WE HAVE OUR DAUGHTER!

NEWS ALERT!!!

We have Merrilee! And she is adorable...

We got her at 9:50 this morning. Mommy and daddy shed a few tears, but in just seconds everybody was smiling. There is no way we can ever explain what it was like to be in that room at that moment and share that special moment of joy with the 11 other couples in our group.

We were taken into a big room as group and the babies were brought into the room in small groups. We recognized our Merrilee as soon as we saw her and we waved to her from across the room. We were about the sixth or seventh couple from the group to get a baby. Merrilee cried a little but on the bus back to the hotel she drank a bottle of water, and as this picture shows, she fell asleep in her daddy's arms. A number of times she has turned and put out her arms for daddy to take her and hold her.


We keep learning new information about her time in foster care. One of the other babies adopted today was in the same foster home with her. Her foster parents were retired, and she had an older teenage brother and sister in her foster home. We think that is why she is so comfortable around both men and women. We also know from the type of formula she was drinking that she was being cared for be a fairly well-to-do family.

Everything we sent to her a few weeks ago arrived at her foster home and it was returned to us today. When they handed her to us she was holding a stuffed toy rabbit we had sent. You can see it in a couple of the pictures. We also got a photo album of her first year and all kinds of snacks for her from the orpahnage and foster family. She was wearing a red Canada Olympics t-shirt and black shorts.

Mark had to make a laundry run and go exchange some money for our meetings tomorrow with the orphanage officials and the government officials. While he was doing that, Merrilee was up in the room with mommy. She cried a little more but Beth wrapped her in a blanket (the one Aunt Brittany gave us -- we brought it to China with us..,) put a Chinese station on the TV, and within 10 minutes, our little Merrilee was sound asleep. She is still sleeping. In another hour, a pediatrician hired by the adoption agency will come by to check her out.

It looks like the burns on her thighs have healed, and the burn on her little foot is healing nicely as well. It is clear she was well cared for and loved in her foster home.

One of the nannies told us the thing she like to do most is ride on toys outside. Watch out Emma Sue!

Tomorrow, we go back to the registration office. We will go through an interview process and then sign more paperwork and have our photos taken for the adoption certificate.

We are so blessed. Clearly this little girl was meant to be with us and we can't wait for all of you to meet her!!!!