It's Official!

At last, it's official in the eyes of the Shaanxi provincial government. Aidan Hope BoNing is ours!

We left the hotel this morning to hurry up and wait at the local Civil Affairs office, where we met Aidan yesterday. The director of the orphanage, Mr. Wang (pronounced Wahng) met us there with his wife and one of Aidan's nannies from the orphanage. I felt sad for Aidan because she didn't seem to know what to do with the fact that these sweet people kept smiling at her and beckoning to her to "come." And all she really wanted to do was stay in Baba's arms. They were very sweet and understanding and all got a real kick out of watching her play with him. Even funnier to them was when she kept leaning in for me and then leaning in for Daddy when I had her. She definitely likes getting reactions out of people and if she can make them laugh, she is ALL OVER that behavior.

On the left, Mr. Wang and on the right, one of Aidan's caretakers at the orphanage. We learned today that she was in foster care from April till two weeks ago. It's obvious to us that this orphanage and the foster mother modeled loving relationships for Aidan. We are so grateful for that!

Once the official got in for the appointment (late!) we had an official interview where he asked us about our home, our family, our desire to adopt, and our ability to care for 5 children, given her special medical needs. He seemed satisfied with our answers and commented that it's obvious we have a great love for Wang, Bo Ning and that he can tell she will have a wonderful loving home to grow in. He has NO idea!

We took the vow to never abandon or abuse her and to be mindful of the laws of China regarding adoption of abandoned orphans. Then we went to the hot and humid lobby to wait some more. This time it was for the passport photos and the official adoption certificate with our first "family" photo (minus my other four sweeties!).

We tumbled into the waiting van to be driven to the Provincial Security offices where The Boss held Aidan up for another passport photo and our guide Jo ran to the bank for the wire transfers of monies to the orphanage donations and provincial paperwork fees. At that point, the Li'l Empress was getting cranky and I think the other waiting customers got a giggle out of watching us try to prepare a bottle from a backpack and a thermos. I know they sure got a giggle out of her resounding burps that came after the first 4 ounces!

Poor Jo (our awesome adoption facilitator), on the way back into the van, she smacked her head ridiculously hard on the opening of the van door and really hurt herself. She wept quietly while I prayed silently and offered her some acetaminophen for the pain. She finally took me up on the offer later in the errands. I'm hoping she's okay - it was a seriously hard hit.

From there, we headed to a local supermarket. It was several stories tall and super clean and organized. Both stores, W*lM*rt and this one, had staff swarming everywhere cleaning shelves and dusting and mopping. When is the last time you saw one of the employees in your neighborhood grocer completely empty a shelf to wipe it down with steaming water and cleanser, then dry it and re-stock it? I don't know about you, but even my beloved G!*nt has never been caught by me in such an act of cleanliness.

We purchased more formula (cuz you know, this girl eats!) and some other little necessities to help the week pass more cheaply and comfortably. We also bought a cute little noisemaker phone for Aidan, so she can call her jie jie and gu gu's to say Ni Hao! She charmed every clerk we passed with her scrunchy nose smile and backward waves.

Finally (can you believe we did all this by noon?!) we headed "home" to put Aidan down for her nap. Please pray for her cute-ems: she's not adjusting to the AC in the hotel very well and is stuffy and runny today. We've started her on saline nasal drops and are checking her temp. frequently. It's not uncommon, but I hate that it's bothering her. Once she went down, The Boss ran out for Big Macs but forgot to order "no onions and no lettuce" - so pray for us all! We were famished and the price couldn't be beat. I scraped most of my veggies off but The Boss toughed it out. We were warned not to eat any fresh fruits or veggies (except bananas and maybe watermelon) and absolutely NO ice. Guess what else The Boss forgot to say when ordering our drinks? I skipped the drinks and stuck to my bottled water. He's asleep right now, so we'll see if he suffers any ill-effects.

I've tried to nap, but with all my racing thoughts and fervent prayers over my new child, my family in the US and my blogging friends who also were united with their babies, I didn't have much success. I'm particularly burdened to pray for this family (http://roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com/). They are in an excruciating situation. We are members of the same special needs forum and had been chatting on-line for weeks about our coinciding trips, planning a face-to-face meet up in Guangzhou (where all US adoptive parents end their China travel). Suffice it to say, they are in crisis mode with their intended daughter and are seeking God for a miracle. Please, please. Pray for this family. She was a great source of encouragement to me during our long and crazy ride to Aidan and I'm honored that she reached out to me and others for support and prayers now.

Well, it sounds like our beauty is waking from her nap. Time to fix another bottle (I WILL get the hang of this schedule and the novelty of making bottles! I am determined!) It's almost "waking up time" there on the East Coast and I wish all of my loved ones a glorious morning. We miss you more than words can say here. Thank you for the love and support. We couldn't do this without you.