The Moment

Now that we are home and I have my trust key board back, I can share more with all of you about our pick up trip.

Many of you have asked about "the moment" we first seen Bella again. I wanted to share that with you. The photo above is from "the moment".

Our agency's driver Abel pick us up and another family at 8:30 am at our hotel. The driver to Hannah's Hope is only about 10 minutes away from the Westin. We were busy talking to the other couple on the way, but I was very distracted. I knew the drive from before and I knew the turns. I just wanted our baby girl. We were greeted by the wonderful staff at Hannah's Hope and taken in to the parent room where we were asked to wait to be taken to our children. I knew where Bella was, she was in the same room, same house....it was hard to wait, but it was only about 8 minutes which is nothing compared to 8 months.

The sweet director finally came in and took us to Bella. When I walked in to her bedroom, I remember scanning the room from left to right looking for. The special Mother gently said "Kimberli" and pointed to her crib....our girl was sleeping. I took one look at her beautiful head and burst in to tears and so did the special Mother. I asked if I could pick her up and they enthusiastically said "yes"! I scooped that sweet baby girl right in to my arms, she awoke, looked up at me, smiled and then nestled her head right in to my shoulder. It had been 8 months since we last seen her or held her, but she knew who I was. It is a moment I will never forget. For 8 months I prayed that through Him, she would know us in her heart, mind and soul....and she did. She has never once been fearful of us, she knew the boys the second she seen them. I am so grateful to our Special Mothers who every day would spend time with Bella showing her the photo book of our faces, playing the recorded chip of our voices in her bear Molly. Such little things that made a huge difference in her connection with us.

We spent a couple hours at Hannah's Hope acclamating our selves to Bella in her own environment. We walked around the orphanage and loved on the other children, especially the children of friends of ours that are still waiting to go home. Our driver than asked if we were ready to go back to the hotel, so we quickly got ourselves around and in the van we went with Bella on our lap! Yes, that's right, NO CAR SEATS!!!! And she started to cry the second we got in the car. She did this every single time we got in that van. I talked to Abel (our driver) about it and he said "Oh, baby not like van. Baby only ride in Van when getting vaccinations". Ah....at 8 months of age, she had related the van to shots. Oh she is a smart girl. Fortunately, she is not afraid of our car at home and loves her car seat.

Bella only took 9 oz's of formula her first day with us and 4 oz's of juice...but you would never know it now. She now has a little "Buddha" belly and its so fun to "zerbert" (air noises on her belly with our mouths). She really stared at EVERYTHING that first day. Our faces, the hotel room, the pool, the trees, EVERYTHING. She is getting used to seeing so many knew things now, but her little sense have to be in overload, yet she is doing great!

Later, I will share about the meeting we had our beautiful birth Mother. Emotional....but so very glad for the blessing of that time.

Thanks for checking in, we just love this little lady bug!

Susie