More on the Big Day

It was an uneventful start to what ended up being a life changing day. Bret and I packed, switched rooms, unpacked, ate breakfast, ate lunch, took a nap, and finally met our travel group in a conference room. There was part of me that still didn't think Grace was really coming; after four years of waiting, it almost felt like "I'll believe it when I see it."

But, then the first baby arrived, wide eyed, and I started crying. I had to excuse myself because I was so overcome with emotion. Several more happy babies arrived. Then a few more. And then, from out of the chaos, I heard: Tong Min Wei. And there she was sobbing her little head off. As it turns out, someone had just yanked a toy out of her hand (okay, a cigarette case... not a toy)j, and she was honked off. It didn't help matters when they plopped her in our hands. She was a sweaty hot mess.

After a few minutes, she calmed down (kind of), and we came upstairs to give her a bottle. She didn't want the bottle, and after some serious wailing, she fell asleep in my arms for about 30 minutes. She woke up a happier baby, but she was still a sweaty mess. So, I filled up the sink in the bathroom and dipped her feet into it. She kicked and splashed, and before you know it, she was a naked chica in the tub. She LOVES bathtime, and she screamed bloody murder when I took her out.

She ate some rice cereal and some prunes, and she has been a different kid since after the bath. She never fusses and just loves it when we hold her or play with her (all the toys are big hits). She's a bit of a Daddy's girl, as Bret seems to be the preferred playmate. She's just getting to sleep now, with only half a bottle down, but we'll try again tomorrow with the bottle.

She is longer and bigger than we expected, and we're not sure her recent measurements are correct. All of the pj sleepers I brought are too small, so I guess I'll just have to buy some here! She has started deep giggles and an occasional smile, and we look forward to even more of her personality peeking through in the coming days. She can sit up on her own, and we even evidenced some crawling, so we'll see if she's mobile soon. She seems to have very, very weak legs, but we're not worried.

Grant did get to skype with Grace, and he ran out of the room to go get his Peter Pan book to show her. She wasn't even looking, but he still tried to tell her about it. It was very sweet. We miss Grant so much, and we can't wait to bring Grace home to meet him.

We did find out a little bit of information today: Grace's nickname is Wei Wei, a name Bret an I have been calling her all night, and she's been living in foster care with two other babies. Her foster parents are pros--having fostered 31 babies before Grace. She's so affectionate, and we know she had a great start at life with two foster parents who paid attention to her. For that, we are grateful.

It's been an easy night. We expected hours and hours of crying, but after that first hour, it's been pretty smooth sailing... I'm going to wish I hadn't said that, huh?

In the end, she's just so darn sweet, a real cuddler. Tomorrow, we officially adopt her in the eyes of the People's Republic of China. We're living such a blessed life!