She's Ours - Officially!

Today was the day we did the provincial paperwork and ceremony to legally adopt Ella. First we went to a office where the notary was. We were asked if we were willing to care for Ella, never abandon or abuse her, and give her the best education and medical care available.

Then it was back to the building where we originally received the babies for a round of similar questions, fingerprints and a million signatures. The orphanage director and nannies were there. We could really tell from their reactions to seeing the girls that they truly did care deeply for each of the babies. That was very comforting to me. The director asked us to email her pictures of the girls' new lives in America, which was more of a personal request than a requirement. It was fun watching how the nannies could get each of the girls giggling, whereas us parents have yet to figure those tricks out. A couple of the babies reacted strongly to the presence of the nannies, and cried terribly for them once they left the room. Ella did not seem to be affected by that - at least outwardly.

Back at the hotel later that afternoon, we finally heard Ella cry...and cry, and cry, and cry! She was chewing hard on her fingers, and feeling her gums we could tell that she has molars about to pop through (she already has 8 teeth).

However now I'm feeling like the teething crying has proliferated into grieving crying - grieving for the only life she's known until now, the only people she's been attached to, the only place she's lived. She's with strangers now, and she doesn't understand what's happening to her. The crying is just different than before. She cries when we try to console her, but stops if we leave her by herself. She turns her head from me when she's crying and I try to come closer. She prefers just to sleep all the time, which is probably easier for her than dealing with her emotions. It is heartbreaking to say the least, but a necessary process for her to go through before she can fully trust and bond to us. Let's just hope it's a short process rather than a long one!

Not too many pictures from today, but if you'd like to view some click on the More Pictures link at the top right of this page. Then click into the Day 6 - Tuesday folder.