cherished and dearly loved daughter

I love this picture from my daughter’s surgery today.  I’ve been staring at it since we put the kids to bed.  When I see it, I see a simple picture of her sleeping to recover from anesthesia, but there’s also so much more.  That pink blanket, tucked securely around her, has been to China and back.  I vividly remember standing in the store agonizing over what to send in the care package, and finally choosing this blanket. We have pictures of it on her crib in China, and then we got it back when we met her.  Her Chinese name is written on the tag.  It isn’t her consistent favorite at home, but it was the first thing that she allowed to bring her comfort after surgery today.  Those sweet casts so clearly show the incredible amount of love that the medical professionals at Scottish Rite Hospital put into caring for the children there.  That someone would take the time to cut out a heart for not only my daughter’s cast, but also her doll’s, moves me to tears.  I cannot communicate how much Scottish Rite means to us.  The beautiful shade of her skin against the white sheets takes my breath away.  Her complexion hints at the story of her birth family’s journey across Asia, a story we will likely never fully know.  The Beanie Boo, her favorite “kitty cat” stuffed animal, makes me smile, because in some ways she’s already just an American kid.  The overall picture shows her as exactly what she is – someone’s cherished and dearly loved daughter.