Couple gets #039;flower#039; of their dreams

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 7, 2004

Some flowers take time to bloom.

For Jay and Bekki Zornes, waiting on their "beautiful" Lilly was an agonizing two years, but their smiles alone prove it was worth the wait.

The Ironton couple recently returned from China with the newest member of their family - 18-month-old daughter Huina Lilly Brannigan. The adoptive parents opted to keep part of her Chinese name, Huina, because it translates to "beautiful."

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For the Ironton couple, it could not have been a more fitting end to a long story.

"I had always told Bekki that the day they would hand the baby to me, I would think of her as mine," Jay said as he sat in his living room playing with his new daughter. "That was the truth. It was just like she was born to us."

If only it was that easy.

The couple had been happily married for nearly eight years and decided a few years ago that it was time for the family to grow. Over time, they came to terms with the fact that they needed to consider options that included adoption.

On a whim and not knowing much about the process, the couple attended an international adoption workshop. Less than two hours later, they both felt that this was what was meant for them.

Now, as they play with their dark-haired, brown-eyed little girl, they know they were right. The couple were among 25 families from across the country that traveled to China to adopt.

As a new mother, Bekki said the entire trip was an amazing experience. Even the 19-hour flight was just a distant memory once they stood in the orphanage and saw their little girl for the first time.

"I didn't even cry," she said with a beaming smile and a bit of surprise in her voice. "I was too happy about it."

Fittingly, Lilly was actually born in the Hubei providence - considered the sister state to Ohio.

It did not take Lilly long to warm up to her new family. Back in their Ironton home, the couple are totally immersed in being new parents. Toys lie scattered about, the nursery is complete with stuffed animals and more. Lilly already seems right at home.

The toddler wobbles through the house, grabbing everything in sight,

totally secure in her surroundings. For the new parents, it has been a joy seeing their daughter embrace music as she dances on the floor.

"She loved the parade. She loves the nursery at our church," Jay said. "She just loves being around people."

As the new family continues to find all the new and unexpected ways they need to baby-proof the house, the experience gets better and better.

"It was definitely worth the wait. Through all the paperwork, it was worth the wait," Bekki said. "I said before it would be like Christmas in May. It really was."

Though the entire process has been breath-taking, exasperating and exhilarating all at once, Jay and Bekki both agree that it probably won't be the last time.

"Basically, it feels like our family is complete," Jay said. "But really it is not. We are almost certain to go back. We will wait until she is four or five and then see about getting her a little sister."

So, the seed is planted now. Only time will tell what flower will bloom in the future.