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We had just arrived home from a trip out of town. We'd spent a long weekend in Modesto at a friend's baby shower. Nate and I had lived with Jennifer in college and here she was pregnant with a baby boy due in May! We had been speaking to a potential birthmother before we left town. She was also pregnant with a baby boy due in May. We were pretty excited about the prospect but knew that she had other families to talk with and meet.I had just gotten out of the shower, I think it was around 9:00 in the morning. I remember looking at the suitcases we hadn't unpacked since we'd returned home the night before. The phone rang...I remembered that this potential birthmother was supposed to call but I didn't think it could be her already. I answered the phone and sure enough...it was Amber! She called to tell me that she was in the hospital....she was in labor....and she had picked us! I told her we'd get to her as quickly as we could and hung up to call Nate.Nate was home from work within an hour making hotel reservations for Sandy, Utah. We unpacked our "modesto" clothes and repacked for April in Utah. We drove to the airport to catch the first flight out of San Diego that we could. The first flight out left almost immediately and the tickets were at exorbitant amount. The next flight was just under an hour and much MUCH more affordable. We decided to wait the hour for the next flight. Little did we know what that decision would cost us!As the time approached for our flight to depart it became clear that things were not moving on time. Our plane had mechanical difficulties. After several hours our plane was finally ready for departure. Unfortunately we missed our connecting flight in Phoenix and had several more hours to wait at that airport. When we landed in Phoenix we got the message from Amber's mom Janet that the baby had been born. She said he was beautiful and that they couldn't wait for us to get there!We arrived in Salt Lake City around 11:30pm and were waiting for our luggage when Janet called. She wanted to make sure we would still go by the hospital that night. She and Amber were anxious to meet us in person! We finally arrived at the hospital (after driving around in the dark trying to find the entrance) sometime after midnight. When I walked through the hospital room door I saw Amber first. She looked tired and wired at the same time. She was so beautiful with a mane of curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She looked as relieved as we felt to finally be there. Then she pointed to a tiny baby boy sleeping in the bassinett. He was the smallest baby I had every seen. He had on a little cap and he was all snuggled in a receiving blanket. He was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I knew my life would never be the same after that moment.I will always remember the story of Benjamin's birth, though not the same way that women remember giving birth to their children. I will always be a little sad that I wasn't present when Benjamin made his way into the world and took his first breath. But I will always be SO grateful to his birthmother Amber for her bravery and to his birthgrandmother Janet for the support she provided in our absence. On April 5, 2005 our lives were changed forever by the birth of our son Benjamin and the addition of Amber and her family to our family. We are SO blessed to have them all in our lives!Happy Birthday Benjamin!!
