GOTCHA DAY!!!

Long awaited arrival!!!  At 4:00 on Monday April 5, 2010 in conference room 6 of the Galatic Peace Hotel in Nanchang, China, our lives changed forever.  Yi Xiao Cui was placed in our arms and for the first time in my life I realized that love at first sight is not just a cliche, but something that can actually happen.  I guess I should start off by explaining the term Gotcha Day.  That is the term used in International Adoption to describe the day that you receive your baby.  Most families will then celebrate that day each year.  So every April 5, we will celebrate Gotcha Day or the day we became a Forever Family.  My words are not going to do justice to the emotions that we are experiencing, but I am going to try to explain the happenings of the day.  The 5 families from our travel group whose babies were from the YiYang orphanage gathered in a hotel conference room that looked very similar to any conference room you would find in the United States.  Exactly at 4:00 several of the orphanage caretakers walked in carrying the babies.  One by one using alphabetical order each family was called up to receive their new daughter.  Kaylee did not cry.  I guess she figured that since I was shaking and Kevin was crying that someone had to be strong.  Instead she just looked very serious and scared.  In fact, she did not cry until a few hours later when we changed her diaper.  At this point, she seems to be a very good natured baby, but we are fully aware that we may still be in the honeymoon stage of the process.  Most babies adopted from orphanages go through some type of grieving process.  Kayless has not cried that much.  In fact, she laughs alot, but there are times when you look at her and she looks so serious and scared.  It makes you wonder what she is feeling in that little heart of hers.  She slept really well the first night and has now just got up from a 2 hour nap.  But each time she awakes, she stares so intensely at Kevin and me.  We just hope that every time she awakes and realizes that we are still here that it will reinforce in her mind that we are her Forever Family and will love her unconditionally.  Now if you have not already done so-- scroll up and check out how cute she is!!!!