A few more pictures

Here are a few more pictures of our girl. They were taken in the playroom in Wuhan.

Guangzhou Day 1

Yesterday was a long day. We spent the morning getting everything packed again and headed down to the hotel restaurant to have lunch. We decided to take a chance and ordered "American hamburgers." They came eventually and looked wonderful. However, upon first bite we realized that they were barely cooked. Nearly raw inside. And we were the only ones in the restaurant, which meant there were at least six very attentive wait staff waiting anxiously to see how we liked everything. Pleasing us is VERY important to all of the hotel staff we have encountered. We were able to communicate that we had wanted the meat "well done" and they took our plates back to the chef. Shortly thereafter, we got them back again. The same ones, cooked just a little bit more. By this time, it was time for us to check out and be ready to leave for the airport, so we each took a couple of tentative bites and left the rest, thankful we would not be returning for another meal.

Our guide was waiting for us, so we quickly checked out and headed back to the Civil Affairs office where we picked up Amelia's passport and a few other important papers. She slept through the whole time there. I was glad that she didn't have to wonder why we were going back to the place where her nannies left her. We got to the airport, checked in, and found that our flight was delayed. We finally took off at 7:45 and arrived in Guangzhou around 9:15. After claiming our luggage, finding our guide, and driving to the hotel it was very late and all the kids were exhausted. The adults were, too! But our hotel here has soft beds, so we had a good night's sleep.

Amelia's first plane ride. She did well, as long as Daddy was holding her.

We are loving Guangzhou! We are staying at the Victory Hotel (west building, for anyone making travel plans soon), and it is very nice. It feels smaller and quieter than the other places we have been. We have a balcony, and there is a Starbucks just around the corner. The bathroom is huge, with a separate shower and deep tub. The hotel is located on Shamian Island, a very small island that caters much to adopting families. It is so nice to be able to walk around without worrying about being run over! This little island used to belong to the British, so the architecture is quite different than the rest of China.

One of many statues on the island

Amelia had her medical examination this morning that she needs to get her US visa. The clinic was not crowded today, and it really didn't take long at all. They checked her height and weight, ears, nose and throat, and did a brief exam. She passed with no problems and was very good.

Tomorrow we will be going to the pearl and jade markets with our Holt group in the afternoon. Otherwise we have a free day. We did some shopping today and plan to do more tomorrow. Amelia continues to do well. She never did have a major grieving spell; she has just become less and less quiet and shy. Today she has been giggling and smiling at all of us, and once when she saw me in the hotel hallway she came running to me with her arms up. God is good!

We have giggles!

We are finally seeing a happy girl! Last night in the tub she was playing with stacking cups and all of a sudden made a little giggle. After that it was like we had a different girl! Not only is she happier, she is eating better and seems stronger already. The first day we had her she was very wobbly and could hardly stand herself up from the floor. Last night she was practically running between the two hotel rooms and getting up and down easily. Praise God that she is doing better so soon!

We leave this evening for Guangzhou, and we will be glad to get there. We have tried hard to really enjoy our time in Amelia's province, but it will be nice not to be the only Westerners anywhere to be seen. People look at us and try to figure us out. You can tell that they kind of understand the white family with the Asian baby, but then they see Evan. . . and don't have any idea what to do with that! Our next hotel is said to have softer beds also, which will be nice. The ones here are pretty much like sleeping on the floor. We brought pool rafts to put on the beds which has helped some, but it's still not quite right. I'm off to finish packing. We leave at 2:00 to pick up Amelia's passport and then head to the airport.

Yellow Crane Tower

Before I get to today, I need to write about our dinner experience last night. With directions from our guide, we started out for a walk to a Pizza Hut. We finally saw the sign, but apparently the restaurant is being renovated, because it looked completely destroyed inside. We must have looked hungry, because someone outside handed us a brochure for another restaurant inside this shopping mall we were in front of. We finally found it, and we were greeted at the door by a very friendly young lady who spoke a little English. We were quite the attraction being Westerners. We were seated in a private banquet room that said "VIP" over the door. Amelia was so good. She sat up on a big chair the whole time without making a fuss. The menu was huge. There were some things on it that we wouldn't touch (pig bowels, anyone?) but we found lots of things that looked good. We ordered a pizza, two ribeye steaks, a bowl of spaghetti, a lasagna, and five sprites, and our total bill was around $38. The waiters shut the door to our little room after they delivered the food so we could eat in private. Quite an experience!

Today we went to see the Yellow Crane Tower, one of the most popular sites in Wuhan. The first tower was built 1700 years ago, and it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. This tower was built in 1984. It was quite a walk to the top carrying a very heavy baby, I can tell you! It wasn't too hot today, but we were all drenched due to the humidity.

This afternoon we went swimming at the hotel again. Amelia wasn't too excited about it, although she did eventually let Mark hold her in water up to her shoulders.

When we left the tower, we stopped at the notary office to pick up some of the documents we need to take to Guangzhou. Tomorrow afternoon we will check out of the hotel at 2:00, stop by the registrar's office to pick up Amelia's passport, and then head to the airport. Our flight to Guangzhou leaves around 7:00 pm and arrives at 8:30. Thank you to everyone who has commented or sent e-mails -- your messages are so encouraging to us!

The millenium bell from the Yellow Crane Tower

view of Wuhan from the top of the tower

Amelia ate a whole cup of oatmeal today. She hadn't been eating much, so we were thankful to see her eat this well.

It's Official!

This morning we returned to the Civil Affairs office to register the adoption.  The official there asked us several questions, we signed lots of papers by stamping our fingerprints in red ink, and Amelia even signed with a red footprint.  Amelia's nannies were there again, and we saw our first smiles from her when she saw them.  They are both so sweet and obviously really love her.  When we finished at the Civil Affairs office we drove to the notary office, where our guide dropped off the paperwork to get Amelia's passport.  We came back to the hotel and had lunch in our room and then went to play in the hotel's play/exercise area.  Then Mark, Elizabeth, and Evan swam in the hotel pool (swim caps included) and I brought Amelia back to the room so she could take a nap.  When she wakes up we'll venture out for a walk and to find some dinner.  Last night we survived our first street crossings, which felt a lot like playing Frogger!  Hopefully we'll be able to find some place to eat this evening.

Amelia is doing extremely well, given what she's been through.  She fusses occasionally for just a short time, but she still hasn't had a major breakdown.  She is beginning to respond to her name.  (We've tried calling her Ran Ran, which is what the nannies called her, but we can't even come close to saying it correctly enough for her to understand.)  She will let both of us hold and feed her, which is a huge blessing.  She still prefers Mark, and when he and the kids left to go swimming she stood at the door and pointed, wanting to follow him.  She is beginning to show a bit more of her personality.  Yesterday she just sat and observed everything quietly.  Today she is letting us know more of what she wants and doesn't want by pointing or pushing things away, and she is beginning to babble a little.  She is walking on her own but seems a little unsteady.  We will have to make sure she gets lots of practice with her leg muscles.  She does really like to walk holding our hands.  We're still trying to figure out how well potty-trained she is.  She woke up dry this morning and went in the toilet when we set her there.  But it doesn't always work quite like that.  I am beginning to wish I had bought pull-ups yesterday instead of diapers.  She has a bit of a cough that woke her several times in the night last night.

We're having trouble accessing blogger today, so I'm sending this post by e-mail.  There are six photos attached.  I don't know how they will display.  Hopefully our VPN will be working again soon.  Thank you for all the comments and e-mails.  It's truly encouraging to read them!

A few more pictures

Sleepy girl on the way back to the hotel

She took a nap on the bed this afternoon.

Amelia did well with her bath -- no crying!

Daddy gave her a bedtime bottle, and she fell asleep in his arms.

We have her!

We have Amelia! So far she is doing very well. Our guide called us this morning to say that the orphanage workers had brought her to Wuhan last night, so we could meet her this morning instead of this afternoon. So we got our things together and headed to the Civil Affairs Office.

When we arrived we took an elevator to the 3rd floor. We turned a corner and I could see that Amelia was already there with two of her nannies. We took things slowly and let the nannies continue to hold her. There was a play room that we went into, and she began to check us all out.
So far she has seemed sad and confused, but she hasn't really cried much. She is a heavy girl! And so pretty! I can't wait to see her smile! The nannies told us that she is beautiful and very smart and a favorite at the orphanage.

We filled out a paper saying that we would take custody of her for 24 hours. Tomorrow we will go back to the office and fill out the paperwork to make the adoption official. We were all doing well until it was time for us to leave and her nanny started to cry. That made all the rest of us cry too! We are so pleased with the care she received in the orphanage. They gave us several keepsakes today, including a beautifully labeled photo album filled with pictures of her. We also received the clothes she was wearing when she was found, a copy of her finding ad and the note that was found with her, a picture she colored along with the markers she likes to use, and a brochure about the orphanage.

She fell asleep in the van right at her scheduled naptime. Unfortunately we had to wake her when we got to the store to do some shopping. We picked up diapers, formula, and some snacks before heading back to the room. The nannies gave Amelia a little yogurt drink, and she has been holding onto the empty bottle for dear life ever since. You can see it in the pictures. Mark took it from her to rinse it out, and she cried until she got it back. Hopefully in the next few days she will begin to relax and be able to let go of it. So far she is letting both of us hold her and she let me give her a bottle, but she definitely prefers Mark right now.

We are going to try to go out for a walk and to find some dinner. We'll try to post more pictures later and possibly some video.