One Year Ago...

One year ago today we were handed the most beautiful baby girl, our daughter Dallas. I don't remember much about the hour leading up to the big moment. I was in total shock by that point. We started the process on December 27, 2004 and there we were on April 23, 2006 with our dream coming true. It was right after 5:00 pm that our guide James came in the room and told us that Dallas had taken a nasty spill a few days earlier and had a "bump" on her forehead but that she was okay. He just wanted to let us know so it wouldn't be a shock when we saw her. We both knew right then and there she was meant to be our child!!! They started bringing in the babies one at a time and the crying began, babies and parents!!!

Then came our turn. Dallas was so beautiful, bump and all! John grabbed took her first. She was so quiet. All I could do was look at her in total awe thinking "So your the one who stole my heart even before you were born." Then John placed her in my arms. I was actually holding my daughter!!! It was the greatest feeling ever. Right then and there I felt my heart grow a hundred times with love for this child. The motherly instinct kicked in right there and I knew what I had to do from there on out. She was our child and I loved her with all my heart and there was no way I was leaving China without her!!! She just kept looking at us and looking around. There were twelve families in our group and they were still presenting the babies. Then it was done and the babies were all in their families loving arms. I realized that I had just witnessed a miracle, the creation of twelve new families.

I will write more later today. I am also going to show our "Gotcha Day" video for the first time ever along with pics of Dallas from that evening. Here is a picture taken of us moments after becoming a "forever family". The second picture was taken of us yesterday after celebrating our "Gotcha Day" anniversary with my family.