Sightseeing & More Betsy!

We had another good night with Betsy. She sleeps so soundly...for that I am very thankful! She is taking naps too:) She is an absolute treasure. It is hard to believe we have only really known her since Monday. She loves playing with Sam and Ellie! She has all of us wrapped around her little finger;) Sometimes we just sit and watch her...she is busy busy. Maybe that's why she sleeps so well! I think I said before that she likes to color. She will sit and not make a sound for several minutes. She is very focused. You saw pictures of her with makeup. She loves to dig around in my makeup bag! The girl is a hoot...a doll:) She loves it when Todd tickles her. She will laugh so hard I think she might stop breathing!! We are having a great time getting to know her. Today we went to Saint Sophia's Church. It was built in 19th century by the Russians. There is a very heavy Russian influence here as Harbin is very close to Russia. Sam and Ellie fed the birds outside the church. There was a lady selling bird food. Betsy watched them, but wouldn't try it. The church was beautiful! We are leaving for Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon. I may not get a chance to post again.Please pray for a safe flight to Guangzhou and that Betsy does well as we travel. Thanks again for your prayers and comments... we appreciate it more than you know!

**scroll down for the "Orphanage Visit Post" from yesterday's pictures**

One Night Down...

Our first night with Betsy went very well. She was very busy all afternoon playing with all of us. Her Nana said she usually takes a nap from 12:00-2:00, but that didn't happen yesterday! Teresa told us that if she was playing and having a good time getting to know us it would be fine to skip it. We had alot of fun with her! She loves to color, and does very well:) She ran from one activity to the next. We played with everything we brought. She is a funny, sassy, clever, and very happy little girl:) She loves to play and has the most precious laugh! Everything that was in her file from the orphanage describing her personality was right on target! One thing that was in the file was that she can be a bit obstinate:) We are finding that to be true!haha After we ate dinner last night we decided to give her a bath. Her Nana said that she had only taken showers. She didn't want any part of taking a bath! We got out the My Little Pony and a cup we brought and she got in the tub. At first she would only stand up, then she squatted down, and finally she sat in the water and had alot of fun. We put her PJ's on her , and she loved them! She is definately a girly girl;) Ellie got out all of her new clothes and showed them to her yesterday when Teresa was with us. Teresa said she liked the clothes, and wanted to know if we had more! She also loves to have her hair combed and fixed with bows and barrettes. That's my girl!! When it was time for bed I said the Chinese word for sleepy, and pointed to her. She shook her head and smiled. I also said the word for tired. She continued to shake her head. I took her to the potty and she knew what was coming. She did not want to go to bed! Todd and I decided the best thing to do was just to let her sleep with us. He was in the bed and I put her in the bed with him. She was NOT happy! She started to cry and wanted out of the bed. I picked her up and thought...we are in for a long night. I sat on the edge of the bed, held her close, patted her back, and rocked her. I was so thankful she was allowing me to comfort her. After about ten minutes she fell asleep. It was around 8:00pm, and she slept till 6:00am. She whimpered one time during the night, but never got fully awake. We kept hearing a sucking noise on and off through the night. She is a thumb sucker, but only at night. We have not seen her do it during the day. She is a precious little girl, and I can't wait to get to know more about her! We went back to the Adoption Center today, and all the paperwork is finished. She is officially our daughter! Tomorrow we will go to the orphanage. Teresa asked the Director of the Adoption Center if it would be OK for us to go and she said yes. I am so glad we can go, but I know it will be an emotional day. Please pray for us as we visit the only home our daughter has known. We love and appreciate all your comments, and emails...keep them coming!!

Brrrr....

It's so cold!! I know it sounded like I would not post again until tomorrow, but I had to do this really quick one. We went out to"explore" our new surroundings, and it IS unbearably cold!! Sam and Ellie wanted to walk out on the frozen river where everyone was flying kites. It was incredible! This is a huge river and it is frozen solid! There were lots of people out flying kites, and playing with their children. There were lots of vendors selling everything from cotton candy to bubbles! It was fun...just thought I would share it with you! That's really all now:)

In Harbin...less than 24 hours now!!

It is 4:00pm in Harbin City, China on Sunday afternoon. We arrived at the airport around 1:30pm, and were greeted by our guide for the week...Teresa. She is so sweet and very helpful! Teresa is a graduate student at a university here in Harbin. She works part time as a guide for the adoption center. We got in the van with Teresa and our driver for the week, and traveled about 40 minutes to our hotel. The hotel we are staying in this week is very nice , and is located in the heart of Harbin's downtown area. There is a river across the street from the hotel. It is frozen solid! People are outside standing on the frozen river flying kites!! It is cold, but not unbearable. There is a Walmart very close to our hotel. We are about to get out for a little while and explore our new surroundings:) Teresa will be back in the morning at 8:45 to take us to the adoption center to meet Betsy! She said it will take us about 30 minutes to get there. I can't believe that in less than 24 hours we will have Betsy with us forever! When we landed at the Harbin airport and I saw the word Harbin tears filled my eyes. It is such an indescribable moment! I know those of you reading this that have been where I am at this time can totally understand. I am so thankful and very humbled that God has chosen us to be her parents. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and comments! Till tomorrow...:)