Having Alex, now called Zander was such a roller coaster of events. Twelve years later, I see that they were all the necessary events to bring us to William. Alex was such a blessing, but Beau and I knew that having another biological child could be incredibly risky for both me and the child. During my caesarean with Zander, doctors discovered that my uterus was incredibly small and somewhat underdeveloped. So carrying Zander for as long as I did with no serious complications was a miracle in of itself. We also learned during Zander's birth that he and I have a rare but sometimes fatal genetic disorder and I had over 80% chance of delivering another baby with the same problem or with more severe problems. So, Zander was our miracle and we were thankful. Beau and I always said that if we could be guaranteed another child like Zander, we would do it in a heartbeat. But as time went on, and we were finally past Zander's first critical year (dealing with doctors, specialists, surgery) and we were given a final clean bill of health, I began longing, literally aching for another child. Me, being more of the "let's just go for it" attitude was willing to try conceiving our own second child. However, Beau being the more cautious, sensible one of the two us, was definitely not agreeable. So, the natural plan B in my mind was to adopt. Being adopted myself, I found this solution to be a simple decision. Afterall, I turned out ok, mostly. But for reasons I didn't understand at the time, Beau was again not agreeable. I was angry, confused, disappointed, and sad. But with time, I healed. In fact, I needed closure. So I got rid of every single baby item in my house. I threw myself into Zander and into work. In my mind, we were going to be a family of 3.
Then one day, Beau came to me and said that maybe we should consider adopting. By this point, I was upset that Beau would even think of rocking our little boat. We were busy, but we had a nice little routine going and I was happy with that. Zander was easy. Zander was past all the bottles, diapers, and toddler stage. So, no. I didn't want a baby. So, once again, the discussion was put to rest. Let't just say that Beau and I flip-flopped several times over Zander's first 5 years. However, we were NEVER on the same page at the same time.
Then the next year of our lives was such a whirlwind and our lives were forever changed. Our family began attending a small church where Russell Franklin would soon become our pastor. It was in this elementary school cafeteria where Beau and I learned of Christ and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. Beau later attended a men's Christian conference, The Promise Keepers. He came home a completely different man. A better man. A confident man. A Godly man. A leader. And he was ready to adopt. Not just ready, but he was GOING to adopt. He spoke to me with conviction, strenght, and tenderness about adoption. I immediately knew it was the right thing. God had spoken to Beau and to me. How awesome.
I realize this is a long intro to Will, but all this is necessary to understand just how much we prayed for and waited for this little man to enter our lives.
So, excited, scared, nervous, and every emotion imaginable, Beau and I began the long tedious research and inquiry about adoption. We prayed with Zander daily about this process. We knew in Zander's heart, he was ready too. This process began in September 2005. We were finally in touch with an agency that would handle our home study. The home study was grueling. We had hours of paperwork to complete. We had to get physicals. We had to get FBI background checked. We had to get bloodwork. We had to turn over all of our financials for review. We had to have our house open for an inspection. We had to invade our friends for references. We had to indure a 3 hour long interview process. I very lovingly put together a profile photo album highlighting some of our most intimate and memorable times together. Alas, in May 2007, we were finally approved for an adoption. This is where the real anxiety began.
During this part of the process, the agency said we needed to consider what gender we preferred, if any. Gender didn't matter to us, although I secretly was hoping for a girl. We got a couple of calls from the agency, but they didn't pan out for various reasons. The we got a serious inquiry and the mother's due date was in July. However, she chose another family. We were sad, but still hopeful. Well, in June, our family took a small vacation down to Orlando with of course the Franklins and the Mickles. It was during this vacation, that a voice mail was left on my cell phone. The mother that we thought was a serious inquiry had returned to our profile and she wanted to now consider our family for the matching. This as late on Friday, so I had to wait all weekend long until Monday to return the call. The excitment was almost more than I could bare.
First thing Monday morning, I called my caseworker. She explained to me tht the mother was due in July.....NEXT MONTH. Beau, Zander, and I immediately responded with a definite yes. Within hours, I was on the phone talking to the birthmother, Amy. We met with Amy for lunch the following week and then accompanied her to her ultrasound. It was then that she and Beau and I found out she was having a boy. It was amazing and we all three truly were excited. Please understand that Amy went far beyond her obligation to Beau and I by allowing us to be such a part of her pregnancy. We fell in love with her heart and her sacrifice. It was obvious how much she loved this little boy and how painful this was for her.
Immediately upon finding out this information, a few of my very dear friends began working on a baby shower for me. They had to rush the shower because at this point, Amy's due date was so near. I was so super excited about this because Zander cheated me out of my first shower...you know, being born on it and all. I had the absolute best baby shower and I was ready for this baby.
Again, anticipation set in. Now we had to get through the birth and pray that mom hadn't changed her mind. She legally could have changed her mind up until three days after she gave birth. But the big day finally came. July 9, 2007, our newest family member was born. Amy was so gracious because she allowed me to be present during the birth. Again, she didn't have to allow me in the room but she loved that little boy so much and she wanted to be sure that I would bond with him immediately. Oh, he was so beautiful. So perfect. I was full of so many emotions all at once, much like a mother who had just given birth would be. But this was different. I cried hard. I cried for Amy and her sweet sacrifice. I cried because this perfect baby would be mine. I cried because I was torn between loving this baby and feeling such admiration and pity for his birth mother. I was happy and sad at the same time. I felt guilty if I wasn't sad enough for her and I felt guilty if it was too excited for me. Such a weird range of emotions.
Now, Beau and I had to pick a name. We had narrowed it down to 2 names, Ethan Riley or William Riley. We were waiting to meet this little guy before we named him. When they finally brought him to Amy's private room, Beau held him. This as his first time seeing him. He was such a proud daddy. We both looked at him. We said the name Ethan Riley and we got no response. Yes, I know a baby only a few minutes old is not going to respond. Then Beau said William Riley. I swear to you, it was almost as if this baby tried to smile. I know, impossible. Yet, we just knew in our hearts that he would forever be William Riley Bennett.
Three days later, we were back at the hospital. This time, though, was to bring our baby home. Such a bittersweet time spent with Amy. She conducted herself with such dignity, compassion, love, and kindness. We said our very heartfelt goodbyes, she loved on Will once more, and off Beau and I went as new parents....again.
William has such a spirit about him. Amy warned me he would be full of spunk and mischievousness. I had no idea she would be right. Will is the funniest little thing. He may be petite in size, but he has a giant personality. He is quick and can find something that he is NOT supposed to do faster than any of my other children. And he does it with that devilish grin. Will began walking at 10 months and my life changed after that. He began climbing at 10 months and a day.....or so it felt like.
Today, at 4 years old, Will is a joy. With his snaggle tooth grin (he fell and knocked out his front two teeth), his "I just did something I wasn't supposed to" giggle, and his playfulness, Will is a fun kid to have in the house. But the special thing about Will is his ability to care for his younger brothers. He has taken on the "older brother" protector role very well. He truly watches over Ollie and Carter. He consoles their cries and kisses their boo boos. He has a sweet heart, funny personality, and a quick wit. He is a little clumsy, which just adds to his cuteness. Our family would not be complete with our William.
I can not wait to see what kind of man Will grows up to be. Beau and i are so proud to call him son.
