I am feeling rather longwinded today, so this is your warning… it’s gonna be a long read…
Will we ever get over the jet lag??? I long to sleep later than 3 a.m.! I long for my two oldest to sleep later than 3 a.m. I have never traveled more than 2 time zones difference in my life, so 13 has really done me in. It’s amazing though; we have been running on pure adrenaline when we need to.
Today was the finalization of Amy’s adoption! We are legally hers and she is legally ours. Once again the older two kids were such troopers today. We went to the adoption affairs office and had two interviews; one with a notary (equate them to a judge in our adoption system) and with a registrar. They both asked several questions about why we chose to adopt and if we were happy with our baby. When they asked how old we were, both replied to our ages with a “oh, that’s young…” After the interviews and finalization we went to the police station (? I think) to apply for Amy’s passport.
After that we had the afternoon free. And a lot filled that afternoon. It definitely marked a turning point for Amy-Hui.
Chris and the other dads from our group went to a very large Wal-Mart type store to purchase some items for our orphanage visits tomorrow. Chris purchased diapers and formula. While he was gone, Amy had a pretty rough spell of crying. A few minutes later when I changed her diaper I thought it might be fun to blow raspberries on her tummy. She loved it and laughed!
Unfortunately, Chris missed it all.
He came back and then took the older kids swimming while Amy took a nap with me in the room. She slept for two hours!
After she woke up we tried having Chris hold her; in spite of her reaction. She was not at all pleased IN THE BEGINNING, but after a lot of the same stuff I dealt with after we got her, she was laying cradled in Chris’s arms.
We went out for the evening and Amy was content to let Chris “wear” her in the carrier. She is making much more eye contact this evening, too! The kids are encouraged that it will soon be their “turn” with Amy. They really want to play with her.
She is snuggled up in my lap right now; not wanting to sleep yet and not wanting to be held by Chris – BUT he is sitting here right next to me and she is holding his hand. What a difference a day makes!
We received our disposable camera that we sent to Yangjiang SWI back at our Gotcha. We had the pictures developed and got them back today. There are some fabulous pictures of Amy and her friends at YJ. There are a couple of very sweet ones of Amy being help by a little 7 year old girl who was recently adopted and brought home by a wonderful family in the states. (Cindy – I will send you a copy when we get home!)
Tomorrow is our trip to Amy’s orphanage. We will travel nearly 8 hours round trip for a visit that will last 20-30 minutes. That seems a little crazy unless you realize WHY it is we are going. We believe it is an opportunity for closure; not only for Amy, but for us, too. We aren’t sure how the day will unfold, but we are trusting that Amy is already seeing Chris and I as more than temporary caregivers; she knows we are her family.
