So Monday morning before heading to the Civil Affairs office to get Laila, Matt & I decided to go get a little “area fam” as we call it. We found the important things- toys/baby supply store & a great coffee shop. We grabbed a couple things that Laila might be into, spent an hr or so of relaxing at the coffee shop, then headed back to get things ready to pick up Laila.
We headed over to the office where we would get her, and to
be honest, we were a little more nervous than last year without Katelynn there
to just be a kid. Kids are always less
threatening than grown ups! Haha! Either
way, it was time, so we went into the office, filled out paperwork, and waited
for Laila to arrive.
This week only 3 families were picking up their
children. Not sure if this is just due
to the National Holiday in China and lack of consulate appts or not…
Finally we saw her walk into the child playroom with her
Nanny. We gathered our cameras quickly
and it was time to sign papers & get our girl.
She was EXTREMELY unsure about us. Nothing made her wanna play with us- not
bubbles, not my little ponys, not even a sucker. Our stubborn little one stood there
completely unwilling to be friends with her new Mama & Baba. So it came time to just grab her up &
hope for the best. Mama picked her up
and she SCREAMED. And SCREAMED. And CRIED.
And tried to push that Mama away.
Poor Baby, who could blame her???
But after Mama was the bad guy who took her away and wouldn’t let her
go, she suddenly decided that Baba must
be better than Mama. So she put her
hands out for Baba and immediately started to calm down as he grabbed her up.
We headed back to the hotel to settle in and try to help our
girl adjust to her new parents. She
continued to take comfort in Baba, though another fit and tears occurred as our
guide went to leave the room. After a
few hours we decided to take her down for some dinner. It was risky, but we thought the change of
pace & familiar food might help her.
We’d been told by the orphanage staff that she loves to eat meat, so it
was worth a shot.
We went down, sat her in her chair, and as she looked around at all the people
eating she starting dancing in her chair.
She was excited about this!! We
even saw a glimpse of a smile…
Back at the room she finally asked for Mommy & I was more than happy to rock her to sleep. SO THANKFUL God sent us here to bring home this precious little peanut. And as she woke us up every couple hours crying & screaming as she'd wake up in our bed and realize where she was, I found myself even more grateful that she didn't have to wait another minute or day in her temporary home. That she was here in our arms, and while her adjustment will be difficult and has been traumatic, she is now with her forever family. She doesn't have to worry about when her whole life will change again- at three years old she finally has the gift of a forever family!!
Please continue to pray for our sweet girl. As much as her orphanage's Half the Sky program is a tremendous blessing, it is also what makes the transition difficult. She had a grandma who came & played and cared for her every day. She loved that special lady very much. This means she knows how to bond and attach to us, but it also means she grieves the sudden loss of her grandma. We sent her a photo album back in early April, but we found out that she never received it. She wasn't prepared for us the way we had hoped she had been. So keep your prayers coming for our sweet little one.
Thanks for stopping by!
Fannie, Matt, & Laila
