Gotcha Day details!

Our lil man is fast asleep in the middle of our king sized bed. No tears. An absolute angel. I can't wait to climb in next to him!! We are all exhausted and going on adrenaline. Hoping for a good first night's rest. 

Gotcha Day: Benjamin understood what was happening at the orphanage and was terrified. He cried and his little heart was beating so fast. He tried running out of the room once and I finally had to pick him up! 

At his orphanage, caregivers are not allowed in the meeting room. As we were leaving the orphanage I was holding him.  Ben had calmed down and suddenly looked up to an upstairs balcony...where hiding behind a few large pillars were about 4-5 of his caregivers secretly watching his goodbye. I lost it and really began to cry. It was soooo sweet. Benjamin waved, blew them kisses and then gave them a big thumb's up. Seriously, does it get any better than that? I will NEVER forget that moment. It melted my heart.

We believe Benjamin was very well cared for and loved. He knows affection, kisses and obviously felt very well loved by the caregivers. He grieved some...and is still very uncertain about what is happening...but he's going with it!

We're sure there will be more grieving, and there should be. It's the only life he's ever know. We took a lot of photos and video for him to remember. But honestly, this day could not have gone any smoother. Every second with him is pure joy. He smiles and rubs his nose on mine and loves to give wet kisses. He is such a miracle....and a handsome one at that!!! 

With every ounce of my being I knew he was a Schultz the first time I saw him....and he couldn't be more perfect for our family. He's bigger in person than I thought and very solid and strong. He doesn't like messes or things out of order (just like his Mama!).

I'm always hesitant when I read comments like these on blogs....seriously, no child bonds or attaches that quickly. But honestly, he did. He may not tomorrow or in 2 weeks or 3 months...but today, he was trustful and perfect in every way. Charming, playful, funny, affectionate, loving. We are so in awe and in love with our little man. He continues to amaze us every second we're with him! 

We left the orphanage and our guide asked Xigang if he was hungry. He responded, "yes, very much". We grabbed a banana from the lounge and headed to our room to order room service. The guide suggested fried rice (with shrimp - his favorite). This kid can eat!!! He at the entire banana in 3 bites and loved the fried rice. We're teaching him sign language and English and he's caught on very quickly.

We also think he's a genius!!! He mimics us, laughs at our corniness and plays along with all our games. He loosened up a LOT after bath when we were playing on the bed. Every time the cell phone toy would ring, he would belly laugh and answer, "Ni hao, Xigang" and then make a funny "uh-oh" face. We did this for an hour!! It was hysterical. We were all laughing so hard and enjoying this wonderfully precious child. 

We then met our guide, Shirley, to take us to the bank and exchange our US $ for the orphanage payment. We then proceeded to get our photo taken for tomorrow Civil Affairs appointment (where Benjamin officially becomes ours!!!). Benjamin was reaching out to hold my hand and would wait for me as we walked.

Benjamin also adores Sam and vice verse. They are going to be best buds....if Sam ever wakes up from the jet lag!

We walked to our appointments and it's HOT...and he's VERY heavy!! Our guide said, "Wow, he's thick"...LOL! He does great taking it all in...just becomes very quiet. He's still guarded with us...and sometimes a little unsure but his attachment to us is where I'd hoped he be by the end of our trip! - not day 1. We are so relieved.

We came back to the hotel because Sam is having difficulty with jet lag. He went to nap at 4 p.m. and it's 12:30 a.m. and he hasn't woken up. We're meeting our guide tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. so I'm thinking he'll sleep thru the night. Benjamin and I played for a little bit and we both fell asleep - and then Greg slept on the inflatable mattress. Finally, around 10:30 p.m. I woke up to skype the kiddos and our families.

We woke up Benjamin and he did great!!! The kids only saw him asleep but he was awake for our parents. LOVE skype!!!

Benjamin is amazing...honestly. His spirit and spunk and sweet personality are so charming. He's such a joy and a blessing. We could not have wished for a more perfect child. We love him so much and we think he kinda likes us too. 

By the way, we LOVE Beijing!!!! It's so fun, alive and upbeat. Our hotel is in a wonderful area and we look forward to getting a stroller and wandering the Wangfujing area near our hotel. The people have been very nice...driving is a little crazy but it's all so interesting.

Gotta run, I'm extremely tired and up early for a busy day. Please remember to view our photos on the upper right link - China Pictures!. I believe Greg posted about 80 pictures from today!! You'll definitely get the feel for how things went!

Thanks for all your comments! We love reading each and every one and they're so comforting when we're so far from home!!