It Was One Year Ago Today...
Chaz reporting (cross-post from a post in another forum):
...That Trish and I, and ten other families, climbed the 3 flights of stairs in the dirty staircase in a government office building somewhere in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The power was out, but we emerged into a sunlit room full of chatting nannies and 11 babies standing, toddling around, or just being held by their nanny. Without hesitation and without even seeing her face yet, I knew this little girl holding herself up by the edge of a table was our daughter, and snapped my first picture of her...
Each family had a number, 1 through 11, and we were called up in order to receive our babies. We were family 9 of 11 so we had a bit of a wait. I didn't remember much about the actual moment we got her other than that she didn't cry, until we finally watched the videos many months later. In retrospect we just quietly held her, held each other, and cooed over the sweet little baby we now had in our arms, who quietly patted her new Mama on the back. Here is Yuan Xiao Qian moments after she got her own family and became Morgan Lela Qian:
She was dehydrated, had an ear infection, and was pretty calm and nonresponsive. She drank 2 full bottle of water on the spot.
When we got her back to our hotel she took the cookies we gave her and munched quietly away at them while tentatively exploring a set of stacking cups. Within an hour or two she had spoken her first word of English to us, softly whispering "duck" back to us as we kept repeating the name of the toy we had just given her over and over. Not long after that I elicited the first smile from her when, after she shook her head "no" I repeated the gesture back to her. She stopped dead, her eyes got really big, and she shook her head "no" again. I responded in kind once again and she got a huge grin on her face...the first of what must have been tens of thousands to follow.
Morgan has been our daughter for a year now and I would be lying if I didn't say it has been the most astounding, happy, trying, awe-inspiring, difficult, and rewarding year of my life. It has been a year of so many firsts...first steps, first sentence, first pizza, first plane trip, first hurricane, first trip to the beach, first milkshake, first swimming lesson from Mama...
Today she is a very very happy little girl, quick to laugh or play a joke on people, with a huge vocabulary that grows daily. She is smarter than I would have ever dreamed, and already shows talent in music, dancing, and art. At the same time she is strong and independent, and crazy in a wild and free way that makes her fit in with us perfectly. She loves her family fiercely, and is loved in return. She is no longer a baby, but has become the most special little girl I have ever known. I am her #1 fan...
Happy Gotch Day/Family Day, Morgan!
...That Trish and I, and ten other families, climbed the 3 flights of stairs in the dirty staircase in a government office building somewhere in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The power was out, but we emerged into a sunlit room full of chatting nannies and 11 babies standing, toddling around, or just being held by their nanny. Without hesitation and without even seeing her face yet, I knew this little girl holding herself up by the edge of a table was our daughter, and snapped my first picture of her...
Each family had a number, 1 through 11, and we were called up in order to receive our babies. We were family 9 of 11 so we had a bit of a wait. I didn't remember much about the actual moment we got her other than that she didn't cry, until we finally watched the videos many months later. In retrospect we just quietly held her, held each other, and cooed over the sweet little baby we now had in our arms, who quietly patted her new Mama on the back. Here is Yuan Xiao Qian moments after she got her own family and became Morgan Lela Qian:
She was dehydrated, had an ear infection, and was pretty calm and nonresponsive. She drank 2 full bottle of water on the spot.
When we got her back to our hotel she took the cookies we gave her and munched quietly away at them while tentatively exploring a set of stacking cups. Within an hour or two she had spoken her first word of English to us, softly whispering "duck" back to us as we kept repeating the name of the toy we had just given her over and over. Not long after that I elicited the first smile from her when, after she shook her head "no" I repeated the gesture back to her. She stopped dead, her eyes got really big, and she shook her head "no" again. I responded in kind once again and she got a huge grin on her face...the first of what must have been tens of thousands to follow.
Morgan has been our daughter for a year now and I would be lying if I didn't say it has been the most astounding, happy, trying, awe-inspiring, difficult, and rewarding year of my life. It has been a year of so many firsts...first steps, first sentence, first pizza, first plane trip, first hurricane, first trip to the beach, first milkshake, first swimming lesson from Mama...
Today she is a very very happy little girl, quick to laugh or play a joke on people, with a huge vocabulary that grows daily. She is smarter than I would have ever dreamed, and already shows talent in music, dancing, and art. At the same time she is strong and independent, and crazy in a wild and free way that makes her fit in with us perfectly. She loves her family fiercely, and is loved in return. She is no longer a baby, but has become the most special little girl I have ever known. I am her #1 fan...
Happy Gotch Day/Family Day, Morgan!
posted by 33458 | 1:15 AM
7 Comments:
You guys have done an excellent job.
Yoli
Mom to Sally in Inner Mogolia
What a beautiful story. Morgan is growing up so fast.
It's hard to believe it's been a year already. She's growing into a beautiful little girl. Congrats on your first anniversary.
That is amazing it's been a year already. Thanks for continuing to share with all of us here n your blog. You have a beautiful family!
Your family is such an inspiration to me! Congratulations on an amazing year.
Yours is the very first Chinese adoption story I ever followed online. Prior to (and after) traveling to meet our daughter, I learned so very much from the formation of your family, your family dynamic and your honest and forthright postings. The mere fact that you have taken the time to share your lives in such a personal way on such a public venue astounds me and I would like to take a moment to say thank you. The happiest anniversary to all of you...
Fondly,
Karen P.
I thank you all for the kind comments and wish everyone well on their journeys!
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