How We Do Gotcha Days (Selah’s Third Gotcha Day)
If you’re new around here, you’re probably thinking, “What the heck is a Gotcha Day?”
People call it different things, Adoption Day, Gotcha Day, but basically it’s a day of celebration! We celebrate Gotcha Days around here because those are the days our children officially became ours. We were INCREDIBLY privileged and blessed that our kid’s birth mom allowed us to not only be in the delivery room with each of them, but they both came straight to me, and I cut their cords. Those two moments, watching them both take their first breaths into this world, are ones I will literally cherish forever.
Before we went home from the hospital, their brave birth mama, relinquished rights, and they were placed into our family. At that moment, we were legally their guardians. In our state, we had to wait at least 90 days before we would get a court date for adoption. So when we celebrate Gotcha Days, we are celebrating the day our children officially became Satterfield’s forever.
We literally had so many people come to support us, our lawyer was nervous! He said he had never seen so many people fit in that courtroom before! It was a precious day!
People celebrate many different ways. But in our house, your Gotcha Day is up there pretty close to your birthday! Although adoption isn’t our children’s entire story or apart of their identify, it’s a big part of their story, and we want to celebrate that. So we invite our family and close friends. I call Fuddrucker’s and reserve the party room, and we party. (I don’t know why we have chosen Fuddrucker’s, but it has become a tradition on accident.)
As soon as she woke up, I sang to her “Happy Gotcha Day.” (It’s the birthday song with different words.) I had made her a Gotcha Day shirt and she got to pick out her shoes. That’s a big deal. She was so proud and insisited that Micah tell her Happy Gotcha Day immediately when she walked in his room. Demanding, much?
We’ve had so many friends get pregnant and then have their babies, so she’s been asking me so many questions about how she grew in my belly. Before she could even understand, we have told Selah her story. We’ve read adoption books to her since before she could talk. We pray for her birth mama and thank Jesus for making us a family every night. Adoption isn’t new to her. It shouldn’t be new to any child who is adopted.
When she asks lots of questions about “baby Selah,” I always take her upstairs to her room, and show her the picture on her dresser of her birth mama, Brandon, and me. I point to her birth mama’s belly and remind her that although she grew in her belly, and before I can finish she says, “But I grew in your heart.”
We talk about how I wanted so badly to grow a baby in my belly, but I couldn’t. I tell her how I asked God all the time to make me a mama. I remind her how I waited and waited and waited for her. And how finally, she came home to us. And it made me the happiest mama in the whole world.
We read books like “When God Found Us You” and “Tell Me Again About The Night I Was Born,” quite frequently. And since she has been asking so many questions about the day she was born, I made her a Shutterfly book (which didn’t come in in time for her party, boo.), about her adoption story. I was so excited to give it to her on this day, but when it finally comes in, I’ll let you know!
We picked up balloons at Publix earlier that day. They HAD to have princesses on them to match the plates. We made cupcakes with “farkles” (it’s a combo of sparkles and sprinkles) on them the day before. And since Shutterfly failed us, Daddy stopped at Target that morning to pick up a present. Let’s be honest, what does a three year old want more anyways, cool book, or Peppa Pig?
She squealed like Peppa Pig when her cousins walked in. They are her “best fwiends.”
Micah was there too. He sat in time out a few times before the party got started. Can you tell by his face? Oh Mylanta. This kid. He’s both a hoot and a handful.
Our dear neighbors came to celebrate. As soon as I told Selah about her party, she immediately asked if they could come. They’ve become another set of grandparents to my kids. When they are outside, my kids can’t get out the door fast enough. They love Jesus, love us, and have been really big blessings to our family. We were so happy they were there.
A few of our close friends were able to make it. We just love how they love our kids.
Suzie actually came home three weeks before we brought Selah home. Their Gotcha Days are only a month apart. I love how Selah has this sweet friend to share her story.
They’ve gotten so big. And so very beautiful.
We prayed and thanked Jesus for bringing Selah home to us. We sang “Happy Gotcha Day” and she ate all the “farkle ice” off of her cupcake in a matter of seconds.
She opened presents and couldn’t believe we were all there to celebrate her.
My brother in law, James, stuffed an ENTIRE cupcake in his mouth at once. I was extremely disappointed it looked this easy.
This picture makes me laugh! Sorry, Daddy!
Well. That’s how we do Gotcha Days. At least for now. I’m sure as our children grow, they might change and look different. But Brandon and I want them to know how much they were wanted. How many prayers we prayed for them to find their way into our family. How long we waited to have children of our own. How incredibly thankful we are to call them ours, to share our last name.
Three years ago, Selah became a Satterfield forever. She grew in our hearts way longer than nine months and the labor pains that brought her into our world looked more like paper cuts and a very achy wait. The kind you wish an epidural could relieve. The stretch marks form her pregnancy might not be found on my belly, but I can promise you they are in my heart. I never knew I could love someone so deeply, so instantly. Our skin might not match, but our hearts sure do. When we got in the car to go home, she said, “Mommy, I’m just so happy.”
We are too, sweet girl, forever happy that you’re ours.
