Written by Big Sister Anna Rauh, 9 years old

"She is soooo cute!" I whispered as I stroked my new baby sister Maria's soft arm.

We stepped off the last and final plane and I realized that we were in China. I waited until the city bus took us to our hotel, the Majesty, in Nanning, China. Nanning was the city where I was going to get my new baby sister, Maria.

It was Saint Patrick's Day and we were worn out. We were just settling in to our hotel room, talking and arranging our clothes in the dresser, when Lydia, our guide, came in to our room and said, "It's time to get your baby! Grab a bottle and a diaper and come out to the elevator lobby. Everyone in our group that is adopting a child will be there." When we got out to the elevator lobby right next to our rooms, there were 7 Chinese caretakers all lined up each holding 1 baby. The nanny that had Maria was crying when she handed her to Mamma. I was soooo exited!!!!!! I hugged Maria because she was so cute; in fact I wanted to eat her up! I finally had my baby sister!

Everyone in the group talked to each other excitedly before we went back to our rooms.

After that, I walked happily back to our hotel room with Mommy holding Maria and Daddy right beside me.

She was so cute in Mamma's arms with her hair sticking straight up as if there was a magnet on the ceiling and with her hot, soft arms hanging helplessly at her sides.

Boing! Boing! went the soft toy basketball that we had brought as I bounced it on the floor. Crinkle! Crinkle! went her beady butterfly as I waved it in front of her. Maria did not want to play. She was too tired to play.

I looked at her big, brown eyes and her funny looking hair. "She is soooo cute!" I whispered as I stroked my new baby sister Maria's arm. After Mamma gave Maria her milk, she put Maria in the hotel room bed and Maria fell asleep. I stepped over next to the bed and watched her. I knew she was MY baby sister. I felt so overwhelmed with joy that I could have just squeezed her until she popped!

This changed my life because now I have my very own, cute, little baby sister that I will love all my life.

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