“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ~ Author Unknown
Today was one of those incredible, breathtaking days…I’ve
experienced a few of them in my life (the moment I saw my husband for the first
time J;
our wedding day; giving birth to Donovan; meeting Aaron; and today…meeting
Sarah.) After our meeting Sarah at Civil Affairs, I'm a bit breathless still (or exhausted!), and so impressed with how Sarah has adjusted so far.
The sad reality is that there are 153 million orphans
worldwide. But today our world has ONE LESS orphan. And our family has one more
child in it, a daughter. Sarah Alexa is wanted and will be cherished for
always.
The lyrics of “Swept Away” by Geoff Moore perfectly
express how we (as the parents) feel about today. I had hoped to post a link to
the music online, but YouTube is completely blocked here in China (even with the incredible VPN, Pandapow, that we are using).…So here are the lyrics.
Swept Away by Geoff Moore
We would say your name
A hundred times a day
Like speaking words in faith
And with a mixture of
Hope and fear and trust
We prayed for strength to wait
And dreamed of how we’d feel the day
You’d be in our arms and …
Swept away
Caught up in our love
Home to stay
You’ll never be alone
You’ll be amazed
At how much you are loved
Life will never be the same
Once you’re swept away
What once was just a dream
Is now reaching up for me
And I hold her in my arms
Lord thank You for the way
You held her all the days
That we had to be apart
And now I see the impossible dream
Is holding me and I’m swept away
Caught up in your love
Hold this day
I’ll never be alone
And I amazed at how much I am loved
Life will never be the same
I’ve been swept away.
Swept away
Caught up in our love
Hold this day
I’ll never be alone
And I’m amazed at how much I am loved
Our lives will never be the same.
Swept away,
Caught up in our love
Hold this day
You’ll never be alone…
I know what everyone wants…pictures, and so I’m going to
post those in just a moment, and then take time this evening (depending on how bedtime goes) to compose what I want to say about
today’s events. For everyone who has been there (BTDT), you know…it’s
overwhelming…as an adult, you’ve waited what seems like forever for this
moment, and you're at Civil Affairs, and the children are escorted in, and it’s chaotic and you’re trying to stay in the moment, and you are
faced with this beautiful child who is scared beyond belief…and honestly, you
just want to get OUT of the Civil Affairs building and get back to your hotel
and get to know your child…Today we were "that family," whose child was screaming for 55 out of the 60 minutes, uncontrollably...Sarah was so very scared. THINGS ARE IMPROVING. Back in our hotel room, we had smiles within 2 hours and a fantastic dinner.
Over the years, the term “Gotcha Day,” which has often
been used to describe the day a family finally meets the child they have chosen
to adopt, has come under quite a bit of controversy. The newer idea is that it
is a term which does not show a true understanding for all the child is going
through; all the child is losing, as the parents think or feel, finally,
“GOTCHA.” And so while certainly within the adoptive community and FB groups
and RQ, we all use the term “Gotcha,” it is not anywhere in Aaron’s scrapbook
and will not be in Sarah’s. Today is the day we met Sarah. Tomorrow is the day
we legally adopt Sarah. Some people have terms they use instead, such as
“Forever Family Day.” My students can attest to this…I’m a matter-of-fact kind
of person. (Some of my students would say I am brutally honest.) I am NOT big
on cutesy terms, not at all. So, while “Forever Family Day” works for many, I
just say (to Aaron for example), “3 years ago today we met you.” So, today was
the day we met Sarah and we recognized it was a life-changing day for us and
for Sarah, one we have dreamed of, and one she has not – she is too young to
understand the significance of this day, and she was very, very scared
at how her life has changed. But things are improving!
The photos are the reality of adopting!
This is how she was for 55 of the 60 minutes at Civil Affairs...
Her pigtails had 4 rubber bands in each. TIGHTLY wound.
The photos are the reality of adopting!
A very scared and upset Sarah meeting her new parents...
Making her opinion of Mama known!
If it was the blond hair that freaked her out the most, she's over that now!
This is how she was for 55 of the 60 minutes at Civil Affairs...
Daddy's Girl!
FINALLY (55 minutes later) someone from the orphanage handed me a sweet cake
treat that FINALLY allowed her to stop crying. (Note: We had quite a few Chinese snacks with us, but none interested her until that cake.)
Her hair is totally wet from sweating and crying for 55 minutes.
Wanting more cake and allowing Mama to feed her.
in the van
EXHAUSTED!
Looking at herself in the mirror in our hotel elevator
Forget the bubbles. She was scared to death of them.
Looking at herself in the mirror in our room
Smiles for Daddy!!
Smiles while playing ball with daddy (2 hours after meeting)
After a bath, a new dress, and an attempt at hairstyling, Sarah was ready for dinner.
Planning to bring Minnie Mouse and her car to dinner.
Note the dress is a 24 month dress. While she looks tiny, the dresses just barely cover her bottom. So her height is quite good.
Ready to go to a restaurant for the first time. She did INCREDIBLE!
SO THRILLED FOR YOUR FAMILY!!!! I am excited to follow the rest of your journey!! What a little lovie you have there!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic news. What a great day for you all. (I saw you on RQ, btw, so you don't think I'm some random blog stalker, and I think I might have seen you on the Yahoo Expedited group).
ReplyDeleteLove seeing families expand, thanks again for sharing.