Gotcha Day

There is so much more of the story; I will share that as my blogging journey continues....but today is special....special in many ways....today started it all......

It was 'Gotcha Day'....the day I officially became a mommy....the day I got to bring my baby boy home. No more visits at someone else's house...no more observations or inspections by social workers....no more weekend visits and tearful good-byes. Sunday, January 27, 2001 was a cold, cold winter day! Turk and I strapped a car seat in the back and took off down 85 S to the 15-501 exit in Orange County. We met Bill and Lois at Applebee's. He did not whimper or struggle when I held out my hands....it felt strange, yet oh so natural to say, "Come to Mommy." He came right to me with a big grin on his face; I cried because he knew who I was. We climbed back into the car and pulled onto the highway. I stared at him the entire ride back to Greensboro and watched him sleep. We are, finally, a family now, a party of 3, if you will..... He looks like me; he's built like Turk. An absolute doll. What will tomorrow be like? Next month? Next year!?

Fast forward to 2011....a beautiful, surprising warm winter day. As friend said earlier, a house full now, running around in the backyard full of soccer balls, bats, four wheelers, frisbees, bicycles and what not. And there stands my 'first born', with a sheepish grin across his lips, telling me something that makes sense to only him at the moment. I snap this photo......10 years ago, my honey had taken that 17-month old bow-legged, baby boy for a walk down the street. I watched from the kitchen, wondering how we were going to be as parents. Today, 10 years later, we have a middle school young man who drives us crazy some days, but makes us deliriously happy others. I think we did pretty good....