China Day 12...Julia day!!!

She walked in the room, full of confidence and curiosity. Does that sound like another little girl you know? She made eye contact with us, she accepted our gifts. She shared her smarties with each of her new family members. She kept returning to the nanny who brought her, and the nanny kept redirecting her towards us. She proudly showed us her pillow that we had sent her with our pictures on it and pointed to each person and named them,  "Mama, Baba, Guh Guh, Jie Jie" she said. She liked the stickers we brought and put one on each of our foreheads...and laughed. Oh her laugh. She drank some water out of the water bottle we gave her and then poured some in the lid and took it over to one of the other babies in the group to share. Then, as if she knew me, she lunged at me with open arms and said, "Mama!"  

 

At the point when it was time to say good bye to her nanny, she whined just a bit but the nanny reassured her and she replied to her in her sweet voice that is fluent in Mandarin. She walked around the room with her new mama and baba...her new family. 

How can a 5 year old understand this event? This life changing, traumatic event that they did not ask for? They cannot. And when it was time to leave the building, she crumbled. Her Baba held her as she fought, screamed, kicked, cried. There were tears from all of us. Every one. She was mad. And we cannot blame her. As we waited on the street for the driver to get there, I was certain if she had the chance she would run away. Her Baba/Father would not allow it though. Just like our Heavenly Father, his strong arms held her as she cried out. She fought and mourned the whole bus ride. We all cried with her. We all prayed for her. 

Her tears began to subside as we got off the elevator on the 15th floor...but there were still the heaves of grief. Then, her big sister retrieved the treasured pony ballon that she had picked out for her the previous day...a purchase suggested and paid for by a grandfather on the other side of the world. And then, her smile was back. And it remained the rest of the night. 

She ate rice, noodles, peanut butter cracker, chicken nuggets, Gerber puffs, and soup. She played with the balloons, a ball, dolls. She looked at a baby words book with us and told us the mandarin word for every item as we told her the English. She bossed her Baba and Guh Guh's around like she had been trained by her sister. She giggled more than I have very seen a child giggle as she splashed in the bath with her big sister. And then, as it neared bedtime and her Mama was putting her little brother to bed she sat quietly with her Baba and sister and watched a little Netflix. 

She is sleeping now, in matching pajamas, curled up next to her sister. She is perfect. She is loved. She is treasured. 

How do we praise Him enough? How do we tell of His glories? Our God is alive and working in the hearts of 5 precious children that we now call our own. Praise be to Him!