Gotcha Day - Day 5

We left Beijing on 11/4 and flew to Zhengzhou.  Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan province.

We woke up on Monday morning and headed to the local registration office along with 10 other families.  We were told that we would be there for 2 1/2 hours and that there wasn't a lot of rhyme or reason as to when you would receive your child. 

Boy, was that the truth!  I got off of the bus and entered the building and two of the families with us had already received their children!  

What an emotional experience to stand there and observe these sacred moments.  Some children shook their heads "no" to being handed over to their new families, choosing the familiar over the unknown.  Some children were eerily quiet, sort of going into a "shut down mode."  Some children bawled & screamed.  I bawled right along with them.  In fact, I deleted the picture Sven took of me in those moments because it was definitely an ugly cry moment. ;) 

And then there was Elijah; he just slept through it - ha!  

He came to us in lots of layers (as is typical in China), sleeping & sweaty.  

Of course I cried.

Sven and I were so blessed by seeing our children meet the sibling they had prayed for for months.  

Lucy loved him right away.  

She kept hugging & kissing him.  She's such a sweet girl!

The room became more & more chaotic as the children came.  Parents held them, tried to play with them & distract them with snacks.  I have to believe that as long as I live, few things will live up to what I witnessed in that room that day.  To see all of these children,  who had literally been abandoned on the streets, be placed in the arms of people who would love them forever and give them a family was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  

Our son is with us & we are so thrilled! We thank God for placing him in our family.

 Here are a few more pictures from that morning:

more paperwork...

Lily gave him this little monkey that plays music.  He loves it & sleeps with it all the time.

Grandma & Grandpa