One year together!

First photo of Anna



Gotcha Day, one year ago today!





This morning at school. Of course she wouldn't smile for the camera today!





Family photos by Belinda this weekend. I couldn't wait to get them color corrected, so here are my favorites.

I can't believe it was been a year since we first met Anna. I still vividly remember Mr. Yeh driving us to Taichung and counting down with his fingers: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 as we approached TWCA. We pulled up to Anna's foster mother's workplace only a few minutes later. Anna was in her foster mother's arms, watching us as we drove up. The next few hours seemed a blur, holding Anna for the first time, seeing her with Daddy, shopping at the baby store and the few papers we had to sign saying we received Anna. The drive back was the first time we were really able to enjoy some calm time with Anna. Having her fall asleep in my arms on the drive back to Taipei made me feel our family was finally complete. Funny, I didn't cry the day we got her, but watching the video and writing this gets me all teary.

The last year of my life has been the best I can remember. Even with the issues at work, fighting with the school district for Ryan and with Anna seeming to catch every cold within a 200-mile radius, things seemed "just right." Many people have asked us how the transition was. I tell them very honestly it feels like Anna had been part of the family from the first time we saw her photo. We were very fortunate and bonded quickly with Anna, just as Ryan bonded with her. Much of this is due to the monthly updates, photos and video we received from Taiwan. It seems that Anna just thinks we are Mom, Dad and Ryan. We are her family and that is that.

It is a little bittersweet that this has been the best year of my life. I feel guilty that the year of Ryan's birth was the worst of my life. Worse than becoming diabetic at 9, my dad dying at 20 or leaving my abusive first husband. Everyone says the birth of your child is the best thing in your life, but for me, it was by far the worst. I didn't realize until several years after his birth that I had "bonding issues" with Ryan due to both of our health issues. Funny, people think of bonding issues with an adopted child. You are not supposed to have them with a child you birthed. So, I have a big guilt streak, and I bonded so quickly with Anna and not Ryan.

I frequently wonder about Anna's birth mother, her family and occasionally the birth father. I wonder if they realize what a wonderful and easy baby Anna is and what they are missing. I know in my head that her birth mother would not have been able to raise Anna with the current values in Taiwan. But I still fantasize about hearing that they would like an update and photos of Anna. I would give almost anything for a picture of her birth mother and her family. I know she has an aunt and uncle and will likely have birth siblings and cousins later that she will probably never meet. But I guess you never know. Things changed significantly with respect to adoption in a very short time in the US, and this may occur in Taiwan.

We celebrated at our local Chinese restaurant (owned by a family from Taipei) and got a cake from DQ with a panda. Anna is always especially popular at the restaurant; both kids loved the cake. Anna's fortune said, "You have a good sense of humor and make people around you happy." This was certainly true as she laughed hysterically, pulling the straw out of her cup. She had the whole section smiling at her antics.

Anna has continued to do well since coming home. She is still not on the growth charts, but the doctors have finally admitted that she will just be small, even compared to other Asians. We started speech therapy last week. Anna is already signing and saying a few words, but they are difficult to understand. The therapist believes Anna will do very well and needs some help to get her started.

So, on we continue.

Love Tami