Gotcha day

Gotcha Day

It has been a very long and emotional day. We got up this morning knowing that today was the day that we have been waiting for. Our appointment wasn't until 3:00 P.M. so we tried to keep ourselves busy while we waited. There is a park with a beautiful lake near our hotel so we rounded up the family and took a nice stroll around the park. McKenna and Caleb continued to get lots of attention, but they handled it pretty well. It was as if we were movie stars walking around. The locals all loved McKenna's hair. 

After that we came back to our room and Chad took McKenna to the pool. The water was very cold, so they ended up mostly playing around the pool instead of in inside it. It was so fun watching those two and the precious bond they have. 

At 2:30 we met our guide in the hotel lobby. I (Carlyn) was a ball of nerves. I couldn't believe that meeting Daniel for the first time and him becoming our son was about to happen. 

When we pulled up to the Civil Affairs office, Chad and I looked out the window and there was Daniel with his care taker. I cannot even begin to tell you the emotions that were going through us at that exact moment. Our son, the one we have been praying for and dreaming about for months was right there. 

Daniel immediately bonded with Chad and would not let anyone else including me get close to him. There were lots of tears during the meeting, but we got through it. We got in the van and I was able to get Daniel to sit in my lap by feeding him. That boy loves to eat. McKenna loved feeding him and nurturing him. Caleb is having some difficulty with a new baby brother, but is so cute with him. Please pray for all of our bonding. 

We took Daniel shopping at the local mart to buy some things the orphanage recommended getting. After that we played back in the hotel room together and enjoyed dinner together. Chad got pizza for us and some rice/noodle concoction he thought Daniel might like. He ended eating the pizza. 

Daniel finally fell asleep around 9 pm. We are all exhausted at this point so forgive me if the blog doesn't make much sense. Today was a beautiful day and we love Daniel more than we could ever imagine, but there is still that sorrow that comes with gotcha day. We were concerned that Daniel would be terrified of both of us. God took care of that by creating an instant attachment to Chad. I am so thankful for this immediate attachment. It is a little sad for me because he is hesitant around me unless Chad is close by. Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers.