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| Gotcha Moment |
I am starting this post on Fri, Aug 30, 2013 but not posting it till Mon, Sept 2. Its a way for me to share my feelings each day remembering what we were doing a year ago at this time, while preparing for the biggest day & change of our lives, without posting daily - lol! Also, I will be including a picture or 2 from each month that Amy has been with us. Some you may have seen already but its amazing to see how much she has grown & changed.
At this time last year, we were half way through our flight to Hong Kong, on an adventure that would enrich our lives in a way we could not even imagine. After 6 + years waiting and even longer wanting a family, it was hard to believe that in just 2.5 days we would meet our little girl. I was anxious, excited and scared beyond belief. Our wish had finally come true and our lives would never be the same, nor would we want them to be.
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| Forever Family Day |
A year ago today, we arrived in Hong Kong and our hotel was across the street from the largest mall we have ever seen!!!! It had many restaurants to choose from, along with a grocery store, which we visited. We found one place to eat that was very good & ended up eating there both nights. We would have loved to spend more time in the grocery store but it was a bit overwhelming and the people really do not believe in personal space - lol!
The next morning we slowly woke up and got ourselves ready for a quick, short day of sightseeing in Hong Kong. It was our first day to experience the Chinese breakfast buffet where you can get anything from fruit & homemade waffles to noodles & rice. Boy, do I miss those buffets :) We both were eager to get out & experience the new culture.
We spent the day wandering around Hong Kong. They have some of the top designer stores there, which all had lines out of them and a security guard monitoring who & how many people were going in. It astounded us. Paris wasn't even this bad. But the best part of the day was going to the Peninsula for tea in the afternoon. It truly was an incredible experience and since the weather was not great, it was a perfect way to spend the afternoon! That evening we relaxed and tried to get some rest before the "BIG" day. By that point, luckily, we were very tired so we were able to sleep, even with the 12 hr time difference. But I made sure we were packed and ready to leave before bed.
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| Lounging In Guanzhou |
Sunday morning we were up and anxiously awaiting our departure for the airport. We had a van taking us into China and to a small airport where we would fly to Nanchang. The drive wasn't bad but the airport was unbelievable small. No English to be found, minimal air conditioning, credit cards would not work, no cash and nowhere to exchange money. It was a long wait for our plane with no food or water :(
Finally we arrived in Nanchang around 4 - 4:30, where our guide Evelyn met us. We loved her and Josh actually still keeps in contact with her a bit. On the bus ride to the hotel she gave us information about Amy, some of the feeding techniques, what things we should continue to do and what we should change. We found out at that time Amy was scared of strangers and particularly men. Josh decided then that he would be cautious on how quickly he approached her and how close he would get.
We arrived at the hotel just after 5 and Amy arrived between 6 - 6:30. Barely any time for us to get settled but we didn't care. When Evelyn knocked on the door, I slowly opened it in awe. This precious little girl had no idea what was going on or why she was being thrown into this strange woman's arms. It took a while but she finally calmed down and I was able to get a smile out her by showing herself in the mirror. That night she slept in her crib and that would be last night she would sleep by herself - lol!!!
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| 1st Manchester United Game! |
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| 1st Smile for Camera - notice her outfit too ;) |
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| 1st Day in the pool in Naples |
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| 1st Birthday - didn't like getting hands dirty |
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| 1st pair of shoes |
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| It took Frankie to finally convince her to touch the grass |
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| Christmas with Grandma Wallace |
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| Just enjoying a beautiful day outside |
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| Christmas morning with Nai Nai |
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| After long nite of partying for Mallory's birthday |
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| Day at the zoo |
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| Helping wash windows |
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| 1st Easter |
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| Mama's 40thBirthday |
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| Isabella's Birthday - all recently adopted |
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| Mother's Day |
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| Fun in the rain |
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| The girls in Boston Commons - met the other 2 in China |
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| Uncle Nick's Birthday |
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| 1st Referral Anniversary |
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| Having fun in the kitchen on her tower |
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| Helping mama paint |
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| Morning at pier watching dolphins |
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| 1st Gotcha Day anniversary |
Tonite we celebrated with my family & CiCi. CiCi is a Chinese exchange student that is staying with us for the school year. She made us an incredible dinner of dumplings, chicken, beef, soup & cabbage. All true Chinese cuisine that just made this anniversary even more special.In the past year we have gone from having no daughter to having 2 and we could not be happier!!!!! Not sure you can see the difference, but Amy has slowly begun to accept the camera & us - lol!
Hope you enjoyed the stroll down memory lane as much as I did. I wasn't able to post in China since Amy wouldn't let go of me so I am enjoying telling the story from my point of view. Its been a fantastic year and we look forward to many more.
Love to you all and thank you for sharing this incredible experience with us!!!!!
