GOTCHA!

We have Who III! Little Miss Cate came into my arms about 10:40 a.m. Monday in China (10:40 p.m. Sunday for most folks back home). She never cried, studied me, looked out the window and quickly was cracking smiles. What a joy she is!

She's soooo tiny, but strong. She reminds us so much of Who I as a baby -- full of life, active as can be and a great sense of humor. Mom and I are in love, and we know Whos I & II and Baba will be too.

Monday was an exhausting day. After meeting the babies, we went to register the adoptions, get the passport photos taken and then to the notary. The registration office was swarming with adoptive families and it took more than two hours for us to have our turn. Then at the passport office the official discovered an error in our paperwork, which meant we had to come back today after the orphanage fixed the problem. We finally got the babies back to the hotel around 6:30 p.m.

Today was much more relaxed -- a trip to Walmart. Cate stayed with Mimi at the hotel napping while I went to find Huggies in the smallest size possible. Our third Who is TINY, and none of the clothes or diapers I brought fit her. The dresses will stay on, but pants ... she has no waist, no bottom ... it's a riot. One of our travelmates gave us her 3-6 months clothes that didn't fit her daughter, and I'm giving her our 6-9 months.

Our group is great. More maturity here, with 3 sets of grandparents among the 5 families. All but one couple (who got twins) are experienced parents. It's just really cool to see.

Our coordinator, who was with us on our first adoption journey, says Who III reminds her of our first daughter. We can't agree more, and I see now all the reasons for the delays. We were meant to have THIS child. And if we'd gotten a referral months ago, as we originally thought we would, she wouldn't have been ours. It's simply unimaginable.

Ni Hao from Beijing

Greetings from Beijing, where it's a lot cooler than our 2004 trip but we're just as exhausted as before!

We had a long but uneventful flight to China on Wednesday/Thursday. Yesterday took us to Tiannanmen Square, the Forbidden City and then to a Chinese acrobatics show that my Big Whos would have loved. Today saw the Great Wall, where a crew was filming a Visa commercial (Visa -- it's accepted everywhere, even on the Great Wall!). Pretty interesting!

Mom did a great job making it up the wall. We did a little power shopping too (when in Rome ...). Now our bags are packed for our morning flight to Nanchang, where we'll meet Who III Monday morning (Sunday night EDT). We can't wait!

We got an update on our newest Who: She has a little cough but is healthy, and is described as very active. She should fit right in!

And we're off!

The time is FINALLY here -- in about 12 hours, mom and I will be on our way to China to meet Who III! This has been an agonizing wait, much harder than our first trip (which went SO smoothly!). It's taken us 9 weeks since we first learned we had a new daughter to even get on a plane, and that's simply too long.

I've spent the last two days running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Can't remember whether I packed something or not. Struggling to get online. Still no confirmation from Panda phone, but travel agent says they got confirmation. I figure I'll just show up bedraggled in Beijing and say, "You got a phone for ME?"

We're scheduled to land in China just after 3 p.m. on Thursday -- that'll be 2 a.m. to most folks back home. Sleep tight!

I hope to be able to update the blog while we're away, but we had to scrap the laptop plan because our home Internet connection has been faulty since we "upgraded" to fiberoptics. I wasn't willing to haul another 8 pounds of gear in the off chance Mr. Fixit and the Big Whos could actually read it. I plan to hit the business centers and Internet cafes instead. Wish me luck!

We could not have done this without the support of our friends and family, who have kept us fed, entertained and clinging to our sanity these last few months. We are incredibly blessed by the people in our lives, and to have the opportunity to make a difference in another child's life. It's an awesome job.

Countdown

Most folks spend their last weekend at home before heading to China doing something relaxing, or packing, or cleaning the house. Us? We ripped out the dining room carpet, painted the walls, and laid hardwood floors.

Nothing like a little deadline pressure to get our rumps in gear.

Seriously, with the arrival of Who III imminent, reality set in -- the time for home improvement projects will be gone for many months to come. The almost 4-year-olds are big helpers -- Who I hammered in boards while her sister ran the sweeper. But Baby Who isn't going to be allowed around power tools until she's at least 18 months old. No child labor available there!

The room looks good, if I do say so myself. Burgundy walls (all 8 coats -- THAT was a brilliant color choice!) on the bottom, "linen tint" on the top. I even rehung the curtains!

Wish I could say mhy packing was going as well. Still searching for the perfect combo of bags, still unsure if the laptop will actually work in China. We made the not-so-bright decision to switch our Internet and TV service to our neighborhood's new fiberoptic service. Seemed like a good idea until the installer arrived and said we were just beyond the recommended distance from the box. But he thought it would work, so here we are.

When it works, it's great. But our Internet has been really unreliable since it was installed, so I'm panicking that I may haul the beastly laptop to China for naught. The whole point was to use Skype and call home and use the Web cam to see my big girls and let them see baby sister. None of those functions is working well right now. So I'm agonizing. Nothing like having a Libra trying to make a big decision under pressure. AAAACK!!!

I keep telling myself to breathe. In a few days, none of this will matter. T-minus 60 hours .....

Gonna Getcha Day

In adoption circles, many families refer to the day they meet their children as "Gotcha Day." Others object, saying "Gotcha!" is something you say when you squish a particularly annoying bug. Many in that camp prefer "Family Day" or even "Metcha Day."

What it's called will be the last thing on my mind the morning of Sept. 17, when we're to meet our new Who at the Civil Affairs Bureau in Nanchang.

She will have traveled from the only home she's known, to meet a stranger who looks funny, sounds funny, smells funny. She and I, we won't know what to make of each other. I'm trying to expect the worst -- screaming, crying, withdrawal, rejection -- so I can view anything less than that as a blessing. But I know it won't be easy, for her or for me.

Our first Who was stoic and curious when we met her -- which explains why our tender moment of union as a family quickly dissolved into video of the ceiling when she grabbed the video camera. We didn't even try to recover. She rode quietly on the bus as the babies around us cried, content to look out the window at the world passing by. We marveled at her calm demeanor.

Only later, when we watched the video back home, did we notice how haunted her eyes were.

This was a child in shock.

Only later, when we thought about it, did we realize that when she did finally cry, she was crying "Ayi! Ayi!"

She was crying for the only caregiver she'd ever known.

I hope I'm more attuned to Who III's initial reaction. I hope I remember the words to the children's songs I know, instead of singing verses from the Gilligan's Island theme song, as I did for Who I. (She got a rousing rendition of the Beverly Hillbillies song, too.) I hope she lets me help her, that she quickly finds comfort in a soothing voice, a warm embrace, in knowing that if she is wet, if she is hungry, if she is crying, her mother will be there for her.

Sleep well, my sweet. May your tummy be full and your dreams be happy ones.

$$$$$$$

We have travel approval! We have plane tickets! We have no more money!

Ahhh, the joys of the final weeks to adoption, as the gentle sucking sound that has been your finances becomes a raging vortex determined to drain every last penny you have. Need to eat when you come home? Live off your fat for a while. Want to stay home with your precious bundle at least until your clock resets and the days are days and nights are nights? Forget about it. Strap that little angel on you and get back to the sweat shop.

And you know what? You don't give a damn about money. Because this journey is like one of those credit card commercials: It's priceless.

We will be one of the last groups of July referrals to travel, I think. Not sure why it all worked out that way, and it's frustrating to know some folks will be home long before we ever get on a plane in September. But I just have to keep my eye on the final result: Who III at home where she belongs.

The mouths of babes

My two girls had a rough week. Mama was out of town on a business trip, and their routine was disrupted in a big way. I wasn't there to take them to school in the morning or to sing the dreaded braindead-purple-dinosaur song at bedtime. No big-big hugs or big-big kisses to be had. Singing it over the phone just didn't cut it
-- but thankfully none of my colleagues witnessed my performances!

It sucked for me at least as much as it sucked for them. Who II told me on the phone, "I cried for you, mama." Ditto, baby. Ditto.

Coming home has been hectic but sweet. DH is grateful to have another set of hands. The Whos are putting me through my paces while being especially affectionate. Even the cat seems happy I'm back.

Last night, Who I was talking about baby sister still waiting for us in China, and about my trip, when suddenly she put her head on her daddy's shoulder and announced, "You're my FAMily." I nearly bawled.

Children bring a unique perspective to our lives. They let us peer through the looking glass with them, delighting in things we might otherwise dismiss as ordinary. They enchant us with their imagination, their laughter, their innate goodness. They hold up a mirror so we see our true selves -- a picture that might not be as flattering as we'd like. And sometimes, they bring us to our knees with the simplest of statements.

We may look different. We may have different backgrounds, different life experiences, different hopes and dreams. But we are family. It doesn't get any better than that.