Well, I visited my daughter Marissa in Guatemala before the adoption was final...so our first meeting was 2 mos before I returned to bring her home forever...and I wont share the story of when I had to leave her in Guatemala
...
But...I remember being in the hotel room waiting for the call that she had arrived at the hotel. I had gone on the visit alone and so I was standing in the hotel room thinking "What the heck am I doing alone in a foreign country waiting to meet some baby who has no idea who I am?????"...it had been awhile since I had cared for a young infant (she was 4 mos at the time) and I was very nervous. She was with a foster mommy and I was so scared about meeting the foster mom and taking her from her.
Anyway, the call finally came and I was to meet them in the hotel meeting room..I walked in and there she was in her foster mommy's arms. SHe was SO tiny!!!! And so beautiful she took my breath away. The foster mommy handed her right over and I got her to smile at me (my heart melted)...she had on one of the outfits I had sent to her in her care package. I will never forget the way she looked that day, so tiny and beautiful...
The rest of the visit was hard. Foster mom cried when she left the hotel, and then I had her for 5 days in the hotel. She got sick on day 2 and we had some rough days. I had to take her to a doctor in Guatemala on her last day with me, and then I had to give her back because the visit was over.
2 mos later though (2 very loooong months later) we returned to Guatemala to pick her up and my happiest memories of that were my oldest daughter making her cackle and laugh as she jumped up and down. The first pictures of my oldest daughter holding her too...oh my gosh, melts my heart.
I cant wait to be able to write my China adoption story next.