Two Year Gotcha Anniversary!

Walking in to the Civil Affairs Office we could hear the babies crying from outside.
Our first glimpse of Myah, she is on the left with her nanny.
Standing in the doorway waiting for us!Gotcha! (Don't laugh at the double chin!)
Oh No, what is happening?
Safe in Daddy's arms, she still sucks her thumb like this.
I loved how she was hugging him.

Our first family photo taken outside the Civil Affairs Office in Wuhan, she is still crying! Don't laugh at the Hubei Hair as I called it, so humid, I was a mess!

Trying to stand back in our hotel room


Daddy gets the prize of the first smile! We didn't see many of these for a few days!

6/6/06 was our lucky day. When we boarded the bus to go get the babies our guide said that 6 was a very lucky number in China. She said the fact that it was 6/6/06 it was considered a very speical day. We all laughed and told her that it isn't looked at so much like that in the USA. However it did turn out to be one of the best days of our lives. We arrived at our hotel just in time to grab our luggage and put together a quick diaper bag, grab our documents and cameras. On the way to the Civil Affairs office our video camera started acting up, I had told Mark before we left the US that it was giving me trouble but he thought he had it fixed. Not so. The next 20 minutes on the bus was so emotional for us. We had waited so long for this moment and to think that the video camera wouldn't work brought me to tears. I was an emotional wreck to begin with so it didn't take much to bring on the water works. As Mark sat frantically in the back of the bus trying to fix the camera I could feel the frustration welting up inside of me. I did not want to feel that way on this special day. It just seemed like everything was going too fast, we only got one day in Beijing, we were exhausted from cramming 4 days worth of sightseeing into one day. We didn't get to see the Forbidden City or any of the sights that we had planned on. That was ok with us, just was a change in plans we hadn't anticipated. My mother in law's luggage was lost upon arrival to the hotel in Wuhan. More worries. Now the camera wouldn't work. I was already exhausted, I prayed for God to give me the strength to take care of a one year old. It was so so so hot in Wuhan, Myah's Province is known for being one of the three furnaces of China. I belive it! We started filing into the office, up the staircase we would go. We could hear babies crying before we even got into the building. Wow this was getting VERY real! Mark suddenly announced to me that the camera was working, I snapped at him (sorry Mark) and said, "don't touch it"! Mark said, "Leslie, I was praying so hard in the back of that bus". As we walked up to the top of the staircase on the landing we got our first glimpse of the most beautiful raven haired little darlings that I had ever seen. They were smaller than I had envisioned. They were so gorgeous! We could not find Myah at first, actually all of the girls had looked so differently from their referral photos, they all looked alike now. Oh and to see them in the flesh was a moment I will never forget, God places snapshots in my heart of special moments and this one is in the archives for sure. Mark spotted Myah first, the camera in hand, he called me over to her, she took my breath away. She looked angelic. Her eyes were huge, even bigger I am sure than normal because she was taking all of this in. Her hair was pulled back in 3 little piggie tails, I had wondered if she would have her hair done in that fashion because I had seen other babies in the past with lots of hair sporting that "do". She was dark, her complexion was stunning. Her little chubby legs were sticking out of a pair of new shorts that probably could have been a size bigger. My first picture of her was in her nannies arms, blurry of course because I was shaking so badly! We were stunned. Mesmerized by her. Dayton was in love I could tell already! We were hurried into the very small, very hot room to meet the orphanage director and get our paperwork started. The babies were waiting! I could not focus at all and became very short (sorry Mark again). It was like I was in labor! I know I had checked all of our paperwork a thousand times but this was the moment that mattered, I was frantically making sure that all was in place. It was. We were given a gift bag full of supplies for Myah, formula, bottle, cookies, Bugles, and the best gift, a photo album full of pictures from the first day she was brought to the orphanage to her first birthday. They had dressed her up so pretty and took pictures for us being that we had missed sharing in that day with her by 5 days. We were the first in our group to receive this package so we held everything up so that all could see, they were all just as anxious as we were to see what was in there. All of the sudden, babies appeared at the door, we were gone at this point, how could we be expected to listen to what they were telling us when our babies were a few steps away!? The first baby, Sophia came in, she immediatley began screaming when she was handed over to Jeannette. It all became very chaotic and exciting at the same time. It was finally our turn, they handed Myah over to me, I think I hugged the nanny and told her thank you. Myah was heavier than I imagined her to be, she was warm, sticky from the overheated room and all of that hair didn't help her to stay cool at all! She stared right at me for a moment, wondering who is this and when can I go back to my nanny. She was quiet for a moment, and then Mark approached her and she began to cry. I felt bad for her, but at the same time I was hearing her voice for the first time and it was precious. It was deeper than I had imagined. She was heartbroken. She was loved I could tell. We received very detailed information about her meal and sleeping schedule. We knew what had made her smile and laugh and how many poops she had a day. Little Li Wen Ting was now our Myah. Miraculously, the camera died the minute we walked out of the building with her in our arms. Thank you God for that one! She cried the rest of the time we were in the office. She eventually wore herself out on the bus and took a quick nap. I knew we were bringing her home to a wonderful life but part of me felt guilty and selfish for taking her away from her comfort zone. I had planned on giving her a bath right away but I assesed the situation and felt it was best to leave her just as she was. We tried to stand her up and realized she was not very sturdy at all, she could sit but could not roll over. Nor could she lift her arms up very high. She was one year old but much younger physically. She would sit and stare at us, not sure of anything at this point. We took things very slowly with her. I gave her a bottle and she drank most of it. She seemed so large in my arms to give her a bottle but it was a wonderful way for her to feel secure. I wasn't sure if she was still taking bottles or not, she seemed a bit uncomfortable. We went down for dinner and met up with the other familes, our first glimpse at what our lives were going to be like from here on out. We loved each and every family and it was so much fun sharing in this moment with them. As we walked out of the restaurant, Myah started waving Bye bye. Where did that come from? When we got back into our room Mark was able to get the first smile, that did not surprise me at all. I put her in her new jammies that I had bought especially for this night and they were too tight! She went down very easily and slept all night, she was a very deep sleeper! I think it was how she coped with all of the changes. I gave her a bath the next morning she screamed the whole time. I finally was able to dress her in an outfit that I had bought for her, socks, hairbow and all. She was mine, I could do whatever I wanted! We finally had our daughter, after so many years of waiting for this moment.


I am in awe of how far we have come with Myah. It wasn't always easy to be honest, still isn't. But as with any child, if you love them and nurture them, they will come around. And she has.


This weekend we are getting together with those that can in our group to celebrate our Gotcha Day anniversary. I cannot put into words how I feel about these families and our little girls. I am so thankful that we all took a huge leap of faith..... together.