Gotcha Day

August is a month of celebratory events for us. August 22 was our 4th anniversary of "Gotcha Day" - the day we celebrate getting Lydia and becoming a family. Here is one of our very first family pictures (with the orphanage director) on Gotcha Day 2005:

Usually we celebrate Gotcha Day by do something fun together and going out for Chinese food. This year we celebrated by going to Tequila, one of the two Mexican restaurants we've heard about in Hong Kong. Dave had a burrito, Lydia had enchiladas, and I had quesadillas along with some chips and salsa that was more like enchilada sauce. Lydia was not only pleased with her food selection, but happy that she got a pink straw (we are cherishing this time when such small things are so appreciated!).

The meal was delicious - a far cry from our original Gotcha Day dinner (fried noodles heated up in our hotel room). While the place wasn't any fancier than a Margarita's, the bill was a bit astonishing for what we ordered - about $50 US dollars. But, you didn't hear us complaining!

Next up was a trip to the Hong Kong Ballet for the performance of Cinderella. There were tons of little girls all decked out in dresses and princess gear. It was Lydia's kind of place. The Hong Kong orchestra was great and Lydia sat at the edge of her seat the whole time.

While it doesn't sound like a lot of activity, we had to do a lot of walking and travel on public transportation, which is very congested (anxiety-producing!) on a Saturday. We were exhausted and Lydia fell asleep on the bus home. Looking at her stretched out across my lap and two seats on a bus, I realized just how much she's grown and changed since her first moments with us. I was also reminded of how relieved I was on that first day when she fell asleep (just briefly!) after a day of crying. We have come a long, long way since then!