In the Midst of Tragedy, New Life

Albeit my own, minor, personal "tragedy" of the past week. Just wanted to mention something about Riley Connell Gallagher.

For those that don't know the saga of Shawn & Helen, they have (for a multitude of reasons) been unable to conceive. Through years (and possibly tens of thousands of dollars), these two potentially amazing parents have had to suffer the ordeals of surgeries, efforts at invetro-fertilization, and seemingly countless other failed procedures before finally electing to go the adoption route. The ordeal was cruelly ironic in that Helen's career is based upon counseling unfit mothers, but Helen & her admirable devotion to her various callings could easily be a topic for another post.

Anyway, in the first break they have gotten in the whole ordeal (and a major break it was), a child became available to them almost immediately. I never realized that the whole adoption wait wasn't a list so much as having an expectant mother choose the prospective parents. But so it is; and, though her sister, Helen got hooked up with this 7-8 month pregnant woman. Not much time to get ready, but many details were worked out and Shawn & Helen headed out to nowhere else but Terre Haute (get that baby outta there!!!) to be present for the birth and work out final details.

The birth was about a week ago, so of course it's been really tough for us to make much contact; though Sharon had a really good talk with Helen last night. They've been staying alternately with Helen's sister who lives there (in a small house with six kids), and out of a suitcase in a hotel. Not exactly the post-3 or 4 bridal showers-, getting the nursery ready for 9 months-situation that many of our peers have the advantage of; but then again, Helen isn't having to care for a newborn after having just lost 800 ml of blood and having not slept for 40 hours.

Anyway, when they make it back to the Twin Cities, there will be a major shopping spree in the Hylton attic and Lucy will have an exciting meeting with her newest "cousin." We are so happy for the Gallaghers we could just about backflip.