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.

　

　

Re: Day 3 and 4

Day 3 - Climbing the Wall (Saturday 6/19)

Yesterday (Saturday in China) we began our day with our guide Catherine about 9:00 a.m. We traveled in Van for about 2 hours with a short break for a visit to a Jade factory/shop. Different types of Jade can be found throughout China. There were many Jade carvings that were very Intricate and some that had many layers carved inside a larger outer layer. Jade is a very popular gift for a child's first birthday as well as other special occasions such as marriage. During the rest of our ride Catherine taught us some words in Mandarin. We arrived at the Great Wall around 11:30 and stayed for a couple of hours. The scenery was quite spectacular with mountains all around us. The day was very hot and sunny. The steps going up were uneven with some being a foot or so high and others only a few inches. Most of the climb did have railings, at least on one side. Some sections of steps were fairly narrow and others wide. The stairs also wound around and did not just go straight up like a staircase. The three of us climbed up for a good solid hour but still did not come to a part of the wall that leveled out or started downwards. On the way up we passed 5 watchtowers. We stopped to rest a number of times during the journey on sections near the watchtowers or where there spots that had small sections of level ground. We were soaked with sweat a short distance into the climb. The climb downward was much easier overall, but a bit hard on the knees. Unfortunately the sky was very hazy (likely due to smog) so some of the views were not clear. Even so, it was still incredibly beautiful and an absolutely amazing experience! After our visit to the Great Wall we traveled a bit and stopped for lunch. The lunch was fabulous! While there were only five of us at the table there was probably enough food for ten! The food was served family style on a large lazy susan in the center of the table. They kept bringing more and more food to us until the lazy susan was completely full. We had the opportunity to try many different foods and the food was fabulous. Paul would say it is the best Chinese food he has ever had. After we finished eating we drove back toward Beijing and visited the Summer Palace, the place the Emperor would stay in the summertime. It was a beautiful area with a lake and many trees, along with the traditional Chinese buildings like those in the forbidden city. We also took a very short dragon boat ride across the lake. We were all very tired and therefore did not spend much time before returning to the hotel. Andrew wanted McDonald's to eat so Paul went across the street to pick it up for him, but by the time he returned Andrew had crashed for the night. He slept through till morning. He has been a great little trooper and is having a really good time!

 

Day 4 - Traveling to Nanning (Sunday 6/20)

Happy Fathers Day! Sunday morning we awoke and had breakfast with Jim & Teanne. We then finished packing up and met Catherine in the hotel lobby about 9:30. We checked out of the Beijing International Hotel and headed for the airport. Once again the airport was very efficient. It did not take long at all for us to check our luggage and get through security to our gates. Catherine is traveling with Jim & Teanne as there was not a good local guide available. They will meet their little girl, Maren, today! Our flight started boarding a little after 11:30. We waited in line for takeoff quite a while so we departed a bit late. It was about a three hour flight to Nanning. Once we arrived we just followed the crowds to get our luggage and then met our local guide Glen outside of baggage claim. He brought us to our hotel, the Marriot. On the way we discovered that Nanning is a city of 6 million people. It is huge with new construction going on everywhere. It is a very interesting combination of old with very new. There are many, many high rises everywhere along with construction equipment and cranes. Many new buildings are built using bamboo scaffolding. We were glad to find our room has two double beds (not always the case in China). The hotel is new and is very nice, upscale and modern. After unpacking we ventured out of our hotel to look for dinner. We were all very tired and crabby so we ended up venturing into Walmart. Yes there is a Walmart right around the corner from us. It is underground and has escalators that descend to it in several different locations. What an interesting experience. Despite the size of the city, it is obvious that most people have not seen westerners. Everyone looks at us but most do not respond if you say hello (Ni Hao). We purchased some water, bread, and a few packages of something similar to ramen noodles and headed back to the hotel. We ate dinner in our room and went to bed early. Monday afternoon Glen will meet us in the lobby and take us to meet Lia!