Lilly Grace Ke Xiu

Is that not the face of God???????? Lilly Grace Ke Xiu. The bravest person that I have ever known. She is my daughter. She was born in a small rural village in China on January 16, 2007. She was taken to a local clinic the day after her birth and then to an orphanage. She stayed in that orphanage for a little while and was then moved to a foster home where she stayed for a a few months. After she was matched to our family she was taken back to the orphanage to await the arrival of her new family. This all took place in just over ten months. Can you imagine??? She gave up her birth mother, was left on the steps of a clinic & taken to an orphanage. She then got settled there only to move again. I imagine she bonded with her foster family only to be moved back to the orphanage. Then she takes a three hour bus ride and goes to the 26th floor of a building to be handed to two strangers who don't even speak her language. She is taken to a hotel with her new family and lots of other babies with their new families. Over the next two weeks she will ride in several buses, taxis and airplanes until finally she takes a 14 hour flight to the United States and says goodbye to her country, her people, her birth family, her culture and her language. These are more changes in 10 months than many of us will ever see in a lifetime. She is without a doubt the bravest person I have ever met. She is funny and charming. She is spirited and loving. She reachs directly into your heart the minute she looks at you. Her presence is solid and comforting. This picture is of her sleeping this morning. I just can't stop kissing her. I thank God every single day for this privelege. Many people have asked me if I am crazy to want to start over now that my three other children are so much older (13,14 & 17). It does not feel like starting over. It just feels like my precious life. I cannot think of anything I would rather do than shower this baby with love and affection. People often say she is so lucky and I am quick to say that I am the lucky one. Lilly's mother and I have never met and yet she went to great lengths to take this beautiful child to a place where she knew her chance at being adopted to the United States was high. How her heart must ache and how mine aches for her. I wish I could tell her I am taking exquisite care of our daughter. I pray everyday that somewhere in her deepest heart she knows this. There is no way I could love this child anymore than I do. She fills me to overflowing every single day. Thank you God. Thank you Lilly's first Mom.

In deep Gratitude,
Kimberly