Just a quick initial entry before we head out to meet our son today!  We made it to Kunming!... without our luggage L. Due to a mechanical issue on our first leg we almost didn’t make it here at all.  We had three flights that had to go right in order to make it to Kunming by 11:35 pm on March 3 for our Gotcha day on Monday, March 4^th.  If we didn’t get here in time it could have thrown a HUGE wrench into our entire trip because each appointment could only be completed after the previous one. Gotcha days are apparently only scheduled on Mondays so if we missed ours it would mean at least another week before we could start the process again.  But, we did finally make it at least and I am so grateful for that.  We arrived with nothing but the clothes on our backs, but at least we are all here in time and that’s the main thing.  We met our guide Susan at the airport, who lives here in Kunming.  She was extremely friendly and helpful.  She got us checked into our hotel and then this morning took us to Walmart to buy some clothes to wear since we didn’t have any.  Theoretically our luggage is still on its way to China and it might arrive tomorrow (Tuesday).  We’re a little bummed because one of the suitcases had all our gifts that we brought to give to people throughout the process, but Susan said not to worry about it for now. 

So today is March 4^th, our “Gotcha Day”, where our guide Susan will pick us up at the hotel and take us to the Civil Affairs office to meet Bin for the first time and complete paperwork for his adoption.  We’ll get a chance to ask questions and learn more about him while we are there before we leave with him as an official family of four.  We are all super excited and a little nervous as we have been waiting for this day for about a year and four months.  Its surreal to finally be here in China and knowing that today is the big day.  We have a few clothes for him that we’re not sure will fit, and we have some toys and candy bars for him because he told us he loves chocolate.  I told him he gets that from his Nana Crow.  And his dad… and mom… and sister.  He’ll fit right in with this family.  I can’t imagine what must be going through his mind as he gets handed off to these funny looking people for all eternity. People who don’t look like him, and don’t speak like him.  People who really can’t understand a word he says and whom he won’t be able to understand either.  I find that prospect pretty terrifying as an adult, and I can’t imagine what it must be like for a six year old boy. We are heavily counting on our charades skills and a plethora of iPhone apps (which have already proved all but useless) to communicate with each other in the beginning.  Luckily, we are confident that everything will be fine based on seeing the process go well with so many other lucky families.  What we know for sure is that he will be loved to the moon and back, and that will take us all a long way as a family.  Here we go, wish us luck!