We are Here!

Good morning from Beijing! We arrived to the hotel sometime around 4 p.m. Beijing time. We took just an hour or so to get settled, making our smoky but fancy hotel room into "home" for the next ten or so days. But by 5:45, as I said on Facebook, we couldn't stand up straight or think clearly at all anymore.

We fell into bed and slept hard till about 11 p.m. I got some water and my medicines. I was hungry but not enough to make my way down to the hotel restaurant. So by 11:30 or so, we were heading right back to dreamland again. I woke feeling mostly rested and refreshed at 3:45 and took a shower. The hotel is called King Wing Hot Springs Hotel because of the mineral hot springs that feed the shower systems. These springs are touted to have amazing medicinal and health benefits.... all I know is that after more than 48 hours it felt really great to shower and start the day. Even at 3:45 a.m.

It's now 5:40 a.m. and we're heading down to the buffet breakfast before meeting our guide, Dion, for the trip to the orphanage at 6:30. For a NON MORNING MOMMA, these last two days have been quite the exercise in "manning up!"

Some of  you might recognize Dion's name as the young man that came with the Living Hope International China Angels tour group in 2010. He's now employed full-time by Living Hope Adoption Agency and will be our adoption facilitator for the duration of our time in Beijing. Please pray for us all, as there are not a lot of adoptions from Beijing and this particular process is new to both him and to us. He's a delightful young man, very engaging and solicitious of our needs and questions.

Here's a few pics of setting up and "nesting" hotel-style. We'll be busy most of the morning with meeting Mei Mei and getting adoption paperwork finalized. Hopefully by the time you all wake up on Sunday morning, we'll have some pictures of our "Gotcha Day" up to oooh and aaaahhh over!

Thank you again, for all the love and support and care you all have shown us - we are keenly aware that we could not have done this without all of you and the many gifts you brought to our journey!

Yes! I teared up when I walked in and saw a crib set up

next to our bed. So cute!!!

Her dresser drawer full of pink and flowers!

We set up a food station for all her treats.

And realized we didn't bring much for us

to snack on. Going to have to hit the market

today for diapers and some instant noodles!

I am a diaper bag momma again.

Note the dum dum lollipops....

a staple of most moms who adopt toddlers, I've heard.

Can't hurt, I guess!