When the phone rang at 3:31 on October 2, 2006 I was involved in a team meeting at work. I remember walking to the phone, wondering whom Kathy was and hoping the call would be quick! When I picked up the phone Kathy introduced herself as a member of Adoption STAR and then said, “We found your baby.” I was shocked; we did not know we were being profiled, I fumbled around trying to find a piece of paper to write down the information I was being given. I called Mike and told him about the situation and we both knew that this was our baby! The baby would be delivered the following day in Indiana.

We spent the next 24 hours getting ready for our baby: buying supplies, assembling the pack-n-play and packing for the road trip of a lifetime! On October 5, 2006, my 37th birthday, we were given the most precious of gifts, our son, Jacob. I will never forget the moment we walked into the hospital room, met Jacob’s birth mother and those beautiful words she said, “Would you like to hold YOUR son?” I cried, as she handed me that wonderful little bundle of warm baby, Mike, Jacob and I, had our first family hug at that moment. Those first few days we spent in our hotel room in Indiana getting to know our son were magical. I remember feeling like the world was a brand new place, everything was new, giant gumballs in a machine at a rest stop had vibrant colors, colors that we would one day share and explain to Jacob. Adoption made me feel complete again, and full of life, we have enjoyed every minute of our new life!!