I have Jack!!!

As I write this, it is late Wednesday night, and Jack is fast asleep in his crib. We met yesterday at about 3 p.m., not at the Civil Affairs Bureau as planned but on the street in front of the building. As we drove towards the building, my guide, XiXi, saw his nanny walking down the street, holding him. She shouted, There's your baby! We parked, and as I got out of the minivan, there he was! We rode the elevator together to the 8th floor. I smiled like an idiot at him, and he solemnly looked back at me. No smiles (smiles came much later--a couple fleeting ones yesterday, but a ton of them at breakfast--he loves food!). We stepped off the elevator, and Jack and his nanny walked into a room off to the side to wait. I watched as she put him on the floor. He stood and turned, just watching me as I watched him. My first impression? He's sooooooo tiny! (At 18 months, he wears 6-9 months clothes). I signed several forms and had to write a paragraph as to why I wanted to adopt Jack (I felt like I was writing a final exam in law sschool...). A few minutes later, as I stood in the center of the room, Jack walked out to me, his nanny holding his hand. He was so serious--no change of expression, no tears, no smiles--just taking it all in. He let me pick him up--he's light as a feather. And that was it! There were only two other familes there, but in truth I don't remember much about them...! We walked out of the building, got back into the minivan, and drove back to the hotel. We stayed in our room last night and woke up a little after 6 am. I gave him a bath and only then noticed the red ink on his left foot. (Apparently, before our Gotcha moment, while I completed some of the adoption paperwork, he did, too, by putting his footprint in red ink on the adoption forms). We went down to breakfast, and I saw him really smile for the first time. He likes to eat! He had scambled egg, congee (which is sort of a rice paste), and yoghurt. Then, back to our room to wait for XiXi, our guide. She's been terrific! At 9:30 am, we drove back to the Civil Affairs Bureau to finalize the adoption. I met with a female official first, and then with a male (the notary). They both asked if I still wanted to adopt Jack and if I was happy with him, and they asked me if I promised never to abuse or to abandon him. And that was it! We drove to the Carrefour, which is a store similar to Wal-mart, and I bought bottled water, diapers, and a stroller, and then drove back to the hotel. XiXi left, and Jack and I walked around Shamian Island. He eventually nodded off and took a short nap. By the time we got back to the hotel, he'd woken up, so he played on the bed for a bit with the toys I brought until it was time for dinner. Jack and I met XiXi and another adoptive parent, James, and his new daughter, Mary, for dinner at a Chinese restaurant near the hotel. Then, back to our room and to bed!