I can hardly believe our travel day is almost here! Yesterday we greeted our friends, the Sweets, at the airport and met their precious Lukas from Ninh Thuan. (You can check out their website in our links section.) Seeing them with their son only intesified our excitement to meet Sarah. They gave us a glowing report on our daughter and they said she loves to laugh and play.
It is hard to imagine the changes we are going to face in less than a week-a new country, new culture, and a 14 month old baby! While we have had plenty of time to process what we are about to experience, Sarah has not had the same privelege. She may have intese feelings of confusion, grief, and even shock as we transition her into our life/family. Think about it: in her short life she has gone from a birth mother-to a hospital-to a caretaker at the orphange, and now two funny looking white people who sound and smell STRANGE...lol. We truly believe that an orphange is not an ideal place for a child to grow up, but it is all she knows. In just a matter of days Sarah will experience many firsts: cars, air conditioning, hotels, new foods, and planes, just to name a few.
Please understand that we may do things with Sarah that are different compared to what we would do if she had been with us since birth. The first few months home are critical in forming a lasting bond between parent and child. Our agency, Dillon International, asks all adoptive families to stick close to home for the first few weeks after returning from travel and to keep our lives as quiet and simple as possible. Our caseworker has also asked that we limit the holding of Sarah primarily to mom and dad (especially when we are away from our house) and to exclusively provide for her immediate needs (feeding/diaper changing/etc.) at this time in her life. This is how she will learn that we are her parents and we will always be there for her.
This being said, we can't wait to share Sarah with you!!! We know that you, too, have been waiting a long time to love on her. And please do! We want you to touch her and interact with her. We will look forward to the day when she is secure enough in our arms that she can be held in another's arms without being confused. Thankfully, this is only temporary...
If everything goes according to schedule, we will be returning on the 21st at 8:50am. Everyone is welcome to come to the airport to meet Sarah and we hope to see many of your faces. You will be a welcome sight (especially if you bring DoubleShot Coffee for Michael and a Diet Dr. Pepper for Heather)!
When everything around us changes, this one thing remains..."Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
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5 comments:
i'm so excited for you guys. i'll be watching your blog page every day for updates. you're going to love vn. you'll never be the same.
Your list of "first and changes" has just begun and will never end! Tomorrow is a day you'll never forget (sort of like labor pains, I'd guess....exciting and seemingly never-ending).
We can hardly wait to get you to the airport so we can then wait for you to return with Sarah. May your first glimp of Sarah be exactly as you've dreamed and more! We can't wait to hear your reactions. I hope someone can be there with cameras ready to capture those first moments. But, if not, you'll always have a vivid memory to share. May your travels be without delay nor problems. Bringing Sarah home is what it is all about. We will be living close to our computer....keep us posted. Our love to you.
Heather and Michael, Yesterday was the start of a journey you will never forget -- bringing Sarah home. I am sure at this juncture of your flight (16+ hours -- almost half way) you are ready to get off the plane. Just remember this is a flight of a lifetime bringing a lifetime of joy to Sarah and her new family and friends. We were delighted to see you off at the airport and we will be evem more excited to see you upon your arrival with Sarah. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Our Love!
The Wiseman family is praying for you guys and wishing you a wonderful (& quick!) trip to officially welcome Sarah to your family. We just welcomed back friends of ours who brought their baby home from China--another Dillon family--and seeing the joy in their faces was amazing. We are excited to see that same joy in your faces!
Many blessings to you!
Becky, Alex, Lindsay & Logan
Hang in there another 1 hour and 20 minutes and you'll be touching down in SARAH's land of birth, Vietnam! I know the journey has been long for it did not just start some 30+ hours ago! But, God willing, you'll soon be at zero hours to go before meeting Sarah. We hope that you'll rest today and be fresh as you greet your new daughter. All is well at home....not to worry about anything here. We love you. Can your second hug and kiss to Sarah be from us???? (via you, of course!)
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