The day started out very emotional for Troy and I. This day is already a day of great meaning to us and we felt overwhelmed with how blessed we are. Knowing that we were also going to meet our sixth child on top of that was very surreal.
We ran out with our guide, David, to Walmart for some snacks and a few items for Ni Ni (we found out that everyone calls her Ni Ni yesterday) that we didn't have. Then we had lunch a Pizza Hut - playing it safe still! After that we went on a walk - David is awesome, but a VERY fast walker - to the bank to exchange the money for the orphanage donation, etc. That was a little stressful, it's a lot of money and we were getting checked out by everyone.
After that we went back to the hotel to relax for about an hour. I use the term relax loosely as we were all nervous and excited. We prepared some snacks for her and put out some toys.
At about 3:15 David called me from the lobby and said that they were ready to come up. The orphanage staff brought her up to us. The Director handed her to me and she looked very sad, but she didn't cry. David quickly sent the orphanage staff away so that she could just spend time with us. We took some pictures for adoption day and completed some paperwork. By the time the paperwork was completed Ni Ni was playing with us and laughing.
Ni Ni has never used a toilet, but she is potty trained. She would've only used what they call a squaty potty. However, David told us the word for potty and she ran right in there when she had to go and went with no problems. She even showed us that she wanted to wash her hands!!
She is so very smart. Draws numbers and all kinds of Chinese Symbols. She had a diaper on when she came to us and we took it off after the potty experience. I just pulled her shorts up because I didn't know if she knew what underwear was and I didn't want to upset her by trying to put them on her. Well....she went right to her suitcase, pulled them out and ripped her shorts off to put them on! She doesn't talk much, but she calls me Ma Ma and when I leave the room she calls for me. She even blew Troy a kiss first last night. She adores Brooke and of course Brooke is having a blast with her. Hunter isn't too sure yet, but we have caught him laughing at her and she has been waving to him and trying to get him to play with her. I think that relationship will take some time, but we knew that was going to be the case... She is so happy and funny - a real ham bone. The boys are going to have a great time playing with her. She is just like Will - if she is engaged in doing something and you are talking to her she will just ignore you completely. Ha!
She fell asleep in her highchair at dinner, but we woke her up to eat. We brought a bowl and spoon for her congee and she used it so well. She started to get sad again at dinner so I just held her and then we went back to the room. She LOVES the bath. When I took her out she stood for a minute and then melted and pouted. At bed time she was laying down with me and started to cry just a little - she hates her PJ's LOL So, I think that was part of it. They were the kind with the feet in them so I think we will try a different pair next time. She slept all night with no problem. She is such a good girl. (although she does like to smack you a little, Brooke and I have both gotten whacked on the head and then she just laughed! LOL)
Overall we couldn't have asked for a better Gotcha Day. It all went amazing and once again our God has blessed us beyond what we deserve. He called us to step out on this journey of faith and he has been so faithful to us. We have definitely felt Him with us on this trip and we are just in awe of His goodness.
Being honest, I will tell you that I was worried about bonding with her and I thought that I loved her before I met her.....deep down I really wasn't sure how I would feel. Well, a mother's love is amazing. It didn't matter at all that I didn't receive her in the traditional way - like our biological children. I was still handed the same miracle and all I wanted to do was love her and protect her. I feel like the Grinch and my heart grows one size bigger with each child. It's overwhelming how I feel when she gets sad. I am sure the foster mother is in great pain and grief right now. They were very close and it feels like someone is ripping my heart out when I think about what they are both going through. She was like her daughter and I can't imagine someone every taking one of my children away. But, I still know that this is what's best for her in the long run. She would never be able to stay with the foster mom her whole life and she wouldn't get her heart surgery, etc. Even though we know we are doing the right thing, it still feels wrong on some levels. We just have to look at the positive points and not loose focus of the big picture.
The only concern that we have is her teeth, it doesn't look like they were brushed really well much, but she does know what a toothbrush is and how to use it. She will probably need some dental work when we get home. It's important for her to have great dental health with her heart condition. She also grinds her teeth a lot and seems like she has trouble swallowing sometimes. We are going to talk with the orphanage staff about this on adoption day. It may be that she wasn't drinking enough. We couldn't get her to take a sippy cup or apple juice. But, she drank her formula from a coffee cup like an adult!
We will post pictures very soon - we still need to Skype with everyone at home first!
We want to also thank our family and friends for going on this journey with us, we know that not everyone understands why we are adopting. Your love and support, even if you think this doesn't make sense, means the world to us.
Love you Tyler, Gavin and Will - we will Skype as soon as everyone is awake!! Get ready to meet your little sister - she is VERY silly and full of energy!! : ) XOXOXO
