All moms immediately start crying, babies are screaming, everyone is videotaping and snapping pictures as fast as the cameras will allow. It was great big wild chaotic happiness! Lydia was the last baby brought out. She was crying like fury. She was dressed in a pretty pink outfit that appears to be new. It is a heavy quilted jumper. She surely must have been roasting in it.

She cried for about 10 minutes and then fell asleep...

She slept for about another 10 minutes and was just very quiet. She seemed confused and scared, which I'm sure she was. We laughed about how she must feel that she has been abducted by aliens who look, smell and talk funny!

It was great to return to the hotel and get acquainted. We sat her on a bed, showed her some of the toys we brought, sat there and watched her and, of course, snapped pictures and videotaped (strange aliens). We brought some stacking cups given to us by Lisa at Irwin (thank you, Lisa) and she absolutely loves them. She sat and played with them for probably more than an hour. At first she just clanked them but then she looked and looked at them and started stacking them inside one another and, I know this is hard to believe, but she appeared to be color matching them sometimes. I know because I sat and watched her for an hour (and snapped pictures and videotaped). I don't mean to brag but I think we may have a mathematical genius on our hands.

THEN... Sydney introduced her to hitting the bed and making it bounce and Lydia was laughing and smiling.

She had a bath which she seemed to enjoy...

... and took a bottle and ate some apple puffs. She did get pretty fussy toward evening but I think she was very tired and I think she is constipated. I think she misses her nannies and everything she is used to, also. She went to sleep easily and everything is wonderful.

The nannies seemed very sad and a little teary to leave them. The Gerdes' baby is 18-months-old and is having a really hard time. She called out for the nanny by name all the way out of the building and driving to the hotel. It was heartbreaking. Some of the babies seemed completely content and didn't utter a whimper but a couple of them have cried non-stop. It's sad to see what the babies have to go through but I know that it won't last too long.

Guangzhou was 90°F yesterday but a thunderstorm went through and the temperature dropped to the upper 50s. The trees and flowers are very pretty here. I saw lots of palm trees and flowering trees. We didn't see much today but look forward to seeing more.

Tomorrow is another early day for a government appointment to finalize the adoption (yeah!) and then our schedule relaxes some.

Lydia is wonderful, sweet and precious and we already love her. Continue to pray for us as we all adapt to one another and do pray for the other babies and families, as well.

Thanks, again, for the e-mails. We are kept on the move here and aren't able to answer too much but know that they mean a lot to us and we look forward to them each day.

Love,
Carmen, Kyle, Sydney AND Lydia