December 5th: Gotcha Day!

December 5th: Gotcha Day!

What an amazing day!  First I will start off by saying that we have Lexi and she is doing incredibly well, and we all feel so blessed.

This morning we went down to the Registry office with the 8 familes who would be receiving their child there.  We figured we could take photos for many of them, and it is truly an amazing, emotional experience to witness.  When we arrived, 2 of the children were already waiting inside, and the rest came in over the next hour.  It became a little chaotic, but it was so nice to see the kids united with their parents.  Some kids cried, some just looked sad, but many of them were already adjusting well within an hours time.  As it neared noon time, I was getting anxious to meet Lexi.  We were told that Lexi and one other little girl were arriving by train, and should be at the hotel by 1:00.  They told us to wait for her at the lobby by the 3rd floor elevator.  It was about 12:30 when we arrived back to the hotel, so we gathered the little back-pack and treats we brought for her and headed for the lobby.  Just about all of the other familes came to the lobby to support us- we have such an amazing group!  The other little girl came quickly and met her new mom.  I was staring at the elevator and it must have opened at least 5 times for other people.  My nerves were starting to go crazy.  At one point, a local Chinese man stepped off of the elevator and much to his surprise at least 30 Americans were there with cameras and video cameras pointing at him.  He said that he felt very honored :)  Finally, after all that drama, Lexi walked out holding the hand of a nanny.  I am sure she was overwhelmed, but she did not want anything to do with us, and when they finally handed her to me she started crying and wiggling.  Mark took over because boy is she strong!  She accepted the puffs that we gave her and was able to calm down.  We took her to our room (so she couldn't escape), where it would be a calmer environment for her.  She soon started to relax and smile.  Mia has been amazing with Lexi, even when Lexi isn't so sure about Mia, but so far they are doing very well together.

A few things we have learned about Lexi so far: she has plenty of smiles and giggles, she definitely can make her needs known, she can easily imitate others, she is able to understand some basic gestures, she is neat: she already put her shoes in the closet, threw her wet diaper away, put the crayons back in the box and put Mia's clothes on top of her suitcase.  She is a very busy girl- collected little papers around the hotel room, handed out her photo album to each of us, colored, and stacked blocks.  She had no problems eating or drinking today, and she let me know when her diaper was wet, and put the wipes back in the drawer.  It seems we also have another girly-girl.  The funny thing is, when she arrived I saw this curly hair on the back of her head.  I quickly realized that it was one of those hair extension hair clips- I thought really?  But I guess it is sweet that they wanted to dress her up for today.  Later, after I had taken it out, she pointed to it.  I picked it up and she ran over to me and bent her head down for me to put it on her.  I will have to hide it tomorrow :)

The Chinese believe in dressing children in many bulky layers to keep them healthy in the cold weather.  Lexi had so many layers on.  When I took the outer jacket off, she had quite a fit.  When I later realized that her diaper was wet, I was wondering how I was going to get all of those layers off of her without traumatizing her.  I took out an outfit I had brought for her.  As soon as I held it up for her she couldn't get her clothes off fast enough, and she even picked out shoes, socks and a headband to go with it.  Her smile is adorable, and by the end of the day she was running around laughing and having a good time.  She feel asleep quickly, laying her head on my hand, and I am hoping she does just as well tomorrow.