Saturday, February 18, 2006
GOTCHA DAY + ONE

Our first full day together was very comfortable...almost like we have been together much longer than 24 hours or so. Of course communication is a challenge. When we are in our room with an open internet connection we type messages into on-line translation programs to communicate more complex thoughts (which is spotty at best because there is no translation software in existence that really translates complex thoughts very well...so we try to keep it a simple as possible). The rest of our communication remains a series of short phrases combined with motions and gestures - followed by nodding and/or shaking our heads...but all the while smiling and hugging or laughing.

We needed to do some shopping for this coming Monday when we will visit the orphanage where Faith lived before joining our family, so we went to...where else?...the Changsha Wal-Mart! We enjoyed picking out gifts and candy for children and teachers and are very much looking forward to meeting those who are such a big part of our daughter's life. Susan and I hope to start bonds of friendship that will grow with the years so that we can maintain the Chezhou connection.

Faith tried so hard to please us by eating what we ate at the hotel buffet last night and this morning that she got a bit sick so we stayed in all afternoon after getting her some Chinese medicine that helped with an upset stomach and bit of a sore throat. For dinner we stayed at the hotel and fed her more of what she is used to: steamed rice and veggies and she is feeling much better.
Wenyan is also amazingly electronically connected; she came with her own yahoo ID and email traffic so at night we were finally able to download a program that allows her to type pinyin from a qwerty keyboard...I had to wait an hour and a half for her to finish emailing her friends and teachers so I could get access to the computer to do this update! It was well worth it though - she showed me some and asked if it was alright to send them out. They were so touching and precious; expressions of joy and happiness at being in our family. We told her that as happy as she was, she brings us that much happiness and more.

We hope that feeling of joy and content will be the overarching goal and theme of our forever family relationship...that we are happy spending time with, and helping one another.