Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A Surprise in Nanchang

This morning (Tuesday) we flew from Beijing to Nanchang which was about a two hour (turbulent) flight. We arrived in Nanchang around 2 p.m. We boarded the bus to take us to our hotel and the guide introduced himself, and told us that we'd be staying in a 5 -star hotel. But wait, it gets even better. He said, "and in 2 hours you will get your babies!" Wait, what?! Did you say that we are getting our babies today and in 2 hours...not tomorrow morning?!?! Yes, he did. All seven families screamed with excitement. And I believe there wasn't a dry eye. It was such an amazing surprise!

So we got to our hotel and had 30 minutes to grab our things and compose ourselves. We drove 10 minutes during rush hour to the Adoption Center where the babies were. When we arrived, there were about 10 babies and toddlers awaiting their new families! I scanned the room for Elyza and then I knew when I saw her. We both did. Jay began filming and then we were all asked to sit so that we could "formally" begin the receiving ceremony. They called our name and handed us a very calm and curious baby Bo Qian. Our hearts melted.
We got back to the hotel and began to undress her from the bundle of clothing that she wore (it's 30 degrees here). She had on 6 layers! She cried, so we gave her a bottle and put on a fresh diaper. She took the bottle for a bit and then finally, shook her head no, stuck her fingers in her mouth and fell fast asleep. She was exhausted, apparently, because she has been asleep for 4 hours now, since about 5:30 p.m. It was a long day for the little ones, I imagine, as they had to travel 4 hours on a bus to Nanchang from Poyang.
We are so in love with this baby girl. We feel like we've always known her. She is so beautiful! We can't wait to really get to know her personality over the next few days. Well, I best get some sleep because most likely she'll be waking up for that dinner bottle that she missed.


Thanks everyone for your prayers! We are a happy mama and daddy!


37 comments:

Crystal said...

Hello baby E! Congratulations mom and dad, grandma and granddad!

Sanders' Double Happiness said...

Congratulations! I've loved following your blog the past few weeks. (I saw in on the RQ's site.)

Enjoy every second and stay WARM!

:)
Stacey

Anonymous said...

AHHHHHHHHHH. Dying here!!! How great is this. And she's so cute!!!! I'm really happy for you.
Kerri Hillis

Stephe said...

OMG, what a GREAT suprise! She's just beautiful and you both look so happy! Congratulations MOM & DAD! Enjoy every minute in China with your new daughter!!!!

Kayce said...

OH!!!! Congratulations!! What a wonderful surprise!

Klaudette said...

(ok, now that I am done crying I can type) CONGRATULATIONS!! I love this story. We are so overjoyed for You and Jay. She is an absolutely precious gift from God. You make a beautiful family. I can not wait to meet her in person...can you come home now??
Enjoy and Take Care!

Susan Spransy said...

AMAZING!! She is beautiful! This brought tears to my eyes. You two are going to be incredible parents! Love you guys :).

Hollie said...

We are Sooo Happy for you! You can practically see your hearts in your family picture. She is beautiful!!

Mendy said...

She is beautiful! What a wonderful surprise to meet your daughter a day early!
Mendy
group 118b
twlp

Suzanne said...

Yea!!! What a wonderful surprise and gift! She is so beautiful and you all look so complete. Thanks for including us in your journey. Keep the posts coming, we eagerly await the updates!
By the way Courtney, in your absence Klaudette schooled me on the posting of this blog ;-)
Godspeed,
Suzanne

Anonymous said...

OH my gosh! How wonderful!!!!!
It brings tears to my eyes to see y'all all together. What a beautiful picture! I can't imagine the joy you must feel. God bless y'all as you settle into knowing one another the next few days. We are so, so happy for you three. Congratulations!!!
Jessica and Scott

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! What a wondeful family!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful little girl! Congrats on your new family!
Cathy in Iowa

Anonymous said...

This is so so so amazing! Congratulations!
She is completely and utterly perfect.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm in tears! I'm full of happiness and excitement for you all!!! And a thanks to you both for taking us all on the journey with you! I cant wait to meet Elyza! Take care! Love, Jenn Schiro

Jodee said...

Wow! What a wonderful surprise! She is absolutely adorable! Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

iam so happy for you!!!!! tears fill my eyes!!!!!!! I love you three so very much!!! love elizabeth c. so so sooooooo happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!

The Listers said...

What wonderful news! Elyza is absolutely adorable...I love her rosy little cheeks. Lots of love from our family to yours!

No Mommy Brain said...

i am so happy for you i'm crying! i can't imagine how emotional YOU must have felt. what a lovely family...

katherine petillo said...

oh my gosh, how exciting! she is SO cute. we can't wait to meet her.

Andrea said...

This is so surreal to me!!
You have your baby...in YOUR ARMS!!!
She is beautiful.
She sucks her fingers to go to sleep? Blessed be.
I don't know what else to say except I am jumping for joy over here!!
yay!!

Anonymous said...

a thousand blessing for the you three a beautyful family

Josh Johnson said...

Ohhh... She is so beautiful, she is like an angel.
May The Lord Bless your first day together as a family!

Love ya~

Joshua

~Give Elyza A Kiss and Hug For Me~

Anonymous said...

Awesome! And adorable! Can't wait to see her!

China Traveler said...

Elyza is just beautiful!!! How wonderful that she's in your arms now after being in your hearts for so long.

Our prayers continue and we are so excited for all the special times you will have the next few days as you settle in as a family of 3!

The girls just looked at the pictures and are so eager to watch your blog each day!

Rebecca and family

China Traveler said...

Elyza is so beautiful! The girls have just come to see pictures too and they have been asking each day to look t your blog! Excitement abounds here when they see precious babies with their forever mom and dad!

Our prayers continue as you settle in as a family of three and enjoy many sweet times the next few days of this journey.

After being in your hearts for so long, she's now in your arms!

Rebecca

chris myers said...

congratulations on the new addition! crystal has been keeping us well-informed.

keep the updates coming. i'm very happy for y'all.

Jboo said...

Congratulations! She is adorable!

Janet

K said...

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to you, mom and dad, and to your little daughter, who now has a forever family!

mumma to many said...

Nanchang is filled with surprises and the most beautiful jiangxi girls!
Congratulations the wait is over enjoy this precious time! We remember it well! and can't wait to meet our next treasure!
Hugs Ruth in NZ

Anonymous said...

Hey guys,
We are so excited for the both of you ! ! !

Kim and I are enjoying watching you all getting your little one. . . we can't wait till we leave to do the same thing!

Have fun!
Keith and Kim

prechrswife said...

Courtney, she is adorable! Congratulations to my buddies' travel buddies! :-) So happy for you!

Kristy said...

Congrats. I too found your site on Rumor Queen and am excited to follow your journey. We think a lot alike, so its been nice to read though you all are years ahead of us in getting to China!

Kristy

Anonymous said...

I'm checking your blog multiple times daily and can't wait to see updates on how you're all connecting and the special things you're learning about your new family member. Hope you're doing well and getting some sleep, new mommmy!
Love, Kerri and Will Hillis

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see her. I am so happy for you guys.

Angie Purdy

Fisher Family said...

crying here... :) what a blessing!

Pam said...

She is beautiful. I am happy to hear that she is bonding with both of you.

if you like Thai food there is a restaurant you should try in Guangzhou. It is the Cow Bridge restaurant. It is good. Also there is Lucy's. It has American style food.