mama come

we are moving right along! we began yesterday with a trip to the office where we received her.  we stayed there for about 2 hours waiting for some piece of paper that i have no idea why it took two hours to get.  they asked us some questions like our address, etc.  of course, that info is listed about 276 times in our paperwork but for whatever reason they wanted to know it again.  i started to just make a new one up to see what happened.  at one point, we were completely alone in an empty room in an office building in the middle of china.  that was not the most comfortable feeling.  thankfully, our guide and the official returned shortly and we were on our way.   then we set out on our trip to datong, sj's hometown.  she was a champ on the 4 hour ride.  she took a nap in our arms and ate her way through the remainder of the time.   that kid can put away some food and she is not picky.   the trip from where we are up to her hometown is through desolate, desolate countryside.  there is nothing in sight except beautiful mountains in the distance and miles and miles of nothing.  obviously it is winter here and so there is nothing even growing.  it is a barren frozen tundra.  we did pass one of the oldest sections of the great wall weaving through the mountains and tried to see it out the window; however, you couldn't see out the window very well because there was a layer of ice INSIDE the car.  yep, inside.  need i say more?   nevertheless, we got there.  went into this little office.  the lady looked at our passports and made sure it was our picture and then we were done.  all in all, about 5 minutes.  eric asked if we could go then to KFC (very popular in china).  which, the guide and driver obliged and so we got some chicken.  make that THEY got some chicken.  there was no way i was going to eat anything in that place.  pretty much i have subsisted on dried bananas, clif bars and diet coke.  thankfully the bananas and coke are in abundance here.  the clif bars are running low. lest i forget, by the time we got to KFC sj was soaked from her diaper.  and by the way, there is NO place to change a diaper in china, not even a counter in a bathroom.  so while we are sitting at our table i strip her down because i had to get her wet onesie off.  then i change her diaper standing up and redress her, all while the entire restaurant is staring at me.  i am sure i was the subject of many a dinner conversation. we got home around 8:00.  sj was great on the way home too.  i don't know what these people do with their kids but i have never seen 2 kids who could sit as calmly as lydia and sj.  amazing.  maybe i should send my other 3 to china for awhile..........  we dressed her in her pj's, kissed her goodnight and laid her down and she was out in 2 minutes.  so far, she hasn't given us any fight about sleeping! there was a super highlight to all of yesterday's travels.  we brought a shutterfly book with us - it has pictures of all the kids and she absolutely loves looking at it.  but she is completely transfixed with the page that has lydia on it.  in fact, it's pretty much all she looks at. and she talks and talks and talks.  well yesterday she was doing this on the ride up and our guide was able to translate and tell us that she was pointing at lydia and saying "chinese sister, chinese sister."  she obviously had been prepared by her foster family and shown pictures that we sent.  she LOVES lydia already!!!! and then the coolest............she pointed to my picture and kept saying "mama come, mama come."  she knew i was her mama and she knew that i was coming!  so sweet and such a HUGE blessing to know that the foster family had prepared her.   she is the cutest thing in town.  i am growing more in love by the minute.  she is definitely sad when she wakes up but she quickly warms up and is so animated and active.  she is going to have so much fun with all her brothers and sisters!   and last but not least, eric has us venturing out on our own this evening.  we are headed to some sort of shopping area and then to track down a pizza hut.  so, if you don't hear from me again, please send a search party to taiyuan, china.  he tells me he knows what he's doing.....