Adoption - Day... Who cares, it's THE DAY!

I wish I had some very clever words to say today. I'm afraid I am still a little beside myself from the whirlwind that began on Sunday, November 6th–yes, the day that was just 10 days ago. I just had a dear friend of mine tell me I should just say, "She's Here!" and call it a day.

So...SHE'S HERE! I am absolutely blessed beyond measure to be able to introduce you to our baby girl, our daughter, the one we have waited and waited and WAITED for. Her name is Lamaya Claire Ainley (pronounced luh-my-uh). She was born on November 4th and was 4 weeks early. She was 5 pounds 9 ounces and 17 inches long. But, those are just the facts. She is perfect, angelic, beautiful, tiny, breath-taking and the absolute apple of my eye.

I am sure many of you are wondering, is this one for sure? The answer: yes. The revoke period ends in just a few short hours and, the truth is, the birth mother would have to give written notice and have it postmarked by now. Our caseworker, who has been a big blessing to us this entire 10-day process, checked in with birth mom today and she is feeling wonderful about the whole thing and is sure this is the best decision.

As I type this, Tim is walking around the room in our condo holding Lamaya. This is a very surreal picture. I'm speechless. God has truly blessed our lives with this precious gift and we just are beside ourselves with joy. I am very eager to share the beautiful story of the birth mother and how we were able to meet her and her loving family. I'm just not sure I can get into it right now with all the emotions swirling around me. I will have more to share as the days progress. Just know that is has been a beautiful process and one of the most precious moments of my life will always be the moment the birth mother and I shared outside in a Walmart parking lot. It was simply she and I holding each other, crying. It was like our hearts were connected and always will be. I look forward to the day when I get to share with Lamaya the courage and tender care her biological mother had to place her in my arms and walk away.

I look forward to sharing more about this story. But, for now, here she is! She is our precious baby girl and we are headed home on a plane from Georgia (no, not a midnight train) tomorrow (Nov. 17). We cannot contain how excited we are to bring her home to meet the rest of her family.

Enjoy these snapshots of the most beautiful little face I've ever seen. Thank you all so much for your love and prayers. This story doesn't end here! I'll be transitioning to mommy blogging. Wow, that's sure fun to say!