Monday, June 23, 2008
GOTCHA DAY!

We have Philip! He is absolutely beautiful!! We are so in love with him already!!

We went to the Philip Hayden Foundation to pick up our son with our FTIA coordinator Shirley and our van driver. When we arrived, Dong Bao was coming out the door with his beloved caregiver. Dong Bao was very happy to see us and waved and jabbered. Then his caregiver introduced us as his Mama and Baba. He seemed very pleased. They continued walking to pick up some things for him to take with him.

We went inside the Philip Hayden building and were greeted by Leah Zimmer. She showed us paperwork she was sending with us, and then Dong Bao came back into the building. He was still happy to see us until his caregiver started to leave. Then he wasn’t so happy to see us. Bao Bao, as he is called there, was very sad and cried and cried. We finally settled him down enough to ride in the van.

Food seemed to help calm him, and he sat and played and talked all the way back to our hotel. Dong Bao ate some more and is now taking a nap. Kevin and I laid down with him to help him sleep. He is now soundly sleeping.

Before he went to sleep, we called his big brother back in Indiana. Through Ted’s tears, he was able to talk to his new little brother. Dong Bao told Ted he loved him in English. We can hardly wait until our two boys are together!

We can’t believe that he is finally here! It still seems like a dream. He appears healthy and happy. The wonderful staff at Philip Hayden has taken such good care of him. It was obvious that his caregiver was very sad to leave him. It is evident that he has been very loved there. We can never thank them enough. From our short visit, it looks as amazing as it does on their website. They have been such a blessing in Philip’s life and the lives of the other children there. They will always be a part of who he is. They will always be in our hearts, and we will make sure that as Philip grows, they stay in his heart, too. God bless the staff at Philip Hayden. And thanks to our Lord for the wonderful gift of Dong Bao we were given today.

Psalms 127:3 Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.