Emily Neelon |
Walking into a college dorm, a student might encounter many things: the smell of Cup-of-Noodles, the faint sound of Taylor Swift behind closed doors, the sight of a student taking a much needed power nap on the lobby’s couch.
But if you walk into Corrado Hall, you will also see Hall Director Mike Wode cradling his newborn son in his arms.
Mike and his wife Jessica were at a holiday party on Jan. 4 when they received a call that would change their lives. The voice on the other end of the phone delivered the news that after months of patient anticipation, they would be able start the family they had dreamt of.
Their son had been born and was waiting for them in Kansas City, Missouri.
“We got the call a couple of hours after he was born asking us if we could go to Kansas City. And we were like, ‘Of course! We would love to adopt this little guy, and we’ll be there as soon as we can!’” Mike said.
After a sleepless night, the Wodes jumped on a plane the following morning to meet their new son, Gregory, who was named after Mike’s father.
“I did not sleep that whole night,” Jessica Wode, office manager of the Office of Residence Life said. “By the time we met him I wasn’t even tired. I was just running on adrenaline.”
When the couple held the child in their arms for the first time, the reality of having Gregory as their son finally sunk in.
“It just kind of hits you all at once,” Mike said. “I didn’t have any expectations for what it was going to be like. It doesn’t become real until you’re holding him in your arms for the first time, and then it’s just like all that is good.”
Upon returning to campus, the Corrado Hall community welcomed Gregory with open arms. He’ll spend the beginning of his young life in the Wodes’ in-dorm apartment.
“It’s been so great getting to see Mike and Jess be parents, and go into that role of being Mom and Dad,” Corrado Resident Assistant Kellin Carraher said. “We’ve been waiting (for the adoption) with them, so we were all very excited.”
The Wodes worked with the Kansas-based adoption agency American Adoptions, beginning the process in 2013. They received that life-changing call six months after posting an online profile in July 2014.
“It was a really good experience for our first (adoption) because they really do walk you through every step of the process in great detail,” Jessica said.
The couple hopes to continue to grow their family through adoption, but they have yet to settle on the number of children they would like to bring into their lives.
“We’d also consider adopting older kids in the future, but we wanted our first (child) to be a newborn so we could see all those milestones,” Mike said.
The new parents have relied upon the Internet to quell the endless stream of questions that come with raising a first child.
“We’ve Googled a lot of things,” Jessica, who will be returning to her Residence Life job in March, said. “The challenging thing is not knowing what he needs because he can’t communicate that well.”
Corrado Hall has been another source of support for the Wodes as they take their first steps into parenthood.
“(Gregory) actually strengthens my bonds with my residents rather than hinder it,” Mike said. “Corrado is already like a family, and he’s just another addition to the family.”
Carraher agrees that Gregory’s arrival has brought the Corrado Hall community even closer.
“It really builds the community in the sense that everybody is so excited to see the baby,” Carraher said. “It’s such a different experience to have a baby in the dorm.”
As Gregory takes his first steps and speaks his first words, he will do so in the supportive environment UP provides to all members of the Pilot community.
“He’s University of Portland,” Mike said. “He’s part of that community.”
Emily Neelon is the Faith and Fellowship Editor. She can be contacted at neelon17@up.edu or on Twitter @neelonsays.
