The anniversary of when a family meets and brings home their adopted child is traditionally called their "Got'cha Day!" But I hate that term. It sounds like I swooped into Manila and snatched J. up like a thief in the night. Or squashed a mosquito. "Got'cha! HA! Ha! Ha!" I don't want to use a term that denotes our stealing him from his native culture and first home, so we use Welcome Home Day, for now.
This will be one of those holidays that J. will choose whether or not we celebrate openly as he gets older, but it will certainly always be special to Tim and I, as our lives were made so much more complete by J.'s homecoming.
This year, J. had his Valentine's Day party at school on his Welcome Home Day, so he had a lot of sweets there. But we still made a giant #1 cookie while C. was taking a nap. We decorated it with red frosting, and since he loves to blow out candles, we put a #1 in there and let him blow it out. We looked at his scrap book that the nuns at his former orphanage put together for him. He pointed to people he remembered, but most of all he loved to find himself in the pictures and say, "J_____!"
I told him a child's version of his life story and we practiced saying some of the more important words like, "Philippines" and "Filipino", "home", "one", and "Heaven."
God knew what He was doing when he decided to give J. to us as our son. Sometimes I grieve the 2 1/2 years we missed with him, but not so much that I don't treasure each day I have with him now. 
Tim called while J. was icing his cookie to tell him Happy Welcome Home Day.
I told J., "Daddy is on the phone to tell you, 'Happy Welcome Home Day.'"
Immediately J. broke into, "Dada home. Dada airplane. Home. Dada home, no more night-night!" (He knows Tim will be home in 25 night-nights.)
"Uh, no...you're home! Isn't that just as exciting?!" I offered trying to save the moment. They had a nice talk about school, counting to ten and the color red.
What made the moment perfect though was when after he hung up with Tim, while eating his cookie, he said, "Mommy-J. happy!"
That's all we've ever wanted for you: a family, health, faith, safety and happiness. So, for today-mission accomplished.
7 comments:
Looks like you had a great day!
We always called it the kids "Plane Day" because our other children came to us on an airplane. We will probably continue that with the other kids.
We decided to make the day we were all back together a family their "Plane Day" which is the 16th.
It is strange how we celebrate all these little milestones that add up to such big things.
Congratulations to you all on one wonderful year together.
Happy Welcome Home Day Judah!! Wow, so hard to believe that it has been a year since the Philippians. That time has a double meaning for me. First, is Judah but 2nd is the wonderful time I had with you my daughter. I will never forget watching you in a foreign country. I watched the grown woman manage cabs, hotels, and the adoption agency to get her son. I watch you as you lovingly talked to your new son trying to get him to let you hold him. I listened as you told me that if he didn't let you hold him we would come back the next day to get him because you didn't want him any more scared then already was. I watched your face as you looked at the very sad expression on your son as we took that long cab ride back to the hotel. And I watch now as I see the wonderful progress Judah has made with language. I see the love you have for your boys and the love they have for you. A mother couldn't ask for anything more. I am so very proud of you and your family. So.....
WELCOME HOME DAY TO ALL OF YOU!!
Happy Welcome Home Anniversary, Judah! You look so happy!
Congratulations, Tiffany and Judah! I KNOW what a HUGE difference you and he have made in each other's lives - it's BEAUTIFUL.
Loved the Blog!!! I looked at all the pictures and read your comments
too. I laughed a lot at some the antics you describe in your dialog
section under the picture of the boys in the bad boys chair!
Mary from adoption group
What a truly wonderful and amazing year it has been and the changes you will have seen will have been so special. We were looking at Marios video from our day at HMV and there is Judah running around with Mario. They both looked so tiny but so active and having so much fun. Much love and happiness.
Judah,
looks like you had fun with the cake and blowing out the candles.
I am so glad that you are home and my oldest son. I wish that I was home with you and Mommy, and Caleb. I will see you in a 2-3 weeks.
love Daddy
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