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Monday, March 1, 2010 SIENNA GRACE DAY! (Nickname Chang Chang - like “Chung Chung”!) Our new daughter arrived into our family on an elevator. She walked off with a grace and a quiet confidence about her, munching on an apple! She was dressed in almost all of care package #1 that we sent, and her Ruby Red slippers. Four layers on the bottom, three layers on the top plus coat. First impression, breathtakingly beautiful! She was whisked away into a private office until it was time for us to meet her. When that moment arrived, two of the office staff from the Hengshan Social Welfare Institute brought her to me. The three of us got down to her level and tried to engage. She checked us out for a very long time, while the nannies talked to her. It was clear they wanted her to know she was going to be “OK…” Nothing in my bag of tricks won her over. Not even the candy! Next they asked her to take my hand, and she started to whimper. The Director of the Orphanage, Mr. Li, appeared and took her in his lap. He quietly tried to sell her on her new family. She was not buying his pitch! They all stayed with us for a long time trying to get her to come to her new Mama and pointing to her new big sister and saying “Jie Jie.” The next thing I knew they handed her over, walked away, and the full on “Spicy Girl” screaming began. It was the most heartbreaking cry I have ever heard. Out of desperation I took her to the window, where she continued to scream. At this point our amazing guide, Michelle, took her from me. She tried to console her, and Sienna kept calling out for her Foster Mother. Hard to hear, but expected. Michelle took her to the bathroom and at about this exact time our second Guardian Angel, Ms. Meng, arrived!! Ms. Meng works for Pearl River and lives in Hunan. She came with beautiful flowers from the Pearl River family, and the warmest smile you have ever seen. I hugged her with the desperate look that only a new Mom can share. Because of PRO’s work in Hengshan, Ms. Meng knows Chung Chung.. She immediately got involved with loving authority. She and Michelle decided that it would be best if we went down to the bus with the other families to get on the bus without Sienna. They would bring her to us there. And, that is what they did.. They handed her to Jeff on the bus, and here is where God completely took the wheel! She sat on Jeff’s lap upset until he pulled out a photo of Zhi Lan, (“Lindsey.”) And that did it, she quieted down, took it, and held it half way to our hotel...Thank you Lord! Back in our hotel room, things began to improve very slowly. It seemed like hours that she cautiously stared us down, and checked out some of the toys we had for her. She loved her phone, and her backpack. And, then we brought out the Bitty Baby doll. This broke the ice as we dressed her in four layers together!! First observations are that she is meticulous and focused. (Definitely her Daddy’s girl!) And, TOUGH, STRONG WILLED, INDEPENDANT and unbelievably BRAVE! Another one! And, later in this bonding process we found out how FUNNY she is. “ Active extrovert” just might be accurate! Finally, she started to let her guard down. She took a book out of her backpack and started showing Ainsley pictures. Then she started laughing out loud. Here is where we finally saw the smiles and a dimple she has on the right side of her face. Her laugh is adorable! It is now almost 11:00pm and she is finally sleeping. She is also bathed! Both huge milestones on the first day! Tomorrow is a new day and we pray she will be “OK” with this new arrangement. Unfortunately we have to go back to the Civil Affairs office for official adoption business in the morning. Her orphanage staff is required to be there. She has come so far this evening that we are praying tomorrow is not traumatic for her. The positive side of all of this is that it is so obvious that she was very loved by her foster family. In time she will feel this way about us too. We will do whatever it takes to earn that trust and love from our precious “Chung Chung!” Because this new Mom is exhausted, I will close with saying thank you for lifting us up, and asking humbly for your to continue to. It was a very difficult day. But, we saw God’s grace upon us as we patiently followed her lead. It was an emotional day for all of us, including the new big sister. But, in the end it was her that got the first smiles and the first laughs! What a blessing. Thank you Ainsley! We are so incredibly proud of you! Blessings from Changsha, Jeff, Diana, Ainsley, & Sienna Grace (Chung Chung) Dear Ruby, Your sister is finally here. She was very scared today, but she was so brave. We can’t wait to see you two together having tea parties, and hearing the giggles from your room! Thank you for praying for your new sissy! We love you!

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