Our Daughter for 1 year - April 14, 2014 Gotcha Day

Last year - Monday, April 14, 2014 - Emma's Gotcha Day - here's a link to the blog with photos from our first moments with Emma.

http://mcginnispartyoffive.blogspot.com/2014/04/gotcha-day-monday-april-14-2014.html



On Wednesday, April 9, 2014, we left our home before 7am to drive to the airport with our car full of luggage and McGinnis Party of Four.  I was clearly anxious and had slept VERY little even though I laid in the bed for 4 hours.  I attempted to eat a waffle which ended up in the garbage can after I gagged at the thought of swallowing it.  We loaded everything and everyone into the car, made one last scan of the house (which looked like a bomb went off) and walked out to the car.  I will NEVER forget my neighbor (and dear friend) raising her kitchen window (she must have been stalking us that morning) and shouting out "Go get our baby girl!"  I practically burst into tears.  We were leaving for China, meeting our baby girl and bringing her home!  What an amazing experience began that day.

Well - it didn't begin that day - it began in our hearts so many months - years before - 3.5 years before.  What began that day was the once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world to meet our daughter - the daughter God planned from the beginning of time would be OUR daughter.

The next few days were a whirlwind of travel, time differences, long airplane rides, visiting some of the most amazing places on Earth and waiting patiently to finally meet Emma.

April 14th will always be a much celebrated day at our home - it's the day we finally met Emma and she made us a family of five.  Today is Emma's Gotcha Day Anniversary - it's the day she was "born" into our family.  It's really as significant to us as the days the boys were born.  As I read back through last year's Gotcha Day blog, I am reminded that our year together has been amazing much like our first day together - she willing accepted us and our love for her - I'm not sure we could convince her today that she's hasn't always been with us.

She's a McGinnis for sure - she's a FANTASTIC sleeper, loves her brothers, adores her Daddy, needs her Mommy for EVERY.SINGLE.THING, she's a constant chatterbox, she will try any foods (but loves her Daddy to share his chocolate) and completes our family perfectly.  She can count to 10 in English and Chinese, identify her colors, sing most of the ABC song, loves to match things (mostly her hair bows to her outfits) and loves to sing Happy Birthday to herself with her "pizza cake" birthday cake puzzle and pretend to blow out her candles.

She's so affectionate with us - she genuinely loves us.  We hear these phrases many times every day.
     "Mommy, hold you."
     "Hug and kiss and nose."  She wants to hug you, kiss you and then give you a nose kiss.
     "Snuggle Daddy."  She might be stalling to stay up a few extra minutes, but Daddy can NEVER say no to our little princess.
     "Emma a princess."  If you're lucky, you've been serenaded by Emma and her version of Let It Go.
     "Emma has weapon."  A girl has some brothers - and they LOVE to play light sabers and blasters together.

A year together has passed by so quickly!  I'm not sure where the time has gone - life just keeps moving.  We've all adjusted to life as a family of five - our house is full and so is our van.  If we haven't seen you much, we did in fact return from China!  We've spent lots of time this year staying close to home and maintaining a routine with Emma.

We are lucky that we have friends and family who live right in the middle - not on the fringes of our lives.  We are thankful for the love we've been shown during this year.  Emma (and our family) is loved beyond measure, and we've seen that lived out this year.


Yesterday she was an orphan - but somehow today she belongs to us.


Today you became Emma Reid McGinnis.
     Daughter to Brian & Shannon McGinnis.
     Sister to Ian Joseph McGinnis and Aidan Ashe McGinnis.
     Granddaughter to Joe & Cathy Lawing and Don & Barbara McGinnis.
     Niece to Chris & Becky Duncan.
     Cousin to Victoria, Tyler & Caleb Duncan.
     Friend and family to so many who love her.

Emma, you are beautiful, chosen, wanted.  You are precious, desired and loved - loved with a never ending, forever love.

I am in awe of your capacity to love and to be loved, your ability to laugh and make us laugh, and your beauty inside and out.

As we celebrate our first Gotcha Day anniversary, we will have Papa John's pizza, breadsticks and ice cream just like our first dinner together in China.  Sweet memories - our baby girl loved pizza that first night and loves it still!

Emma Celebrates Her 3rd Birthday - Saturday, February 28, 2015

We were so excited to celebrate Emma's 3rd birthday - her first with our family.

Last year we celebrated her second birthday half a world apart and about 6 weeks from meeting her.  We'd been hopeful that we'd arrive in China before her birthday and we could celebrate together, but the delay we experienced with transferring agencies prevented us from traveling until April.  We celebrated as a family of 4 with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and a candle the boys blew out as we sang happy birthday to Emma.  We sent a birthday cake to Emma at her orphanage - wow, what a cake!  She was able to eat cake and celebrate her special day with her nannies and friends.

Before we traveled, we supplied the orphanage with a flash drive, and they filled it with photos they'd taken of Emma every month she was in their care.  What a blessing to have these photos - a glimpse into her life from about 6 weeks old until 2 years, 6 weeks old.  

Here's Emma celebrating her first birthday - not quite the extravagant cake our courier delivered for birthday #2, but a kind gesture by the nannies and orphanage to take time to celebrate her first birthday.  It looks like baby girl has ALWAYS loved frosting!

Some days I'm sad to think that I'll never be able to tell Emma her birth story like I can Ian and Aidan - about how we arrived at the hospital at crazy o'clock in the morning, being prepped for a c-section and seeing her the moment she took her first breath.  We don't know any of those details.  We don't know her birth weight, height or time of birth.  We know she was born Tuesday, February 28, 2012 and was abandoned March 28, 2012 and arrived at the orphanage about 2 weeks later.  

What I know about that time in February, March and April 2012 is that we had countless appointments, tests and procedures with specialists trying to conceive our 3rd child.  It was a heartbreaking time in our life.  We had no idea that our baby had been born oceans away and had arrived at her temporary home just as we began exploring the possibility of international adoption in April 2012.  God's timing is impeccable.  During the 2011-2012 school year, I'd been helping with preschool choir each week.  On occasion my partner in crime our other leader Ellen had to travel for work.  Each time she was absent, she'd ask her friend Angie to fill in for her.  I recognized Angie from church - but we are members of a large church with two Sunday morning services and I didn't really know her.  So from time to time, I had the opportunity to chat with Angie during her substitute choir helper nights and I learned they were well into the process of adopting their daughter from China.  Being able to hear their experience really encouraged us along our journey to Emma.  Make no mistake - God's timing is perfect and I will always be thankful for the broken time in our lives and the people God placed in our path because it led us to Emma.  

This photo is my favorite - it's the first photo of Emma we have.  By the file date, it appears it was taken 2 years exactly to our Gotcha Day.  She was 6 weeks old, had just arrived at the orphanage and that's the sweet nanny who loved Emma for 2 years.  

Y'all - isn't she beautiful??  Our tiny little princess was a beautiful baby - chunky cheeks, rosey lips and looks just like our sweet girl now.

So we were beyond excited to finally be able to celebrate a special day with our amazing little girl!

It's a Small World After All - the perfect party theme for our Chinese princess.  I might enjoy planning a party.  Here's our hot air balloon photo area and Emma's 3rd birthday chalkboard.

We had a craft table where the children created a Chinese lantern.  They did a great job - they were so colorful and creative!  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for assisting with the craft table.

Keeping with the It's a Small World theme, we had hot air balloons as decorations throughout the house.  Thanks Mimi for the tedious help in assembling all the lantern balloons and holding the ladder while I hung them.

We had a dessert buffet and invited guests to stop by during the afternoon so Emma wouldn't be overwhelmed with too many guests at one time.

Thanks Mimi for cutting out ALL the adorable It's a Small World characters to make picks for the cupcakes.  

 We had a photo area with a child size hot air balloon.

And it didn't take long for Emma to figure out opening birthday gifts - there were lots of "oohs" and smiles!  I can't rightly say, but on Monday following her party she might have said when she woke up and came downstairs, "Emma party?  Emma open presents?"  I think she knows about birthday parties now!  And we've overheard a time or ten her singing Happy Birthday to Emma over the baby monitor before she falls asleep.

And she very quickly learned to say, "Chris, open" - and her uncle Chris would take the new toy out of the packaging.

 And a big brother or two enjoyed her party as well!

 

Emma's a sweet girl and she loves her mommy - be still my heart.

Emma was a tired girl when the party over - but she had a fantastic time celebrating her first birthday in the US with family and friends.

Our party guests left with yummy white chocolate candy bars and the younger guests left with a special "where in the world" map puzzle.

Emma Reid McGinnis - we are blessed beyond measure to have you as our daughter.  You are loving, beautiful, smart, silly and the cutest baby girl we've ever known!  We are privileged to love you, protect you, teach you and call you our daughter forever.