Bonding

There have been some recent situations I've been following of families in China having a rough first few days. We were very fortunate with Elizabeth in that she was rather stoic initially and really never even cried for a few days. I realize that isn't necessarily a good thing, but in her case she ended up bonding with us quite quickly and well. She did, though bond with Chris first. I was very aware that that was not only a possibility but fairly likely. Chris has dark hair, I have blonde naturally curly hair. Chances are, she had never seen anyone who looked even remotely like me therefore nothing about me was familiar to her. She did look at us the first time with a bit of recognition on her face. Perhaps she was shown the picture album we sent. What I have done and what I feel is imperative is to prepare for total rejection. Isabella has been with a foster family since January 2009 and most likely she will grieve and grieve hard! We need to not take it personally when it does happen and try to see it from her point of view. She is a 20 month old girl who will be ripped from everything that she has ever known - sights, smells, sounds - and we have to understand that. We also need to keep in mind that it won't last forever. A few prayers for a good transition wouldn't hurt either!