All along we hoped for a healthy girl with a touch of my flair for style and a bit of Patrick's good looks. Here she is! A picture truly is worth a thousand words but we can sum it up in just two– "beautifully perfect". I would love you to meet...well, there is a problem. We haven't agreed on her full name yet. We are taking suggestions if you would care to share them. To us she is Baby D, in honor of my mom, Dianne, who I'm sure is helping to choreograph this blessed union from heaven.Friday, March 23rd around 12 noon, I received a phone call from Tami Davidson, the director for the India program at Dillon International. The sweet words that echoed through the phone receiver were, "Would you like to hear about a baby girl referral that we think would be a good match for you and Patrick?" I replied, "You BET!" Tami started by telling me that she hasn't heard girl referrals that are this healthy in a long time. Wow! that statement alone started an adrenaline rush in me sending tingles to my hands and feet that lasted for hours. I'm sure I could have run a marathon in no time flat.
My first glimpse of our girl brought a flood of emotion that words can not describe. After years of envisioning blurry scenes of a faceless tiny brown skinned babe with dark wavy hair interacting with us, it was hard to comprehend this beautiful pudgy face with black piercing eyes and rosebud lips in it's proper spot. I don't know what I expected, but she clearly blew me away.
Naturally, I couldn't get through to Patrick and had to leave a message to have him call me back with the tremble in my voice a little obvious that something might be up. When he did I asked him what he thought of the word Bhargabi? When I told him this was the name of his new daughter the phone went silent and then exploded with whoop-whoops and screaming. (I think it went over well, don't you?)
Poor Patrick had to wait to until quitting time to catch his first look. As he tells the story, by the end of his work day his concentration was shot and he couldn't drive fast enough to see that picture. I will never forget the look on his face as he entered my office that day. I've never felt more loved by him than in that moment. His face was flushed, his eyes were teary and his signature toothy grin was spread wide from cheek to cheek. "Where is she?" he said. I handed him Bhargabi's picture and time stood still as he stared and stared, taking in every last detail of her cute little face. We both couldn't believe this was happening. Do we believe in love at first sight? Absolutely!
So far, we know that Bhargabi was born on November 15, 2006 and weighed 2kg (about 4.5 pounds) at birth. She was premature and showed signs of stiffness in her hips, but is improving with physiotherapy. She is pictured at 3+ months old and now, at 4 months, weighs about 4.3kg. She is described as being a happy baby who smiles easily and has a good appetite. :) She is well cared for by ayahs (nannies) at the Matri Sneha (Mother's Love) babies home in Kolkata, India and is waiting for us to be united forever.
An extra touch of sweetness was added to the day when we found out that another Dillon family I have been corresponding with (who were waiting at #1 on the list and who live in RI) also received a girl referral this day. Our children are one day apart in age and may be sharing cribs or living space. Friends, I hope. If all goes well, there is a chance that we may be traveling at the same time and could actually meet.
The next steps for us involve legal matters and we know that this part of the process can take between 4-8 months. After waiting 18 months to find out who our daughter would be, 4-8 sounds like a breeze. I'm sure that will not be the case. Once our feet find the ground again, we will be itching to travel to India and smother those cute pudgy cheeks with kisses. So, for now, another wait begins. If we've learned nothing else in this 2 year and 3 month process thus far; it is faith and patience! Because without it, one would go crazy.
For those of you who are new to our blog, it was started as a remembrance for Baby D, but also as a way to communicate and share with family and friends our adoption journey. We would love to hear your comments and thoughts via the blog, or privately at greenden@comcast.net. Please check back often as we will updating as we hear more news. Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes this far. Keep up that good work! All three of us are going to need it.
Because I will never tire of saying it: this is our daughter and...she looks a little like Pat!
