Sunday, July 16, 2006

Gotcha Day!

She's here! We got Lilli this morning at 10:00 A.M. She didn't cry when I took her from the orphanage director. Apparently she wasn't feeling well. When they made the bus ride from the orphanage to the hotel she got sick all over herself and her outfit. All of the babies had on these red Chinese outfits that were actually darling. One of the nannies washed out Lilli's outfit after she got sick and then one of our travel mates ironed it dry. We didn't find this out until after the fact.

Anyway, she isn't real impressed with either one of us right now. She's probably terrified more than anything! She prefers me right now but Todd has been able to hold her and soothe her a time or two. We haven't really seen her smile yet but we have definitely heard her SCREAM! She has been upset quite a bit today. I'm trying to do everything I can to soothe her but I know she needs to mourn. The only thing I can do is hold her and let her cry it out. She loves to be around other people and is usually calm when we're out somewhere. We took her down to the dining room today to eat and she did really well. She actually cried when we entered the room. She loves looking out the window and watching everything! Later we are going to brave the Carre Four store (Wal-Mart on crack) and get some items for her.

She is TINY, but she weighs a ton. It is kind of hard to hold onto her because there isn't much of her. It feels like you are holding an anvil when she is in your arms. I'm sure it is more because I am not used to holding a baby. She is also a heat generator!

After all of the chaos with getting the babies we were able to talk to one of the orphanage caregivers. The first thing she said about Lilli is that she is "spicy and very naughty". I have seen glimpses of this trait a few times. She definitely lets you know when she doesn't want something! We also learned that her foster parents were in their forties and that Lilli was their only foster child. They also said that the foster parents had pets: a cat and a dog. I was relieved to hear that because of the mutts at home! The caregiver told us that Lilli was aggressive with the animals. That should work out perfectly. Poor Boom, Sherm, and Jake! They have no idea what is about enter their world!

At about 1:45 I got her to go to sleep. The only thing that seems to soothe her is the sippy cup. She likes to chew on the tip so I think she is teething. We can see two teeth on the bottom and two more that have broken the skin. I think she has several on top but she hasn't let us see them yet. At lunch she ate lots of noodles and rice. She also liked Cheerios and some biter biscuits that one of the other families let us have.

Speaking of other families, we have met some of the most amazing people on this trip and have developed some great friendships. We are all pitching in and helping each other out. Many of us are first time parents and have no clue what we are doing. We are really relying on the BTDT parents to help out.

I'm including a few pics. Ok, maybe not. We are having some computer difficulty.

1 comment:

K. said...

I love that- Spicy and Naughty! It's also so great that she is used to animals. Oh, I'm so happy for you and wish you all the best!