Gotcha!

The day we have been waiting for for so many years has arrived and it was worth every minute! We have a beautiful, healthy and happy baby girl! I know what everyone really wants to see are pictures, so here they are:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Roosh1988/20090105?authkey=sIxNt5QOR34#

Gotcha was around 3:00 pm and the wait leading up to that could not have been more exhausting and nerve wracking. It really helped to have so many great people in our group going through all of the same emotions.

Allison was a little bewildered during the hand-off, but she did great! She didn’t cry a peep (at first). However, the longer she stared at our new and strange looking faces, the more a furrowed brow turned to a frown, then a cry. (I get that from women a lot). Unfortunately, she is not used to Nana’s yellow hair, so Becky has had to ease in to the interactions more slowly than she would like.

We got to ask the orphanage nanny several questions about Allison, which was helpful. We found out they call her Yu-yu (her middle name twice, which is common for babies in China). She responds to that, so her nickname for now is Yu-yu (we think it's cute).

After Gotcha, Allie clung to Dad from 3:00 until bedtime at 9:00 pm. She let Mom feed her and help change her, but she didn’t want Dad to wander off too far. This is a common reaction for most babies for the first several days, and it is just a question of who is the “lucky one” to get chosen. I have to say, while I love every minute of it, it does make the logistics of daily tasks nearly impossible. However, it won’t be long before she is on Mom’s hip 24-7!

Allison is such a good baby. She rarely cries for more than a minute or two. And she loves to play and laugh. She babbles a lot and squirms constantly! She is also a good eater. She ate ½ a banana, a bowl of rice cereal, and a bottle of formula, so at least we know we have the feeding part down. I also had to stiff arm her with my left hand while eating a slice of pizza with my right.

The next stage is sleeping. They tell us she is a good sleeper, so we will find out tonight. It is amusing to see the parade of crying babies being walked up and down the hotel hallway. Let’s hope others aren’t amused by us later. I guess you will find out in our next posting. Take care!