ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

It's our first Gotcha Day celebration, we spent the day stormed in and played! We started our tradition of a family snapshot, we'll take one every year on this day and we have one from our first day together in China. We also gave Aislin a charm bracelet and every year on this day we will add a charm to it, the first one we want to add is the Chinese symbol for family...

One year ago today I held my sweet Aislin in my arms for the very first time! I remember it so clearly...we flew from Beijing to Guangzhou and when we landed our guide told us we had enough time to check into the hotel because our babies were already at the Adoption centre, waiting for us! We took a bus over to the centre and waited and waited...Aislin was across the hall and down a bit, we could hear her but couldn't see her. It felt like an eternity! Finally at long last the Director of her orphanage brought each child into the room one at a time and they were united with their forever families, finally it was our turn!

I was so afraid of everything until I held her...then nothing mattered! Aislin and I sat in a room with many of the Mom's and babies while John was in talking to the Director asking questions about Aislin, her likes/dislikes, her developement etc. So I had almost an hour of just her and I to start bonding...it was so strange but when she looked at me it was like she already knew me, she didn't seem scared or aloof...she cuddled and laughed with me..After that we left and some of us went to get some last minute supplies we needed and John took Aislin and went back to the hotel with my warning" DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH HER, WAIT FOR ME, I DON'T WANT TO MISS ANYTHING!" Well, he listened because when I got back an hour later the two of them were playing, no diaper change, no feeding, no bath...he took me literally! But they were both laughing and so happy, it is a very sweet memory. So Aislin had her first bath and then we called Mom and Dad...Aislin had the phone to her ear and fell asleep that night listening to Grammy's voice...

Here she is one year later in the very same pajamas...yes they still fit (they were really big on her in China!) though the sleeves just reach her wrists and the cuffs just reach her ankles...

It's been one amazing year, with so many more to come!