Manatee pace

Finally! See that? That's an alligator. Ok so he's not wild. He lives in Homosassa wildlife preserve. But you know what else? There's not a single sign saying "Don't molest the alligators." 

"Look at you just laying there. Lazy."

"You don't have any teeth do you? That's why you won't open your mouth."

"You don't look like a predator. I bet your mom was a sell out. Yeah. Your mom is such a sell out that they turned her into a Birkin bag."

We finally did it. We talked trash to Florida alligators for a good 10 minutes. 

Then we sang. To the oldest Hippo in the world. He's 61 years old. 

Much like Josiah, he was not impressed. He also didn't think that a Hippopotomus would make a good Christmas gift. Living in a garage is not his idea of a good life. 

We saw more flamingos who argued with one another. We saw owls who stared curiously at us. And a bald eagle with his own American Flag. 

But the real reason for our visit was the manatees. We searched and searched. Aaron saw one, I didn't. We walked to different vantage points, to no avail. I figured it was just too cold today to see them. They were probably at the bottom of the river. 

We saw a crowd of people gather at a bridge so we went over there. A lady came out with a big box of romaine lettuce. She explained that their are 3 that live in captivity because they are injured and they are on this side of the bridge. The wild one show up on the other side of the bridge. They don't get fed the lettuce. But they do hang out to get any scraps that might float by.

Just like that these massive oblong fat creatures glided slowly up to both sides of the bridge. Only our Creator God could think up such a creature. Whiskers, flappy side fins, one wide tail that's a paddle. A nose that can inhale air and then seal itself off. They look like giant river stones. They are mammals. They breathe air, live in water, and eat lettuce. And they aren't in a hurry to get anywhere. Not even to lunch.

They glide through the water effortlessly and slowly. They have a laid back attitude. I'll get there when I get there. 

Ok it's a terrible picture. But I was scared I would drop my phone. I also had low battery and we were waiting for a really important call.

At 11:29 am on 11/17/2020 we got the first text message. 

"MOTION WAS GRANTED"

It came from our birth mom, Justine. She was the first to tell us that Elijah James was our son. 

They second came from Malinda, followed by a phone call.

We sat on a bench and processed it. We have a son. Josiah is a big brother. We are leaving Florida with a baby this time. 

I felt completely weak. Like my arms and legs wouldn't work. Like I could go to sleep right here on this bench. All the tension I had carried in my body from the home study paperwork, to building the profile book, to our first match, to the disruption, to the grant paperwork and the shifting of finances - it all left my body. There was peace. 

I floated through the rest of the day like a manatee. 

There's one piece I would like to rush - getting Eli into my arms, getting home to sweet Josiah. Being together as a party of four. But God won't allow that to rush. God insists that we move forward at manatee pace. 

That's right, I haven't seen Eli yet. 

Today is Wednesday. We won't see him today either. 

Thursday morning at 11am, Malinda will come to our hotel and we will sign even more paperwork. At 11:45 we will drive 1 mile down the road and meet our precious baby boy face to face. We will take him back to our hotel room and tell him all about the future. 

We will tell him how hard we worked to get to this point. We will tell him how many people are at home waiting to meet him. We will tell him about his older brother Josiah and how extremely funny he is and how he will always protect his baby. I'll tell him about the prayers I said every night since 2019 - that God would prepare a birth mother for our family, that he would make her strong and brave, that the circumstances that bring her to us don't break her but make her even more resilient, that God prepare our hearts and home for a baby that is just right for us. 

I'll tell him about the amazing people that helped get him into our arms. The foster parents who comforted him. Janna who helped build our profile. Nicole who showed us the way to Destiny adoptions. Malinda who made me laugh, kept things very real, and when my heart broke, hers did too, because she is a true sister. Malia who works day and night building families and making sure that birth mothers are loved and understood. Jessica for running that office and shuffling paperwork. Tammi for fighting in court on behalf of birth mothers, children, and adoptive families. Anna for showing me the way as a true friend and being nasty sarcastic when I needed it. Aunt Allyson for putting us up in hotels so our hearts could heal when they were broken and so that we had a place to call home to bring Eli to when we got him. The Mussers who allowed me to break down in their dining room when I freaked out about having to go to Florida again and for loving Josiah while we were gone. The Barrs who told us it was possible, no matter what. Sarah for her artwork, gentle spirit, love and service. Families are hard to build and Sarah walks that with me. Yvonne and Gayle for prayers and love and hugs. Cathy and Ross for teaching us about God and refining our faith. Our parents, because they raised us and put us in the place to make the decisions that brought us here. The Browns, because they adopted us. Everyone needs a third family. And Eli's first mom, Justine. Justine who saw two paths and chose the one that included us. Justine who we love with our whole hearts as a member of our family. 

This village is not limited to those I named. This village expands exponentially. There are so many people that love us, I can't count them all. It just keeps expanding. 

It truly is an honor that God selected us for this journey. This journey with Eli and Josiah. But especially with Justine. I look forward to her future. I look forward to calls to hear about her next promotion at work, the next class she takes, the next move she makes. I look forward to building trust and respect and being someone she can count on.