Mother's Day

Sunday, May 14, 2017

The morning started the same as all our others in Beijing: deliciously. 

To be perfectly honest, both Trent and I felt a little sick to our stomachs. There were so many emotions roiling around: sadness for another loss in her young life, excitement over the darling daughter we are gaining, nervousness for getting through the Beijing airport with her temporary travel papers, worried for how the flight will go, etc. 

I was worried about how the actual handover from Douglas to Hess would work. When Trent went to meet them outside the hotel I just started singing an old favorite from Marty Sommerfeld, "I know a Peace, that passes understanding, I know a calm that can carry me through, I know a joy that like the sky is never ending, I know a Peace, yes and you can too." By the time they came to the door I felt the peace I knew was waiting. 

And, reality was far beyond all my expectations. 

When the Douglas family said a quick goodbye and tried to sneak out the door, Ruth cried and looked to the door. 

 

When she stopped crying, as Hannah had prepared me, she got very withdrawn. 

 

She fell asleep on my lap on the way to the airport. 

 

We made it flawlessly through the airport. She was star and everyone was speaking in Chinese to us, probably telling her to be lucky and that she is a beautiful baby. We got lots of giggles at the airport playing a little hand game Hannah had taught me that she likes. It goes, "round and round the garden, like a teddy bear, one step, two steps, its ticklie under there." She liked it best in a British accent. :)

 

She was an angel on the flight, sitting in her own seat. She at some Cheerios and chocolate animal crackers. She let me give her the bottle. 

 

But mostly..... she loved daddy. 

Big snuggles for Daddy!

 

She fell asleep on Trent's arm, and he sat awkwardly to help his baby girl sleep well. 

 

Darling girl!

 

When Trent's back couldn't take it anymore we switched her over. 

 

This babe slept all the way through landing. As she slept on my arm and I watched her home city come into view a huge lump formed in my throat. We had just left her foster family, were coming into view of the place where her birth family likely still lives, and she slept peacefully with her forever family. I felt that in many ways her world had come full circle on this Mother's Day. 

 

She was feeling a little shy in the hotel in Nanning. 

 

View from our room. Much of what we flew over were farms, fields, and small mountains covered with lush trees. As we flew over you could see the dilapidated houses and the poverty. We drove into the city from the airport and the contrast was sharp.

 

We got her cheered up in the hotel. Water pens are so fun!

 

Silly faces!

 

She liked the blanket pulled up while she colored. 

 

Walked around to find a restaurant but ended up ordering room service. 

 

She loved the French fries. She kicked her legs and did the cutest little dance when eating them. She also liked the fish that Trent got. Eating is no problem for this little lady! She loves food!

 

After dinner daddy gave her a nice bath.... okay, fine, she pooped in the tub. Twice. But hey, nothing we haven't seen before as parents!

 

After her bath we put some lotion on and got her snuggled into the super cozy sleep sac that my mom made for her. She loved the feel of the fabric between her fingers. I fed Ruthie her night time bottle. She let me know when she was done. I snuggled her a little bit more then laid her down in the pack and play provided by the hotel. 

I wasn't sure how falling asleep would work for her. We turned on the bathroom light but shut off all the others. I sang to her just like I did for my other babies, laid her down, gave her her Ruthie doll, and covered her up. 

Within just a few minutes she was fast asleep. 

 

Not the best picture since I didn't want to turn the flash on, but she is fast asleep, covered and curled up. Hopefully she will sleep all night! There has been a raucous party going on outside the hotel for hours now. Maybe she is used to the noise and it won't bother her (or us) tonight. 

While today has been an amazing Mother's Day for me, I have been thinking a lot about Hannah and their family. I hope that this time will not be too difficult for them. I'm thankful to continue to be in contact with them and to have their friendship. It is my sincere hope that their family will come to visit us in PA soon! 

 

We had a tearful FaceTime with Annie as she was missing us (her Sunday morning of Mother's Day/ China's Sunday night). I'm glad that technology can bring us closer when we are so many miles apart. Hopefully the girls will have a delightful, busy day today. We have never left them more than a few days at a time so this is a really long time for the four of them. 

Adoption paperwork is what's in store for tomorrow!