Day 7: Adoption Day! and a Prayer Request

We and our appointment to adopt Katie (fulfill the Chinese side of her adoption), this morning, 13 hours ago. We wrote out why we wanted to adopt her and that we would never leave her. We signed in the famous red fingerprints! SHE IS A BECKER NOW!!! She received her passport and new birth certificate. :)

I don't think she's ever worn sunglasses before, she was enthralled!

We took our guide and driver out to a celebratory lunch while we waited for the certificates to be processed. Have we mentioned, Katie LOVES food? Like… obsessed with food. She would definitely eat until she threw up but we have to stop her every time, she also steals food from Cara when she's not looking, lol, and giggles, and hides food in her pocket... this is very typical behavior from orphans because she's afraid we may not feed her soon, or that if she doesn’t eat quickly, someone will take her food away, etc. ) We call her "Katie Monster", like Cookie Monster, when she does it.

PLEASE PRAY for tomorrow! After REALLY fighting for it, against all the local adoption officials advice, (long, frustrating story) I am still going to make the long day trip out to her orphanage... alone. (Doug will stay with both girls all day at the hotel... they will be fine without me, they are both "Daddy's girls"). I'm only going with our guide (Emma) and a driver. It's a 4-6 hour drive each way in traffic and very bad roads. Handan is a city of 9 million but her orphanage is on the outskirts, I believe, and her foster family, should I get to meet them, are an extra 1 1/2 hours a way. it will be a grueling, LONG, emotional day for me. I NEED your prayers. I know I never walk alone, but because I'm her mommy, it is a very personal journey, and may be one of the hardest days of my life. 

I bought a good amount of toys for each age group tonight at the store and will be bringing those to donate. That is HUGELY important to me, because I am now watching the heart-breaking effects on being raised in an orphanage, in our baby girl. I really can't go into it now, but PLEASE pray for my heart. Adoption opens a HUGE window of both joy and pain, to discover that the one you love, your own child, has lived a VERY difficult life, has been neglected in some significant ways, even if unintentional... There were times in these 24 hours that I couldn't even make sense of the emotions I have been experiencing but I'm so thankful for Doug. He just keeps saying, "But, Jam, no one can ever neglect her again! We don't know that past and we can't change it. She's with us now, and she is loved. That's all that we can focus on." It's just not that simple for me as her mama. I get so angry and heartbroken over the idea that she hasn't been nurtured like she should have. I don't even know who I'm angry at. Just overwhelmingly sad. This is our BABY. 

Then we saw today on the "Abandonment Certificate", the NAMES of the TWO PEOPLE who found her, at 2 months old, abandoned outside the village, and rescued her, immediately calling the police. Woah! I never knew they'd tell us the names! I asked Emma if I could meet them. We are going to TRY to tomorrow (no guarantees), and try to find her approximate "finding spot", where she was found as an infant.

Again, this week has been intense. We are SOOOO happy (Cara as well, she's an amazing sister), and we have had moments of saying to each other, "Are we dreaming? Is she really here with us? We REALLY get to keep her forever?!?"

We see her starting to blossom... another post for another day. She is our sweet baby doll, she has a long road ahead of her, but she will never walk it alone and we know God has WONDERFUL plans for her future!