love, lowry: Adoption: Meeting our miracle Olivia Lou Lowry

Our hearts completely burst when our sweet daughter Olivia was born on July 4, 2014. We have been waiting and praying for her for years. She is the perfect addition to our family and brings the sweetest spirit into our home. Amanda, Olivia's birth mom (and our bff), made all of our dreams of becoming parents a reality. Here is how we met our angel miracle girl.

July 3, 2014 we headed to Disneyland to get one more visit out of our annual passes before Olivia was born. Amanda wasn't due for a week and a half and had no signs of labor so we thought it was a great idea to spend the fourth at the happiest place on earth. Thursday night we went to the park as soon as we got to Anaheim. We had a great time and rode some of our favorite major rides and had some yummy treats too! We stayed late at the park but figured it was worth it. Friday morning we got up early and got to the park ready for a fabulous fourth. A few days before Rob broke his toe pretty badly and all the walking at Disney made it worse. Throughout the day we went to the first aid area and iced his toe. We were in the medical area around 4:00 pm when I got a call from Amanda. She said she was pretty sure her water broke and she was headed to the hospital. Without thinking I just grab my stuff and started running towards the park exit. Poor Rob had to get his shoe on quickly and chase me down to figure out what was happening. If you are familiar with Disneyland you know what is going on around 4:00 pm.....THE PARADE! Here we are, literally running down Main Street, trying to get to the hospital in Phoenix where our daughter was about to be born. I remember the cast member holding the rope blocking the street where the parade is telling us we couldn't cross. Rob lets her know we have a bit of an emergency and she says "after Simba passes you can cross". This is where I start crying haha! I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't handle it. We finally got to the car and grabbed our stuff from my brother's house where we were staying and headed back to the desert. That was the longest most awkward car ride of my life. We didn't know what to feel or think. Everything we had been waiting for was about to happen. We couldn't believe it. We went home, grabbed our bags, and switched cars. Off we went to Phoenix. Again, longest drive ever! We didn't go straight to the hospital but went to our friend's house where we would spend the next few days. (Major thanks to our Epson's for making our home away from home for us. They even set up a nursery for us in their guest room. It literally was a huge blessing and we are so grateful for them.). Amanda had asked us to wait to come to the hospital until she called us. Her mom was keeping us updated on her progress and kept sending us pictures and video. We loved it! It was hard to be so close to where Olivia was being born but not be there. It was even harder once we knew she was born and just waiting to go meet her. We had no problem doing it though because we love Amanda and wanted her to be comfortable. Olivia was born at 11:59 pm, our firecracker barely made it on the fourth! Amanda had us come over around 1:00 am. and we met our baby girl for the first time. The love we immediately felt for our baby girl was amazing. I will never forget the spirit we felt in that moment. The love I felt for Olivia, I felt equally for Amanda. I will cherish her forever and she is forever part of our family. We spent time that weekend with Amanda, our baby girl, and getting to know some of Amanda's sweet family. Amanda also had a day where she had some alone time with Olivia. I would never want to take that time away from her. Heavenly Father knew Amanda would need this time and He also knew that it would be difficult for us to not see Amanda and Olivia. I was so taken by how The Lord takes care of us. This is where our sweet friends, The Epson's come in. We were able to spend this time with them laughing, talking, and staying busy to help with being away from our two miracle girls. It may seem like a little thing but I know it to be part of The Lord's plan. He is always looking out for us.

Sunday came and it was discharge day for Amanda and Olivia. The day our baby girl would be coming home with us! Exciting, right?! Well, not so much. I am forever grateful for Olivia and that we get to raise her and be her parents for eternity. This day was the hardest day of my life though. I sit here trying to write about it and my heart breaks again. Having to see someone we love so much in pain was the worst feeling ever. Amanda is the strongest person I know but placing your child in the arms of another can't be easy for anyone. Tears filled the room between the three of us. I was trying so hard to be strong for Amanda but I couldn't. Rob, Amanda, and I hugged and cried together before Amanda left with her mom. I sat there and bawled for a good fifteen minutes before I could get Livi in her seat to leave. In that moment I was overcome with the feeling that maybe the way I was feeling was a very small way Heavenly Father feels when He has to watch his children in pain. He knows we have to hurt sometimes for things that will benefit us. I know I can't compare my love to The Savior's love but I can imagine a little of what it feels like. I have so much love for Amanda and I always will. I don't want anyone to think I am not grateful for our angel Olivia, I am. That day was just an extremely hard day because of how much I love Amanda.

I'm hoping that Rob and Amanda can share their feelings on the blog at some point too.

Here are some pictures of our meeting.