Monday in Changsha – Fisrt sight of Penelope

Breakfast was EXTENSIVE, what a buffet! It was wonderful to have an omelet and loads of fresh fruit. We spent the morning getting unpacked and getting ready to pick up Penelope. Violet did lots of catching up on her homework with Pa and Grams. Vicky arrived at 2pm to take us to the grocery store so we could pick up some rice cereal, snacks and drinks for our hotel room and coffee for Grandma. At 3 pm we were at the Civil Affairs office, a non-descript building down a tiny dead-end street. We took the elevator up to the 3rd floor and waited in a large a non-descript waiting room. If the sign outside the elevator doors hasn’t read “Hunan Adoption Administration & Service Center” I would have thought we were in any office or apartment building. Vicky said they were running late so we waited and waited. Violet had a great time playing “car and errands.” Violet would choose a bench for a car and she would ask Pa or Grams (whoever was in the car with her) where they needed to go and what they needed to get. She would drive them there, ask what they needed her to go get, then get out go get it, put it on the shelf of the coffee table in front of the bench (the trunk) and they were off. 45 minutes of entertainment, that’s our Violet. Every car door outside the window that we heard open or close we would run over to the window to see if they had arrived. Even with all the adrenaline, worry, concern, anticipation, and excitement pumping, when we saw that first glimpse of Penelope, I still didn’t have the camera ready to go and missed getting a photo of her being carried into the building. Knowing Penelope was on her way up was so cute we all acted like we had received a ‘call-to-arms’. We all banded together; quickly standing up straight, smoothing our shirts, holding hands with each other in a line to present ourselves as a loving family for her first impression of us. At 3:45 pm they stepped off the elevator and I don’t think there was a dry eye among us family women. I don’t know if it was less-hard than the last time because I was expecting so much worse than Violet or if like all children they change it up to show you they are their own person and keep you guessing. Penelope cried, but it didn’t seem as long, it will be interesting to go thru the photos and look at the time stamps to see how long it was in reality. Violet seemed to cry her heart out and then with exhaustion fell into a tired shock and that was the last cry we heard, the wariness was certainly still there, and her furrowed brow came out regularly those first days we had her. Penelope cried and cried but got used to me and settled down, when Grandma came and rubbed her hand she’d cry, later the second time Grandma came and rubbed her cheek it was a smaller cry with leaning away but the third sooth of her head she received a look that said “I guess you aren’t going away.” I think this little girl will have to get used to each person. Only time will tell. We stopped at Pizza Hut and grabbed two funky and fun pizzas and went back to the hotel to have pizza and beer. Violet loved wearing the matching pajamas with Penelope. Since right after the first bout of crying at the Civil Affairs office, Penelope tracks Violet with her eyes, everything Violet does and everyplace she goes, as Violet zooms around Penelope whips her head around to track her and watch Violet. I think having Violet will be a huge help in Penelope adjusting to our family. Well anyone that read Violets blog is probably wondering about the $64,000 question… did Penelope have to wear her shoes to bed? Nope, she doesn’t like change so anytime you take any clothes on or off or even just shoes on or off she whines but stops as soon as you finish and seems content with the new change so she wore the matching pajamas without shoes. She seemed so content (or in shock) that we put her in the crib and she went right to sleep. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.