2/28/05
This is it! Today is 'Gotcha Day'!
We (along with 4 other families) packed up and headed for the airport at 9am for our 11am flight. Our plane touched down in Nanchang at 1pm and we were taken by bus to the hotel. We found out that the babies were arriving at 3:30 - so we had a short time to get ready. That last hour was one of the longest in our lives!
Finally, we gathered up our passports and adoption invitations and eagerly headed down to the room where we were to meet.
(adoption
invitations- can you find Macey?))
A last the babies arrived! They were all dressed alike in yellow and orange outfits. One by one the names were called and the children were handed over to their new parents! All of the emotions in the room are impossible to explain as the lives of 5 children and ten parents were all changed forever within the span of a few minutes. Macey was the last of the five to be brought in...here she is, within the first minutes after she was handed over! She is soooo beautiful!
All of the children (and most of the parents) were crying. Dads were snapping pictures and filming. The orphanage officials and Bethany staff were looking on - it was all so surreal.
The new moms took the babies back up to the hotel rooms as the husbands stayed behind to fill out the necessary paperwork. Julie could not believe how many layers of clothes she peeled away before getting down to baby:
That's correct- you counted four pairs of pants, one shirt and FIVE sweaters(!), one pair of socks and some thick booties. After changing, we took Macey and the other Tonggu kids on their first walk - two blocks to the grocery store for some formula and other supplies. What a sight! We seemed to attract some attention from the curious locals as well.
Back at the hotel, we finally got some time to get acquainted. Within a couple of hours, Macey was crying less, eating more, and starting to play and interact with her new toys and new parents.
Finally, everyone needed some rest. The day was very tiring, both physically and emotionally - but we can most certainly say that it was one of the most memorable times in our life - absolutely indescribable!
See you later! (What a cutie!)