Nine Years Ago on October 19th

Nine years ago on October 19, 2000, in the city of Hefei, in the Province of Anhui, in the country of China, An Qiuli was placed in the arms of her forever family. She is now known as Mya Mae Qiuli. That day changed my entire world and for more than one reason. The obvious reason was I became a Mother. The other reason is, I fell in love with a country, with it's culture and it's people. Each time I have landed in China since this first trip, I have felt like I have come home. I love the honking of the car horns, the smell of the food from the street vendors, the Chinese language being spoken and most of all the people. People who are curious about us and love to ask questions about our life in America. We are so blessed by China!

Mya came to us with a little cold and was very quiet for several days. She did not cry at hand over but was very interested in our faces and studied us. To this day, you can look at Mya and see her studying something to figure it out. We did not get our first smile until 3 or 4 days after we received her. She was a very easy going baby that slept fantastic. Larry and I were in love instantly. The first picture is of the Orphanage Director holding Mya before handing her to us. The picture of myself with Mya and Larry with Mya were just a few minutes after getting her. The last picture is her on the day after hand over. Oh, one more note, Mya came with her name written on the back of her hand in Chinese characters. None of our other girls had this. Mya was the start of what has become four precious daughters with one more waiting to come home!