Welcome, Louis Anthony!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our handsome son, Louis! We met him yesterday afternoon at around 4 p.m. our time, and--just our luck--he was driving in from his province and was late. So we got to see our friends and fellow travelers greet their children before Louis finally, finally, finally arrived! He was tentative, quiet and not sure what to think of us. He didn't cry when we met and fell asleep in John's arms on the way home. But then he started crying in the room and cried and cried for what seemed like forever and was really only 1 1/2 hours. He had just left his foster family that morning, and then drove four hours to meet us, so he was tired and sad. It was heartbreaking to watch him grieve, but he wanted us to hold him, which was great, and he ate lots of Cheerios and finally fell asleep on top of me. We rolled him onto the bed and he slept all night. When he woke up this morning, he was a little sad, but we decided to take him to breakfast. Over some noodles and watermelon and steamed bun, Louis became a happy little boy! We had a wonderful time playing with napkins at the table. He loves imitating his daddy (baba for now), and he loves eating--especially noodles. We had been told to buy apple juice for him, but he decided this morning that he prefers mango juice--whatever works is fine for us!

Today we went back to the adoption affairs office where Louis officially became our son! He stamped his hand and we stamped our fingers, and we had a family photo taken. We met the vice director of the orphanage which arranged his foster care, and we found out that his foster mother took him to the supermarket every day and he followed her around. So it wasn't surprising when we went to Walmart on our way back to the hotel and Louis was totally in his element! He flirts with the customers and has a marvelous time. He was pointing at items on the shelves and saying something (we were thrilled the first time we heard him talk, and he has the sweetest little voice). John asked our guide what he was saying, and he was saying, "That one, that one." John says he is already brand conscious. ;)

This afternoon we visited the hotel playroom for adoptive children, and Louis had a blast. He went down the slide a million times and then a few more. He loves other children, and our only challenge has been that he doesn't understand the difference between throwing a ball and throwing the fabulous musical school bus toy his foster mother sent with him. She also gave us an album of photos of Louis growing up, and the album we had sent him--all dirty and tattered (hooray!)--and a diaper and some of the formula he drinks every evening--or, I should say, every evening but last night because he did not want the bottle. So I have no idea how much longer he'll be drinking that.

The school bus toy Louis got today has been a real hit. He plays with it for hours on end, and loves it. When he started throwing it, we decided to make the trip to the playroom where he had a great time.

Now we are finished with paperwork in Changsha and we will wait until Friday to leave for Guangzhou. I think we're waiting for Lou's Chinese passport. We have been calling him JunJun, since that is what his foster family called him, but now that he is adjusting so well--and he is amazingly comfortable with us--we are starting to call him Louis Jun. Then we'll drop the Jun. One of the adoptive dads asked him in Chinese what his name was, and he said, "Jun." He seems very adaptable, and we think it will be a fairly smooth transition. He is amazingly good with his hands, very detail-oriented, and he is just beautiful. When he smiles (often a mischievous smile!) his whole face changes!

There is so much more to tell, but I am hogging one of our friend's computers. I am hoping there will be photos on Shutterfly. Treasa can give you the address if you don't know it. I am having trouble posting the 5 million shots we have taken. Louis loves looking at the back of the digital camera, but he also loves pressing the small buttons, so we are limiting that somewhat. Right now (5:45 p.m. here) he is napping with John on our bed. He didn't want to go down earlier, but he was giddy with happy drunken tiredness as he went down the slide with these other children, and finally I scooped him up and took him back to the room. I was afraid he would get hurt. He wasn't happy, but he was asleep 15 minutes later, and I escaped to the Internet!

We are bursting with pride and thrilled to have Louis in our lives. He is a perfect fit for our family with his sense of humor and the right blend of loving people and being able to focus quietly on something in our hotel room. Oh, and we got a bath in and I interpreted his signals correctly this morning and got him to the potty in time for a No. 1, so I am quite pleased with me and with him and with how everything is going.

So sorry for the rambling, but there is so much to tell. I'll share more later!