A little more info while she sleeps...

The day had been so very long.  Minutes clicked away slower than ever before.  

We got a call that she'd be about an hour and a half later than what we expected. She had flown in around 9:00 from Luoyang, and they wanted to bathe her and get her 'ready' to meet us.  So, she screamed upon meeting the nanny from her original orphanage, and then got used to her.  Four hours later, we arrived!

We signed paperwork and got all of our items situated.  Our guide, Grace, is very helpful.  She's been doing this job for eight years.

Suddenly there she was.  She took my breath away!  The moment of meeting her was so incredible even though she was scared of us and cried.  I don't blame her!  It felt like a significant moment.  She got hot, so the cool wipes on her face soothed her.  Kyle blew some bubbles and, she liked that!  She's so incredibly brave to let us comfort her even a little bit.  How scary to open your heart again to someone new.  We learned quickly to give her space so that she didn't feel pressure!  It was so cute though, because she'd sneak peeks at me and then quickly look away like she never tried looking.  She liked looking at Kyle, but she was scared to be held by him.  She has probably not been around men, as the nannies are all women.  We tried being nonchalant like we were looking at other stuff, and that was when she was the most calm.  No pressure on me, please!!

She calmed pretty easily at the adoption center, and we got in and out of there quickly!  That is a good thing, because there are a lot of scared and crying babies in there which increased her anxiety.  Our guide and driver took us to a supermarket.  It was very overwhelming to us, but we just kept following our guide.  There were different levels, SO many things, and escalators!  She wasn't sure about the escalator.  She's not been many places, so this was an adventure!  She was pretty silent during the whole trip, and my arms felt like they'd fall off!  It was also very hot in there.  The people were so kind.

After getting allllll of the items we could possibly need, we went with our guide back to the hotel room and had to sign a million more papers.  Kyle took notes and translated info about her routine with the guide.  He also prepped her bottle.  I was so ready for our guide to leave at that point even though she's so helpful.  I just wanted to be alone as a family.  She took a bottle and then got sleepy.  When she was sleepy, she also seemed terrified.  She would only sleep on me, and she would wake herself with a little scared cry every once in a while.  

We got to Skype both of our parents which was awesome but hard.  She was exhausted at that point and hearing all of the English was frightening.  It was so amazing to share the moment though.  We love you guys!  That was unforgettable!

We ordered some pizza, and we finally had her asleep on the bed at 9:00, but my arm was stuck under her!  I decided just to eat the pizza laying down.  Eventually my arm got free, and then Kyle soothed her back to sleep with pats.  

It's 2:40 AM now, and we both woke up just to stare at her for a while.  

She's sleeping so soundly right in the middle of us.  I need to go back to sleep, but I wanted to remember the details of this beautiful, monumental day in our lives.  

Waiting with a red bean green tea frappuccino:

A few before pics:

Outfit she came to us in:

WE ARE TOGETHER!!

She is more amazing than we ever could have anticipated.  She's also heart broken, very scared, and confused.  She flew here with a current nanny, and they transitioned her to a nanny from her original orphanage.  Then after about four hours with her, we came into the picture!  

Even through her sad tears, we just had the most incredible moment of our lives.  We were floored by her and stunned at how wonderfully God made her.  We felt an incredibly full love, and I was crazy calm.  Kyle got her to smile once, but other than that, she is so scared.  She's very expressive and loves to be held.  Holding her as she sleeps carefully now, so let me post pictures which is what y'all want anyway!

Just kidding... One more post...

We are a bit excited today.  On our way to breakfast, the last time it's just the two of us!  There were several other adoptive families at the breakfast, which was fun to see.   :) 

We took a walk this morning after a fantastic breakfast spread.  Let me tell you about this humidity.  You step one foot outside and it slams you in the face! The pretty fans and umbrellas are not for nothing.  It was just a quick walk under the subway tunnel (no a/c!) to get to an exercise park.

Look... a 7/11!

Nobody runs here (probably can't because of weather), but there were lots of walkers in the park.  We got lots of stares.  We also saw some women doing tai chi in the park.  The men raise their tshirts half way up often to cool down.  Looks comfortable to me!  

Here's a look at our awesome hotel from the park across the street.  See the chaotic traffic? 

On our way back, we went to the 12th floor of a building we thought was our hotel.  We should've known when there was no A/C in the elevator!  It was an office building, and we saw several people working in tiny cubicles.  Too funny!

We came to the room for a quick break, and Les Mis was on tv.  It was right on the scene where he sings to Cozette in the car.  Sweetest picture of adoption... Teary eyed moment.

Gift from the hotel staff:

How in the world is it only 9:51 AM?  This day is just inching by.  Can't wait for approximately 3:00 when our lives will be profoundly changed for the better!

In Guangzhou

Today was our last day of travel before meeting our daughter.  

It all started with a taxi ride to the train station...

Yes, it drove on the wrong side of the road.  Our taxi driver tried to point things out for us.  The import/export seaport was amazing to see!

We got all excited at the train station, because we thought we found great quality perfume for like $10.  Right before buying it, we realized it was actually $100.  Ha!  Close call.

Kyle is currently carrying three different kinds of money (US dollars, HK dollars, and RMB) in his wallet... It's like a party in there, so colorful!

Kyle walked off to buy train tickets...

The train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou was very pleasant.  We liked seeing Guangzhou fly by!  

We met our guide (who goes by Grace) immediately upon arrival, and she took control a little bit which we were glad for.  She showed us all around our hotel (good places to shop or eat, etc.).  She also gave us an updated agenda for our two weeks here.

We meet our daughter at about 3:00pm tomorrow!  Jet lag has been a big struggle today, so we are hopeful that we will feel much better tomorrow.  Eating dinner at a local Cantonese style restaurant helped!

The next update tomorrow at some point will be the BIG important one.  Lord, please be our guide, our help, and our strength.  We trust in Your divine plan!

Like my dad reminded me - His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches us.

Hong Kong - We arrived!

We are jet lagged, happy, and here!  We are going to stay up one more hour if we can (it's 7:00pm here).  

So glad we are not in this place anymore.  I think it'll be more fun on the plane with Willow!  Hoping that at least, because we have no other option!

0! ...from the clouds...

(Shout out to the Lake Kiowa house and all of my James family!  This date has been on here since we found out when we would meet our daughter.)

Thanks, Allison, for this reminder:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

(John 14:27 ESV)

Thank you all for the texts and calls and encouragement!  

When my parents dropped us off at the airport, suddenly we heard a voice saying, "Want me to get a picture of all of you together?"  We turned around and it was Mimi, Pop, and Aunt Kenda (the Robinsons)!  What a sweet surprise!  We had just been talking in the car about how Kyle is tough to surprise.  They got him, and we all loved it so!

I felt a little like my parents were dropping me off at college for the first time...scared!  However, I also had a sense of peace (as much as that is possible right before the longest flight of your life and becoming a parent).

We had an airport Starbucks after grabbing some Mexican food for lunch (one last time!).  

First class seats were unreal!

We are not in those.  We are at the very back but are happy in our cozy little seats, thank you very much!  We picked a row with only two seats, so it's nice to be all by ourselves.  Plus we have a little extra leg room.

It is now 4:46pm, and we are about a fourth of the way through the flight.  We've eaten, each watched a movie, played games, and sat.  This 16 hour flight is going to be so long!!

It's really amazing to see people with our daughter's features.  I love it!  I can imagine how she will look as a 9 year old or a young lady.  There was a screaming little three-ish year old who looked a lot like Willow.  She did NOT want out or that car seat.  The mom was stressed and the dad was sweating.  She's been okay ever since though!  Maybe God is preparing us... ;)

1!

Whew!  There's a lot going on in the way of packing right about now.  I'm thankful for my awesome and helpful parents!

Please pray for our health as I haven't felt that great I guess from the probiotics.  The other big prayer request is that Willow will adjust well to meeting us Monday and to joining our family.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

(Psalm 19:14 ESV)