.  My heart was repaired at Riley hospital with a catheterization  process about 4 years ago.  If they couldn’t do it that way, then I would have needed open heart surgery.  I got lucky.  Our sweet baby ended up with surgery on December 25, 2007 to repair her heart.  We needed Dr.s to review her file and give us feedback so we could come to a decision.  My heart Dr. was wonderful!  He personally called Chris back twice.  He said it was a typical ASD repair and she looked good.  We also contacted our pediatrician.  We got the okay!  We called Betty back and said now what?!!  Paperwork!  And so it began.  Betty told us the baby’s file would be locked in for us and us only.  “Congratulations!”  She was going to be ours!

What a day that was.  Our phone was ringing off the hook.  The computer was giving Chris fits.  Our scanner wouldn’t scan and Chris said, call Marlene and Ed!  They live up the street and Ed is a computer whiz like Chris.  No questions asked, Ed scanned and emailed in record time!  We pulled it all together by 4:55pm.  Or so we thought. Our deadline was 5:00 and Chris sent it in the wrong document form and had to resend it.  AAAhhh!!  He did it and we waited.  We were then due at Chris’ parents for his 40th birthday dinner.  What a perfect way to end the day and tell his family! We didn’t get an email until the next day knowing for sure everything was okay. We just kept telling our selves no news is good news.  Apparently so!

Maybe you are wondering our kids response?  Well, I have talked about it their whole lives.  I am sure they have had their doubts.  We got out the video recorder and had them sit at the table when they got home from school.  I had her picture behind my back.  When I told them they actually had a sister, Jack said,” yeah, right!”  Lauren turned her picture toward her and said, “She really is?  She is precious.”  So, Jack didn’t seem to impressed and Lauren was very happy.  Not a problem as Jack is the most amazing child I have ever seen when it comes to little ones.  He loves them and they always love him back.  He is the best at making them laugh.  He will be such a joy and comfort to the baby when she arrives.  Lauren will be my helper and want to do as much as possible.  I think I will let her.  The kids are at such wonderful ages.

There was so much that went on that day that I know thoughts will come to me later.  I am sure in future blogs I will comment on them.  And just thinking about how this has all come toghether in God’s perfect timing, not ours.  We thought we still had a 2 year wait!

Now for a little info on the baby.   Her Chinese name is Hong Zhihui.  Her DOB is 1-11-07.  She is in Nanchang, the capitol city of the Jiangxi provence.  We will call her Ava.
We will keep you posted! God Bless!

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.       Psalm 126:2-3