The Day Before We Meet Brielle

“B,”

These last few days have been SO busy as we’ve been in Beijing learning and soaking up as much as we can of your culture so that one day we can teach you more about your birth country. We’ve had so many types of amazing food native to various provinces in China (I’m sorry to say that Chinese food in the U.S. won’t be as good as it is in China- it's just something you should know). We’ve seen some fun parts of Beijing, taking in the hustle and bustle of the traditional markets where locals purchase food, vegetables, and snacks. 

(we taste-tested a lot of amazing new things which was a lot of fun- we just prayed for strong stomachs as we couldn't resist!) 

We visited the CCCWA ( the office that oversees adoption in China) on Friday (1/30) and saw where all of the paperwork was sent that we created to bring you home . 

We also saw the offices that helped create your paperwork for adoption and that gave us the approval to adopt you and travel to China. We visited Beihai Park, where it was SO cold and the river had frozen over and people had created different ice activities. 

(it looked so fun and we think this could go over well in the U.S.-- they even had bumper cars on ice and a sliding board made of ice!)

We visited the Laoshe Tea House, a traditional teahouse for tea and then had lunch. 

These teahouses, for many years, were a common meeting place for people to sit around and catch up with each other. (similar to our modern day coffee shops) They also performed a special show called Piying. It was fun seeing one in person as we’d only seen them in movies or television.

We saw Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, which was home to many of China’s emperors. The Forbidden City was an amazing site to see and we learned 

so much about your culture.  

We visited the Silk Market and saw a Kung Fu Show.  Of course we couldn’t leave China without visiting the Great Wall again. It’s one of your dad’s favorite places in the world.  

We wrapped up our time in Beijing with a traditional Peking Duck lunch which is 
famous in Beijing and then had dinner at a noodle house 
with noodle dishes from different provinces. 

We are thankful that our adoption trip schedules time for us to learn as 

much as we can about your birth country. 

Today we flew from Beijing to the province where you have lived these last 17 months. 

We traveled with a large group of families who are all here to pick up their little ones, too!  This afternoon they took our large, crazy, American group to the local Walmart (which wasn’t quite like our Walmart), so that we could make sure we had enough baby supplies and Chinese baby formula. 

I know that our group was quite a sight trying to make sense of labels in Chinese and metric measurements and push our way through the crowds and endure the oh-so-interesting smells of China. They wanted to make sure we had what you are used to eating, drinking and snacking on, so that hopefully your adjustment will go a little better this week.

Tomorrow, commonly known as "Gotcha Day", they will bring you to us and we will meet you for the first time in a government building sometime after 10am. In less than 12 hours, you will officially become our daughter.  Just typing those words brings a flood of various emotions to your dad and me. There are moments where this doesn’t feel real. Some moments it feels so exciting, while other times frightening. It’s quite surreal.  We have prepared for you for so long. There are so many emotions involved and yet, we know there will be equally more emotions you will experience in your little life when this “big day” happens to you tomorrow. For us it is a day of excitement, a day we will meet you for the first time; however, for you- you don’t know we are coming for you, you don’t know that tomorrow you will meet us and you don’t know all that is about to happen in your little life in the days and weeks to come.  You will probably be scared. It’s ok- we are scared, too.

While this is going to be an exciting day for us and we will gain a beautiful daughter in the process, we recognize for the second time in your very short life, you will again lose everything and everyone you’ve ever known.  You will lose the main home you’ve known the longest and you will be separated for the first time, from the two nannies that love you dearly. You will travel a long way from Xinyang on a journey where they will bring you to us in your capital city, Zhengzhou.  We know that you will not understand what’s about to transpire. Though we are excited, our hearts grieve for you in that you will go through so much in the next 24 hours as everything that is familiar to you suddenly will be replaced by what is largely unfamiliar. There will be many new experiences. We know it will be very overwhelming for you. We know a lot of the next 72 hours may be quite over-stimulating and hard for you to process. We know you will need to learn to trust us, to reach out to us and recognize us as your new caregivers- your mom and dad. (We met a nice Chinese man on the plane when we were flying from Hong Kong to China and he taught us some helpful Chinese phrases that we practiced with our Chinese friend in Beijng. I'm sure it will sound awful and you probably won't understand us, but maybe we'll try anyway. At least it will sound a little familiar, maybe?)

After you meet us, you may grieve immediately and hard over the losses you are experiencing.  You may cry and be inconsolable or you may just shut down for a period of time when we first meet you.  You may not look us in the eyes, you may not want to be held, and you may not smile for a while. (we still haven’t seen a smile out of you in any of your photos or videos, so we look forward to seeing that from you soon! We know it’s in there somewhere)  

We don’t know how you may react so we prepare our hearts for any of these possibilities.  We know “Gotcha Day” may not be that “beautiful” day that so many parents dream about for so long.  For many families—it’s a very hard day.  It’s not always the “picture perfect” day that so many dream and wish for. For each child and parent, it will look so different.  We just pr** that you adjust well, attach well, feel loved and protected and learn to trust.

Your first week with us will be a week of MANY firsts for you:

• You may take a train, bus, or car ride for the very first time in your life. 

• You will be around many new and unfamiliar people.

• You will experience new sights and sounds and smells that you’ve never experienced before.  (some you may like, others you may not)

• You will meet your very tall dad and your mom (and you might be very scared of your dad since you haven’t been around men much at all, especially very tall men)

• You will hear English and be confused and will likely get frustrated since you can’t understand us and we can’t understand you.  Don’t worry- your dad doesn’t understand me half the time since I talk so fast, so you will both be in the same boat for a while I think.

• You will experience new foods for the first time. Some you may love, some you may dislike. Your dad thinks you’ll love pancakes since we both do. We anticipate that you will make some very funny faces in the next few days as you learn to try new things and experience new foods. (it’s alright, we experienced quite a few new foods on this trip to meet you and we might have made a few funny faces too)

• You will venture out for the first time into this great big world. A world that for the last 17 months has existed outside of the 4 walls of your orphanage, but also a world which you’ve never known- full of busy and crowded streets, numerous people,  loud noises, and a multitude of new experiences.

• You will take a long train ride just 48 hours after we have you so that we can get your passport processed. I’m sure this won’t be easy for you (or for us!) since it’s almost Chinese New Year here in China and everyone from all over China is traveling home to be with their family on the biggest holiday of the year. This train will be quite crowded so you might be a little overwhelmed by all of the people. 

At the end of this week on Saturday, February 7^th, you will take your first flight to the southernmost part of China where you will get your visa from the U.S. Consulate so that you can enter the U.S. You will have to meet with doctors and you probably won’t like that too much.  They are responsible for ensuring you are ok and approved to enter the U.S.

On Friday, February 13th, you will take a long van ride with us, leaving China (the beautiful home where you were born) at 5am to cross the border into neighboring Hong Kong. There, you will prepare for your second flight—a very long one, around 16 hours, that will bring you home with us to meet all of the wonderful people who love you already and haven’t even met you yet. People who have been pr**ing for you during this entire three years and during this trip as we’ve prepared to meet you and bring you home. Even though we will leave on the 13th from China, we will still arrive on the 13th U.S. time, so ironically, we get to relive that day twice. (boy oh boy!) 

Your world is about to change in so many ways, little one. We know it will take some time for you to acclimate to all of these new things and we pr** that your adjustment will be a smooth one, that you won’t be afraid (even though we know you are afraid of strangers), that you would be calm and trusting and that Go* will continue to prepare your heart for this big day tomorrow and the many that are to come.

We don’t know everything to expect tomorrow, but we do know this. We do know that thousands of pr**ers have been pra*ed for you both in the last three years and this week by many around the world. We know that G** knew every detail of what you would experience far before any of us did.  He has you in the palm of H** hand and will equip us as your parents, for everything that you may need. We have seen H** hand in every detail, great and small, in this process.

“Bri” --We are so excited for you to be a part of your forever family. On Tuesday, February 3, only 24 hours after we hold you in our arms for the first time, we will have an appointment and you will officially become a part of our family and will receive a new name, our name. In the eyes of both your birth country and the U.S.- you will be our daughter legally. (even though you’ve been our daughter for far longer than that)  That very day, February 3, is my birthday and there is no greater birthday present one could receive than the gift of you.  What a fun birthday present and day of celebration for us as your parents!

For now, rest well little one. Tomorrow will be a big day for all of us. We are going to try to do the same. (though something tells me that it’s not going to be easy to do tonight) We look forward to meeting you tomorrow!

Love,

Mom & Dad