Two Years ago today I became a Mommy!

HUNAN, CHINA 2008

I HONESTLY CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT IT HAS BEEN EXACTLY TWO YEARS WHEN WE TRAVELED HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD TO MEET A TINY BABY NAMED MENG. BY THE NEXT DAY WE OFFICIALLY HAD ADOPTED HER IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND NAMED HER KIRA ISABELLA. IT TRULY WAS AN AMAZING JOURNEY THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET!

IT WAS THE END OF A WORK DAY FOR ME IN THE CARDIAC CATH LAB AND MY HUSBAND CALLED AROUND 5PM TELLING ME "YOU JUST BECAME A MOM", I GASPED, RAN OUT INTO THE HALLS (WHERE MY CO-WORKERS WERE) AND SCREAMED "I AM A MOM!" THEY ALL THOUGHT I WAS OUT OF MY HEAD, AFTER ALL NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THE ADOPTION AND THEY ALL THOUGHT MY DOG HAD PUPPIES! I THINK MANY WERE SURPRISED. ACTUALLY I HAD NO IDEA WE WOULD GET A MATCH AFTER WAITING OVER A YEAR AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AT LEAST ANOTHER 6 MONTHS TO ANOTHER YEAR, BUT WE CHOSE TO ADOPT THROUGH OUR AGENCY'S CHILD OF PROMISE OPTION AND THIS TINY INFANT NEEDED A CLEFT LIP AND PALATE REPAIR.

AS WEEKS WENT BY, I KEPT GOING OVER THE DETAILS, MAKING SURE ALL THE PAPERWORK WAS IN ORDER, VISAS, ETC. TO THOSE WHO KNOW ME WELL, THAT WAS A FEAT IN ITSELF BECAUSE I AM NOT THE MOST ORGANIZED PERSON IN THE WORLD AND IN FACT, I WAS LATE FOR MY OWN WEDDING! BUT IN JANUARY 6, 2008 I WAS UBER ORGANIZED AND EARLY.

THE MONTHS PRECEDING THE ADOPTION WERE FULL OF EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION. WHILE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME OVERSEAS, I JUST COULDN'T GET TO CHANGSHA FAST ENOUGH. MY HEART WAS IN LOVE WITH A PICTURE WE RECEIVED IN LATE OCTOBER AND AT THAT TIME SHE WAS ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD. I STARTED TO WORRY LIKE ANY EXPECTANT MOMMA, HOPING SHE WOULD BE OKAY AND NOT FALL OUT OF HER CRIB OR WONDER WHETHER SHE WAS BEING HELD IF SHE CRIED OR IF SHE WAS STANDING, WALKING. WHAT WORDS WAS SHE SAYING? SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT WE REALLY NEVER HAD ANSWERS TO UNTIL WE SAW HER AND THEN THE MONTHS OF WAITING AND HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS JUST FADED AWAY AS MY EYES WERE FIXED ON THIS LITTLE GIRL, BUNDLED IN FOUR LAYERS OF CLOTHES AND SMILING AS WE APPROACHED. SHE COULD STAND WITH HELP, BUT WASN'T WALKING YET. SHE HAD TWO TEETH AND A SOFT VOICE. HER FEATURES WERE PETITE AND DAINTY, SHE WAS SIMPLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CHILD I HAD EVER SEEN AND I WAS INSTANTLY IN LOVE! MY HEART WAS BEATING FAST BUT SO WAS HERS, MY EYES WERE FULL OF TEARS; AND SO WERE HERS. I HELD HER TIGHT BUT SHE WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH ME AND KEPT LOOKING AND REACHING FOR HER CARETAKERS. I TRIED TO COMFORT HER, BUT SHE SCREAMED EVEN LOUDER. IN FACT SHE CRIED FOR HOURS TILL WE GOT BACK TO THE HOTEL AND I PUT IN A CHINESE LULLABY CD AND SHE LISTENED INTENTLY TO IT. IN FACT SHE STOPPED CRYING AND STARTED TO LOOK AROUND AT HER NEW WORLD. FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, ALL HER NEW EXPERIENCES WERE ALSO MINE!

THIS CHILD, MY DAUGHTER HAD GIVEN ME SUCH AN INCREDIBLE GIFT, THE GIFT OF MOTHERHOOD.

I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR THOSE WHO HELPED, INSPIRED AND KEPT MY DREAM ALIVE!

YOU ARE SO LOVED MY DEAR CHILD. I HOPE YOU WILL ALWAYS KNOW THAT!

LOVE,

MOMMA