"The Greatest Love"...or..."Today we are Three"

On this day, we celebrate the 3rd anniversary as a family. Try as I might, I believe I will forever be doomed to bumble any written description of that day in China that Lia was placed in my arms...the day my life truly began. Bumbling or not, I did try to describe it last year...and if you have any interest, or if you are new to our blog, you can read that account here.

While we were in China we communicated with friends and family via a website. I have gotten many compliments about the content of our website...the details of our days spent in China mingled with liberal doses of humor and history...and I believe it is time to publicly come clean about a few minor details of our China story (although I HAVE done so many times privately!).

We were so fortunate to be accompanied to China by Jim's brother, Joe. As Jim and I muddled through our first few days of parenthood, our website was lovingly attended to by Joe. At first, he tried to gently remind us that we had many people waiting at home to hear ANY details of our trip (read...get going and start getting some posts up!). So consumed were we and overwhelmed...that Joe finally, blissfully, took matters into his own hands and assumed the helm of the website. It was not until we returned home, that I had the opportunity to go back and read it all...and much to my amusement, I discovered that Joe had chosen to write in first person. In his own sweet way, I guess he was trying to protect the fact that we (I) were really struggling with the responsibility of caring for a grieving toddler in an unfamiliar country half a world away from home and were just plain too tired to write about the events undfolding. But while, I may have been tickled by Joe's "voice choice", I was thrilled to discover how thoroughly and accurately he portrayed our time in China. For that I will forever be grateful. Because of her Uncle Joe, Lia has a record of our early days together...and I know that one day that will be priceless to her.

So....for old time's sake...the play by play reported on our website on our behalf...by Uncle Joe...

We are Parents

2-7-06

We have Lia!!!!!

She is a blessing!!

Another restless night was spent back at the Plaza Hotel in Beijing. We were up early, for our return to the Beijing airport to catch our plane to Xi'an, in the Shaanxi province. The flight on China Eastern Airline was short and uneventful, and we touched down to a sunny day in the city of Xi'an.

An hour long bus ride took us through farmland, suburbs, and into the bustling city of over 6 million that had Lia waiting for us somewhere. After settling into the Jianguo Hotel, we boarded the bus and headed to the Shaanxi Provincial Office headquarters in the center of the city.

We were immediately ushered into a room full of babies! It was crazy beyond words, as each of the ten families scanned the beautiful children before us, trying to guess which was ours. With months having passed since the last photos we had seen, it was not an easy task. As the director of all the orphanages was introduced with our guide, Ike, as translator, we were hard pressed to concentrate on the speech.

Was it the little girl in yellow down on the end? Was it the one crying in the center of the bunch? After a few guesses that didn't feel true, we began to pay attention to the sweet little girl near us who was quietly destroying a roll of toilet paper to pass the time. Suddenly, Jim remembered reading in the referral how Hui Wen, our baby, was known to enjoy tearing paper to comfort herself! It had to be her! We held our breaths as each family was called forward to receive their child from the orphanage nanny and sign some documents. One by one...six...seven families had been called...finally, next to last, we were called and we received little Hui Wen Lia Nanette as our own! An entire book of writing can't begin to capture the emotion of that moment. It was hard for all involved. Naturally the babies cry when leaving their nannies and foster parents, and naturally there are tears of joy from the new parents. But everything worked out slowly but surely, and I'm sure every parent was as happy and proud as they have ever been in their life. Kate held little Lia tightly and the bonds were quickly made. After some official photos, it was back to the bus and back to the hotel to begin our new life together. An emotionally and physically draining day was ending...

So...Joe...I couldn't have said it better myself. Words straight and to the point...to describe the moment my life truly began. We were so fortunate to have you with us. Thank you.

(A cool self portrait of Uncle Joe!)

Our first glimpse of Lia:



Our first moments together:



And finally, back at the hotel...I can't believe Lia was ever that small!:



All of the clothes Lia was wearing when we met:



And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without some words dedicated to our sweet girl...

To my darling darling Lia...the light of my life...my heart,

You came into my life in the most dramatic of ways. Our wait for you was filled with exhilarating highs and crushing lows. My arms ached with the very thought of you, so anxious I was to have you with me. Nothing, however could have prepared me for the rush of emotions the day you were placed in my arms...a squirming, scared, overheated, beautiful, brave angel. I held you so gingerly, hardly daring to believe that you were for real. I touched your face and looked into your eyes...and my life was complete.

While this day will always be filled with memories of our first moments together, I want you to know that it is the thousands of moments since then that I savor most. Inconceivably my heart grows a little more each day as I tuck these memories away for safekeeping...and I fall in love with you just a little more with each one.

You make each day special ~ an adventure, a comedy, a fairy tale. You have taught me so much in the three short years we have been together. Listed, in no particular order are some of the important things you have shown me:

~Wake up each morning with a song. "I've Been Working on the Railroad" is always a great choice!

~Take time to do things right...and never give up. Even if it takes you 5 minutes and 27 tries to say, zip your coat...the pride in that moment of success can't be beat.
~There is always time for one more kiss and cuddle...and even if it makes you late for work, your day will inevitably go better because of it.
~Bathtubs really ARE like swimming pools if you wear your bathing suit in them.
~Life IS more fun in a princess dress.
~It's okay to eat dessert first sometimes.

~Your life will be ever so much richer, if you try new things. Learning a new skill like the names of the continents or photography can make you REALLY happy.

~Splashing in puddles in rain boots or bare feet causes giggles.

~Raising a child...raising you...is the best thing I will ever do.

I hope as you continue to grow up and gain more awareness of how you came to be our child, you will know without a shadow of a doubt how very much you were wanted, wished for, prayed for.

I hope when you hear well meaning strangers tell you how lucky you are to have been adopted, you will understand the conspiratorial smile your dad and I will inevitably exchange, as we always do when we receive such remarks. It is we, your parents who are the lucky ones. We have been blessed beyond reason and gifted beyond any wild expectations with the honor of calling you "daughter". You are our sun, our moon, our stars, our everything. And I hope someday you might read this and understand that your Mama's penchant for emotional platitudes comes from the greatest love of all. Thank you for allowing us to be your parents.

A few images from our time in China:



Exhausted after taking her oath of citizenship: