Eisley's Birth City, Zhengzhou

Today we arrived in Eisley's birth city, Zhengzhou in the province of Henan in the Eastern part of China. It is a prettier city than Beijing as far as I can tell. There are lots of motorcycles that drive really crazy in all directions on the street, big buildings and lots of trees. We exchanged our money, which was quite a process because they truly look at every single bill and check it twice before exchanging it. I am glad we brought new bills! Every room in the hotel has a very convenient gas mask, which I'm sure will come in handy for ??????????? I also was able to eat the world's longest noodle tonight!!!! It seemed much safer than the first menu items we had in front of us for dinner, which consisted of raw gelatinous jelly type meat, what looked like full raw duckling soup (beak, eyes and all) and some sort of fried worm looking things, and talons of some sort from some sort of animal, oh and big huge pigs feet on a plate. We looked at it for a minute and then politely left, none of us could quite stomach that!!!! I was doing great emotionally, until about 3 minutes into the flight when I realized I'd lost my phone. Now, the phone is not a really important object here in China. I've used it to text a few times and call once, but still, it is a serious comfort to me and a link to home! I really kind of freaked out and was worried someone in Beijing was wandering around with my family pictures and all my contact information and calendar items and notes, and I really didn't like that thought at all. Becky had Jon turn off my service and about 2 minutes later we found it under the seat in front of us. Then I was an emotional wreck pretty much the rest of the day, I cried because we found the phone, I cried when I got the first view of my babies city, I cried when people mentioned anything spiritual about adoption and I cried when I thought of my babies at home and how as of tomorrow their lives and mine and Jon's will change, for the better, forever. I am keeping a journal while I'm here for Eisley to read when she gets a little older. It is in the form of a letter and I am telling her my thoughts and feelings of the things we are experiencing here. I hope someday she can come back and see her birth country, and learn first hand where she came from. It is an amazing place, it's own little world really.
We didn't get to go to church today but one of the families in our group is a Baptist Pastor. He gave us a little sermon tonight about how we are all adopted into Christ's family and how that relates to our own personal adoptions we will be experiencing tomorrow. It was very good, and I know this whole journey I've been on has been led by my Heavenly Father. Tomorrow I will hold her in my arms for the first time on this earth. I feel like it will be a reunion of sorts, I think we promised each other before we both came to this world that we'd find each other. I am hoping and praying that our spirits will recognize each other and that it will be a wonderful reunion!!! As with all the days my babies came into my life, I am nervous, I am scared for the unknown, my heart is pounding, my head is spinning and I just want it over and done with so I can hold my child and look into her eyes and tell them who they are and where they came from. There is such sweet relief to have the hard part "over" and while I know this new journey is just beginning, I am relieved that this part of it, is almost over. For twelve years I've dreamt of, planned for, thought about, prayed for, tried to imagine and then tried to accept, and it is now coming true tomorrow. Tomorrow I get my sweet third girl. Tomorrow I will be a mommy of 7 beautiful children. Tomorrow is a new beginning.