God finally brought us to our daughter as He promised he would. The day began with a good flight from Beijing to Lanzhou, Gansu. After we landed, our guide for the day Steed picked us up from the airport to drive us to Lanzhou. The drive was about 1 hour through the country. It was amazing to see how mountainous the area is. When we arrived in Lanzhou, we checked into our hotel and then went to eat lunch at a local restaurant. Luckily, Steed ordered for us since the staff did not seem to speak English. Ava was expected to be at the hotel around 1:30pm. Once we got back to the hotel, the babies were in the lobby. We headed to our room because the orphanage director prefers the transition be completed in the hotel room so that it is more personal. After a few minutes, the orphanage director, nanny, and orphanage MD brought Ava to the room. She was not a happy little girl and shed many tears. Once everyone left, she calmed down a little but was still grieving her recent losses. After about 30 minutes, we had to head to a local photographer for a quick family photo. Then we were off to the supermarket for some supplies. Steed must have been sent by God because he was our lifeline today.
After the market, we came back to the hotel for some more paperwork and then finally true family bonding time. Ava has definitely chosen Tammy over me which is what I had prayed for. She has allowed me to hold her once or twice and to lay next to her. She will become Daddy’s Girl in due time. She finally gave in and took a 3 hour nap. After her nap, she was much calmer and seemed to be a little happier. Tammy gave her a bath which she did not like and then sat in the middle of our bed feeding herself noodles. After a long day, she got to meet her other two big brothers over the computer through Skype. Needless to say, Jackson and Hudson fell in love with her in an instant. And I know she will grow to love them as she wraps them around her little finger.
This day would not have been possible with all the prayer and support from our family and many, many friends. We can never say enough how much we appreciate everyone.
Ava is not very happy at the moment.
Mommy and her girl.
Just takin' a little rest.
Daddy and his little girl.
Enjoying the market from the stroller.
Just eating in bed.
4 comments:
Tammy,
I am so THRILLED to see Ava doing so well......she looks like she is going to settle right in. Just "go with the flow" and she will be fine. We are continuing to watch and pray for you all - and I LOVE the eating-noodles-in-the-middle-of-our-bed. What a wonderful memory......
From your fellow So. IL friend,
Liesl
I am so excited that Ava is finally in your arms!!! I can only imagine how hard it was for the both of you watching her cry and grieve. I'm thankful that slowly things seem to be getting better. It just takes time and patience. God Bless you both!
Oh my goodness she is ADORABLE!! I can't wait to see her. Hope you have a safe trip home see ya then.
Ava is soooo.. beautiful. We all got to look at the pictures during the whole service. The service was about acts of love...(very appropriate!!) The fav. pic. was of her in the pirat hat. Safe trip and lots of love.
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