On Tuesday (the 4th), we got a call from Sharon, Kiki’s caseworker, letting us know there had been an oversight and she wasn’t sure if signing papers on the 5th was even an option. She suggested to play it safe and wait to come until the 12th, then all the confusion would be squared away and save us the extra trip. We agreed, because it made sense, but hated changing plans on Kiki like that. We felt so bad that when Sharon called back at 1:00pm Wednesday (the 5th), it was almost a relief to hear her ask us to please come down anyway even if we weren’t signing the papers. It made for a fast paced, crazy-Mommy-running-around-getting-things-ready kind of afternoon, but we were glad to make the sacrifice for Kiki (after the sacrifice she made for us… yeah we could do that for her!) 
We didn’t exactly drive like mad, but somehow we still made the drive in 2 ½ hours. When we walked in the doors at LDS Family Services, Sharon came out with her arms in the air and a huge grin on her face. Turns out all the confusion with Hawaii had been resolved and we were back on track to sign papers THAT NIGHT! Woo-hoo! That was a nice blessing for making the effort to make the trip.
Group was fun, we were so nervous! The girls were great and had awesome stories and advice. There was one birth mom, Heather, who had just gone through the Temple with her adoptive family for their sealing to her daughter. She actually got to participate and hold the baby over the altar during the sealing. She was amazing to listen to. We hope it will be possible for Kiki to have that same experience when Keahi is sealed to our family… Moving on so I’ll stop crying! ANYWAY… after Group, we went into Sharon’s office and started the paperwork. One little problem, well a few little problems actually, they had spelled Keahi’s name wrong (come on, how hard is Namakaokeahi? LOL) AND hadn’t changed “baby boy” to “baby girl”. It totally broke up the “scariness” of the moment. Kiki was absolutely incredible. She was smiling, making jokes… It was good to see that and know that she knows she is making the right choice for her daughter. She is so amazing and honestly there will never be a day when we don’t thank the Heavens above for sending her to our family.
So, the papers are signed. We still have probably 3-6 months before everything will be final but at least now we don’t have to worry about the birth father anymore. It may be the end to that part of this whole crazy thing called adoption, but it’s the start of so much more. A better, more laid-back part where our friendship with Kiki and her family will continue to grow and our love for them deepen. For those of you who may not understand an open adoption, take it from us – it is NOT something to be feared. This has already been one of the most amazing journeys we have been able to venture on and definitely one of the most rewarding (yes, even when I’m up at night feeding, changing diapers and burping Keahi and yes, even when she went through her colicky phase!).
