"Gotcha Day"

Well Everyone –

We got her!  Mandy and I have officially taken custody of our baby girl.  We got her.  At 5:30 pm (Ethiopia Time) we walked over to the orphanage, but this time it was different.  We went into the waiting room, and then they brought her out to us.  She had her hair done up in little poufs, and she was wearing a purple sleeper. 

I had the camera rolling during the moment when Mandy and I took custody.  (Sorry I had to downgrade the quality a little bit…It took 2 tries to get the file uploaded to youtube from our sketchy internet connection).

Here’s the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBc-MhsIx6g

Today (Nov. 29, 2010) is our official Gotcha Day!  It’s the day we finally got her.  In fact that was the first thing I said to her.  “I Gotcha.”

We didn’t have to stay at the orphanage care center very long though.  We left shortly afterward and we brought her back to the hotel.  We played for a while, had our first bath time, and now, as I write these words, Mandy is soothing her and getting her ready for bed.  (oops…I’ve just been told that she’s already asleep).  :)

(For the record, Mandy and I have no idea what to do with her hair tonight.  Should we leave it down or put it up?  I think we’ll end up leaving it down tonight and we’ll see if it’s tangled up by morning.)

Well, I think I’m going to go down to the hotel kitchen, try to order us some pizza, and then we’re going to try and get some sleep.  It’s strange…I’m one of those guys who doesn’t cry…I just don’t…I don’t have a problem with tears, and I don’t see anything wrong with crying.  It’s just that my emotions tend to express themselves through my mouth long before they express themselves any other way.  But today I cried. (good tears though).  It only took a daughter to get me to cry. 

Thanks for all your prayers, support and love.

Joel & Mandy and Kiera