Meet Kemeri Abigail

We headed to the Civil Affairs office at 10:00 for our 10:30 meeting. When we got there, the waiting room was empty, so Kade & I sat down while our guide went to copy some papers. As we were sitting there, we saw some people in the hall & Kade said, "Mom, I think that's her." Sure enough, when they turned, I knew that it was. Our guide was still not back, but the people from the orphanage brought her in & we got to say hello. Technically, you are not allowed to pick up your child until the proper paperwork is in place & they have checked your passport. So, after I caught my breath, I did what any good mother would do & dug into my bag of tricks. The cheerios were very well received.

It just wouldn't be an important event without some sort of camera issue. Today was no exception. Seems the setting on the camera got switched so some of the pictures are a bit fuzzy.

She has been a bit slow to warm up to Kade. He's been pretty much on the "no" list. Anytime he so much as looks at her, she shakes her head no.

She liked having me feed her, & she even fed me a cheerio. ;) We have since discovered that goldfish & a peanut butter sandwich are fun food from Mommy, too.

And then the hand-off. This was heartbreaking. She was so scared & I was so sad for her confusion. So I did the only thing I could & cried along with her.

Just like that we were in our car headed back to the hotel. It's all about as blurry as some of these pictures. She cried & cried, but I pulled out the cheerios again (actually, I pulled out a dum-dum sucker b/c my friend, Amie, told me to, but it didn't work on this particular occasion...I'm guessing on another day!), & she settled in. As long as I kept my head on hers & kept feeding her cheerios, things seemed a little better.

We've now been in the room for awhile. We got back in time to skype with Daddy before he went to bed, & she was very interested in that. For quite awhile, leaving my lap was not an option, but she is beginning to explore a little & actually sitting in the same vicinity as Kade.

I have kind of pieced together this update in between playing, changing Kemeri out of her 10 layers of clothes, ordering room service from someone that doesn't speak English, & just getting to know my little girl. I am amazed at the change in just a few hours. One of her favorite things is to sit on my lap in front of the mirror, & we make silly faces. She knows that if she turns to look at me, I will kiss her on the head. Another of her favorite things is to eat. And not just cheerios. We have now destroyed a peanut butter sandwich (I brought snack-size PB from home & snagged some bread from the breakfast buffet this morning). When it became apparent she would probably eat more, I ordered room service. So in addition to cheerios, fish crackers, & a PB sandwich, we have shared a BBQ steamed bun & Kade's chicken nuggets. The child is not picky! And just a moment ago, one of the housekeepers brought by a plate of pears b/c she said it would be good for the cough (Kade has a terrible cough, & evidently everybody knows about it). Lil Miss is doing some damage on that on my lap this very moment (in between making faces in the mirror...she's got some good ones when her cheeks are full of pear).

I am thrilled to report that she is walking. Her gait is a little choppy, but I'm not sure if that's related to the SB or to the fact that her shoes are way too small. They are the same ones she's wearing in the pictures I have from 6 months ago. She seems fairly healthy, & her legs are loooong. I am pleasantly surprised by how heavy she is. She's already shown a bit of spunk while playing (read: temper). She does not like it when these darn toys don't do just as she'd like. The fact that she does not have fingers on her left hand seems to be a non-issue. We were playing with the stacking cups & I would give her one, she would turn it over & fit it on top of the next one.

The only thing I wish I had (other than my family) would be a rocking chair. And an iced coffee.