Day 7 -- It's OFFICIAL -- She's a Woller

     Well, today was the day!!  

     Today it is official -- SHE IS NOW A WOLLER!  How exciting!!!  BUT with that came a long day of meetings and paperwork.   

   

     We started the day with new clothes.  ShiShi woke up and wanted to get dressed.  She started to put on what she wore yesterday and I gave her a few options of what I brought.  She picked mine.  She folded up her stuff and proceeded to put on her new clothes from me.  She LOVES pretties -- necklace, hair clips and bracelets.  Hmmmmm.....just like My Darling and BaJabs.  YIKES!!!

Getting dressed and putting on the pretties :)

MD -- smiling even though it was a bit early for him!
 

    We went to breakfast and she told me yes or no to all the choices.  I was surprised!   We did have to cut up her food a bit but she sits so proper.  She keeps the hand with 3 fingers in her lap with the napkin and eats with a fork in the hand with 2 fingers.  NO MESS!!!  After breakfast we went for a walk around the hotel grounds.  It is beautiful.  

Getting breakfast -- there are LOTS of choices -- probably too many!

Eating

Walking in the gardens at the hotel -- yes, there is 2 HUGE waterfalls.
 

She was scared to walk across and MD took her hand and she went.
 

LOVE this picture :)
 

Mama, Baba and ShiShi
 

MD -- we are still in the hotel gardens.

 

     We met at 9:00 am to go back to the Civil Affairs Office to start the paperwork for the adoptions to be final.  We had to get a family picture, meet with the Civil Affairs Officer and agree that we were 'satisfied' with her (REALLY!!!), and meet with the notary where we had to agree to never torture her or abandon her (WOW!).  All of this took about 3 hours as there were 29 adoptions to process from that Civil Affairs.

Our official 'Family' picture.
 

Civil Affairs Director

Waiting for the notary official.
 

Playing LOTS of 'Angry Birds' during our wait.
 

The Notary official just asked if we promised to not torture her.  I was surprised!
 

Drinking water.  She drinks TONS of water -- she drank more than a liter and a half today.  Don't worry she uses the bathroom lots, too.

 

     Thankfully, we got to go back to the hotel for a bit before the next appointment.  We had a great lunch from a local Mexican Restaurant.  We had things I had never had before but it was amazing.  Yes, they were actually Mexican people running the restaurant.  Elizabeth and I started a puzzle.  She does pretty good -- sometimes she forces pieces but all in all did well!  We relaxed for a bit and got ready to leave.  MD decided to stay back at the hotel instead of going to the meeting.

Puzzle time.
 

     At 3:00 pm we loaded the buses to go to the police station.  We had to get the final adoption papers and the photo for the passport.  This is where they start the process for the Chinese passport.  We HAD to be there at 3:30 BUT all 29 of us HAD to be there.  The officials type everything in and then call us up 1 at a time to get the photo.  Well, being a Woller we were 2nd from the end.  YAH!  We got back to the hotel at 6:00 pm.  THAT TOOK FOREVER!!! BUT she is now OURS!!

Waiting at the police station.
 

SMS 6th grade -- this is for you!!! These are the squatty toliets!! YUCK!!  I avoid them at all cost :)

    When we returned Matt and Elizabeth finished the puzzle.  All four of us laid in bed and watch some TV and colored.  Dinner was decided -- McD's.  Matt is not feeling well -- so, since I'm not usually the one to find dinner I went with convenience AND I knew she would eat it!! When I was about to leave she had a crying meltdown.  I held her a rocked with her and assured her I would return.  She made it :)

Coloring.  She loves the princess stuff.

 

     When I returned she was fine.  She really only wanted to eat french fries tonight BUT she did finally eat 1/2 of a hamburger.  After dinner we did a bath for the first time and she brushed her teeth.  We wish we would of videoed that!!!  Matt and her finished the evening by reading books and practicing counting.  She does repeat after us most of the time so she is catching on to some words.  Micah was her first word :)  She likes to fall asleep to Yanni!!!

 First bath.

 Brushing her teeth.  It was obvious she knew what to do.

 Reading books with dad right before bed.

     All in all today went well.  She was scared some of the time -- it is all so new to her.  Our guide does translate some of it for her.  Matt commented at dinner tonight that she seems to understand a lot of what I say.  She let me hold her and cuddle her today and we did see a few more smiles BUT she is pretty serious most of the time.  She does seem to trust us most of the time.  She very easily goes to Micah as well. She gets around well with the lift they have made for her.  Her hands are .... well, small.  BUT nothing that can't be worked with.  She does well with them.  She is VERY skinny.  BUT she looks and seems healthy.


     At times it is very difficult to communicate.  AND the tiredness is setting in for Matt, Micah and I.  Also, Matt ate something we think that has really got to his stomach.  AND meetings with paperwork is really not making bonding the easiest.  She does seem to loosen up and play at times but then grows very serious and sometimes sad.  So, I want to end with this quote from Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis that I reminded myself of many times today (the bold are MY emphasis)!!!

     Mary was a mother.  I am a mother.  As long as God keeps giving me these precious children of His.  I will continue to love them to the best of my ability.  I will be an inadequate, uncertain loving-with-everything-I-have, filled-with-more-joy-than-I-deserve-mother.

     God has a way of using inadequate people, and sometimes He calls us to reach a little higher or to stretch a little further, even when we feel we can't do any more.  We simply trust Him.  And then, He gives us everything we need to do the "more" that He is asking of us.  When God asked me to bring another daughter into our family, it didn't matter that I might burn her toast from time to time.  All that mattered was that I would love her.

 Just loving her!!!

Praises:

1. We are seeing more smiles!
2. ShiShi is a Woller!!!
3. The kids are home are doing well.
4. Our safety and my diabetes is doing well.

Prayer Requests:

1.  Our health -- Matt has not felt well today.  We are pretty sure it is something he ate.  Praying it is NOT a bug.  Continue to pray for by diabetes.
2. Bonding for our family.  Tomorrow is an easy day.  Our group is going to a park so we can just have some fun.
3.  The kids at home to continue to do well.
4. Perseverance.  Good rest would help with this :)