Day 4 - Nanchang WE HAVE GWYNDOLIN!!!

Well, it was nice to wake up to a city that actually FELT like China.  Beijing was so modern and clean that we didn't really feel like we were in China.  Nanchang is the real thing and it is just awesome to be here!  Nanchang reminds us of Korea A LOT!  We woke up today and went down and had breakfast at our hotel buffet.  The buffet has pretty much anything you would want.  After breakfast, we walked to the store to get some water.  Next, we went up to the room to try and get organized a little.  At this point I was starting to get nervous and excited!  Todd was as smooth as butter!  At 9:30, we met Chris, our China Coordinator and he took us to the bank where we exchanged money for all of our adoption fees and expenses.  By the time we got back, we only had about 10 minutes before the babies were due to arrive!!!!  We went up to our floor where there is a nice sitting area and waited for the babies.  (There is another family here with us.)  Right on time, the babies arrived!  It was so surreal words simply can not describe it.  They handed Gwyndolin to us and it was just awesome!!!  She fussed a little bit but not much.  She would fuss whenever things got a little too much for her - like everyone wanting to talk to her at the same time or show her toys all at the same time.  We had a chance to ask questions to the orphanage director which was nice.  We got back all the things that we sent Gwyndolin in her care package.  We can not wait to develop the pictures from the little disposable camera we sent!  After our initial meeting time and receiving Gwyndolin, we took her back to the room and put a diaper on her.  (She came with split pants on.  The Chinese train their babies to use a potty very early on.  They don't put them in diapers, they just simply have them in split pants and the babies just sit on the potty frequently through out the day.  It's really funny to walk down the street and see all these little babies bums hanging out.)  We also made her a bottle and then got ready to have lunch.  To keep things simple, we ate lunch in the hotel.  Gwyndolin had a total BLAST!  She loves to eat too.  She had some fried rice as well as some congee (rice porridge.)  I also brought some vegetable puffs and she LOVED those too! She had so much fun at lunch.  It was really amazing to think that this was more than likely the very first time she had ever eaten at a restaurant.  After lunch, we had to go and pay all our fees as well as have visa and passport pictures taken for Gwyndolin.  We also had to have some things notarized.  For these appointments, we took a bus around to each place we had to go.  Gwyndolin LOVED the bus ride and just stared out the window.  She is a happy little girl.  We have gotten many smiles out of her.  She will go to either Todd or me.  The boys have held her too and sometimes she does O.K., and other times, she just will not have it.  She loves the boys however and they LOVE her!  It's really amazing to see these whole new persons evolve from the boys' little spirits.  They are so sweet with her.  I was having a conversation with Deklan about how he is a big brother now and he said, "I think I'm doing pretty good for my first day."  So sweet!  After all our appointments, we ate dinner at our hotel again.  (We will eat out more tomorrow, but today was so busy, that we didn't have time to venture out.)  After dinner we came back up to the room and played a little.  We gave Gwyndolin a bath and she doesn't like having her hair washed.  She went to sleep so easily too!  She just started looking really tired, so we just laid her down in her crib and she just went right to sleep - no fussing at all.  We will see how long this lasts.  She sucks her thumb, so maybe that helps.  So, we had just a lovely day and we are IN LOVE!  Gwyndolin has such a cute personality.  She babbles and is interested in everything.  She has the best smiles and they just melt your heart.  Tomorrow and Thursday our China Coordinator is taking us to see some local Buddhist Temples and such and we are very excited to see some of the history here in Nanchang.  Here are some pictures from our day....

Our last photo as a family of 5.

This little crib, the hotel had waiting for us in our room when we checked in last night.  We put the toys and blankets in it.

Our first glimpse of Gwyndolin!

The "hand over."

Mama and Gwyndolin

Mama, Daddy and Gwyndolin

I just LOVE this pictures.  Gwyndolin checking out her brothers.

Mama and Gwyndolin

Daddy and Gwyndolin - you can see the beginning of a smile there - she is looking at her brothers.

Daddy and Gwyndolin

Deklan holding Gwyndolin for the first time!

Trayton holding Gwyndolin for the first time.

Kallen holding Gwyndolin for the first time.  At this point, she was tired of being passed around.

Our family with the orphanage staff.

Gwyndolin at lunch.

Gwyndolin having fun at lunch.  Notice the clip in her hair.  That went in her hair the minutes we got back in our room!   Such fun!

Deklan holding Gwyndolin at lunch.  Gwyndolin eating puffs.

Gwyndolin with Daddy at lunch

At one of our official meetings of the day.

Todd finger printing by his signature.

Me, finger printing by my signature.

She finally took a little nap!

First bath with her new family.

Bath time.