Emma's Story

Ever since we've left the hospital with Emma, I've been looking forward to having a few moments to write down her story and all the amazing details God orchestrated to bring this sweet baby into our family.  It's early morning...I just finished feeding Emma and she's back to sleep, so this is the perfect time to write.  I really don't even know where to begin...from how Emma's birthmother (L) chose Adoption Network and subsequently us as Emma's family...to the incredible faith of L's parents that supported her through the hard decision of placing Emma...to the complete change of heart in Emma's birthfather that caused him to willingly sign his paperwork--there are so many mini-stories within the larger story of our Emma. 

Friday afternoon--I was in Minnesota visiting my sister and Grandma Dolores for a few days.  Around 4:30 on Friday afternoon, my phone rang.  It was our adoption consultant, Jan, on a conference call with  L.  Of course, all I did was cry.  I did manage to tell her how incredibly grateful we were that she chose us.  Jan asked me some questions such as how David and I met, how we plan on disciplining our children, and if we were open to staying in touch with L after the baby was born.  We ended the call with L promising to let me know as soon as her water broke or she went to the hospital.

Monday morning, 1:47 a.m.  My phone rang with an unknown Missouri number.  I answered, and it was H--L's mom.    L's water had broke around midnight, and L was about to be taken back for her c-section!  I called Dave and woke him up.  He'd already had everything packed since the previous Friday night.  He had a longer drive from Texas than I did from Minnesota, so he left pretty quickly.  I woke up my grandma and told her that our baby girl was on the way!  Emily, Caleb, and I left the Twin Cities around 3:30 and headed south!

We stopped at a gas station in Iowa, and while I was inside H sent this picture to me!  Emma was born at 2:16 a.m. and was 6 lbs, 13 oz. and 20 inches.  Emily and I just stared at the picture forever in the middle of the gas station--we couldn't believe she was really here!  After we got the picture, Caleb drove even faster.  ;)

I slept off and on, but I remember waking up while the sun rising.  I snapped this picture through the window.  It doesn't show how truly beautiful and PINK the sunrise was! 

We arrived at Heartland Hospital in St. Joseph around  9:30 a.m.  Right after we walked in, H came out to the lobby to bring me back to L's room.  Meeting L was a moment I will never forget.  We were both teary, and it seemed like time stopped as we hugged and introduced.  She immediately passed Emma to me...I couldn't get over how perfect and tiny she was.  I spent about an hour in L's room with her and H.  Then, L wanted to meet my sister Emily, so Emily came back to see L and Emma.  L was exhausted, so after awhile she rested while Emily & I took Emma to the nursery.  Caleb came back to meet her, and then Dave arrived after a long drive!

Meeting Auntie Em!

David's parents, Tim & Susie, had been in Iowa for the weekend for Susie's dad's 90th birthday party.  They had planned on flying home to Colorado on Monday.  But, before Emma was born or we even had a match for her, "for no reason at all" they changed their tickets to Tuesday.  It worked out perfectly for them to drive down for the day to meet Emma! 

Dave's Uncle Randy & Aunt Avis live in Camden Point, Missouri, which is just 25 minutes from the hospital where Emma was born.  They are graciously hosting us (and spoiling us!) as we wait to head home to Texas.  They also came on Monday afternoon to meet Emma!  For having such a fast adoption match in a different state, Emma had a lot of loving family at the hospital to meet her right away!

On Monday afternoon, our lawyer called me to talk about coming to the hospital on Wednesday so that L could sign her papers.  Then she said, "Also, I just got off the phone with Emma's birthfather.  He's very upset and is saying he won't sign and wants her back."  At that point, I passed the phone to Dave and fell on the floor sobbing, "I just can't do this again."  The thought of losing another baby at the hospital, as we did with Isaac, was too much.  Dave talked with our lawyer for a long time.  When he hung up, he told me that we weren't going to hold back any love from Emma because of our fear of losing her.  Dave and I prayed and cried until I had no tears left.  We finally went back into the hallway and saw L's parents, Tim and Susie, and Randy & Avis in a circle.  Dave explained what the lawyer had said about the birthfather, and then L's dad said, "We have to pray."  We spent the next 20 minutes praying over Emma, L, Emma's birthfather, and everyone else involved in the adoption.  After all praying together, L's parents treated us to dinner from Chick-Fil-A, where L's dad is a general manager.  Nothing beats Chick-Fil-A, especially in a moment like this!

Even while we were praying at the hospital, we know that many of you were praying for us, too.  I'm not at all going to say that the following 2 days were easy, but I had a strong sense that God was carrying me.  It was very hard not knowing if Emma's birthfather would sign or not--there were no guarantees.  That evening, I took Emma down to my hospital room for a long time and prayed for her and my heart.  God helped me realize that there was nothing I could do to control either of Emma's birthparents or the outcome of her adoption...all I could do was keep moving ahead and loving Emma until the day for the papers to be signed.

Tuesday, February 21--Dave left the hospital at 3:30 a.m. to fly back to Texas for 2 days of work.  My mom flew in around 8:30 that morning to be with me.  We spent most of the morning with L, her mom H, and little Emma in L's hospital room. 





L was so gracious to "share" Emma so much with us all in the hospital.  Being at the hospital for Emma's adoption was so different than our experience with Isaac.  Isaac's birthparents left the hospital the afternoon that he was born, so Dave and I soaked up every minute with him in the hospital.  This time, everything was so much more bittersweet and emotional.  The most special part of being at the hospital with L was how well our families got to know each other.  L told me several times that she was so happy to be able to get to know David and me during our time at the hospital, and she was also thrilled to meet three of Emma's four grandparents.  L is adopted herself, which was a huge part of why she chose adoption for Emma.  L's mom, H, and her dad shared openly with David and me about the pain they experienced with infertility before adopting L and her biological brother.  L's mom and dad are strong believers who had prayed for Emma since her conception; and, being adoptive parents themselves, they were thrilled for us to add Emma to our family. 

On Tuesday afternoon, our lawyer called Emma's birthfather again to discuss signing his papers.  He said that he wanted to ask David and me some questions.  Our lawyer tried calling both of us on a conference call, but it was Dave who was able to answer the call.  (I'm sure I was busy cuddling Emma and chatting with H and L.)  ;)  For nearly an hour, Emma's birthfather asked David questions such as, "Why is your faith important to you?  How strong is your marriage with Bethany?  Will you tell Emma about me?"  David said that his questions showed how deeply he was working through his decision of signing.  Many family and friends were praying for David during the hour that he talked with Emma's birthfather.  At the end of the conference call, Emma's birthfather told David and the lawyer, "If I was going to pick anyone to raise Emma, it would be you and your wife!" 

After ending the conference call, the lawyer called me to say that Emma's birthfather agreed to sign his paperwork on Wednesday afternoon!  This was an amazing answer to prayer!! 

That evening, my mom, H, L, and I all had dinner together in the cafeteria.  It was so special to be able to chat and share stories about our lives.  By the end of our time in the hospital, H and L didn't feel like "Emma's birthfamily"--they felt like our family.  That is part of the beauty of adoption!  Emma is blessed to have so many people to love her in all of our families. 

Wednesday, February 22--this was the day we were waiting for.  Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help" was a verse I claimed over and over on Wednesday.

I visited L very early on Wednesday morning.  Just like me, she was always up for a good cup of coffee, so I got coffee for both of us.  We drank our coffee and passed Emma between us as we talked about her plans for the future.  It was a sweet time that I'll always remember. 

That afternoon, my mom, H, and I were all in L's room when L got a phone call from a friend.  All of a sudden L started sobbing.  She got off the phone with her friend, and her mom, H, asked her what was wrong.  She somehow choked out that the fact that she was about to say goodbye to Emma in a few hours had really hit her.  H, my mom, and I surrounded L and prayed for her...we were all sobbing.  Seeing firsthand the pain that L and her family were going through--even though they believed adoption to be the best choice for Emma--was excrutiating.

My mom and I went back to my hospital room for the rest of the afternoon.  So many of you were praying for both of Emma's birthparents.  One of my friends sent me this picture...at first I couldn't believe it: 

Several of our sweet friends from Keystone had met at our house on Wednesday to pray over our family and Emma's adoption.  We know that so many more of you were praying as Emma's birthfather signed his paperwork at 2:00 and L signed hers at 4:30.  After the lawyer's assistant had been in L's hospital room for about an hour going through all her paperwork, H came down to my hospital room and told my mom and me that everything was going great.  This was such a blessing in such a stressful time.  H was a support to both L and me during these 3 days in the hospital!   

Around 5:45, the lawyer's assistant came back to my hospital room to get my mom and me.  She took us down to L's hospital room, where L and her family were saying their last good-byes to Emma.  I don't think anything could have prepared me for a moment like this.  Watching L say goodbye to Emma was just heart-wrenching.  Our great joy of welcoming Emma to our family came at such selfless love on L's part.  We are forever grateful.

Together, L's family, my mom, and I all walked out to the hospital doors.  I think every nurse and hospital worker in the OB ward was crying with us.  One of L's nurses, Jeanette, helped L pass Emma's carrier to me.  We all hugged again.  My mom and I loaded Emma into our vehicle and drove to Dave's aunt and uncle's home...it was absolutely surreal. 

Thursday, February 23--Dave flew in around midnight on Wednesday night, and the next morning we left around 6:30 a.m. for Union, Missouri, which is on the opposite side of the state from Dave's aunt and uncle's.  We arrived in Union around 1:00 that afternoon.  My mom, David, Emma, and I stayed in a small apartment near the courthouse.  Emma and Dave napped most of the afternoon at the apartment while my mom and I found a Starbucks and a Target!  ;) 

Friday, February 24--our court hearing was at 9:00 a.m. at the Franklin County Courthouse.  Our lawyer told us that the parent who spoke better in public should take the stand first--we all know that is Dave, because all I could do when I was on the stand was cry. 

In Missouri, a child who is being adopted is represented by his/her own lawyer. 

This is Emma with her first (and hopefully only) lawyer.  He testified that he had read our homestudy and believed it to be in Emma's best interest to be placed permanently in our family.

On the way back to Dave's aunt & uncle's house, we passed the town of Emma, Missouri.

Of course, we had to get out and get a picture by the town sign.

After we got back to Randy and Avis' house on Friday afternoon with Emma and my mom, David and I went to visit Emma's birthfather.  We spent about an hour with him.  He told us that after he and David talked on Tuesday, he felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders and he felt great about signing. 

We also spent several hours on Saturday afternoon with L, her mom and dad, and little sister at the mall in St. Joseph.  None of us cried quite as much as we did when we said "goodbye" on Wednesday, and it was just a sweet time of talking together.  They know we are headed back to Texas later this week and were grateful to soak in a few more moments with Emma.  We are so thankful for L and her parents--in spite of the sadness they were experiencing, they have showed David and me so much grace, love & kindness. 

Wow!  Throughout this whole week, David and I looked at each other over and over in awe of how powerfully God has worked.  Day by day, and often hour by hour, God was answering our prayers and giving us strength to keep moving ahead. 

God, we have seen You move mountains before,

and we know that bringing Emma into our family was not too big or too hard for You! 

We are so thankful for this precious gift!  Thank You, Jesus!

 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the prayers, love, and support you have given our family over these past 2 weeks.  We are so excited for you all to meet our sweet Emma!

Love, David & Bethany

What could be sweeter?

What could be sweeter on Valentine’s Day…

                 than a match…

                               for a sweet baby girl…

                                              coming on February 28?!

"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things..."  Isaiah 25:1

Our Valentine’s Day turned out nothing like I’d planned…and I’ve never been so happy to have my plans go awry.  I flew out to Minnesota the day after Valentine's, so Dave and I had told Isaac that the three of us were going to have a Valentine party as soon as Daddy was home from work.  Well....that isn't quite what happened!  :) 

 

On Tuesday afternoon, I was doing a little bit of computer work when my phone rang with a “blocked” call.  I think my blood pressure instantly rose at least 100 points, because I knew it had to be Adoption Network.  I answered, and our adoption consultant asked if David and I might be interested in a possible adoption match.  She went on to say that a birthmother in Missouri contacted Adoption Network and had her heart set on us.  At this point I was sobbing, but I did catch her say “baby girl” and “c-section scheduled for February 28.”  I think that’s when I stopped breathing!

While I tried to wrap my mind around this situation, our adoption consultant and I talked about travel details and legalities. Then, I got to call Dave!  He couldn’t believe it!  Over and over, he kept saying, “Are you serious? Are you serious?” I finally asked, “Do you really think I am so mean as to make up a story like this?”  ;)

By far, our favorite part of the day was at dinner.  Dave told Isaac that God was sending us someone very special…a baby sister!  Isaac looked back and forth at both of us with huge eyes and then broke out in the BIGGEST GRIN! It was priceless!  Later that night, he was jumping around our entry and saying, "Baby Sister come home!  Baby Sister come home!" 

To make this entire day more exciting, our homestudy had expired earlier in the week.  I was flying out to Minnesota the next day…and we needed a current homestudy to bring this baby girl home.  After a few hours of phone tag and discussing possible solutions, our social worker came out at 7:30 that night.  He was so gracious to give up his Valentine’s Day evening with his wife and daughter to come and update our homestudy on such short notice!

Our adoption consultant, our birthmother, and I had a conference call yesterday afternoon.  I am so grateful for this opportunity to talk with our birthmother!  David & I can’t wait to meet her very soon in Missouri. 

Looking back over the past months, we can't help but think of this incredible surprise that God was just waiting to give us on Valentine's Day.  During all those days when I was crying and hurting so badly for a baby, God was bringing this situation together for our good.  We are in awe. 
 

We are so grateful for all the love and support from our family and friends through our adoption journey.  You have prayed with us through Isaac's adoption and through our two adoption losses last year.  Specifically, we would love your prayers over the next few weeks for peace; for protection and health for our birthmother and baby girl; and, for all the last-minute legal and travel details to come together.

We love you all!  David, Bethany, & Isaac

Pink AND Blue.....

 PINK AND BLUE....

We never thought that there'd be TWO!!

WHAT?!?!?  Your first thought might be that our birthmother in North Carolina found out she's having twins!  No, that's not it...but there are TWO babies coming this summer! 

Since Isaac's adoption, we've been blessed to stay in touch with Isaac's birthparents.  We've met them several times over the past year and a half & still send pictures on a regular basis. Last November, Isaac's birthmother called to say that she was expecting.  We had been praying about starting the adoption process again.  But, since it was so early in her pregnancy and we didn't know what she was planning to do, we signed with Adoption Network.  But, God has allowed our relationship with Isaac's birthmother to grow, & she's kept in touch with us throughout this whole pregnancy.  We have prayed our hearts out for the little life she is carrying. 

Though there was a small idea in the back of our mind that we *might* end up with 2 babies, we figured that the chances of that were very slim since it hinged on both Isaac's birthmother deciding to place AND getting a match from Adoption Network very quickly.  Well, you already know that we were thrilled to have a match for a baby boy earlier this month....and now we're so excited to share that Isaac's birthmother has chosen to place her BABY GIRL with us too! 

We've been bursting to announce this, but decided to wait until the paperwork was processed by the adoption agency.  We are working with the same adoption agency in San Antonio that finalized Isaac's adoption to complete this adoption.  Since we've known about this possible adoption for a few months, we didn't accept the match of the baby boy until we'd talked with both birthmothers and made sure they were both comfortable with there being two babies so close in age in our family.  (They both said "yes," but thought it was crazy!)  We've also made many calls to social workers & lawyers in both Texas & North Carolina ensuring that there are no legal issues with doing two adoptions at the same time.  (It took them quite awhile to get back with us because they all said they've rarely heard of this....but thankfully neither state rules against this situation.)

You can only IMAGINE how excited we've been!  As if that wasn't quite enough news, these babies are due just three weeks apart...June 16 and July 8! 

Two babies due

three weeks apart

in two states that are separated by a 20 hour drive...WOW!

We're already rallying both grandmas for lots of help as we juggle traveling to North Carolina for the baby boy's birth and then coming back to Texas in time for the baby girl's birth.  Our minds have been in overload as we've tried to figure out how to manage all these details.  Just the other day, our social worker laughed, "If you two can handle the stress of two adoptions at the same time, two newborns will be a piece of cake!"

 
Several people have commented on how special it will be for Isaac to have his "own" sibling in our family.  The truth is that both of these babies will be his "own" siblings.   We are so excited that God is weaving our family together and that Isaac will have two new siblings--not necessarily through blood, but through the gift of adoption.

Now that the paperwork is processed & the news is out there, Dave has given me permission to go "pink crazy!"  Here are some of the fun clothes I found at JBF and my mom found at Macy's over the past few weeks.  I've had so much fun looking at nursery ideas for this baby girl's room!  Be ready....this girl is going to have the "pinkest" of everything!  We can't WAIT!

So, here we go!  We're doing our best to get ready for three under two!  It's going to be a BLAST...and maybe a little crazy!  ;)

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."
Ephesians 3:20
(The Message)

One year ago today...

One year ago today was the best day of our life...the day we brought Isaac home!  During this past year, we've kept in continued contact with Isaac's birthfamily; and, in doing so, have found out many more details about what caused them to place Isaac with us.  So many behind-the-scenes miracles were happening in those two weeks when we didn't have Isaac.  Even when felt we like nothing was happening, God was at work.  The ram was on the way! 

The day before we got Isaac (Friday, October 30) was one of the lowest days I'd had in the 2 weeks that we'd been home without Isaac.  I remember sitting on my bathroom floor and sobbing.  I actuallly felt my heart hurting...the pain over losing Isaac was so intense.  That evening, Dave & I went out to eat at Pappasitos with Dave's parents.  (Pappasitos is one of my favorite restaurants, and everyone was trying whatever they could to put a smile--no matter how small--on my face.)  During dinner, I was lamenting on and on to Dave & my in-laws about what a horrible month October is for our family: our first baby was due on October 19, 2007, and then we lost Isaac in October of 2009.  My father-in-law said, "I believe October is going to be a month of victory for your family."  Little did ANY of us know what was about to happen the next day!  But, he was right--October has turned out to be the best month on the calendar for us! 

The entire story of Isaac's homecoming is here.  We are still humbled and honored that God chose to work so miraculously in giving Isaac back to our family!  This past year has been overflowing with joy with having Isaac as a part of our forever family! 

"So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing."  (Psalm 128:6, The Message)

 

We definitely experienced the truth of this verse one year ago...our hearts were beyond heavy, but we came home LAUGHING with Isaac in our arms.  Isaac's name means "laughter," and his story and his little developing personality have caused us to laugh and laugh this past year...it's been wonderful.  Thank you, Jesus!

Isaac's Gotcha Day!

It's hard to believe that Isaac has already been a part of our family long enough to have his GOTCHA DAY!  But, when we look back at the past year or so, it's amazing how quickly everything happened.  The truth behind that is that God perfectly orchestrated every single one of these events in order to bring Isaac into our family...and we couldn't be more thankful. 

• On April 3, our profile went live on Adoption Network's website!
• On April 4 and April 10, we surprised our parents with the news that we were adopting!  
• On April 8, we received a call from Adoption Network that a birthmother had chosen us (less than a week of being on the website!).  We endured a heart-wrenching 24 hours before we decided that we weren't the right family for this baby.  This was a very difficult decision to make, but we didn't feel any peace about it.  As a sidenote, we found out one month later that this birthmother ended up backing out of her adoption plan and chose to parent her baby.  We realized that God had led us to the right decision and kept us from much heartbreak (though we also didn't know what heartbreak was ahead of us).
• On the evening of Thursday, May 7, we received another call from Adoption Network that we had been chosen by another birthmother.  Ever since the April 8 call, we had been praying that God would give us a very clear sense as to whether or not we would accept a placement.  Before we hung up the phone that night, we both knew that this was the baby for us!  (This also made for a very joyful Mother's Day weekend!)
• On Friday, May 8, we accepted this placement!  Baby Rinn was officially on the way!
• On Tuesday, May 12, we spoke with our birthparents for the first time on a conference call.
• On June 6, we drove down to Waco where we met our birthparents for dinner. 
• On June 10, I went to an ultraound appointment with our birthmother where we found out that Baby Rinn was a boy! 
• On October 16, 2009, Baby Rinn was born!  David & I were able to hold him about an hour after delivery.  The next two days were completely blissful as we cared for Isaac while he was in the NICU. 
• On October 18, 2009, minutes before our birthparents were supposed to sign their relinquishments, they changed their minds.  This was definitely the worst day of our life.  After spending one more hour with Isaac, we drove back home with an empty carseat and broken hearts.  It was absolutely devastating. 
• On October 31, 2009, our birthparents changed their minds about parenting and chose to give Isaac back to us.  It was definitely the greatest day EVER! 
• And today--April 26, 2010--was Isaac's Gotcha Day!  His name has been officially changed from his birth name to Isaac David Rinn.  We couldn't be more thrilled! 

What a special day for our family!  Isaac's adoption was finalized at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio.  We headed down to San Antonio yesterday afternoon along with my mom (a.k.a.: Grandma Missy).  :)  Our lawyer was Melissa Hines, and she did a great job of putting us at ease and also making sure everything went smoothly. 

This court starts the day with uncontested cases, since they usually go so quickly.  Since Isaac's finalization was uncontested, ours was the second case that was heard. 

Once we were called to the bench, we were sworn in by Judge Renee McElhaney.  Melissa began asking Dave & me a series of questions regarding Isaac and our placement.  I cried through most of them, especially when she asked,  "Do you understand that, after this date, this adoption is permanent and cannot be changed?" 

After the questioning, Judge McElhaney cooed with Isaac for a few moments before signing his Decree of Adoption!  We took a few pictures before leaving the courtroom, and then we went to the clerk's office with Melissa to have the copies of the Adoption Decree certified. 

We are now able to send in one last round of paperwork in order for Isaac to receive a social security number.  (Up until this point, he has only had a temporary dependent identification number so that we could claim him on our taxes.) 

We are so thankful that Isaac's finalization went smoothly and that his adoption is final.  We have kept up a good relationship with Isaac's birthparents, and we haven't been nervous that anything would happen with Isaac's adoption.  But, it is comforting to know that he is now truly ours on paper and in name, though he has always been ours in our hearts.

Isaac's signed & certified Decree of Adoption

God has brought us through so much through our miscarriage, infertility, and adoption journey...He is faithful! He has taken our pain and turned it into unbelievable joy & happiness! Isaac's "Gotcha Day" is proof that God can and does take our ashes and turn them into beauty.

Thank you, Jesus, for our Isaac!

Isaac's Homecoming

Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what He has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth;
His praise was on my tongue.

but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me.
Psalm 66:16-17 & 19-20

Isaac's journey to our family has been filled with some of the deepest valleys and highest mountains we've ever experienced in our lives. Isaac was born on Friday, October 16. We spent the next 48 hours with him in the hospital, and that time with him was absolutely blissful.

Our situation turned tragic on the afternoon of Sunday, October 18 when our birthparents changed their minds & decided to parent the baby. We spent a final hour with Isaac before leaving the hospital with broken hearts. Thankfully, Dave was able to be home with me for the entire next week. Our friends and family overwhelmed us with their love & support and showered us with cards, e-mails, messages, prayers, meals, & even a few game nights in order to try to get us to laugh. We are still in awe of the incredible support we felt during this heartbreaking time.

While we were still in the hospital with Isaac, Dave's parents (Tim & Susie) purchased tickets to come to Texas on October 27 to meet their new grandson. Even when our birthparents changed their minds, Tim & Susie kept their tickets in order to come and support us as we grieved. We planned several fun things to do while they were here...one of which was Canton! This past Saturday (Halloween), my mom, Susie, my friend Jenny, & I left our house at 7 to head to Canton, while Dave & his dad planned on spending the day at Cabela's.

Just a few minutes after we left the house for Canton on Saturday morning, I got a text from our birthmother saying that she had received the card Dave & I had sent her and that she was so glad Dave & I weren't angry at her. (The day after we got home from the hospital, Dave & I wrote a letter to our birthparents saying that we weren't angry at them and that we would always remember both them and their beautiful baby boy.) I didn't respond to the text right away, because I was thinking of what to write back...about an hour later she wrote back asking if I was upset with her. I immediately texted back to say that I wasn't upset and that Dave & I were still thinking of her & the baby all the time. Right when we pulled into Canton, she sent back THE text of a lifetime saying that she had already contacted Shelley, the social worker at our San Antonio agency, because she wanted to meet us in Austin with the baby for good.

Even after reading that, I tried not to get my hopes up. Our birthmother had asked if we wanted the baby the previous week, but she and the birthfather ended up keeping him at that time, too. I didn't want either my mom or Dave's mom to get their hopes up, either...so I showed the text to my friend Jenny, who started sobbing in the backseat of my mom's Tahoe. I glared at her to stop crying, since I didn't want the moms to figure out what was going on. (Our parents have hurt for us so much through this whole process...so it's not that I was trying to keep this from our moms--it's just that I didn't want their hopes crushed again.) I texted her back to say that she needed to talk with the social worker about this, but that we would LOVE LOVE LOVE to still have the baby!

I ducked behind a display of clothes at a booth in Canton to call Dave & let him know what was happening. He & his dad were at Cabela's, but were about to head to lunch. Instead, they left Cabela's and went home, because Dave was starting to feel very hopeful about what could happen....so hopeful that he reinstalled the carseat and packed all of Isaac's bags back into the Tahoe before he & his dad left for lunch.

My mom, Dave's mom, Jenny, & I spent the next few hours trekking through Canton...every few minutes I wandered off by myself to talk with our birthmom, Shelley, and Dave. At 11:00 a.m., the four of us were eating lunch when Shelley called me to say that she & Justin (the director of the San Antonio adoption agency) were leaving to drive to Austin to meet our birthparents and have them sign the paperwork. At this point, there was no way I could keep the news from my mom & Dave's mom any longer...Jenny was about to burst, and I was finally starting to believe that maybe this could be for real this time. I started to say, "Mom, I have to tell you something, and it's a good thing you are sitting down..." Of course, both of our moms instantly knew that it had to be about the baby. My mom laid her head down on the table & started sobbing while both Dave's mom & Jenny began praying aloud. After praying and talking about the whole situation for a few more minutes, we started heading for our car...all of us on our cell phones and all of us in a daze!

We started heading back toward DFW on I20 when our birthmom texted me to say that all of her family & the birthfather's family were at their house to say goodbye to the baby. I called Dave to let him know, but he had also just gotten off the phone with our birthmom. I think it is incredibly special that she called Dave to make sure that he still wanted this baby just as much as I did....and, of course, HE DID! Dave & his dad were eating lunch at this time, but they left the restaurant and started heading down 35 toward Austin. Meanwhile, my dad drove down to I20 to meet my mom, Susie, and me...he joined us in our car while Jenny took my dad's truck back to Keller. For the entire trip, Dave and his dad were about 60 miles ahead of the rest of us.

Shelley told me that she would call or text me & Dave when the birthparents signed the paperwork. Around 2:45, I was starting to get nervous, because I knew that Shelley & Justin should have already met our birthparents.Right around 3:00, Dave called our car to say that BOTH BIRTHPARENTS HAD SIGNED THEIR PAPERWORK AND ISAAC WAS OURS!! To say that our car was full of tears, screaming, and cheering is an understatement!!!

Our birthfather's truck got a flat tire on their way to meet Shelley & Justin, and so they had all met at a Discount Tire in Georgetown so their tire could be fixed while they reviewed and signed the paperwork. Our birthparents left about 15 minutes before Dave & his dad arrived, and Shelley & Justin waited with Isaac for Dave to pick him up! At 4:00 p.m., Dave & his dad met Shelley, Justin, and Isaac in the parking lot.

Since our car wasn't near Georgetown yet, Dave fed Isaac a quick bottle, and then Dave & his dad started heading back north on 35.
My dad pulled off the interstate at exit 275, and since our car got there first, my parents, Dave's mom, and I were all waiting on the access road for Dave, Dave's dad, and Isaac. I don't think Dave had even put the Tahoe in park before I jumped in the backseat to see my Isaac again. All of the grandparents were crowding in through the doors to see their grandson, and my sister was on speakerphone so she could experience the moment as best as she could from Chicago.

We spent the next half hour in the parking lot passing Isaac around. It was unbelievably memorable that all of Isaac's grandparents were there to meet him!
After lots of hugs, kisses, tears, and pictures, we all circled around Isaac to pray over him before we headed back toward DFW.

The night after we got home from the hospital without Isaac, many of our close friends came over to pray over us & our home. Many of those same friends came back this past Saturday night...but this time, it was not for tears of sadness and confusion, but for a great celebration! Our family & friends spent the rest of the night passing Isaac around & retelling the story over and over in absolute awe of what God had done for us!


There have been countless times in our lives when we could very clearly see God at work...but this is a time when we both can say without a doubt that we have witnessed a MIRACLE. After we left the hospital without Isaac, we had continually prayed that God would be Isaac's mighty warrior...fighting FOR him & protecting his life. Even when we were completely convinced that we would never see Isaac again, much less have him in our family, God was doing an incredible work....our ram was on the way!

And, while this is a time of great joy for our family, we also recognize that our joy comes at a huge sacrifice of both our birthparents & their extended families. They cared for and loved this beautiful baby boy for nearly 2 weeks, and we can't imagine the sadness and loss they feel at placing him after that time of bonding. Please keep both our birthparents & their families in your prayers as they work to heal & move on from their loss.

We are beyond humbled for all the people who have been praying for us...many of whom we don't even know. We are blessed by your support & love beyond measure...and we can't wait for all of you to meet our amazing miracle, Isaac David!

Introducing...Isaac David Rinn !!!

God Has Provided!

Bethany and I praise God that this morning our birthmother and father changed their minds for the final time and decided to place baby Isaac with us. It was a tearful, joy-filled, and very crazy day that ended in celebration as we headed home from Georgetown (north of Austin) with Isaac. Both sets of grandparents were present and it couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Bethany is preparing our blog post of the century for tomorrow to relay the entire story to all of you who have been on this journey with us hoping and praying for a miracle from God. Until then, I'll try to pacify you with a few pictures from our time with Isaac. Thank you all again for you love and support through it all. It has meant the world to us through a very difficult time.