Lena's story

As you have read from Kim's post today was the visit to the Orphanage. Our greatest fear in this whole process is that Lena was never loved. As we have been finding out she has been loved her whole life. Today we saw the spot where Lena was dropped off by her biological parent(s). For us this is a hard pill to swallow. In China it is illegal to abandon or give up your baby, so you basically have to find a place where someone can find them. If babies are found in a public place, the kind citizen who takes them to an orphanage is not allowed to get reimbursed for there efforts.  The area around the Orphanage is a busy village rich with farmers and and street vendors. She was dropped off 15 meters from the Orphanage secured front gate. Her biological parents wanted her to not only be found but to have a better life. We are also lucky that she had a note when she was abandoned. It was a simple note that was written on "lucky" red paper that had her actual birth date written in the lunar calendar (which many farmers use), and her given name. Being dropped off at the foot of one of the biggest orphanages in China is a good thing. She had food, good sleeping, and most importantly love. From about age three to four she was in a foster home. We have found out that her foster parents loved her so much that they wanted to adopt her for themselves. They are an older couple in their 50's. From the little we know they didn't adopt because of pressure from other their relatives.
About a month before we traveled to China Lena was put back in the orphanage as is customary. Today we didn't know what to expect. Our guide told Lena where we were going and she instantly got tense. Lena expressed that she wanted to stay with us and our guide confirmed that she was our daughter. When Lena gets worried Kim rocks her back and forth and repeats Ba Ba, Jun Jun, and Ma Ma. I think this has helped her  to feel part of our family faster.
Today was a great day. Lena got to say last good bye's to everyone she knows and she went running out to live with her forever family.
-Todd-