We are here and we have our daughter!

We are here and we have Sophia. It has been a crazy 3 days.

We knew we were going to have a 6 hour layover in Chicago, but the 6 hours turned into 12. It was a complete nightmare. By the time we made it to Beijing we were absolutely exhausted and ready to go to bed. They took the temperature of everyone on our plane before we could get off. There were heat seeking machines in the airport that scanned the body temperature of everyone walking through the airport. Eli was singled out as having too high of a body temperature. We were put into a curtained area where they took his temperature again and lucky for us, he was ok and we could proceed through the airport. Our agency guide was there to pick us up with a big smile on her face. She told us that the next morning we were going to get Sophia. So we got a few hours sleep and were up early to meet our daughter.

Yesterday we climbed into a bus with two other families heading for
Sophia's orphanage. It was a gray rainy day. It took us about an hour to get there. Her orphanage was a nice looking building surrounded by a very run down neighborhood with small cinderblock units used for housing and storefronts.
We were allowed inside of the orphanage gates, but not into the orphanage itself. They are very concerned with swine flu here. We waited in a guard building right by the gate.

We watched through the pouring rain as a woman came out of the orphanage with a small girl in her arms and an umbrella. There were two of us watching to see whose daughter it was. I could tell that it wasn't Sophia because she had longer hair. It was
Rosalee and Tim's daugthter Arianna. Arianna was all smiles and hugs for her new family.

Then we saw a woman come out of the orphanage with a small girl in her arms. She began walking to the guard building, but then turned and went back. Eli was glued to the door watching for his sister. After a few minutes the woman came out again and headed toward us in the rain. I knew she was carrying my daughter. Sophia was not all smiles. She was screaming and crying that she wanted to go back and calling the same name over and over. She kicked at me and pushed me away. Eli burst into tears saying that his sister hates us and will never love us. My heart was just torn, both of my children were in turmoil.

Shiyan our guide said something to Sophia and we were able to get onto the bus. All of the families decided to go to McDonald's. Let me tell you, there is magic in a chicken mcnugget. My daughter smiled at me for the first time while eating them. Daddy got the first smile, but the next one was for me and it was priceless.

Since then, things have gone very smoothly. She is a very happy girl, lots of smiles. She eats very well, no over-eating or food hoarding. Last night was our first night with her and she fought really hard to stay awake, but once she was down, she slept all night with no terrors or disruptions. She is very polite and thanks me all of time. She does wonderfully with the potty, but she does not know how to wipe. She washes her hands every time though. She knows how to brush her teeth.

She is a COMPLETE PRINCESS. She always checks her hair to make sure she still has her hair bow in and wears the head band also that she came to us with. She must have both a bow and the head band on. She refused to take them off to go to sleep. I took off the head band while she was sleeping and when she woke up, she had her hand in a little fist holding the bow. She will not take off her tinkerbell bracelet and converts hair ties and anything else into little bracelets she puts around her wrist. She also must have a sticker on the top of her left hand, it appears that any sticker will do. She loves dolls and her cell phone.

She puts everything we have given her into her Shay bag. She takes it everywhere and the handles can fit over her shoulders like a little backpack. I think she is afraid that we are just a temporary situation and wants to make sure she has everything with her in case we leave.

Today was a free day, so we did not have to go on different appointments or fill out any paperwork. It was a nice day for us to relax together. She is becoming more comfortable with us. I can tell that she was loved and very well cared for.
She knows how to kiss and how to blow bubbles. She woke up from her nap today and looked at me and her eyes filled with tears. I know she misses her nanny. We ate some banana chips and we cuddled for a bit and then had a wonderful afternoon.

Tomorrow we have more places to go and paperwork to process. Blogger is blocked. Tim can bypass so I can blog but I can't get the pictures in. I'm e-mailing them to Kelly and hopefully she can get some on. I tell you, Sophia is just darling. Her photos did not capture her spunk and her smile with 3 little dimples is completely enchanting.

More to come.

Hey all, it's Kelly here -- just letting you know that I haven't received any photos yet from Kimberley or Tim. As SOON as I get them, I'll get them posted! I'm chomping at the bit like the rest of you to see that beautiful girl with her Mama, Baba & ge ge! Kelly (aka Truly Blessed)