Gotcha Day!

This morning, we both woke up before the alarm had the chance to ring! We all
got ready and started our day with a great buffet breakfast at the hotel. Our
guide met us at 8:00 and with various gifts in tow, we headed to the Civil
Affairs Office in Kunming. We had to bring eight gifts for various government
officials and orphanage workers. In China, giving gifts is a custom.
When we got to the Civil Affairs office, I am proud to say that I used my first
squatty potty! It was a perfect time for a first because at that moment I was
only focused on missing the baby as she came in (probably TMI). Anyway, within
about fifteen minutes, two women brought Vivienne in along with another little
baby girl. She looked so much older than her picture, we had to do a double
take to make sure it was her. Once we got a good look, we recognized those
beautiful eyes! As she handed her to me, she started to get a little upset, and
then she saw Sydney and reached out to touch her. After that, there was no
looking back for her!

While we were filling out paperwork, we got the ask the orphanage worker
questions about her. We found out that she had been in a foster home since
February and she had a big brother who was seven and a big sister who was in
middle school there. We could tell she had been around older children because
she really enjoyed our kids as she got to know us. After taking care of some
paperwork for her passport and visa, we had to head back to the orphanage. She
has a cold and they asked us to come back for treatment. When we got there,
they gave us antibiotics to give her and they also gave her an IV, which we
thought was odd. If you notice in some of the pictures there is a bandage on
her head. That is where they put the IV! Luckily, the needle was small, but it
still didn't feel good. There was another baby with the same cold who had to do
the same. That part of the day was hard, but she was such a trooper. We ate at
the orphanage, then took her back to the hotel for a nap. After her nap, we got
her first smiles and giggles! We also found out that she can roll from her
stomach to her back and she can get up on all fours to crawl. She is 18 pounds
and very healthy. It was very obvious that she was cared for very well.

All in all, it was a great day. God has truly blessed us. Thank you for all of
your encouragement and comments. I can't tell you how nice they are to read
from half way around the world! Today the blessing is all ours and we are
overjoyed with our new addition to our family!