To Zambia With Love: Gotcha!

I find it amazing to be able to say that one year ago today, Markus and I were given the greatest gift of our lives when we met our son for the first time. In the adoption community, many people refer to this as your "gotcha day". While I'm not completely sure about the name, I love the idea of celebrating this day and remembering that this was the day your family was created. Thinking back on that day, I remember the nerves, excitement, and adrenaline as we drove up to the orphanage with our social workers. Having barely slept in three days, I think I was running on fumes. But the moment Isaac was placed in my arms, all that faded away. All I could feel was love, joy, wonder, and amazement at this beautiful baby boy in my arms. To feel his soft skin and smell his amazing baby smell. To be able to kiss each of his chubby fingers and hold his tiny (but actually quite large) hands in mine. It was just an incredible moment and I don't think I can truly do it justice in writing. I find it hard to describe the bond that formed that day. This was my son and I knew in that moment that I would do anything for him and love him until the end of my days.
Fast forward a year and I find it hard to believe how far we have come. Markus and I have taken on this crazy challenge called parenting. I'm not sure there are many situations in life that have quite the same learning curve as becoming parents, but we adjusted and tried our best which is all you can really do. Isaac is now an active, curious, loving, mischievous, and busy 17 month old. One of the first descriptions we read about Isaac in his proposal was that he was "energetic". We had a hard time understanding what that meant for a five month old, but the description fit him perfectly. He has such a exuberance for life and the "energetic" description still holds true today. He is constant motion. I love this about him, but also sometimes wish he would just hold still a bit more like for example when I'm trying to put on his shoes. Everyday Markus and I always have something to chuckle about because Isaac is always doing something new and usually funny. I find those moments when I look into my husband's eyes and we look at our son together in joy, awe, or amusement some of the best times in my day. It's a knowing look. We don't have to put anything to words, but during those times, I know that we both feel so lucky to have Isaac in our lives. So here's to many more gotcha days to come.