Meredith Leigh

Our little angel is finally here. Baby Meredith arrived at 2:43 a.m. on Saturday, July 11th, 2009. We got the call late Friday afternoon that Amy, the birth mother, was in labor. We really weren't expecting that - - she wasn't due until August 4th, and the doctors were planning to induce labor on the 28th of July. We'd had everything planned out, we were going to go down a couple of days early and we had a house rented and everything. But Meredith decided to change our plans, and although it got a little hairy for a while there, everything worked out.

Our biggest concerns were getting to Tucson and finishing up our home study. Our IL agency was scheduled to come the very next morning. We tried our best to get them to come Friday night but we couldn't get in touch. So we spent the night running around packing and making phone calls to cancel everything we'd had planned for the next couple of weeks. I'm so glad it's summer and we didn't have to deal with the kids missing school or anything (Noah missed some summer camp, but that was not a big deal).

Saturday morning we got up at 4 a.m. to finish packing and clean the house up (usually at a home visit they go through your house with a fine toothed comb). Our caseworker came at 7 a.m., and spent about 15 minutes asking us questions that could have easily been answered on the phone. She didn't even ask to see the house (although I did show her the nursery). There was a form they hadn't given us that needed to be notarized so we had to stop at a bank on the way to the airport to get that done, and then stick it in the mail. We arrived at the office park where we leave the car and were just in time for the 10:00 shuttle. Unfortunately it didn't leave for 15 minutes, causing us to miss our flight. It was so frustrating! We were flying standby, but that first flight had seats on it and we probably would have made it on with no problems. As it was we weren't able to get on another flight to Phoenix or Denver, although we tried desperately. We were running from one end of the airport to the other for about 3 hours with no luck. Finally we sat down to regroup. In the meantime we learned that Meredith had been born, and we even got to see a picture of her (and her adorable sticky-up hair). Well it was just killing me to know that my baby was there and I wasn't!!! To make matters worse, Amy wanted to check out of the hospital, but didn't want to leave until we got there. We knew that she wanted us to be there for the birth and we felt bad that it wasn't possible. She told Vanessa, her caseworker, that she would stay there at the hospital until we got there. Well this posed a bit of a problem for us because we didn't want her to become too attached to Meredith. I told Scott that one of us had to get out there. Plus my mom was going to be arriving in Phoenix. Well Scott worked his magic and found a Northwest flight leaving about 30 minutes from them. I grabbed my stuff and ran to the other terminal. I can't even explain the stress I was feeling - - it was emanating from me like stink lines in a comic strip. When I reached the gate I realized that Scott still had my ID from going through security. I think the gate agent realized that I was on the verge of tears because she let me use my Costco card to board the plane. The flight went to Milwaukee, and then I had to get on another flight to Phoenix. But I still needed my ID so that I could pick up a rental car and get into the nursery at the hospital. Well I arrived in Milwaukee and Scott and the boys had managed to get on a flight through there as well. Their flight was delayed coming in, but mine was delayed leaving, so we were able to meet there and I got my driver's license. Whew!

I was exhausted by this time, but way too wired to sleep. My flight arrived in Phoenix - - I was in one terminal, my luggage was in another, and Mom was in a third. We finally all got together and picked up the rental car. Fortunately for me the drive to the hospital in Tucson was very easy. Mom and I chatted the whole way, which made the time fly by. We got there at about 9:30 at night. Vanessa had told us that Amy had checked herself out of the hospital, but was planning on coming back so she'd be there when I got there. Oh the emotions as I walked into that hospital room. The first thing I did was go straight up to Amy and say "thank you" and give her a big hug. I'm so glad I did that, because it meant a lot to her. She also said that the look on my face made the whole 9 months worthwhile. She'd never known she could make anyone that happy.

Then I saw my little baby for the first time. She was all wrapped up like a little burrito, lying in the bassinet. Red round face, with soft brown hair sticking up in a mohawk. She was absolutely beautiful, and I knew she was the precious little spirit that Heavenly Father intended for Scott and Ethan and Noah and me to have as part of our family. She didn't make a peep the whole time I was there, just snuggled up in my arms and slept. Amy and Vanessa and Amy's cousin chatted with Mom and me for a while and then they left. Vanessa (who lives in Phoenix) had been there for the birth and stayed all day with Meredith. I was so grateful for her dedication! Throughout the whole experience she and the other people at Gladney really went the second mile for us.

Mom and I just sat there and stared in adoration at our little angel until Scott got there. He had quite an experience himself. He and the boys made it to Denver just fine. There were 2 flights leaving within 10 minutes of eachother, one to Phoenix and one to Tucson. He was near the Phoenix flight so he checked in and they cleared him to board, but said to not get on quite yet. When the flight was getting close to leaving they announced that it had checked in full. Scott asked about his seats, and sure enough, they'd been given away. The gate agent hadn't even bothered to tell him. And the other flight to Tucson was way at the other end of the terminal. Well Scott had Noah ride on the suitcase, and he and Ethan ran to the other flight. As they got there the door was closing and the jetway had pulled away. Scott explained the situation to the gate agent but he said "too bad" and that the flight only had one seat left. Scott could see on the monitor that there were 10 seats, and the flight was leaving a bit early. He could also see the pilot, since the nose of the plane was right near the window. So he made a praying sign with his hands, and pointed to the boys. It's amazing, but the pilot called the gate agent (who said, "they're only non-revs!") The pilot had them open the door and put back the jetway. Let me tell you, that never happens. It was one of those little miracles that made up for all the bad luck we'd had that day! So he and the boys made it to the hospital at about 11:30. Scott came in and met his daughter, while Mom went and stayed with the sound-asleep boys in the car. He was so sweet with her!

The people we were planning on renting the house from were very understanding about our situation and allowed us to change the dates (they only had it open for 4 days though). The house was in Oro Valley, which took us about 45 minutes to get to. We didn't get to sleep until after 2 a.m. But I was wide awake at 5 a.m., probably from the adrenaline that was still coursing through my system. We got everyone ready and met Amy and Vanessa and Amy's friend Leslie at a restaurant called The Good Egg. It was a nice opportunity for Amy to meet Ethan and Noah (who behaved themselves quite well!) and for us all to talk some more. I'd put together a gift basket for Amy with a bathrobe and slippers, along with some nice toiletries. I'd also written a long letter to her, trying to express how incredibly grateful we were for her sacrifice. We had a very pleasant time together. Not once did Amy express any doubts about her decision, only that she knew she was doing the right thing and that we were the right family.