A few pictures of the days

David's old bed

David & Rebekah outside the orphanage

Precious treasure

Well, here we are in Guangzhou, the last stop before heading home. Before I go into much detail about this place I need to go back a few days.

On Saturday the 10th ,we headed north out of Nanjing to Lianyungang, the city where David's orphanage was. The van ride was a long 4 1/2 hours with 3 little babies in tow. We did enjoy the sights on the way up, including the Yangtse River, green rice fields, and people riding bikes carrying HUGE loads of hay. Lianyungang is right on the Yellow Sea. It is smaller than Nanjing, but still has 4.5 millon people including all of the districts. It was late when we arrived so we headed straight for bed in anticipation of seeing Lianyungang in the daylight. When we woke up we looked out the window of our hotel to see mountains right behind us. As we headed down the elevator we saw the sea sprawling before us on the other side. An amazing site.

We took a short walk on the island near our hotel. The old time fishing boats were of particular interest. Fishing is a big of the economy in this area. We then looked through more of David's information to see where he was abandoned. We found out that his spot of abandonment was about 1 hour away from Lianyungang. Jason decided to stay with David at the hotel for naps while I went with our tour guide to the place where David was found. We drove west from Lianyungang to a very rural, agricultural area. The homes were quite small and made of stone, surrounded by fields and livestock. Quite different from Lianyungang. We arrived in the city of Donghei and found the hospital and even the chair where David began his journey to us. Quite an emotional moment and very special. After quite a few pictures we headed back to Lianyungang to meet the others.

The next day we went to the orphanage. Jason and I had planned to take turns going in while the other person stayed with David outside the orphanage. Jason went in and was able to view where David spent his first 15 months of life. He slept in a crib right next to a baby girl who was adopted by a family from Parker, just 5 miles from our home. We joked that the kids were neighbors in the orphanage and now they will be neighbors in Colorado. The kids lived out their lives in three rooms - the crib room, playroom, and washroom. David's area was primarily babies and toddlers. The other part of the orphanage had kids who were middle school or high school age. It was hard to see these children who so desperately need a family. The older kids were very aware of what was going on and why we were there. All the kids were "special needs" as far as we could tell. The nannies seemed to be very invested in the lives of the children. David's nanny had the day off on the day we visited, but apparently she had been his nanny for 12 months of his life. The administrative staff seemed very kind. They were willing to answer any questions they could. They told us that when they first received him, he was very ill and frail, even near death. They also said he is obstinate and a fighter. Having observed him the past week and a half, it goes without saying that that is why he survived.

Although it was very hard, we were very glad to be able to visit the orphanage. I feel like I have a much better idea of what is going on with him by just seeing where he came from.

From the orphanage we headed directly back to Nanjing to catch a flight to Guangzhou. After a 6 hour van ride back and a 2 hour flight - through which David slept :) - we arrived in Guangzhou. We hit the pillows close to midnight, but were thrilled to be one step closer to home.

David's health gets better daily. He is trying new foods and drinking formula like crazy, both answers to prayer.

Each day also brings us one step closer to home. Now in Guangzhou, the last stop for all American families, we see why this is considered the hub of Chinese adoption. So many families, so many children. It is truly wonderful to see. We ate "western food" for lunch. The hamburger was fine, nothing like Red Robin, but the warmth of the sunshine and the people was great. While there, a woman (who was here to tour, not for adoption) asked me how old my "precious treasure" was. Of course had no idea that the meaning of his Chinese name is "precious treasure baby."

Getting Used to each other

The past two days have been free days, no appointments or paperwork, only waiting for paperwork to be finished and for the next appointments, which are next Tuesday. We received his Chinese passport today, which was the final piece of documentation we needed here in Nanjing. So we have several days to do nothing but get used to one another. David's health seems to continue to improve, as does his eating. His sleep habits should come along as he does better with eating so that he is not so hungry in the night. Tomorrow we travel to Lianyungang, David's hometown, then visit the orphanage on Monday. Of course we will not be taking him back inside the building, but we look forward to being able to see it ourselves.

Tonight we stepped back into western civilization for a few moments when we got a Papa John's pizza for dinner. Not quite like the real thing, but close enough. Right now we are hearing an eruption of fireworks and honking horns outside. We have no idea why, and it is a reminder of how little we understand of this culture. Today a man walked up to Jason, pulled the hood down from David's face, and said (in Mandarin) "That looks just like a Chinese baby!" He was dead serious. This has been an unforgettable experience.

Thank you for all your prayers as it is obvious that David's comfort and health improve daily.

One step closer

Yesterday was another big day, beginning very early. David seems to be a morning person (the day started at about 5:30 or so), which would have been easier if he wasn't a night person (he was awake for most of that as well). After breakfast, we went back to the "Center for International-Related Marriage and Adoption" and finalized the adoption. It was the same location where we had picked up David the prior day. After signing alot of papers that we couldn't read, we left with a very official looking certificate that (we're told) says that he is now officially ours. While there, we also applied for his Chinese passport, which we will need to go to the US Embassy in Guangzho to get him a US passport. Lots of steps, bt slowly we continue to get over each one, and each one is one step closer to being home together. After the appointment we went to the Chinese equivalent of Wal-Mart, a fascinating experience in itself. This store is buried under a skyscraper in the 2nd and 3rd basement levels. The big hit purchase was the stroller, which to our surprise, David really seems to like. Afeter taking him around outside for a bit, we came back to the room and all were ready to call it an early night. Throughout the day he seemed to eat a bit better.

Last night David slept a bit better, though he was still up quite a bit through the night. The good part of that is that he ate quie a bit during the night. Although he remains sick, it seems it is most likely something simple like a respiratory and ear infections. We have amoxicillin for him, and we should be able to get the infection cleared with that.

We all continue to get used to one another and are working hard to bond. We appreciate your prayers toward that end, and also for rest, health and appetite for all.

Finally in the arms of Mom and Dad

Gotcha!

Hooray! This is the day we have been waiting for ! The day began about 5:30a.m. for us (because I couldn’t sleep anymore J ) We had our breakfast then we were off to the registration building. On our way our guide said , “ In 15 minutes you will meet your child”. Our anticipation grew. We arrived at the registration building and headed in. It was at that time we were told that our children were not here yet but still driving down from the orphanage in Lianyungang. We observed another family who was in a room receiving their child. Tears were coming to my eyes and it wasn’t even our child yet. We waited in the room for just about 15minutes. Out the window we saw the van park and out walked the orphanage director and some other helpers. We recognized David right away. Now the tears started flowing. The other family with us was getting a girl and she was with them as well. They came into the room with us. The director was holding David. We didn’t know quite what to do or at least what was culturally appropriate, so we waited and just talked to him while he was in the directors arms. Finally, the time came when she handed him over to me. I spoke the very little Chinese that I know , assuring him that I was his ma ma and that Jason was his ba ba . We also told him in Chinese that we love him .

He went to both of us without any fuss. We held him close and facing us, encouraging attachment. I had brought a little plastic car with me. He loved it. I don’t know if it was because it was a car or that it made noise when you shake it. The director told us that David likes things that make music and noise. I thought that was a good sign in many ways. For one it means that his hearing is o.k. and two it means that he will fit in well with his sisters.

We signed a bunch of papers and got our picture taken together for a “public announcement”. Next we left for the hotel. David was very content with his dad. He even laughed out loud when Jason tickled himJ . We tried feeding him a bottle when we got back since we weren’t sure when he last ate. He didn’t think much of it and just fussed. So that is when I decided to do “the sway” , and sing praise songs to him. I don’t know which worked best but he finally fell asleep. Now we are waiting to go sign more papers, pick up laundry, and get a small stroller. We are hopeful that he will eat when he is hungry. I guess a typical concern for any parent with a new baby.

We have been very thankful that David seems to connect with us and wants us to hold him, but he is having difficulty with eating and seems to have an upper respiratory infection. We took him to the Children's Hospital here to have him seen (quite an experience in itself) and were given an antibiotic and expectorant. Please remember David in your prayers regarding his eating and a respiratory infection.

Arrival to Nanjing

We are finally here in Nanjing following a very busy time in Beijing. We welcome the slightly slower pace of Nanjing. It seems here there are a lot fewer cars and more motorbikes. It is Sunday and it obviously a "market day" for people here. We look forward to exploring our surroundings.

Tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. we will finally meet our son. We are very excited and a bit nervous. It was something else to walk into our hotel room and see a little crib all made up for our son. Our tour guide here, Savor, has already given us some of the Chinese formula and rice cereal.

The next time we post we will have our son!

A View of China

Wow. What an incredible day. After our very large breakfast, which included everything from cereal to congee to steamed biscuits, we headed out on our adventures for the day with Helen, our tour guide, and another family from Michigan who are also adopting.

First off, we went to Tinamen Square and the Forbiddeen City. We weren't able to visit all 9,999 rooms in the emperors palace , but we got our fill. The palace is 960 meters long and 750 meters wide. Needless to say Jason got his walking in for the day.

Next, we went to lunch at little local place with outstanding food. Lots of spice and plenty of jasmine tea. We then went and toured by rickshaw ( a bike like carriage); the Hutongs, the "old city" of Beijing. The homes are all one story high, with four corners, and connecting courtyards. People still live in this area today, and consider it an honor to have a place within the "old Bejing". We had a chance to visit a local woman there and have tea in her house, where she lives with her mother, grandmother, and son.

Next, we were off to the "kungfu" show at The Red Theatre. We were greatly impressed with the athleticism and dancing ability of the performers.

Lastly, we were taken to the "Peking Duck" resturant. We were still stuffed from breakfast and lunch, but still enjoyed the experience.

We enjoy all of the tours, but we are most excited to meet our son.

A long day, but we made it

After a very long day of travel, we arrived in Beijing this afternoon (November 1). Thanks to a sympathetic flight attendant, I was able to stretch out in businees class for part of the flight, which was very helpful. Our travel really went without a hitch. We are very tired and as it is evening here, are going to rest and post more soon.