Looking Back

In general I was overwhelmed with joy and flooded with relief when we first found out that Carrie was going to come live with us.  It had been such a long road up to that point.  We had been advocating for her safety and security for over a year by that time.  I was also a little overwhelmed with the work that was yet to come.  I needed to establish relationships with doctors, dentists, caregivers, buy toys and clothes and other supplies.  The day she came home I was nervous, because I didn't know what to expect.  We just brought her home and went about our business while she explored the house.  She was a toddler who was still getting used to walking.  She wandered around the first floor of our house jabbering to herself, going from room to room.  I assume she was just checking things out.  We put her in daycare the very next day.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken some time off to be with her, but in a way I felt like it would be better to establish her normal routine as quickly as possible.  The first few days when I picked her up from daycare she would run to me as soon as she saw me.  That was just about the best feeling in the world for me.  I loved giving her a bath, reading her stories and watching her fall asleep.  For a few weeks I couldn't wait to get up and see her in the mornings.  There was no doubt that our lives had completely changed.  We were daddies.