As I reflect on the last 36 hours that I got to spend bonding with Daniel and discovering everything that makes him unique, my understanding of the miracle adoption has been greatly amplified. We’ve experienced the process five times now and although the circumstances and formats have each been different, the overall feeling of meeting our kids for the first time is one hundred percent the same: pure amazement! To go from having never met to suddenly looking one another in the eyes and knowing that you’ll be together forever is overwhelming, invigorating and awe-inspiring to say the least.

I know that parents with biological children will probably say they feel the same thing each time one of their kids is born, and I don’t deny the power that experience must have, but with the process of adoption, I believe there are so many additional layers of mystery and suspense that add to the excitement of first meeting each other. I keep thinking about the popularity of these “gender reveal” parties, where people have huge events just to share the surprise of discovering their child’s sex, but consider that with adoption, the day you first meet your child, you suddenly get to discover so much more than just gender. Things like ethnicities, physical features, complexions, etc. are all suddenly right in front of you for the first time. And since most adopted kids meet their parents after the newborn stage, additional things like the sound of their voice and the nature of their personality add to the thrill of that first meeting. Imagine what it would be like to take the emotions and excitement of falling madly in love with someone, but then to compress it and experience it all the very first time you meet face to face. That would be a pretty powerful moment, and in a way, that’s what adoption has been like for us.

Why is this in the forefront of my mind? The experience of having to leave after only three short days of bonding has really grabbed me and made me think about just how powerful those first moments together really are. I feel like I just woke up from a warm fuzzy dream and all I want to do is roll-over and let it keep playing back in my mind. I know seven days will pass quickly and then the bonding process can continue again, but in the mean time, I’m relishing in those precious, first memories I got to make with Daniel, and I’m coming to terms with just how powerful the miracle of adoption really is.

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