Monday, May 29, 2006
GOTCHA DAY!

The morning started bright and early, but it's not like I could sleep anyway... I was awake before the alarm clock could do the job. I simply wonder how sleep could elude someone so exhausted, but all I can think about is what today holds...

I am as excited and anxious as I was the first time. This surprises me. I thought that I'd be far more calm and composed this time around, but my emotions are proving my theory false. There are so many unknowns and I am worried about how Ellie will handle the sudden separation from her foster family. The Lord calmed my heart through some beautiful songs on trusting Him and resting in His faithfulness when fears prevail. It was a sweet gift from His hand and I was grateful for a reprieve from my anxious thoughts.

We arrived in Changsha and were greeted by our guide, Peter, who informed us that we would meet Ellie at the Changsha Civil Affairs Office at 3 PM today. I had hoped that they would bring her there, as this is the exact place we met Kate a year and a half ago. Doug and the girls went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel, but I had a strong urge to "nest" and prepare our room for Ellie's arrival. Besides...who can think of food at moments like these???

We left promptly at 2:30 to go to meet her. It was again a very surreal experience as we pulled into that familiar parking lot and headed up to the 3rd floor waiting room. We arrived to find 10 families there who had all met their girls today as well. I was thrilled to discover that they were all from Yiyang CWI (Kate's orphanage) and were all the same age as Kate was when we first met. Chatting with them kept the wait almost "bearable"!

Moments later, I turned around to see a little girl in a polka dotted dress being carried in by an orphanage worker. She sat down and stood her next to her chair. I looked at her and instantly knew that it was Ellie. Mostly because I thought she looked so much like Kate! I had thought, too, that I would not cry this time... wrong again! Just seeing her standing there set me off! We were not allowed to approach her, as the "officials" had not checked our paperwork and our guide was not there. She stood there tentatively and looked at all of us as if wondering who we were and why we were there. After what seemed an eternity, our passports and approval were checked and they summoned us over to Ellie. The moment she realized that my intention was to remove her from her caretakers side, she made it clear that she wanted no part in that! :( Her cries were the most pathetic I have ever heard. When she started calling out for her "mama", I could hardly take it anymore and joined her in her disintegration. No one could calm her breaking heart. We tried bribing with food, balloons and bubbles. She lunged toward the windows where she could see her caretakers walking away. Finally when she decided that her crying was in vain she settled down a little bit and took an interest in Kate. We were ushered back unto the van to head back to the hotel. Just leaving the building seemed to help a lot and she actually almost smiled as she watched Kate's antics in trying to make her happy.

I was completely blown away by how beautifully Kate handled those stressful moments. She gently stroked Ellie's arm and softly said-"It's OK Ellie...Don't cry!" Finally tonight, as we walked to supper, Kate took Ellie's hand and walked her down the hall in front of us. This, too, brought tears to my eyes. Which should not surprise anyone, as EVERYTHING seems to bring me to tears these days! :)
 
Added to the overwhelming changes in Ellie's life, she is not feeling well. She has a horrible chest cold, a runny nose, a runny diaper, and a rash covering her body. I started her on the antibiotics I brought right away. She does not need any extra "worries" right now, so I am hoping she will feel better soon.

I was also very surprised by how unsteady Ellie is on her feet. Almost as if she just learned to walk weeks ago. At 22 months I expected her to be an experienced walker, but assume that she has had very little opportunity to strengthen her legs. That will surely correct itself in short order.

We had only received a snapshot of Ellie's hand, taken at 8 months old, so we were uncertain as to how affected her left hand really was. Unfortunately, her little hand is far worse than we expected. She has no wrist, no palm, and absolutely no use of any of her fingers. It appears that an amniotic band attached itself just above her wrist and hindered the proper development of her wrist, hand and fingers.