May 21~ 2 Year GOTCHA Anniversary!

Two years ago today, in Changsha Hunan China, we were united with our baby girl for the first time.

The day started with all the butterflies you would expect. We were told that we were part of a group that would receive their babies in the afternoon at 3pm. We traveled alone so we were very disappointed when we heard we had to wait all day to get Mia but thought there was a group of us having to wait. We spent the morning preparing and went to an elementary school with another family to check things out. It was so cool to see all the kids and the kids thought we were stars. They were totally tripped out by Kevin because he is so tall (6 foot 2 inches)and they actually clapped when they heard I was a psychologist. Totally a cool way to spend our morning!!

After visiting the school we went back to the hotel and were inundated with babies everywhere. All the families that we had met in the hotel had all received their babies that morning and they were all busy getting to know their new addition. We were so anxious and kept looking around for other waiting families but it seemed everyone had their babies. We had some lunch and went up stairs to prepare the diaper bag. About 2:30pm our guide picked us up and we headed to the Civil Affairs Office for Hunan. As soon as we got there I realized I left my camera battery charging back in our room so all we had was our video camera. I was totally upset but got over it as we got on the elevator to head upstairs to the office we would be united with our daughter. I was confused as I did not see any other families around as we walked up to the building but thought maybe they were already upstairs. I also did not know if Mia was there yet but knew I would soon find out. I wasn't not sure how they would do the whole process. Were the parents going to line up and the babies come in one by one or would it be a more official process. I was totally nervous and my stomach was full of butterflies as the elevator stopped at the 2nd floor. The door to the second floor opened and we gave our video camera to our guide Susan. We stepped out of the elevator and the hallways were empty and the door at the far end of the hallway was closed. There was a lady standing down by the door that was holding a baby in her arms. We walked towards the lady and almost immediately recognized the baby she was holding was obviously Mia. I lost it for about one second and then quickly composed myself so that I didn't scare her. We walked towards the lady and our guide asked where everyone was and we quickly realized we were there alone-- so alone that the official lady who oversees the baby hand off had already left. Apparently she did not realize there was 1-- count it-- 1- family left for the afternoon session. We were it and it was just us and Mia. What a phenomenal blessing that we were able to spend time getting to know Mia before she was placed in our scary white arms. Here is the first moment we saw Mia as we stepped off the elevator.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Finally the official lady arrived and we were escorted into the room. We showed her our official paperwork and then they handed Mia to Kevin. It was just us-- alone-- by ourselves in a room with Mia. It was quiet and calm and she just thrived. Absolutely, without question, the perfect GOTCHA moment!! Here is that moment.







Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing






Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

That day was perfect in every way. You can totally see how God had planned it our perfectly for us. From our 20 minute "get to know you" session in the hallway to being the only family in the room-- God provided the perfect situation for us to meet our daughter for the first time.

After the receiving Mia we went to buy some supplies and then to the hotel to get to know her better. We played on the bed and looked at her little hands and feet and wondered how we could be so lucky. We changed her clothes and got ready for dinner.

The day was sheer perfection and I remember it as if it were yesterday. Last night while putting Mia to bed I showed her the GOTCHA videos. She was very interested but kept saying she wanted to hold the baby. I kept saying that the baby is you Mia. She is only 2 years 6 months now so I think she does not get it yet. She knows she is from China and that daddy and mommy went on a plane to get Mia from China but she really does not get much more than that. I think one more year will give her a lot better understanding of many things regarding the adoption.

Two years with our beautiful little girl has been everything we ever dreamed of. She is a smart, loving, kind, spunky little girl who is one of the three lights of our lives. We thank God so much for bringing her into our lives and allowing us to be her mommy and daddy. We love you so much Mia JunFei !!! Happy 2 years!!!