OK, the details of going to meet Annabelle

What an incredible day.  Our local guide (Amy) said that in her 14 years of facilitating adoptions, she has never seen a young girl transition so smoothly from the director of the orphanage to the adoptive family.  We were praying like crazy–and maybe you were, too!  She told us to expect tears, especially since our daughter would be older and more accustomed to living at the orphanage.  We were blown away when Annabelle walked over smiling, called us Mommy and Daddy, and gave us kisses!  The ladies at the orphanage did a great job of preparing her for this day.

Here’s the rundown of our day:  We got on a bus at 5:30 to catch a fight to Guangzhou, met our local guide (Amy), took a bus to our hotel, and had about 90 minutes to get cleaned up and prepare our paper work for our first meeting with Annabelle at the Civil Affairs office. We’re traveling with David and Stephanie Roux and their 2 kids, and that has turned out to be a huge blessing.  Our families are kindred spirits, and we are so grateful to have some new friends with us on the trip.  They’re adopting a little baby girl, and they have quite a story to tell about their adoption journey, as well.

Armed with Amy’s warning, we expected the worst.  I have never been more happy with disappointment!  In fact, I thought I’d be a blubbering mess, but seeing how Annabelle handled the situation must have shocked my tears away!  And what can I say about Annabelle!  She’s a beautiful, intelligent, tiny little girl.  She’s got the greatest smile, and hearing her call me Daddy melts my heart.

When we arrived at the Civil Affairs office, there was another couple waiting; they were on our flight over from Newark!  We had a few minutes to settle in before the Roux family got to meet their baby girl.  I took some pictures and video for them, then I saw what I thought was Annabelle walking through the lobby with 2 Chinese ladies.  It WAS her!  As they brought her out to meet us, it all felt kind of surreal.  I expected tears, but found joy!  My cheeks hurt from smiling so much!

While Kim filled out the paperwork, I got to sit down with Annabelle and the ladies from the orphanage.  A translator asked them questions for me about Annabelle’s likes and dislikes, her history, etc.  She loves the colors yellow and pink, likes to sing and dance, and wants to learn how to play the piano.  She doesn’t mike spicy or bitter, but loves sweets–ice cream and cake!  That sounds like a Sublett girl, doesn’t it?!  We took lots of pictures and video, and then said our goodbyes.  I wasn’t sure how she’d do, but Annabelle, kept her smile beaming, and we all boarded the bus for the ride back to the hotel.

First things first, we set out to grab a bite to eat.  Where do you go for your first meal with a new daughter?  It had to be some place special, some place elegant.  Naturally, our first choice was McDonalds!  In all my years, I think this was my first ever truly happy meal at the place!  As we walked in, Annabelle looked to Kim and asked, “Mommy, what do you like?  I like french fries.”  We spent the next several hours in the hotel room looking at pictures, watching tv, and playing with some of the toys we brought.  Annabelle can write several words in English, and she and I played a mean game of Connect 4!  She’d been looking at my watch off and on all afternoon, and about 6 pm she motioned that she wanted to use the phone.  We’ve tried several times to call some of the ladies from the orphanage, but we can’t get through the Chinese phone system.  Maybe tomorrow…

We met up with David and the two older kids for a walk around the hotel to find some supper.  We tried the 7-11, but ended up back at McD’s.  Still not my favorite, but I’ll take it.  We headed back to the room to get Annabelle ready for bed.  Her caregivers put together a little phrase book so she can tell us when she wants to eat, take a shower, go outside to play, use the bathroom, etc.  She turned to the “bath” page, and Kim got to give her a bubble bath and wash her hair!  She’s so tiny!  She had her pajamas on under her clothes all day!  After her bath, Kim brushed Annabelle’s hair, and Annabelle stayed in the bathroom to watch Kim take her makeup off.  We tried to skype the kids back home, but everyone was still asleep.  After another try at the phone (nope), I tucked Kim and Annabelle into bed, prayed, and turned out the lights.  They’re sound asleep!  Earlier in the day, Amy asked Annabelle if she wanted to sleep alone or with Kim, and she smiled and said, Mommy!

I’ll try to post some of the pics from the day in a few minutes.

HUGE thanks to those of you who were praying for us today.  I can’t imagine it going any better.  We’ve got a lot of work to do in learning how to communicate, and I’m certain that there’s a grieving process that Annabelle will need to got through.  But things are going really well so far.  Tomorrow we’ll meet with the officials at the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption, and Annabelle will officially be our daughter!  YES!

There are a couple of beautiful parks near our hotel, and we think we’ll spend some time in the sun playing over the next few days.  I’ll let you know how things go…

Love you all, and goodnight!