Day 92: Eleven Weeks

The first night we got them I remember going to street church and being so nervous about meeting their birth mom. I wondered if she would like us, or if she would look at us, take an immediate dislike to us, and declare, "My babies are not going home with these old people!" I wondered if they would like us, or if they would be afraid of us.

Turns out their mom was not all that interested in us. She liked us, but didn't quiz us at all (not like I would quiz strangers about to leave with my babies . . .oh wait . . .) And the babies were so used to going with other people, that we weren't a big deal to them.

So, we took them and their small stack of belongings to our car and loaded them up in the car seat. (Word to the wise for new parents - KNOW how everything works before you have to use it - car seats, strollers, cribs, EVERYTHING!) We FINALLY got them buckled in their car seats, couldn't figure out how to adjust the straps, prayed a quick prayer and headed home.

About 10 minutes into the car ride, the screaming stopped, and all of a sudden I felt a hand on my arm. Baby "S" (who turns out is an escape artist) had wiggled free of her car seat and was tapping me on the arm. Ummmm, yeah, true confession. First night, baby not in car seat. Mimi report card: F

But, I figured out the car seat, made the rest of the ride home and took two sound asleep babies into our home for the first time, laid them in their cribs, and changed our world forever.

It's hard to believe that it really has been only 11 weeks. It feels like we've known them forever. We know the sound of the cries, individually. We know who likes what foods and who doesn't. We know what each of them needs to fall asleep. We know how each one likes to be comforted.

I feel this great need to impart ALL of that knowledge to their new family. But I won't. At least not ALL of it. I think. That feels like the right thing to do.

All that to say, transition is hard. It will be hard on all of us. Some minutes I'm so excited for them and their new family. Other times I am weeping over nothing, like finding a cinderella slipper under the couch. But our hearts are overflowing with gratitude that God would give us these 11 weeks.