The Meeting

The next morning I woke up excited, but hesitant. I was so excited to meet Danelle, but more cautious because I was so vulnerable- would this really be our chance to grow our family? Danelle called and asked if we minded meeting her closer to downtown, as she was with a friend staying at a hotel. We thought that was a bit odd, but being we were desperate to meet her, we invited the friend to join us, hopefully making Danelle feel a bit more comfortable.

Our first chance to see Danelle was at a hotel parking lot- the place where memories get made! Kidding... I remember the first thing I said to Felix, "she's really pretty!" and then he said something like he agreed. We got out and decided where to go for lunch.

They (Danelle and her best friend, Rachel) followed us in Rachel's car to El Torito and we sat down to have lunch. I was still so very nervous!! How do you start this kind of conversation?!? Somehow we figured it out. We showed them both pictures, told them about our lives, asked about theirs and genuinely got to know one another. Towards the end of lunch, Felix and I both told Danelle that if she would consider us in her adoption plan, we would be so grateful, and that we would love the opportunity to meet with her again, but to feel no pressure, regardless of her decision.

We walked out of the restaurant feeling great- but with an air of hesitation. It was so real, so close! She was an incredible woman- I couldn't believe how brave she would be to be able to do this. Not five minutes later Danelle called and made our dreams come true. Danelle told us that she felt very comfortable that her family knew of us, and that we were normal people, not strangers found via a random adoption agency. She told us that we were meant to parent this little miracle- I can't remember the rest of the trip- I think I was so beyond myself with excitement that the rest of our conversation became a blur. We called our family and gave them the update and immediately made appointments to get the ball rolling. Danelle thought she might be 2-3 months pregnant, so we were somewhat panicked that she would need to find a doctor and quickly. There was so much to think about- money, hospital, attorneys, her feelings, her health, her children, our families, our house- it's nuts! And so the journey continued...