I wish I could say she was pleased to be passed to me…but she was not.
Finally she is in my arms! But not happy about it.
Noah taking some pictures.
Daddy trying to sneak a peek.
Meeting Daddy!
Trying to find something to pacify her...
I believe this girl will be a gymnast, because she sure can arch…
And arch…
And arch…
Keep this poor child in your prayers. They told us she has a sweet disposition and is very smart, they emphasized smart a lot Eric said. From the time they handed her to me until 3.5 hours later she cried, screamed, arched, pushed way, and fought like a trooper. We had about a 10 minute reprieve where I was able to make her giggle a few times, until she remembered how angry she was. We also got a break when she guzzled down a bottle. But with renewed energy from the bottle she persisted even angrier than before until she passed out halfway on the bed and halfway in Eric’s arms. She is equally angry at Eric and I but shows some tolerance for Noah…of course he isn’t trying to wrestle or restrain her. Eric was able to meet with a nanny and the Asst. Director of the orphanage while I struggled with Hope in the lobby for like an hour. He asked all the Gotcha Day questions on my sheet and got great answers. He videoed the answers Praise to the Lord…because they aided us greatly in feeding her later. They say she is not on solids yet and has 4 bottles w/cereal in them each day and rice cereal spoon fed after the bottles. They report she sleeps through the night and takes an hour and half nap at 12. They had to wake her to bring her here. Found out that Ella and Hope were not together at the Love Manor. But when we showed Hope pictures of Ella in the car while she was screaming, it immediately silenced her and she intently concentrated on the photos. We get to meet with the director of the Qianjiang SWI tomorrow and will get to ask more questions of her and Michael thinks she will have more answers for us. We also will visit the orphanage on Wednesday and can do more investigating there as well.
Sitting quietly for about 10 minutes.
She chews her bottle on the left side of her mouth.
Half on the bed half in Daddy’s arms…one day that will be the place she feels the safest.
Look how her Daddy already adores her.
I have to thank two women for this picture…my Mom for making the fleece blanket and Julie for telling me that Hope may want the weight of a blanket on her to fall asleep. The moment I finally dropped this on her she stopped crying and fell asleep. Whew.
There are many things to say but honestly my arms are too tired and shaking too much to type much longer. We are glad to have our little girl, our son Noah is incredible and amazing, Eric is fetching us pizza, and we need A LOT of prayer. While we were prepared for an outcome such as this…man it is difficult in the midst of it. Blessings dear ones.
Wishing Ya'll Well and she will calm down for you. Just be patient. Love ya''ll guys.
ReplyDeleteI know this was a long day for you. Praying that Hope finds a little bit of comfort in you when she wakes up. Amazing how the blanket works. Funny enough, Ella no longer likes a blanket on her when she sleeps :)
ReplyDeletePrayers & hugs.
ReplyDelete(I was awake at 1 AM Central time, so I prayed for y'all. I only say this to let you know that even 13 hours away, ppl were praying beforehand. I awoke, also, for a split second about 3:30, so about 2 hours after you met Hope. Of course we will continue to pray.)
Sounds really similar to ours. Mamie's gotcha day pics look identical. The good news (and I pray this for you as well) is that she never cried that hard again after the first day. Just a little off and on each day- and each day less and less. Hang in there. Mamie knew you needed prayer so she very sweetly was up from 2:30-4:30 am screaming, just soni could pray and sympathize with you!
ReplyDeleteLike you said in an earlier post, adoption is a traumatic thing at any age. I'm just imaging what it's like to be Hope. They said she's a smart one, so she understands to some degree what's happening, but like I've been praying, may she deep within her soul trust that this is for her GOOD. Angie, it will drive anyone bonkers to hold an I-want-out, crying baby, so I am praying for God's supernatural peace and patience and love and JOY to be displayed to Hope through you right in the midst of it all. Lord, please calm Hope's precious, scared, and confused little spirit. Thank you, Jesus! Amen! She looks just like what I thought she would---absolutely adorable!!! I've been dreaming about y'all picking her up all through the night :-). I'm out-of-this-world happy for y'all!! You said it, this is the moment we've all been praying & waiting for :-).
ReplyDeletebeautiful!! Praying for y'all! Hannah was not happy with me initially either and could she scream! But the grief is good - the fact that she feels grief and expresses it is a healthy thing and will make her attachment to you that much stronger in the end. But definately praying for y'all while you're in the midst of it. Can't wait to meet her!
ReplyDeleteDeEtte
Highly recommend ear plugs! Thehe decrease in decibel levels helped me stay calmer so I could console Sofi more effectively. Have them ready for the plane ride too! We are praying for you all!
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited and have been here at my desk at work crying at these pictures. I know it is at the same time awesome and a little scary. She is so much more beautiful than I even imagined in the arms of you two. Please tell big brother congratulations.
ReplyDeleteLove to all of you- The Speigle Family
Oh, how i LOVED these pictures! I laughed out loud and cried tears of joy. What a noisy, traumatic day for all of you, but what a wonderful, miraculous, precious and holy thing to see. Bless her little heart, looks like she's a Williamson/Pierce gal to me, for sure!
ReplyDeleteShe's smart alright...and while that is working against her peace in the short term, I'm praying it will comfort and reassure her in the long run, as she figures out quickly what an amazing family has come to bring her to a safe, fun and loving home.
You guys are AMAZING! You're doing GREAT! I'm so proud of you. So excited for you. So happy to share in your happiness.
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Heavenly Father, I pray peace, peace, Holy Spirit peace over the Wiliamsons. I ask that you shore up their hearts with patience and tenacity to guard against any feelings of rejection and exhaustion, Send this family your assurance of hope, love and the future you've laid out before them.
Encourage them, sweet Jesus, as only you can. Whisper words of hope and strength. Grant them rest, deep and sure. Bless their bodies with miraculous restoration to face tomorrow and do whatever needs to be done, whether emotional, spiritual or physical.
We ask that you supernaturally reassure precious Hope and give her spiritual eyes and an open heart to take in the love that is pouring out from her new parents and brother. We come against all spirits of fear, confusion, any misperception that would taint this tender time of bonding. Grant that Hope's perceptions will guided only by your hand, only by your spirit. May each day become easier, may each struggle make them stronger, may they have spiritual discernment to grasp every opportunity, may every moment be taken in and "pondered in their hearts."
Oh how you love us, oh how you love precious Hope. Show yourself to be the God we know you are. We thank you for each miracle that brought Angie and Eric to this place in time, thousands of miles and a day away, to bring to pass a dream given years ago. Each step of the way you prove yourself FAITHFUL and TRUE.
And tomorrow, dear Lord.....we know you'll do it again. That's just who you are.
amen
Angie & Eric, your daughter is so beautiful. It is so amazingly wonderful to see her in your arms, even if right now that looks like screaming and arching. It is so obvious the love that each of you has for her. We are praying, praying, praying, and sending our love your way. My hope is that the Holy Spirit surrounds you with his love, grace, and peace even as he does the same for little Hope. Nate and I love you! Thank you for the updates, and Angie--Happy Mother's Day! :)
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