WE HAVE SARAH!

Hello again! Been having trouble getting consistent internet connections here in Nanchang, and I’m dying to blog. So I’m typing on MS word and hope to be able to cut and paste.
OK, where to begin. On Sunday morning (in Beijing) we got up at 5:00 am (!) and got ready. We ate breakfast at the hotel (very good breakfast buffet with pancakes, bacon, omelettes, etc.) and went exploring for a little bit before Ike (our guide) came to pick us up at 9:30 to go to New Day Foster Home.
Ike told us that Tianemen Square/Forbidden City was within walking distance, so after we ate we headed out. We got pretty close to the Forbidden City with some help from a Chinese university professor, but had to turn back because we didn’t want to be late to get Sarah! But we got to see it later on in the taxi and took some pictures. We were only in Beijing for less than 24 hours.
Anyway, it was neat to see the locals about their morning business, sweeping up in front of their homes and businesses, riding their bikes, etc. We got stared at quite a bit, but not in an unfriendly or weird way. We are having a great experience here. The Chinese are friendly, helpful, and gracious. And they fawn over Sarah and come up and talk to her, touch her, etc.
OK, so Ike comes to pick us up (more about Ike later—he is awesome). We hop in a taxi and away we go! The traffic in Beijing is absolutely nuts. Seriously. Lots of buses, trucks, cars, taxis, and people on bikes and mopeds. Oh yeah, and people crossing the streets pretty much anywhere. Sometimes they stand right in the middle of the road. Cars don’t seem to yield to pedestrians, even in cross walks, so you have to have your wits about you when crossing the street! J We crossed the street in front of our Nanchang hotel this morning to go to a government office, and we stuck to Ike like glue!
As for the traffic, the way you switch lanes is just to cut right in. Nobody seems to “wait” or signal and the lane lines don’t always mean too much. So there are lots of quick stops and starts, sliding along really close to other cars as you squeeze in the lane, etc, etc.
So that’s the set up for our journey. Having said all of this, I really wasn’t nervous about the taxi. The drivers really pay attention and we have yet to see an accident. So off we go. Sunday was really warm and we rolled the windows down to cool off. It took about an hour to get to New Day. It really is on the outskirts of Beijing and there is a lot of farmland around it.
We get there and Karen Brenneman (the director) is waiting for us. It was so great to finally meet her. She is an amazing person and I have such respect and admiration for her! She greets us and we sit in a front room. She tells us that first we will meet the foster family first and get to ask them questions. Then the foster family will leave, and we will go back to the playroom and meet Sarah. So the foster parents come in, and they were so nice. We shook hands and all sat down to get to know each other a little bit. I had made a list of questions to ask them, and it was a good thing I had written them down because I was shaking (nervous energy) and I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to remember a thing.
Oh, and the foster family brings several pictures they had taken at a photographer of them with Sarah so I can keep these for her as she gets older. That was so great!
Through an interpreter, I asked about her nap schedule, what kind of milk she drinks, if she says any words, etc. Then I just wanted to thank them for taking such good care of her, and of course I start to cry. And then the foster mom cries, too. Through her tears, she tells us that she wants to have a picture of Sarah with our boys and wants to know that Sarah will always be loved and cared for. We promise her we will always love and take care of Sarah. She nods and tell us she knows we will. I get emotional all over again just thinking about that moment.
Then we sit together on the couch and Ike takes pictures for us. The foster mom reaches over and holds my hand. It was just an amazing experience and loving gesture!
Then suddenly, it is time for them to go. I remember just as they are leaving that I have gifts for them (duh!) and we hand them their gifts. We got the foster mom a Willow Tree figurine that is a mother and child and the foster dad a nice wallet. Then they left on their bicycle.
So Karen takes us back to the playroom. Dave has the video camera rolling, and we go back to see Sarah. When we got to the room at first I couldn’t find her. There were about six other kids in there. Finally I see Sarah asleep in a nanny’s arms. So I go sit next to the nanny. I look down at Sarah and think, She is so beautiful and so small. Her little hands are just tiny, compared to Jason’s hands.
So I sit there for a few minutes and wonder if I should ask the nanny if I can hold her or what I should do. Karen sees this and says, “Well, do you just want to hold her?” And I say, “Yes!” and so the nanny hands her over.
She was really asleep, so I held her as we toured the rest of the New Day facility and met some more of the kids. New Day is amazing and they take such great care of these little ones. It was great to see some of the kids that I have been looking at pictures of for months.
So then we take pictures of us with Karen and Grace (her assistant and interpreter) and it’s time to leave. I present gifts to Karen, Grace, and give the donation items as well.
Sarah is still asleep and suddenly wakes up as we are getting our stuff together to leave. Most babies aren’t instantly happy when they wake up from naps, and Sarah is no exception. She was asking for her foster mom (Chinese word for Grandma) and Karen and Grace kept telling her that her mama and baba (daddy) are here to take you home! They say this with a lot of enthusiasm, but Sarah isn’t convinced!
She starts to cry and I start to talk to her as we leave, “Look at the trees”, etc. Of course she doesn’t understand me but what else could I do? :) She understands Chinese really well. We hop in the taxi and she cries a little bit. I get one of her books and we talk about the animals. She points to the cat and says, “Moe”. Ike starts talking to her in Chinese about the different animals and she perks up.
She really didn’t cry very much. When we get back to the hotel, Dave and Ike run to a store to get some baby formula and a bottle (I didn’t know she still had a bottle). Since we had already checked out I was to stay in the lobby with her with some toys until they got back. When Ike left she was NOT happy. She started to really cry and people start to stare. They are thinking, Who is this crazy American woman and what is she doing to that Chinese baby?”
So I take her outside and try to distract her with the bubbles I brought but she’s screaming for her foster mom and I feel so bad for her and am not sure how to comfort her. But then Ike shows up and she settles down again.
She is already adjusting to us, a little more every day!
A little about Sarah and then I will stop. Don't want to lose connection. She is beautiful, sweet and very smart! (Just like her brothers) And very, very busy. Oh, my. Between her and Jason I will lose my mind. ;)
She is also not as big as we had anticipated. She wears 18-24 months, but her feet are much smaller than we had thought, so the shoes I brought do not fit. But she has some cute white shoes so it's OK!!
She just woke up from a nap and needs me. More later. Pictures, too-- I promise!