DAY 3 - GOTCHA DAY!!!!

DAY 3 - GOTCHA DAY!!!!! (REFLECTIONS)

We left Hong Kong at 9 AM on Sunday morning and headed back to the Hong Kong Airport to catch our flight to Nanchang, which is in the Jiangxi Province of China.   I don't know if I mentioned it before or not, but there are five families in our travel group.  Mark and Tonya Newbill are from Texas (they have a 22 months old son named Mason, adopted from Korea seven months ago with them), Richard and Sheila Baldwin from Virginia (they have an 11 year old son, Ryan with them), Greg and Tami Staut from Colorado, and Keith and Christine White from North Carolina (they have a 7 year old daughter, Katherine with them, who was also adopted from China)   And then, there's Roger and me, with Shea.  Other than me,everyone in our group was pretty quiet (even Roger) as we waited at the airport to board our flight.  I was just downright giddy!!!!  I had waited for this day for over FIVE years, and I wasn't about to get nervous about it!!!!!

We arrived at the airport around 1:30 PM, and was greeted by our guide Evelyn, holding up the CCAI sign.  It was obvious from the beginning that Nanchamg was totally different than Hong Kong.  I can't explain how the traffic is here.  I've NEVER seen people drive like they do here, and it is CONSTANT horn honking, although all streets have signs that saying horn honking is prohibited.  It's somehting to see AND hear!!!  In fact, as I'm sitting here typing this message, there's hardly a second that I'm not hearing horns beeping. 

Evelyn told us that our babies would be arriving around 5:00 PM.  All five of us families had a meeting with her for important information about our babies, and also about the paperwork we would be completing the next couple of days.    We then went back to our rooms, and planned to return to the meeting room at 5, so we could all see each other's babies when they arrived. 

What a sight it was to see when the first baby, to be named Riley, was delivered to Mark and Tonya.  She was SOOOOOO cute!  Then came Keith's and Christine's baby, to be named Kiimberly..  She too was SO sweet.  Them Greg's and Tami's arrived---Marissa, another cutie.  Then, there were no more babies.  Evelyn tired to call the director of the orphanage, who was bringing Molly Kate.  They had just arrived iin Nanchang, but because it was rush hour, it was going to be another 15 or 20 minutes before they arrived. 

That waiting time seemed like an eternity, and then......there she was.......the baby girl who had been in our hearts and minds for over five years.  She looked SO tiny for her age, and as I've already shared, she cried when I took her in my arms----not for long, though.  She had on the little outfit I had sent to the orphanage in a care package.  The shoes she had on were too big, so they had them tied on with a string around her ankles.  She was clean, though, and dry.  It was just a traumatic time for her.  Despite the fact that she was scared and unhappy, she let me hold her close and snuggle her.  It was an instant bond, and OHHHHHHH how good it felt!!! 

A Mother's Love!

Daddy's Girl!

Big Brother Lil Sis!

She was still pretty solemn, though, until I was getting her ready for bed.  I started to pull her top over he head, and I stopped with it on top of her head, and there was something about that that made her giggle for the first time.  Then, when I put the hair bow on her and told her she was beautiful, I got that giggle and big smile again. 

I'm happy to report that our sweet Molly Kate slept all night long!!!!!! I think she knew her Mommy and Daddy were pretty tired!!!!  We had received the report, though that she was a good sleeper---words ANY mother loves!!!! 

I have a lot to tell you about Day 4, but I'm so very tired that I'm ready to go to bed.  It's only 9:40 here, and most of you know me......I'm usually just getting started at this time of the night.  I'm telling you, though, I REALLY do think time is longer HERE than it is at home.  It sure seems like it!!!!

I will write more tomorrow!!!!  Before I stop writing, though, I would like to throw in something that has nothing to do our adoption journey---well, actually it is connected to part of our adoption story.  There is a little 2 1/2 year old girl named Maya Rose who lives in Michigan, who was a roommate of Molly Kate's in the orphanage.  She is having surgery today to repair a cleft palate.  Please pray for her.  She is a special girl to us, even though we've never seen her in person, because she and Molly Kate were together for quite a long time.  Her mom, Kris and I are good adoption buddies.  There is a bond between people who adopt, that I just can't 'explain.....ANYWAY. please lift her up in your prayers!