News from C in Taiwan

Had a wonderful talk with C this morning, who is currently in Taipei. He took the train out to Taichung yesterday to meet Hsiu-Wen, and was full of news of her. First, she is adorable. She was a little scared of him, and didn't really warm to him until almost the end of the visit. She did fall asleep in his arms twice, but woke up and started crying, finding herself with someone she didn't recognize. But he was able to play with her and enjoy her lively personality. Hopefully when we return to pick her up he won't be so scary (although I will be...).

C was impressed by how much the social worker (in the photo) who helped him with Hsiu-Wen knew about her and how well the social worker interacted with her. The social worker (whose name he didn't catch) said she thinks Hsiu-Wen is a very intelligent little girl. Apparently she is very interactive - really enjoys being talked to and played with. However, unlike kids who will play with one toy endlessly, she does get bored fairly quickly. And she sleeps less than many other babies that the agency works with. I think she'll be a handful for us! I'll have to bring a big bag of toys for our plane trip home to keep her amused. Also, the social worker thought that sending a CD recording with our voices would be very helpful. It's something we've been meaning to do, but time to actually do it.

It is wonderful knowing a little bit more about our (hopefully) daughter. And to be prepared for the initial shock that she is going to go through when we pick her up. C says she has a good set of lungs! The agency told C to expect to come pick her up in about two months. Apparently the homestudy of the birth mother has been completed, so we are waiting on the judge to finish reviewing things.

The timing is going to be tight! C will be completely unavailable until May 25th, so a date with AIT before May 29th would have me picking up Hsiu-Wen on my own. So unlike most people, we're not hoping for a very fast court process, just not a slow one! Still, April is zooming by and we've barely begun putting her room together or gathering the basics like a car seat. Obviously it is time to start moving a little faster.