Gotcha Day!!!

Today was an incredible day!  We started at about 4:30 am this morning as we prepared to leave Beijing for Guangzhou where we would first meet Grace.  After about a 3 hour plane ride we landed and rode another 45minutes to our hotel where we had just enough time to pick a few things from our luggage and head back to the bus where we went downtown to the Adoption Services building.  We would go the the eighth floor and wait for them to bring Grace to us.

 

When we arrived Amy, our guide for this leg of the trip, explained that she would let each of us know just before our baby was to be brought out.  Our friends all got the exciting call and we were able to watch as their babies were brought one-by-one until there were only 2 couples remaining.  Amy then told us that Grace hadn't arrived yet but was on her way.  We waited anxiously for almost another hour as we took pictures for our friends as they "got aqainted" with their new little ones.

 

Finally we got a glimpse of her as they brought several babies into the back room where the nannies prepared them to come and meet their new parents.  At about 3:30 p.m. on Monday, December 17th we finally got to meet our little girl for the first time. 

 

Her Nanny brought her out and stood her on the floor several feet in front of Sherri and I.  She stood somewhat shakily as she has just began to walk.  She didn't seem afraid though and with some encouragement she took a few steps in our direction before I scooped her up and sat her on my knee as everyone gathered around.  She was so little but so very beautiful.  She didn't cry at all and in a minute went quickly to Sherri and (as Sherri recently dreamed), Grace laid her head down on her and just looked into her eyes. 

 

Her Nanny and one of the administrators of the orphanage obviously took very good care of Grace.  They brought along the blanket and Panda bear Sherri arranged for Grace to receive on her birthday a few weeks earlier.  They also explained that soon after receiving her birthday cake Grace walked for the very first time, no doubt a result of that wonderful cake!   We were so incredibly happy that we both forgot all of the questions we had intended to ask of them although the Nanny was able to tell us a little...Grace apparently likes bread a lot :-)  She should be right at home at our house!  She also enjoys holding things in her hands most of the time; something that was evident right away as she latched on to one of the interconnected teething rings we had brought for her. 

 

Well it took about an hour to finally make our way back to the hotel room where she began to settle in quickly.  Tori and Turner along with Sherri and I all sat on the floor and began to play and talk with her.  She began to smile easily and we learned she is very tickelish and also a pretty good mimic as she and Tori took turns poking their tongues out and trying to make "raspberry" sounds to each other.  After playing with some of her new toys (as well as her new brother and sister) she ate the remainder of her bottle started earlier and ate a bunch of Cheerios as well as a small banana cut into little pieces.  Considering all that she has been though today she has done unbelievably well.

 

I can't really put into words how incredible this day was for us.  We are sooo very blessed to have our little girl with us finally.  She is so very sweet and although we have loved her in our hearts for quite some time, meeting her and beginning the process of getting to know her has been nothing short of amazing. It's late here now, almost midnight, and so we are going get some sleep (Grace went right down at 8 and has been sleeping soundly since). We'll be back tomorrow with more updates and a few more pictures.