Madelyn Grace Willis

It’s funny how life sometimes sweeps you up like a leaf in an autumn wind and carries you exactly where you belong.  In ways that you never imagined and with forces beyond your control, your deepest wishes finally come true.  That’s how we received our sweet Madelyn Grace – this is how our miracle baby came into our lives. 

After eight months of pregnancy, April was getting ready for the arrival of her baby girl.  As a single mom, she already had a two-year-old at home and she knew it would be difficult to provide a good life for this little one on the way.  But she planned on keeping her and started buying the baby clothes, coordinating a baby shower with her close friends, and mentally preparing herself for the future. 

Then one night April had a dream.  I don’t know all of the personal details, but she said that God came to her and told her that she needed to place her baby with an adopted family.  She saw in her dream the mom she’d give her baby to and the thought came to her mind to contact Kim. 

Kim and her husband were distant relatives of April, who had adopted a couple of children of their own.  Although April had never seen Kim, she’d heard of her and knew what a wonderful person she was.  April contacted Kim, told her about her dream, and asked her if she and her husband would be interested in adopting her baby.  Kim and her husband hesitantly accepted and started filling out the paperwork for the adoption, but in the process, they felt a persistent impression that this baby wasn’t meant for them.  They fasted, prayed, and finally concluded that they needed to find who the right parents were for this baby.

Kim called her sister Lianne, who just happens to be my sister’s best friend.  She told Lianne about her dilemma and mentioned something interesting April had said.  When April and Kim exchanged Facebook profiles and contact information, April said after seeing Kim’s photo for the first time: “Oh…you don’t look like I imagined you.  The mom in my dream had blonde hair.”  It was that small phrase that touched Lianne and something prompted her to think that perhaps this baby was supposed to be with us. 

Lianne called my sister, who then called us, and then put us in contact with April.  Blair and I talked on the phone with April and had a wonderful conversation.  We decided that we’d fly out to Utah that weekend and meet her to see if this felt like the right decision for all of us.  At the end of our conversation, we exchanged contact information, Facebook profiles, and blog addresses.  In the middle of the night, my body filled with chills as I read the words on my phone in a text from April.  “I just saw your pictures online. It's so crazy - I imagined you exactly.  That's so crazy.”

We flew out to Utah that weekend and met April and her aunt for lunch.  It’s hard to describe what I felt when we met them, but it just felt like we already knew each other.  We hugged, we cried, we laughed and we talked for a long time.  It was evident by the end of our three hours together that this little girl was meant to be with us.  We marked our calendars for three weeks, flew home, and frantically started preparing for this new baby on the way.  

Those days after coming home went by so slowly.  Friends and family sent well wishes, threw us baby showers, and helped us prepare both physically and mentally.  The outpouring of love was absolutely overwhelming.  I just kept having the feeling this little girl is so loved by so many people. Although we had a million things to do and learn, we were so anxious to meet her.  I guess our little girl was feeling the same anxiety to be together because we received a call from April after two weeks saying she was going in for an urgent c-section that night. 

We were heartbroken that we weren’t going to be able to be there for the birth as we'd planned.  I cried for hours as I desperately tried to figure out a way to get to Utah as soon as possible.  But I received a comforting witness that everything was going to be all right during a simple phone call to the airline.  A customer service representative for American Airlines by the name of David answered the phone. Through a trembling voice I told him my husband and I were adopting a baby girl who was about to be born within the hour, and that we were trying to get to Utah as soon as possible. I could almost see his smile coming through the phone when I said that. He said, “Oh, Miss Willis!! I’ve adopted three children who are the biggest miracles in my life. I am so excited for you.” For the next twenty minutes he laughed and cried with me and told me that “he knew someone Upstairs was looking over me and that we were going to be the sun coming up for this little one.” Rather than discussing much about flight logistics, he talked to me and reassured me of the joy that was about to come into our lives.  I have rarely felt God’s love and awareness of me as I did on that simple phone call. I'm glad He helped David answer the phone for me that night. 

The next day we hopped on a flight to Utah, barely missed getting stuck in Chicago during a sudden snowstorm, and finally arrived in Utah that evening.  With a few family members and my best friend and photographer, McCall, in tow, we headed to the hospital to meet her.  It’s hard to describe that moment, but we were instantly in love with this tiny 5 pound 13 ounce bundle of heavenly joy with a beautiful head of thick brown hair.  Our tears dripped down our cheeks and our bodies trembled as we held her for the first time.

Over the next few days we spent time in the hospital with April and the baby, talking and laughing.  On the third day our attorneys came and helped us with the relinquishment and other legal matters.  I started to feel a sense of guilt and sadness for the loss April was about to experience.  But my feelings were eased as she continually reassured us of how strongly she knew her baby was meant to be with us.  I’m still in awe of her trust in the experience she had and her willingness to follow through with what she felt God told her to do.  She is truly one of the most incredible people I'll ever know. The challenges she has overcome in her life, her optimism and faith, and her selfless sacrifice for us and for her daughter are amazing to me. I will always feel such a deep love and appreciation for her.   

On the last day, April said her goodbyes, told Maddy how much she loved her, and we headed out to our car.  We drove down the street and laughed about how we couldn’t believe there was a baby in the back seat.  After the giggles wore off, the emotion of it all suddenly hit us.  We pulled over to the side of the road, cried, and said a prayer of gratitude for this miraculous gift. 

We are so humbled by God’s love for us and the inspired chain of events that led to us receiving our beautiful baby Maddy.  We are forever grateful.