Annika Day

We got up at 7 this morning after a night on a wonderful bed that felt like plywood with a couple of blankets on top, much better than Beijing. We ate a little breakfast and then tried to kill time in our room until the babies arrived at 9:30. We made it in the room until 8:45 and then headed down. It was easier to wait with some of the other families than to hang out in our room by ourselves, everyone was very excited and a little slap-happy. Then the babies showed up. It was crazy all of us video taping and taking pictures of them, trying to figure out if they were our baby. One of the first babies to arrive had alot of hair and looked similar to the picture and we all thought she may be Annika, then there was another who might have been. In the end we had it narrowed down to three of the thirteen babies. It was one of the most emotional things I have ever done to watch the people I know get their babies, to see a family being made.

We were wrong about which baby was ours. We were the last family to get called. When it was our turn there was a woman in the door holding a baby that we had not seen earlier when we were guessing. She had more hair than I have ever seen on an 8 month old. That was our Annika. I took her from the woman and gave her a couple of kisses and she checked me out. Then I gave her to David and she checked him out. She has been clinging to us since about 20 minutes after she got handed over. She cries if we put her down and she is pretty quiet. She looks at you and you can tell she is trying to figure everything out. She liked the hip hammock and went to lunch in it. She wouldn't take a bottle but we tried custard and rice at lunch and chowed down on it. We have since got her to take a bottle (don't think the first one was hot enough). David put her in the stroller to run to the grocery store earlier and she was fussy at first but then fell right to sleep and took a decent nap. She woke up right before we headed back when she and I were alone for a minute in the store and we drew a small crowd, who I could not understand since they were all speaking Chinese. All she wants to do is be held, but you have to stand and sway or she starts to cry again. She and David are sacked out in the bed right now. She is on top of him and they are both out cold.

Here are some pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

Tomorrow we are going to the consulate and then to Wal-Mart (YIPEE!!!!!) I will try to post more pictures tomorrow and tell you about the forbidden city.

I have to tell Big Brother Alex congratulations and that we love him. And that Annika loves the singing bug that he got for her.