When you write the first check.
When you notarize the first document.
When you see “You have been approved to adopt one child from the following convention country: China”
When you hear the phone ring.
When you see her face.
When you read “Your LOA has arrived” in the subject line of an email from your adoption agency.
When you say, “I have four children.”
When you paint a dresser.
When you glance in the back of your minivan, see three kids, and actually panic because you thought you forgot someone, only to realize that the fourth isn’t here yet.
When you sign a document written in Chinese that says her name and asks you “do you accept?”
Yes.
Yes.
We.
Do.
When you see her face.
When you start making packing lists.
When you buy bedding with pink ladybugs and purple butterflies.
When you purchase her FIRST pair of shoes.
When your children draw six stick people (2 big, 4 little) in their pictures of their family.
When you start purchasing things for the trip.
When you try on that long forgotten, never thought you would use again, baby carrier.
When you see her face.
now, waiting for travel approval to bring home their little girl.
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Deb has been married to her husband, Steve, for 10 years. They have been blessed with four children, ages 8, 6, 4 and 1. The littlest is still waiting for them in Henan Province, China. Deb and Steve hope to be traveling to China in February 2011 to bring their youngest blessing home to her family. You can follow their journey to China, as well as their ups, downs, giggles, tears, and chaos of their family here.
It always felt like something that would happen in the future. When it is finally a reality…well, it is truly hard to believe! Thanks.
I totally could have written this! (except our kiddos are 6, 3, and 1; and we’re bringing home a boy who is currently 8 months old…waiting for LOA at the moment) Have been thinking so much lately how surreal this all feels. I appreciate your post. Congrats to you!
I can relate to this post so much in many ways…one because our kids are 8,6,4 and 2 and secondly because we just got home with our daughter (2) from China at Thanksgiving. She also has a repaired cleft lip and palate….how crazy all the similarities….praying for speedy travel and safe trip for you and your family…
Real? When they hand you you child and she screams in fear, when you do all you can to comfort her, when you take her back to the hotel, when you are alone with her just you two, and she is still crying. When your momma and daddy mode “kicks in” to care for her. When she is finally sleeping in her little bed in the hotel and you both look at her sleeping beautiful face and realize she is yours and no child was ever so beautiful.
blessings
Dawn
Love this post! She’s adorable!
….when you walk into the hotel room on the day you will meet her and you see a crib in the room! That was the moment I knew it was real. We were done talking about it–and dreaming about it–it is real…in just a few hours–there will be a little girl in that crib–we’ll be 3!
Ahhhh…so sweet!
I love me a Henan Hunny!!
Great post as we are waiting for our China boy to be part of our family. The first check I wrote? The first “yes” you can proceed with this process from the agency? It is an amazing journey. Thanks for this post.