Tennessee Day Two - Afternoon

At 3pm, Alicia, the adoption specialist, met us at the hotel and Jen jumped into her van. Allen, David and I followed in the rented minivan. Then we drove twenty minutes to the birth mom’s house. The actual distance wasn’t that far but the social and economic distance was huge. We were in a part of town that we normally wouldn’t even drive through and we definitely wouldn’t go there at night. . When we arrived, the birth mom greeted us warmly but seemed very preoccupied. In addition to lots of kids and phone calls, she had numerous people in and out of the house as we waited. The other kids of hers that we met were beautiful children. David had the unique opportunity of meeting the brothers of his sister! He wasn’t quite sure what to think. . It was a very interesting experience. Jen and Allen brought along a box of goodies for the kids made in our home state of South Dakota. They thought that was great! I have to admit that I was doing fine until Jen pulled out a baby Christmas ornament. Even though I knew it was coming, it made me cry. It was a rocking horse that said Baby’s First Christmas. She presented it to the other kids so they would have it to remember their sister. The ten year old took it gently and asked if he could open the box and put the ornament on the tree. Then he quietly asked if they would ever see their sister again. . As an adopted kid with a biological brother that I love, that pretty much broke my heart. . Jen let him know that they would come and visit every year so they could see her. And I know she means it because they’ve been amazing with David’s birth parents and grandparents. . The part that makes that heartbreak worthwhile is that after having been in that house and seeing even a part of what the other children live through, it’s good to know that this new baby girl will have every opportunity to succeed in life. Just to give you a vague idea of the living conditions, there were holes in the floor of the house and at least 6 kids and a few adults living there. And in order to heat the house, the stove burner was on and the oven door was open – even though there was a toddler living in the house. There’s lots more I could say but that part is definitely not my story to tell. Suffice it to say that this baby will be well loved and cared for with Jen and Allen. I'm so glad for this little girl that she will have them for parents.