When Laura and I were preparing to travel to China, once piece of advice that we got was that, if possible, we should video the first meeting. We didn't have any idea of what to expect, but that thought stayed with me. When November 1st arrived and our van pulled up to the government building, I got my camera ready for video. As soon as we walked inside, I hit "RECORD" and was able to document our first meeting.
Well, yesterday was November 2nd and represents the 1 year anniversary of the day the adoption was finalized. To celebrate, we went to Panda Express (or for, as Anyssa calls it "panda food.") That was not our first choice...we had planned on doing something a little more celebratory but with my brother being in the hospital, things have been a little stressful. We plan on doing something a little grander as soon as he is out and home. ANYWAY...before bed, we got together and watched the video again. I had thought of posting the video on the blog, but for some reason, I thought it as a private moment that should be kept in the family. After all, by Anyssa's own admission, she was very scared. We told her we were scared too. When she asked why, we told her that we didn't know if she would like us. She then told us that she was scared that we weren't going to like her. Talk about unfounded fears.
This morning, Laura and I had a talk about the video and I asked what she thought about posting it to the blog. She told me that she had actually been thinking about it too. That sealed it for me. Here is, public for the first time anywhere, the placement. If you listen carefully, you can hear her utter her first "English" words ever...papa and mama. It's only about 3 minutes long and the focus goes out a couple of times, but the sentiment is all here. The 2 ladies with her are the director and assistant director of the orphange and the lady in the green coat is Emily, our translator. She's eating breakfast....yes, that's a hard-boiled egg she's munching on.
This represents one of the most significant events in all of our lives and it's very special to us. We are pleased to share this with you and hope you enjoy it too. Thank you ALL...for your love and support through the entire multi-year process.
