Happy Referraliversary!

One year ago today on a Tuesday, Sept 12, 2006, at about 2 p.m., we received the most amazing referral. Triplet (!!!) baby boys, about 2.5 months old.

We'll never forget the day. I was least expecting it, yet I suspected down deep, something. First thing that morning I learned of another family who received a referral for infant twins, a family one day ahead of us on the waiting list. We were also waiting for twins so somehow I took this as as bad sign, as if this family mistakenly received our referral. Old pessimistic me nearly broke down. My heart raced then sank. I slumped through the work day without speaking, crying sporadically, going over terrible scenarios in my head. Jerry isn't getting it. But, hon, doesn't this mean we're next? I don't why you're so upset, I'm about to have a heart attack!

Later that day Jerry and I are working out in the field. He's driving a tractor and I'm hanging off. We turn that tractor and suddenly from nowhere there's our secretary walking towards us waving a note. . . and I just knew . . .

Jerry, this is it!. . . we race home and call the agency back (we still have the agency's message on our answering machine and we saved the note!). I'm on the phone scribbling notes as I talk and Jerry's looking over my shoulder. . . 'Good news. . . Unique situation. . . TRIPLETS!!! ALL BOYS!!!'

OHHHHHHH!

After The Call, some wine, and many yelps, sighs, laughter, dances, hugs, stomach butterflies, and I cannot believe it!s, we see for the first time on our computer screen an unclear glimpse of the triplets and let a big awwwwwww!.

We didn't know who was who in the pictures. We also assumed all three were bawling. I didn't even notice the band aids on the arms until several days later. We would later learn in Ethiopia through more pictures of the same scene that Tsega's on the left, Sira's in the middle (we saw his ear pierce in another shot) and Bereket's on the right and the only one bawling. We also couldn't decide which two were the alleged identical pair. Of course we will never know who is who in the blanket picture below, except that the baby in the middle is definitely not Tsega because my other two have the little button noses. It was the noses that gave away the identical pair.

We would wait more than two long months to travel and meet our sons, and in the meantime, received just one more (poor quality) picture. Ahhh, the two on the right are identical. . . matching noses; and yet Jerry wouldn't believe me until we met the boys. Look at Tsega's long skinny legs. He's a dancer, I thought. I think that's Bereket on the far right with the wacky expression; I told my family, I'm pretty sure he's not crazy (I kid!).

It was a hard wait to travel. We waited for the courts to reopen after their annual closure, waited for our case to be heard, waited for a brick to drop as rumors drifted through the internet. . . Of course everything smacked into place with barley a skip. I should have listened to my horoscope two weeks after our referral: Try not to make more of this than there really is. It's very easy to get caught up in a 'The sky is falling!' mentality, but that doesn't help anything in the end. Feel the panic, let it pass, then get down to business. (Yes, I saved it, what a dork!)

Only one year ago and today Jerry and I found ourselves on that tractor again, this time all smiles. Here are my four boys as of this morning, a little sleepy, disheveled, but sweet.