Well, it is day two with our sweet little girl and "mama" is finally getting a chance to sit down and write.  Lizzie is absolutely amazing.  It has been a long 36 hours for her and she is handling things better than expected.  We were able to go to her orphanage to pick her up yesterday.  The orphanage was really bright, clean and seemed well organized.  There were nice flower pots in the court yard and fresh paint on the walls.  It encouraged me to know that the first few months of  her life were not as bleak as I had feared.  When the orphanage director handed Lizzie to me, she screamed with desperation.  She pretty much cried for the first hour and a half we had her.  Then she fell asleep and was clearly stressed most of her nap.  She kept opening her eyes during the nap but when she saw me she would close them and go back to sleep.  When she finally did get up, she attached herself to me and has decided that I need to be holding her most of the time.  She is very interested in her brothers and Daddy but would rather that I hold her while she gets to know them.   

She seems to be really healthy.  The hole in her palate is really large but somehow she manages to keep most of her food down.  The orphanage sent pictures of her before she had her surgery.  The gap in her lip had gotten really large and had affected her nose.  The surgery seems to have been done pretty well but her nose is crooked.  Apparently this can be fixed in the future.  She will end up having multiple surgeries it sounds like.  

Before we met her, I was worried about whether or not we had chosen the right name for her but we all agree that Lizzie suits her.  Her personality is still revealing itself but so far we would all describe her as spunky.  She has a twinkle in her eye and really seems to know what she wants.  She likes to be where the action is and hates hanging out in the hotel room.  She much prefers to be out in the hotel lobby or outside where there are lots of people.  

We are all head over heels in love with this little girl.  The boys have been great through this whole process.  They have been so patient with her as well as with all the waiting we have had to do to fill our paper work.  China is such a different world than they are used to.  The crowds, the traffic, the crazy driving, and the many different odors can be overwhelming for all of us, but the boys are taking it all in stride and enjoying the journey.  What a blessing.

God's peace has been with all of us through this time in China.  We feel so blessed to have this opportunity.  It has been really fascinating being in here.  China is really beautiful (at least the parts we've seen so far).  It is much greener than I expected it to be.  There are lots of trees, nicely landscaped parks and boulevards and fascinating architecture.  We hope to go to Beijing on Thursday and will see the great wall and the bird's nest, ice cube, etc.  Should be fun and we are going to take a train there that goes 300 kilometers an hour.

Can't wait to get home and introduce Lizzie to you all!