What an intro to Skype!

Our agency contacted us at 3:30. The orphanage in Taiwan said they were going to have a translator available and they wanted to know if we'd like to Skype tonight with our daughter. As if it was even a question! More later!


UPDATE:
I can't put into words how awesome that felt! We got to speak to her (and a translator) for almost an entire hour. She is sweet and beautiful and everything I would hope for. She was excited to "meet" us and was very engaged. It was SO awesome to hear her voice and ask her questions. She referred to us as her "new mommy and daddy" and asked a lot about "my brothers." It was surreal actually. 


Our agency had prepped us (in the 2 seconds we had to prepare) that we shouldn't assume she knows a whole lot about us, or that we are to be her new family. We had to be careful not to insult the foster mom or overwhelm K with too much information. But man, she didn't hesitate to jump right in with family labels. She's obviously being prepped and that is something we pray for nearly every day. It was heartwarming to see. 


Her American name in school (something they commonly do) is Linda. She wrote out "Linda" several times, colored it, showed us a picture she'd drawn for us, and even sang a couple of songs. Part of me wished I could reach through the computer and hug her and explain that she didn't have to "perform" for us. But I know that she's being prompted on their end and she's just trying to engage us. It was sweet and it just melted me!


She told us she likes to talk (just my kinda girl!), that her favorite foods include hotdogs, french fries, broccoli, sausage, chicken, and rice. Her favorite color is pink, and her favorite toys are dolls and Barbie. I almost jumped for joy..I can SO do Barbie and dolls! We showed her the bedroom that we've prepared and she seemed to really like that. She then asked where she would sleep. Through more conversation we learned she sleeps alone in her own room now and I explained that she had her own room here. She said okay, and then asked if she could sleep with me instead. Um, YEAH!


I'm not even remembering it all, but it seemed to fly by and they called a little earlier than we anticipated so I didn't have a video set up. I'm bummed about that but it's why I want to note it here. I don't want to forget anything!


Andy in Louisiana was able to be part of the whole thing. I'm SO thankful for that too! As we signed off, she blew kisses, said she loved us, and asked how long it would be until we'll be there. Oh how I wanted to say "I'm headed there now!"


One last bit. She specifically asked to speak more to her brothers. The boys, funny beings that they think they are, proceeded to introduce her to "the guys." It's this (and forgive my undignified, motherly, girly response), but it's this stupid thing they do with their hands. It's almost like a puppet but their "guys" talk, do prat falls, shoot things, fly, make jokes, pass gas, etc... It's lovely. So the first conversation they have with her, they show her "the guys." The best part was that as they raised their little hands and started to show her "the guys" I heard Andy quietly say "oh no..." Lol. So funny!


What an amazing day. I'm so thankful for the technology that enabled us to spend time with her. Most importantly, it was tangible evidence of our prayers being answered. She's happy. She seems well taken care of. She knows about us. She's excited about the adoption, and is as ready as any 6 year old could be at this point. I pray about all of that constantly...I'm just elated at all of it and so thankful tonight.