We celebrated Jia’s 4th Gotcha Day on Monday. For those who don’t know, her Gotcha Day is the day that we first held her in our arms. I still remember sitting on that couch in a room in the Civil Affairs building in Nanning, China, waiting for my little princess to be brought in to meet her Forever Family. Much to my surprise, she came walking into the room holding two of the orphanage workers’ hands. As my eyes filled with tears, and I held on to Rowland’s knee, this tiny little girl being pushed towards us pushed back! Upon watching the video again this year, you can see the confusion and uncertainty in her little face.
Moments after Our Daughter Was Placed in Our Arms
Our First Partial Family Photo
Climbing the Great Wall
For days, she screamed for her foster mother, clinging to Rowland and pushing me away at every opportunity. My mother’s heart was so broken as I wanted her to love me like I already loved her, had loved her for a year. I remember crying out to God, asking Him if we had made a terrible mistake. Slowly, she opened up to me. I’d like to say that it was the special way that I held her and comforted her or that she just began to feel safe in my arms. Truth was, though, that she loved me for my Diet Coke and Skittles!! She’d sit in my lap and eat my Skittles and drink my Diet Coke as long as they’d hold out. Eventually, she even fed me Skittles!
Bonding Over Diet Coke and Skittles
Now, she’s my special princess. She has opened herself up to me, completely bonded with me. We have come so far from those days in China with that scared little toddler. Now, she’s a “big girl” who loves to curl up with her momma and take a nap; she loves to go shopping and has very definite opinions about her clothing; she loves to sing and has a heart for Jesus; she loves to be just like her big sister; she loves to laugh and tells LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG, complicated stories; and she told me on Monday morning that she really likes being a Smith!
She also requested Chinese food for dinner so we had to enlist the help of our neighbors Jean and Joe since he’s quite the Chinese chef! And she finally got the Dairy Queen ice cream cake she’s always wanted, even though it said “Happy Birthday!” (Fortunately, she can’t read.)
What a wonderful celebration, better than her birthday for me because it really was our birthday as a family! Jiang Xiao Shen became Jia, and our family was complete!! Thank you, God, for true blessing beyond measure!!! Thank you, God, for giving us the desire of our hearts!! Thank you, God, for the daughter You placed in my arms on September 22, 2004. Happy Gotcha Day, my Shen!!!
My Scared Little Girl
Only an Ice Cream Cake for this Princess!
Two Best Friends - Princess Jia and Princess Cayden
William, Carson, KeKe, Jia, and the “Cousins”