Today was our first whole day with our beautiful new
daughter. I have to tell you all a little more about yesterday.
Our meeting with Mylin yesterday was so lovely and moving.
She was very calm and she looked deep into our eyes as if she
had been prepared for this day, as if she had seen us before.
I thank her foster mother who's love for her now frees her to
love us. The fact that she was tender and nurturing makes
this day possible for us. How unselfish to love a precious
baby, to tend to her needs, to teach her, to make her a part of
your family, only to let her go. I pray for that mother today
that she now has peace about what she has done and what she
has given up so that Mylin will have a life that she wouldn't
have had without her sacrifice. Today I can't help but wonder
how sad her foster family must be to be without her. I pray
for comfort upon all of them and a peace that will sustain them
through this difficult time. I am also thankful for the love
that both Pete and I received from our own families which has
made us able to love someone else. We were both fortunate to
be loved and cherished by those around us as children and for
that we have no words that could convey our appreciation.
9:00 a.m. We met with the Chinese officials in the same 3rd
floor hotel room that we met the babies in yesterday. Last
night I gave Mylin a bath in a pink baby bathtub provided by
the hotel. The minute I put her in the water she tensed up and
started crying. She seemed very afraid of it and acted like it
was "all new." To meet the Chinese officials this day I
dressed her in a red velour one piece outfit with a collar and
cuffs that were a black fur-like material. She looked so
precious. Each of the adoptive couples had a brief interview
with a Chinese official. Some of the questions we were asked
included:
Why do you want to adopt a Chinese baby?
What are your plans for her schooling?
Do you have any bad mistakes?
The Chinese official that interviewed us was an attractive
Chinese woman that was fairly young looking. Through our
host Molly, her questions and our answers were interpreted.
During the interview Mylin seemed to flip a switch and our
docile and calm little girl suddenly became very animated. She
pulled the table cloth on the table. She grabbed two of the
official documents rapidly in her little fists. She whined, she
threw her head back a few times and she also laughed and was
silly. She dug in her feet and straightened her legs to try to
protest. She also had some moments that were picture
perfect and loving when we were at the table but we had a
little preview of why her foster mother checked the
"obstinate" box on her paperwork to describe Mylin. What is
amazing is that we already had a bond at that meeting. She
gazes in my eyes, reaches for my face and puts her cheek to
my cheek. She also already loves her Baba (Pete). She is
responding to us and relying on us to meet her needs. When
we answered the question about why we want to adopt her
Molly said, "Good answer." We signed the formal adoption
decrees, had our picture taken, and put our fingers in red ink
to stamp over our signatures. Mylin's little foot was stamped
in red ink and pressed onto the form. We were so excited to
complete this together. It is such a blessing that Pete is so
good in these situations. When we were finished Molly looked
up and interpreted the Official's last comment, "You're a doll!"
2:00 p.m. Anyone that wanted to go to the Carrefour
Department/ Grocery store in Wuhan, met in the lobby at this
time. Pete and I went to get some things for Mylin and for us
as well. The store was completely overstimulating and that's
odd for me to say because "I'm a shopper!" One thing that is
interesting is that sales people often loudly shouted
information to try to get people to buy things. This store was
very loud and very packed with people! It felt like shopping at
Wal Mart the day before Christmas. It was also visually
packed with signs hanging from the ceilings and shelves
stacked very high. I didn't feel like they had as many choice
as we do in American stores and they didn't carry many
American products. The clothing was very limited in this store
so one of our goals was thwarted because we couldn't find any
pants for Mylin. Chinese toddlers often wear pants that are
crotchless. It is something confusing to us Westerners.
Women of all ages scold mothers (especially American ones)
for not dressing children warmly enough. They watch to see if
babies are layered enough, yet their babies often squat and
pee in the street so their bottoms are often very ruddy in
color and they surely must get cold. We have learned that
many, many homes and businesses are not heated here in
China. Wearing layers is a way of life. When we first
undressed Mylin she too was wearing a crotchless pajama set.
We will keep them forever but I don't think she'll wear them
again. The only pants we could find at the store were
crotchless so we didn't buy any. We did find an adorable,
black, traditional "puffy Chinese outfit" that we did buy. We
also bought her a pair of white soft leather baby shoes that
have bright pink flowers on them, a style unlike I've seen in
America. We were stared at everywhere we went in the store.
It is hard to know what people were thinking or saying but
they often did not look approvingly at us. In this store you
gathered your things from all over the store and you had to go
up to the 3rd floor to pay for them. I wanted some hair
barrettes and ponytail holders for Mylin. There were only two
kinds of barrettes and one kind of ponytail holder. Quite
different from shopping at Target.
Evening- Around 8:30 p.m. we realized we were hungry and
hadn't really had much of a meal. We went down to the hotel
restaurant and I ordered scrambled eggs and ham for dinner.
Pete ordered a Clay Pot chicken and rice dish. My My loves
scrambled eggs. I loved feeding her and watching her chew
with her tiny little mouth. Back in our room Mylin was so much
fun to play with. I laid on our bed and tickled her and cuddled
her. She has the most captivating smile and the cutest little
giggle. Her espresso colored eyes have a freshness that only
the young and healthy can have. They glisten in the light.
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Ready to Meet the Chinese Officials
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Little Lady in Red
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A lot of Red Ink - Finger Signatures
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Red Foot Stamp
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Red Foot with MaMa
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