Today is what everyone on the adoption forums & blogs refers to as "Gotcha Day!"   And I can’t recall a day that I’ve begun with so much anticipation but also so much anxiety.

Don’t get me wrong, we’re eager to begin our new life with Liam.   We’re so excited about everything well be able to give him — we’ve had more than 2 years to dream about all of the firsts that he will experience with us:   first birthday cake;   first trip to the park;   first day at the beach.   I’m sure these are the kinds of dreams that all parents-to-be have.   And we’ve done everything we can think of to prepare ourselves & our home for his arrival.

But at the same time, we laid awake last night worrying about how we’re plucking our poor little guy out of the only stable, caring environment he’s had for more than half of his short little life.   Everything that’s comfortable, familiar, & safe for him will be snatched away in the course of just a few minutes today.   Thinking about how disorienting living in Moscow for a couple of weeks has been for us, we can only begin to grasp how terribly disorienting the coming weeks will be for Liam:   Strange new people;   unknown new surroundings;   words that make no sense;   odd new foods.

Without a doubt, Liam was meant to be with us and this is a wonderful beginning to a better life for all of us, but at the same time, we’re really wracked with guilt about the stress & confusion that we’re about to put him thru on the way to that new, better life.

Anyway, here we go!   Look for "Gotcha Day" photos in a few short hours...

 

Labels: