THE BIG DAY IS HERE! We left the hotel at 10:10 to go to the Civil Affairs Office where we would receive the babies. They had a 4 hour bus trip to get to us, so we don't know how they will feel or what mood they will be in. We are just standing in the Civil Affairs office when Land, Robin's son, looked out the window and saw the bus pull up, He shouted they're here! Of course we all rushed over to the window desperate for that first peek of our new family member, our baby, our dream. John and Kirby King's name was the first called out. In comes their precious baby girl, Nancy Cooper. Then I couldn't believe my ears when Matthews was called next. There she was. Dressed all in blue with even little blue shoes, she looked like a doll. Her hair was put in several little ponytails. I had to show my passport and her caretaker handed her to me. She came right to me. We had been told by our agency that sometimes the babies have never seen a man and may be afraid of us, so be prepared. I didn't know what to expect, well not this baby. Geordyn Belle never cried. She rested right up against me and seemed content, at least for now. I was also given the clothes she was found in when she was abandoned at the train station. The organization, Half the Sky, also gave us booklets about the care they had given them. Half The Sky is a donation run organization that goes into orphanages to give the babies more touching and more one on one contact. Which means our babies have had good care and attention.
One by one the couples receive their babies, with none of the babies crying much, one a little, but it was because she hadn't eaten that much on the bus. Things had gone so smoothly, we couldn't believe it. We had seen so many images of others' Gotcha Days and many of the babies would seem totally distressed and crying. We were so blessed. Before we left the hotel, we had a group prayer that the babies would not be afraid. My wife was home also praying at the same time to please help the babies not be scared and not cry. God certainly answered our prayers.
Now back to the hotel to get to know our babies and have lunch before going back to Civil Affairs for paperwork. Geordyn has started to hold my finger and nuzzle up against me.
Now we are back at the Civil Affairs Office. I was asked why my wife didn't come with me, why we wanted a baby, and had to acknowledge we would always take care of the baby. Geordyn had her footprint made in red ink and then my thumbprint. Now according to the Chinese government, the adoption is complete. She is ours. All the other appointments we have are with the American Embassy.
We go back to the hotel to get started on the bonding. We all ended up in Lynn and Kathy's room sitting in the floor with our babies in our laps. We ordered take out pizza and just sat around in a circle talking and looking at all the babies, The Spice Girls, as they would later be called. The food in the region they were born is very spicy and the babies born there are called spicy girls.
What a blessed day. We have our new daughter after so many trials and tribulations. The red thread in the ancient Chinese proverb had definitely become tangled and stretched, but it was never broken, it kept us all linked together. Our family was destined to meet this baby and she was destined to be part of our family.
God's plans can not be changed. We try to change things, try to run our lives our way, lose faith, but He has a plan for each of us no matter how hard we try to alter it. He knows what is best for us and trusting him will lead us to the right path... this time it was to Geordyn Belle.
