Two years ago on October 30, an ll-month-old girl in China started out on an adventure. Her foster mom said goodbye to her with a tear in her eye and a certain ache in her heart. The little girl understood goodbye, but she didn't understand forever. She rode in a car for the very first time and it was a little scary. A nanny who looked a lot like her foster mother carried her on her lap and gave her a bottle as they rode. They passed by trees, fields, water buffalo and people working outside. Soon they arrived in a city with many tall buildings and more people than the little girl had ever seen. She had dozed off and she looked around, desparate to see something familiar. The little girl was dressed in thick layers and she was hot. Her face was red and her hair was wet from sweat. Her nanny carried her into a one of the tall buildings and sat down with her on a couch. She took out a comb and combed her hair into a pretty ponytail on top of her head. It helped. The little girl felt a little cooler. She looked around and noticed some people looking at her. They quickly disappeared behind two doors that closed together in the middle. She noticed tiny white lights but soon felt tired again and dozed off. When she woke up she was in a different room. Some of her friends, who had traveled with her, were gone and she watched as another one left the room in her own nanny's arms. Before she knew it, the little girl was being carried into another room. She heard someone call her name and watched as two people walked straight toward her. A strange woman held out her arms, said something to her nanny and took her from her nanny's arms. The little girl cried. This woman looked different. She had never seen someone who looked like her. She was used to women with black hair and the same dark-colored almond-shaped eyes as her own. This woman had lighter hair and her eyes were light colored, too. A man was with her. He had funny looking hair on his face and he was much larger than any man she had ever seen. She wanted to go back to her foster mom. She didn't know how long this was going to last and she didn't like it. The strangers took her to a new room where they quickly took off some of the warm layers that were making her sweat. She was glad for that. She was so hot and sweaty from crying and wearing such warm clothes. The strangers put her on a big bed and gave her some toys. They talked to her and kept saying words that sounded like Grace, Mom and Dad. Soon, they even coaxed a smile out of her. And that was just the beginning of this great adventure that started two years ago on October 30, in Wuhan, China.
We celebrated Grace's 2nd gotcha day with a Chinese dinner, a puzzle we brought back from China and a new charm for her gotcha bracelet. It was a fun evening!
October 30, 2006
October 30, 2008
Typical photo with our eyes closed...
On October 31, 2008, Cinderella appeared at our house for some trick-or-treating...
3 comments:
Chris,
That was so sweet. What an adventure our girls have had. They have quite a story to tell, don't they. We sure are blessed! I can't believe 2 years have gone by, it seems like she has always been with us.
Tracy
Great pictures Chris!! Love Grace's costume. Em wouldn't keep hers on.
Wonderful post and pictues! Is Steve growing a beard?
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