March 5 is my favorite day of the year. Every year, without fail. It is the day we became a forever family. It is the day we held our daughter for the first time on the other side of the world.
I will never forget walking into that sterile Chinese government building and being led to the room where five beautiful Chinese babies sat. They were all decked out in traditional Chinese clothing. Everyone was in yellow, except for my little one. Josie wore red—a lucky color in China. Seemed like a good sign.
Every March 5 since 2007, we have celebrated “Gotcha Day.” As I said, it is my favorite day of the year. This year was no different. We had a very festive dinner with family and friends.
There were eight of us in total. My husband, Josie, and I were obviously in attendance. We also picked up my mom and two of Josie’s besties, along with one of their parents.
We share a very special bond with this family. Not only are our kids’ besties, Graeme is also adopted from China and from the same province, no less! They actually look quite a bit alike. We joke that they are twinsies.
There is something very special about celebrating our big day with others who have had the same experience and just know what you went through. It is joyous and comforting. We are a small and exclusive group. We are also tight AF. We love our kids and love talking about our experience. I have found that most adoptive parents are just looking for an excuse to tell you how they became a family. I’m ALWAYS here for it.
It was an hour and a half drive to meet up with the gang in the city where our kids go to school. The drive was well worth it. Not only did we get to celebrate with our daughter, friends and family, we also got to eat at our favorite restaurant.
Each year, our celebration varies slightly. Sometimes it is just the three of us. Sometimes we have a grand gathering. Whatever we do, it almost always involves food. The Travers love to eat—especially Josie. She has been a good and adventurous eater since day one.
Every Gotcha Day, I feel my love for Josie has grown since the last one. She made us a family and has been an absolute delight to raise. I’m not saying she can’t be difficult, all kids can, but she is a really good kid. Just when I think I can’t love her anymore, I find a way.
I pray every year that we are able to continue this tradition. It means everything to me. I also see how special it is to our daughter. She has been away at school for the past four years, but we have always managed to spend the day with her. She always seems so grateful that we make the effort and that we celebrate the day.
Families form in a myriad of different ways, but family is family. I love our little family of three. For us, three is the magic number.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
