First days with our girls

The past few days have been a total whirlwind!! The girls are doing so well and we are having so much fun with them that we’re just having time to breath. The first night together the girls wanted me to sleep in the twin bed with both of them. Quite the experience… The only time they have been fussy has been when they get too hot and that first night they were sweltering. The orphanage is absolutely freezing so I’m told. Louisa has pressure sores on her ankles because of the lack of movement in her legs and the cold has a history of making it much, much worse. I tried my best to cool the girls down. Gave them tons of “Shui”- water, that they were asking for and then layed down in between them. As soon as I did they both rolled over and wrapped one arm around me tight and just held on while they fell asleep. Absolutely melted and crushed my heart at the same time. Even in my imagination I never would have thought they would have been so in need of a mother’s love, after all, they come from a super good orphanage. It just can’t compare.

Tuesday morning we went to pick up all our official documents at the civil affairs and the girls put their names on the dotted line and had their finger stamped in red ink. We have their passports and this part of things is all done. We had the guide drop us off at the local park because with this many people in a hotel room it is no fun to sit around. Thankfully I have been absorbing enough Chinese to know how to get around in public fairly well and get taxis without being taken for a song, that kind of thing. Thanks in part to my fantastic Ch*nese teacher in the US and my amazing sister who barters so well with the taxi drivers she practically had them howling with fits of laughter. They love good bartering here! The park was more like a little amusement park, not so much the strolling type place I had envisioned. Oh my goodness, it was perfect. All the kids loved it!!! They rode rides, played games, won prizes, bought junky trinkets and tons of fun junky snacks! The girls and boys were in heaven. Rob even carried Louisa up a flight of stairs so she could ride a ferris wheel type thing. I am so proud of him!!! We drew lots of crowds because yes, we stand out like a sore thumb but also the kids were having so much fun together. What started as stares of bewilderment usually turned to smiles and kindness. I’m so glad to see that. It is a very deep prayer of ours that the girls will be able to one day minister to their birth country and people in a mighty way. Ch*na is just still not very sympathetic as a whole to people with special needs. Louisa being so amazingly beautiful and yet in a wheelchair is something that is very powerful and healing for them to see.

After the park we made our way across our first major traffic filled road with the wheelchair in tow to eat. Lili Claire wanted food off the street and the rest of us ordered at the restaurant. Rob and I are wheelchair carrying champs at this point. We’ve lifted Louisa in that thing up big flights of stairs, over crazy big road barriers, into ridiculously small bathrooms, etc. etc. We just go for it. Yikes… She is very patient and trusting! We got our first taxis with the wheelchair and our very large group and it went surprisingly well. When they heard my “tai gui la” and saw me barter down their proposed 30 RMB, they automatically assumed I can really speak Zhong wen – Chinese. Um…nope. That driver laughed his head off when he realized that when I said I spoke “yi dian Zhong wen” I meant I spoke “yi dian Zhong wen”! Just a little Chinese. Ha, ha. All of those activites were just about enough for us, we pretty much just passé out when we came back! The girls did so well being out with us. They were sweet and helpful. The boys are just champs, plain and simple!!!! They have absolutely amazed us at how well they are doing. They adore the girls. Give them huge hugs everytime they see them. They play with them, do google translate together and have so much fun. They have been super patient and willing whenever they are asked to have their picture taken by the Ch*nese. They give the victory sign that people love here and smile. Even though they can’t stand it. How are they my children, I would have loved to have been treated like a movie start at their age!!! Feeling very upheld by the Lord right now. It is His grace, His mercy and His Spirit that is the reason we are walking through this with such ease and grace. I don’t want to ever forget that. And we’re praising Him!

Having so much fun together!