We Have XuXu!

Hi Everyone,
I know you all have been anxiously awaiting news from me and pictures. I’m sorry about any delay. At our first hotel in Beijing we could not get on line at all. I think the connection, the actual wire to connect with, was not good, as others were able to get on line and get posts out there. The one post I did I had to use Bill’s blackberry and e-mail that short blurb to my friend Hanni (thank you Hanni, Jane says, “Hello”) for her to post. Everyone has to use “back doors” to get to their blogs and a lot are having trouble getting on line.

Our schedule has also been such a constant pace of going here and there (especially in Beijing) that there hasn’t been time for me to put much effort into blogging. I don’t know how some BTDT’s have had the energy to post after they get back from those days of sight seeing. I think being sick (I have what you had, Jackie, with the horrible constant coughing) has also kept me from putting effort into blogging. I really need my energy for the day and Zion and now XuXu! Etc. etc…

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR ME FOR HEALTH! The coughing and congestion (and the uncomfortable beds and room air) have not let me get hardly any sleep. And the busy schedule has not allowed me to rest. Our room in Beijing was way too uncomfortable (the bed was as hard as a rock, especially for my boney butt) to spend the day there resting, so I had to push on. I lost my voice since day 2 and have coughed so much and so hard now that my ribs are strained and any chough is very painful, but I still chough. The air here is very polluted and I know that doesn’t help anything. The dry bad air has also aggravated Zion’s and Bill’s allergies.

So know to the juicy part I know you all have been waiting for… (I won’t delay you with other trip and sight seeing details. I’ll just blog about that later, at home)

GOTCHA DAY!
We are here in Hefei with 2 other families. And we all went first thing in the morning to the CCAA’s office to get our new daughters. It was 8:30am, right after breakfast. We all thought we would get to the office and have to wait a bit before we got them. But as we were walking down the hall to the little room where they do the meetings our guide Jane announced back to us “They are already here!” So they all watched us walk into the room. I thought I recognized XuXu, but I’d had to look at all the babies’ hands to be sure.
She was sitting quietly on a nanny’s lap.

We had to put down our things and then wait for them to call us to go meet the babies. We were all so overwhelmed to walk in and have them already there we didn’t know what to do. Our friend’s the Johnson’s went first and their baby Noelle screamed and cried when she was handed to Jennifer. So that made me nervous. (We were all busy trying to take picture and video tape for each other, too)

We were next… when the nanny hand her to me she just quietly went to me, whew! She is so sweet and so pretty, just like her picture. But she did not want to go to Bill. When I tried to hand her to him, so he could hold her she started to cry. Zion was kind of walking around us not sure what to do as well. But he did great, trying to hand her toys and play with her. I know she was just as stunned as we were. But she was quiet and peaceful and snuggled into me. She was holding tightly onto pieces of candy in each hand and was bundled in a thick winter suit. (I think it is the one that Rob and Jing, at Gospel Light’s Beijing office, got her for us. Thank you both so much. She was also wearing the red sweater and had the Olympic mascot doll you sent. What you sent was so thoughtful,.. a thousand thanks.)

Next they took our official family portrait (just XuXu, Bill and I). And we signed papers saying that we would be caring for her for the time being, she still is a ward of the state right now. Then we were introduced to the orphanage director, a pretty and kind looking lady. I recognized her and the nanny’s that were there from the Fredrick’s SWI tour DVD, thank you both so much! Then we thanked the nanny’s and we walked out with XuXu! Shockingly fast… I know! The whole thing took less than an hour.

XuXu was so sweet and peaceful. (Many the Chinese people we met that day commented on how pretty she is. I could recognize the word “PiaoLiang” for pretty from the little bit I studied. I know now though that she was being so quiet because that is how she is around strangers. All she did at first was hold onto me. We all went to a Chinese super market next (kind of like a Walmart or Target with a bit of everything and food.) She remained stunned all through it. I must have been her first bus ride and trip to a market. She fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel. She was probably exhausted from the stimulation of all the new things. She also was very sweaty from all the layers and she has a cold. So she stayed asleep when I laid her down in the crib and she took a nap for about an hour and a half.

After her nap and some food and Tylenol Cold for kids she started to come out of her shell. She played with Zion and he got the first smile and giggle out of her. (I was showing her pictures of our family on the computer while Zion and Bill were out of the room for a bit and she would point to his picture and make a “huh” sound when ever she saw him. I think she recognized him form the photos we sent.)

She had to be held continually by me at first. Then Zion, XuXu and I lay on the bed and played and he really got her warmed up. By the early afternoon she was laughing and playing and toddling around the room. And by the late after noon she would go to Bill and laugh and play with him. When she feels insecure though she goes to me.

(Finishing this post at 3:11 pm on 3/18/08.)
Long story short for now… she was really comfortable with us and having a great time with her big brother. Zion has been a fantastic big brother and very helpful. She was having so much fun playing that she wouldn’t go down at bedtime. It took me an hour to figure out how to get her to sleep. She likes to be rocked. I don’t know if her foster mom did that or if that is just for me. But I will be glad to get back home to my rocking chair. She is heavy (which is good). My arms are tired and sore already.

Today, Tuesday the 18th she really started displaying her personality. She can be stubborn and throws a little tantrum when she doesn’t get what she wants. She is a feisty little girl, also very smart and curious. Our guide Jane said that the report about her from her foster mom said “She is the youngest in the house, but the smartest.” She figures thing out quickly and seem to be always trying to find out how things work. She recognizes who we are from the pictures we sent, and has already called me ‘Ma Ma’ and Zion “Ge Ge”.

Today we went back to the CCAA office to finalize the adoption. We had a quick 5-question interview. Gave our gifts to the officials and paid our money and that was it. Finally… after all these year and the mountains of paper work Lu Jia Feng is now XuXu Lynn Denzel.

Thank you all for all your patience in waiting for this. Getting on line is difficult and having time to post is even more difficult. It is noon on Wednesday the 19th now and we are all adjusting pretty well. One more final prayer request (if you hung in there to read all of this) Bill is feeling like he has now caught what I had, so pray for energy, healing and strength for him. We now get more time on our own and can rest more, so that is good.

Love and thanks to everyone!

Sorry no pictures yet! I don't get a button to add them and I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out how to do it other wise. There will be lots of pictures when we get back. I will also try to put them on Flicker, and then post about it so you all can see and not have to wait so long. And also maybe Guangzhou will be better internet wise.