The day we got Mikey

Other people talk about when they "had" their babies or possibly "having" more babies. We have to use the words "got" and "get" when we're talking about adding kids to our family. It's kind of funny to me now. When I say, "When we got Mikey....." or "If we get more children...." to someone who doesn't know he's adopted, I get some confused looks.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot lately about when we first got Mikey. Phillip and I are still in awe of him. Maybe not daily but at least weekly one of says something about how we can't believe he's really ours. It just still seems too good to be true. He was given to us almost 2 years ago. That's just so hard to believe.

We received the call at about 2:30 on January 11, 2007 that they would be bringing a newborn boy to our house. I called a friend and asked if she would pick up some newborn diapers, wipes, and pacifiers. I told her I would pay her back. She showed with half of Wal-Mart's baby department and wouldn't hear of letting me pay her anything. She brought about 4 different kind of pacifiers because "we don't know which kind he'll like."

At about 5:15 he was here. A young, handsome black man brought Mikey to our house. We sometimes joke that "the stork" is a young black man. His name was Brandon. I'll never forget his name or his face. I wanted to hug him but I didn't.

When Brandon brought him to our house, the baby was in a carrier covered with a blanket. We couldn't see him right away. We were both terrified to lift the blanket. The worker went outside to get some paperwork and when he stepped out we took a peek. All of our fears of having to love a child who wasn't as cute as we were went right out the window. We could tell right away that he was beautiful beyond measure. More beautiful than any baby had a right to be. We were amazed by his eyelashes. They just looked too long to even be real. My mom was already at our house hanging out with Jackson while Brandon was making his delivery. As soon as he left, we called Phillip's parents and they came right over. I wouldn't be surprised if they were pacing by the phone when we called.

Our parents were there when we undressed him to take a look at him and change his diaper for the firsts time. I was so moved by how they loved him instantly with a reckless abandon that we were unable to muster right away. I was scared to kiss him at first, scared to say the words "I love you" to him. It felt wrong doing those things to someone else's baby. Phillip's dad was the first one I heard say those words to him. And that just opened the flood gates for him to be our son.

Against strict foster parent guidelines, Mikey slept in our bed that first night right next to me. I tried to get him to sleep in the bassinet and he wouldn't. I don't know if I slept much but he slept perfectly.

Here are some pictures of the night we got Mikey. I was noticeable fatter then.