Six Month's of Surreal...

It's amazing to me that six months ago today I was in bed HARDLY able to sleep because I knew that in a few short hours I'd be up & taking my last shower here in the comfort of my own apartment & boarding the first of many planes that would ultimately bring me half way around the world to China.
It's still mind boggling to know that I can say, " Oh yeah, I've been to China before..."- it just doesn't seem real sometimes.
I hate flying & going the distance to China was truly a labor of LOVE because it was 30+ hours of TRAVEL!
*ugh*
We left on a wed morning, Nov 16th, 2005. The trip had us completely lose an entire day, as we ultimately ended up in Beijing, China late the NIGHT of the 17th... THURSDAY!
I believe it was after 10pm before we finally settled into our hotel room & konked out for the night.
Again, have I mentioned Surreal?
Friday & Saturday were a whirlwind of tours & sightseeing... all happening in what felt like the blink of an eye, when all I really wanted was to be holding my baby in my arms.
Sunday could NOT come fast enough... but then, it did.
And we were boarding a plane for Jiangxi, China and the rest, as they say...


... was history.

(The above pic was taken the first night Ruby and I ever spent together.
She was terrified, she was hot, she was physically exhausted from the screaming & crying, she had spots all over her body that I would later find out were scabies... but despite everything going on to this little person, deep down I know she was going to be ok... because she was my daughter, and I wouldn't allow it to be any other way.
I hadn't had a chance to give her a bath or wash her hair or anything really...
I just managed to get the million and one layers off of her little sweltering body
& put on this soft, cool, cotton, yellow sweatsuit, after which she fell fast asleep.
Honestly, to this day it remains my FAVORITE outfit on her.
Why?
Not because it's fancy or cute...
Not because yellow is my favorite color...
(because it's not, it's Red...)
Not because it says 'precious' across her little toosh...
(even though she IS...)
You wanna know why it's my favorite?
Because it was the first outfit I ever put on MY DAUGHTER.
Honestly, it could've been a trash bag... and I would still love it all the same.
Because it was on my little girl and me, her Momma, lovingly put it on her.
I don't really think life gets much better than that...)