Alyssa's visit - Day 1

Last week on Tuesday September 14th, Alyssa came to visit us.  This is the first time she came out to San Jose by herself and stayed more than 18 hours with us.  I was so excited but really nervous.  The last time I saw Alyssa she was at the hospital holding her son, Owen,  and crying.  She was a mom not a birthmom, she hadn't signed away her rights.  I was really hoping against hope that she wouldn't.  Now she is a birthmom just like me, the one thing I never wanted either of my daughters to be.  Alyssa and I have made a pact that Cassie will never become a birthmom.  Cassie will never go through what her sister and I had to go through.  Cassie has told me no matter what happens in her life she will never place her child for adoption.  

Jeremy and I met Alyssa at the San Francisco airport.  Alyssa really is one of the most beautiful women I know.  Maybe I am slightly prejudiced.  She got off the plane wearing white shorts and a blue with white polka dot top.  I couldn't move fast enough to get over and just hug my daughter.  I had a bouquet of a dozen light pink roses for her.  We drove back to my home, the first time my oldest daughter had seen it ever.  She lives in a huge house with her adoptive family in Utah and I live in a 3 bedroom modular home.  I was so nervous, what would she think of me?  What if she looked at my home compared to what she grew up in and thought "Thank God I never lived here".  When she saw our house she looked around and said, "wow this is so cute".

We dropped Jeremy off and Alyssa and I went shopping for about an hour.  It was so fun just to have some time alone with my daughter.   We then went over to Jeremy's parents house and had dinner with them.  Jeremy's mom, Mary, makes the best taco salad.  We had that for dinner and brownies and ice cream for dessert.  I love that Jeremy's parents are so accepting of my daughter that they wanted to meet her.  We sat around and talked until about 8pm and then we went home.  I had all 4 of my kids home for the first time ever. 

It was a little bit hard for my other 3 kids because they had to go to school while their sister was in town.   We talked for a little while but then we all went to bed.  I couldn't believe I had all my kids home finally.