Happy Adoption Day to our Sweet Girl!

Today is Lydia's 3rd adoption day! It is hard to believe that 3 years ago a woman shoved a baby in my arms and that I became the mommy to this beautiful, chubby Chinese baby in a Civil Affairs office 1/2 way around the world. It was 2pm in Chongqing and was about 55 degrees outside. Kind of overcast and raining off and on. All of the sudden they began parading these babies in matching outfits in and putting them in walkers and giving the walkers shoves with their feet. So, babies rolling everywhere. All the babies were bundled in 3 layers of clothing. T-shirt, wool sweater and wool pants, thick fleece jacket and thick fleece pants, wool socks and wool boots. Our friends and travelmates, Debbie and Chad went up to Lydia thinking it was their daughter, AnMei, only to discuss between them and figure out that it was not AnMei. Craig and I instantly recognized Lydia and went up to her. She just looked up at us expressionless with these empty eyes not having a clue in the world who we were. We didn't get to pick her up. Instead we had to wait for them to call our name and when they did a tiny Chinese woman shoved this baby in my arms and said "mama" to me (the lady said that, not Lydia). 3 years later we have this fiesty, spicy little girl who is beautiful and wonderful and the best daughter God could have ever chosen for me. I love her to the end of the earth. I often think of her Chinese mom and dad and what they are missing out on by not getting to be with Lydia. But, I am grateful that they loved her enough to realize that they could not care for her and so I get to be her Mommy and Craig her Daddy. And her, our baby girl. We celebrated today by getting her all dressed up in her Chinese dress and taking her for Chinese dinner at Pei Wei. Jake and their cousin, Kyndal, and aunt Amy came along.