Tonight I got to hear my son's voice. It wasn't much more than several repetitions of “Ni hao, Ba-ba! Hello!” followed by several repetitions of “Tsai chien! bye-bye!” and lots of giggling, but it sounded like music. Ben (aka, Guh-guh) got a chance to converse with his new little brother and, after a few minutes of mutual incomprehensibility, handed the phone back to me with a bemused look. Ben is going to have his hands full.

It was explained to Kari that Christopher might have a hard time accepting her, given that he had spent the previous years in a foster home as opposed to an orphanage. So, Kari steeled herself as Christopher entered the room where she was waiting. He was all smiles and giggles though, saying “Ni Hao, Ma-ma,” as he headed straight for the toys and started playing. He got really excited when Kari gave him a toy fire truck and car and he seemed to have no hesitation heading back to the hotel with her. There was a brief meltdown in the hotel just prior to bedtime, but it may have been the frustration of the language barrier more than anything else.

After the first night, Kari feels a little more sure of herself and Christopher sure sounds happy. While I talked to Kari, he kept interupting her with some kind of important news, something that involved truck sounds and beeping noises.

Kari has a long day ahead as she begins doing battle with the Chinese and American bureaucracies. She's up to it, though. She's tired from jet-lag, but happy. And the source of that happiness will be right there with her, for the rest of her life.