"I am sending an
angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I
have prepared."
Travel
Day 5
Monday, November 8, 2004 - ***!!!GOTCHA!!!***
Well, I did not write
the next day from Beijing as I had hoped. I have been completely wiped out and
of course we have Kya now, so I have been very busy and still wiped out. The
trip has been a little harder on me than I expected. I have been so very tired
and now I have, as expected from the temp change, a sinus and upper respiratory
infection. Dale is doing well, not sick, not really tired. He seems to be
enjoying himself and seems very happy. I could here it in his voice all day
yesterday.
So, now for the really good part!!!! THE BABIES! What a story we have to
tell. We arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan around 11:45ish maybe, not real sure. Hotel
before 1pm I guess. We were told to get settled, rest and have lunch. She'd call
the 1 couple with a baby from a different province at 3:00 to her room to meet
their baby. And, Rosa would call the rest of us at 3:30. The one couple with the
early baby was eating lunch in the lobby when the baby walked in and it was only
just after 1pm. You can't have the babies in the lobby, you have to wait. So,
they ran to their room to get their stuff and wait. Leaving behind their
belongings. One of our travel mates took their stuff to them and filmed them
getting Eliana.
We walked down stairs around 1:30 to get lunch and sat with our other travel
mates that witnessed the baby arriving. We were laughing and almost crying. I
wondered if our babies would come early. We ordered our food and then I saw
them! OUR BABIES! They were there 2 hours early. I started saying "oh my
gosh" repeatedly. And, realized for sure it was our babies and stood up and
yelled "No food, No food, No food". The dads were scrambling for the
video cameras while Gloria and I rush a little closer and stared from a
distance. We could see Elizabeth walking and then we saw Willow walking but
didn't know it was Willow. I couldn't make out Kya but it was so dramatic,
really. We let them up the elevators and then we went up to our rooms. We were to
go up 1 floor higher than the rest, who are on the same floor as the babies, but
instead I got off and was running, really, like mad, confused trying to find our
friends Debbie & Bill's room. Dale has it on video. I was banging on her door, calling
her name and I just threw myself on her crying "The babies are here".
We were supposed to be waiting in our room but instead we were all standing in
the hallway. Finally, Rosa said we could come in, get the babies, and return to
our room. So, the mad rush began with people walking in calling out their babies
names and the nannie who had them would point to the baby and then hand them
over. Tim first, then Debbie, then Gloria. Then I walked in and called out Xia
Yu, Xia Yu, (very quietly, since here we are supposed to be a little quieter
here in China). The nanny, who turned out to be the foster mom, pointed to her
and I took her. She screamed and cried. I couldn't console her and had the
foster mom hold her, she couldn't console her and a man in a black leather
jacket stood up and told her to give me back the baby. I guess from the hand
motions anyway, that's what he said. I went to try and take a picture with her,
but the crying was so bad, I just fled very quickly. Dale has me on video tap
trekking very quickly down the hall and up the elevator with a screaming Kya Xia
Yu. She cried for hours. I tried everything, nothing worked. Daddy took her and
sang and danced for almost an hour, I guess, before she stopped. When she
stopped crying, he started. It was very emotional. She started up again but
finally fell fast asleep on his chest. Rosa and the foster mom came to our room
and we went in the other room while the baby slept in the living room. I was
able to ask a few questions and get her latest eating and sleeping schedule. The
foster mom signed her name to a piece of paper for Kya's scrapbook. We all went
into the living room and took a picture together while Kya slept, and that was
it. We ordered pizza later that night and stayed in the room.
*Click the images for enlarged photos*
On the bus to the
hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan where we will be united with our daughter,
Kya Xia Yu, after
our 15 month journey to bring her home.
Debbie and Dawn
waiting outside our guides hotel room, where our babies are.
Can we get in
please?! We want our babies!
And, we're in. It's
a busy room with lots of noise and 6 babies, new parents, guides, and foster
moms.
Bill and Dale could
not even get in the room, so family pictures were taken later in the privacy of
our own hotel rooms. You can see me from behind reaching for Kya and you can see
Debbie holding Abby.
-
GOTCHA!
(Where I want ya,
in my arms! At last!)
Ahhh, finally in
our arms. First photo with Daddy.
We are all just
taking it in as she gets used to us.
This is also her
first feeding with us, which she did not eat.
She is passed out
on Daddy's chest in our family photo with her Foster Mother.
Settled in a little
and ready for her first night with mommy & daddy.
She's watching a
little TV (CNN) before going to bed.
