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.