GOTCHA DAY!!

GOTCHA DAY!!!



Note from Caroline...look who's finally posting! And boy is he in trouble for the Major Houlihan comment!! Here's Kevin's view of the day's events...

Today (for us) is what is known as GOTCHA DAY in the chinese adoption circles. This is the day that we stop cooing and aahhing over little bathing suits, tiny shoes and spoons so small that you aren't certain which end to grab, and turn all of our attention over to the baby that we will call our daughter...now and forever! Of course, that wouldn't happen until the end of the day. The early part of the day was filled with sighs and mascara-lanches over seeing our babies' first footprints stamped on the adoption paperwork. Below you can see a photo of Caroline and Kevin posing next to their baby's ink stain on paper.

OOOhhhhh...AAAAhhhhh...tiny little toes!!!!



This ceremony was followed by a quick lesson in Cantonese for useful phrases (for those of you that have been paying extra close attention, yes, we were studying the wrong dialect...Mandarin...all along).

And what trip half way around the world would be complete without lunch at Pizza Hut, and a shopping trip to the local (2-story) Wal-Mart Supercenter. I failed to see any starving children, which leaves me with a bone (or two) to pick with the parents. I recall choking down quite a few pounds of lima beans and scalloped
potatoes in my day while being filled with guilt over starving children half way around the planet. What...You never thought I would find out!?! We actually witnessed a man on a scooter riding down the street with TWO..not ONE...TWO complete sides of beef strapped to back of his scooter as he zigged and zagged through the crowded streets. I ask you, can people that race through the streets with freshly slaughtered cattle actually be starving?

Anyway, after our journey through the Nanning Wal-Mart Supercenter to purchase beer, chips and dried noodle soups (I think the women got some baby stuff, but none of the husbands would know much about that) we were whisked back to our hotel for the final countdown.

One hour later we were standing in a conference room, at a hotel a few miles from the one in which we are staying. An official of the Chinese government came in and made a brief address and thanked us for adopting. Then, the moment arrived. Up until this moment Caroline was doing her usual Major Houlihan routine...barking orders, reading notes and trying to stay as calm and detached as possible so that she did not make a single mistake. Then it happened...somewhere between the hundreds of dollars worth of A/V equipment and the books, lists, Yahoo! groups and veteran mommy advice, someone decided to make us parents. It hit us harder than I could ever have imagined. Caroline broke, and she never looked more beautiful to me than she did at that very moment!

Above you saw our first Lewis family photo, and here's our first "mommy & me" photo. In the latter, Caroline's expression says it all. All of this hardwork, socking money away, baby showers, redecorating, and everything else that happened in the last year was all for a purpose. A purpose greater than all of the expensive hardware and camera equipment...greater than the stenciling in the nursery...greater than anything we could ever imagine. We have been given a life to nurture, to protect, to educate...to Love...and this is what it was all about.



We will keep posting news and photos throughout the week. Thank you all for joining us on this journey...it is not over yet, but the next journey has already begun.

Love to all,

Kevin