Baby Stories - Gotcha Day

If you have adopted a child, you understand the significance of Gotcha Day. That's the day that you received your child. It's as dreamy and freaky as the day you have your birth child, filled with emotions of "Oh my God" and "Oh shit." I really only remember a few moments of Gotcha Day. The rest seems somewhat like a blur of this and that and crying and hugging and whatnot. But as I wrote previously, my daughter asks me from time to time to tell her a baby story about the first few days when we received her, and this will be the first I tell. And I will write it as if I'm telling her the story.

On the morning of Gotcha Day, Mommy and Daddy and Brother were all having breakfast in the hotel. While we were eating, we heard some babies crying behind us. We turned around and saw nanny after nanny bringing babies in to a little room of our hotel. That can't be our baby, we thought. Our baby isn't supposed to arrive for another hour or so. Mommy and Daddy and Brother aren't dressed up enough to receive our little girl. And the room isn't clean. And the bed isn't made. But it was true. Our baby had arrived. Early. And she was waiting for us in a little room in our hotel. Waiting to see her new family. So Mommy and Daddy and Brother ran upstairs to change. And we put on our nice clothes. And we cleaned up our room. And as Daddy and Mommy made the bed, we paused for a moment and thought "this is it. This is really happening." And Daddy and Mommy cried because we were so happy.

When we walked into the room, it was filled with crying babies. It was so hot because the air conditioning wasn't working that day. We looked all over the room and saw so many different little babies. A woman pointed to you and said that you were our daughter. But we already knew from the pictures we had seen. You were sitting on your nanny's lap, looking around. All the other babies were crying, but not you. You were curious. Curious about what was happening. Or what was going to happen. You were dressed in a Teletubbie shirt and Teletubbie pants and squeaky shoes. And you had on so many clothes because the Chinese believe that by wearing lots of clothes, you keep bad germs away. We sat down beside you and Mommy took you and put you in her lap. And Mommy and Daddy and Brother were so happy to have you. We had waited so long and traveled so far and now here you were. Our little Teletubbie treasure with the curious look and cheeks as red as apples from the heat. And from that day on, you were all ours.