Gotcha Day!!! (China Day 4)

Today started out just like any other day.  Our body clocks woke us up way too early, again.  After breakfast we had an orientation session with our local agency staff in preparation for the Gotcha meeting this afternoon.  Following a lunch of McDonald's (yes, three times in two days... there weren't any other options without walking some distance from our hotel), we wasted a couple of hours and then met with the other two couples from our agency in the hotel lobby:

At 2:00pm we boarded a bus for the 15-minute drive to the Civil Affairs Office.  We arrived and took the elevator to the 8th floor.  It was a big room with lots of families waiting to meet their children.  In the back corner was a doorway covered by a very colorful curtain.  This is where the children are held and brought out one at a time to meet their new forever families:

We didn't have to wait long.  We saw a beautiful little girl come through the curtain in her caregiver's arms, and we heard someone say "Jiang Song Xiang".  This was it, our little girl was in the same room as her mommy and daddy!!!  You're probably not reading this anyway, as we're sure you've scrolled down looking for pictures.  Fine, here you go!  :-)  Introducing, Helen Joy Songxiang Adolphs:

We had high hopes but low expectations for the hand-off.  We didn't know what to expect, but Helen didn't really say much.  She just went into Heather's arms and didn't make a peep!  Helen had to travel four hours by bus to get here today, and you can see that she got pretty tuckered out.  You'll also see from the last picture (from our bus ride back to the hotel) that she has a pretty good scowl just like another certain little girl in the Adolphs family.

We were able to talk with one of Helen's primary caregivers from the orphanage using a translator.  We learned about Helen's schedule, what she eats, how she goes to sleep, and how to comfort/distract her when needed.  We were warned to keep an eye on her because she's "very quick; one moment she's there, you turn your back and she's gone."  We asked the caregiver how she'd describe Helen, and overall it sounds like she's feisty... and maybe a little bit naughty.  We were instructed that when she does something she shouldn't be doing, you just give her a stern look and she'll get the message... but she won't like it!

We're back in the hotel room now, just enjoying our first afternoon/evening together as a family.  We really wish Ella and Myles were here to meet her.  They're going to love this little girl!  Thanks for all of your prayers that brought us to this wonderful day.  Please continue to pray for lots of bonding over the next 11 days and for energy to make it through all the remaining paperwork and waiting.  Helen will be back home with her family, right where she belongs, before we know it!