June 30, 2005
Shower time for Mommy!
Daddy holds Sophie so she can still see Mommy! It is a very good sign that she won't let me leave her sight. And she is warming up more and more to her Daddy every day!
Red Panda Puppet for Sophie!
Daddy surprised his little princess with another puppet after her bath!
Mornings with Sophie!
Sophie is happier and more at peace each day. We can see her coming to life, learning to trust, and feeling more safe and secure. Michael says she also gets more beautiful by the minute! Last night was the first night she fell asleep totally peacefully. Before that, she would fall asleep in my arms and then wake up startled and scared- see me there and then fall back asleep. She would do this 9 to 10 times a night within her first hour of sleep- it is as if she was worried I wouldn't be there when she woke up. She has had a tough start, and we have so much making up to do. When she wakes, she looks to her left for me- and this morning she also looked to her right for Daddy and then back at me and just started smiling! We enjoy our mornings with Sophie so much!
Daddy, Baby, & Panda!
I have to leave this cozy scene to come to the computer each night while Sophie sleeps! It isn't easy! We usually sleep holding her hands~
That smile!!!
I love seeing my Sophie smile! Her second bottom tooth is coming in now, and it won't be long until her top two come in. I cherish every one of her big gummy smiles!
This IS fun!!!
Every day, we find new ways to have fun with Sophie! I never tire of seeing her smile and hearing her giggle! And she becomes smilier and gigglier with each day...
Eating for Two!
I love it when Sophie touches me when I feed her. At breakfast, she touches my hand while I spoon feed her on my lap! Daddy has been so wonderful making our plates for us and getting whatever we need! Feeding Sophie this way- holding her and making eye contact- is such an important part of our bonding and attachment process-
Look at Mama!
From the very first cheerio, Sophie has made eye contact with me while I fed her! I say, "Sophie... Look at Mama!" and as soon as she looks into my eyes, I feed her and say, "Good girl!" She learned so fast! Now sometimes when she wants a bite, she looks right at me and says, "MAMA!"
Little Funny Face!
Sophie is so sweet and cute in the mornings! She makes this funny face, then I kiss her lips and she giggles!
June 29, 2005
Asleep in Mommy's arms!
Sophie loves her panda puppet! she would not let go of it. I was surprised at how tight her grip was, even when she slept! She is teething (working on her 2nd tooth), so she prefers to fall asleep in my arms. Of course, I love every moment!
Daddy & Grandma Rae at the Panda Reserve!
Sophie and I needed some rest, so we stayed in while Daddy and Grandma took a field trip to the Giant Panda Reserve!
June 28, 2005
Nap Time!
After hours of waiting, signing, and promising, we went back to our hotel to rest. Sophie was so happy to be back in our room- it's as if she was wondering if we would come back at all. She giggled, cooed and fell asleep as Mommy and Daddy smiled and watched over her.
It's official! Sophie is legally our daughter!
After making us promise yet again to not to mistreat or abandon Sophie, the Notary Public asked us if we were satisfied with our baby. Of course, we both cheerfully said, "Yes!! Much more than satisfied! We love her very very much!" Then, we signed the official documents, and he notarized all of our papers. We turned around to many congratulations from all of our wonderful new friends!
Signing the Official Adoption Papers
We were interviewed by a panel of three people including the director of Sophie's orphanage. They asked us why we wanted a baby from China, how we intended to educate her, and if we knew her birth date and Chinese name. Then they made us promise another time that we would take care of her and love her and that Sophie would never be abandoned again.
Daddy Fanning Sophie & Mommy
It was so hot and noisy in this room. It seemed like we waited forever for the next thing to happen. Daddy used the diaper pad to fan us and kept us cool and cozy. He takes such good care of us!
Promise to always love me and take care of me!
We had to promise in writing that we would always take care of Sophie, love her, and never ever mistreat her or abandon her.
First we had our first family photo!
Roger is holding Sophie's beloved pink bunny to try to get her attention. She was asleep, and they made us wake her. Can't wait to see her sleepy face in the photo!
Update from China!
"Gotcha Day" was amazing! There was a slight delay, and then we were all told to meet at 2:30 on the 25th floor. We were ushered into a restaurant, and soon entered Roger from the China Team to say, "Your babies are HERE!" The excitement in the room was unbelievable! Then one by one, he called our names and had us come to the center of the room. A nanny would bring each baby to her parents and then some time would be allowed for photos, applause, and congratulations (and lots of tears!). It was really sweet- we all helped video tape and take photos of each other's special moment! I was busy video taping someone's first moments as a family, when in all the excitement, I was told, "Put that down.. you are NEXT!" Michael and I barely had time to assign the cameras, and Grandma Rae had to try to stay composed enough to video tape... "Here she comes!!!!! Here she comes!!!" And she was quickly whisked in and handed to me. She came right to me and looked into my eyes. Michael was overjoyed- we were both crying and smiling so hard. It seemed like a million camera flashes and welcome wishes and congratulations... It is amazing that Sophie didn't start crying. I remember just wanting to sit down with her and check her out from head to toe- and give her a million kisses. I barely even had time to really see her as she was brought in. Well, as you can see, she is BEAUTIFUL!!! She IS the baby whose face I saw in my dream several months ago- she is our daughter and always has been. I know some people were skeptical of my deep love for her when I had never physically seen or touched her- but she was born in my heart and my love for her grew deeper each day, just the same as any mother for her child. The separation from her was agony, and the feeling I got when I first held her was such relief, total love, and a feeling of being complete and at home. I have always known that my daughter would be born in China, and I thank God and all his angels for helping us to find our way to her. Michael fell instantly in love with her- I love to see him light up when she looks at him. And when she looks into my eyes, my heart melts and I feel like I am in heaven. THIS is the experience of a lifetime- we are so very very grateful and blessed.
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After we all had received our babies, we had time to speak with the orphanage directors, nannies, and foster mothers (with the help of the China Team translators). We were handed a bag with the blanket, pink bunny, musical toy, and disposable camera (can't wait to develop it) that we had sent in the care package to Sophie! We were also given the questionnaire we sent which had been filled out in Mandarin. We didn't get much new information, but we did get some answers to a few questions... Sophie has never seen a cat! I can't wait for her to meet our kitties! We were told that Sophie is comforted by watching movies (I thought they were going to say "eating"!) Wait until Sophie gets to watch Disney movies in our theater! They gave us a bag of her formula which consisted of chicken/rice cereal, fish/rice cereal, and some powdered milk and explained how much of each to add to her bottle. They said, that like most Chinese babies, Sophie likes her formula very hot. They also told us that Sophie could walk with a little assistance. Sophie cried a little while they were with us, but stopped crying after a minute and has been a joy ever since.
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When we got back to our hotel room, we learned a lot more about Sophie, and we also learned that you cannot trust the information you receive because much of it was incorrect. We changed her, gave her some cheerios (with which she had so much fun dumping all over the floor!), and gave her lots of hugs and kisses. We were surprised to see that Sophie only has ONE tooth!!! We were told that she already had 4 way back in December! Also- Sophie is not anywhere near walking. She isn't even crawling yet and cannot pull herself up or roll over. We noticed (like many of the babies in our group) that the back of her head is very flat. This broke our hearts because it probably means that she was left in her crib quite a bit. Later, we were handed a translated note about Sophie. It said that she was a "tender girl". It also said that she doesn't like to be held, doesn't like to drink from a bottle, and likes to sleep alone in her crib. ALL of these things are completely incorrect. She LOVES being held and will hardly let me put her down (which is an excellent sign that we will form proper attachment quickly). Also- she freaks out when she even sees a crib; so she sleeps between Mommy and Daddy. Last night she slept holding my hand on the right and Michael's hand on the left! We have two excellent doctors traveling with us- and they also recommended that Sophie not sleep in a crib. I am also following the specialists' advice and carrying her everywhere (instead of using a stroller), not passing her to others for a while, and being the only person to feed her. In this way, she will learn to trust and to be secure and well adjusted. She is well on her way. She is such a happy little sweetheart. She babbles and giggles and makes lots of eye contact! She doesn't fuss at all when being changed or dressed (probably because she is so used to so many layers of clothes!) She will blossom and catch up developmentally so quickly; I just know it. She will thrive now on the love from her Mommy and Daddy. She really is an angel! I will try to write more and post more photos when I have the chance. I am a little busy these days, and I should be getting more sleep! Also, I can't see this website from here- all blogs are blocked in China. By the way, Chengdu is a beautiful city! Our hotel in amazing, and the people here are beautiful- one in particular! :)
June 27, 2005
My First Duckie!!!
Sophie had soooo much fun in the bathtub! She splashed and giggled until I was completely soaked! She is such a wonderful baby- a sweetie pie (and not quite as chubby as we all thought!)
Life is not measured
by the number of breaths you take,
But by the number of moments
that leave you breathless~
Sophie in 15 minutes!!!
We are here at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chengdu, and we will go to meet Sophie in 15 minutes!! We have to meet at 2:30 on the 25th floor- where we will be called one by one to walk to the center of the room to receive our babies. We are taking pictures, video, and audio tape and will be posting photos in a couple of hours! This is so surreal... but so very wonderful! This is the experience of a lifetime- we are so blessed! 10 more minutes...
June 20, 2005
Leaving for China on Friday!!!
I can't believe we are finally leaving for China, but at the same time, it came so quickly- we only started this process 11 months ago! The hardest part has been looking at Sophie's precious face but not being able to hold her... Only 6 more nights! :)
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We take the midnight flight on Friday- nonstop from LAX to Guangzhou. We cross the international dateline and arrive in Guangzhou (in Guangdong province- see map below) early Sunday morning. We will settle into our hotel and join the rest of our group for dim sum before noon. Then, perhaps some shopping before our last night without our Sophie! We will fly to Chengdu (Sichuan province) early Monday morning, and we will receive our baby at our hotel that afternoon. She will have taken a long bus ride to get to us, and we will have some time with her foster parent (or a representative from her orphanage) and a translator so we can ask questions, etc. We will be sure to post pictures of our special day as soon as we can!
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We will spend 5 days in Chengdu, which is said to be an amazing city: great shopping, yummy food, and the panda reserve!
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We fly back to Guangzhou on July 2nd just in time for a 4th of July celebration with our soon to be American Girl! We are scheduled to fly home on July 8th. Sophie will be an American citizen the moment she touches American soil. Michael and I are so excited; we can hardly stand it!
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