Tuesday, January 12, 2010

One year anniversary!

Here's my post from one year ago today (I think the first photo says it all!)...
What a day it was today! Our "gotcha" moment was pretty tuff...screaming, arching back, kicking...the whole nine yards.


She loves her caregivers and wanted them so badly it broke my heart. We stuck with it and after a while (a long while) she calmed down and we actually had some smiles!


When we left the building to board the bus she had a major meltdown while I was carrying her out...it was quite the scene. We're in the middle of the busy Guangzhou street waiting for the bus and here I am, an American, holding a Chinese baby who is screaming on top of her lungs while kicking me and trying to push me away. I could barely keep hold of her...I just held on as tight as possible and finally the bus showed up. On the way back to the hotel, she feel asleep from sheer exhaustion.


Once at the hotel, we had just enough time to change her diaper before we had to go to dinner. She was screaming and kicking her legs uncontrollaby, which made the diaper change quite interesting. She had a great appetite at dinner and we got lots of smiles.


Once back in the room, she was quite upset again. She is just very confused and doesn't understand what's going on. She was brought to a strange building, handed off to strangers and everything she knew was gone in a flash. I can see her frustration when she's crying. She doesn't know what to do...she's both pushed me to get away, but when I put her down she's grabbing on. She's SO confused and upset...it's very hard to watch. You feel like someone is ripping your heart out because you can't just fix this for her.

Right now she is sleeping...she's been down for over an hour. She's just so peaceful and sucking her thumb.

You can check out all our pics here.
That was the day our lives changed for ever. We became parents at the blink of an eye, and it was both the hardest and the best day of our lives.

It breaks my heart to look back on the photos from the first week or so. I can see the pain in her eyes that I couldn't see back then. The pain of a child who, after 21 months with her nannies, had her whole world turned upside down.

Now, a year later and almost three years old, she has blossomed into a sweet, happy, spirited, loving and smart little girl who loves bath time, books, riding her tri-cycle, dancing, playing at the park, visits with family and snuggle time with her momma and baba. The transition she has made over the past year is nothing short of incredible and the first four months I spent with her full-time while on maternity leave were priceless. She is our life and we love her unconditionally and that is exactly what she deserves.

14 comments:

sierrasmom said...

I have been thinking of all of us today!!! I love looking at pictures of Lauren...she is soooo happy. You can see it in your eyes. You guys were amazing with her in China and because of you she has blossomed!!! Her then picture looks alot like the one I posted of Sierra!!! But the now photos make up for it!!!
Kathie

Ladybugsmom said...

Oh Donnn....I can't believe a year has passed...she has really blossomed.
Emily

the mommy said...

Donna congrats on your anniversary. Lauren was beautiful then and is now..

Hugs
Susan

Lisa and Tate said...

What a difference the year makes in Lauren! Happy family day!

Diane and John said...

Hi Donna, Joe and Lauren
Happy Anniversary! You all have come a long way!!! You both did such a great job with Lauren in China....she is beautiful...I love her smile!

Rebecca said...

I followed ur journey while u were going through all of the "transition" issues and am so thrilled to see the joy on her face now! Congratulations on your year anniversary! She is beautiful!

mskajlc said...

Congratulations on your 1 yr anniversary!

Lori said...

She now has light in her eyes and an amazing smile on her face! Happy Anniversary! Can you believe it's been a year??

Hugs,
Lori**

Carolin said...

Donna -

Congratulations on your 1 year!!! What a blessing and what a beautiful baby girl you have! I've been going back through our pictures from last year and like you so well put it, the pain is there in her eyes but it was so hard to see at the time. Such a happy time for us, but such a difficult time for them. Bitter sweet it is.

Happy anniversary though with our blessings!

Jodi said...

Happy Gotcha-day anniversary. Lauren is beautiful and so lucky to be part of your family.

Jodi

Catherine said...

Poor little lamb. I remember reading about your time in China and praying for you. Your little love was having such a tough time that my mom prayed too as she also followed your story.

Your sweet Lauren has done so well! What a precious daughter you have!

Congratulations on one year together!

Donna said...

Happy one year! :::hugs:::

Donna
Our Blog: Double Happiness!

Kristy said...

Wow I cant believe it has already been a year!!!! She is beautiful! Happy Gotcha day!!!

Love and blessings, Kristy

Special K said...

I can't believe it's been a year either... Happy Anniversary!
Your daughter is beautiful and blossoming. :)