Oh my goodness, where to begin? I can’t believe I haven’t updated my blog one time since we became parents. It’s ridiculous, I know.

Have you heard that saying about something or someone taking your life from black and white to vivid color? Well, here’s our new life, in color.

We met Maya on March 17, 2014 in the amazing city of Wuhan, Hubei Province. She was so brave, quiet and strong, with a nervous smile. You could tell she had been told to be brave and to trust us. The next two weeks were a blur of laughter and tears as we all made each other laugh at the funny mistakes we made learning to take care of each other as a family, and as we comforted Maya through her visceral grief and fear.

When we first met this little girl, she was so afraid and so fragile and so beautiful and her heart and (old) soul were just so HUGE. We didn’t know if we had what it took to take good care of her, to give her everything we knew she needed without making mistakes. The funny thing is, the bigger lesson in all of this has been learning how to accept everything she gives us with grace. Maya really understands that she’s part of the team, that the three of us are a team: us against the world. She now knows that we have her back always. And in return she has our backs always. The love in this house is immeasurable and it keeps growing, minute by minute. It’s a beautiful bubble we’re living in, and we’ll never leave it. I could go on and on, but you probably want to see pictures since I’ve been so lax in blogging, so without further adieu, here’s a glimpse into the life of Miss Maya Guanxin from the day we met til now.

March 17th, 2014: “Gotcha” Day

Our first week together: Wuhan

Flying to Guangzhou: Maya’s First Plane Ride

Guangzhou

Beijing to Chicago

March 28th, 2014: Home Sweet Home