Today was a wonderful day! After breakfast, where the kids were not very willing to try new things, we headed across the street into a huge marketplace. We were the only American people anywhere to be seen! It was great to be in 'real China' again. There were hundreds of different vendors, selling everything you can imagine. The kids did not like some of the meat in the food area....haha....There were some great shops, and so much to see and take in. Of course, Corinne made friends with every dog and cat that crossed our paths.
We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 2:00 to head over to the registration office. When we got there, the large room was filled with families who had just received their children. There were a couple of babies, many toddlers, a couple of 6-7 year olds, and one boy who was 12-13. The families are required to stay in this room for a small period of time, which is called the harmonious period. It was wonderful to watch these families unite with the children they have waited for for so long. Once the room was almost cleared out, I saw Mei walk in. She made eye contact right away and bee-lined it right for me. She let me hug and kiss her, and the whole time, she had a big smile on her beautiful face.
The Asst. Director of the Orphanage then took her to the bathroom to get washed up, as she had been 'violently vomitting' during the 5 hour bus ride to us. You would never known it though! She was smiling and appeared very happy to be with us.
When she came back out, our guide was speaking to her, and she was telling him she was very happy to be with us. She is just as sweet and adorable as we knew she would be. We took the 15 minute ride back to the hotel, keeping her very engaged to keep her mind off of the motion of the vehicle. She did great, although did look a little queasy at times. I am pretty sure she was simply amazed at the beauty of this place. To call it extravagant is putting it mildly. She just took it all in. She is so unbelievably precious.
When we came back to our room, she went in and flopped down on the bed and then started bouncing on it! Corinne and Kyle quickly followed, and within seconds, all you could hear was squealing and laughing. then I threw in some large balloons.....They played for hours on that bed. Lots of pouncing and tickling and ballooon throwing. Play is certainly a universal language :) She is, dare I say, a perfect fit for our family. She is funny, sassy, loves to laugh, can pack a good punch, and plays hard! And she can also settle down quickly and is content to be alone. Her resilience amazes me. It has from the first day we read her file, and saw that beautiful smile. She is going to do great things, you watch :) And I get to be her momma. Really? Just amazed.
For all of you at home wondering, she is exactly Kyle's size. Probably wears a size 8. She is adorable...have I mentioned that?
We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner, ate lots of fabulous authentic Chinese food, and then came back to the room. We are on the 13th floor overlooking a really nice part of the city. After we got back, the kids all played games for 2 hours, got ready for bed, and were sound asleep within 5 minutes. Now, I get to be the lucky one, and go sleep next to her :) Have I mentioned how incredible and precious she is???
Tomorrow, we head back to the registration office to meet with officials and complete paperwork. Then we will let her decide what we do. Maybe head to Shamian Island, or go back to the market place for a few hours. We also want to get her to a book store and stock up for after we return to the US.
Have a great day everyone! Love you!
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