Remembering the first Gotcha Day....

(first night he was home:)

This year I was so emotional on Braden's gotcha day. I guess it's because it was six years ago....on a Friday night. Today is Friday. I can still remember the phone call and how everything fell perfectly into place.

We were originally told we'd have to fly into NYC to pick him up...and immediately fly (with a baby we've never met) home OR stay in a hotel (in a city we don't know with a baby we don't know). This was all NEW to us...the very first time, so we were quite nervous about the whole situation. Excited...but nervous. We requested to have him fly into DC because we could stay with my parents but were told it was a long shot.

Brian had a terrible job at the time and worked nonstop. Don't get me wrong...it was a JOB...and that was a blessing. But he would go to work at 7am and work until 5 (to be home at 5:30 so he could spend time with Cailey and I) only to go BACK to work at 7:30pm until 1 am or later at times...and do it again the next day. He did it because the job didn't pay well and he was paid hourly so he could get tons of overtime. He had no vacation or sick leave...so if he didn't work, he wouldn't get paid. This made up super nervous about when the phone call would come to meet Braden (in NYC). We were told it would probably be in the middle of the week...which would mean having to take time off...which we couldn't afford.

We were told it would be last minute. That we'd get the call and then have to go a couple days later...making travel arrangements much more difficult. BUT we were excited. We prayed that God would work out the details and just waited for the 'pick up' call.

It was a Friday...the day before my baby shower...and we got the call. A full WEEK in advance! To make it even better, they said he was coming to DC!! We were able to just drive up and stay with mom and dad! On a Friday, which meant that Brian could get all his hours in and we'd have the weekend to get adjusted and drive back home. God worked out ALL the details.

It was pretty amazing...and we were THRILLED beyond belief! I could finally tell people at the shower when he was coming and we went into overdrive. In the end that week seemed to last an eternity...and I just wanted my baby home.

We drove to mom and dad's Friday and dad took us to the airport that evening while mom stayed with Cailey. We knew which flight it was but hadn't done this before so we had no clue what to expect. Once the flight was in I literally ran to EVERY person holding a baby with dark hair and would squeal in delight waiting for them to hand it over...but they weren't mine:). I should have been embarrassed, but I wasn't. FINALLY...after every person was off the plane (and what seemed like HOURS later) a lady (who barely spoke English) walked down and I just KNEW she had to be holding my baby. Sure enough she was carrying a very tired Braden in a bjorn type carrier. She told us some things (that we didn't understand and were too excited to try to) then left us. It was so strange to think that we could just walk away...and he would be ours forever!

It was pretty late so he was zonked and slept in the car on the way home. Mom kept Cailey up so she could meet her baby brother and at the time she seemed SO old to me (maybe it's a first born thing??) but looking back at the video she was just a baby herself. She loved him from the start. We all did. What we thought would be our only adoption (we thought we'd have 3 biological and adopt 1) was over and our family grew to four.

Braden is such a blessing to our family. I always talk about his servants' heart and willingness to offer help to anyone because it's a constant everyday thing. He loves all things science and math and will soon know WAY more than us (and probably already does) in those areas. But most of all I want him to follow God's will for his life...no matter where it leads. I feel like when we started his adoption process there were so many things that went wrong along the way...so many delays that were BEYOND frustrating. God knew why those delays happened. God CHOSE Braden for our family and he just wasn't ready yet. How amazing to know that our sweet son was HANDPICKED by GOD to come live with us....it still gives me chills.

We love you so much, Braden!! Happy 6th Gotcha Day!

today:)

Braden wanted waffles for breakfast (on the B plate, of course), salad for lunch with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and pizza for dinner. We had co op this morning (where he showed the Korean flag for show n' tell and announced it was his gotcha day) then headed to the mall for a FREE chocolate chip cookie (it's national cookie day) from Great American Cookie Co. and a lunch date with the Klick's. Braden LOVED waffles prepared by daddy this morning and his salad (prepared by CFA:). We spent the afternoon playing games before he went to a sleepover birthday party at Caden's house. I gotta admit I was a little sad because it is the first time ever that he's been away from us on October 1st (as we usually celebrate all day long) but I know he's having a blast. Oh...and he got his pizza request too...from Chuck E. Cheese. Before he left he said he had a 'great gotcha day'.