Gotcha day

It has been a very long and emotional day. We got up this morning knowing that today was the day we have been waiting for. Our appointment wasn't until 3:30 P.M. so we tried to keep ourselves busy while we waited. We had breakfast at the hotel and then Chad and McKenna got their swimsuits on and went to the pool (then found out the pool is closed on Mondays). We went back to the room to rest a little then walked around the mall and grabbed some lunch. 

At 2:45 we met our guide in the hotel lobby and then headed to the civil affairs office to go get Addie. We were a little nervous about how she would react seeing us and if she would be scared. I (Chad) was also praying that she would be more comfortable going to Carlyn than me since our son Daniel didn't want much to do with Carlyn on his gotcha day just over a year ago. (That's definitely changed now. He's a big time Mama's boy).

Waiting with anticipation in the lobby we watched two vans pull up with kids, but neither with Addie. Finally, a third van pulled up and a caretaker holding a cute little girl with a pink hat approached the building. It was Addie! Carlyn reached out to hold her and Addie was very comfortable being with her. We could tell she was confused but was not getting upset. McKenna was so excited about having her new little sister. Fortunately she was comfortable with all 3 of us. 

After signing lots of papers we left to go get a few groceries and then headed back to the hotel. We enjoyed playing together and having pizza in the room. Addie struggled to fall asleep. I'm sure she was confused and didn't quite understand what was going on. She finally fell asleep around 10pm.  

Today was a beautiful day and we love Addie so much, but there is still much sorrow that comes with adoption. We were so thankful that Addie seemed comfortable with us but know the next few weeks will be tough as she continues to transition. We're all very exhausted. Thanks for the prayers.