Has it really been two years?

An ordinary Tuesday afternoon became extraordinary on this day in 2010. I was putting away dishes and Stephen was playing a video game in the next room. “Amy,” Stephen said, “I think your phone is ringing.” I reached for it on the desk in our office and noticed the 303 area code, which meant it had to be someone from CCAI. They hadn’t been calling much as we’d been in waiting mode for well over three years, so I was intrigued. Deniece was calling to see whether our immigration paperwork was current, blah, blah, blah. And she had a “cutie” for us to take a look at. Hold the phone. What!? I’d planned for this call. THE CALL. I had a list of questions prepared. Stephen and I were going to hear the news together. I was blindsided, in the best possible way. Heart pounding, hands shaking, I listened intently and took copious notes about little Dang Xue Er (completely unnecessary since all the info was about to be emailed to me, but I needed to do it). Did I run and get Stephen to come listen in? No! I was so busy trying to process what was happening (it was really happening!) that I neglected to bring him into the experience. After finishing the phone call, I tearfully told Stephen that we had a daughter. We were ecstatic that she was only 12 months old and couldn’t wait to see her face. But the files were large and we had trouble getting the email! C’mon, c’mon. . . . Finally, after some back and forth with Deniece, and nearly 40 minutes after we first learned about Xue Er, we saw this face.

And we knew.  

She was our daughter. The one we had been waiting for. All the years of struggle, heartbreak, and disappointment in an instant were exchanged for tears of joy, relief, and sheer bliss.

Then we realized we had to leave in under 30 minutes to go to our foster care training, which we were right in the middle of. (Who cares about completing that right now, I thought. But we followed through and finished our training. I digress.) We quickly went next door to tell Stephen’s parents our news and headed to our class, separately as Stephen actually thought he was going to play in his softball game afterward. I remember that drive to class—I’ve heard people say they were so happy they thought their heart was going to burst, and I experienced it myself for the first time that day. I had no idea how I was going to be able to contain myself during the upcoming two-hours-plus session. How wonderful it was to surprise my family with the news after our class (which we left early, of course). You can plan all you like for how you think events in your life will play out, but as I reflect on my memories of our Match Day, I realize that simply embracing the magic of the moment is the best way to go.

We later discovered a song that captured how we felt:

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, that I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

I might have to wait; I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing and the other half's luck
Wherever you are, whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And baby your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

Natalie is our dream come true, and we can only hope that she’s as proud to be our daughter as we are to be her parents.