June 22 marks four years since Shiloh came into out lives. This is one of the pictures of the first moments we were able to interact with her. The lady in the pink pants was our guide Cyndi and the other two ladies are the Ayi's (Nannies from the Baotou Inner Mongolia Social Welfare Institute.) Shiloh wouldn't let us pick her up at first but we had stickers and in the picture Chuck would hand her a sticker and she stuck them on us. Amazingly she only cried for about one hour when they all left. It was almost heartbreaking at the time because she really had no idea what was happening to her. I can imagine being left with total Caucasian strangers would be quite overwhelming to a two year and seven month old baby girl. My father traveled to China with us which was a great help and my mother stayed home to keep Dakota, which was an even greater help. But we were able to Skype with mom and Dakota so they didn't miss some of the special moments of the first days.
How can I sum up the four years? Just that I never have thought of Shiloh as any different that Dakota who I gave birth to. They are both my daughters and there is just no question at all there. It doesn't feel any different. In fact it almost feels like she has always been here. Regrets? Only that I didn't get to adopt Shiloh at a much younger age. She was such a cutie as a tiny baby. Hope? That she will grow just as Dakota into a mature and smart young woman who is successful in all she loves. Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary Sweet Girl!~~
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