Baby Violet is Home!!

I know many of you may be surprised to see we have a new little girl in our home, and quite honestly...so are we!  It happened fast, so let me give you the low-down:

• We signed on with Catholic Charities to do our home study for an Ethiopian adoption in October 2010 
• Violet's birth mom probably became pregnant right around the same time, October 2010
• In late February 2011, we heard that Ethiopia would be cutting back the amount of international adoptions they allow by 90% .  We switched to a domestic adoption route.
• In late February 2011, Violet's birth mom realized she was pregnant
• In April 2011, we completed our home study and profile book and went "on the market" for domestic adoption
• At that same time, Violet's birth mom decided to go to Catholic Charities for adoption for her baby
• On July 6th, 2011, we got "The Call" from our social worker while we were having dinner at the Brinton's house.  Violet's birth mom had already selected us, no trial meeting necessary!!
• We meet her on July 7th, 2011 and LOVED her!
• I began taking her to her doctor visits and ultrasound.  This was the first prenatal care she received, at almost full-term.
• The due date was uncertain, somewhere between the end of July and mid-August
• On July 27th, 2011, she called me to say she was in labor.  I meet her at her doctor's office and then brought her to the hospital where I stayed with her until the point of her epidural at midnight on July 28th
• During the day on the 27th, we learned that our social worker had contacted the birth father (unaware of the pregnancy) and told him what was going on,  He was not happy, and expressed a desire to try and parent the baby.....though his situation would require that DCF take the baby for months or years before he could be qualified to take her home
• We went home to sleep from midnight until the birth mom asked her nurse to call me at 4am to tell me to come back
• We arrived just in time, Violet Gloria was born on July 28th, 2011 at 5:32am and weighed 6lbs and was 19.5' long.
• I went in shortly after she was delivered to hold her, and spent the next few days in maternity with her and the birth mom
• When it was time for baby and birth mom to be discharged from the hospital, it was a mountain load of paperwork!
• We do not have custody or guardianship of the baby until adoption at 6 months old
• If both parents agree, they will sign off on their parental rights soon, giving our agency custody until adoption
• The birth mom was very happy with her plan to place the baby with us, and we all left the hospital together 
• We plan on an open adoption, so we will be exchanging pictures and updates with her on a regular basis, as well as visits with Violet
• We choose to have her placed in our homes, despite the fact that this is a high legal risk adoption.  We had the choice of placing her in a foster home until things get worked out, but it was very much against the birth mom's wishes.  She wanted the baby to come home to her adoptive family right away.

So now what? We pray, and we ask you to pray with us!  God's hand has clearly be on this little one's life, from her birth mom's choice not to have an abortion, to funny details like Violet being born in her grandmother's birthday (Micah's mom)!

Nothing is certain, but we feel like God has called us to care for Violet, despite the risk involved.  Since God loved us at such a cost to Himself, it does not surprise me that He would have something like this in His plan!