SURPRISE - SPECIAL DELIVERY FROM ETHIOPIA!!

At 3:45 this afternoon I got an e-mail from Christy saying she would call me in the next half hour. As you may remember from my previous post Christy was having a conversation with Almaz about when we could expect our referral and said she would e-mail me today to let me know she was calling me about that conversation. Her e-mail said she wanted to discuss with me what Almaz had said.

I didn't want to be in the bank during her call so I left work right away giving myself time for the work errands before her call. Ten minutes later at a dead stop on the freeway I hear my Beautiful Boy ringtone. Here's how the conversation went:

A: Hi Christy

C: Hey Autumn you sound like you are in the car. Can you talk?

A: Yeah I knew you were calling so I'm all hooked up with the wireless stuff.

C: Oh good, ok. I wanted to let you know how my conversation with Almaz went.

A: Ok, good.

C: I have a referral for you.

A:What? Are you serious? You have a referral for us? You are going to make me crash!

C: Well maybe you should pull over. (I think she said that because that is what I responded to. If she didn't say that then I must have just sounded like a crazy person).

A: I'm stuck on the freeway. Um, ok. Wow. I need to call Brian. What time are you leaving the office?

C: 4:30.

A: Oh wow. Ok. Um, I will call him right now and call you back. Bye!

I always thought I would cry. I thought it would be a mad dash for the phone when I heard the ringtone. Instead I was expecting the call and anticipating a conversation talking about when we would get a referral. It didn't happen like I always imagined. Instead Christy had me completely faked out and I was so shocked I didn't even cry or yell or anything.

I called Brian who was on his way to the driving range with my youngest brother.

A: Are you ready to be a Dad today?

B: Am I ready to be a Dad today? (confused tone).

A: Yeah I just got off the phone with Christy and she has a referral for us. So get in the car and hurry up we only have a half hour to call her back.

B: Are you serious? Oh my gosh. Ok, Alex is going to be mad.

A: Just make him come with you. He'll get over it. This is more important.

B: Ok. ok.

(I am happy to report that in fact, Alex wasn't mad and said he is excited to be an uncle.) I then called my Mom, Dad, and sister. Then I called Brian to make sure he was calling his family. He asked me to call his sister and said he would call his Mom, Dad, and brother. We had a plan that our families would all come over to our house and be with us when we opened the pictures. My mom was the first to arrive. Then came Brian and my sister. As he walked in the door and I was nagging about having to call her back NOW Christy called again. It was 4:27. Whew!

We answered the call on speakerphone while my Mom and sister videotaped and took pictures. We were thrilled to hear all about our son. All the things we have been anxiously waiting to hear - his name, his age, his history. We got to hear it all this afternoon.

As we hung up the phone with Christy in walked my Dad and brother. Then followed Grandma and Grandpa Gossett (as of TODAY!). We waited for Brian's sister who had a longer drive then the rest of us and then crowded into the bedroom to open the pictures. Here's what it looked like when we saw our son for the first time:Almost every picture he has some goofy expression. I immediately thought of Brian and his expressiveness. He also has the wrinkly baby that looks like an old man look which made the rest of my family think of my brother Jake when he was a baby.

We all loved looking at the pictures together and being able to put a face and name to the little boy who has been in our hearts for so many months.

We then celebrated with a toast and dinner!

I always pictured today being so much more emotional than it has felt but I still think I'm in a state of shock. I have a feeling it won't be long before the shock and adrenaline are gone and the anticipation and joy of being a new Mom is all that is left.

Brian's Thoughts: While Autumn has done such an incredible job describing today's events as she has done all along with the blog, I am excited to share my thoughts on this incredible moment. We had anticipated this day for so long and gone week after week thinking, "Oh it will be this day or that day," that by the time we got the call today it was so out of the blue it was almost like we were going into labor 2 weeks sooner than expected. After I had received the call from Autumn and learned the day had finally arrived that we'd see our son for the first time I had to drive about twenty very nervous minutes to meet up with her it almost felt as if I was driving to the hospital where my wife was giving birth. As our son's history and physical were being relayed to us over the phone I couldn't help but smile the entire time. I too thought I'd be more emotional than I was. I did have to fight off a tear when it was explained what his name meant (to be revealed at a later time). He truly is a gift from God! It was great to share this moment with our family. It was so fun showing both sets of grandparents the new addition to our family. What a moment of excitement that is still making my head spin and heart pound! I am so anxious for the next step, the step of holding him in my arms - then I will really feel like daddy.

We aren't able to share any information about our son until we have passed courts and he is legally ours. This includes name and photos. We will be able to share this information with all of you when we travel (most likely, December or January).