Day 6 Part 2 and Day 7

We didn’t have a bathtub in our hotel room in Shanghai. We knew she’d never had a real bath in a tub before, so we figured we could improvise :)

At the end of the sightseeing day we decided she needed as much of a “real” bath as we could give her. She was very shy about it at first, but within a couple minutes, she was putting her hands under the running water and seemed really mesmerized by the whole experience!

Day 7 was the day we got to visit the orphanage. It was a great privilege to get to do this because not every family gets this opportunity and we were invited to go. However, I was really nervous about going. I wanted to go, but I was unsure of the emotions I would feel by seeing where she lived before we were able to get her. Also, I was unsure of how she would feel/react to being back there. I was concerned that going back there would affect our bonding negatively.

This was a huge metal sculpture next to the road. This photograph was taken from the road above the ground level road where the bottom of the sculpture was located. So you’re only seeing the top half in this picture, It was so big! We had driven past this a few times during our stay in the city and I wanted to make sure and get a picture of it. It was really beautiful. In a place that seemed mostly drab and dreary, it was so refreshing to see this bright pop of color!

Driving up to the orphanage

Outside

In the hallway, standing outside her room

1/2 of her room. The other 1/2 contained about 20 cribs.

I have chosen not to share pictures here that contain faces of any of the workers or children. The workers were nice to us while we were there and although I had no idea what they were saying, they smiled at us and seemed fond of our baby girl. The children… there are just no words. We took lots of pictures for K to have to look back on later. They are just precious, precious children. It’s something you just don’t forget. A room full of orphans sitting/laying in their cribs. Some just laid there and looked at us but didn’t move or have much expression. Some were standing in their cribs, waving, smiling and begging for attention. It makes me so very emotional to think of those children left behind. I really wished, at that moment that we could’ve loaded up our arms with as many as wjjmmm.,.e could hold and bring them all back home. Oh, Lord, please send families for these children!!

Walking back outside.

Pics taken outside

We asked our driver to take us to the place where she was found. After we left the orphanage, that’s where we headed.

Again, without sharing too many pics or too much info, here are a couple precious pictures taken there.

We are so blessed to have been able to go to that place and document it for her. I sincerely wish we had more information to share with her one day, but those aren’t the cards she was dealt. I pray often that she would always know her worth in Christ and know that she had a family that was longing for her, praying for her, crying for her and that wanted her so very much—even before she was ever born. I also pray that we would be able to take her back to this very spot one day when she is older so she can experience it for herself and not only through the pictures we took for her.

Even though we’d only been together physically for a few short days, I already loved her with an unbelievable, fierce love. To hold her in my arms as we walked around this area was so very emotional. In a place where I expected to fell such anxiety, I felt a strange peace there… which I can’t really explain. I am just really thankful for the opportunity to go there and see it with my own eyes.

Back at the hotel later that evening, we discovered that this precious one LOVES noodles :)

We had so much fun watching her enjoy those noodles and practice her motor skills. She did a pretty great job of grabbing them and eating them on her own, although this was all new to her.

Watching her come out of her shell, learn to trust, and learning so many new physical skills at such a fast pace was truly amazing. Constantly, I would just stare at her and be in awe of her courage and her strength. Just the bravest little person I’d ever met. I also couldn’t believe it was real… we were really together! We were really experiencing life together and falling in love for real. Friends, saying I am blessed by her is a total understatement. So thankful. So blessed.

Day 6- Free Day & Sightseeing

Our guide took us sightseeing around the city this day. We didn’t have any official appointments, so we got to lounge around a little in the morning and take our time. They picked us up at 9am.

I needed to concentrate on watching the road and had keep from getting too hot because I was desperate to not get car sick again! I handed Khloe off to Daddy and was really hoping that she would let him hold her. She did great—she always seemed a little scared/confused/distracted when we were riding in the van so I think that helped her to not fully realize that Daddy was holding her instead of Mamma.

Within the first 10 minutes of our drive, I took this:

Poor baby was worn out early in the day again! And if you know her Daddy, you can see in his eyes that he’d give about anything to join her in nap-land! As you’ve probably guessed, we were still not sleeping much at night at this point. He was definitely soaking up the sweet, sweet baby snuggles though!

First, we went to the Oriental Pearl TV tower.

I really like this picture of us! She was letting her Daddy hold her and both Mamma and Daddy look so happy :)

We just missed Chinese New Year by around a month and many places we went were still beautifully decorated. These lanterns were gorgeous. They were hung from way up high in the tall ceiling and came down quite far. I love the perspective of this picture.

Being up in the tower’s observation area reminded me a lot of the Stratosphere in Vegas. Only the view was much different! There is so much smog and air pollution in China that the visibility is very low. I know there was bustling city as far as the eye could see, but we couldn’t see it all because it looked so foggy. When we were there, I called it smoggy.

Looking down on The Bund

Look who’s still hanging out with her Daddy!!

I’m not gonna lie… walking out on that glass floor that high up was a little scary!

Then Jason decided he’d walk on the glass floor while looking down and said it was much worse…. So I tried it. He was right! Yikes!

The girls. We had a great experience with Ming Ming. She is such a nice person and took really good care of us.

There was a small area on the observation deck that  you could walk outside and have a more clear view. We took these pictures from there.

Very pretty landscaping and cool circular walkway. Although that traffic roundabout looks scary to drive on to me!

Greenhouses and plants growing on a roof top.

Gorgeous country club.

Next, she took us to a market area. This market used to be a temple.

There were SO many people everywhere! We were told to watch our belongings and stay close…

This bridge overlooked a koi pond and we were told if we saw a turtle it was good luck. What do ya know?!

Family picture on the bridge.

When I say so many people, I mean it! SO. Many. People. Everywhere.

Back in the van headed back to the hotel. Two words. Tuckered out.

She was so tired that she stayed asleep even after I took her out of the Ergo. I took this picture to let the record show that we dressed her PLENTY warm on this day! There was 2 layers under what you can see, and we had a blanket to cover her also.

The previous day, I was told several times that I needed to dress her warmer… Even though she was in 2-3 layers plus a jacket and a blanket. And a warm hat. But I really did want to be respectful so that the locals wouldn’t look at us with a Chinese baby and be upset by thinking that we aren’t taking care of her. Although if they could’ve seen the poor baby’s heat rash, maybe they would’ve agreed that she didn’t need that many clothes on… :)

Another part of this day’s cultural experience that I don’t want to forget:

When we were shopping at the market, we were standing in the checkout line at one store, and Khloe started screaming. I knew she was getting hungry but I thought she could wait until we were finished shopping for her bottle. When I realized she wouldn't be able to wait, I decided to make her a bottle while we were standing in line. She was in the Ergo, so I got in the backpack and pulled out a bottle of water and her formula dispenser. I made her a bottle and she was very happy to see it! I started feeding it to her and all of a sudden, all the locals who had been intently staring at us and watching what I was doing, started speaking in very loud voices and pointing, etc. I felt really uncomfortable but I didn’t know what they were saying, so we just went about our business. We checked out, got our purchase and headed back out of the store. When we got outside, I asked Ming Ming what they were talking about and she told us that they were upset that I was making the baby a bottle with cold water. She said that she’d told them that the water was warm so they would leave us alone. They make bottles for babies with water that is almost boiling and they don’t believe you should give them a bottle unless it is very hot. Everyone was staring at us already because we were the white couple with a Chinese baby. And there weren’t a lot of us—we already knew we were the only adoption in the whole city that week.

Since we’d been there, many people would stare very obviously and some would come right up to us and holler and point and say, “Chinese Baby! Chinese Baby!” By this point in the trip, we were becoming used to the stares, the lack of personal space, etc.

As much as I loved it and considered it all part of the experience, etc, this was also the point where I was beginning to really, really want to just be HOME with my baby girl. No pressure. No feeling like we were on display. Just HOME. Where we could relax and do what we want to whenever we want. Where we are loved and supported and have a house full of kids at call us Mamma and Daddy. Oh, was I missing my other 3 kids something fierce by this point in the trip!

Day Five-It’s Official!

We didn’t sleep great- mostly due to our baby girl who would only sleep if she was laying on top of me with her arms wrapped around my neck! Sweet Baby!!! The jet lag didn’t help much either!

We got up and got dressed to head down to breakfast as soon as it opened.

Sweet girl in her pretty outfit! (and her very FIRST hair bow!!!)

At breakfast, she sat on my lap and took little bitty bites of everything that I offered her. She had very limited experience with solid foods so far in her life. At the orphanage, she was getting several bottles of formula a day and once a day, she was spoon fed a small bowl of congee with diced carrots. She ate off of my plate at breakfast. She tried oatmeal with brown sugar, scrambled eggs, hash brown, bacon and toast with blackberry jelly. She seemed to really like everything she tried, but she really didn’t know how to take a bite off of a fork. She just seemed very shy and unsure. But I kept offering bites to her until she stopped opening her mouth when I offered it :) She also drank some apple juice.

Side note: they have the BEST apple juice in China. In all 3 hotels we stayed in, as well as what you can buy from a convenience store… I don’t love apple juice, but it was like I couldn’t get enough of it! It was so light and refreshing. Not thick and loaded down with sugar like lots of the kinds we have here. Yum. I wish I had a big, cold glass of it right now!

Daddy came to her rescue again while Mamma was showering. She was tuckered out and it was still early in the morning! That sweet Daddy wasn’t enjoying this at all… :) Ha! He was wishing we didn’t have to go anywhere so he could just sit and hold her for as long as she’d let him!

It was about a 45 minute drive to the office where we had to do the paperwork to make the adoption legal. Unfortunately I got car sick on the way there… and I felt sick the entire time we were there. It’s not a fun feeling :(

We waited to be called up to a desk and when it was our turn, we stepped up to the desk and were shown some of the papers that we had completed previously to check the validity. We were asked a few questions including, why do you want to adopt this child and do you promise to never abuse or abandon this child and always care for her. Then we signed some papers and Khloe even had to put her fingerprints in red ink on some papers. She didn’t love that part :)

After the interview, we waited to be called again and then were escorted to another room. The agent led us down the hall and into this room where he gave us all of our documents and we took these pictures.

He congratulated us on adopting our new daughter and handed us our official adoption decree. IT’S OFFICIAL!!!

After we left the civil affairs office, we had to drive another 45 minutes or so to sign papers at the notary office. Our sweet driver and guide insisted that I sit up front on the way. So sweet! Khloe sat with her Daddy in the back and did a great job. She never fussed. It was in the 50’s that day and I had the window cracked and had taken off my sweater and my scarf and was just in short sleeves and jeans. The driver just couldn’t believe that I wasn’t cold. It’s not that I wasn’t chilly, but I was feeling so sick that I just needed to feel the cold air! Of course, they were all bundled up like we would be here in the middle of winter with snow on the ground… and it was in the 50’s! In the 50’s at home, it’s nothing to see people in town wearing shorts and/or flip flops :) When we told them that, they were laughing and they just couldn’t believe it!

When we arrived to the notary office, we all got out of the car to grab our things and go in and when I got out of the car and opened the back door to the van, as soon as Khloe saw me, she smiled and reached for me! It was like she didn’t realize I was in the car when I was sitting in the front or something! Sweet baby. She melted my heart. Again. Oh, the incredible love I already had for this little person I’d only met 24 hours ago!

After we were finished at the notary office, they took us back to our hotel. It was only about a 15 minute drive.

When we got back to the room, it was lunch time. Khloe had some baby food and Daddy and I made ourselves cups of noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that we’d bought at the grocery store. We also found oreos, snicker bars, coke, sprite and some other goodies. We were eating that stuff like it was going out of style! For some reason, it all just tasted SO good! :) And we found out that baby girl loves all kinds of snacks and treats!

And would you just look at this sweetness?!

What a difference a day makes!!!! Our first smiles that we captured on camera! These pictures are priceless to us! Our baby girl that we LOVED SO MUCH was feeling safer, beginning to trust us and starting to come out of her shell. The best feeling in the world!!

Last picture of the day:

We really needed some clean undergarments and Khloe needed clean jammies. I had brought 4 pairs but she was sweating SO much when she was sleeping, she was soaking wet after napping/sleeping and we’d already gone through 3 pairs and only had 1 pair left for that night! Never fear! Super Mamma brought laundry detergent for emergency situations just like this!

We took all of our hanging clothes out of the closet and hung the wet clothes on all the hangers. One thing we’d learned since being in China, was how to improvise and roll with the punches. I don’t normally love situations where things aren’t perfect and I’m not in control (Yes, I know it’s a problem! ;) but my husband, my rock, was always there to be cool, calm and collected and keep me calm. As usual! Alone, we are each lacking and struggle with certain things, but together we have it all. We really make the best team! This experience was the most intense and most emotional thing we’ve ever been through together, but it was also the most incredible bonding experience for us as well.

For dinner that night, Daddy walked to Starbucks and McDonalds and brought back the delicious goodness for us to enjoy. Seriously, that was the most delicious fish sandwich and french fries I’d ever put in my mouth! ;) I normally don’t get too excited about that meal, but when you’ve been eating things you aren’t used to for several days, there’s just nothing like some comfort food that reminds  you of home! And the Starbucks…. he brought back a latte and a frappuccino with extra whipped cream too! YUMMMY!!! I had one in each hand and didn’t know what to do with myself! :)

What a great day. Khloe was now officially ours and we are officially hers! FOREVER! Thank you, Lord!!!