Trip 2: Day 2: Adoption day. Birthday. Sitota day...

I'm tired...  bear/bare with me...

So, Sitota slept through until the alarm went off at 6:30 am... 12 hours- despite the middle of the night texting about storm damage at home. (Everyone's fine and we have insurance. We will work it out.)

We hung out at the guest house for breakfast and soccer this morning. She was totally daddy's girl, but I got some smiles and we had great fun playing outside. Our friend Dani came over and Rob and I BOTH took back seat to him. Handsome, kind, patient AND he speaks her language... who could blame her :-) Toss in that no one on the planet has known Sitota for as long as Dani has, and you begin to understand their bond.

She still kinda seemed to be warming up to me... then Rob decided she should ride on my lap on the way to meet out adoption agency representative. That wasn't the best choice. She kinda cried and just sat next to me. Oh, well.

While we waited for the clock to tick we met some other families who are also here for embassy and/or court. It was really nice. Rob re-established his bond with her, and she fell asleep on his lap on the drive to the Embassy.

Embassy was quick and we exchanged pleasentries and details about the storm with the man who helped us. Boom Bam. 2 years, 3 trips, and a whole lotta pendulum swinging, and a two minute meeting finalized everything.

By the time we left Embassy, Sitota was playful and silly and fun. Dani took us out for a celebratory lunch at this beautiful restaurant close by... called... LUCY. The food was wonderful. I had Indian :-)

The entire luch Sitota was great- she let me feed her and was playful and we laughed a lot. After, Dani took some photos :-)

Next stop: the dreaded care-center goodbye. Sitota handled it pretty well- she did cry, but even by the time we got in the car, she had stopped. Melancholy, sure- but not crying.

We stopped on the way “home” to the care center and got Sitota a birthday cake. Then Dani stopped again to get her a special “3” candle. She was coming back around again when we came back to the guest house, and again let me feed her...

But after dinner was magic. Pure magic. We were blessed by the company of the family who has been checking on Sitota for us these past months. They knew her while she still lived at the orphanage, and at our request began visiting her at the care center. Their visits and updates were how I survived the wait. Seeing their children with her, reading C's updates became somehow essential. Many times I thought, I'll never be able to thank them enough.

Then a week or so ago I panicked about the logistics. I knew I had to meet them, to know them, to hug them... but I was afraid of putting Sitota in a position of having to choose between the family that had been visiting her regularly for months... or the couple who came once but then abandoned her again. That would... stink. For us, sure, but I imagine it would be hard for the other family, too.

Then, as suddenly as the fear came it left. I knew it would be great. And from the moment they walked through the front door it was. It was an amazing gift to share this table with these friends. I felt connected immediately to them, Sitota played lovingly with them. And I fell a little bit in love with this family who had given us so much these last weeks.

I LOVE that I will be able to watch their children grow though Facebook. I love that they can write to Sitota or send photos or videos. I LOVE that they are a part of our story.

As good as that all was... we also saw Sitota light up the world when they left. She was engaging and talking and saying the kids names and we quickly decided to try and catch our family. Auntie (Amy) got a call and Sitota was a laugh riot. “Hiiii Auntie, I love you, Auntie, kwass (ball), Aidan, Clay, Wooocy” on and on. Then we called the Punks and Meme and they got more of the same. Then NO ONE in my family was available (jerks).

So, she is running all around playing with Rob...“Mommy, I love you” she was signing and saying “more, please, “ she was saying “me beep beep again” to get in the stroller. “Hellllo Mommy.”

I decided to call my family one more time, and lo and behold I hit the jackpot when my mom, 2 sisters in law, and a handful of cousins were all together. They couldn't hear her very well, but they got to see her. I think we will try again tomorrow.

What an amazing day. Adoption day. Birthday. Sitota day... just intense and big. I don't know what I thought that this would be like... but today blew it out of the water.