Day 5 Getting to Know Ella

Today was a low-key day with very little planned by our guides. We had an appointment in the morning to fill out paperwork (the funny thing about this is that in general I think the wives fill out most of the paperwork during the adoption process and then some of them send their husbands to fill out paperwork and they don't know a lot of the necessary information, including their wive's birthdays and other things you know they will hear about later). Anyway, after that Rob wanted to get in a workout so Ella and I went to lunch with the Skoog family, Tom, Jill and their daughter Bella. We decided to brave a local restaurant on our own (brave it only because there are no English or picture menus so we have no clue how or what to order) so with Mary's help we had a great lunch. After lunch we decided to walk along the pedestrian walk and window shopped and just enjoyed a pretty nice day outside.

We came home and I expected Ella to take an afternoon nap. She would have none of that so we went down the hall to visit Bella and her mom and play a little in their room. They have two little girls at home with grandparents waiting to meet their newest sister and Rob and I have really enjoyed getting to know them. We also got a chance to order Chinese outfits/dresses from a local tailor and I got a beautiful caligraphy scroll from a local artist with Ella's Chinese name, birthdate and birthplace to hang in our home.

Tonight a large part of our group went out to dinner at a local restaurant. The food was really good (Rob will comment on how inexpensive which is still a surprise every time) and it was nice to be out with everyone and chat. The thing you notice during the meals is that with the girls all still adjusting the adults have less time to just hang out than one would think. We get in bits and pieces along the way and have been very lucky with a really nice group of travel companions.

We are off to the orphanage tomorrow and we are all really excited to have the opportunity to meet the nanny's and other people who have been caring for our daughters. I will let you know how that goes in my next entry. We also have a birthday for one of the girls so we have a nice group dinner planned with cake and celebration. It is so nice to have the chance to share one of the birthdays with our group! We also get to go to the porcelin shop tomorrow (the one you recommended Ileana and Chris, thanks) and for a teapot collector that is a very big deal. Now I just have to figure out how to get everything I want and get it home!

Ella had a really good day and is more charming every day that I know her. She was even willing to let Uncle Rob feed her a little bit and play with her. She still isn't ready to let him hold her but it sure feels like that is just around the corner. I know that he is looking forward to it and it is great fun to watch them interact. While she doesn't know exactly what it is yet, she is fascinated with the Donald Duck voice and likes to touch his face. It is just so amazing to watch her personality come to life. She is definitely going to give me a run for my money.

I'm not sure I can adequately express how beyond every expectation I have ever had this experience has been so far. Ella is so much more that I imagined, and I have been dreaming about her for a very long time. I feel so amazingly lucky.