Day 5 & 6

Day 5 - Lia Day (Monday 6/21)

The day started off with a great breakfast buffet. The buffet includes many breads and pastries, probably six different choices of juices, an array of fruits and both western and Chinese breakfast options. It is nice to have the familiarity of breakfast foods from home. After breakfast Paul and Andrew went swimming. The hotel has a very nice pool that is at least 25 meters (according to Paul). The water is safe and clean. It was great for Andrew to be able to play and swim to get out some of his little boy energy. The rest of the afternoon we just spent some time in the hotel room getting paperwork organized and resting (as much as possible). We were worried and anxious about the day and not knowing what the meeting would be like. When we talked with Andrew about the day, he said he couldn't wait to meet Lia and play with her. He was also excited about the "big brother" shirt we got for him to wear. We met Glen in the hotel lobby and headed to the Civil Affairs Bureau rooms at the Guangxi Lottery Hotel. Our guide told us there were about 10 families in Nanning receiving their children this week. When we arrived and walked out the elevator, Lia was there walking with her orphanage Nanny. She was wearing a little red, white, & blue outfit. I knew it was her and had said so to Paul just as the guide told us it was her. We walked to a room, passing many families that had already received their child. There was much crying going on. When the nannies (two were there, the head nanny and another who handles the paperwork) tried to hand Lia to me, she began crying her little heart out and clinging to the chief nanny with her legs. It was just heartbreaking knowing what she was going through. I can only imagine how frightened she must have been. We waited a while and the nannies talked with her to try to calm her down. They pulled out the photo book we had sent to the foster family and tried to show her the pictures. We don't know if the foster family received it in advance of us coming or not but we were pleased to see that they did have the photos. It was all very emotional and there were lots of tears from both of us. We could tell the nannies cared very much for her and, in particular, the head nanny had a special relationship with her. The nannies stayed for maybe 15 minutes and asked if we were ready to take her. I took her and she just cried and cried. Later we found out that she was calling for her foster Mother (da yi). I know that she was very loved and she was well cared for. She cried until we returned to the hotel and finally she fell asleep. Paul completed paperwork with our guide and then I gave Lia to him. She slept for a good 2 hours. We were so concerned about how she would react when she awoke. Amazingly, she did not cry. She just took everything in. We gave her a sippy cup with water and a container of cheerios. She liked the cheerios and was able to drink from the sippy pretty well. Andrew started throwing a beach ball with me and she intently watched and even smiled. Andrew and I went out to get some take out for dinner and when we returned she was on the floor playing stacking cups with Daddy on the floor. Andrew played with her as well, putting cups on his head and she would copy. She refused to interact with me, but was great with Paul and with Andrew. She was very close to her foster Mom so I expect it will take some time for her to accept me. It has been wonderful for Paul.

　

Day 6 - Official Adoption Day (Tuesday 6/22)

Today at breakfast we met two other adopting families. One was a family that I had connected with online. They have two biological children ages 10 and 7 and adopted a little girl around 4 years old. We also met a Mother and son, Vicky and Ben who had traveled together. Her husband was unable to travel. They adopted a little girl who had just turned 2 and they have three other children at home. It was nice to connect with the other families. After breakfast we met our guide and traveled to have our documents notarized and then to complete the adoption procedure. We had the opportunity to meet again with the nannies and ask questions about Lia. Lia has on a jade necklace which is a traditional first birthday gift. We found out it was given to her by her foster Mother. This will always be special to her. We also found out that we will be able to get a photo of her foster family and that we can correspond with them through the orphanage. Additionally, her foster care was sponsored by a US based organization called Grace and Hope. One funny thing that we learned is that she likes to watch Tom & Jerry! We were concerned about Lia seeing the nannies again and how she might react. Lia immediately started playing with the head nanny and was very glad to see her. They gave her a gift of a beautiful seashell with some Chinese words engraved. I believe it may be her name along with some other words, but I will find out for certain what it says tomorrow. We then finished the paperwork with the orphanage director, put her footprint on in red ink and the adoption was official! Lia did cry when Paul picked her up for the footprint but although she wanted to go to the nanny again and she did cry, it was not as bad as yesterday and she fell asleep very soon after. This afternoon while Lia napped (and I did a bit too), Paul and Andrew went to the pool. Later in the day we took a short walk, Lia likes to be outside, and then went to dinner with Vicky, her son & daughter and their guide David. Now everyone else is sleeping and I am going to attempt to get the last few days posted.