2 years post Gotcha

Two years ago today, we met Wyatt in China.  His journey is still available on our Baby Jelly Beans journal, but I did pull some pictures of Gotcha day and other events in China to share.

We waited for a full year post referral before we were able to bring Wyatt home, and there were some markers along his journey as well.  In the months before his referral, we moved into a new home to make room for our expanding family.  In doing so, we tossed the desk that had been Andy's since high school.  It was coming apart, and we hoped to purchase a new one.  We had some money saved for our adoption, and we were determined not to touch it.  After several weeks of our computer sitting on a child's school desk and holding the keyboard in our laps, we gave up in frustration and journeyed out to find a computer cabinet.  We found one and depleted our adoption fund to buy it.  We had been taking the whole adoption process very slowly.  Upon our return home that day, we found a check in a stack of mail that we had yet to go through, a check from our mortgage company in almost the same amount that we had just spent on our computer cabinet.  Andy said God showed him then that we needed to move forward with this adoption.

A referral came on May 24th, 2007.  We did not open the pictures but read through the information and prayed a lot.  We slept on it and decided to accept the referral and then opened the pictures to find an adorable boy.  We learned that his Chinese name meant the same thing as the American name we had already chosen for our son.  Later we learned that Andy's name has the same meaning.  As we awaited our referral, I wondered if we would be adopting a child with a December birthday.  Why, you might ask?  Zach and Savannah have birthdays that are six months apart.  I wondered if it would be the same for Julia and our next child, and sure enough, Wyatt has a December birthday.  The girls were both born in the earlier months of the year and the boys later in the year.  Both of the boys were born on the 17th of the month.  When we finally met Wyatt in June of 2008, his gotcha day was the same day as Andy's dad's birthday.  The dates of our trip lined up almost exactly with Julia's.

On Gotcha Day,  the elevators at the CCAA office were crowded, so our guide sent Lorenna, Kelsey and me on up and the rest of the group followed.  We were chatting and did not realize that we were on the wrong floor. By the time our guide found us, Wyatt and Andy were already getting to know each other.  Wyatt had already snarfed a bag of Teddy Grahams off of Margaret.  It is so funny because as I chose these pictures for this post, Wyatt pointed to the yellow bag in his hand and asked what it was.  I told him I did not remember, and he told me he did and that it was a bag of Teddy Grahams.  He laughed when I told him that he went through Mrs. Miracle's stuff and pulled out that bag.  He told me that she let him have them.  Margaret was so very gracious and just laughed about our scavenging boy.

This photo was taken when we left the CCAA office.  Wyatt kept his eyes focused on the things we passed on our way to his new life.

Aurora was Wyatt's constant companion and a great help to us as she and Wyatt waded through the trials of getting to know a bunch of foreigners who couldn't even talk to them.  Well, Kelsey could talk to them a little.

My favorite story from our trip has to be the one where Aurora, Andy, and Kelsey were hanging out in the park behind our hotel.  Apparently, Aurora and Wyatt were flicking pond water at each other, and Wyatt fell in.  The water was not over his head, but he had never been in water like that, so he thrashed around in a panic, and Andy had to go in after him.  Naturally, I was not outside with them because I was gathering the laundry which had been picked up about ten minutes earlier.

This is Graeme, our other adoptee from Anhui.  I remember how his face would light up every time food was placed before him....cutest thing ever!!!

Happy Gotcha Day to Aurora, Graeme, and Wyatt!! We love you all lots!