>>>>Gotcha<<<<

If ever there was a day to celebrate, it was yesterday, the fourth (can you believe it?) anniversary of Skip's Gotcha Day! The special part is, this year he REALLY understands the significance, and it was truly a celebration!  While it's a huge cause for celebration, we keep it in perspective and make it just a day that we celebrate and give thanks. This year, we spent the day on the boat with good friends. We gave him a board game, which was very cool to him, and spent most of the day playing at the beach. It really is hard to believe it has been 4 years since we sat before the judge in the small, dingy courtroom in Irkutsk, Siberia, and spent 3 hours pleading our case before she finally uttered the words we had waited so long to hear - you are now the parents of JR!  At the time, the 9 months we waited from trip one to court trip seemed like it was the hardest thing ANYONE could endure, and at the time, it was that to us.  Four years ago yesterday a judge congratulated us on becoming JR's parents, and we celebrated with friends over a wonderful meal at one of the only two restaurants in all of Angarsk, the city of his birth. When we finally arrived to get him, it was pleasure beyond words. We were now the parents of this beautiful little 20 month old son, who couldn't speak a word of Russian, let alone English, had only 6 teeth, and who until then, knew nothing except the sterile environment of the old, although well maintained baby home, where he had lived all his life.  His whole life was turned upside down and he hadn't a clue what was happening. While the Baby Home was very old,  understaffed, and in desperate need of basic supplies, the staff was the only family he knew. When we arrived to pick pick him up at the Baby Home, he was terrified. He didn't understand why this couple he didn't remember was talking such a funny language, and were trying to take him from his "family" - the caregivers and Baby Home Director. It took patience, coaxing by the lead caregiver and  a small box of cheerios to convince him to let his guard down and let  us dress him. I will always remember the scared look on his little face as we left the building amid tearful good-byes from the staff. I was convinced he would never bond with us! Once at the apartment, however, it took little time to become a family and the three weeks we spent waiting for our paperwork to clear was so peaceful & special to us. I remember feeling sad that we were leaving Angarsk, perhaps for the last time for many years. (Little did I know at the time we're be back less than a year later to visit H3 for the first time!) I vividly recall the long trip home, with JR sleeping for a good part of the flights in a wall mounted bassinet. Mostly I recall the wave of emotion that struck me the instant we touched down in New York. I cried long and hard. But these were happy tears. Tears of joy, tears of relief, tears of contentment. It just snuck up on me - something I wasn't expecting.  There is so much I remember about that journey. Most I hope to always remember, somethings, not so much and have worked hard to forget. I will never however, forget the children left behind in the Baby Home. The children, who by pure logistics, have no chance of ever finding a home. Their faces are etched in my memory forever, and serve as a reminder of the life that could have been...

Four years later, the baby who couldn't talk, is a boy who is NEVER quiet. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for entrusting Cap & I with his care. He brings happiness to me each time I look at him, and can light up the room with just a smile. He is beautiful, funny, and smart. He is stubborn, too wise for his own good, and often frustrating. He knows what he wants, and he makes it well known. He is polite and thoughtful. He loves to play, and hates to sleep. He can have me laughing and fuming mad at the same time. His limitless energy keeps us young, and at the same time exhausts us. In the past four years we've learned to live on less sleep, less money, and less "us" time. On the flip side however, the last four years has brought us a love we cannot put into words. People tell us all the time how lucky HE is...the reality is WE are lucky ones!

I put this video together as a reminder of this special day, and used a song written by a really talented artist named Pat Bacon. Pat's wife Diane and I got to know each other during the adoption process as we waited four our children to come home.  As we waited to bring JR. home, they waited for their daughter, Ana. The song is from the album by the same name, "The Lucky Ones" and was written about their adoption journey for Ana.  It brings tears to my eyes each time I hear the song and have long wanted to use it for one of my videos. It just seemed right this time, so here goes.

Please check out Pat's website.  You won't be disappointed.

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