Settling In

Close Up

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

So everyone wants to know what Lucy is like. She is a very easy-going baby. The word I would use to describe her at the moment we got her was curious. All the families waited in a room. Each was called individually by a Chinese official. We were the second family called. We walked up and showed our passports, and were immediatly handed Lucy. She was fascinated with my hair, and kept grabbing at it. Then she heard Roger's voice, and actually threw her head backwards to look at him. She just stared at us, not showing any sign of fear or sadness. Just curiousity. She never cried. Not once. Many of the other babies started crying immediately. In fact, one of them has not stopped yet. We feel very fortunate. Lucy acts as if she has been with us forever. It may eventually settle in with her that this is permanent, and we may see some behavior changes, but perhaps not. Her caregivers described her as easy going and very social, and that is what we have seen.

This morning was spent doing paperwork. Hannah stayed with Marian at the hotel, and played. We went back to the same government building to do paperwork. The adoption was finalized at approximately 10:30 am today, Nanchang time. She is officialy a Courtain.

The last 36 hours has really been about settling in. Getting to know each other. The first time Lucy cried was before her afternoon nap yesterday. Roger had put her in her crib, then stepped away momentarily to get a toy for her. When he did, she started crying - hard. The moment he returned, she stopped. Did I mention she is Daddy's girl? The only thing she can really say is dada. Don't know if this is a coincidence or not. She truly does adore him. I, on the other hand, am the one who puts the yucky stuff in her mouth, washes her face (which all babies hate), and changes her clothes (which Lucy hates). Good cop, bad cop.

She has continued to be curious. She loves her big sister, and watches her intently whenever she is around. Hannah has been amazing through this whole process.

Hannah

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Although she is still a bit shy and hesitent about getting too close physically (she still has not held Lucy), she is very obviously proud to be a big sister, and will tell anyone who will listen. The first thing she did when we got back to the hotel after getting Lucy, was to introduce Yellow Baby to her.

Sister Fun

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Sister Fun 2

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

For those of you who know who Yellow Baby is, that was huge. Hannah is doing great on this trip. It's a long trip for anyone, let alone a 3-year-old. She has asked to go home a couple of times, but she really understands the importance of the trip, and knows we still have some time here. She misses her friends terribly, and talks about them a lot. She can't wait to have a play date with Cian and Aden, and has already bought a present for Corinne. Hi everyone!

Lucy is a healthy girl. She is pretty close to her weight that we were given, and is just a bit smaller than her height that we last received. She's wearing 12 month old clothes already, so she is a big girl! As you can see from her pictures, she loves to eat! She has two teeth, and is busy cutting some more. She has a slight heat rash on her back, but that's about it. She had her first bath today and loved it. It was an oatmeal bath, to help with her rash.

First Bath

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

We stay in Nanchang until Saturday morning. We are waiting for Lucy's Chinese passport. Then it's on to Guangzhou to apply and wait for her US Visa. We will be there until December 16.

I'll sign off for now. Both the girls are asleep, and it's only 10:15 pm local time, so I can actually do a bit of reading, and hopefully get a good night sleep. We miss everyone, and can't wait for Lucy to come home.