|
Trip to China
Itinerary
| May 8
| GOTCHA DAY! |
May 9
| May 10
| May 11
| May 12
| May 13
| May 14
|
May 15
|
May 16
| May 17
| May 18
GOTCHA DAY!
It is late and I am tired, but Sophie is finally asleep and I
really
want to get this all down before something is forgotten!
Today
was
absolutely amazing. I went into this day with excitement and
anticipation,
but also with a knowledge that adopting a toddler can be a very
real
challenge and definitely not for the faint hearted. My guide and
I arrived
at Civil Affairs and I honestly felt like I might pass out, my
heart
was beating so loudly. He brought me to a room and asked me to
sit there
and wait. I was listening for any sound of what might be Miss
Sophie
and finally heard the sound of some squeaky shoes approaching.
In she
came in all her splendor and my heart completely melted. It was
truly love
at first sight. I started to cry at the sight of her and
realized it
might frighten her so I tried to contain my emotions. She was
pushed
towards me and told to call me "mama", which was hard to see
because I know
it was so unnatural for her. She did let me put her on my lap
and
accepted the Hello Kitty toy and lollipop I offered her.
We
visited with the SWI director who told us how smart Sophie is and how loved she
is by
everyone at the orphanage, especially her nanny. The nanny had
sent along
two traditional Chinese outfits that she had made for Sophie by
hand
... even our guide was surprised at this loving gesture. She also
was
wearing a silver bangle that was given to her by her nanny.
Sophie had taken a fall several weeks back and the SWI had sent
me some
pictures to prepare me for her injuries. At the time of the
pictures,
her left eye was swollen shut and both eyes were black and blue.
Thankfully she has healed beautifully and all that remains are
some light
bruises under her eyes. The director pointed out that Sophie had
picked out
her outfit to wear today which consisted of a black and white
baseball
jersey, some white pants with purple flowers and navy squeaky
sandals.
A perfect toddler ensemble.
When the time came for the director
to
leave she told Sophie good bye and that she was leaving. As
Sophie grasped
the meaning of these words her face began to melt and she
started to
silently sob. The tears just began to flow and I couldn't stop
myself from
crying just watching her. It was a heartbreaking moment. The
director
left and we left shortly thereafter, letting the director get
far enough
ahead of us that we wouldn't run into her again. Sophie
continued to
cry, all the way back to the hotel, through bubbles, Dora the
Explorer,
lollipops, sippy cup and an attempt to give her a bottle (she
still
takes one!). About an hour and a half after she began, she just
stopped.
She let me blow bubbles for her and she started to try to pop
them
herself. Then she started to gesture for me to blow some more. I
showed her
the stacking cups I brought for her and she worked furiously
until she
figured out how to nest them in each other the way I had. |
Gotcha!
|
After
a little
while I was even able to get some smiles and a few giggles out
of her!
I had bought some Chinese picture books and she looked at each
one,
page by page, naming many of the items. I just wish I could
understand
Chinese enough to know what she was saying! But just the sound
of her
sweet voice was enough to give me goose bumps. What a blessing to
be able to
call this little girl my daughter. God has had His hand all over
this
adoption and today was no exception! I knew she was going to cry
and
actually welcomed it, in my head at least ;) because it means
that she was
loved and attached to her caretaker. I know she will grieve some
more
as the reality continues to sink in, but at least we have the
hardest
day behind us now.
Stay tuned! |
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