A journey of 1000 miles

We loaded up our new Yukon, which was bought especially for this purpose, and set out 12/30/2011. Destination: Laredo Texas. We departed a family of 2, but will return with a new member of our family. We are making the 1000+ mile trip (and that’s just one way) for the second time in as many months. The first time, we came to meet with the wonderful, brave young woman who has trusted us with one of her most precious possessions, her child. Her name is Jessica, and we found each other on Facebook. We have been in contact since May, but were not officially “matched” in adoption terms until late September. We met with her in November, and spent time getting to know her and her other 2 beautiful children. We were lucky enough to be able to accompany her to a doctor’s appointment, where we heard the most wonderful sound, the heartbeat of our daughter.
We have spent the last few months busily preparing for the arrival of our new bundle of joy. Our home office was given a new life as a trendy pink and zebra print themed nursery, fit for a diva, and the closet has been filled with more tiny clothes than she will likely be able to wear. We have been blessed by the generosity of friends and family, as they have offered to lend and give us baby items and other assistance to get started with our new baby girl.
After dropping Sam, our first “baby” (a teacup poodle) with family, we started the 18 hour drive early Friday morning, with the hopes of making it all the way to Laredo before we stopped for the night, and had to unload the vehicle. We had the SUV completely full from top to bottom, with additional luggage stashed on the luggage rack, and a borrowed platform attached to the Reece hitch, a last minute addition, which turned out to be completely necessary (Thanks Heath!). However, we only made it as far as Sequin Texas before we called it a night.
Friday was a very emotional day for me. We were overwhelmed with texts, calls, and messages wishing us well and offering love and prayers, and I found myself crying at each gesture, and sometimes for no reason at all. In fact, at one point during my turn to drive, when I had gotten myself worked into a tearful frenzy worrying if other kids would like Layla and if she would ever be asked on a date, I woke Josh, who was sleeping in the passenger seat, with my sobbing. Also, as luck would have it, I had begun developing a sore throat earlier in the week, and as a precaution had gone to the doctor to get started on an antibiotic. Saturday morning I woke up to find that I had left my voice somewhere between Louisiana and Texas, and could literally talk no louder than a whisper. At the advice of family and friends, I began attacking my laryngitis with a battery of home remedies, and some suggestions that I think were purely for the entertainment of others. Armed with a cup of hot tea, we reloaded the vehicle, and set out for a second day of traveling.
We reached Laredo mid day on New Year’s Eve, and were so glad to have quickly found a hotel with a small kitchenette (a necessity for as long as we will be staying), which did not require us to take a second mortgage on our home. Then came the lengthy process of unloading the vehicle and settling in to what will be our home for the next one to three weeks. I am sure that the staff got much entertainment at seeing Josh straining to push the luggage cart, which was loaded to capacity, while I attempted to help guide it while balancing an armful of odds and ends.
After that was done, we went to pick up Jessica and take her to the hospital, for pre-op lab work. It was great to see her again! There was none of the nervousness from our last meeting, and we were all much more comfortable, and at ease with each other. After completing her lab work and a comical dialogue with the unfortunate phlebotomist who made the mistake of asking me if I had children as he was drawing Jessica’s blood, we went to get a bite to eat. Jessica played along easily with the confused phlebotomist, adding to his bewilderment by pointing to her stomach and telling him that that was MY baby she was carrying. We talked easily over dinner, and really enjoyed each other’s company. She had told us many times how much Layla usually moves, but as luck would have it, she was quite and still the whole time we were with Jessica.After dinner, Jessica was sleepy, so we dropped her off at her friend’s apartment where she is staying, and after one more stop to pick up more hot tea, honey, and other ingredients sure to either restore my voice or kill me, we returned to our hotel, to spend an exciting New Year’s Eve watching football and sipping hot tea.