A New Day

Things are going so well right now. This was after the melt down.

Well, I’m not gonna lie, I woke up this morning pretty nervous. Although the last night went pretty well, I still worried Kalia would not sign the papers once we got to the Civil Affairs Office.

The lady on the left is the orphanage nurse and the lady on the right is the nanny

Our guide picked us up at 8:00 a.m. and took us to the Civil Affairs office where we met Kali's nanny and nurse. I was afraid she would run to them and cling to them which would make it harder on her. BUT, she totally surprised me by only saying hi. It may have something to do with the iPod we gave her for translation (we had an old one at home) which also has some games on it. While money was exchanged and documents signed, she sat and played her iPod not really paying attention to what was going on.

Kalia signing saying YES to the adoption

Kalia putting her fingerprint which makes everything official and final

Once all the documents were signed including her signature and fingerprint, Praise God, we had to drive across town to the notaries office to take care of that. My father in law is getting quite the adventure from the driving here. If you have never been to China, their driving is undescribable. It is definitely something you have to experience to understand.

Anyway, all the paperwork is done and Kalia is officially a Yager, and we are officially a family of 9. Wow, 9!

After we were done with that, our guide dropped us off at the hotel and we are on our own until Wednesday morning which is when we will drive to Dezhou City and tour the orphanage.

We spent the day watching a movie, then went next door to a pretty swanky mall and at McDonalds for lunch. After that we found a huge bookstore that was four or five stories high. Kalia likes to read so I wanted to get her some books for the plane rides and for when we get home until she is able to understand English. She was so much fun to watch, she skipped from aisle to aisle looking for books and had no problem picking out the things she liked and wanted.

On the way back to the hotel she looked at me and said, in English, "I want to swim." I was a little surprised at how good she said it in English and even praised her on it. She got a huge smile on her face. So, we went in search of a bathing suit. I didn't think we would find one, but we were able to find one next door at the shopping mall. She could not wait to get back to the hotel so she could swim.

She looked so cute in the bathing suit and was so excited to get in the water. She got in right away and hung on to the ladder at first. She got a little brave and let go of the stairs which was pretty scary for both of us. I guess I just assumed she could swim, which she cannot. I had to reach in and get her because she was too far from the stairs to reach it. She was a little scared and translated to me that she needed a swim ring which we went and bought from the hotel swim shop right away. From there on out, she was good to go.

So happy to swim

Love her smile

So far things are going well. Please pray that everything continues to go smoothly especially after we travel to the orphanage tomorrow. I am a little hesitant in going there, but think she needs the closure. Matt and I both agree that if we had it to do over again we would have pushed the issue and gone to Jaxon’s orphanage. Live and Learn.

Here are the pics from the first meeting and our family Christmas together through SKYPE. (Matt rarely posts to the blog so it is taking him a bit to figure it out. That and having to take the biggest test of his career tomorrow and taking care of six kids)

This is the kids getting to see Kalia for the first time through SKYPE

She was terrified

Christmas…