"Gotcha Day".........

Get as much rest as possible. Well, that wasn't very much! How do you rest when you know why you are there. We were there to get our baby. I can't even begin to tell you how I felt. There were so many emotions going on inside of me.

I was the designated photographer. My roll was to capture every moment of what was to be one of the most exciting times of my son-in-law and daughter's lives. They were going to become parents for the second time. They already had a 20 year old daughter at home.

We boarded the bus for the Chinese Civil Affairs (CCA) office. For the second time that day there was electricity in the air; the first time was that morning in the hotel in Beijing. There was a constant buzz of excitement. Every dad was red-faced and every mother was crying and laughing at the same time. They all had their pictures of their baby in hand. They could only imagine what that first moment was going to be like.

The bus stopped outside this very large, official looking building. It was the CCA office. (See the picture in the previous post.) We all got off of the bus and walked briskly into the building. Our guides went ahead of us to find out where we were to go. Once they found our destination, they came back to get us.

There were some anxious moments when we had to wait in the hall outside of the elevator. Was there a problem? Had the babies not gotten to the CCA? Why the wait? Of course, there was actually no problem, just some last minute details to handle.

They lead us into this large room. There we were to wait another 15-20 minutes, while the paper work was placed in order. Finally, the Director of the CCA came to welcome all of the new parents and grandparents. She introduced the Director of the orphanage and told everyone what could be expected from the babies. Each one would deal with the trama in her own way. Therefore, there is no such thing as normal. They would be there for the next couple of days to help in any way that they could.

Then, we could see the care-givers in the doorway. Each one was holding a baby. One of our babies. Where was ours?

They all came into the room. I had the camera rolling. There was absolutely the most wonderful release of tension that I have ever seen. Everyone was crying. These perspective parents were ready.

The system was well thought out. The Director of the CCA would read the name of the baby in Chinese and the parents would come forward. As each baby's Chinese name was read, the parents met her in the center of the room. The care-giver would introduce the baby to the parents and allow for pictures to be taken.

Next, it was our turn. Our baby's name was read. The tears were rolling down my checks so much that I could hardly see to take the video. What a gorgous little thing she was. She hardly looked like her picture, since she was 4 months older than when it was taken, but I still felt that love for her that had developed over the past year.

After each set of parents had some time to become familiar with their new baby, it was time to receive their adoption documents. Our guides handed them to one of the parents. This was very exciting! It was the culmination of many months of frustration and work.

If you can imagine how exciting it is seeing one couple become parents, most for the first time, then imagine watching 10 couples becoming parents. Again, this is an experience that I don't have the words to describe. Simply put, it was a miracle.