Red Couch Day

Yep, it was that day both dreaded and loved by every parent who adopts from China. (Hate the day, love the pictures.) The day we attempt to take a group picture of all the babies in the travel group on one of the "red" couches at The White Swan. As expected, it was pandemonium. It was as well organized as possible by our very able CCAI reps but still extremely chaotic. With 16 families it was practically impossible to get all of the "babies" to sit still on the couch long enough to snap a picture. Jeff came close but managed to cut off the two babies perched on top of the couch. I'm sure somebody got a usable one we can snag. Meanwhile we got a very nice family picture, a good large group picture and a great picture of Ailah with Jason and Cathy. (Well, Jason and Cathy look great, Ailah was doing well to not cry.)

This evening we enjoyed our last group dinner at the Thai restaurant. (You know the one.) What a different group we are than at that first meal together way back in Hong Kong on January 12. We now have that bond and camaraderie that comes from sharing a life changing experience with one another and supporting each other through the first difficult days. It's so fun to see the new confidence of first-time parents and watch the joy of long-time parents adding a new child to their family. All those manly men have been wrapped around their new daughters little fingers and even the fathers of little boys show unabashed pride. All the women have that contented and confident look on their faces that says, "this is my child, isn't she great?" It is an experience unique to an adoption travel group and one I treasure with two different groups of "forever friends" as I heard one mom refer to us when talking to her 3-year-old the other day. We thank God for this group of friends and this time together.