Dear Alexis,

I write this post to you for you to understand about your personal adoption story. God placed a desire in my heart to have another child, specifically a little girl, in June 2006. Your daddy and I had already closed the door to any more children, but God as we know, is relentless when we open our heart to His will. We examined state adoption, open adoption, and international adoption from various countries. It was December 2009, when we took the leap of faith and filed an application to adopt from China. We were initially told that the wait would be 3 years and 9 months. That seemed way too long and it could not possibly take that long, but boy was I in for a long roller-coaster ride of emotional turmoil. We finally got the anticipated call 4 years and 1 month later. Throughout the wait, God was always by my side whispering to me of His promise to bless us with a child.

I was so very nervous on the Gotcha Day. I was so filled with anxiety that all would go well, that we would bond together as a family. When I first saw you I cried and cried to finally see and touch you. From the first sight of you, I knew you were the most beautiful girl in the world! I tried to go slowly as I approached you as to not frighten you. The nanny from the orphanage would point to the photo album we had sent and say, Mama, then point to me. You said, “Mama,” and touched my chest. This made my heart melt and I cried all the more. So long had I waited to hear those words.

The first 2 days Alexis,  you, were a little shy, reserved, and clung to me, which I dearly loved. Whenever you would cry you would heave a loud sigh and you would wipe large droplets of tears from your gorgeous eyes. Christian and I agreed that it was the most pitiful sight that broke our hearts. The three of us loved you from the start. We had been waiting for you for 4 years and 4 months.

To help you become accustomed to us, we called you by the name your foster family called you, Tian Tian, pronounced Tin Tin, meaning Little Sweetie. The first 2 days you avoided eye contact and would even roll your eyes at us when you did not like something or when we tried to make you laugh. American humor is quite different to the Asian culture. You definitely would let us know when you did not like something with a adamant shaking of your head no.

The nanny had said you had liked to run, but you loved to be carried most everywhere which helped with the bonding. She also said you loved to sing. We noticed this on walks in the park you would break out singing the sweetest melody of the Cantonese version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I would sing the English version while you would sing yours. What bilingual education! We found out also your favorite song was Where’s Daddy, a popular Cantonese pop song about daddies bringing their city children to the mountains to fish, play, and explore. What adventurous days ahead you have with your own daddy.

On the 4th day at the Pagoda Botanical Garden we all noticed a definite change in your behavior and mood. You began to assert your will for what you wanted; whether it was to go further on the path or wanted to be held instead of being in the stroller. This morning before we left I had been reading my Bible study by Lysa Terkeurst, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, about the importance of a father. Our guide David brought our family to eat at a fabulous and scenic Chinese restaurant called Ubud. At this point you were still solely attached to me, but at this lunch is when your heart bursted with love and joy in your daddy. You began to play and giggle and at one point you looked at him and motioned for him to pose for the camera with you. From this day on your guard has been let down. You dance with him, run and jump on him, hug and yes, even give him your 1st kiss. I know from personal experience there is nothing like a daughter’s love for her father. Nothing!

From the start of our adoption journey, Christian has wanted a little sister to care for. He has so many scenarios planned out for taking care of you, whether walking you to and from school, or taking care of a nasty bully. It took a little while for you to warm up to him. He would get up close and you would put your hand up in his face and wave for him to get back. I know it hurt his feelings, because we felt you would take to him first being a kid. From the beginning Christian was the official bottle maker and stroller pusher throughout the busy streets of Nanning. What made the difference and helped you bond with Christian was how he was able to pick up on the language so quickly. He would use his translator or ask David, our adoption rep. for a word or phrase to say and you simply would respond, whether it was hold hands, be gentle, or to eat. Christian had bridged the gap of language difference and formed the desired bond. After we arrived in Guangzhou he began to help put you to bed, read your nightly story, and even snuggling with you in bed. What a wonderful big brother you have!

Some of my current favorite things about you Alexis is: your contagious laughter that is so loud and uncontrollable you almost fall over while standing up, the way you swing your arms as you sashay, when you are happy you sing, the largest smile, the way you hop and skip when you walk, and the best for last is the way you feel like you have always been a part of our family.