It's Official

As of yesterday afternoon we are the official parents of Alyzabeth An in the eyes of the Chinese government. The documents have all been signed, the seals affixed, family picture snapped and all fees have been paid.

A note to Waiting Families:
I know you hear a lot about rising Orphanage Rearing Fees. While a few of the orphanages may have raised their fee, what is common and what I think may be adding to the present confusion about the cost, is the issue of the official exchange rate of the US Dollar to the Chinese RMB at the time of your adoption. The exchange rate fluctuates daily and as a result you will not know the exact fee until the day before or the actual day you complete the adoption at the Chinese Registry in your son or daughters province. Rest assured you are not going to be hit for thousands of dollars. The swing is in the low to mid hundreds at best.

Alyzabeth is still in major grieving mode. Alyson still cannot sit her down to play or walk without a meltdown. The same holds true when changing a diaper or when we put her in the baby carrier Aly wears for support. I can still feed her but not hold her which I expected.
She will cry whenever we enter our room and will only stop when Alyson walks her in the hallways or if we take her outside. We have switched rooms but it does not appear to have made a real difference. She falls asleep in Aly's arms while being walked in the hallway and then is brought to her crib and very gently put down at bedtime. She is not napping due to our adoption paperwork schedule. Hopefully, with that completed, we may be able to get her back on what we were told was her nap schedule of sometime between 1-3 in the afternoon. Last night she woke up crying and Aly was able to hold her and rock her back to sleep in the room. Things are tough right now. Family may have noticed we have not SKYPED or emailed. Meal time continues to be our best time. I think for two reason. She gets to leave the room and she likes to eat. Slowly but steadily. She does not like to be rushed and definitely does not like loud, strong voices. We have a very fragile, very gentle girl on our hands.

So. How are we doing? Exhausted but happy :) Aly has been remarkable and each family in our group knows what we are going through with our toddler. They are very supportive and no doubt extremely happy that it's us and not them :) Once we can get Alyzabeth out of Aly's arms and playing and walking and not crying in the room we'll be home free! That's not asking too much is it? :)
All in due time. We have a precious daughter and we know that in her time she will emerge and when she does she will find us waiting for her. Protecting her. Loving her... My heart melts when I see her with her mother. Lightly stroking her hair. Kissing her forehead. Humming a lullaby to comfort her. The mother daughter bond is nothing short of miraculous and something so unique, so beautiful to witness... I love them both so very much.

The video is a short look at the Registry office and the families gathered together at a dinner hosted by our CCAI guides Marie and Anita complete with a birthday cake to celebrate our family adoptions. CCAI has been very good to us and we continue to be very appreciative of all they have done and continue to do. It's a major stress reliever having them with us 24 hours a day.

Well, I better go. I'm sitting on the bathroom floor with the door closed while Aly and baby girl are sleeping to type this up. Because once you know who wakes up - well, the fun begins anew! :)
Life is good. Hopefully, We'll post again soon.

And for all those BTDT folks: Alyzabeth had her first BM!!! Hey, it can only help her to feel better :)
peace
ac & fm & aa