As I was pouring a glass of Dr. Pepper today, a small brown face with a toothy little smile peeked around the corner of the cabinets at about knee level. Another moment that felt frozen in time. There have been a number of those little moments since we returned from Colombia last Friday evening. Moments where the reality of what has final taken place sets in. Precious moments that we are putting away in baby books of our hearts.
The flight from Bogota to Atlanta was long, but Cameron did great! On both flights we ended up with the whole row all to ourselves. This made it very nice. We got to Atlanta and made it through immigration with enough time left over to have dinner at On the Border! We even ordered empanadas, which we had a lot of in Colombia! Guess we just weren’t ready to leave it all behind just yet. However, one thing that we did leave was the emontional weight we had been carrying during the whole process. All of the paperwork and interviews, the steps and potential problems. Once we got through customs and were just regular US citizens again, there was definitely a sense of relief. The wait was over, the process was complete, our family was truly beginning.
Mary Ann’s family was able to drive over from Alabama to meet us at the airport and they stayed through Saturday afternoon. Sarah, Mary Ann’s sister, had to leave for Guatemala on Sunday morning, but we are grateful that things worked out for her to meet Cameron before she returned. We had dinner with my family on Saturday evening and by the time Sunday morning came around, we were exhausted. We decided that it would be best for Cameron (and us) to take things slow as he adjusts to his new home, so we just hung out around the house on Sunday. It was the first time since we got Cameron that we were truly alone with him. We had always had other adopting families and children around, so being able to truly be alone…together, was special. The alone time has strengthened the bond that was begun several weeks ago. It has been nice just to have time to laugh and play without having to worry about courts and processes.
For the past two days we have been introducing him to new things and watching his eyes fill with wonder. He and Bama have been slowly warming up to each other. Bama loves meal time because Cameron isn’t the cleanest eater around! Cameron is still learning to be gentle with her, but we think they will be fast friends before too long. We are looking forward to the welcome shower on Saturday. We feel like he will be settled and ready for the attention by then. He is a wonderful little boy and we can’t wait for everyone to have a chance to meet him.
Until then, here are some photos and videos from the past couple of days. Thanks again for all of your prayers and support! We know that God has been at work in our lives through you. God Bless!
Photos
Videos
Video taken by Mary Ann’s sister as we arrived at the airport in Savannah, Georgia.
Cameron’s first look at his new room.
Cameron’s first bath in a real bath tub! Remember, they don’t have bath tubs in Colombia.
Cameron and Bama by the back door. He has tired to lick her nose several times now. =)
