ONE YEAR AGO A CHILD WAS PLACED IN MY ARMS

KIRA'S REFERRAL PHOTO, ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD

ANOTHER REFERRAL PHOTO THERE SHE IS, CLUTCHING HER RAG AND FIRECRACKERS?

I simply can not believe that one year ago, a frightened, tiny, fragile baby girl was placed in my arms. Years and YEARs of yearning for a child to call my own, had now culminated in one of the most memorable moments of my life. Though the rest of the trip to China was a blur, the day I held Kira for the first time is one day I will never forget.

We knew that Kira had a repaired cleft lip, and needed surgery for her open palate when she arrived home.  We were told that she was a happy baby who enjoyed the outdoors and being with her caretakers.  She wasn't walking yet, but would pull herself up in the crib.  She weighed only 17 lbs and was 29 inches tall.  She was abandoned at 2 months of age and taken to the You Xian Welfare Institute to reside.  This part of her story makes me sad and happy.  Sad because she bonded with her mother and was then abandoned, we assume because of the clefting issue. She was very malnourished upon arrival to the orphanage so her mother did a brave deed by relinquishing her into care.  Her parents probably could not afford medical or corrective surgical care.   She was found with a birth note and this tiny hat that was given to us when we met her.

I am also happy that we have these precious items and her story to give to her when she is old enough to understand. There is also another amazing connection between this tiny child and my family. Kira's birthday is the same day as my Mother's. What an amazing birthday gift I had for my Mom this time last year.

So after flying over 6,000 miles we landed in Bejing for a day and a half orientation and sightseeing tour. The entire time all I could think about was this child I was about to meet the next day. I had held her referral photo with me everywhere we went and was wondering if I would recognize her. At the end of our agency's orientation a beautiful Oriental tapestry book was handed out to all the families and then there were photos suddenly put up on the slide screen of all our children. Dani and I were looking for Kira and there she was, dressed in a little yellow coat. We opened the book and to our surprise there were more photos of her. I peered down and just started crying happy tears. She seemed bigger in one photo and so tiny in the other. Hey what did I know, I thought an 11 month old is tall, walking, talking and eating on their own. I even imagined my daughter would be this small child with pigtails for some reason, but instead she was a small, beautiful, well cared for tiny infant whom I just couldn't wait to see.

The next day we all left for our childrens' provinces and we flew to Changsha, Hunan. A bus took us to the Civil Affairs Office and I took a deep breath and walked inside. Immediately I could see the baby. She was wearing the same yellow jacket in the photos, only she was so little. It was very surreal to me, the hand off (as it's affectionately known) was very traumatic for this child. She was so bundled in layers of clothing, she kept turning around and looking for her caretakers, screaming a muffled cry because of her open palate. I started crying again and could do absolutely nothing to console her. I even asked the caretakers and our escort if they could console her. But I think it was me that needed consoling, yep, I was bawling even louder than the baby. I probably freaked the kid out! Anyway, the hour or so we spent there exhausted this tiny child and we then traveled back to our hotel by bus. It was on the bus that Kira calmed down a bit. I noticed her looking around and then realized from here on, I will be watching her observing her first new sights, sounds and adventures together. Everything was new to her, the streets, the people, us.

So here's a glimpse of our first moments together and our lives as a new family.

OUR FIRST GLIMPSE OF KIRA
THE HAND OFF

OH THIS IS THE PART THAT JUST GOT TO ME. ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO GO BACK TO HER CARETAKERS. I WAS A COMPLETE STRANGER AND NOTHING WOULD CONSOLE HER SOFT CRIES. I WANTED TO SAY "YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE SWEEET CHILD" AND THOUGHT THE KISSES WOULD BE OF SOME COMFORT. BUT POOR BABY CRIED FOR HOURS UNTIL WE GOT BACK TO THE HOTEL. RIGHT BEHIND ME IS LEAH, OUR AGENCY'S ESCORT DURING THE ENTIRE JOURNEY. TO ME SHE WAS MY MIDWIFE, HELPING ME THROUGH EVERYTHING, UNDERSTAND AND CONSOLING THE BABY AND I WHEN NEEDED. HOW I MISS HER!
NOW I'M CRYING PROBABLY LOUDER THAN KIRA
FINALLY CALM AND QUIET. I PUT A CHINESE LULLABY TAPE IN THE COMPUTER AND THE BEAUTIFUL MELODIES SOMEHOW SEEMED COMFORTING AND SOOTHING TO HER. OKAY I AT LEAST DID SOMETHING RIGHT HERE!
PEELING THE LAYERS OF CLOTHES OFF
AFTER 4 SETS OF SHIRTS, PANTS AND 2 JACKETS, THERE SHE WAS, OUR TINY DAUGHTER, SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL
I LOVE THIS PHOTO OF THE BABY LOOKING AT HER DADDY.  
BACK IN MY ARMS, CRYING AGAIN.  WHERE'S THE BOTTLE, CRACKERS, NOODLES, WASHCLOTH.  YES, SHE WANTED A TATTERED OLD WASH CLOTH IN HER LITTLE HANDS.  WE WERE TOLD THAT OFTEN ALL BABIES DID IN THEIR CRIBS WERE PICK AT THEIR CLOTHING OR THE WASH CLOTHS.  THIS WAS THE ONLY THING SHE WANTED, SO THERE IT IS, CLUTCHED TIGHTLY IN HER TINY HANDS.
HERE'S OUR WONDERFUL ESCORTS, ECHO AND LEAH.  THEY ARE THE MOST AMAZING WOMEN I'VE COME TO KNOW.  THEY HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR ALL THE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN.
GOODIE, SHE'S REALLY OURS!  KIRA STAMPED THE PAPERWORK WITH HER FOOT!
SO CUTE!  GUESS THEY KEPT HER SO BUNDLED SHE COULDN'T SIT WITHOUT BEING PROPPED UP WITH PILLOWS.  BY THE FOLLOWING MONTH SHE WAS WALKING!
MY JOY, MY DREAM, MY BABY!
AW, MORE LIKE IT,  FINALLY A HESITANT SMILE (AND MY BIG OPEN MOUTH IN THE BACKROUND)

BEAUTIFUL KIRA TODAY

You first came to us in an envelope

With letters, forms and such

Just two tiny little pictures

With nothing warm to touch.

You grew in our imagination

In our hearts and in our minds.

You brought us greater joy

Than we ever thought we'd find.

A phone call started labor pains

Which lasted 'til we met

Strangers brought together

A day we won't forget.

You bloomed as you were planned

In our hearts, our lives, our home.

Our child of chance, of plan, of will

You're now our very own.

-Unknown Author