Hooray - they have Sophia!

Finally I have my first email from Shannan. I'm so excited. I am going to post it word for word.


Hi there and how are you? I am at an Internet Cafe paying by the minute so I have to be quickand the smoke is already burning my eyes. I want to be the first to wish you the best of luck on your first day on your new job!

We now have two beautiful girls. Sophia is amazing. I have no idea how to download pictures so I may have to do that at a later date. She is just precious and sweet with the most chubby cheeks on earth! Her Gotcha Day was yesterday, about 10:15 am. Although we didn't get a tour of the orphanage, it was amazing and they even have a brochure that shows all of it. I literally cried when I saw how beautiful the place is. So incredibly different than Hannah's orphanage. Like night and day. We found out in the bus ride to the hotel from the airport that the orphanage was going to provide us with three weeks of food. I was thrilled and relieved. They weren't kidding. When we got there, there was a box filled with low Phe rice, noodle flour (yes, I said noodle flour --- like I can mix, kneed and use a pasta maker in the hotel --- hilarious), about 6 cans of her low Phe formula, 3 cans of regular formula to mix and 6 packages metabolic formula. Seriously, it weighs about 50 pounds. We are going to have to get special permission on the plane from Beijin to Ghouzhou just for the weight issue.

Anyway....she only cried for a few minutes while we left the orphanage and on the bus, her eyes rolled back in her head and she slept the entire time while we drove to the Beijing equivalent of Wal Mart. Paul went inside with Hannah and our guide, Grace, to buy the extra luggage, a rice cooker, thermos, etc. We had to also get special permission from the hotel to have a rice cooker in the room. We have now turned the bathroom in to a kitchen.

Sophia and Hannah are getting along great. I sensed a little jealously this morning at the Civil Affairs office and having the picture taken for the"red book" and they wouldn't let her be in the picture. But she is fine and being a great "Big Sister"!!!!!! All three of my children are sleeping right now as I ran down to the smoke filled Internet Cafe.

Sophia slept the entire night. I couldn't believe it. She is such a great sleeper. But when she is up, she always wants to be held and her new "Dot" blanket, Hannah has named, won't leave her sight. Tomorrow we are going to see the Pandas at the Beijing Zoo and we are so excited. Since we are the only family, it is a little bit lonely but we can basically make our own itinerary.

I can't wait to be able to figure out how to download pictures and I will soon. I will get brave and have someone walk me through it.......I may have Grace come with me tomorrow after the zoo.

We miss you all. The diet is very challenging, especially when everything is in Chinese, all medical terms and our Grace, our guide is even having difficulty.

Love and hugs to all.
Shannan, Paul, Hannah and Sophia.