One Week!

Happy One Week Gotcha Anniversary M.! It's been amazing getting to know you.
God Bless you, little one.

-Mom and Dad!

Gotcha Day

What an amazing day!

J. and M. are both asleep. I better join them soon. We've got a big morning ahead of us: M.'s first breakfast out in public, a trip to the Civil Affair's office for the registration of the adoption and a family picture. We will have two interviews, hand in a lot of money, and hand in a lot of paperwork. The adoption will be irrevocable from the Chinese side of things after tomorrow. WOW!

I have so much to write about this day, but I am starting to feel wiped. We are so blessed. Blessed to have such a beautiful girl, but also blessed to have an amazing support network of family and friends. We can't believe the comments and emails we've received, the excitement shared by so many. We are humbled to be a part of your lives and so glad and grateful that you're a part of ours.

Thank you.

The adventure continues tomorrow. I'd love to tell you more about "Gotcha Day." It was amazing. Here's one parting picture of J and I in the hotel lobby within half an hour of meeting M. We are loaded up with a camera, video recorder, three gifts for the orphanage director and nannies, a bag filled with treats, drinks, pull-ups, blanket, notebook for questions, outfit to give in exchange for what M. is wearing, etc. etc. etc. J. and I had a great time of prayer together in our room, then went down to meet our guide and other family. We were excited and nervous all at once.

Amazing. Simply amazing. Such amazing joy.
We'll write more in the morning and hopefully even have some video.

Asleep

And so she sleeps. Soundly. Breathing deeply. We had the full lights on for almost two hours after she fell asleep. Amazing.

There's not much better than staring at sleeping kids. wow. This is the last picture for today, but I'd like to post some more about the experience and what is yet to come.

Sleep!

J. fed her some more after me, but M. was starting to doze off--while holding watermelon in one hand and cantaloupe in the other!

J. picked her up and within a few minutes M. was sound asleep on her shoulder--right about 8:00PM, which (orphanage) Director Wang said was her bedtime.

Dinner Time!

Things have really gone well. After the expected rough start, we've both been able to calm her and hold her. It took a while for us to be able to pass her to the other without her sobbing, but we ended the day with three successful passes in a row!

We ordered room service after bath time. We really didn't know if she would eat or not. She took what must have been the longest journey of her life today (4-5 hours from her orphanage to Changsha) met us etc. Very traumatic we are sure! We saw her drink a-plenty but she's only held candy, crackers etc. without even tasting them. I had given her a cookie earlier and she did finally taste that. Well, you can see here, that dinner was a smashing success. J. ordered a hamburger (of questionable meat quality--left uneaten) off of the "western" part of the menu. I ordered a barbecued meat platter off the local part of the menu, some fried rice and wanton soup. We also got two nice-sized fruit plates. (grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon and a fruit we've seen here but have not yet identified.) M. sat on my lap and easily took the watermelon in hand and went to town. She watched me eat every bite of the meat (It must have been duck, actually) so I broke off tiny pieces and fed them to her. She ate them all. I also gave her fried rice. She ate. And ate. And ate. And ate. She ended up with several bites of meat, many mouthfuls of rice and a few slices of fruit. I'm getting the hang of those chop-sticks, too! This was amazing, and after the smile, possibly the next highlight of the day for me.

--R

Getting Dressed

Getting Dressed

Bath Time

Love the hair.
R

More Bath Time

Bath Time

She took her first bath with us without even a whimper. It's clear she's done this before, but doesn't have a clue how to play with anything. It seems like she's never played with anything in a tub before. She would just stare at the cup and the penguin. Eventually she would gently fill and dump the cup.

GOTCHA!

See the lollipop in her hand? When we were talking with the Director and Nanny of the orphanage and she began screaming her head off again, the nanny gave her two lollipops and two hard candies. You can't see them all in the pix, but rest assured they are clutched in her tiny hands. she did NOT let them go or out of her sight until I gave her a bath 3 1/2 hours later! Oh wait! Funny...at one point, I opened one lollipop so that she could lick it (she had become upset again) and she WAILED. Apparently, the fun for M is picking off the wrapper bit by bit. We learned that as she patiently peeled fragments off of the other one for the next hour. Once open, she wasn't even interested in licking it!!

GOTCHA!

GOTCHA!

GOTCHA!

[are you seeing weird lines in those other pictures? They are not like that in originals. huh.]

J. gave her a Chinese "milk drink" that she came with and a cookie we brought. She was quite content to sip on that straw.

GOTCHA!

Of course, that smile didn't come RIGHT away.














She did not want to leave the orphanage director, and she wailed and wailed when I (R) first tried to hold her. I passed her on to J. and she kept crying and crying.

GOTCHA!

Here's what we've all been waiting for!

Picture taken on the way out of the gov. office in which we received our beautiful daughter.
More to come. I'll try to do them one at a time--maybe THAT will work.
--R

Please Be Patient! Sorry!

Hi.

I've been trying for more than an hour to upload pictures--but the whole computer keeps freezing up. I'm sooooooo sorry. I imagine there have to be a few of you who have already woken up to check. I'll keep trying--we've got loads of pictures.

Things are going as well as could be expected. We are thrilled!

J. is currently giving her a bath. We'll give many more details later.
In the mean time---let me try again with the pictures. SORRY!
--R

TOMORROW!

Well, tomorrow is the day.

We'll wake up in Changsha and get ready to meet our daughter. We've imagined that day, those moments over and over again, for months and months and months. We've read books and blogs galore to prepare for those moments and those to follow: What will she look like in person? How will she react? How will WE react? How hard/easy will it be? Will we be able to ask the questions of her nanny/Orphanage Director we want and need to ask? Will we be able to concentrate on the answers? Will she cling to one of us and reject the other? Will she push us away? cry? scream? smile? cling to us? run from us? We just don't know.

Last night at our late dinner in the hotel atrium, I wrestled with nervousness. Are we up for the task? How hard will these next two+ weeks going to be? It's hard enough to travel in a strange place with just a spouse. What will it be like caring for a child who does not understand you?

We look at our travel companions and draw comfort. They are here for adoption # 3. Their two beautiful, well adjusted and out-going girls were decidedly not well-adjusted and out-going when they were first received several years ago. This will take time. But it will happen.

We draw even more strength from the very strong sense of Calling. We believe this is God's plan, His desire. We trust Him to give us what we need as we always must do. As I said to Him when J. was unexpectedly pregnant four months into our marriage: "This is your idea. You need to provide what we need to see it through." And He will.

He always has.

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

--R