Gotcha Day
When we adopted our kids, Brent and I believed it was not of ourselves. We believed God was really calling us to adopt. We were in Texas at the time and SCC had been in concert at our church. We lived with family who was considering their role with orphans. During those same months, a Ukranian orphan camp came to our church and one of the kids visited the home where we were staying. Adoption was something that both Brent and I had considered doing in our future before we were married. I was praying about it quietly. I did not mention it to Brent. I decided if this was something God was going to bring about, I was not going to plant the idea in Brent's head. A few weeks later, Brent told me he had been thinking about us adopting.
May 13, 2009. Five years ago today I mailed an application into Lifeline Children's Services. About a year later, we moved agencies to Villa Hope Adoptions. I think I still have their address memorized! A year later we left for Peru on May 15. We will have been a family with our 3 little brown mowlgi children for three years next week.
Gotcha Day is the day that is celebrated in the family when the child/children officially become part of the family. It's actually really important, however, we have only celebrated that day once. It could be because it's only year 3 or it could be that I actually have no idea when the kid's "gotcha day" occurs.
Here's why:
We obtained legal custody on Brent's birthday, but we obtained new birth certificates on two different days. Then there is something called "the day of silence". Yeah. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds. However, I can guarantee you it was anything but silent for us on that day! We never went to court with our kids. Unless that was the part where we traveled for an hour or more, squished in a taxi going 90 miles an hour, headed for the city where Ben was born to get his birth certificate. In a little room, an official lady and our representatives discussed, what I can only assume is, our family and Ben. It was all in Spanish. I have no idea what they said. I think I tried to look like I knew what was going on in the conversation. So that could be Ben's gotcha day. The girl's birth certificates were obtained on another day by Tom.
We landed back in the States on June 8. Bless-ed day. When the tires hit the runway in Georgia, the kids automatically became US citizens, so maybe that's "gotcha day".
I'm sure we could pick anyone of those days to celebrate and it wouldn't matter. The first time we celebrated, it was around June 8. May is a super busy month and we couldn't squeeze anything else into the month. I wanted to have a huge party to celebrate one year. Instead, our little party of five headed to Toyo, our favorite hibachi restaurant. It was fine. They might have even given us free cheese wantons. Score!
This year May and June are insanely busy, so maybe we will return to Toyo and the cheese wantons to celebrate our 3-year-old family!
Below:
Traveling to get Ben's birth certificate
.JPG)
Funny thing. I have no idea where the girls are this whole time! Another funny thing, there wasn't any toilet paper on this trip, anywhere! I was grateful for the Kleenex I had kept in my bag at all times.
Ben wanted to take a picture of us while we were waiting. Do you see our expressions and tired eyes? YIKES!
.JPG)
May 13, 2009. Five years ago today I mailed an application into Lifeline Children's Services. About a year later, we moved agencies to Villa Hope Adoptions. I think I still have their address memorized! A year later we left for Peru on May 15. We will have been a family with our 3 little brown mowlgi children for three years next week.
Gotcha Day is the day that is celebrated in the family when the child/children officially become part of the family. It's actually really important, however, we have only celebrated that day once. It could be because it's only year 3 or it could be that I actually have no idea when the kid's "gotcha day" occurs.
Here's why:
We obtained legal custody on Brent's birthday, but we obtained new birth certificates on two different days. Then there is something called "the day of silence". Yeah. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds. However, I can guarantee you it was anything but silent for us on that day! We never went to court with our kids. Unless that was the part where we traveled for an hour or more, squished in a taxi going 90 miles an hour, headed for the city where Ben was born to get his birth certificate. In a little room, an official lady and our representatives discussed, what I can only assume is, our family and Ben. It was all in Spanish. I have no idea what they said. I think I tried to look like I knew what was going on in the conversation. So that could be Ben's gotcha day. The girl's birth certificates were obtained on another day by Tom.
We landed back in the States on June 8. Bless-ed day. When the tires hit the runway in Georgia, the kids automatically became US citizens, so maybe that's "gotcha day".
I'm sure we could pick anyone of those days to celebrate and it wouldn't matter. The first time we celebrated, it was around June 8. May is a super busy month and we couldn't squeeze anything else into the month. I wanted to have a huge party to celebrate one year. Instead, our little party of five headed to Toyo, our favorite hibachi restaurant. It was fine. They might have even given us free cheese wantons. Score!
This year May and June are insanely busy, so maybe we will return to Toyo and the cheese wantons to celebrate our 3-year-old family!
Below:
Traveling to get Ben's birth certificate
Funny thing. I have no idea where the girls are this whole time! Another funny thing, there wasn't any toilet paper on this trip, anywhere! I was grateful for the Kleenex I had kept in my bag at all times.
Ben wanted to take a picture of us while we were waiting. Do you see our expressions and tired eyes? YIKES!
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