At 9:30 AM, we met for that good ol’ bus ride, and once we arrived at the office, we were quickly sent off to have family photos taken which will be printed on our final adoption decree (we’ll get that back once it’s notarized in 3 days). Then it was off to pay the various fees – for the paperwork, for her passport, for the notary, etc.

The actual adoption happens quite simply. The family goes in to meet with the adoption registrar (even Jordan got to go in to this one). She verifies our passports and asks us if we’re sure we want to adopt. I’m pretty sure you can guess how we answered. She even asked Jordan if he was happy to have a little sister and he said yes and shook his head emphatically which made the registrar smile. Then, we put our thumb prints on the certificate and we put Sarah’s right foot print there and the registrar says “Congratulations, you are officially parents now.” It was very emotional and a wonderful end to a long process. Sarah is now officially ours forever!

After that, we had to talk briefly with the notary and then we got to talk to the Director and Assistant Director of Sarah’s orphanage. They told us that she was “very timid” and didn’t like strangers or new things, but once she got used to them she was fine. They also said that she really loved her nannies, and that she would probably miss them, but that in time everything would be just fine and she would know that we’re her forever family.

Before noon, we were back at the hotel. At 3:00 a number of families met in the playroom which is on our floor in the hotel. It was a time for parents to share experiences, as well as for some of the children to play. Sarah just wanted to be held – she hasn’t been more than two feet from one of us since she came home. Several other families have the same issue, and it’s fairly normal since the child is worried that these new people might go away, just like every other caretaker she’s had.

In the evening, we had a “birthday dinner” with the other families to celebrate this special day. Our guides even bought a big birthday cake with a big candle that had Chinese fireworks in it. It was great fun to share a Chinese dinner and cake, and we even managed to find chicken nuggets for Jordan.

Bedtime however was another story – Sarah did not want to go to bed. It seemed like fear that if she went to sleep, maybe we would not be there when she woke up. She finally fell asleep for an hour or so, but then stayed up the rest of the night with Mommy. She’s an angel, and we keep in mind that as hard as this trip is for us, it’s even harder for Sarah. She’s lost everyone in her life that she ever loved, and only time will prove to her that we’re not going away too. It’s encouraging to see three families in our group who have adopted from China before, and watch their little girls run around having a wonderful time. We know that soon enough our Sarah will be doing the same.