Gotcha Day!

We left the Beijing airport around 8:15 this a.m. and arrived in Nanchang (pronounced Nanchung) at about 10:45 a.m. We were quickly whisped away to our beautiful hotel, the Galactic, and had a quick lunch, got the diaper bag ready, and headed across the street to the Jiangxi Province Center for Adoption Service. There we patiently awaited the arrival of our babies. The temperature outside was 104 degrees, and we were on the 26th floor of a building that had very little air conditioning. We were all so excited; we felt like children at Christmas, getting ready to go look at the gifts Santa had left them. Suddenly, the door opened and in walked 5 adults and 7 little girls, all under the age of 1! There was lots of crying from the babies, AND the adults! They started calling out the baby's names, and we heard "Tong Xin", and she was ours!! They asked us if we recognized her from the pictures we had received, which were from 4 months ago!! I said "No, not really!" After looking closely at her, we could see the resemblance and knew it was our Mary. Her hair had grown a ton in the past 4 months! She was wearing a long sleeved top and long pants, and was a sweaty mess. She had a horrible rash all over her, but still looked beautiful! Surprisingly, she didn't make a sound! Not one cry!! I thought maybe something was wrong with her, but as the day went on, she perked up and made me feel much better. We signed a bunch of paperwork, paid some money, had our picture taken, and received her Official adoption certificate!!

Finally, we were able to leave and go back to the hotel! We got back and the first thing I did was give her bath. I don't think she had ever had an actual, full fledged TUB bath before. The hotel supplied us with a crib, stroller, and baby tub, which was wonderful. I put her in the bath tub and she didn't like it very much. She didn't flip out, like MY other 3 children did, but she did whimper until she got used to it. She got her bath, I lathered her up with Baby Magic Lotion, and she ended up falling asleep and taking a nap.

We had originally thought we would get Mary about noon, and then be able to Skype our kids and my parents soon there after, but the way it worked out is, we got her around 2:30, and didn't get back to the hotel until 4:30. Scott and the other dads walked to, none other but, Walmart, to buy water and riced cereal, so Mary and I took a nap. We weren't able to Skype the kids until around 7:30,and I know they were anxiously awaiting that Skype call! We had a wonderful video call! The kids loved seeing Mary and Mary loved seeing them! She was smiling and cooing and giving them a grand old show! There is a mirror on the other side of my computer, and we found out that Mary, like her big sister Hannah, loves to look at herself in the mirror!! She was just smiling away!!

Right now, Mary and Scott are passed out on the bed, where I will soon be! What a wonderful day!! Never thought it would happen, and it did. It was so much like Christmas, in the fact that we wait and wait and for it to come, and the excitement builds up as each day it gets closer to it! But, with Christmas, the excitement fades after the presents have been opened, food eaten, family visited, and decorations are put away. The excitement is just beginning for us and I know that it won't ever end. We have so much to be thankful for!

Please pray for Mary. Right now she has a slight cough, and I don't want it to get any worse! Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. It's been a wonderful day and I'm exhausted!! Good night!!!!