Gotcha Day {Lanzhou, 10.21.2012}

Typing one-handed folks as I have a certain little someone sleeping in my arms, yes, in my arms!  Hmmm … I wonder if this is the first time she has ever slept in someone’s arms (aside from during her 6-hour car ride to get from her orphanage today)?

Jason and I flew out of Beijing this morning and got to Lanzhou in the early afternoon.  Our guide and a driver met us at the airport and brought us into the city to our hotel.  The drive was absolutely beautiful, mountains surrounding us (some are even snow covered).  Truly a remarkable landscape, so proud to say that this is where our daughter is from.  Our guide is wonderful and has already taught us many things about this area.   We are excited to continue learning and to sightsee this week.

Once checked into our hotel, we did our money exchange (it could have been a scene from a movie), and then we walked to a nearby Walmart-type store for bottled water, some fruit, and diapers and formula for little miss.  The store was crazy, so many people, and we felt that all eyes were on us, the only two blue-eyed people in this area it seems!  Not looking forward to the attention we will likely draw when we are out and about with Nora this week!

It seems that while we were heading back to the hotel, Nora was arriving so we got shooed to our room and then our guide came up 5 minutes later with the orphanage director, her driver and NORA!  We then got to ask the orphanage director questions about Nora ~ I, however, was quite distracted by this dark eyed beauty on my lap so found it quite hard to focus on the questions.  Jason to the rescue!  He just video-taped it.  After our Q&A with the director, we headed out to get passport photos taken.  We had to have a family photo taken and a photo of just Nora!  That was crazy as the photo had to be just so!  Finally, we were back at the hotel – more paperwork and then our guide left, and now it’s just the three of us here.

Jason got so many giggles out of Nora, so many!!!  She certainly looks at us curiously, likely wondering who we are and what we are saying and why we are here.  While I just want to keep snatching her up, she is much preferring to have us hang out on the floor together, and she definitely is finding comfort in sucking her thumb which is a “tad” bit adorable!  I do wonder how long before she will long to be comforted by being held … hopefully not long as I’m not sure how long this Mama’s heart can take that!

So, without further ado, a little glimpse into our first few hours with Nora …

Tomorrow will be another busy day, Nora is technically in our “custody” right now. The adoption will become final tomorrow when we have our Civil Affairs appointment. After tomorrow’s appointments, the rest of the week will be sightseeing in Lanzhou as we wait for Nora’s passport to be completed. And, of course, it will entail getting to know this precious daughter of ours. Be still my heart...