birthmother visit

I intended to post about our meeting with the birthmother as soon as we got back, but of course that didn't happen. :) I have been neglecting my blog lately, and it's hard to get back in the groove. Anyway, I wanted to write about how the trip went; partially for you all to read about it but mostly to document it for myself.

We traveled up to Greenville, South Carolina, on Friday afternoon {January 22nd}. We got to the adoption agency's office at about 6:15, and there we met the two social workers and our birthmother {hereafter referred to as G...to protect her privacy, I won't use her name}. We all sat down together in the conference room and...well, just chatted. We talked about the weather {of course}, our drive up to SC, etc. Small talk. One of the social workers asked us a few questions that G had asked her previously. It was a little awkward - forced conversation usually is. And we were sitting around a conference table, so that's not really "comfortable". Anyway, after chatting for a little while, and being very indecisive about where to go for dinner, we finally left for the restaurant {Texas Roadhouse...which we have in Montgomery but hadn't had before...YUMMY, BTW}. G went to pick up her close friend, J {obviously not naming her either :)}, on the way to the restaurant.

Baron & I got to the restaurant first, and it was super crowded. We went outside to wait for a table, where we caught up with G & J. J, who has never met a stranger, made the situation a lot more comfortable. Baron & I are not very good at chit-chat/small talk/gab. J, on the other hand, is queen of the gab. In a good way. :) We were glad she was there to lighten the mood. Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner together, and talked about so many things...football {G is a UGA fan - this is definitely meant to be! :)}; family; jobs; weather; the pregnancy; our lives; our pets; our hometowns; etc. It was great conversation, and it was not awkward one bit!

That night, we were blessed to be able to stay with some friends in Greenville - Patrick & Amanda (Palmer) Bowling. Amanda & I grew up together at church until her family moved to Atlanta. Patrick & Amanda have two adopted kids, so we enjoyed talking to them about their experiences, and asking advice for ourselves. Staying with them was WAY better than a hotel - great company, a super comfy bed, our own bathroom, and breakfast at IHOP. :)

After breakfast, we said our goodbyes to Patrick & Amanda, and then headed to Wal-Mart. We had planned to walk around downtown Greenville with G & J, and it was COLD. We were prepared to walk from indoors to the car in cold weather; not to walk around outside in cold weather. :) So we went on a mini shopping spree at the local Wal-Mart for some extra layering.

We headed to downtown Greenville, and followed the GPS to get as close to Starbucks {our meeting place} as possible to find a parking spot. There had just been a race of some sort downtown, and the runners were starting to clear out but the road was still blocked. We found a parking spot a couple of blocks from Starbucks...so we thought. It seemed like we walked 2 miles from the car to Starbucks. Maybe it was just my improper shoe choice & the bitter wind that made it seem longer. :) Anyway, we finally got there & ordered our much-needed white chocolate mochas, and waited for G & J to arrive. They got there shortly, and we chatted some more. G gave us the first of several gifts that she wanted the baby to have: a book by a local author that takes kids on a search for little mouse statues down Main Street in Greenville.

We walked around downtown Greenville, admiring the beautiful work they've done there to develop the area. They have a great park around their river, and a suspension bridge that made us all a little nervous. :) We enjoyed walking & talking together, and just enjoying each other's company. It was actually...fun! Who knew this would be a fun experience? :) We visited a small general store there that has old-fashioned toys, and admired the retro lunchboxes, tinker toys, Raggedy Ann dolls, wax lips, and bottled Cokes. After visiting the store, we grabbed lunch at a little pizzeria. There we sat & talked some more - preliminarily about our plans for when G goes into labor. Then we walked back toward the car & said our goodbyes.

We are so impressed with our birthmother. She is mature, responsible, smart, and loving. We are so fortunate to be able to have a relationship with her. She is excited to be able to bless us with a child, and I could not be more thankful for her incredible attitude. It is amazing to watch how God works out His plan in our lives!