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.