Gotcha again.......

Well its time for that annual post, Gotcha day is upon us once more. For the uninitiated, Gotcha day is the day adoptive parents receive their new child, its like a second birthday, the day they their forever family begins. On January 10th 2005 a confused little girl of only 15 months old received the first embrace from her forever mom. She cried at first, but then she clung to momma with all she had in her. To this very day anytime Gracie is blue, frightened, or just needs held, she seeks and craves the safety and security of the love in her momma's arms. On January 10th, 2005 Yi Meng Chang became Marilyn Grace Wilson in that instant. In the photos below you see that moment, you can see the joy and tears in Angie as she cries out to our Saviour, "Thank you Jesus" as she embraces this long awaited little miracle of love.

It's so hard to believe its been 5 years since Gotcha day. It's so difficult to grasp that Gracie once was not part of our every waking ( and most sleeping ) moment. It is impossible to remember what life was like without her. In that instant, one single moment in time, her little life transformed a strong marriage into an impenetrable fortress of a family.

There are times when I feel sorry for Gracie. Her young life has been filled with so much pain, discomfort, tragedy, and confusion. More stuff than an adult should have to list, she has sluffed off much in her mere 6 years of life. Starting with being pulled away from everything she ever knew at 15 months and placed with people who looked different, sounded strange, but obviously loved her. Then just last week she had to endure yet another funeral as she bid goodbye to yet another grandparent, her Grandma Cheryl whom she had come to know and love.

As much as the years have brought dear Gracie challenge after challenge, the years have always been the losers, and Gracie has always been the winner. As many adversities as I can list, I can double the length of that list with a list of her triumphs. You simply can not keep Gracie down for long, you can not keep her in check, ( much to the chagrin of we her parents at times) Gracie struggles with many things, but brings us indescribable joy to watch her beat one obstacle after the other. I makes my heart leap every single time she conquers a new frontier.

In just the past year or so she has defeated many obstacles. These may not seem all that pertinent to most parents, it is just part of growing up for any kid after all, but with Gracie its different. Gracie has always been a little behind the curve on her physical development, she is 6 years old and hasn't broken 40 lbs. as of yet. At 15 months old she could hardly roll herself over, couldn't crawl, and had much difficulty with her fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. She is still a bit behind on those developmental things. That is why small things like her finally figuring out how to ride her two wheel bicycle was such a grand accomplishment this summer. She was down right angry at the fact that all her friends were off tricycles, off training wheels and flying around the neighborhood. In fact, ticked might be a word. With the help of a host of volunteers, but mostly her BFF Kate, she bore the bumps and bruises and worked it out this summer. This is just one small example of her drive and stubbornness to force any and all issues until she feels success. Learning to read, write, spell, tie her shoes, make her own breakfast, etc. etc. all fall into the same kind of fierce drive to achieve. I find it such a joy to watch her proudly go after item after item. I fear the teenage years however, this same stubbornness may kill us all, but it is who she is and I wouldn't have it any other way.

My dearest Gracie, I love you....... I hope this next year brings you even more joy and fewer pains........