It's really happening

Everything came together last week.  Our tickets are purchased.  The dates are set.  The grandmas and great-grandmas have been notified.

We are so excited that this is finally happening.  I do have some doubts going forward about how things are going to proceed, what we will call her, how much Chinese influence will be in her life, and how American our little girl will be.  I found out that her name means literary musician, and it is beautiful.  I would be so pleased if she could be either.  It seems like it would be a shame to take the names away from her.  They are just as much a part of her as we will be.  It could be a long plane ride home while we talk about it.

I am worried that she will always have a chip on her shoulder because her parents left her on the steps of the police station.  I don't know that the love that we have for her and that we chose her out of all the children in the world will be enough.  I hope we can provide her with all the opportunities in the world.  I hope that she will have a wonderful life filled with happiness, joy, adventure, and love.  I am hoping she will free, confident, fun loving, laughing, and care free for much of her childhood.  I pray that we can give her these things.

I hope that the pain she will go through with the surgery(ies) will be minimal and that she understands we love her through it all.  Some people who adopt read a lot of books, analyze how things are going, have a specific plan to address the concerns, and get concerned if the other parties don't react the way they think they should.  I want to see how things pan out, react to the feelings, and get help if we need to do it.  Having read some of the accounts that are documented, I think many of the responses are skewed to problem scenarios.  I can't believe that every child is the same.

I look at how my friends are coping with their Chinese children, and I hope we can have a semblance of the joy they have in their households in ours as well.

This child is so loved.  I can't believe the responses from my community.  She has so many more aunts and uncles than just our family.  She has an amazing support system, and it boggles my mind.  The joy that I am feeling seems to be quite infectious with everyone I meet.  I am thankful for all the support and look forward to the future.

She is my joy.