Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Shaky Beginning: The Summer of 1974

My first year of teaching had come to an end.  Summer was here at last!  James and I decided that after almost 4 years of marriage, we were ready to turn the "two of us" into the "three of us!"  Baby time!  I went to meet with the local OB/GYN, Dr. Forbes.  After checking me out, I was given some life-altering news.  I had about one chance in a million of getting pregnant due to a disease I had lived with since late high school, endometriosis.  He suggested adoption. 

When James came home from work, I gave him the news.  We were speechless with our hearts stuck in our stomachs.  I had so wanted to carry our child and give birth.  I wanted to experience being pregnant!  We had discussed adopting a child before, but after having our own 2 babies first.  We had always been open to adoption because James' dad and sister were adopted from the NC Children's Home Society.  We had heard their stories many times over.  However, we were well aware of the long wait of up to 3 years for a white newborn.  We were ready NOW!  Three years may have been a hundred to us.  With no other recourse, we set out to adopt.  We also put in to adopt from our local county adoption agency.  We set out to wait. 

School started again in August and it was also time for us to go to Greensboro for a meeting with the Children's Home Society in Greensboro.  With two members of the Fitts' family already coming from there, plus James' dad being a big donor to the home, we secretly hoped that we would get special treatment getting a newborn sooner than expected.  As we prepared for the trip, I wanted to go see Dr. Forbes one more time because even though pregnancy tests came back negative I felt pregnant!  As I pestered the doctor one more time, it paid off.  We were pregnant!  We had beat those staggering odds!  Dr. Forbes told us again and again how lucky we were.  The unexpected had happened!  We would be having a baby next May 1975!  What unbelievable joy!  Since we wanted more than one child, I assumed James kept our names on the lists to adopt.  Did you notice I said assumed?  Fall was around the corner, then winter, then spring and our baby would be born!  But storm clouds were brewing.

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