Our two pink lines

September 8, 2017 started out like a typical morning; I was getting ready for work and Jon was at Dunkin' Donuts picking me up an iced coffee. It was about 8:15 and in between confirming my schedule, checking work emails and making my lunch, I noticed a red 2 in the upper corner of my telephone icon. Although I'm not great about checking my voicemail in a timely manner (a very bad habit) I did find it odd that I was unaware of a missed call. When I clicked on the icon it brought me to my voicemail transcript with a number from Crystal Lake, IL- our adoption agency. I was only able to get through the first few lines before I dropped to my knees in disbelief.

I remember pacing and screaming for a full 2 minutes before making the decision to call Jon who was more than likely on his way home. When he picked up the phone (in the middle of Dunkin' Donuts) I shouted "come home RIGHT NOW" I couldn't get much else out, just those words on repeat. Jon was terrified that something had happened to Bronson or that someone had broken into the house. I did have a moment of just enough clarity to say "Angel called" and a rattled Jonathan quickly arrived home to an apologetic me to listen to the entire voicemail together. By this time it was around 8:30am and Angel wasn't open until 9am central time. Needless to say it was a very l o n g hour and a half. We finally spoke with Samatha who gave us some basic information- expectant mother's name (will refer to her as S) age, location (Georgia) health of the baby (perfect) due date (November 22) NOVEMBER 22! That was less than two and a half months away! Samantha told us that one of the reasons S was interested in our profile was because of our mutual love of animals- especially bulldogs! S was hoping her child would grow up in a home with pets. Samantha also informed us that S requested to talk with us through text message so we could get a chance to know one another better. 

After work, I raced home so Jon and I could text S. We thought how do you even begin a conversation like this? We nervously sent out a message thanking her so much for reaching out to Angel, for viewing our profile and that we were very excited to talk with her. About an hour later we heard a ding and it was S! She, too was excited to learn more about us. We shared stories about our families, hobbies, her schooling, and what led us to adoption. At that point we wrapped up the conversation for the night so S could catch a movie with friends (ironically Jon was at the same movie) and agreed to talk more the next day. 

The next afternoon, our conversation flowed effortlessly but Jon and I were cautiously optimistic. This was considered a connection, and not yet an official match. At around 5pm Jon and I realized we hadn't eaten anything all day and ventured out to the grocery store. Our emotions were running high and we found ourselves mindlessly wandering around Hannaford when I text message came across my screen. S told us she had previously spoken with other families but never felt they were the right fit. She went on to say that Jon and I were the type of couple she had prayed for to raise her baby and asked if we wanted to officially make it a match. We couldn't get out the words "YES" fast enough as tears streamed down our faces in the stir-fry line. Although we had many hurdles to overcome, in the moment we were overjoyed to think this was the closest we had ever been to potentially being parents. S told us the gender (girl! yay for pink and bows!) and that she was growing right on track which was most important. We couldn't stop saying we were so happy and S also felt the same way. She went on to say she knew in her heart this baby was meant to bring a couple so much joy. S shared a few ultrasound pictures with us and we couldn't stop staring at that perfect profile. Jon called Angel first thing on Monday to let them know the news and figure out the next steps. 

Naturally, the very first person we told was Bronson. We hugged and kissed him and thanked him for being one of the driving forces behind this match. Pinky swear he was much more excited that this picture lets on 😉

We were beyond excited to share with our parents all that had transpired in the last 48 hours. 5 years of disappointments, pain and too many no's to even count, led us up to a point we had only dreamed of. We finally had our version of "two pink lines" and carried that joy with us each day while still guarding our hearts. Our parents were over the moon with happiness as we shared the good news to the rest of our families and close friends. Everyone held us, S and baby girl in their thoughts and prayers and we were so appreciative and continue to be so of that. 

We remained in contact with S though September and October and formed a strong bond.  Jon and I booked our flight to Georgia for November 19th to allow for a few days to spend with S before the due date. In true, unpredictable baby-like fashion, we received an update from S on November 6th that caused us to quickly pack our bags, kiss our first born baby boy Bronny goodbye and reschedule our flight to Atlanta to November 8th. We couldn't be 100% certain at the time, but our lives would change in the most amazing and beautiful way 3 weeks later. Story to be continued...