Part III: We got Annie

Just hanging out before the birth.

Sorry to drag this story out over so many days!  I'll pick up where I left off awhile ago....
We arrived at the hospital and just as I was getting ready to go into the room the nurse told me that sometimes these things can take days.  She said you never know with first time moms.  I think my jaw must have hit the floor.  I was planning on a baby that day and the thought of waiting longer was awful.  I hoped Shelby wouldn't have to go through that.  Luckily, her labor progressed steadily and we enjoyed spending the day with Shelby, Chris, Shelby's mom and Shelby's dad.  When it was time for her to push Craig and Grandpa Kevin (Shelby's Dad) left the room.  Time started speeding up for me but slowing down for Craig.  He couldn't see what was happening and kept texting me for news.  I had never been so invested in a labor that wasn't my own and was completely enthralled with the whole process.  I sent Craig texts as often as possible.  The thing that was crazy to me was that even Shelby was sending texts while pushing.  I couldn't believe that as I was counting to ten for her that she was typing out a message to a friend.  Thank goodness for epidurals.  Our first visual of Eli was a blonde curl that would poke out with each push.  Before too long we could see the top of his head and finally his whole body.  The feeling was overwhelming.  The Dr. placed baby Eli on Shelby's chest.  VICTORY!  She had done it!  Then Eli was taken over to the warmer to be weighed etc.  I knew that Shelby had Chris to look after her so I was able to go over and stand next to Eli and hold his little hand.  It was surreal to be in the place where Craig usually is and to have an angel sent from Heaven in the place that I'm used to being in.  I cried and I tried to text pictures of baby Eli out but in the moment I had forgotten how to text.  I felt so silly.  Once Shelby was all fixed up, Craig and Grandpa Kevin were able to come in.  We all sat in awe looking at the little miracle.

A big healthy baby boy!

Mama Shelby holding her baby boy.

Proud Papa! 

Excited Mama!

Nanny Tami

Grandpa Kevin.

 After that we had visitors like crazy from Shelby's friends and family to our family.  It was nice to be together and to have finally met this new little soul.  That time was also a bit scary for us as the adoptive couple.  We knew that we were bonding with this baby and that his birth family may decide to keep him.  We prayed hard.  (I had been preparing to breastfeed ever since I met Shelby; taking medicine and pumping every two hours.  I even started to get some milk in.)  It was decided that I would stay at the hospital with Shelby, Chris and Eli while Craig went back to the hotel to sleep.  Late that night I was able to nurse our new little baby.  It was a wonderful bonding experience.  I just kept praying that we'd be able to keep him.  Shelby and I took turns feeding the baby in the night.  It was nice to have two mom's caring for him.  Eli downed the hospital bottles in an instant.  I asked the nurses if he could drink two per feed and they said there was no way he needed that much.  (As soon as we got him home he started eating that much and has moved far passed that.)  We spent the next day greeting family and friends and catching snippets of sleep when possible,  Our case worker, Jenny, was out of town so she had a gal, Deanne, who was filling in for her,  We had to wait 24 hours for the adoption papers to be signed so Deanne came to the hospital during the afternoon.  Our kids also came to meet their new brother at about the same time.

Siblings!!!!!

Eli's Mohawk!!!

I stepped out for something, I don't remember what, and when I came back there was a bunch of commotion.  All of our stuff was being moved from one hospital room to another, Shelby was crying... My heart sank...what was going on?  A potential birth father's mother was calling Shelby's hospital room and making threats.  To make a long story short, if that's possible in this case, we sent the kids home and tried to figure out what to do.  Craig and I met with the hospital's caseworker and our caseworker...we couldn't move forward with a potential birth father in the wings.  Hours and hours of deliberation went by.  We talked to a couple of different lawyers, pow-wowed with Shelby and Chris and Kevin and just prayed to know what to do.  We had an extended family prayer with both birth and adoptive family members present.  The spirit of God was in that room.  We pled for the best interest of baby Eli.  Shelby was even more certain about allowing us to adopt him at that point.  She wanted to make sure Eli was safe and knew we could keep him safe.  It was decided that we would have the potential birth father take a paternity test and we'd go from there.  In the mean time Craig and I would be able to take custody of Eli with the knowledge that we may have a legal battle ahead of us.  The birth father may want to take custody of the baby.  What a nightmare!  But we all felt that it was the right thing to do and that everything was in God's hands.    The next part of this story is the hardest one for me.  It still brings me to tears all these weeks later.  Shelby had signed relinquishment papers and was ready to go home.  She asked for some one on one time with Eli and then she asked me to come in.  She was crying and I was crying as she handed him over to me.  One mother to another.  I am still in awe at the courage she had to trust me with the life she had just brought into the world.  We hugged each other and continued to cry.  I felt sorrow for Shelby knowing how much she must be hurting.  I had grown to love Shelby and didn't want her to hurt.  I am so grateful for that sweet girl and the blessing she gave to me.  I haven't let go of Eli since.  We stayed at the hospital until the wee hours of the morning signing papers and then headed back to the hotel to catch some sleep.  The words that kept going through my mind were from the movie Annie.  At the end of the film when it's been decided that Annie is to be adopted by Daddy Warbucks, his secretary goes around telling everyone, "We got Annie!"  We did "get Annie" so to speak.  The battle wasn't over but for the time being we were safe.  I'll write more about the next week and the paternity test later.  Eli needs me now and I want to hold him.

2 days old...riding home.