Catching Up

I am sorry I haven't been able to post. Kunming evidently doesn't like blogs. The day we flew to Kunming, we knew we were getting Mira the next day. We met a couple on the front steps of the Kunming Hotel who was adopting too and they told us we were getting the babies that day! I couldn't believe it, so I kept asking over and over if they were sure. They were right - we got Mira Lin at 4pm the day we flew to Kunming. I thought I would have 24 hours to prepare the diaper bag and think about all the things I needed to take to the orphanage but I had less than 2 hours. I know that may seem like a lot of time but when you are in shock, you all of a sudden have legs that don't work, you have a million thoughts running through your mind (and none of them make sense), and everything you brought for the baby doesn't seem quite right! Our facilitator took us on a bus to this office. We could hear the babies the minute we walked inthe door. I saw Mira Lin being held with the 3 other babies but we were told to keep walking into another room to fill out papers!! Yeah, right! The next thing I know, the women holding the babies in the other room start filing in with the babies. I heard someone say, "Xi Hongli" and I saw the face I had only seen in pictures. I walked up, held out my arms, and got my baby. Mira looked at me really closely and then promptly stuck her thumb in her mouth. She didn't cry at all but I did! Then I smelled something not so sweet and realized my new beautiful daughter had given me my first gift - a stinky diaper! I knew right then and there she was a Fogle! Things have progressed quite nicely from the first day. She is very healthy and EXTREMELY active. She tries to grab everything within reach and everything not so within her reach. James just got her on our insurance today and it is a good thing because she is an accident waiting to happen. She eats everything we put in front of her and loves to try to feed herself, which usually becomes a huge mess but it is sooooo cute! She has bonded so well with both James and myself and laughs all the time. Everything is an adventure to her and it is so cool to watch her as she sees things for the first time. Mira loves people in general and babbles to anyone that will listen. James and I have started calling her the WalMart greeter. We are now in Guangzho at the famous White Swan Hotel. We will be here for 3 days waiting on the Chinese Consulate to give us her Visa to get into the USA. The hotel is beautiful and we have made some wonderful lifelong friends, John and Dawn (parents of Sophia Bella), but we are ready to come home. I miss Kayla, Natalie, Adam, and the rest of the family so much that I can't think about it without crying. This has been the best experience ever and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I just can't wait to see Mira in her new home with her new family! We love you all and can't wait to see you!