She is officially ours!

It's been a whirlwind since we got here, with jet lag and activites, but it's beginning to get a little easier.  The VPN I have to use to get on blogger wasn't working for a while and it's blocked without it, but I was able to get it to work tonight.

Raeanna has been laughing and happy tonight. There were about 12 other families getting their children at the orphanage at the same time, and it was a little chaotic.  The last two children brought out were ours and the baby of another couple traveling with us.  They weren't crying at all.  They handed Raeanna to me and she said, "Hi Mama," and the woman told her to give me a kiss, and she kissed me on the cheek.  I gave her toys, but she latched on to a bottle of Strawberry flavored Gerber graduate puffs and a sippy cup of lemonade.  She had no interest in the toys, until I gave her a little pink plastic toy cell phone. She loves to eat and will do so until she's sick if we let her.  She didn't really cry until nighttime came.  Bedtime was really hard.  I don't know if she was scared or grieving, but she didn't want me to put her down and she didn't want the lights out at all. 

Today, we went to the Civil Affairs office and the adoption became official.  We took an oath, promising never to mistreat or abandon her and to treat her as our own child. It was in front of the Chinese flag. It was a nice ceremony, and they took a picture of us together. When we went to get on the bus to go there, she started shaking her head no really fast and screaming.  She didn't want to get on the bus.  We don't know if she thought we were taking her back or if she was afraid of the bus.  She cried loudly for a while, until we gave her another bottle of the gerber puffs.  She ate half of it before we got there.

She loves her little umbrella stroller.  We bought it at Carrefour, which is kind of like Walmart.  It's on several levels, and the shopping cart rides on the escalator with you.  It doesn't have steps; just an incline.
People there would stare at us and nudge the person they were with to look at us. It felt strange.

The only food she has turned down so far has been yogurt and pepsi. She LOVES everything else edible.

They gave us a can of powdered formula and told us she takes two bottles a day.  The bottle seemed to upset her stomach last night, so I didn't give it to her today, and she has been fine without it.  I'm surprised they give a bottle to a 4.5 year old, and I'm surprised her teeth aren't rotten because of it!  I would let her have it if she seemed to want it, but she loves the sippy cup, so we went today without the formula.
I just layed her in the bed, and she is now sound asleep. That's the first time she's gone to sleep without tears or needing me to hold her. I think she's beginning to feel secure with us. We feel so blessed!

Finally!

Baba, Ge Ge, and Raeanna Claire Jixiao B

Our First Family Picture, but we're missing Katey and Brett. We'll get one soon with all of us!

Ge Ge Cade and Raeanna playing in the hotel room on Forever Family Day.

Baba and Mama promising to never mistreat or abandon Raeanna.  This is where she was declared our child.