Thanks so much for visiting us during our journey, Steve, Allison, Sean, Megan, Ryan and Katelyn!
June 23, 2008 Gotcha Day!
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined
to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.
-An Ancient Chinese Belief
We arrived at what appeared to be a former hotel and joined four other families waiting for their children as well. The room was warm and had a few kids toys in it, and the groups excitement and anticipation filled the musty air. We heard the squeaky shoes of a child in the hall, and the first little girl reluctantly walked in and proceeded to start crying. As they moved down the hall to a different room, we all became more anxious as the crying continued. Then three more girls walked in, the last being Guo Hua! The first two were quiet and immediately enjoyed their new parents...however Guo Hua had the look of concern and was near tears.
Katelyn Hua was wearing traditional red Chinese outfit, pink sandals, colored hair bows, two large flowers in the back of her hair, and the backpack we have seen in many photos from the orphanage (packed full of snacks and powdered milk). She also had the Christmas cards and some of the photos we sent last December, along with recent photos of her from the orphanage. Allison shared a doll with her, that she took but did not let go of a tiny toy airplane (the same one Ryan played with) and a pair of sunglasses (but she wouldn't wear the glasses).
She did not want the nanny to leave her, and cried when she left the room. Our guide assisted in calming her down, and Allison was able to hold her and add comfort. Sean video taped the moment, and was teary-eyed by the meeting, and found the emotional situation overwhelming. Sean's tears made Katelyn Hua stop crying, and he helped soothe her as well. Steve tried to calm her also, but she was so upset she spit-up a couple times...but both recovered quickly. The heat in the room and the distant sound of other crying kids seem to make her uneasy (and us), and after about an hour and a half, we left for our hotel.
She has been calm with us at the hotel, but understandably confused and sad. She ate a small snack, drank a bit, and went potty before falling peacefully asleep on Allison's lap. We all napped for a couple hours after the emotional afternoon. We all calmly woke up, and she ate and drank some more while watching some cartoons. She is attaching to Allison, but not smiling or talking just yet. So far our her actions are as expected, and we are optimistic tomorrow she will be more comfortable with us while going to various offices for passport paperwork.
By the way, Hua (an assigned last name by the orphanage) means flower, and we chose the quote from the Disney movie Mulan "the most beautiful flower is the one that blooms in adversity". We trust this will be true for her.
Sean Says:
Sean has found the day very emotionally overwhelming...and fell asleep at the same time as Katelyn, but is still sleeping as I type this at 8:40pm. He will describe the day in tomorrow's entry.
