Jada Speaks

(OK, I have no idea if she would say this or even think this. Just humor me.)

Hey, this is Jada. I can’t wait to meet my parents. It’s going to happen, God willing, on October 10. They’re calling it “Gotcha Day.” I think we’re going to celebrate it every year. It’ll be a way to connect me to my roots, and to the incredible story of how I got connected with them. Sounds good to me.

My parents are excited to meet me, too, although right now they’re running a little ragged. Mom’s been in charge of getting all the stuff we’ll need now that I’ll be around. She does pretty much all the cleaning and organizing of the house, too. Dad’s taking care of the travel, and he’s also juggling three grad classes and a part-time internship. Whenever he comes home from a class, he’ll hit the books almost right away. But I guess that’ll mean I’ll get more time with him, because he won’t be cramming at the last minute. I’m not even a year old and he’s already signed me up with a Gmail account and frequent flyer numbers at the two airlines we’re going to use to get from China back home. He’s such a nerd.

Even though I’m excited to meet my parents, I’m probably going to cry a lot that week. The orphanage has taken really good care of me, and the routine is all I know, so leaving the caretakers and the facility and the schedule is going to be pretty distressing. I hope my parents understand that it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that all of this change is going to be pretty hard on me. Please be patient with me, Mama and Daddy! I promise you that after I’m done crying all my tears and feeling miserable, I’ll be a pretty happy camper. After all, I’ve heard you guys are pretty cool and that you love me a lot. And you haven’t even met me yet!

I’m not exactly sure what it means to have a mom and a dad, but it sounds good to me. Just give me a little space to figure out what all this means. All the while, just love me, OK?

(You got it, Jada. See you soon!)