This is the adoption story of welcoming home little Baby Ruth. Once upon a time there was a happy young woman and a Big Hunk named Clark. The young woman was Regina, but those who loved her best called her Reggie. The couple lived in a small town in Idaho on a Rocky Road called 5th Avenue. Not far up their street they had a few Mounds of ground where they cultivated just enough crops to feed themselves with a little left to share.
Living in Idaho, they had great success growing potatoes . . . but ask any Idahoan. You don’t call them potatoes . . . in that state they are known as Idaho Spud. With the success the couple had growing a garden, they began to think it was time to grow a family.
Month after month, the couple met with disappointment. They had great hopes of announcing a pregnancy, but alas, it did not happen. Still, the desire never left. They thought, Perhaps Heaven has a different plan for us, and they began to feel called to adopt. They hardly knew where to start, but it was obvious that even after saving quite a bit, they’d have to wait for at least one more Pay Day. The dream of adoption was exciting, but it was also expensive. Finally the day came. Clark and Reggie decided to Crunch some numbers and HOORAY! Although they didn’t come close to their goal of saving 100 Grand, they actually did have enough.
They made an appointment to meet with their social worker, Mr. Goodbar, to get the ball rolling. They knew that somewhere out there in the big Milky Way was a precious little person meant to be in their family.
The process took much longer than they’d expected, but they chose to be optimistic and happy throughout the Marathon wait. Instead of becoming frustrated, they filled their time by decorating the nursery and thinking of names. Armed with buckets of paint, they colored the nursery walls lemon yellow and painted flowers and birds on the borders, finishing with a beautiful Dark Chocolate Dove in the corner, representing the child they hoped would soon come. They thought of names for their Chunky, hoped for child. Crazy names like Wonka and Godiva, trendy names like Heath, and traditional names like, hmmm . . . Oh Henry!
Finally, one night, just as Reggie and Clark began to Nestle down for a winter’s sleep, the call came. “Take 5,” their social worker, Mr. Goodbar, began. “I have Zero tolerance for screaming over the phone.” To which Clark and Reggie quieted their Snickers to a low Krackle.
Their excitement could not be stilled, however. Skor!” they whispered to each other. Then to Mr. Goodbar they said, “You’re a Power House, Sir. And we thank you.” From that day on, whenever they thought of their social worker, they would refer to him as Old Faithful. But that’s not really part of the story.
That night, beTwix giggling and chattering, they made final preparations to bring home their baby. They bought bottles and diapers and every other baby Whatchamacallit they could think of. Then they tried to sleep. But sleep did not come easy. They had expected a boy, but Mr. Goodbar told them their baby was a Hershey (he got all muddled grammar-wise when he was sharing good news).
The next morning they dressed, ate and took off to meet their new baby. When they laid eyes on little Baby Ruth, they could hardly believe their good fortune. She was the most precious thing in the entire Galaxy. She was better than an entire CupOGold. They brought Baby Ruth home and snuggled and kissed her. They had never expected to be blessed with such Bounty, yet here she was, their little KitKat whose button nose was adorable and whose baby breath was as sweet as Butterfinger. The sweet trio became inseparable. Forever more, friends and family would refer to them as the 3 Musketeers.
