We just finished our first complete day with Lydia. I think that all-in-all, things are going well and we are right on track with how things should be going. She went to sleep last night around 8:30 and I had to wake her around 6:30 this morning. She had a great night's sleep. When she woke up we were strangers again and we had to get to know one another again. She took a bottle and ate a few bites of hot cereal and quite a bit of yogurt at breakfast.

At this point quite a few of the babies in our group haven't eaten at all so I feel like she is doing very well. We went back to the Civil Affairs Office today and our adoption was finalized. Hooray!

We ran into her orphanage nannies on the way out. She had been really happy and smiling until then. She started to cry and the nanny who was so sad yesterday spoke to her. I recognized the word "mama" and I think she told her that I am her mama. Lydia stopped crying but she was sad and quiet for a long time afterward.

On the way back to the hotel we (the whole group) made a quick stop at the Carrefour store for baby supplies.

It's a department store, kind of like Wal-Mart. It has several floors and has escalators without steps so you ride up with your cart at a slant. That was entertaining all by itself! I saw some pretty unusual things (like some kind of large birds that were dried or smoked hanging from the ceiling in a non-refrigerated area), but we didn't have time to really look it all over. In a few days we will take a taxi over and really explore the whole store. I'm looking forward to that.

Lydia will have nothing to do with Kyle right now and at some point this morning, stopped letting Sydney hold her and she has mostly wanted to be held all day. About three times today she sat on the bed playing with her stacking cups. She loves those cups. She has one in each hand all the time and I have to pry them out of her hands to change her clothes. I'm so glad we brought them.

Lydia seems to have been very well cared for at the orphanage. All five of the babies from there look really great. They have obviously been fed well (which would explain why my arms are so sore). One of the adoptive moms in our group is a pediatrician. That is a huge blessing. She examined each of the babies today. Lydia has an ear infection in one ear so she told me to go ahead and start her on the antibiotics that I brought from her doctor at home.

The group went out to dinner tonight with our guide. She ordered the food for us which was served family-style which means they put the dishes on a lazy-Susan type thing in the middle so that everyone gets to sample everything. The food was great! We had probably eight different dishes which were shared by four families and our cost was around $15, including tip. We had a similiar meal in Beijing and the cost was $10. We could easily get spoiled. I want you to know that I ate the entire meal with chopsticks while holding a baby and keeping my plate about a foot away from me. Be impressed! Lydia chose the meal to be outgoing and even a little rowdy. She was getting into everything and tossing stacking cups everywhere. She had a great time.

All-in-all, I really feel like Lydia is doing well. She is eating great and we celebrated a dirty diaper. She did cry quite a bit, but less than most of the other babies. It's a tough adjustment for them. We have been told that the first three days are the toughest. I've waited a long time to hold her so if she wants to be held all day then so be it. Hopefully tomorrow Kyle and Sydney can hold her, too.

I can't begin to tell you how precious and special Lydia is. She is everything we dreamed of. We can't wait for you to meet her.

Love,
Carmen, Kyle, Sydney and Lydia