NOW WHAT?

Throughout our stay in the hospital, the birth father was making life miserable for the birth mother and causing much concern for all parties involved. He was making threats, lurking around outside of the hospital, and making harassing phone calls. He even sent a relative to try and see the baby, but she was turned away. The birth mother truly feared for Julia’s safety if the birth father would be allowed access. This turmoil only solidified our determination to protect this baby and provide a safe and loving environment.

The hospital staff arranged for us to use a back entrance when we left the hospital. There had been reports of him hanging out in the parking lot during our stay at the hospital. When it was time to leave, there was a torrential downfall in Cedar Rapids. While that was a blessing to discourage any potential confrontations, it was also my first time driving with the most precious cargo in the world. I still remember how small she looked in her car seat that day. I also remember thinking; “I now have to take her out into this crazy world!” And I wasn’t even aware that the heartaches and legal battles were just beginning.

We made our way to Pella through the downpour. We had to stay in Pella for the night, so we could sign papers the next day with a social worker from the adoption agency. So, we stayed in a hotel and were completely on our own for the first time with Julia. Kristin’s parents came and made a brief visit at the hotel. Neither of our parents came to the hospital due to the circumstances of the adoption. We signed the papers the next morning after the 72-hour waiting period had passed and the agency had received the birth mother’s release. We headed home thinking we were half way to adoption. All we had to do was get the birth father’s rights terminated. That wasn’t going to be a big deal…the adoption agency had already stated that this was going to be no problem. Yeah, right.