Monday, July 7, 2008

Our first day

This morning I woke up at 5:45a.m. and quietly got ready for the day. Little miss was sleeping hard and I finally had to wake her at 7:00a.m. She seemed a bit confused this morning, but snuggled right up to me when I picked her up. :-)

She is very long, but very thin and tiny. She is wearing 9-12 month clothing.

We headed downstairs for breakfast and thank goodness my Mom and brother are here. I'm not sure I would be eating anything if they weren't here. My mom brought food to the table for Miya, my brother brought food for me. All I had to do was feed the little princess. She looked around at everything wide eyed and very curious. While scoping out the sights, she enjoyed banana bread, rice congee, eggs, and a bottle. Her mommy guzzled coffee and shoved down a few slices of bacon and french toast when time allowed. Ahhhh, the life of a mom.

We then met Celine in the lobby at 8:30a.m. and headed off to the civil affairs office where the official finalization of the adoption occured. I was interviewed by a civil affairs official, signed a ton of paperwork, placed my thumbprint over my signature several times and Miya had her footprint stamped onto some official paperwork. We then went to differant room for more paperwork, a short interview, and then waited in the lobby for the adoption certificate to be processed. A little while later, they presented her adoption certificate and Miya officially became my daughter! After, we went to the police station and applied for Miya's passport.

We returned to the hotel at 12:30 and I fed Miya her lunch and we played for a little bit. During this time she pooped, which was a BIG relief as many adopted children have a hard time the first few days...too much stress and all.

She is still not feeling well, but seems to be a bit better today. Her cough is deep and I can feel her chest rattle when she breaths. It makes me nervous. She is also teething....so in addition to loads of boogs, we've got loads of drool. I just hope she gets better soon.

She is also beginning to warm up to me and I think she is starting to realize that I might be around for awhile. When I put her down, her eyes follow me around the room and if I leave her down too long she starts to cry. She also holds her arms up, kicks her legs, and squeals with delight when I pick her up. She is also giving us many smiles, playing, blowing raspberries, clapping her hands, and every once in a while we get a little giggle. Her smile and giggle is the cutest ever and I am falling in love.

Now, how bout' some pictures!

Good morning, I'm a happy baby even when I'm sick....
















mmm, yummy, breakfast!





















On the way to the Civil Affairs office she gave me her first laugh...





















Xi'an traffic...

















Making it official...the interview..



















Fingerprints...

















Footprint....

















Presentation of the adoption certificate...























All done! Welcome to the family little girl!
















Playtime with Uncle Dustin....
















First bath with my mommy....


















~



















Getting ready for bed...goodnight!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Sara--she is sooooooo sweet! Absolutely adorable!! I know exactly how you must feel about getting home. I remember being in Wuhan for 5 days and thinking it would never end. And, to make matters worse, all the stares! But, the time there does end and it will be many years before you make it back. Try to relax and enjoy. Get out of the hotel and see the sights, eat as many dumplings as you can, and buy lots of dresses for future CNY celebrations. When I look back at our trip, I wish I could have just chilled out more. Much love to you all!

alicat said...

CONGRATULATIONS SARA AND MIYA on being a new family. You absolutely look like you belong together.
love Ali

Kelli said...

Here's my maternal instinct kicking in- no carseats!? Ohhh well, we all survived, right?

Can't wait till my little gal is born to meet her new friend Miya!

Anonymous said...

She is so precious Sara! I am so excited to meet her. I LOVE her haircut! Cute!!! It makes me cry to read it and think about when Ellen was coming and how you all must be feeling. I am so happy for you and Miya. You will be a great mommy. See you soon! Sara P.

Anonymous said...

She is cute, cute, cute. So glad to hear she is feeling a little better. Sounds like she is a good sleeper, that is a really good thing.

Have fun exploring China, you will be surprised how fast the time will go now that you are not waiting for Miya.

Thanks again for the pictures, love them, and love you all.

Anonymous said...

She is so incredibly adorable, Sara Jane!!!! We need to get a picture of Grandma and Miya, though.... There hasn't been one post of Aunt Cynthia. What is up w/ that?

Sheri

Anonymous said...

Oh Sara, She is beautiful! Yes, motherhood in a hotel room is hard. I was never so excited to see a dishwasher when we came home:-) It will go fast now and you will be home soon! I can't wait to meet Miya and Ari will love playing with her! Take care and we'll see you soon!
Hannah

Lisa and Tate said...

She is so adorable! Love that she places her arms up kicks and squeals when you pick her up! Congrats on the poop! Totally understand the importance of this.

Thanks for the pictures--- will help in my long wait for Tate.

Lisa

Doreen said...

She's just adorable and it seems like you've got the hang of being a Mama!!

Doreen in Montreal single Mom to Faith-Jiangxi & Mia-Sichuan

Anonymous said...

Sara & Miya,

I was so glad that I was able to talk to you yesterday and to hear Miya in the background! I couldn't wait to hear from you guys. You are anxious to come home and we are anxious for you guys to get here so we can meet miya! Love you and miss you!

Lexi

Anonymous said...

Mommy & Miya- I was so sad when i heard the message from u and I missed your call!! Sara you sound so happy I loved it... Cant wait to talk to next time. Glad to hear the little girl is feeling a little better i just hope she is in tip top shape when she comes home. She has some pretty excited cousins who cant wat to play with her. We love you all so much.

LOVE AUNT ARIANA, Jackson And Lb

~Kristen said...

Congrats on all the official stuff... And YAY for poop!! Never thought you'd be celebrating that, now did ya!

Hope you are enjoying all that you can... take it all in, write stuff down when you can...definitely a time when you want to remember all the small stuff, all the places and sights. As much as I'm sure you want to come home, it will all go by so fast and you don't want to forget a second of it.

Thinking of you both each day :o)

DonnaS said...

Hey Guys, I'm really enjoying your blog and all the pictures. What an experience. Sara, Congratulations....You are going to be a terrific mom. Hurry home so we can all meet Miya.
God Bless
Love DonnaS

Liene said...

Sara - I'm a space cadet. I've had so much going on that I totally forgot to follow along. Sorry. I'm catching up now.

Don't you love the traffic in China? I've heard that the marks on the road, ie. lanes are only a suggestion in China.

She's adorable. I can't wait to see you blog away at home.