Adoption STAR clients Alison and Jason reflect on how they shared the news that they were going to become adoptive parents.
Around 9pm on July 3, 2010 our son, Andrew David, was being born as we relaxed on the couch from a busy day… and we had no idea!
The next morning, I was dancing around the house with our older son, AJ, to some Kidz Bop tunes when the phone rang. It was the birth parent advocate from Adoption STAR and my head immediately started to spin. After learning about a healthy baby boy that was born the day before to a wonderfully sweet and shocked young woman, we eagerly agreed to be considered.
I later went to the market to work my parent’s pasta booth and didn’t say anything about the call. While there, I received the call that changed everything- we had been selected! Partly to protect ourselves if it goes bad, and partly to completely surprise them if it goes good…Jay and I had already decided that we weren’t going to tell anyone about being selected. So I made up a little white lie about whom I had been talking to.
I proceeded to ask my mom if she could babysit AJ the next day because Jay and I were going to hang out with our friends that were in town, when really were going to sign the papers at Adoption STAR and then hopefully bring Andrew home from the hospital. My mom easily agreed. And so the scene was set for a once in a lifetime surprise!
By 10am the next day, we were signing the placement papers.
And then we headed home……
Andrew slept for most of the way home in the car. After a not so quick stop at the service plaza to eat a late (and much needed) lunch, we finally arrived home around 4pm.
I went into the house first. AJ was so happy to see me and ran over to give me a big hug. Nana then asked, “Where’s Jay?” “I simply replied, “Oh, he had to get something out of the car.” Little did she know that “something” was her newest grandson….and AJ’s little brother.
As Jay walked in carrying the car seat with a sleeping Drew, I started rolling the video camera. My mom casually looked at the car seat, a little confused. She looked back at me and back at the car seat. And then BAM, it hit her – OUR NEW BABY! At that moment she looked directly into the video camera with this look of total shock – mouth and eyes wide open and frozen. I swear she kept that expression for a good 30 seconds straight. Then her voice got all crackly and she quickly and jokingly scolded me for in fact not being with our friends all day, as we had told her. Ha-ha!
After introducing AJ to Drew, we moved on to the living room where my dad was sleeping on the couch. We simply placed the car seat on the floor next to the couch and let him figure it out. Before he could, my mom said, “They got a baby!” Papa literally fell off the couch onto one leg on the floor!
Fast forward a bit and my dad already had plans to pick up granny to take her shopping so I suggested he pick her up and bring her to our house first. I wanted to take advantage of as many in person surprises as possible – I mean, really – how often does someone get to surprise their family with a baby?
So papa went and got granny and we again videotaped the reaction. Granny put her hand over her mouth, gasping “OH” about 20 times as she entered the living room and saw my mom holding Drew.
PRICELESS.
The rest of the evening was spent trying to make clever phone calls to the rest of our family members. For instance, Jay called his mom and asked her if she could babysit AJ and Andrew that night. Ha-ha. Grandma Sharon came to meet her newest grandson that night, too. We planned to surprise Jay’s dad and step-mom by Skyping them that night and just showing them Drew, but since their Skype wasn’t working, Jay told them on the phone. Then later that night we Skyped and introduced them to Drew.
The next couple of days were filled with more introductions and visits from family and friends. We feel so blessed to have 2 beautiful sons and to have gained them through the miracle of adoption.
I hope you enjoy seeing our families’ reactions as much as we did!