Two Important Days In One

Today marks one year since our dossier was logged in, in China and 5 huge months since meeting Xiang Xuan, our son Ian, for the very first time.

Late in 2006, it was announced that China would be making drastic changes to the rules prospective adopters must meet in order to qualify to bring a child home from China. Because of some ambiguous definitions relating to a congenital birth defect I have, we were not entirely sure we would qualify to adopt from China after May 1st, 2007. Luckily, we were logged in quickly and received an official "start date" of April 6th. For families planning to adopt a "non special needs" child, this is day one of their wait, and those families logged in this way on the same day as us have at least another 2 years left in their wait, possibly as much as 3 or 4 years. We planned from the beginning to adopt special needs, so this meant we could begin considering waiting children without the fear of being disqualified first. Our biggest nightmare would have been falling in love with a child and then later learning that we didn't qualify.

Well we did... and less than 2 months later, we received a file on a little boy who's only reason for being left on the front steps of a remote orphanage, was a peanut of an ear that we barely even notice now. In the long run, it will be best for him to make a surgical plan, but for now, we're just glad the road of life twists and turns the way it does, for us and for Ian...regardless of the size of his ear.

Today also marks 5 months since we met Ian for the first time. I've rehashed the happenings of that day so many times, but it never gets boring. Some days it feels like we were just in Hangzhou counting down the hours until our appointment at the Civil Affairs Office, and some days it feels like he's always been with us. There was no way to know that exactly 7 months after our paperwork arrived in China, we would be holding our son for the first time.

Below are a few pictures of our first day, 5 months ago... you've seen them before, but it's always fun to look back on such a memorable day.

There are also a few pictures of Ian's fun new toy... A battery operated bubble wand. He was petrified of bubbles in China, but loves the bubble machine at daycare, so I decided this would make a fun outdoor toy...of course, we had to try it out in the house first.

Shawn has a 4 day hockey tournament and I'm sick (again) and have had laryngitis...and Ian's primary caretaker this weekend. Sorry we haven't been up to more than blowing bubbles!

It was hard to believe this day was finally here... and he was heavier than I imagined he would be!

No going back now, daddy! There's fear in both of their eyes!

Home sweet home... a hotel room in a strange new town with strange new people. He was all smiles from the start.

Bubbles!

Running through a curtain of bubbles.

There was bubble residue everywhere... bath time came quickly after these pictures

Whee!