One year ago today, on October 23, 2009, Aaron and I got up at 4:00 am, headed to the airport, and boarded a plane for an 8 hour flight to Honolulu. We'd made the trip probably 20 times before, but this trip could not have been more different. We spent the 8 hours on the flight in relative silence, as neither of us could think of what to say that might seem somehow meaningful or significant. I think we just didn't want to jinx anything. We had been put through the ringer in the adoption world, and had faced devastation with two adoption plans that had fallen through in the year prior. But on this day, we were emotionally, financially, and physically invested in the 2 month old baby boy that was waiting for us to arrive in Honolulu that we had no words to describe the combination of excitement, relief, fear, anxiety, and joy that we were feeling.
Well, as you know, this story has a happy ending. We arrived in Honolulu uneventfully, breathed in the sweet island air and headed to our hotel. We freshened up a bit and then were called to the lobby where we were introduced for the first time to our sweet baby Kai and his first family. This is a picture of me taken with Aaron's cell phone when I was holding Kai for the first time once we got back to our room. It was amazing. I am, quite literally, glowing.
Kai is an incredible blessing in our lives, and we will always be grateful to his first family for sharing him with us and for allowing us to make him a part of our family. He is loved by so many.
