Tuesday, October 8, 2002 was our big day, when we finally received the two children for whose arrival we had been preparing for so long. After over 3 years of waiting, everything happened blindingly fast: At about 10 AM we first laid eyes on the twins; at about noon the whole thing was finalized and they were our twins.
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| At the Civil Affairs Office in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui province. The lady in purple was the children's caregiver, and it was obviously very hard for her to leave them. |
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| At the Childrens' Welfare Institute in Chuzhou with the Director of the Institute. We were very fortunate to be invited to visit the place where our children were cared for during their first 20 months. We were impressed, as it was clear everyone there is doing the very best they can with the resources available. When our two girls were later given developmental testing back in the U.S., they showed virtually no delays. This is remarkable for children raised in any institution, and it is a tribute to the efforts of the the staff there. |
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| The kids are astoundingly robust and adaptable. We got smiles from them on the very first day. |