FOREVER FAMILY DAY!

FYI..started this post yesterday, but jet lag has made it tough to think coherently so just posting now:)

We have a new daughter!  While I would love to post a million pictures, our connection is so slow that I will just write for now and post more pictures soon.
We arrived very early because there wasn't much traffic, so we waited for almost an hour for the orphanage director to arrive.  We quickly learned during our wait that whatever the orphanage lacked in beauty, it made up for in spirit.  Every person we came in contact with was so warm and so in love with our daughter.  Even the accountant came in with tears to tell us that Feng Lin is such a good girl and so smart and to please be patient with her because she has never known what it is like to be in a family.  Our little girl has made a huge impact on a lot of lives.
When the director finally arrived, we followed her to her office on the second floor.  Just as we were entering her office, Feng Lin was being escorted down the long, hallway, hand-in-hand with one of her nannies.  Her nannie carried a grocery bag full of bananas, oranges, and sweets that she had purchased for Feng Lin.  She started to weep when saying goodbye to Feng Lin.  Then my tears started to flow.  I promised her that we would love and cherish her forever.  She left abruptly in tears.  Feng Lin just watched the entire scene, but without emotion. 
We quickly opened a bag of M&Ms and offered her one.  She took them from us easily. She was instructed to give me a hug and give baba a hand shake, which she did without emotion.  She had been telling her friends that she was "going home."  It was obvious that she had been prepared to come home with us.
We soon had a room full of people as we spent our first few minutes with Feng Lin.  The orphanage director, assistant director, Jennifer and the assistant teacher Rita, our guide, an older child from the orphanage (who is also being adopted soon by an American family), and the three of us.  Everyone was so kind and so complimentary of Feng Lin.
We received a tour of her classroom.  It was wonderful!  Bright and colorful and full of supplies for the children.  Jennifer gave us four huge folders of all of Feng Lin's classwork.  She has learned so much!  We are so grateful for the love and care that she has received.
After the tour and a group photo...

we headed outside to the van.  That moment will forever be etched in my memory.  We were all crying (except Feng Lin.)  At one point, Chris placed Feng Lin in the van and the director came up to her and said "One more hug," but Feng Lin shook her head no.  She was ready to go.  I placed Feng Lin on my lap and watched them all crying as we drove away.  It was absolutely heart-wrenching.  I promised them all repeatedly that we would forever love and care for Feng Lin and that we would send updates often.