Sunday Sept 15

WE GOT HER JUST 3 HOURS AGO!!!!!!

 

She is even more beautiful than her pictures.  What an incredible day.  All the families traveling to Changsha met for lunch to get our instuctions and tickets and had a wonderful meal in a restaurant near the White Swan Hotel.  The hotel is incredible.  Then we left for the airport and the guides from our adoption agency dropped us off.  Well, we stood in line at the gate that was on our ticket and no plane.  So we started getting concerned and we checked with information and the gate had been changed!  No one told us so we ran to another gate and just got to our plane on time.  It was a packed flight to Changsha and very little leg room for me but only an hour flight, so no big deal.  We arrived about 5:30 and were met by another guide who took all of us to the hotel.  We got lucky as our rooms were upgraded for free and you would not believe the room that Debbie and I are in.  It is about 20 x 20 and has plenty of room for Hanna's crib and play things.  We are really happy about that.

 

Our guide told us to go to the lobby on Floor 21 and they would bring the babies up on the elevators.

You should have seen the look on everyones faces when those doors opened!! I was filming away with the video camera when Hanna walked out in a beautiful pink outfit with pink bows in her pig tails and they told her to say "Mama".  She said "Mama" in the cutest voice, turned around, took one look at Debbie holding Cheerios and a doll and ran back to her caretaker and started crying....loud!  Debbie tried to pick her up but no way.  So Lorna from our group took the video camera from me and I picked her up.  She still did not like it but she started to settle down and lay her head on my shoulder.  Wow....that was a moment.  But then she seemed to remember where she was and pushed me away.  It was a bit of a mad house with babies and parents all crying and taking pictures.  I was doing my best to hold Hanna gently but she kept turning in my arms looking for her Chinese caretaker.  Debbie would come over and try to give her Cherrios or a toy but she only cried harder and pushed her away.  This time was very emotional and I had to fight back tears as I watched this beautiful little girl struggle to understand what was happening to her.  I am sure if Aliens came down from another planet it would not have been as bad for her as having two people (who looked so different and talked some strange language) take her from her caretaker.

 

Eventually we made it back to our room and Debbie started bribing Hanna with food and treats.  Nothing worked and she just squatted down, looked at the floor and did not move for 10 minutes.  Suddenly I had an idea so I turned on the CD player with some Chinese music and she started to sing!

 

Pretty soon she was eating Cheerios, singing to the music and seemed to settle in.  So far so good.

She still cries and does not like us to pick her up too much but she feeds herself, loves the cheerios and nutra-grain cereal bars. We gave her formula in a bottle and water in a sippy cup and she promptly drank all of both.   Then we just sat and watched her explore her new toys.  Now she is in bed asleep and Debbie and I are going to sleep too. As we stand by her crib and look down at that beautiful face, we are now crying out of joy at finally getting our daughter from China, after so much waiting.  She looks very peaceful in sleep, very much in contrast to the frightened little girl who ran from us just a few hours ago.  Tomorrow will be interesting as we start paperwork and take our new daughter out for the first time.