GOTCHA DAY!!!

It's only 3pm here and this has already been a full, emotional, incredible and challenging day. I can't believe I'm actually writing a "Gotcha Day" post even though there is an adorable blue-eyed boy lying in crib in our room. I'll go ahead and admit that I probably put way too many pictures in this post, but hey, next to our wedding day this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to us so I think it deserves some photos! :)

The day started off with the hotel delivering Caleb's crib at 6am, which was awesome since we were both still in bathrobes and they came right in. After I was done being scared to death by them barging in, I set up the crib complete with mosquito netting! We ended up removing the mosquito netting and got the crib ready for our Precious Boy to come "home" to.

We ate some breakfast and grabbed our bags - my giant purse, a diaper bag, and a backpack. Who knew a baby required so much stuff? We decided to take pictures of our last moments of preparation before heading out:

When we got to the orphanage, we went to the director's office first where she filled out some final paperwork. As I watched her sign the documents and stamp them, I got a huge lump in my throat as the reality set in. They were going to let us take him. He was ours, he was leaving the orphanage today!

We signed some final documents and took a group photo with the director and with our in-country coordinator, Saule.

Next we went up to the baby room where Caleb has spent most of his short life so far. They brought him out to us and we started to change him into his Gotcha Day outfit first thing. I asked him if he wanted to leave with us today, and by the look on his face below I think the answer is YES!

Here he is, all dressed up and ready to go! As expected the pants were too big in the waist as he is definitely a long & slim little guy! He is doing a classic Caleb pose right now - hands clasped together. The caregivers thought his shoes were really funny.

Caleb and Daddy "talked" about leaving the orphanage! We were all so excited. It was surreal!

When it was time to leave, our favorite caregiver, Gulya and the orphanage doctor started crying. That got everyone else crying too! It is such a blessing to know that the women who have cared for Caleb the past few months love him and are sad to see him go. Despite the language barrier, I think they could tell how grateful we were. There were plenty of hugs and tears all around. I knew they would want Caleb bundled up as we carried him out, so we put a snuggle suit on over his pants, onesie, & sweater. Good grief, I felt bad for the little guy as it wasn't that cold out!

We made the drive back to Bishkek. Bryan and I looked at our watches - it was 8:45 am on October 9, 2008 when Caleb spent his last moments in the orphanage and became a part of our family.

Caleb eventually fell asleep in the car once Bryan made me a make-shift sun visor. He was pretty happy until we got closer to Bishkek. It was obvious he preferred for the car to be moving and at times was screaming at the top of his lungs! We had to go to 5 or 6 different stores to find the right formula to give him.

We have been back at the hotel for several hours and it has been difficult to say the least. We can tell that this transition is difficult for Caleb. He doesn't quite recognize us yet and he certainly doesn't recognize anything in the hotel room. We don't look familiar, we don't talk in a familiar language and we are calling him by a new name. At times he seemed so scared and we just had to keep taking turns consoling him. Bryan tried holding him in the Baby Bjorn. I think the picture is hilarious! You can see how long and skinny his little legs are:

After hours of trying everything, it seemed like the only thing that worked was to have Caleb snuggle up on our chest and to keep moving and walking him around and around the room. While we know he will make the transition in the next few days, it was not easy to see him upset. We could tell he was scared and uncertain of his surroundings and realize that only time is going to help with that.

We eventually got him to take a bottle and he gulped it down. Shortly after he fell asleep on my chest and we managed to transfer him to the crib where he is sleeping soundly. Praise God - we needed to have a small victory this afternoon to know he is going to be ok! We would really appreciate your prayers for Caleb - that he would feel secure with us and learn quickly that we are here to love and care for him.

We are excited to have the next few days to get to know Caleb better before we make the trek to Almaty. Most of all, we are overflowing with joy and love for this precious bundle who is now our son. He has been in our hearts for so long and now he is finally in our arms. Happy Gotcha Day, Caleb! We love you!!