Two years ago today...

It was two years ago today that I saw my precious daughter's face. Brian was out of town and so my oldest daughter Amanda went with me to our agency (we are blessed that we live in the same area as our agency) to hear/read the information about our daughter and then see pictures. It amazes me how things have changed over the last two years. I cannot even begin to imagine what life would be like without her. Monday is her third birthday and we will be celebrating tomorrow with a big birthday party. We are so incredibly blessed!!! The journey was a LONG journey and the WAIT seemed like forever but God knew what child He had intented for us and the journey had to be what it was. We traveled with 5 other families and we all keep in contact through email and F@acebook and it amazes me to hear what the other children are doing and how they have adapted to their families and it is always a reminder that we have the perfect child for our family, she fits like a well snug glove. Darci you have blessed us so much that there are not enough words in the world to ever express to you what you mean to us!!! Somewhere in China there is a mother and a father who are missing out on what a wonderful child you are. You are funny, serious, bossy, precious, entertaining, dramatic, playful, energetic, cranky, wonderful, expressive, demanding, and sweet and I wouldn't want it any other way. It is my hearts desire to take you back to your birthland and show you and teach you the ways of your homeland. It is rich in culture and even though you are being raised by two Americans, your are Chinese and we are proud of that for you!!! I am so thankful that you are my daughter and that you became the thrid pea in my pod of three peas!!!

Two months ago..

Two months ago yesterday I received our youngest daugther. In so many ways these past two months have seemed like an eternity. The 37 month wait also felt like an eternity. It hard to believe that 2 months and 37 months of waiting are very different yet very similar. When we received Darci, she could only sit up when put in a sitting position. She could stand and very wobbly walk around the edge of the bed. Today she is crawling all over the place. Rolling from front to back and back to front. Can sit up all by herself. She pulls herself up and then walks around and this week she began to walk away from furniture and take some steps on her own. She still prefers crawling but I know in just a few more weeks our precious girl will be walking all over the place. I started back to work on the 5th of August and she stayed home with her big sister. This past Thursday was her first day to go to childcare and she cried when I left her. It broke my heart because I was so concerned that she would fear all day long that I was not coming back. When I picked her up she was happy and happy to see me but not ready to leave, a great sign!!! However Friday morning she cried again when I left her, but all was good and she doesn't cry for very long. I know she is in GREAT hands and is very LOVED while I am at work and I do not worry about this at all. I just cringe at another adjustment in her small little world. She has no idea what is going on, but she has a mom and dad who love her very much as do her sisters and a multitude of family and friends!!! I cannot wait (well yes I can) until the day she is old enough to understand the journey that we traveled to get her and how important family and friends were to us during the journey. There are so many aspects of our trip to China that I miss and cannot wait to take Darci back to her homeland to show her the country where she was born and its rich history. We have been blessed in so many ways!!! Darci you have been in our arms for 2 months now, but you were in our hearts long before that!!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much and so do your big sisters!! Happy 2 month anniversary!!!!

One month ago...

One month ago this precious baby girl was placed in my arm screaming, crying, pushing away and nothing I said or did would take away her pain. She had been taken away from everything she had ever known, put on a bus with a worker she did not know, taken to a city she did not know, and given to a woman she did not know. This is the picture from that precious day.





Here is our precious baby girl one month later





It is so hard to believe that in one month this little girl has blossomed from a petrified, fearful, terrified baby to an energetic, bubbly, happy baby. We are so blessed!!!!