The first time ever I saw your face...

The first time ever I saw your face....queue Roberta Flack music!  Today, that song keeps playing in my head.  Eight years ago today we got "the call"!  When I answered, Kate (at our adoption agency) said "Joy, I have pictures of your baby girl."  I believe I screamed "hit send! Hit send!" 

For some reason, I am feeling very sentimental today.  Maybe because it changed our lives forever!  Maybe because a day does not go by that I don't thank God for both of our children.  Maybe because Clara just refuses to stop growing up so fast!!! 

Sweet little Xin Xiao Huan had been in our hearts since about the time she was conceived.  So, it had been a long time waiting to see that sweet face.  When we got her referral, it was only 12 days until her first birthday and we knew we wouldn't be in China by then.  But we have celebrated her since the moment they put her in my arms on Labor Day 2006! 

This little girl has been one big, wonderful, bundle of joy!  When she was little I always said that she is a party just waiting to happen.  She is all girl...dancing, twirling and giggling through life.  Her smile lights up a room!  She is sweet and caring, kind to everyone.  She has all different kinds of friends and embraces each of their special places in her life.  She is eager to learn.  She will try just about anything.  And will eat just about anything.  She is Curious George in every sense of the word.  You just never know what you might find her doing...or what you might find in her hair when she wakes up in the morning...or what's under her bed, in her closet, in her desk drawer, behind the couch, etc.  She makes us laugh with her funny sayings and brings tears of joy with her sweet love notes she leaves each of us.  The child loves slapstick, physical comedy like no one I have ever known.  She watches The Three Stooges with her dad (really, what girl does that) and laughs until she cries!  She can rock a tutu like no one else!  She plays Christmas songs on the piano all year round.  And she frequently says "sorry, I was in my world, I go there sometimes" (and she does...and she has a special language for that world).  She asks some of the most hilarious questions...the latest being "What is the 'V' word?"  Get your mind out of the gutter people...she meant Verizon.  Seriously, she did!  She still occasionally tells Harrison "you make me so annoying!"  The kid cracks me up every single day! 

So, today I remember that day eight years ago when all the angst, worry, tears, weight gained, weight lost, sleep lost, and thousands of prayers led to the chubby little face of a baby girl in China with our name written on her heart, and hers written on ours.  Sometimes people ask me if Clara was "special needs"...I always say "no, we were!  We needed her!" 

Clara....we love you more than all the numbers!!!