WooHoo!!

This morning we had a delicious breakfast.  The hotel buffet is extensive.  We tried to get on the internet to blog but can't even get into email so we'll try again later.  We are doing some laundry and waiting for 1:40pm.  That's when we meet our guide in the lobby and go to meet Min!  The gifts for the orphangae director and caregivers are in red bags.  Min's backpack is filled with treats, books, coloring books, crayons and a mini magnadoodle and her doll is all ready.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.  Min is leaving her orphanage this morning, riving for hours and being given to strangers who loo, talk, and act different than anyone she knows.  I don't know if she has been prepared for this adoption.  It could be truly terrifying.  We love her but she is about to go through trauma and I hurt for her.  I am praying for her heart in all ways.  I hope that God will comfort her and help her to trust us.  I am praying for God to walk with us all today.

Fast Forward....WOW!!!!!

So we were anxiously waiting in the lobby, got into the van and drove to an older looking building, climbed to the third floor and were directed to a glass walled room  in an office that was slightly similar to a DMV.  We walked into the glass room and there were three adults sitting on a couch...and our little girl looked at us with a bright smile and said "Ni Hao Mama!"  "Ni Hao, Baba!"  She smiled excitedly from the couch and there was a lot of Chinese spoken back and forth.  Let me just say that our entire time in Chengdu, very little was actually ever translated back to us so we tried to piece things together as best as we could.  So,  Min beamed at us and I walked over to the short table in front of the couch they were on and held out the doll.  She loved it and said Shi shi.  She smiled and showed it to her caregivers who really liked it, apparently it is hard to find Asian looking baby dolls in China.  Min kept looking to us and smiling constantly.  I sat down on the floor and showed her her bag full of things.  She gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek then gave DH a hug and kiss.  I truly think he was in a little bit of shock for a while. We had been gearing up for screaming and crying and sadness and here was this happy little girl who was THRILLED to meet us.  She had her photo book that we sent her in June and was very familiar with it.  One of our sons is in the background of the picture of me, like his shirt is visible walking out of the shot, she says Gege and points to his sleeve even in the picture.  She was obviously prepared and looking forward to meeting us.  In my wildest dreams our first meeting could not have been that amazing.  Min has the cutest smile with two little dimples high up on her cheeks under her eyes and she was positively beaming. 

Her caregivers were very kind and obviously cared for Min.  We asked/ tried to talk about the two other girls that Min has been raised with who are being adopted this year.  They knew about one and smiled when we told them her mom loves her very much.  The other they did not know about and they clapped, it took a bit to figure out who we were talking about, our pronunciation of names was not correct:)  There are not a lot of children who have been adopted from this orphanage and they were thrilled that they were getting families.

For  thirty or so minutes we showed Min what we brought for her, she shared a cracker with everyone in the room before she would eat one herself:)  Our guide payed the donation that we had wired prior to the trip.  There was a lot of talking going on, I wish I knew what was being said, but it was so nice to just be with Min and have her near and interested in us and what we brought and check with us to see if things were OK.  With each new item she smiled bigger and bigger.  Then we left and she held my hand and walked out the door with a smile on her face.

Our guide told Min that we would take her to McDonald's before she left us all off at the hotel after filling out some adoption paperwork, so much to my dismay(something just felt so very wrong about that being her first meal with us, especially when I don't like it in the US:)) we got her a happy meal.  She was very happy.  We went back to the hotel, she loved the huge panda in the water fountain wall at the entrance of the hotel.  We took her to buy some shoes which she loved.  We got two pairs for about $13 USD!  She let me hold her and kept patting my nose.  It is much bigger than hers:)She colored at the desk in the hotel room for a while, she is very good at coloring and very meticulous about having things just so.  We showed her the bag of hair bows I brought for her, she wanted every single one in her hair, the we painted our toenails, DH opted out of that one, and her fingernails. Then we gave her her new pink pajamas and she laid down after tucking her doll in next to her and went to sleep.  Not a frown, not a sigh, nothing but smiles and happiness the whole day.  While we know, and are praying for her to be able to grieve with us, today was a huge gift.  It was like a Disney movie and could not have gone better with a song and dance number(and I have a weakness for those!)  It was a huge blessing and Eric and I are in awe of this sweet little girl who tomorrow will  legally be our daughter.