GOTCHA-We Have Her!

It has been a blessed day. We started out for the Civil Affairs office around 1:30. We made it there a few minutes before the van from the Orphanage and went in to watch out the window. The office was locked and we stood in the lobby while our guide, Jane, went up the elevator to find someone to open the office. By the time Jane returned the van pulled up and we could see her right away. She got out of the van with the Nanny, the Associate Director and a driver. We went  into the office to start the paperwork. We found out that she had been in a foster family for the last 3 months to help her get used to being in a family setting. The family had 4 other children and they said her language development had gone up tremendously during this time. They even spoke a little English around her and she knows a few words already. She would stay with them at night and be driven to the orphanage for school time each day. This morning they explained again what was happening and let her hug all of her friends goodbye. The ride to Nanjing was almost 5 hours and she was very tired and upset when we got her. At the civil affairs office she became very upset when the caregivers got ready to leave. She was crying uncontrollably for a while and then got sick to her stomach. Jane explained to her that we were her parents and sister and that we would stay in a hotel and then come back tomorrow to do more paperwork and see the caregivers again. I am a little conflicted about that. Now that she has calmed down I think she might be better off not to repeat today's events. Once everyone else left, she calmed down and drank some juice and ate a sucker. the ride back to the hotel was about 30 minutes and she was fascinated by the big buses. We went to our room and Jane helped her to the potty and then left as Olivia got out the bubbles and the girls started blowing them all over the room. They did that a while and then started to color. She loves to color and is pretty good at it too. We colored several pages while Daddy ordered room service. She loves french fries and Sprite. After dinner, she sat and watched daddy put her pictures on the computer, then she wanted to take pictures. I let her help me take pictures of Mama and sister watching TV. The Goodnight Show came on and the words were all in Mandarin. She sat on the end of the bed and watched and laughed at the whole show. Everyone is fast asleep now even though it is only 7:30. We did not sleep at all last night and she is worn out from today's long trip and the events of the day. She has made much progress in just a few short hours. She already calls Joy, da mama and me da baba. She even gave us both a kiss tonight. She keeps her eye on Olivia most of the time. Please pray that she will continue to bond with us and that her day tomorrow will not be a setback. We can already tell she has a spunky personality and we already love her with all our heart. Thanks for standing in the gap for us.   Good Night from Nanjing, China,    Coy/Joy