This is from this years Gotcha Day

We are the happiest parents to our little bit o’ sunshine.  Amari is 17 months old as I write this and today is the anniversary of our Gotcha Day.  For those of you that don’t know, this is the day that we got to hold and bring “home” our daughter.  I say “home” because we were in Ethiopia and home for our new family was a lovely Ethiopian run guest house.  We were there with a number of other adopting families. It was a joyful and sometimes very intense time.  

One year ago we waited in a room at our agencies home for referred children (matched to a family) with other soon to be teary families.  Even as I write this I get teary (high levels of emotion + me = tears every time). It had been soooooo long that I had been dreaming about our daughter. It was so surreal to be there, halfway around the world, out of a blizzard, into summer, and breathless. It was a perfect sunny breezy day but the room we were in was as dim as a cocoon. Someone said “They are bringing a baby girl!” and then there she was haloed by the sunshine from the doorway, and so unbelievably precious, tiny, and real.  

           

The weight of her in my arms at that moment and never, ever, wanting to put her down

Mark becoming daddy in front of my eyes, his eyes softly looking at her

Her taking him in, having her tucked back into my arms

Her solemn and quiet demeanor, walking out into the sunshine

The way she lit up and chattered like a little bird when she saw her nanny and nurse

The way they loved their favorite little one and opening my arms for them hold her again

Her vivaciousness in their arms, their sadness and our joy

The bumpy ride back to “home” her snuggled up safe next to me

Lively and loud Ethiopian pop music lulled her to sleep on that van ride and the

many rides that followed during our time in Ethiopia. We had to bring it back to the U.S. with us and she loves it when we are in the car. We figure that she loves bouncing like no other child we’ve ever seen because of all of those bumpy rides.  She now lights up like a firecracker when daddy comes home and fusses when she knows that I am not going to be putting her to sleep.  She chatters vivaciously to us all the time. She has grown into us and us into her. To her we are love and she is home.

Today, one year later, as she slept snuggled up to me with her hand tucked into mine, I gazed at her face and felt that today and every day she is just as magic as that first day. I am still amazed that this precious little (though she often acts larger than life!) life is ours to hold, love, and cherish forever.   

Hey little bird - GOTCHA!  

XOXOXO

Forever and Ever and Always

Love Mommie & Daddy