A Special Anniversary...

Today is a special day. It was exactly one year ago today that we received into our family Le Ye Wang, who is now Ty Le Sanza. "Gotcha" day is one I will never forget. As I rode down the elevator knowing that any minute I would meet the little boy that I had waited for for two years, my stomach was in knots of anticipation. A new son, whom I had only seen a picture, I would finally meet face to face. I'll never forget first laying eyes on him. He had a bandana on his head and was sitting in the lap of his nanny. His nanny brought him over to us and introduced him. She said the word "Mommy" to him as she placed him in my arms. She then left. I'll never forget the pain in Ty's eyes as he watched the one person who took care of him for 3 years walk out the door. His arms were stretched out toward her and he was crying. Little Hannah could not take it anymore and started to cry also. It was hard watching his pain. He was scared. I'm grateful that after bringing him back up to the room, after about ten minutes his crying stopped.

What a difference a year makes as this little boy is the happiest he can be. He has changed our lives forever. When we see him laughing and smiling, which is ALOT, it fills our hearts with joy as we realize the life he could have had in the orphanage. God was in this from the very beginning. Through the painful wait of our adoption, to the reward of Ty now and how happy he is with us. I think about Ty's birth parents alot...wondering who they are and that they never knew the joy of knowing who Ty is. I think about how hard that must have been for them to leave him in the hospital basement, not knowing what was wrong with him, since he was losing a tremendous amount of weight, from his esophagus not being attached to his stomach.

So today, I will reflect on what the last year has meant to us, grateful that God knew what he was doing the whole time through our adoption and picked the greatest little boy to be a part of our lives forever.