Do you get blue when Christmas is past?  Do you need a reminder of the blessedness of  Christmas? My niece Hannah who just had a birthday is pictured below in color.  This is the story of how she came to be a part of my family.  (Fabric is not a part of this post, check back tomorrow for pics of a new shipment of fabric we received.)

Our entire family gathers for all the major holidays and most minor ones.  It is rare for one of my seven siblings to be absent at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Holidays are a big deal for us.

My oldest brother Don lives the furthest away, about a two and a half hour drive, but they make the trip ‘back home’ often. We were surprised in Dec. of 1998 when Don and his family decided to stay at home and not travel down for Christmas. They explained that their lives had been too busy and they just wanted a quiet Christmas at home. My sister-in-law Josie had had a tubal pregnancy earlier in the year and along with that pregnancy had lost any chance to bear children. They were still saddened and reconciling themselves to the fact that their first child, Sarah,would be an only child.

Don is an electrician and Josie works as an RN at a hospital nearby.  That Christmas Eve. the gifts had been wrapped and they had gone to bed when for some reason Sarah brought in a cordless phone and placed it near Josie in bed. Don and Josie are both notoriously deep sleepers. We have all heard their alarm sounding for what seems like hours while they sleep on peacefully next to it.

Meanwhile, at the hospital where Josie worked, a woman had given birth to a healthy baby girl.  She didn’t feel she could take care of her child and asked the nurses to please help find a good home for her baby.  The nurses immediately thought of Josie and how much she and Don wanted another child.

Social workers were contacted, the hospital attorney was consulted, then finally a nurse was granted permission to call Don and Josie to see if they would be interested in adopting this precious baby!

When the phone rang at four O’clock Christmas morning, it was a miracle they were at home and that they woke up to answer the call. Don, Josie and Sarah were in shock when they learned what the call was about, could this be happening to them?  Their shock soon turned to joy! Of course they wanted the baby! An attorney who specialized in adoptions was needed to get the paperwork done immediately. Keep in mind this was very early on Christmas day! Josie left at least twenty messages on the answering machines of local attorneys and recieved no reply. The hospital attorney could not represent them as it would be considered a conflict of interest, but he did give Josie the name of a friend who might be willing to help.

This attorney answered his phone, but turned them down as he was leaving to join his family on vacation. Fifteen minutes later he called back and said he couldn’t get them off his mind and he had to do his part for their Christmas miracle. He came to the hospital a couple of hours later with the papers required.

Don, Josie and Sarah were given a small room on the OB floor to get to know their tiny new family member. The hospital and soon the entire city were buzzing with the story of the Miracle Christmas Baby.  The story was told in the local newspapers and on TV stations. Baby gifts, many from complete strangers, were received. 

 The birth mom returned home that early Christmas morning after giving the greatest gift that one human can give another, the gift of a precious baby.