Twas the Night Before GMA

Well, tomorrow is the day we find out if Rowan is one of the three finalists for the Good Morning America/Babytalk Magazine cover contest! What a wild ride it's been. It still feels a little like a dream. I'm actually not going to post much tonight. All I really want to say is that God is in control. Throughout this entire process I have felt God like never before. On Sunday, I was out for an early morning run before church when I rounded a corner and there before me was the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen. It was so bright and clear. No, it wasn't raining. When I looked north toward the rainbow it was dark and cloudy. When I looked south it was clear blue skies. What I would have done for a phone (to call the girls) or a camera. It was so beautiful, I had to stop running and just stare at it for I don't know how long. I think the guy pulling out of his driveway a few houses away was a little concerned about this weird girl staring at the sky with her mouth hanging open. I'm not taking this as a sign Rowan is going to win. I'm just saying God is nearby and there is evidence everywhere you look.
I know God has orchestrated this entire journey and that if it ends tomorrow it is because God wants it to end. If it continues, it's because God wants it to continue. Of course, I want it to continue, but more so I want God's work to be done. I have prayed that he would use Rowan in this instance to advance his kingdom. Naturally, Rowan has no idea what's going on. As long as he gets his breakfast tomorrow, he'll be happy. I, on the other hand, may not be able to eat any breakfast, depending on how things go. So anyway, thank you all for your interest, prayers, and well-wishes. If you get a chance to watch Good Morning America tomorrow, do so. If not, check back here and I'll post the results. Until tomorrow.

NYC BLOG PHOTOS (59 photos), by Mia Spracklen

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New York Update!

We are back from NYC and we had a fabulous time! So good, in fact, I wish we could go back and do it all over again. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I so appreciate that fact. I want to tell you every single detail of our trip because in doing so I'll be able to relive it. Of course, you might not be interested in every single detail from our trip so maybe I'll leave a few out. We arrived Thursday, August 6 at about 12:30 but couldn't check into our hotel room until 3:00 so after changing Rowan's diaper on the bathroom floor in the lobby (Yes you read that right. Don't worry, I put down tons of very thick napkins.) we headed out to walk around the city. We had a great time exploring and the weather was perfect, warm but no humidity. We ate dinner at ESPN Zone and Rowan learned to drink milk out of a straw. When we got back to the hotel we expected there to be some sort of information packet from Babytalk but there was nothing. By seven we were pretty worried so Adrian went down to the lobby to ask the staff. (This hotel has hosted the families for this event in years past.) Oops! They forgot to give us our welcome packet. Finally, some information! Rowan's photo shoot was scheduled for 11:30 Friday. He was the fifth baby scheduled and the last one before the staff took a lunch break. The papers we got listed the names of the other seven finalists and we couldn't help but pore over the names and try to figure out what they were like. For example, we figured there were at least four girls but with three names we could only speculate. Some were obviously white. Some were not. Some had two parents. Some just had a mom. Anyway, we were relieved to have a plan for the morrow. We decided we would get up, walk to the studio so we would know where it was, have breakfast in our room and put Rowan down for a nap before his 11:30 showing. We executed our plan flawlessly. The hard part was getting Rowan down for a nap in a very small hotel room where he could sense our presence. Adrian came up with a brilliant plan. We turned the radio on and the lights off. While Adrian put Rowan in the portable crib I opened and shut the door as if we were leaving. Then as quick as a flash Adrian and I dove into this tiny space between the bed and the wall where we half-lay, half-sat until we heard no more crying. It was uncomfortable but it worked! In that time of crouching in the dark on Friday morning I decided it was a great time to pray. I wanted the photo shoot to go really well and I was super nervous. My stomach was doing flipflops and I couldn't eat anything so I just pored out my heart to God asking for his favor, asking that he go with us, asking for prayer cover, thanking him for this awesome opportunity. I was so emotional that Adrian noticed. It was more than nerves at this point though. Rowan is such an answer to prayer, such a blessing to us. How do you say thank you for a miracle? What do you say? Seven months previous we were in New York City at JFK airport with a very tiny, very sick baby. The weather was horrible and I was frightened our flight would be delayed and we'd be spending the night searching for a hospital to take Rowan to. His breathing was so shallow, so scary. To be able to come back under such different circumstances could only be orchestrated by God. Why he chose us, I don't know. What his plans are for this, I don't know. All I could say was thank you for this miracle child and for this opportunity to show him off. I was able to pull myself together before the shoot in order to get myself and Rowan ready. We have some very funny pictures of me trying desperately to do his hair. It was a short walk to the studio and then 13 floors up in the elevator. Before the doors opened on the 13th floor we held hands as a family and said a quick prayer. The shoot went really well and it was so much fun. Rowan was fabulous. He smiled right on cue and didn't move. They loved him! I would give him a ten out of ten for how well the shoot went. He wore two different outfits, one with a hat! LOL. They even took pictures of me and him together. How fun! Good thing I put makeup on! Hahaha! The cherry on the cake was that we got to talk about adoption. Orchestrated by God? Absolutely! Later that day we got to meet the other finalists and I have to say they were all pretty cute especially the boys. The three finalists will be announced on Good Morning America on September 1. I can't believe I have to wait that long! I must say I desperately want him to win and I have been praying for that specifically. I also must say that I am struggling with that emotion because I want God's will to be done and I know that Rowan winning might not be his plan. I'm also struggling because I know this is just a fleeting moment in time and it seems to me there are other more pressing matters. However, I also recognize that this could be a wonderful opportunity to showcase adoption to the whole country. If Rowan was chosen as the finalist he would be on GMA. What a great outlet to speak passionately about such an important topic. Obviously, I've got it all figured out in my mind. LOL! I am asking that you would join me in praying about this.
Saturday we left our hotel just before nine and got back just before five. We spent the day walking to Central Park, going to the Natural History Museum, checking out St. Patrick's Cathedral and the American Girl Store (we didn't buy anything). Even though it was two miles away we decided to go to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. It was worth it. On the way back we had to stop at Kmart to buy a new pack of diapers. Need I say more?
Sunday we walked to a nearby playground to let Rowan play. We met a very nice couple who lived nearby with two children, one 13 months old. The mom was from England and the dad an African-American. We talked hair-care-products and preschool before saying goodbye. Rowan suddenly developed a belly ache and screamed the whole walk back to the hotel (about 20 minutes). Other than that incidence we had a wonderful, magical time. I know it was prayer cover that allowed everything to go so well so I must say thank you, thank you, thank you. Our girls also had a great time with my parents so a huge thank you to them as well.
Now I'm counting down the days till September 1. In my mind of course Rowan is the cutest, but we have no idea what the photographs look like. We'll just have to wait and see. My plan is to schedule something fun for September 1, that way if he is a finalist we can celebrate, and if he's not at least we'll be doing something special. Keep praying and watch GMA September 1!