It is 4am China time & I wish I can share more pics from our Gotcha moment, but we will have to all get ready soon in a few hours to head out for some legal paperwork. We promise we will try to share more amazing photos as soon as we can download from our main camera, which by the way were taken by a wonderful grandma her with her daughter on their own adoption journey. They were Angels, and we will forever be great full!
Our Gotcha time started about 3:30 pm Sunday Nov.25, 2012 China time. We were just finishing some lunch in the second floor restaurant of the hotel with a single mom & her mom here on their own adoption journey. We had not realized there was a window to the side of us where one of us took a glimpse down & started watching the people walking in the lobby. Kris suddenly blurted out " I think that's Madi walking around holding the orphanage directors hand". We all quickly got up started video recording & yes indeed we were 100% sure it was her. She seemed a lot smaller than we thought from her updated photos despite her walking around still pretty wobbly with a yellow snowsuit-like outfit. We all immediately rushed to our hotel room to wait for our call & about 4pm sharp our guide calls & says "your baby is here, want to come down or want us to go up?" After some quick thoughts we decided to rush down, I'm not sure we would have stranded the anticipation.
The rest of the moments happened all so fast it was surreal. Both overwhelmed with emotion they walk over our daughter & say to her "This is mama & baba & the screaming began! One day we will share the footage as it was unbelievable....but photos will come soon.
Thank God for daddy, as I will never forget this moment. He scooped her off & immediately started to whisper to her that it would all be ok over and over again as she screamed her heart away & began her grieving. He walked her around for about 1/2 hour while I met with the director to get some answers on our daughters first year of life.
For now we will share that she was actually living with foster mother & father, older couple with older son & daughter n law & not at the orphanage as we thought. This will most definitely explain her screaming for "mama & baba" the only two caretakers she knew. But we are both very glad to know that she was not institutionalized & had most likely been given more individual attention and love.
once the Orphanage director & his wife left the hotel lobby & Madeline could no longer see them Kris returned to the lobby with her a little calmer and she also went to me but as I carried her she cried & screamed uncontrollably....it was heartbreaking. We had lots of stares by hotel people & more people snapping photos of us. But as we passed her back & forth to each other as she easily went to both of us her crying stopped every so often as her little lips continued to flutter.
We soon took her up the elevator along with our guide Mary & the miracle of our family began to evolve. Madi seemed to be mezmorized by her reflection inside the elevator mirror. As we entered the room she continued to cry, but it was a much softer cry. Mary helped me prepare a bottle with rice cereal mixed with formula but she wasn't interested in that or anything else we offered her. She had rosy chapped cheeks & lots and lots of layers of clothes, but she wouldn't let go of the little rubber ball her baba gave her earlier and held tightly to some cheerios in her hand with the strongest little grip.
Mary left soon after collecting some documents & giving us instructions for the next day, and agreeing to return with some bottled water and we were left alone with our little girl. Slowly but surely, even though she continued crying & stopping, she allowed us to peel away all her layers of clothes. She is a lot smaller than she appears in photos...still a baby our precious girl.
After changing her dry diaper & dressing her in some cozy jammies, she just continued to stare in each of our eyes with extreme curiosity. We can already tell she is an amazing child & I can not begin to tell you just how much she seemed to blossom in the 4 hours we shared with her before she fell asleep in mamas arms.
Here's a bit in short form:
She will easily go to each of us as she starts to cry, but I usually have to take her from daddy (although she doesn't resist), but she will actually reach out her hands to daddy when she's being held by me. It's the cutest thing.
She seems to be potty trained. As I was holding her she lifted her feet and I thought she wanted me to cradle her, but then I took her to the little potty ducky after pulling off her diaper & she easily went pipi. She is 18 months old.
She will start to scream and cry when we say "baba, mama". So we will take it easy. We are not her baba and mama to her right now, and that's ok.
She has a giving heart. We found this out after we played with Cheerios in a bowl & Kris & I tagged team by sharing Cheerios. Within minutes she was putting Cheerios in each our hands, in our mouths, then dumping the rest of her Cheerios from her bowl into my hand. It was amazing, and all captured on video.
She cracked some super quick smiles. But not on camera...not a chance.
She is easily content with one toy.
She is a deep sleeper. And by the way, she seems to be trained to sleep. We are not kidding! When we took her to the hotel restaurant, while daddy was holding her she pulled down her Hello Kitty hat to cover her eyes & went to sleep. She woke up after a few minutes, looked for me and reached out to me, fell asleep once again over my shoulder & stayed that way until I set her in her crib. She is still sleeping beauty at 5am, despite daddy's snoring.
We love this kid! This is our miracle evolving. She is truly our gift from God!
Thank You for all of your messages on our FB, & TANGO! Your words bring us comfort miles away.
Love from China,
KM + m
5 comments:
You have posted a picture of a BEAUTIFUL family! What a blessing!
That is fun to read Marsi. Wishing you 3 the very best.
Amazing, we are following you in this great and blessed time in your life...thank you honey for sharing with us all. We love you guys, Sylvia.
My wife and I are excited for you and remember the joy we experienced on the day our daughter was placed in our arms. She to cried when she was first placed in my arms but over the next few days we saw more smiles and less tears. She is sure to bring joy to you both.
I can't stop crying! What a blessing!! I am so happy for you guys!!!!
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