Maya Grace

The name Maya was on my short list when Matt and I were pregnant with Ainsley.  I thought it was so beautiful, but ultimately Ainsley is an Ainsley.  I love her name and it suits her.  However, when we found out we would be welcoming a baby girl again, Matt and I pulled out the nifty old baby name book and started having fun.  According to our baby book, Maya means "God's creative power" in Hindi.  The meaning of the name Grace is quite simple.  So, the combination of those two names seemed quite fitting our our newest little blessing - Maya Grace.  This post is the story of welcoming her home...
As we left Jacksonville in October, I received a text from Tiffany at the airport.  Thus, began an incredibly unique and more amazing relationship than I could ever have thought possible.  Over the next two months, Tiffany and I would text nearly daily to say hello or chat about mundane daily occurrences.  I had no concept of how God could make something so taboo as an open adoption so peaceful.  Having said that, I've been ask a million times just what an open adoption means.  So, here's the short answer:  Whatever an adoptive family and birth family want it to be.  We have friends who's open adoption includes visits with birth parents and grandparents.  Other friends have very limited contact or relationship other than the first meeting.  For us, it is a blessing. 

In late November, Tiffany called me.  Initially, I was sure she was calling to tell me she had changed her mind.  Most all of our conversations were via text message.  So, an actual phone call sent my heart racing.  However, she was calling to ask me when we wanted her to schedule to be induced.  She explained that because she had an adoption plan, her doctor would schedule her to be induced, no earlier than December 23rd, so that we could be there.  From that moment on, I prayed Tiffany actually made it that far.  She was already having Braxton Hicks contractions that would knock her off her feet! 

On December 18th, we flew to Dallas to be with Matt's family and distract ourselves before heading to Florida.  Matt's mom graciously flew with us to Jacksonville at Christmas in order to help with Ainsley and meet her new granddaughter, of course.  The four of us flew to Jacksonville on December 22nd and Matt and I picked Tiffany up for breakfast at 4 A.M. on December 23rd.  Again, I couldn't eat and again we all chatted comfortably; all excited for what was to come.  We arrived at the hospital around 5 A.M. and Tiffany confidently informed everyone that Matt and I were the baby's parents.  At 7 A.M., they began the pitocin and a long, difficult labor began.  Sometime later, Tiffany's mom and best friend also arrived at the hospital.  As the anaesthesiologist was administering the epidural, we all stepped out and were able to speak alone.  Tiffany's mom thanked me for being there for her daughter and being an encouragement to her.  As we both cried, I hugged her and thanked her as well.  It was all such a beautiful moment.  We headed back in to coach Tiffany along for the most difficult part of the delivery yet - pushing.  At one point, I was able to stand beside holding one of Tiffany's legs and coaching her along.  I was standing right next to her until a nurse politely told me I needed to move because, "...this baby is about to be born!" And then, it happened and I saw my beautiful second baby girl come into this world healthy and screaming.  Praise God!

From the time we arrived at the hospital to the moment Maya was born, Tiffany never wavered and was very clear that I was Maya's mother and that I would be the first person to hold her.  It could not have been more perfect.  Maya Grace was born December 23rd at 7:29 PM, weighing a tiny 5lbs, 14oz (2 oz bigger than Ainsley) and measuring 19" long.  She had a head full of beautiful black hair.
All this time, the entire day, Matt sat waiting anxiously in the waiting room.  I stepped away for one hour to grab dinner with him, but otherwise, we spoke via text message all day.  At approximately 7:40, Matt received a picture of Maya and me.  Another 15 minutes later, he was welcomed into the room and able to meet his daughter as well.  So now what? 
We left the hospital that evening without our baby girl and were told it was hospital policy to not release infants until 48 hours (unless they were being released with their mother, of course).  Maya spent the night in the NICUNICU.  I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief.  Maya was ours.  The NICU had a bonding room where Matt and I were able to finally pray over our baby girl and hold her skin-to-skin. 
We stopped by Tiffany's apartment on the way to the hospital the next day to get a gift Tiffany and her mom had for Maya.  This gift was addressed to "Maya's Parents" and will always be treasured.  We brought our baby girl "home" to the condo we were staying in on Christmas Day.  Bringing Maya home to our family was the most blessed Christmas gift we have ever received.  From this point, we had to wait for the state of Florida to approve the adoption before we could leave.  However, we could not return home to Seattle until Washington had also approved the adoption.  And...  It was the holidays.  We had an amazing week in Florida bonding as a family and playing on the beach.  Once Florida approved the adoption, we flew back to Dallas until Washington approved everything - which ended up being about four days.  On January 4th, we flew home as a family of four.  But, there is still so much more...  All this time, little odd blessings occurred, all God's creative power so visible to our eyes.  Amazing grace in welcoming our Maya Grace...