It's official... she is ours!

Hooray! Yesterday we finalized Wendy's adoption on the China side. We went back to the Civil Affairs office, had our picture taken and then participated in two short interviews with Chinese officials (a registrar and a notary). They asked us why we wanted to adopt from China, whether we were "satisfied" with Wendy and what our initial impressions of her are. Then, we had to promise never to abandon her.  Finally, we gave each of them a customary gift and thank you note. That was it... she is now officially our daughter!

Reality has sunk in for Maddie that she has to share us and that she isn't getting all of the attention now. This is to be expected, and she is needing lots of reassurances that we still love her. She sways between thinking "Wendy is the cutest sister ever" to "She is ruining my life." These feelings are just part of the transition, and I'm glad she is here with us to work through all of these feelings together. Overall, she has been a great sport and very helpful... carrying the diaper bag, helping getting Wendy  dressed, and playing with her in a way only a big sister can. So far, Wendy's only smiles and laughs have been because of something funny Maddie has done to entertain her. It was very cute watching the two of them play ball together in the pool. We have no idea whether Wendy has actually been in a pool before, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Wendy is starting to become a little more assertive with us. We are hearing more sounds from her and seeing more tears, which is actually a really good thing because it means she is beginning to trust that we will meet her needs. She really loves to cuddle with me and with Maddie, but she is more hesitant with Bill. This is fairly typical, too, because it is likely she hasn't spent much time with men. Bill gave her a bottle last night before bed, and that seemed to help. We think she may be grieving the loss of her foster mom, whom she just left two weeks ago after spending most of her life with her. Again, this is difficult, but a blessing because it means she is capable of bonding with us, too. We are taking baby steps and giving her what she needs right now--lots of reassuring words and cuddles. She cannot understand exactly what we are saying, but she can feel the love through our soft tones.