Most of you know by now that we have a date and time for baby Scott’s arrival! Jennifer has a c-section scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13th at 6:00 a.m. She will be going in at 4:00 a.m., and we can go in with our case worker at 5:00 a.m. All of these times are local, so here in Tennessee, the procedure will start at 8:00 a.m. So, before 9:00 Tennessee time, we should be holding our newest addition!
What that also means is a few days of scrambling around, broken down into little sections. It feels a little like drag racing on Union Avenue in Memphis. 90 mph for a few hundred yards, then slam on the brakes and wait on a red light. Then do it again. And again. Wait, maybe that’s just normal driving on Union. . .
I got a text message from Myriah around lunch on Wednesday that they had set the c-section for the above time and date. Ready, set, go. . . .
After calling Jaclyn and our parents to let everyone know what was going on, we started looking at making all the necessary arrangements to get the heck out of Dodge (not literally, since I’ve never actually visited Kansas (and only passed through like 8 miles of it once) and we own a Honda, a Toyota, and a beat-up Ford).
Back in April, I called every major (and a few minor) airlines and explained our adoption situation. None of them had any help to offer, but all said that their everyday low prices would always be available. Um, gee thanks. Only one offered hope – that if I got lucky enough to catch the right agent when calling, they might consider our situation a medical emergency, which did get a little break on last-minute fares.
So, after looking at the lofty price tag on two, one-way tickets to Phoenix from Nashville or Memphis (or even Little Rock – desperation encourages creativity), I decided to call them back and hope for the “right” agent. I told the agent I was requesting a medical emergency fare and she went right to work. Only after a few minutes of searching flights did she ask what the situation was that would qualify us for this rate. I explained the adoption briefly and she squealed on the other end of the phone, “Oh, that is so exciting! Congratulations!” And that was that. She never missed a beat and continued on in getting things lined up. At the end of it all, we are flying out of Nashville on Sunday afternoon and connecting in Detroit. We should arrive in Phoenix by 9:00 local time. The total cost saved us about 40%, so praise the Lord for the right agent! And, since they were the only airline that was willing to have that conversation, then came through in the clutch, I will promote them – thank you Delta!
(In a small side note, don’t get me started on the airline industry and their messed up geography. Yes, I understand a little about hubs and how they save money by running more flights from one place than multiple ones, but I promise the shortest route from Memphis/Nashville shouldn’t include a stop in Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Orlando, or Charlotte. All of these were real options.)
We also have a friend who is working on saving us rental car money by arranging a vehicle with a friend of his in Phoenix. If that doesn’t work out, the rental car companies will still be glad to see us, but we aren’t above humbly accepting the provisions that God is laying out for us.
So. Getting kids packed, getting us packed, making final arrangements, and all of that will happen over the next three days. We will spend Sunday morning at church, and leave directly from there to head to the airport. Prayers for all of that to run smoothly. But, equally important is spending time with the three little Scotts we will leave behind for a few days. They are excited, whether they admit it or not, but we don’t like leaving them for an indefinite period of time. It’s not that they aren’t in great hands – because they are (even though some re-training may or may not be necessary after several days in Granny/Grandaddy-land and Pop/Nana-world) – but I guess we’ve gotten attached to the little crumb-snatchers over the years. So prayers for comfort there as well as prayers for them (and two sets of grandparents!).
Thank you all for your continued support, prayers, and just being great friends enough to say that you’re thinking/praying for us or just asking how we are doing. We are so excited to be nearing the next phase of this process, and to finally meet our son! I will update as often as possible over the next few days, but please understand that there will likely not be any pictures of the baby posted until at least 3 days after he is born (Jennifer cannot finalize signing away her rights until 72 hours post-birth). You’ve waited with us this long, you can wait three more days! We just want to be careful and certain. But, wash your shirts and wear them Monday! We would love to show Jennifer pictures of how many of you there are anxiously awaiting his arrival.
Praise the Lord, and get me on that plane!
“Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved.” -Proverbs 16:3
Scottish Invasion 