Our Stay in New Jersey

The next few days were, needless to say, interesting.  We had a lot of time in our hotel and didn’t necessarily want to go many places in Newark with a newborn.  One night we drove about an hour to meet up with one of my husband’s coworkers who lived in New Jersey.  I remember talking with my husband about how nice it was to get out of the hotel and be in the car.  It didn’t matter how far we had to drive, we were going to see someone we knew!  We had a nice dinner out and Will was the perfect little gentleman.  

The next day we were meeting up with Will’s birth parents at TGI Fridays.  It was so nice to see them again.  The hospital was so emotional, so this was a nice way for us to get together in a place that was more “normal.”  We had a great time talking, taking pictures, and eating.  They seemed to be doing really well and were still feeling like their decision was what was best for Will.  It was so nice to see them again that we decided to get together with them again before we left.  

The next day we drove to meet another friend for dinner.  I actually met him for the first time at the March for Life, where we were first “active” in the adoption process, just a few weeks before.  He drove in from Pennsylvania, which was about 2 hours away, I think.  We were so grateful to have him come out to have dinner with us (in Princeton, which was AWESOME!).  Thanks Damian!!!  For anyone in the adoption process, I highly recommend trying to meet up with anyone within a few hours of where you will be.  It helped us so much to be “proud parents” and show off our baby to people we knew.  These friends have a special place in my heart, as they were the first to see our family of three!

Towards the end of the week, we met up again with Will’s birth parents.  They actually came to our hotel and we played board games in a common area.  At the time, and looking back, I find this weird.  Good, but weird.  It is strange to think that we were hanging out, playing board games, with the woman who recently gave birth to our son, and her boyfriend.  Also, anyone who has ever played board games with me is probably laughing at how difficult of a position this put me in.  I am extremely competitive and loud when playing board games.  Oh, and sweaty.  Yup, all things that I tried to hide while playing, but came out within 20 minutes of playing.  Thank goodness they found my behavior entertaining and not crazy!

The end of the night was hard.  This would be the last time they see Will.  There were a lot of tears and kisses, and eventually my husband drove them home.  I stayed back with Will and just held him.  I was so thankful that God put him into our lives, but it broke my heart knowing the pain they were feeling.