Monday, May 26, 2008

What a day

So we woke up early this morning and headed down for some breakfast. After breakfast we had an hour or so to kill so we stopped by the room where we would be meeting our babies. The room was dark and there was nobody there so we went back to our room to put together a diaper bag with some things that we would need for the day.


We headed back down to the meeting room around quarter to nine and there were a couple families there already waiting. Everyone was very antsy waiting for the babies to arrive and trying to figure out who would take pictures and video for that special moment. At around quarter past nine the babies started to trickle in. There were around 14 families in the room so to say things erupted into chaos would be an understatement. The actual hand off process is all very official so we couldn't just walk up and grab our baby if we recognized her. I think this may be the just about the cruelest form of torture known to man. After waiting almost three years for your baby that last 5 minutes is probably the hardest.


Finally it was time to start giving the babies to their new families. They call the families up one by one to make sure everyone has enough time for pictures and video. I think we were the 4th or 5th family called. They handed her to Jen and I got my turn to hold her a few minutes later.

The next few hours were spent filling out paperwork. We finished all of the paperwork by noon and went for a quick lunch and then pretty much had the afternoon to get to know Gracie a little better. So far things are going really well. She has cried a little bit here and there. Mostly she just wants to be held and fed...this girl likes to eat. Which is probably why she weighs in at 20 pounds. She is definitely not a malnourished baby. She was well taken care of and has the rolls to prove it.
Around mid afternoon a group of us took a little field trip to a local grocery store to pick up some baby supplies. We got quite a bit of strange looks as we were walking along the street. Imagine the spectacle of a dozen white families with Chinese babies walking down a crowded street in China. After our field trip she took a little nap but we had to wake her up to take her down to see the doctor that is traveling with us for her checkup. She passed the doctor's examination with flying colors.
Tomorrow is another day of paperwork and we sign the official adoption agreement. We are right now in what they call a harmonious period. Kind of a trial before we officially are her parents. She seems to like us ok and we are just in love so I think she is stuck with us for the long haul.
Overall our first day with her has gone really well, she has cried a bit but that is to be expected given all she has been through. Our arms are really sore from carrying her around everywhere but she deserves all the attention we are giving here. She has eaten pretty well and we even got a few laughs out of her at lunch when feeding her congee. We haven't really figured out the whole bottle situation as they feed babies a bit differently in China than they do in the US so I think we are going to need to work with each other on that one.
Our real test will be tonight I think. We put her down about and hour ago and were told she sleeps for eight hours so we will see. We will just leave you with a couple more pictures of our angel. Pretty amazing isn't she...

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHAT A DAY IS RIGHT!! She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! I love when she looks at Steve in the video and the picture of her smiling in Jen's arms!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! 20lbs! Your arms are going to definitely be sore! She looks so happy and healthy. Okay I am going to watch the video a few more dozen times!! Cannot wait to meet her!!!! HELLO GRACIE LU HU!!!!

Love,
Liz

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!
She's Beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Oh my GOD, with tears streaming down my face...She is so AWESOME! I LOVE how chubby she is! Grace is the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen- I know I am a biased GodMother- but she really is an ANGEL and looks like one in the sleeping pic. CONGRATULATIONS. Words can't really express how happy I am for you all!!
HI GRACIE- I LOVE YOU!!

Anonymous said...

Congrats Mommy & Daddy! Gracie is beautiful and I am so incredibly happy for you - I think I'll be smiling ALL day long thinking of you. ;-) Finally a family, and Gracie looks right at home in your arms.

Anonymous said...

OMG, what a wonderful day! Congratulations you two! Gracie is BEAUTIFUL, what a cutie! Oh my goodness, I have tears coming down my face (you know I'm such a sap!) I am so thrilled for your new family and that everything is going so well. Congratulations, again and enjoy your trip and your little girl! Soooo happy for you guys!!!

Dori's Mommy (Diana) said...

Congratulations! She is so cute!!

Norma said...

Just lovely!!!! You are so blessed and i am so happy for you all. Welcome home little one.

Mike and Rhonda said...

How precious! Of course it brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful family! All of us Precious Pandas are watching your journey and so proud for you.

Lea Bee said...

de-lurking to say YAY!!!! how wonderful.

Terri and Rich said...

Oh, wow!! Jen and Steve she is just beautiful. I am truly so happy for you! I can't believe our day is only about 4 weeks away!

Hugs,
Terri

Anonymous said...

WOW!!! Congratulations!! She is just beautiful!!! I am so happy for you both!!

Jess Danielson said...

Yeah! She is soooo beautiful!

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! I'm typing through happy tears for you right now. She is precious, so sweet! You all look like the happiest family on earth. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Such a sweet little girl!! YAY!! :-D
Love, Ann Marie

Anonymous said...

What a special video of your first meeting! It totally made my day to watch this. I had to watch it twice as tears blocked my view the first time. I am truly so happy for the three of you. Gracie you are just so beautiful. You have the sweetest face! You have the best mom and dad and a lot of love coming your way!!

What a beautiful family! :o)

Love,
Mary Joy

the meaklims said...

She is truly beautiful, how amazing! I had tears watching the movie and seeing your pictures.

Congratulations!
Jill

Anonymous said...

She didn't cry. Just like our Cady, there was crying all around, but not her. She was more in shock than scared. Isn't it magical though?

Congrats

Anonymous said...

Jen and Steve,
Gracie is just stunning!!! I have been thinking of you guys all weekend, especially today knowing that you would be meeting your daughter. What a blessing! I had a great cry, yet again. I am so happy for you. Enjoy your time in China and have a safe trip back with your beautiful daughter!

Anonymous said...

I can't tell you how happy I am for all of you!! I cried when I watched the video! Madison watched it with me and we couldn't stop looking at the beautiful pictures of your precious little Grace. She is soooo cute! What a healthy adorable baby!

Best wishes to you all,

Love,
Kellie

Jenna said...

She IS pretty amazing!! :) That is AWESOME- it is so wonderful to see that little smile on her face. She's gorgeous! Everyone looks so happy! Congratulations!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow!! She's so good! It sounds like she's the only baby NOT crying!

That was a beautiful moment, CONGRATS guys!! I'm just so incredibly thrilled and happy for you guys!

I love that photo of Grace on Jen's lap. Very cute :)

JW Moxie said...

I'm so happy for you and your new family. She is absolutely adorable. Thank you for sharing this very special moment with us!

astral said...

Congratulations on your daughter!! She is beautiful--I'm crying here watching your video.

Anonymous said...

Here from L&F... And so very glad I came. I cried like a baby. What an amazing journey for you and Gracie. She is so so lucky to have you two for parents. That video is a real punch in the proverbial gut. I'm going to go stop crying now.

SassyCupcakes said...

Congratulations! She's just gorgeous. What an amazing day.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely gorgeous! The instant the video started, I began sobbing. Looking at you and the other parents in the background who have all fought so hard for this moment. . . so deserved.
Congratulations! What a beautiful family.

JJ said...

Congrats! What a touching video!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jen and Steve,
congratulations! She is beautiful and the video is so sweet. You all look very happy!
Ellen Slattery

Tracy said...

I bawled from just that little snippet of a video! Congratulations! And the one of her sleeping. Couldn't you just pinch yourself to make sure it's all real?

Anonymous said...

I just watched your video, I found you through Lost and Found i think, the other day. Anyway, it was so beautiful! What a wonderful day. The moments caught on video between Steve and your new baby was so precious!

~ Alison said...

CONGRATS!!! Grace is simply adorable!

I just spotted Dr. Jerry in your gotcha video - he was with us on our special day as well. Please send him a big hug from my daughter & I!!

Best wishes, enjoy every moment =)