We Have Her

This is being written by Jacob, as Mom is unable to write as of right now. We got the call, and promptly made the trip down to the hotel lobby. We were greeted by two people: Sandy, our guide, and the orphanage representative. We were told that Julia was to arrive soon with the nanny who had taken care of her. Mom, Sandy and he representative sat down to take care of some preliminary paperwork. We waited for about 2 1/2 minutes before the nanny walked in the front door, carrying a small, worried looking Julia. Two other people also followed, a young woman and an older man who we soon learned were the foster family: the nanny's husband and eldest daughter. Mom and the nanny sat down with Sandy as an intermediate. Mom asked a bunch of questions. We learned that the woman had cared for julia, along with the older man and the young woman. We found out she can poddy on her own, eat grown-up food and understand a limited amount of chinese, about as much as an average american two-year-old understands English. Finally, the time came for the family and the representative to leave. We said goodbye and watched as they walked out the door. The older man comforted his teary wife as they walked away, and they climbed into a cab to go back to Guangyuan. The young woman, however, held back. She turned as if to go back into the hotel, stopped short, and climbed in the car with her hands in her face.

We are up in the hotel room now. She has been crying for a while, and she has gestured towards the door several times. Mom is rocking her and talking to her. She is seeming to calm down as I write, whether out of exaust or acceptance I don't know. We expect a long couple of days, and we will keep you posted as we are headed into the Civil Affairs office tommorow.