First Meeting; Forever Friends

Quite literally, counting the days.

As soon as we learned our dear, dear friends were going to be bringing their precious son Van home from China, the building excitement began. Each meeting, we'd ask to see any/all new pictures sent from China. We anxiously followed the paths of paperwork and protocol the expecting mom and dad traveled so adeptly. We said prayers when they boarded the plane, three days after the tragic earthquakes. We wept with joy upon seeing pictures of the family united for the first time. We wept at the pure elation and love evident on his Mommy's face. We giggled with glee upon seeing images of new Daddy reveling in his new title on his first Father's Day. And yesterday, yesterday we met our new playmate for the very first time.

He lived up to, and surpassed all our fondest expectations. Our Daddy summed it up best this morning, "The first time I saw him, I thought 'Hey, I already know this kid!'" Thanks to his parents' generosity of sharing their journey, we genuinely felt as though we were encountering a well-known friend -- but suddenly and marvelously, face-to-face.

Van's parents' generosity has already impacted and influenced their young charge.

Van shares his toys...

Van shares his snacks...
Van shares his Grandma...
Van shares his pool...

Van shares his smile.
(And call me crazy, but I have a strong feeling being in his Mommy's arms at long last facilitates those smiles in abundance.)

Here's -- and Cheers! -- to friendships destined to last a lifetime.