Message from Carolyn, 6/17/05, 3:55 AM EDT

Howdy all! WE'RE HERE!

I know that's old news, but so much has been happening that I feel as though I've missed out on a lot of sharing. While Dad and Charissa are having some bonding time (aka mutual nap time), I thought I'd hit the cafe to give a little bit of a personal update.

This isn't going to be easy.

First of all, what a BEAUTIFUL daughter we have. She is pleasant and lovely and she seems to be bonding to all of us quite well. She is, however, showing a bit of a preference for Mom. We are all having the time of our lives watching her experience. She's a joy!

Our first few moments with her were a little frightening, I will say. When they handed her to us, she was so limber that I was concerned she might just shut down on us for quite a while. She looked at us as though she was confused--and I'm sure she was--and she didn't offer to lift a finger for much of anything. None of the babies cried, so we didn't have that to deal with, but I almost wished someone would just so I could be sure that she was OK.

Brian left in a few moments to pay the orphanage donation and Brett and I played with her some, but she didn't respond much to anything then--even to Brett, the kid who can get kids to do anything. It wasn't until we had our family photo taken and we left the room to go to the elevator that she turned on. By the time we got to the elevator, she was a basket case--crying screaming, and slapping Brian for all she was worth. Believe it or not, that was a relief.

When we got to the bus, she calmed down and watched each individual car, bike, and pedestrian pass. We watched in awe as what we take for granted fascinated her.

We returned to the room, and Brett turned on the magic. He propped her up on the bed and talked to her and made noises; actually, we all did, but he was the first one to get a hint of a smile.

To make a long story short, she has progressed to the point where we're seeing her personality shine. She's a quiet one, but she's a lot of fun, nonetheless. She tires of being held; she isn't used to it, after all. When we put her on the floor, she laughs and rolls and babbles. Today she cracked herself up squealing. It's amazing to see the changes that have taken place in just a few days.

On to the sights...

Today we went to the Buddhist temple in Guangzhou. I wanted to tour; our guides wanted the monks to bless. We weren't thrilled; apparently we were the only ones who weren't. While everyone else was taking in the blessing ritual, I was concentrating on the true God. To be honest, it turned into one of those moments when I felt especially close to Him, probably because I was so determined that Buddha wasn't going to win!

Our view from the White Swan just happens to take in the Pearl River. From our window, we can watch the divers go in for pearls. It's a neat experience, but how in the world those boys can go in that nasty river, we have no idea. We also watch the boats come and go. They have the boats that I remember being in our elementary school books, so that's kind of neat. The also have unbelievable river traffic. It's no safer on the river than it is on the road here!

Lots more to say, but I need to move on. Thanks to everyone for the prayers. The journey has been every bit as amazing as we had expected, and a lot of that is because of the people. For starters, Brian--Mr. I'm-Not-Emotional--has gotten me twice. First, as we were going into the Bureau of Civil Affairs to get Charissa, he said, "Now when we get her, don't start crying because you'll get her going." Well, if you know me, that's like asking the river not to run. When they handed her to us, I couldn't help myself. She looked at me and did just fine. BRIAN was the one who nearly fell apart. And yesterday, when he was lying there, watching her sleep, he asked me what took us so long to decide to do this.

See you later! We're waiting for Thursday!