The Journey Home

We had a very predictable (well-planned by our agency) trip overall. The return trip was not great planning, just blessed.

Good Change of Plans

Saying goodbye to our guides in Guangzhou

We originally were going to take the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong then a taxi or subway to our hotel at the airport. From the states, this seemed the best route but while there we decided to take a private van directly from hotel to hotel. I guess the train stations aren't easy to shuttle baggage through. The taxi ride from the Hong Kong terminal to the hotel would be an hour and we might need two taxis because of our luggage. The van was much less hassle and took about the same time. The extra cost was worth it and we found out after we made the decision that a couple other families made the same decision.

Blessings Going Home

Enjoying Marriott's Executive Lounge in Hong Kong

So, we arrived a bit earlier than expected at the hotel, with two cranky 2-year-olds, and were informed that our room wouldn't be clean for at least another hour. BLESSING #1: We took an "Executive Level" room that was already cleaned and headed upstairs. It came with Exec. Lounge access w/drinks & snacks, "happy hour" open bar & buffet and breakfast buffet and internet. It was nice to get some drinks and snacks for the kids, then to take turns relaxing in the lounge while the kids napped. After naps we took a shuttle to do some shopping nearby and returned for the happy hour buffet. Great all around.

The new day brought more blessings. After a QUICK buffet breakfast, we walked outside for the shuttle to the airport. While we were eating a long line had formed for the airport shuttle bus. At the back of the line, we were worried we wouldn't get on the bus and the next scheduled bus was a bit late for our flight. BLESSING #2: Just then a black-leather limo pulled up behind the bus and the bellman wheeled our bags to it and ushered from the back of the bus line into the limo! We felt like rock stars with all the people in the bus line watching us get into the limo :)

We thought it would be smooth sailing after that. Surely our 2-hour early arrival at the airport would be plenty early. We got to the "Economy Class" line to check in with bags and the departure time showed 1/2 hour earlier than was on my e-ticket!? Uh oh. While Ann stood in line with our bags I went to a kiosk to try to check-in there. But the kiosk wouldn't process our tickets, even with the help of a friendly agent. We were stuck waiting in the longer of the check-in lines; the one for people who hadn't checked in remotely. Twenty minutes later we had progressed about 5 feet and our prospects for getting on the flight were dimming.

BLESSING #3: Some kind of security (?) agent who seemed to be there only to keep people in the right lines went to a nearby counter for a company called SATS and spoke to them about helping us, then called us over. A few minutes later the SATS agent had us checked in, then we even bypassed the shorter line to check luggage as we went straight to the Delta agent nearest the SATS counter. We were done before the other lines had even moved!

Noelle, just before leaving Hong Kong

MORE BLESSINGS: From there we went to a security line and found ourselves in a "Families with Children" line that was shorter than the others. From there we went to the immigration line for outgoing processing which didn't take long. From there we walked to the gate, arriving just a little prior to the earlier-than-planned boarding time. Whew! There was just time enough to take the girls to the ladies room before boarding. Oh, and our original tickets showed us all sitting separately (!) but the final arrangement was 2 sets of 2 seats, right across the aisle from each other. And we were "Zone 1" so we were able to unpack the girls' stuff and settle in before most of the people around us showed up. Thank you Father.

STILL MORE BLESSINGS:
We sat near the back of the plane so we were last to get off and the gate agent told us that the other Asia flights had gotten there first so there were long lines for customs and immigration. It WOULD have been a long wait but a friendly immigration agent took an interest in us as we got into the cue. He prescreened our customs document so we could speed through the immigration desk when we finally got to the front of the line. We thanked him and got in line. A minute later, though, he came and got us out of the line! We backtracked, apologizing to those who had lined up behind us. Then he took us to another "SPECIAL ASSISTANCE" line with only ONE couple in front of us! WOW. I can't show you photos because no cameras or phones were allowed, but that is the desk at which Noelle became a U.S. citizen!! There was no fanfare, just about 5 minutes of paperwork and a "Congratulations" from the agent and we were off to claim and recheck our luggage.

Noelle likes her new Aunt Kay and Cousin Cofer

The flight to Atlanta was relatively short and our homecoming was made SO much easier by Ann's sisters who all three met us at the airport and helped us get our bags into our van (they brought it from home and parked it nice and close.) Noelle screamed bloody murder for the entire 1/2 hour ride home so arriving was all the more sweet :) We were SO tired.

Thanks to everyone who helped. We came home to a nice clean house with flowers on the table, and food on the stove and in the fridge. And the grass was cut, front and back! After dinner, Ann had lots of loving help getting the girls bathed and in bed while Paul went to bed (about 28 hours after getting up.)

We're in Hong Kong!

For the first time, we're in a place where we can see our blog! Many thanks to Adam for doing the updates while we were in mainland China.

Marking Time

We can't wait to get home! There's nothing left to do but wait for transportation.
Yesterday we had a quick brief on leaving the country. In the evening we went with another family to a VERY nice mall downtown. We don't spend $3000 for a pair of glasses or a purse so we mostly just walked around. It turned out that there actually were some reasonably-priced stores on the bottom levels. We finished up with a great Italian/American dinner at "Danny's."

Ann & Emma with the Guangzhou skyline in the background

Today was a sightseeing day. We took cabs with several other families to Beiyun ("White Cloud") Park where we rode an electric tram to the top to visit the overlook and walk about. We then took the cable car back down to the bottom. After nap time, we received Noelle's visa and... that's it! YAAYY! We would love to go get on a plane immediately but actually we must still wait until after a certain time tomorrow to leave the country.
A van will pick us up at our hotel tomorrow (the 23rd) at 10 a.m. and take us to our hotel in Hong Kong where we will stay overnight at the Marriott Sky City hotel near the airport. On the 24th we'll board our Delta flight to Detroit and on to Atlanta! Ann's sister Amy will be picking us up at the airport in Atlanta. We are so looking forward to being back in our own home. Ann's frequent comment is that she's looking forward to having her washer and dryer. What I think about is how Noelle will adapt to our home and especially her new crib.

Almost home

Our 13 families with 14 children from Henan Province

Sorry we dropped out of sight for a while. Things are settling down now and I think we're starting to relax. Today was our LAST big get-together for group pictures and a travel briefing. Some families are already starting to head back to the states this evening.

The days are starting to run together. Though the schedule hasn't been hectic, it has been difficult as we are all learning new routines. Noelle is doing very well. Emma is the one having a difficult time with Ann being mostly dedicated to caring for Noelle the first week or so. Noelle clinged to Ann at first but is starting to loosen her grip as she feels more secure in our family. Paul has taken Noelle alone to the little shopping mall next door and to breakfast. Emma has been a bit aggressive toward Noelle at times and clearly feels a bit neglected by Ann. So we're trying to give Emma more time with Ann as Noelle accepts more care from Paul, but for Noelle there are still times when only Mama will do.

The view from our hotel

The first couple of days in Guangzhou were busy with medical clinic appointments and paperwork in the morning, then lunch and naps and a little playtime or shopping before dinner. We've also taken a sightseeing trip around the city and Ann visited the pearl market during nap time yesterday.

We had a couple rough days with Ann getting sick on the 17th at dinner time. We ordered pizza from Papa Johns with two other families and met at the hotel's outdoor playground. Papa John's pizza was by far the best food I've had in China! But Ann didn't feel well and had to rush back to the room. She was sick all night. Then Emma was sick all the next day.

By the evening of the 19th, both were well enough that we took a cab to Shaiman Island with three other families to go to "Lucy's" for American fare. Think of Shaiman Island as a sort of French Quarter. It's connected to the mainland by short bridges; mostly walking bridges. It's a safe place to walk about and go to small shops or the playground. The weather was perfect for dining outdoors.

We'll receive Noelle's visa on the evening of the 22nd and depart Guangzhou for Hong Kong on the 23rd. We shifted our plans slightly and will now have a van take us straight from hotel to hotel vice going by cab/train/cab.

Our flight home is on the 24th! YAY! We're all ready to be home.

A Sunny Day in Zhengzou

A few feet from our hotel

At 1 a.m., Emma is back to sleep. We put fresh sheets on her bed. Emma is sleeping on a fresh towel and there's another under her top sheet in case she gets sick again. Today was a little difficult generally.
Emma complained of a hurting tummy just before dinner and I ran her back to the room for a few minutes. We had decided to try a hotel restaurant almost within sight of our room door rather than take a taxi to eat with the other families and in retrospect that was a great decision.

Even so, we got to bed late. It's hard to say when Emma started feeling bad. Today we went on an underwhelming tour to the Zhengzhou Aquarium and Emma fell fast asleep on my lap during a very loud show. She was really zonked and didn't awaken until we got on the bus home. So, when we arrived home she didn't go to sleep at nap time and that led to a little meltdown at about 5 p.m., before dinner.

Pray that we all stay well. One other man whom Emma calls Mr. Bob had a 24-hr bug a few days ago. Hopefully this episode is from something Emma ate and she didn't catch something like that.
We were trying to recall what she may have been exposed to and there are risks everywhere. Besides Mr. Bob (one of he favorite people) having been sick, the first thing that comes to mind is the sign over our bathroom faucet: "Water is not potable unless boiled." China has serious problems with polution of the air and water. So, for example, when we ate at McDonalds yesterday the ice was a threat and we wonder at each meal whether unboiled water has made its way into our food.
Along those lines, the air is getting to us a little, I think. We all wake up with a cough. We've been having what passes in Zhengzhou for sunny days but blue skies are uncommon here. I hear you can sometimes see blue after a day of heavy rain. Buildings more than about a mile away are only grey outlines and a family that went to see the Yellow River yesterday reported that they couldn't see across it.

Noelle loves french fries (and loves to share them)

On a positive note, we got our documentation back from the Notary Office today and it looks to be in order. Along with the official documents we got many pages of records from the orphange, all in Chinese, along with more photos. You may be able to find out more than I can at the moment by searching online for Xinyang Childrens Welfare Institution. That's where Dan Dan has spent most of her life. However, the sites appear to have been blocked so I'll have to wait until we get home to learn more (the government blocks Facebook, YouTube, BlogSpot and who knows what else.)
And we got a photocopy of Liu Dan's newspaper advertisement. It is required to be posted in the effort to find an abandoned child's parents and lists the exact place where she was found along with the date and who brought her to the orphanage. Our guides have translated the advertisement for us.

BTW, the orphanage records indicate that the caregivers at Xinyang have been trained by the "Half the Sky Foundation" and we are thankful for that.

It's 2 a.m. now and Emma has been sleeping peacefully for over an hour. More later. Thanks for praying for us.

Family Time

Last night was our first good night's sleep! YAY!. Maybe we're finally putting the jet lag behind us. Or maybe yesterday just wore us out. We visited two government offices before lunch, had lunch in our hotel room (NOT a relaxing experience), and got quick naps before rushing out to catch the group's bus to go shopping. After another not-relaxing dinner with three other families we were exhausted at the end of the day. We really enjoy our time with the other families but dealing with two active girls will take some getting used to.
Emma got a full night's sleep and Noelle just kept on sleeping this morning even with Emma running around the room making noise. Some of the families are visiting their children's orphanages today or taking sight-seeing trips but we chose to enjoy having nothing to do. Nothing, that is, except doing laundry and caring for our two girls.


Tommorrow we will receive some documents from the Notary Office and visit the local aquarium. Friday we'll receive Noelle's passport and head to Guangzhou to get her U.S. visa before going home.

Got Her

Noelle loves her new Mommy!

Ann patiently coaxes Dan Dan into her crib but, as soon as she recognizes where she is, Dan Dan starts crying and wants Ann to hold her. The day has gone amazingly well, though. This is the first time Liu Dan has really cried today, and we've seen many smiles. It appears that Dan Dan is a lot like Emma, outgoing and happy. They're going to be quite a pair.
We started the day with the amazing breakfast buffet downstairs, then met everyone to get on the bus at 9:30 for the 20 minute ride to the Registration Office. There are 13 families in our group - the largest in quite a while - and we're together adopting 14 children. There were also a few families from other countries there today so the gotcha room was crowded and noisy. We arrived about 10 a.m. and children then started arriving by car or van from various parts of the province, one or two at a time. A car would arrive out front and a lady would carry a child up the steps and into our room with everyone watching to see whose it would be.

We were only spectators, watching and taking pictures for other families, but it was still an emotional time. At about noon we all boarded our bus to the hotel, everyone carrying their new child except us. But while we were enroute to the hotel our guide got a call that the train carrying Liu Dan would be arriving at 12:40 and she would be at the hotel around 1 - 1:10. We were to wait in our room for the phone call that Dan Dan was there.

As it happened, there was no suspenseful waiting. The time was upon us before we knew it. I had just returned from another family's room to borrow some Cheerios and Ann was hurriedly preparing the room. Dan Dan was taken first to our guide's room, just a few doors down the hall from ours. When I got the call I went out the door and there was Liu Dan walking down the hallway toward me. Ann rushed out to see her and we spent the next 15 minutes sitting in the hallway outside our door, slowly introducing ourselves as Dan Dan toddled around the hallway and looked at herself in the hall mirror. When Ann, sitting on the floor, first picked her up, Dan Dan raised her arms and arched her back to wriggle out of Ann's grasp. But she didn't cry and the protest didn't last long. By 2 p.m. our family was alone in our room getting used to being the new us.

We had a paperwork meeting at 3 p.m. and then Emma and Paul walked to the Walmart to pick up a few things while Ann stayed behind to spend time with Dan Dan. When Emma and Paul returned, we went out to eat with another family, taking Liu Dan along. She sat in Ann's lap smiling and laughing and playing with her chop sticks. I couldn't believe how much she ate!

The most emotional part of the day for me was seeing, when we changed her clothes and diaper, that Liu Dan was healthy. A couple of the children were emaciated or had diaper rash or scars but Dan Dan apparently has been well fed and well cared for; appropriately plump with nice smooth skin and not a trace of diaper rash.

She's also a much prettier little girl than I realized before meeting her. Maybe I'm biased... No, she really is a pretty little girl and very outgoing, much like Emma. I'm sure that she'll get her share of the attention.

Well, Ann finally got Dan Dan to sleep in the crib. She had to cradle Liu Dan in her arms so that the transition to the crib wouldn't awaken her. Maybe this will be our first good night's sleep. That would be nice. Tomorrow we take a bus at 9 a.m. back to the Registration Office to do some paperwork and then to the Notary Office for more paperwork before returning to the hotel at about noon

Gotcha Day

Our dinner of protein bars and water in our hotel room was a welcome respite after days of tours and travel. Our full schedule and lingering jet lag leave us longing for some quiet time. Actually, the jet lag is more than "lingering". We've been awakening at 2 - 4 am and haven't had a good night's sleep since we arrived.

People everywhere want a picture with Emma!

After sitting out the first-day's touring, we decided to tackle the Great Wall and acrobatic show tour. We were worried about how Emma would handle being on an all-day tour but she did amazingly well. Actually, Emma is adjusting more easily than the two of us, I guess because she can go to sleep pretty much any time she wants. She's never before gone to sleep outside a crib until this trip but she's getting adept at falling asleep in my arms :) She even fell asleep during the loud, exciting acrobatic show (we called it a "tumbling" show) on the 10th and woke up the next morning in our hotel room. Yesterday she fell asleep on the bus from the airport and woke up in our hotel room asking, "Where is Emma?"
The Crowne Plaza Hotel here in Zhengzhou is GREAT! In Beijing the beds were so hard they were like raised sections of the floor. Here the beds are soft and everything feels familiar and comfortable. The hotel in Beijing made a good effort but the breakfast here was amazing!

Paul & Emma on the Great Wall

We're getting to know the families in our group and it is comforting to see friendly faces everywhere, all sharing the same experience, consantly asking each other about baby clothes and formula and naps and paperwork.
TODAY is GOTCHA DAY!

We're meeting everyone at 9:30 in the lobby to go to the Registration Office but we are the only family that is NOT receiving our child this morning. We're just going along to take pictures. Little Liu Dan is travelling so far that her train won't arrive in Zhengzhou until 12:30, long after the other families have received their children and we've all come back to the hotel. It will be easier for us, no doubt, but we're also a little disappointed to not be fully participating in the joyful time at the Registration Office.

Time to go! More later...

Jet Lag City

Well here's an unexpected twist in our plans: China has blocked the blogspot.com and facebook.com web sites so we can't post updates for you! I didn't have anything bad to say about the country until they blocked us from saying anything bad about the country :) If you're reading this before March 25th then it's because we e-mailed our commentary to someone who could post it for us.

Bunches of bicycles and cars parked on the sidewalks

The blue light on my phone charger is like a spotlight illuminating the dark room. It's lunch time! At least that's what my body thinks. We're 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Ann and Emma seem to be sleeping peacefully. I realized early in our trip that planning my sleep time the way I do on most red-eye flights was probably futile; Emma's body clock would rule the day.
We've been in Beijing one full day now, having gotten to our hotel last night at about 1 in the morning local time. We skipped the Tiannemen Square and Forbidden City tours today to relax and acclimate to our new time zone. I don't know where the time has gone. All I can say we did is to eat, take a nap, and walk around the block.

Ann & Emma in front of our hotel

The trip to China went very well. We started with airline tickets showing all of us sitting separately. The Delta agent said that was all she could do and we could probably work it out at the airport (or hand Emma's bottle to someone sitting on her row!) We ended up having a whole row to ourselves on the first leg to Seattle and two whole rows (6 seats) from Seattle to Beijing! Thank you Lord.
Emma had trouble going to sleep on the first flight, having never slept outside her crib. But, when she's asleep, Emma sleeps very soundly. On the second flight she went to sleep stretched across two seats and slept 7 hours until we intentionally awakened her. She fell off onto the floor twice without ever waking up so we finally just put a blanket under her and let her sleep there.

Walking around in Beijing

Now we're ensconced in a "5-star" hotel with lots of marble and very elegant styles. What really makes it stand out is that there seems to be many more staff than guests here and they are very pleasant and helpful. On our trip to Korea Ann was the rock star attracting little bevies of girls who would stand and stare at her blond hair. But now Emma has totally stolen the spotlight. After breakfast we had five of the restaurant staff lined up in front of Emma with their camera phones watching her sing "Hokey Pokey" and exuberantly spin in circles and shake her hands. They're enamoured with her. I understand entirely :)

Daddy

Noelle will have the best Daddy ever!!  Here's a pic of Emma with Paul just before their Daddy / Daughter date at Chick-fil-a for Valentine's Day.

Hard to Wait!

Yesterday morning, Emma came to the breakfast table holding this picture of her sister. Emma and I have a converstaion each day (ususlly multiple times) about going to get Noelle. It typically starts at the breakfast table and goes like this:

Emma: "Go get Liu Dan?"
Ann: "We ARE going, Emma!"
Emma: "Not today?"
Ann: "No, not today."
Emma: "As soon as possible."
Ann: "Yes, Emma, as SOON as possible!"
Emma: "Have to wait our turn."
Ann: "Yes, Emma, we have to wait our turn."
Emma: "Hard to wait." (sometimes followed by a loud grumbling noise)
Ann: "Yes, Emma, it's VERY hard to wait. Who helps us wait?"
Emma: "Jesus"

Thankfully, our waiting is almost over. Last night, I told Emma that after 4 more sleeps we will leave to go get Noelle. I can't wait for Wednesday morning when I get to tell Emma that TODAY we are going to get her sisiter!!!

Information blackout! (or so it feels...)

We're in withdrawal after having gotten bunches of info right after we selected Liu Dan. We haven't gotten any information about her since November when we received this video. It was only a day or so old when we first saw it. Of course we wonder all the time if she's well and what her life is like.

The Long Road Home

I was putting together Noelle's crib today while Emma scattered books and toys. Its just like Emma's and in the same room. The only difference is that Noelle's crib is nice and new but Emma has used her top rails like a big teething ring, chewing off much of the paint.
Pondering the difference, it occurred to me that Noelle has her own crib already. One that feels like home. Maybe the paint is chewed off the top rail or, more likely, its a durable steel crib that's seen a dozen infants come and go, sitting in a big room full of cribs. But it is home. She's probably spent much more time there than Emma has in hers. Has she been outside of the orphanage since she can remember?
Soon she'll be taken by car an hour away - scary enough for a two-year-old who isn't familiar with the outside world. Then she'll be put in the arms of people with unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar clothes. They smell different. They chatter at her but she doesn't understand. She wants to sleep but her crib is not there, gone forever. A long bus ride, a crowded terminal with more people than she's ever seen but no faces she knows. Will she feel alone? Scared? Probably so. Still, there are three hotels, three more plane rides, three hours on a train, cab rides, big city lights and lots of noise before she arrives at her new crib in our quiet house. Will that be a relief? Or will she wish she were back in the company of all those other babies in the orphanage nursery? It will take time.
I hope our home is a sanctuary for her, where the stress will melt away as she hides in our arms. I hope she's comforted by the sight of another girl in the next crib. And that her new crib soon feels like home.