Abigail's Story

**For those of you that haven't read my blog before or who didn't know we were fostering and adopting you can click on the tabs above to read about how and why we started this journey**

April 17th started as any normal day would, but I was EXTRA sleepy because the night before I had gone to the Carrie Underwood concert with one of my best friends Claire. I got a phone call around 9 from Eric and it went something like this:

Eric: So I just got off the phone with DSS and we're approved!

(for foster care-side note, we have been approved for adoption through DSS since the beginning of October, but just recently decided to pursue foster care in hopes of eventually adopting a child who did not reunite with their birth parents)!

Me: OH MY GOSH I AM SO FREAKIN EXCITED!!

Eric: And they actually have a little girl that they think would be perfect for us too

Me: OH MY GOSH YOU ARE LYING! YOU ARE SO FREAKIN LYING! OH MY GOSH ARE YOU LYING?!?!?

Eric: NO I am not lying you need to call her back and say yes, I told her we most likely would but I needed to talk with you first

Me: ARE YOU CRAZY?? YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID YES!!! IM GOING TO CALL HER I CAN'T BELIEVE IT OH MY GOSH A LITTLE GIRL!!!!

Eric: HANG UP THE PHONE AND CALL THEM BACK BEFORE WE LOSE HER!

Me: I can't get over this a little girl this is so awesome are you sure you aren't lying to me?!?!

Eric: HANG UP AND CALL THEM!!!

So that's just what I did, I hung up the phone and called our FOSTER worker, I told her I had just gotten off the phone with Eric and that he said you have a little girl for us and YES we would  LOVE her! Can we get some more information? She then told me that we wouldn't be able to get her until May 2nd because her foster parents had 10 days to change their minds about adopting her. OK GUYS, at this moment I was standing in the kitchen mouth open... "Did you just say ADOPT her?? Like this little girl is not just a foster child but is up for A-D-O-P-T-I-O-N?!?!" Yes, although she is not yet legally free (parents rights haven't been terminated) but we are moving her to an "adoption plan" and the current foster parents have 10 BUSINESS days to change their minds. I immediately said, "Oh my gosh I am so excited I just can't believe it". She was very quick to tell me that ANYTHING could happen in these 10 days and not to be too excited. I got off the phone with her and called Eric and told him about her having an adoption plan. We both just couldn't believe it. When we decided to foster we were told this kind of thing NEVER happens. We could foster for years and not get to adopt any children we have in our home. The main focus of fostering is reunification with the birth parents and that is every ones goal, including DSS. To have them call us with a child the DAY we are approved and for her to already have an ADOPTION plan is just unreal. So what did we do? We text/called our immediate family and let them know that this "might" happen and that we wouldn't know until close to 5 on Wednesday May 1st that we were getting her. All we knew was she was 1, but close to 2 and a girl. AND her name was Abigail :) When I told Ryder that he was going to get his baby sister he had been praying for he grabbed Nick's shirt (a little boy I watch) and said, "Nick go get your shoes on were picking up my baby sister, Mommy go get her car seat WAHOO lets go!!" The poor thing thought I meant that minute, I had to tell him he needed to wait EVEN longer  But that we really might be getting her soon! :)

So, we waited, and waited, and waited. I bought a TON of 18 month-24 month clothes. Amanda and Addison went through her clothes and toys and gave me little girl things for her to play with. And we waited, and I prayed and prayed and prayed and just had to "Give it to God". Those 2 1/2 weeks were unbearable! I had the entire room decked out in girl things and knew at any time we could get a call that they had changed their minds.

Around 3:30 on Wednesday May 1st, Eric got a hold of a supervisor (our caseworker was in training classes) and was told we were to pick her up the next day at 3:00. That was it, we knew nothing more except to pick her up. As soon as he called me to let me know I felt a huge relief, but at the same time I was EXTREMLY anxious. We had no idea what to expect. I didn't know if she was going to come running to us, or kicking and screaming. Suddenly a whole new wave of emotion hit me.

Wednesday night I went to Walmart around 9:00 looking for something to give her when we met her. I was thinking maybe a baby doll, or a toy but I just couldn't think of something good. I walked up and down the toy isles a million times and finally just decided to leave. As I was headed to checkout with a few groceries, I passed the card isle. I saw those Hallmark books that come with a stuffed animal that talks to you while you read the story. I went over to get a closer look at a bunny wearing a pink leotard, and y'all I am NOT making this up. The book was called, "Abigail and the balance beam". SO there I am in Walmart at about 9:30 crying in the hallmark isle. God is so good y'all.

Thursday Eric, Ryder, "Abigail the gymnast", and I headed down to the office to pick her up. At this point we didn't know her race, if she had medical issues, if she was 12 months or 24 months or anything. We had a lot of butterflies needless to say. We met the program manager and walked down a hallway. At the opposite end, there was a lady saying, "Come on Abigail". There we were, just standing and waiting, and here comes this beautiful, bouncy, BIG, blonde hair and blue eyed little girl, with a big smile on her face. I think we all melted at that moment. Ryder went up to her and gave her the bunny and she said thank you. We were put in a room with her while they got her paperwork together for us to sign and right away she was laughing and chasing Ryder around the room and was the sweetest thing in the world. We then learned a "little" about her past, medical issues and things of that nature. I can't go into detail about anything but we are completely at peace that we will be able to adopt her and know its just a matter of time in this SLOW court system of ours. We signed our papers and headed out to get a few things her previous foster parents had left. When we were walking out the door, Ryder was holding my hand and looked up and said, "Mommy I love Abigail". This momma's heart just about burst! That boy is so sweet and I just love him to pieces! When we were outside, I asked how old she was, because there was no way she was a 1 year old, she was as big as Ryder, if not bigger. We were then told she was actually 2 1/2! I sure was glad I have family with little girls who were more than willing to give me some hand-me-downs

After we picked her up, we took her to my mom's school to show her and my grandmother. We then went and bought her some new shoes and headed to Chick-Fil-A for dinner and to meet some more family. By the time we left it was almost bed time, so we took her back to our house for the first time to see her room and things.

We have had SO much fun getting to know her and she is the happiest, little girl and we are so blessed to have her. We have prayed for her for over a year and for her to finally get here is amazing. God had a plan for us that was SO much bigger than the plans we had for ourselves. If you feel God calling you to do something or go somewhere LISTEN! You will not be dissapointed! I can't even begin to write all of the things that "miraculously" fell into place for us to get her. Just like it says in Ephesians 3:20, "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."

Here are some pictures!

*We have decided not to show her face until she is officially ours for privacy reasons so please bare with us, this is harder on me than you I promise! I already have over 100 pictures of her sweet face that I am dying to share!**

She loved her doll house Momma-Honey gave her :)

She is already a Daddy's girl and is wrapped around his finger! It is so sweet to see how he acts so different with a girl than with Ryder.

Ryder absolutely LOVES her! Although he does have his moments when he will say something like, "PLEASE stop talking to me Abigail!!" I think he's learning girls talk A LOT! :)

I am having WAY more fun dressing a girl! And thank goodness she likes to wear bows!

They are going to be best friends I can already see it!

I dreamed about the day I would see this!

We enjoyed Abbie's first trip to the zoo this morning and she LOVED it! She kept saying, "Wow!" :) I am so thankful I can still share in some of her "firsts" with her.

These two are my world!