Meeting Jia and the hours after feel like a dream. It went exactly how we hoped but didn’t dare to actually expect. It was perfect and I cannot believe it’s real.

We woke up this morning at 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep. So after we just resigned ourselves to being tired and got up and got things ready, go ourselves ready, had breakfast with some travel group friends, and then came back up to the room to wait for another hour, which seemed like an eternity. Thank you to the people who chatted with me while I waited, it was great!

Then we got on a bus and headed to the government building where we would be meeting Jia. You are taken to this little room which has an outside door and the vans from the orphanages pull up there. There was already a little guy there, so we took pictures for that family and for each successive family as they got their kiddos, and then there was a lull with no kids for a little while. So we were waiting and my friend Teresa said that a van pulled up with a little girl. It was JIA!!! We watched her walk in and were able to be right inside the door when she came in, so showed her the puppy we brought and gave her a sucker, and her nanny kind of stepped out of the way and she stood with us for a few minutes. I pulled out the photo book we had sent and brought a copy of and showed her and that seemed to maybe connect? At that point she was willing to sit on Josh’s lap and we pulled out all the stops – Goldfish, water, toys, books, whatever you want, we’ll get you! The Goldfish were the ticket and she figured out the snack trap pretty quick. We spent a little time sitting on the floor and then our guide called us over to sign paperwork. She was still attached to Josh and sat on his lap while he signed. Then we showed her the little playground they have and that was really the ticket! She LOVED it and really lit up and played with both of us, and seemed to open up to me a little bit. We also had to do a formal family picture there, which was interesting. But we managed it so it’s all good.

Then it was time to go! She walked out with me and did well on the bus ride over (no car seats in China!), although the three hour trip to Nanyang on Wednesday will be interesting. We got to the hotel and she walked in with us and straight to the room with no problems at all! Since then she’s played, we’ve walked the halls, she’s gotten fresh clothes and a diaper, and she’s eaten lunch. She actually launched herself at Josh at one point and said DADA!!! What a miracle. I laid her down for her nap and she was OUT.

I feel truly blessed by how this has gone. I cannot believe it. I had prepared myself for anything, but maybe not for this smooth of a transition. It’s very possible that she will have a hard time later, maybe at bed time or in a few days, but for now things are so wonderful it’s unbelievable. I can’t imagine how confused she is and how many questions she must have and I marvel at the openness of her heart to even let us in a little, let alone like this. She is so brave.

We are so grateful for your prayers and good thought for us today. You all must have a special line straight to Heaven because we feel like God has blessed us far beyond what we imagined.

So, for now we’re just chilling, waiting for her to wake up and then we’re going to play and hang out and venture out for dinner. It finally feels really and it’s better then I could have ever dreamed. What a gift we’ve been given.

Here are all the pictures from today.  Enjoy!  🙂