More thoughts on the first day.

Tomorrow will be our third day with Makena and the honeymoon continues. When we were hearded into the Civil affairs bureau last Tuesday, the babies were already in the room. I had heard that, in some instances, that they like to play a song from the animated Tarzan soundtrack just to milk our emotions as they bring the children in from another room. Who knows. In any case, there was no surprise "reveal." There were a lot of nannies and a lot of babies being held or propped up on couches. We were all quickly ushered to one side of the room and my family and I quickly scanned the group of children looking for Makena.

The picture is blurry and had I not seen the recent snapshot of her when we were filling out her official adoption paperwork, I don't know that I would have necessarily found her in the crowd, but I did. My husband had a steadier hand and I asked (screached at, was probably more accurate) him to quickly snap pictures of Makena so that we could have one of her "just before" she became a part of our family. She was the only baby in a walker and the only one who wasn't being attended to.

After she was handed to us and I had spent about a half hour with her, I got a chance to meet the head nanny, the woman who managed all the foster mothers, and I asked her what she could tell me about Makena's imunizations and her situation at home. The woman told me that Makena shared a crib with another baby, that was younger and not yet adopted, and that she liked to play by herself. Another woman came over hearing me ask questions about "Lihan" and she said "ah...she is going to be a model, that one." Very outgoing, very active. Loves pretty-clothes. ???

You grasp at straws in situations like this. I was hoping she would say tom-boy, hates to wear pink, rocket scientist, that sort of thing. But I do believe in karmic retribution and I'm sure I've been sent a girly-girl - hopefully of the Pink Power Ranger variety. One who can pack some punch.

I must take deep cleansing breaths and be like a willow reed and bend to the wind. What ever. I get it. I'm in trouble.

In the meantime, I just made a long distance call to my pediatrician's office because I didn't like the look of the Chinese cough syrup the hotel doctor prescribed and I wanted instructions on the dosage of Children's Dimetap Cough Supressant to give her. They took my call right away without saying "hold please." I didn't give them the chance. I went into Drama Queen mode and said, "I'm calling from china, my adopted baby is sick!" And it worked. They actually spoke to me and fired away a bunch of questions. This was a very exciting way for them to start their day and it was a nice way for me to go to sleep, knowing that when Makena wakes up, I will more assuredly be able to minister some measure of relief.

Nobody said this was going to be easy.

Isabelle, party of four.

PS pictured below are contrasts in Chinese architecture: The Three Gorges Museum and the Chongqing Auditorium, that we are melting in front of.