Wednesday, June 27, 2007

My, What a Difference a Year Makes, Part II

One year ago today, I saw Marcie's face for the first time. It was in an e-mail from our agency, CCAI. It was her "mug shot." And I fell in love. Well, I fell in love before I saw the picture. But the photo sure didn't hurt.


I still remember what I was wearing when I got the call-- gray pants, a purple sweater and black heels. I was settling in to my office, trying to figure out where I'd set up the video camera when my cell phone rang. It wasn't even 8:30am yet, and our agency was calling to tell us all about Yang Fu Ji.


I remember the Recruitment Coordinator Chali kindly printing color copies of Marcie's picture on photo paper for me so I could put up her photo next to Casey's in my office.


I remember racing through the firm, stopping in each office doorway to share the picture of my new daughter. (In retrospect, I must have seemed a little crazed to these people who hadn't even known me for a month yet.)


Marcie didn't have an American name yet. And we didn't name her June 27th, either. We narrowed it down to two choices a year ago today. (Obviously Marcie was one of them.)


A year ago today, I worried about how much air fare would cost. If we would get to see the Great Wall. How much Marcie would weigh by the time we met her.


Yeah. I remember what a big deal June 27, 2006 was to me. But in some ways I feel like I remember it from outside myself. Like I was watching it all happen to me . . . because I barely remember what life was like before Marcie joined our family.


And, my, look what a difference a year has made to her. Below left is Marcie's referral photo. Below right was taken almost exactly a year later. Yeah. A year makes a BIG difference . . .



1 comment:

Julie said...

Isn't it fun to look back at the old photos. In all the referral photos kids look so worried and I suspect they have never seen a camera before. A year later Marcie is obviously used to having her photo taken. She looks so great. BTW Nathan was wearing the same yellow outfit in his referral photo. That outfit got around!