THE FIRST DAY...

Well, if you are on Facebook, you know we now officially had our Gotcha Day with Joy. All went well. The foster mother and foster brother came with her. It was nice to meet, hug and thank them. Joy did cry & shut down but just for a few minutes, no sobs, just a few silent tears.

I told her I'd love her and care for her and she actually looked surprised and then relieved. Within 30 minutes she was 'mine'; happy, skipping & holding my hand. She didn't seem to mind at all that she has a new name and now answers to it & practiced writing it.

We have shopped, had McFlurries and shopped more. We had a little too much cultural immersion today. All alone we had to venture underground (literally!). The mall had astronomical prices on girls clothes, so we only bought her shoes there and then 'hunted' down a bargain at some underground maze of small booths. I did not take pics, I was already drawing enough attention. After an hour we emerged with only 2 pairs of capris. Most shops were for women. After shopping, we came back to the hotel to rest & clean up. Then we went inside the Bell Tower, to Starbucks and thru a Muslim market where we got fantastic bargains and bought fun stuff. We were exhausted and our legs hurt so dinner was at the hotel.

Joy speaks no English but will try a little. She's experiencing a whole new world and has tons of energy! She enjoyed her first bubble bath, her new clothes, M&M's and French fries.

She talks a lot and I have no idea what she's saying and then she giggles as me. She smiles nonstop. I think that's a wrap for today. Tomorrow is our legal adoption day.