Three years ago today....

March 31, 2008

they handed Jimmy our daughter and we became a family of five.
As we sat on the bus travelling to the office of Civil Affairs in China with 6 other families, the bus was filled with tension and nervous excitement. Months and months of waiting and planning were coming to this point in this time. Some of us were first time parents, some of us weren’t, but all of us were oh-so-ready to welcome a new life into our families. We had been travelling for only 20 minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime. Not knowing how much longer the trip would take, we pulled up to a stoplight, Jimmy and I, both at the same moment, saw a man and 2 women getting out of a parked van, all carrying babies. Jimmy said, look there are some babies and I jokingly said do you suppose they are ours? Simultaneously, the bus turned into the same parking lot and our guide announced that we had arrived. We were escorted into the building and up to a room with several couches, where we all pulled out our cameras and made sure the batteries were charged. In walked one of the ladies Jimmy and I had seen in the parking lot just minutes before. Susanna was the 3rd baby to be brought into the room and I wish I could say how wonderful it was to watch the others get their babies but as soon as she walked in the door, the rest of the world ceased to exist for me. I remember the other babies coming and lots of crying going on (mostly from the babies) but that was all background noise at the time. Did I mention they handed her to Jimmy??? Mr. You-do-the-paperwork-I’ll-sign-it? Part of me wanted to say Hey what do you think you’re doing there? I’m the mama! But looking back it was the best thing they could have done. She bonded to him in such a wonderful way. I got my chance later (after the paperwork was finished). Later that night we all got together for supper, Susanna sitting beside me in her high chair. I had just filled my plate and was beginning to eat, when she turned to me and reached out for me. I took her and she laid her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. That was it for dinner. There would be other dinners, but there was only one first time that my daughter fell asleep on my shoulder and I wasn’t missing it for the world.

Yesterday we travelled to Seattle and met with 3 of the girls who were in that room with us that morning 3 years ago. Those that couldn’t be there since they live out of state were there in spirit. We celebrated Gotcha Day, as we do every year. It was so amazing to see these girls with their families and see how perfectly they fit in those families. All I can say is God is good and we are all very blessed. It’s important to me for Sanna to get together with them a few times a year. These girls are Susanna’s only link to her past, the first year of her life, and I consider it a privilege to watch them grow. I want her to always know them.
Today at home has just been a relaxing day filled with ordinary things. But tonight looking back over the last few years, I realize how extraordinary life really is. 4 years ago in China, someone on the other side of the world gave birth to my daughter. For some reason that we will probably never know, she was left to be found by someone else. Someone matched her to our family and one year later she was placed in our arms. Today she is a healthy, happy, energetic and sometimes exasperating little girl. Already it seems hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t with us and a part of our family. I even have a hard time not remembering at times that I didn’t give birth to her. She is a very special little girl and she fills a place in our lives that we didn’t even know for the longest time existed. We are very grateful for her. Happy Gotcha Day, Sanna! We love you dearly.