Today we traveled about an hour from our hotel to Q's orphanage.
She's not much of a fan of car rides...hope the same isn't true for airplane
rides or we're all going to have a fun ride home! ;-)
We got to the orphanage and it's in a rural part of the outer city of Zhengzhou.
It's a pretty large facility. Very quiet. We were taken to a room where she
spent the first couple of months of life as well as the last week prior to us
arriving in China. She clung to me the entire time. When the nannies tried
to talk to her or touch her or have her come to them, she would turn her head
away.
I was nervous about bringing her back so soon after her leaving there, but everything worked out. We then drove to Q's "finding place". The area had apartment buildings but now it is being cleared to build an industrial factory. This made it a little difficult to get the "feel" of the area, but it's probably for the best.
We have tried to give you the brighter side of our trip when posting photos. The pics we took today don't leave us with the same feeling, so we will pass on that for now (sorry). Words can't describe what we experienced today, but both of us left with great sadness at the situation and conditions that exist at the orphanage. However, we are more certain than ever as to why God has called us to adopt. We are greatful for His blessing of Q in our lives. Our prayer is that He will continue to bless us so we can give her a life she would never have had growing up in the orphanage.
Tomorrow is our last day in Zhengzhou. We leave the hotel at 3pm for a 6pm flight to Guangzhou in southern China. The flight is about 3 hours and by the time we get the luggage then to the hotel, it will be late. Needless to say, there will probably be no post tomorrow, but fear not, we will resume this weekend. Our time here has gone quickly and the process has been smooth, thanks to our social worker, Rita - She's the best! :-) We will miss her, but we look forward to the second half of our time here in China. Stay tuned and God Bless!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Birthday Girl
Today our sweet little peanut turned 2. We were able to celebrate her
special day with our travel group and their newest additions to their
families. We ordered a cake from a local bakery and the hotel also
brought Q a special birthday cake and very nice card. She really didn't
seem to understand what was going on, but our travel guide told Q to
blow out the candles and she tried but the poor little thing didn't have
much in her. :-)
She loves cake. She'll fit right in with the rest of our family. :-)
Won't spend anymore time writing cause we really know what you all
want....picutres. :-) Enjoy!
Tomorrow is the day we get to visit her orphanage and finding place.
Then we will spend the afternoon looking over paperwork in order to
receive her passport on Friday. We leave Zhengzhou on Friday afternoon
for our last stop, Guangzhou. There we get to do more paperwork.....
that's right, more paperwork. :-) But who can complian when the smile
is this sweet! :-)
special day with our travel group and their newest additions to their
families. We ordered a cake from a local bakery and the hotel also
brought Q a special birthday cake and very nice card. She really didn't
seem to understand what was going on, but our travel guide told Q to
blow out the candles and she tried but the poor little thing didn't have
much in her. :-)
She loves cake. She'll fit right in with the rest of our family. :-)
Won't spend anymore time writing cause we really know what you all
want....picutres. :-) Enjoy!
Tomorrow is the day we get to visit her orphanage and finding place.
Then we will spend the afternoon looking over paperwork in order to
receive her passport on Friday. We leave Zhengzhou on Friday afternoon
for our last stop, Guangzhou. There we get to do more paperwork.....
that's right, more paperwork. :-) But who can complian when the smile
is this sweet! :-)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
It's Official.
Today, we made the adoption official. We went to the same government building that we did yesterday to sign the final papers and receive the official adoption certificate. Emotions were much more relaxed than they were 24 hours before, but the event was just as important. Q is now officially ours!! We thank God for the blessing of Q in our lives.
The start of the first full day as an official family. What would it bring? Would it be as good as yesterday or would reality set in and Q regress because this was something more than just an outing? Would see be a mommy's-girl, a daddy's-girl, or accept or reject us both? Well she is definitely mommy's girl at this point and makes daddy work for every bit of attention (don't worry, it's what was expected);-) She woke up at 7:30 this morning, sat up, looked around and stared at us for a few minutes. After she was fully awake, we skyped home for the boys to see Q again. :-) Then it was off to
breakfast. She loves food. She's been willing to try new things but will shake her
head no and squinches up her cute, little nose when she doesn't want or like
something. :-)
We returned to the hotel at noon having all of the official stuff done. After lunch we needed to go shopping for some shoes and clothes that fit Q. She fits in the 12 mo. size, but with the exception of two oufits, we brought 18 - 24 mo. clothes and the shoes we had were too big. Rita, our social worker, went with us and we were successful in find some pants and shoes to fit. Still need socks as we forgot to pack some for her.
Tomorrow Q turns 2, so we also ordered a cake while we were out. We will have a small party tomorrow with the other families in our group. What an ordeal to order a cake! The bakery is concerned the cake will not be pretty enough. Who cares, she's only 2! I'm sure it will be great.
Nothing scheduled for tomorrow other than the party. Thursday we will go the orphanage that Q was assigned to and her "finding place". That will be very interesting to say the least.
Check out some of the photos from today.
The start of the first full day as an official family. What would it bring? Would it be as good as yesterday or would reality set in and Q regress because this was something more than just an outing? Would see be a mommy's-girl, a daddy's-girl, or accept or reject us both? Well she is definitely mommy's girl at this point and makes daddy work for every bit of attention (don't worry, it's what was expected);-) She woke up at 7:30 this morning, sat up, looked around and stared at us for a few minutes. After she was fully awake, we skyped home for the boys to see Q again. :-) Then it was off to
breakfast. She loves food. She's been willing to try new things but will shake her
head no and squinches up her cute, little nose when she doesn't want or like
something. :-)
We returned to the hotel at noon having all of the official stuff done. After lunch we needed to go shopping for some shoes and clothes that fit Q. She fits in the 12 mo. size, but with the exception of two oufits, we brought 18 - 24 mo. clothes and the shoes we had were too big. Rita, our social worker, went with us and we were successful in find some pants and shoes to fit. Still need socks as we forgot to pack some for her.
Tomorrow Q turns 2, so we also ordered a cake while we were out. We will have a small party tomorrow with the other families in our group. What an ordeal to order a cake! The bakery is concerned the cake will not be pretty enough. Who cares, she's only 2! I'm sure it will be great.
Nothing scheduled for tomorrow other than the party. Thursday we will go the orphanage that Q was assigned to and her "finding place". That will be very interesting to say the least.
Check out some of the photos from today.
The official certificate.
Q wearing mommy's shoes.
Q playing hide & seek.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Today's The Day!!
Where to begin?! Today has been a day (so far) filled with many emotions. First there was nervousness, then excitement, then some more nervousness, finally pure joy.
The morning started out meeting our group so that we could travel to the place where we would meet our children. We were driven to a government building about 15 minutes away from the hotel. In the lobby of this building was were the exchanges would be made. There were two other families with us from our group. When we arrived, the children were not there which only added to the nervousness. Since it was a nice day and the front doors to the lobby were propped open, we all paced in and out, watching intently as each car/van drove into the parking lot. About 15 minutes after we got there, the first child arrived. Not ours. It was a little hard to watch as this child cried a lot. Reality set in at this point for us, but the family handled it well as this was their second adoption. About 15 minutes later, another van pulled up. Again, not ours. This exchange went a lot smoother as the child didn't cry at all. This family was also on their second adoption. OK now our turn. Another 10 minutes pass and we get word that Q would be here in 10 more minutes. We went outside and prayed together. Right on time, an SUV comes whizzing in parking lot. Surely this isn't the vehicle carrying our child - they're driving way too fast. A young Chinese man hops out, goes around to the passengers front seat and pulls out a tiny toddler. He comes up to us and asks, "Liang Qi Ying"? He givers her to B and the waterworks begin (for both of them), but it was all good. After about five minutes, the crying ended as snacks were brought out and the eating began. Papers were signed, pictures taken and a quick bus ride back to the hotel - everything was good.
Once in the room, we broke out a few toys and started to see some smiles and hear giggles. A quick bath and new set of clothes made it even better. Tried to put her down for a nap, but she didn't sleep. I'll stop with the play-by-play for now and post some of the many pictures that were taken today. Just know she is doing well and the bonding seems to be going good too.
The only downer is she has a low-grade fever and cold so she needs cough medicine which she doesn't like. She knew exactly what it was when we tried to give it too her and fought it. One more thing, she is tiny. She weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs!!
Thanks for all of your prayers and comments on the blog & Facebook. Enjoy the pics.
God's Blessings to you!!
S & B
The morning started out meeting our group so that we could travel to the place where we would meet our children. We were driven to a government building about 15 minutes away from the hotel. In the lobby of this building was were the exchanges would be made. There were two other families with us from our group. When we arrived, the children were not there which only added to the nervousness. Since it was a nice day and the front doors to the lobby were propped open, we all paced in and out, watching intently as each car/van drove into the parking lot. About 15 minutes after we got there, the first child arrived. Not ours. It was a little hard to watch as this child cried a lot. Reality set in at this point for us, but the family handled it well as this was their second adoption. About 15 minutes later, another van pulled up. Again, not ours. This exchange went a lot smoother as the child didn't cry at all. This family was also on their second adoption. OK now our turn. Another 10 minutes pass and we get word that Q would be here in 10 more minutes. We went outside and prayed together. Right on time, an SUV comes whizzing in parking lot. Surely this isn't the vehicle carrying our child - they're driving way too fast. A young Chinese man hops out, goes around to the passengers front seat and pulls out a tiny toddler. He comes up to us and asks, "Liang Qi Ying"? He givers her to B and the waterworks begin (for both of them), but it was all good. After about five minutes, the crying ended as snacks were brought out and the eating began. Papers were signed, pictures taken and a quick bus ride back to the hotel - everything was good.
Once in the room, we broke out a few toys and started to see some smiles and hear giggles. A quick bath and new set of clothes made it even better. Tried to put her down for a nap, but she didn't sleep. I'll stop with the play-by-play for now and post some of the many pictures that were taken today. Just know she is doing well and the bonding seems to be going good too.
The only downer is she has a low-grade fever and cold so she needs cough medicine which she doesn't like. She knew exactly what it was when we tried to give it too her and fought it. One more thing, she is tiny. She weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs!!
Thanks for all of your prayers and comments on the blog & Facebook. Enjoy the pics.
God's Blessings to you!!
S & B
The new addition at the govt. bldg.
Q all prettied up after a bath.
Mommy's being funny.
Hi!!
Fun in the hotel play room.
I might be small, but I can do stairs (w/ daddy's help).
Ni hoa!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Greetings from Zhengzhou!
We made it safely to Zhengzhou a little earlier today. We spent time getting
the room ready and taking a trip to the local Wal-Mart. I'll post pics of that
trip tomorrow as we're wiped and need to get some sleep before the big
day tomorrow.
Please continue to keep our daughter in your prayers as tomorrow will
be a very difficult day for her. We are prepared for whatever the day brings,
but please also pray for us that we get good rest tonight (last night wasn't very
good---up at 4 a.m.).
I'll post more pics of the outing to Wal Mart tomorrow. Boy the things you can
buy here! :-0
Before we sign off for the night, I'll post one special pic and a bit of info about
our daughter. We found out from the info provided by her foster family that she
loves cars! Can you believe it?! :-) We didn't bring any cars with us, so while out
at the store we found something we hopes she likes...it's on the floor next to the
crib in the picture.
Please forgive us for not posting any pics today but the days have now started
running together and it seems like we lose steam about 5-6 p.m. each night.
We're hoping that since we're not doing much sightseeing the next few days,
we can get caught up on pics/posting.
Goodnight from Zhengzhou!
J & D we love you and we can't wait for you to meet your sister!
the room ready and taking a trip to the local Wal-Mart. I'll post pics of that
trip tomorrow as we're wiped and need to get some sleep before the big
day tomorrow.
Please continue to keep our daughter in your prayers as tomorrow will
be a very difficult day for her. We are prepared for whatever the day brings,
but please also pray for us that we get good rest tonight (last night wasn't very
good---up at 4 a.m.).
I'll post more pics of the outing to Wal Mart tomorrow. Boy the things you can
buy here! :-0
Before we sign off for the night, I'll post one special pic and a bit of info about
our daughter. We found out from the info provided by her foster family that she
loves cars! Can you believe it?! :-) We didn't bring any cars with us, so while out
at the store we found something we hopes she likes...it's on the floor next to the
crib in the picture.
Please forgive us for not posting any pics today but the days have now started
running together and it seems like we lose steam about 5-6 p.m. each night.
We're hoping that since we're not doing much sightseeing the next few days,
we can get caught up on pics/posting.
Goodnight from Zhengzhou!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Last Day in Beijing
Today we spent our last full day in Beijing. Tomorrow we leave early for
our daughter's province.
We toured a jade factory, climbed the Great Wall, and visited a cloisonne
factory. While at the cloisonne factory, we ate lunch at a resturant above
the factory. The food was served family style and it was wonderful.
our daughter's province.
We toured a jade factory, climbed the Great Wall, and visited a cloisonne
factory. While at the cloisonne factory, we ate lunch at a resturant above
the factory. The food was served family style and it was wonderful.
Travel Group 1713 ready to for the Great Wall.
Looking up the Great Wall.
Looking down the Great Wall.
Soldier's weapons at the Great Wall.
Lunch at a resturant above the Cloisonne factory.
Friday, April 8, 2011
A Tour of Beijing
We had a wonderful day touring Beijing. We toured a silk factory,
Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and did a Hutong Tour.
For the Hutong Tour (Hutong's are small regions or districts within the city),
we got to ride a rickshaw. That was pretty cool.
It's almost 9 p.m. our time. We're wiped. Trying to stay awake during dinner
is difficult. On another note, we've met all but one member of our travel group
and they are great!
So, please forgive that I'm not writing about each picture that posted tonight...I
just really can't put a proper sentence together.
Oh D, you didn't give me the low down on all the squatty potty's....found out
the hard way that the public bathrooms in one of our tours had both.
Oh well....at least I can say that I've been there and done that. ;-p
We also found that the public bathrooms are on a rating system similar to
hotels. We saw one that was a 4 star...the bathroom I visited definitely
wasn't 4 stars.
Enjoy the pics. Tomorrow the Great Wall!
P.S. Captions provided by S, since B is incapacitated.
Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and did a Hutong Tour.
For the Hutong Tour (Hutong's are small regions or districts within the city),
we got to ride a rickshaw. That was pretty cool.
It's almost 9 p.m. our time. We're wiped. Trying to stay awake during dinner
is difficult. On another note, we've met all but one member of our travel group
and they are great!
So, please forgive that I'm not writing about each picture that posted tonight...I
just really can't put a proper sentence together.
Oh D, you didn't give me the low down on all the squatty potty's....found out
the hard way that the public bathrooms in one of our tours had both.
Oh well....at least I can say that I've been there and done that. ;-p
We also found that the public bathrooms are on a rating system similar to
hotels. We saw one that was a 4 star...the bathroom I visited definitely
wasn't 4 stars.
Enjoy the pics. Tomorrow the Great Wall!
P.S. Captions provided by S, since B is incapacitated.
Two rickshaw riders in Hutong of Old Beijing.
S & the rickshaw driver (now BFF's).
Machine used to combine small silk threads into a usable-sized thread.
B and travel group members stretching silk layer out for filling in a quilt.
S & group members gives it a try.
Tiananmen Square
Walkway bridges within the Forbidden City.
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