As of this morning, Hope officially became our daughter in the eyes of the Chinese government. We put on our red, white, and blue and went back to the Civil Affairs Office at 9:00 where we had to have a short interview. It was so great to see all of the newly expanded families together. The girls are all so beautiful! We also got to see Hope relax just a bit as she played on the rocking horse. Even though it was short lived, it was the beginning crumblings of some pretty tough barriers.
Imagine what she's thinking here.
One of Our First Smiles
With SWI Director et.al
We then headed to the notary office to answer some more questions. We promised to love "this child" as our own, never to mistreat or abandon her, etc...and YES! She is certainly "satisfactory" to us.
We're done! It's official! Hope looks very excited doesn't she?
At 12:30 after a cool bath Hope finally dozed off for a nap. We were a bit concerned about her heat rash, she didn't seem to be drinking well, and we also hadn't had a poopie diaper yet. Another flip? Hope became "Mama's Girl" overnight. When me met Hope the day before, I could barely look at her without evoking terror and now I couldn't leave the room. Ron was in for a tough couple of months since this change in attachment. It took a very long time for Hope to be comfortable with her new Daddy. He even ended up taking extra time off work when we got home for some more much needed family time. She's certainly Daddy's girl now though. :)
This day was a very sad day for Hope.
She started this sad sort of moan/whine that just didn't end. She was grieving pretty hard which we knew was actually sort of a good sign that she had been attached to her foster family. All we could do was hold her and try to comfort her, reassuring her that we love her and we are her Mama and Baba. I just kept rocking her and singing...Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves Me again....she cried and I held her closer. Believe me, I cried, too.
Bedtime & Bottle at 8:00
Countryside Visit Tomorrow
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1 comment:
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We woke up on this morning with a daughter! There was a little girl in a crib next to us! We could hardly believe how blessed we were feeling that God had entrusted us with the life of such a perfect little angel.
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I remember the same feeling, only from a little longer ago.
:)
I'm enjoying immensely the trip down memory lane reading about your trip again. Even though the early pictures of Hope and her crying are tough to see, knowing now that things have worked out so wonderfully for your family lets me put them in perspective and look forward to all the marvelous things still to come.
Hope is truly a joy.
love,
- anymouse
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