And the Cutest Baby Is..................ROWAN!!!!

So you probably know by now that Rowan won the Babytalk Magazine/Good Morning America cover contest. Out of 50,000 entrants he was chosen as number one! That's pretty good, pretty exciting really. We didn't know he was going to win, I swear. Right up to the point the GMA staff was walking us downstairs to the studio they continued to tell us the other two families were also there. Oh, maybe I should start from the beginning. On October 2 we were informed GMA was not planning to bring the three families to New York for the unveiling which was scheduled for October 12. Adrian and I were disappointed and I took it to mean Rowan had not won. October 2 was a Friday and I spent the weekend a little depressed. By Monday I had accepted the inevitable and was actually a little relieved (that we weren't going). Heck, I didn't have to spend the week running around like crazy trying to find a NYC approved outfit and worrying about how I was going to do my hair. Tuesday was a normal crazy day here and I didn't open my computer until the evening after the children had gone to bed. What a shock to get an email from Victoria from Babytalk Magazine saying the staff did want us to come to NYC for the unveiling after all! Wow! I couldn't believe it. I had prayed that if Rowan had actually won God would change the minds of GMA and bring us to NY. This new news didn't mean that Rowan had won, I reminded myself, just another free trip to NY. So let the scramble to find myself an outfit begin. It was very frustrating having so little time to get ready for such a big event. We were going to be on national t.v.! I decided on Wednesday that I wasn't going to stress about what I was going to wear. I just didn't have time and I knew it wasn't worth it. And I must say, I didn't stress.
We were told all three families would be there and we weren't to contact them. This sent up red flags, especially for Adrian. He was pretty convinced Rowan was the winner. I wasn't so sure. At least I wasn't going to assume anything though I must admit it didn't make any sense to me to bring all three families to NY for the unveiling. However, I must say that when we got to NY I did scan the streets and hotel lobby for the other two families. If you've ever been to NYC you must be thinking that's what makes no sense. The streets are teeming with people and there was little chance of me seeing either family by chance. We enjoyed Sunday walking through a street market then retired early to give Rowan a bath. Monday we had to be at the ABC studio at 7:50 with our hair and makeup done. Still, they touched us up anyway and put mics on us. Rowan got a whole new outfit courtesy of The Children's Place. We were told they would put us in the audience and that the other two families were there already. O.kaaay. As they walked us down we met up with the hosts of the show like Sam Champion and Chris Cuomo and Robin Roberts. That was pretty neat! So as we were put in the audience I scanned it for the other two families and nope, I didn't see them. I wasn't surprised. Afterward, the folks from GMA and Babytalk joked about what bad liars they were. I understood. They were trying to keep a secret and it was a tough one to keep. I guess I don't need to tell you about the actual show because you can watch that on YouTube or the GMA site. The actual unveiling was a little bittersweet for me. This whole thing was a family affair and yet we weren't together as a family. I almost wish they hadn't brought us to NY. I would have liked to be with the girls for the moment of celebration. We still haven't celebrated in fact. When Rowan was announced as a finalist on September 1 it was so much more exciting and satisfying. It opened so many doors for us to talk about adoption and now it's over. Sam Champion did mention Rowan was adopted and it's in the magazine but he didn't ask us any questions about it and I so wanted to talk about it on national t.v. It was a bit of a let down. The whole contest for us was not about winning a gift card (which we haven't received yet, btw) or about bragging rights. We just wanted to spread the word about adoption. Now that the contest is over I'm afraid that platform is gone. We've gone back to being nobody special. Well, that's not entirely true. I still have the cutest baby in America and lots of people around here recognize him. Also, I do get to talk at my MOPS group in January and that reminds me, I'm supposed to write a brief article for the MOPS magazine, so that's something. It was really fun while it lasted and this is something Rowan will always have, not that he'll remember any of it, however.
The whole contest was fun and a bit surreal. I could see and feel God's hand in it the entire time and I hope to write about that someday. God really does have a heart for orphans and he takes care of them and blesses those who care for them. I love my son so much and not because he's the cutest baby. I love him because God gave him to me (all of us) and I feel so very blessed everyday because of him. It's an amazing kind of love, the kind only God can create.

FINALLY!!!

No, he hasn't won. Yet. O.k. I have no idea if he won or if he is going to win but I do finally know when I'll know. MONDAY! Talk about waiting to the last minute. Truth is, I couldn't take it anymore and on October 1 I emailed Babytalk and asked when we would find out. I didn't ask if he won just when they would announce it and how. We received word on Friday, October 2 that the editor of Babytalk magazine would announce the winner live on Good Morning America on October 12. At that time GMA had no plans to bring the three families to the show. We were disappointed and I came to the conclusion that Rowan had not won. I don't mean to be arrogant here but Adrian and I thought that if Rowan had won they would want him on the show. He has a story to go with his cute smile, after all. Oh well. I did pray though that if he had won that God would change the minds of GMA and have us on the show. I was shocked when I finally checked my email Tuesday night and found one from Babytalk saying "Good news. The editors want to bring the families to New York for the show on Monday." If I hadn't been sitting down I really could have fallen over. I didn't get on my computer earlier in the day because the girls were using it for school. The weird thing is that Adrian didn't receive the email either on his blackberry because he didn't take it to the lake with him. He always has his blackberry with him. So here we are sitting on the couch Tuesday night trying to relax after the kid's have gone to bed and we have no idea how our world is about to turn upside down. Wow! I spent the next two days in a state of mild shock, floating around, but not on cloud nine. My cloudy mind also could have something to do with the fact that my house is in a state of constant disarray and I've had men drilling in my kitchen all week! Yes, in my kitchen. Back to Rowan. I am not assuming he won. That doesn't seem fair plus we were told that all three families are going to NY. I know a lot of people have told us they think he's won but thinking something, wanting it, and knowing it are three different things. It'll be great if he won, real exciting, but we'll come home from NY and on Tuesday I'll get up, put Luca on the bus, try to go for a run, weather permitting, home school Henley and Teagan, grocery shop, vacuum, make dinner. You get the idea. Life will go on. For now though I'm going to enjoy myself. For the next three days I get to imagine what it's going to be like to be on t.v. in New York City.