Finally a family

Yesterday, 6/6 was adoption day. When we picked Mia up the day before, we signed a paper essentially agreeing to keep her for 24 hours. On adoption day, we would then be able to tell the Chinese officials we were satisfied that she was healthy and that we wanted her to be ours. In essence, they give you a day to change your mind. Yeah, right.

At 8:30 on the 6th, we drove back to the Civil Affairs Office, and we were fingerprinted with red ink for the official adoption paperwork. The woman holding Mia's hand for fingerprinting in the picture is one of Mia's caregivers from the orphanage. She was the one who gave Mia over to me the day before. Then, each family was called before the Registration Official and we were asked some of the same questions we had been asked many times before. How old are you? Do you have any other children? What is your combined income? Why do you want to adopt this baby? (at which point, there were many tears from me). Do you promise never to abandon or abuse her and promise to educate her?(more crying...). And then it was done. Our facilitator said, "ok you're finished, please move down the table to the notary". We signed our names in front of her on another document, and that was the end. Or rather, the beginning. Some words, some signatures, some red fingerprints and everything changed. And as for Mia, well, she slept through the whole thing. And snored.