Monday,
December 29, 2008
ADOPTION DAY
Cole is absolutely amazing. On many levels, I don' think it's
completely sunk in how incredibly perfect for our family Cole
is. When we adopted Dane in 2006, the process went so smoothly
that this time I had prepared myself for something possibly
quite different. Needless to say, we have been blessed.
My day started when I woke up at 2:50 AM. I was just too excited
to sleep. At 3:30, when I heard my sister stirring, I casually
asked her if she was ready to get up. After a few mumbles, I
assumed she wasn't interested in starting her day quite as early
as I was. I laid back down and thankfully got a few more hours
of sleep. At 5 we both got up and began our day. Due to the fact
that Cole went to sleep so late, we let him sleep right up until
the last minute. Our guide, Mary, was meeting us at 8:30 to do
all the provincial paperwork, but we wanted to be sure to get a
chance to take Cole to the breakfast buffet. At 7:45 we woke him
and took him downstairs to the buffet in his pj's. Once he saw
all the food, he perked right up. We went through the line and
he had no problem letting me know what to put on his plate. We
had been informed by his foster mother that bananas were his
favorite, but with the huge selection of delicacies at his
fingertips, he turned his nose up at the lowly banana. His
favorites were the sesame dumplings, a hard boiled egg, some
sausage, bacon, noodles (that were a bit too spicy) and orange
juice. The best part of the meal for me was when he handed me
his loaded fork so that I could feed him, instead of feeding
himself.
Our guide arrived promptly at 8:30 and we completed our part of
the provincial paperwork before heading to the Jiangxi Civil
Affairs. The paperwork was accomplished quickly as we were one
of only two families adopting today in this province. We met the
orphanage director and were thrilled to find out that they had
brought Cole's finding note. We were not allowed to keep it, but
we did get a few pictures of it. It was written on the inside of
a red envelope with the Chinese character for "Congratulations"
on the front. We are so grateful to have this very special piece
of his past. Upon leaving the Civil Affairs we stopped at the
notary and then the police station to apply for Cole's passport.
We were glad to be done as Cole was becoming overwhelmed at all
the activity and once we got settled back in the room, he was
ready for a nap. When we laid down, I could see his countenance
change and I knew he was about to cry. It breaks my heart to
know all he has had to endure over the last few days, and to
witness his courage and positive attitude in the midst of it
all, I can't help but fall more and more in love with him.
After a 2 hour nap (for all of us!) Cole woke up slowly. I
decided to go ahead and give him his first bath. I attempted to
entice him into the tub last night, but he wasn't havin' nun o'
dat. Once again, he surprised me and did great. He loved
squirting water, especially at his mama, and of course, I
obliged him. For now.
We are off to get some snacks for him, something we didn't have
time to do yesterday. We'll be heading out on foot to the local
supermarket, we are certain it will be quite an adventure.
To Dane, Avery and Taylor:
I love and miss you all very much! You are going to LOVE Cole,
he is even more adorable than in his pictures! He recognizes all
your faces, his foster mother taught him who each of you are!
To G.G., Mimi and Jordan:
Thank you so much for helping out with the kids, especially
considering they have been sick. Knowing that you guys are
helping Bob out with them eases my mind so I can enjoy this time
with Cole. |
Starting our day
Please don't look at mama's wrinkles
Just look at those lips
Killing time at Civil Affairs
It doesn't get any cuter than this
Bath time
|
