Monday, January 23, 2012

SO Blessed!

Since we've started our skype relationship with AA's foster family we hadn't met foster daddy (Baba) and foster grandmother (Nai Nai)...until yesterday!  Baba (David) meets Baba (foster daddy)!!!  Standing in the background watching that unfold was WILD.  I had this presupposition of Baba's personality based on one photograph we have of him- serious and stern.  That's not at all what he was like on this skype call.  He couldn't have been more warm and excited to see AA and meet all of us.  He was beaming...so precious!  He was taking pictures of us on the screen with his phone just like we were taking pictures of them. Funny to think that they were probably showing the neighbors our pictures!  I know I keep saying this in previous post, but I'm just so stinkin' thankful for technology and for the prompt I had on Gotcha Day to ask for an email address. 
Then we get to see foster brother again.  Isn't he so cute?  He and AA just grinned and grinned at each other! He was a bit more outgoing this time, and they said, "ni hao" (hello) to each other.  It's really the first time I've heard her respond to someone in chinese.  Our translator program was NOT working on our end.  It just about killed me!  They could read the messages I typed to them, but we couldn't read a thing they were messaging to us.  uggh!!!!  we must get that figured out, because it's just unreal to be able to "talk" to them.
Ask and you shall receive!  I asked if we could see Nai Nai (grandmother).  Well, about 3 minutes later she appeared!   This beautiful woman in the center of this picture is Nai Nai.  When we first received AA would yell out "Nai Nai" at night time, and I didn't know what she wanted.  When our translator told us what it meant it just made feel relieved.  Relieved that this woman obviously gave her comfort...thank you, Nai Nai.  Oh, how comforted I was when I realized what "Nai Nai" meant while in China!  
Pretty surreal that we now have a picture of foster mama, baba, nai nai, mei mei (little sister Audrey An), and two jie jie's (big sister Abigail and foster sister) all on one screen!  If you haven't figured out by now, our family talks about China, foster family, birth family, orphanage- what we do know and what we don't know about all the above.  This is such a wonderful advantage of adopting an older child.  We have SOMETHING of her past plus she's willing to talk to us about it all.  WOW...we are so grateful!   It's so special to be able to have a connection to this family.  We've always said she was very well loved and taken cared of while in China because AA is so loving.  Her foster family is so kind and so anxious to see/talk with all of us.  

We had such fun showing each pictures via skype.  This picture of the three of was one we sent THEM in a care package to AA pre-adoption.  They were showing us that they have still have the photo book I made for them (I made one for AA and I made one for the foster family to keep).  They printed off the pictures I've emailed to them.  The other cool thing was about this call was they were able to skype form their home this time.  They've always had to call from an internet cafe, but not this time so we got to see her actual bedroom and the family dog!  I just about lost it with excitement!!!!  She was so excited about it all, too.  Again, SO blessed to have this connection and be able to email/skype when we want.  It's so interesting that the past few times AA has told me she misses her foster family and has that longing to see them we'll get an email from her foster sister wanting to skype!

"This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us REJOICE and be glad in it!"

2 comments:

The Hands said...

This is so sweet! I have an idea, if you want to try it. We can three-way skype and Scott and I could try to translate so you guys can really talk instead of type! tell me what you think :-)

Christa said...

OOOH, that would be fantastic! I'm a bit techno-challenged. I guess you can skype 3-way with video feed? When I've tried that with family it will only work audio. Either way would FAB! THX for offering ;)