introducing

she's here!!!!!  our miracle, sarahjoy makiah, is in our arms and she is everything we prayed for.    after waiting for what seemed like an eternity today, we drove to the civil affairs office, walked up a flight of stairs, into an empty room and there she was, sitting on the bench with her nannies waiting for us.  she was with several other children from the orphanage but I knew just who she was.  and of course, she was by far the cutest one!   we didn't notice till later but of all things, what was on her little pants?  GUNS!  she'll fit right in with our family.   we learned that in fact she has been in foster care for 2 years.  which is a huge blessing and completely unexpected.  she appears to be a happy, active little girl.  so different than lydia who didn't say a word to us, sarahjoy has not stopped talking since we got her.  and she wiggles and squirms just like a good old fashioned 2 year old!  this afternoon it was almost like she was frantic and couldn't stop moving – i don't know if that is her way of grieving or if she is just going to keep us hopping!    she is really, really tiny.  not necessarily short, but super tiny.   we put on her 6-12 month tights and they fit perfectly on her little 2 year old body.  the first few hours i felt like I was going to break her if I touched her.   she reminds me of a newborn in that she just doesn't have any fat on her.  she also appears to have something going on in her rib cavity around her heart.  i am not sure if that is just because she is so skinny that you see things you don't normally see on a little body, or if it is heart related, or something new that we don't know about.  at any rate, she is ours and we love her and we will weather whatever storms we have to.   we went to dinner tonight at the hotel's chinese restaurant (as opposed to the western food restaurant which was less than edible).  she ate and ate and ate and ate.   and then it was bath time  which she was not terribly fond of.   i have to be honest, it is a bit frightening how tiny she is.  the mommy in me is worried about her.  we knew that she was going to be tiny, but when you see her naked little body it is alarming.    after bath time, she ate some more.  she loves her some goldfish.   tomorrow we go to her orphanage to get her passport.  if she is as active as she was today, it could be an interesting trip!  i told eric that at times, i feel like a new mom – it has been so long since I chased after a 2 year old, fed someone dinner, changed diapers, and dressed a little person.  but hey, it will keep me young, right?   enjoy the pictures!