April 22, 2014 was the day that changed my life forever. The day that I met little J and fell in love instantly. At 5:20 am I met Andy at O'Hare. I am sure Jules was more then a little apprehensive to send us off, as we all got a little teary eyed as we said good-bye. For those of you who know me well, you know I hate to fly. Andy is very familiar with this fear and knew exactly what to do to distract me. We got through security and checked in. We got our trashy mags and a little breakfast for Andy and waited to board our plane to Ft. Lauderdale. We didn't have seats next to each other, which wasn't ideal but I survived. We landed in Ft. Lauderdale and took the opportunity to eat a little food and touch base with everyone at home and then we boarded our plane to Port Au Prince. At this point, I am sure I had every emotion possible. I was scared to fly, nervous about leaving the country and maneuvering through the airport in Port Au Prince, and over the moon excited to meet J. The good news was we were able to sit together on this flight! As soon as we got off the plane, a man was waiting with a sign with our names! Thank Goodness, as he would help us get through customs and get our bags. We then were able to meet the driver from the creche! We were happy to see him, as it is kinda overwhelming when you leave the airport. Those of you who have been there, know exactly what I am talking about.
I had been told that it would take awhile to get from the airport to the creche where J lives, so we were prepared. We made many stops and were able to see Port Au Prince from the windows of the car. It was busy and the streets were filled with people and cars. After a change of cars and a driver, we finally arrived at the creche. How long did it take you ask, I truly have no idea. I am guessing about an hour and a half. When we arrived, we were taken to the guest house, where we would stay and then they said those magic words, "Do you want to meet her???" and of course my answer was YES!!!
We walked in through the creche and walked up, what reminded me of a tree house ladder and we were in the nursery. It was dark and a majority of the babies were sleeping. To her bed, I went immediately and I talked to her and then held out my hands and to me she came! I can't remember what I said, but there were tears. Tears of happiness for finally being together. There were no pictures, as it was very dark and Andy was just as excited as I was to finally see her. Our time was short that day but definitely long enough to fall in love!
