Gotcha Day part 2!

Unbelievable! With unbridled anticipation, we made it to Gotcha Day!

Around 2:45 pm local time Mary met us in the lobby of the hotel for our ride

to another hotel where we would meet Aiden for the first time!  At 2:50 we

hit the road and were at the location in about 20 minutes. Unlike when we

adopted Savannah, we were all alone in a room with some toys and a couple of

desks with our guide Mary until she was summoned out of the room.  Sitting

there all alone, we hung on every footstep and voice that came from the

hallway.  Suddenly a woman walks in that is adopting a little girl from the

same orphanage as Aiden! We had seen her in the grocery store earlier (two

Americans in the same store in downtown Nanning, what are the chances?), but

paid it no attention due to our utter focus! It was amazing to speak to her

and hear her story, which with her permission we will share with you at a

later time. Next, Mary comes back in the room after a short time and tells

us to follow her down the hall.  We pass several rooms until we come to an

open door and when we walk in there he is!  Dressed in clothes that Ann

Marie had sent to him over the past several months he was just like we had

dreamed!  A little charmer, shy yet progressively working to figure out if

the people he was seeing were the same he had seen in those little picture

books we had sent for him to look at.  After several attempts by Savannah

and Ann Marie, a small crack in the stone façade showed itself and the fun

began!  We took a few moments to talk to the ladies that had brought him

from the orphanage and exchanged gifts and pleasantries and after a small

family photo we were off and on our way back to our hotel with Mary to

complete the paperwork!  After about 30 minutes of signing our names and

putting our fingerprints on the official documents, Mary departed and the

bonding began!

Aiden and I spent some time walking up and down the hallways to sooth his

fear that we were leaving him while the paperwork was completed, then Ann

Marie and Savannah joined us a bit later.  The real breakthrough came when

Ann Marie offered Aiden a sippy cup of water and some dried cantaloupe!

Aiden burst into laughter and has not stopped talking since!  After some

play-dough time with his big sister Savannah we headed down to dinner and

just returned to start bath time and hopefully some well-deserved sleep to

an over-tired bunch of Kennedy’s!  Right now Savannah is already snoring and

Ann Maries is lying with Aiden in our bed (good luck getting back in there

for me!) and I sit here in the relative dark typing by the light of a laptop

while Chinese cartoons play in the background (I may speak the language by

the time the night is over if I can learn through osmosis!).

Ann Marie and I also wanted to take a moment to let everyone know that

Savannah is handling the new baby brother like a real trooper!  After long

flights, a lack of sleep, meals outside of her norm and dealing with two

overstressed and on edge parents she has taken Aiden under her wing and is

being the big sister that we always wanted her to be and more!  Much love

for a girl that is not even six years old!  Great job Savannah Ming Quan

Kennedy!

With that I will end the Gotcha Day posting and work to get some much needed

rest before we start again in the morning!! So, till then…….

Michael (did you see him pat my head?), Ann Marie (he is even more beautiful

in person!), and Savannah (I love my little brother!), Aiden (wǒ è le!)

Kennedy

 Do you think he is here yet?

 Savannah and Ann Marie meet Aiden for the first time!

This is the smile that I have waited for since early January!

Daddy gets to hold a happy little boy!

Crayons and wonderful means of getting a smile!

This red thumb means the paperwork is done!

Daddy, Aiden and Savannah!

Playing like Bigs and Littles should!