posted by Nat's dad...

One Year Ago Today In China

It may be February 18th here, but in China it is already the 19th and one year ago today we arrived in Xi'an, Shaanxi to meet our daughter, Natalie. After waiting 1 1/2 years we were finally going to meet that face we had waited for with so much anticipation. Will she like us? Will she be worried? Will she miss the orphanage? All those questions faded away the instant we saw her and love filled the room. She watched us with intense wonder which turned to delight when she realized we would fufill every need she ever wanted. I remember her drinking greedily at that bottle. She downed 4 of them! 2 waters and 2 milks. Then she stayed up until 2 am as Daddy held her and I played with her plush puppy to delight her. Although she didn't know what that puppy was then, she stills loves her plush animals to this day and feeds them a bottle before bedtime. She is truly a joy in our hearts and quite simply we love her, our daughter.

Almost 2 years old!

With her cute Valetine's purse from Auntie Gram!