This post will be from the point of view of Mommy today instead of Mei-Ling. This is a very special day for our family. Two years ago today, Adam and I walked into the Civil Affairs office in downtown Chongqing, China, to meet you, Mei-Ling. We had waited so long for this day, and it finally arrived. We were accompanied by our wonderful adoption guide, Mable. We walked into the main room, and there were babies everywhere! We arrived early and knew we would have to wait awhile for you to arrive. A few minutes later, we spotted you from across the room, as your nanny (we later found out was the actual orphanage director) walked in with you. Within a couple of minutes, she placed you in my arms:
Mei-Ling, we knew that day would change our lives forever. We knew we would love you with all our hearts. And two years later, it's hard to believe that our love for you grows every single day. From the moment you were placed in our arms, you didn't cry. We have always said that it was like you had known us all along. And we felt the same way. From those first sweet moments with you at the Civil Affairs Office to your first bottle, your first bath, and then your first bedtime back in the hotel room, we were a perfect fit for one another. We are so grateful that our lives took this direction and that YOU are our little girl. There could not have been a better match made. And it is our pleasure to be your parents.
We also realize that on October 9, 2006, the dream of your birth parents was realized. They simply wanted you to have a better life than you would have had in rural China, most likely living at a level of poverty none of us in America could even fathom. We heard this sentiment echoed throughout our visit to China. In Beijing, older Chinese women would grab my hands and rub and pat them and sometimes even say "thank you" in broken English. When we asked our guide Mable what else they were saying, we found out they were tearfully thanking us for giving one of their daughters a life of freedom and choices and abundance that you never would have enjoyed in China. We have a lot to live up to - the hopes and dreams of your birth parents, and the hopes and dreams of every woman in China who has faced a life that did not include what you have now. It's our honor and privilege to work hard to live up to the collective dreams of those in China who know that a better life exists. We promise to always honor and celebrate your choices in life and to remember to thank God that we live in a country where we have those choices. We also promise to educate you about your birth culture as well, since that will always be a part of who you are.
We have watched you grow from a 16 pound 8-month-old to a toddler. We can't believe you will turn 3 in January. The old adage holds true: time does "fly" when you are having fun. Every day is an adventure with you as you learn, test your boundaries, gain confidence, and become more and more polished in your speech and coordination. You are developing a wicked sense of humor! We look forward this year to your Baptism, and then the holidays with your grandparents and Doe. And then you will turn 3 on January 22. We also look forward to the young lady you will become. We already have a preview of what you will be like, but knowing you, you have some surprises in store for us - good ones of course.
Once again, we thank God for the journey that led to you. We pray for peace, health and abundance for your birth family. We thank the orphanage workers who nurtured you for months, and Mable for being not just an "adoption guide" but truly a midwife and friend to us for our three weeks in China. Mable anticipated our needs without us even having to speak them. We thank the People's Republic of China for finding us to be a worthy home for you. We thank our families and our friends for all your love and support.
And Mei-Ling, we thank YOU just simply for being who you are. You are smart, witty, energetic, compassionate, interested in learning about everything, and of course sometimes you throw a temper tantrum - or two! We celebrate the fact that you already have a well-developed sense of self and that you will emphatically assert yourself when you feel you need to. We can't wait to see the woman you become.
Happy Gotcha Day to all of us, for we feel like the most blessed family in the world, and we know that in many ways, we are.
We have watched you grow from a 16 pound 8-month-old to a toddler. We can't believe you will turn 3 in January. The old adage holds true: time does "fly" when you are having fun. Every day is an adventure with you as you learn, test your boundaries, gain confidence, and become more and more polished in your speech and coordination. You are developing a wicked sense of humor! We look forward this year to your Baptism, and then the holidays with your grandparents and Doe. And then you will turn 3 on January 22. We also look forward to the young lady you will become. We already have a preview of what you will be like, but knowing you, you have some surprises in store for us - good ones of course. Once again, we thank God for the journey that led to you. We pray for peace, health and abundance for your birth family. We thank the orphanage workers who nurtured you for months, and Mable for being not just an "adoption guide" but truly a midwife and friend to us for our three weeks in China. Mable anticipated our needs without us even having to speak them. We thank the People's Republic of China for finding us to be a worthy home for you. We thank our families and our friends for all your love and support.
And Mei-Ling, we thank YOU just simply for being who you are. You are smart, witty, energetic, compassionate, interested in learning about everything, and of course sometimes you throw a temper tantrum - or two! We celebrate the fact that you already have a well-developed sense of self and that you will emphatically assert yourself when you feel you need to. We can't wait to see the woman you become.
Happy Gotcha Day to all of us, for we feel like the most blessed family in the world, and we know that in many ways, we are.
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