Six month Anniversary

Its six months since we travelled to China and met Isabella in Nanning. It was hubby's birthday and we were so looking forward to finally meeting our beautiful daughter who had been in our hearts since our first introduction meeting with our local authority in September 2005. We were surprisingly calm, and were seated in a room with a Dutch couple. Their baby was brought in first and was very quiet. Then we could hear Isabella screaming in the hallway as she was brought into the room. She was hot and tired, and scared, and was sobbing uncontrollably. The Nanny was reluctant to hand her over as she was so distressed, and when she did Isabella screamed more! And was thrashing about, trying to get back into her Nannies arms!. Hubby was happily chatting to the orphanage director and was oblivious!

The Dutch couple were filming their family day and by this stage were giving us the evil eye as I am sure that all they could probably hear in their video was Isabella's screams. But once we got outside, Isabella calmed down and soon as the van started driving back to the hotel she fell asleep in my arms.

Once back at the hotel she was fine. A little quiet, but not distressed and just curious about us and was watching everything. She clutched the little toy rabbit we had sent in her care package and seemed to get a lot of comfort from this. She drank a bottle of formula that I made her but what I think really won her over was when we took her to dinner in the hotel restaurant. She has a healthy appetite and loves her food, just like hubby and all my Chinese relatives. She sat on my lap and eat little bits ( but a lot of) steamed fish, rice, noodles, steamed egg, sea food, and vegetables! Followed by fruit! She easily fell asleep that night in my arms, and only cried for a little bit during her sleep.

The next day she just wanted to be in Ma Ma's arms, and we went back into Nanning later that morning to complete the paperwork to finally adopt our little girl. The orphanage director told us they were worried about her, as they had never done and adoption to the UK before and because she was so upset. But once all the paperwork was finalised, we took photographs and they said goodbye to Isabella and told her to be a good girl for her Ma Ma and Ba Ba. She cried a little as they said goodbye and then turned into me for a cuddle. And later that day we started to see our happy cheeky little girl! With her first giggles and smiles! And she showed us how well she could walk! And how quick she was!






On reflection the first couple of months were hard for all of us. For me because Isabella wouldn't leave my arms at all, and wouldn't let Ba Ba do anything! More than anything it was just physically tiring. But over time she has become more confident and the anxiety attachment has subsided and she is a very beautiful, happy, confident little girl who we are immensely proud of.

I think hubby found it hard to begin with as she didn't want anything to do with him, it was just Ma Ma she wanted. But 6 months later their relationship has bloomed and she really is such a Daddy's girl and loves him so much. They really have such a special relationship as only a girl can have with her father. And I am so pleased, as I had a very good relationship with my father and I think this makes all the difference to how secure and confident and how you deal with relationships in the future.

And Isabella. We took her away from everything she had known for 13 months and turned her life upside down, and she had to constantly deal with all the insecurities that this brought and constantly wondered if it was all going to be taken away and change again. But six months later she is now very happy and secure and has attached to both of us so well. Its also amazing how much she has grown up and changed in the last 6 months.

We have been truly blessed to have her in our lives, and cant believe its six months since we have been a family as it feels like she has always been part of us.