The End Is Near

Guangzhou was the final step of our adoption journey.  This is where the US Consulate is located, and where we had to present all our adoption paperwork so the kids would be granted visas to enter the USA.  Saturday, we were the first family from our group to arrive, since the others had to wait for passports to be delivered.  So we got to get our medical exams for Zach and Molly out of the way first.  You can imagine, that since this is the city all the adoption agencies come to for visa, and all these kids need these exams here, it is a busy place.  They both needed basic exams of height, weight, listen to heart, temperature, vision, hearing, check the area of the birth defect.  Then off to another room for ears, nose and throat to be checked.  Since Zach is over 2, he also had to have a TB test.  2 days later he had to go back to the clinic with Mike so they could check the results of the TB test.  Good news, it was negative.  Tuesday was our Consulate appointment.  We waited in a room with several other families and took the immigration oath, swearing that all the information we provided was true to the best of our knowledge.  We then handed in all our paperwork then it was time to go back to our hotel.  Wednesday our visa packets were delivered to us at our hotel.  These were not to be opened until we gave them to the immigration officer when we arrived back in the US.  Thur we left by van for a 2 1/2 hour drive to Hong Kong, where we spent the night in a hotel next to the airport so we could leave early the next morning for the flight home.  If you ever wondered if the US is the only place where prices are gouged in places like that- nope.  We spent nearly $90 (US) for 2 meals of hamburgers and french fries, and one order of a club sandwich and fries, and 3 sodas at the restaurant inside the hotel.  How ridiculas, but what can you do?  It was the only thing close.  At least it was fairly good.  At 7:30 AM we left for the airport to come home!!!!  a 15 hour flight brought us into the US, where once we went through immigration the kids became citizens.  Then we had a half hour flight home. 

On to Nanning

Us with the director of Zach's orphanage (far right) and one of the nannies (far left)

As we signed official documents in China, every signature had to be sealed with a red ink thumb print

 

 

Our trip to Nanning started with a flight delay at the airport, of about an hour and a half.  Molly did great with the delay, sitting in her stroller, and Zach was only mildly annoyed.  We got to Nanning about bed time for the kids.  When we got into the hotel, we laid Molly on the bed to change her into her jammies and all of a sudden we had a different baby.  We had been getting a few smiles, and a small laugh here and there, but this night she started rolling all over the bed, playing with us.  She laughed and laughed great big baby belly giggles, especially when we would stop her rolls and then she would look at us, laugh and begin to roll away again.  We kept her up about a half hour past her bedtime just because she was so fun and this was a whole new side of our girl.  I just don't have a way to express what this meant to us.  Since we didn't have to go get Zach from his orphanage, we got to do most of our paperwork in our hotel with our CCAI guide.  He even got out of one long appointment by telling them we have a baby and it would be too hard on her to go to this on.  We did not get to visit Zach's orphanage, although we would have like to.  There was no quick way to get there and it was a 4 hour bus ride each way.  That would have been too hard on everyone with as much traveling as we have been doing.  One thing I noticed about Nanning, was how green it was.  Unlike the other cities we had visited, there were lots of trees and some grass.  It was still HOT - I don't think I've metioned that in a while, but at least it was pretty.  there was even a river view from our hotel room and they would light up the river at night with colored lights.  Mike and Zach had to go to an international health center to get Zach's orphange physical updated, since his had expired in the 2 years he has been in the USA, and Molly and I stayed in the hotel.  They met the director of Zach's orphange there, and she brought a bag of snacks for Zach that she remembered he liked from his time in the orphanage.  The following day, Aug 14, was Zach's adoption day at the registration office.  Just like with Molly, there was a set of families there from several different agencies.  As Mike walked around talking to other adoptive parents, we found one family who only lives about a half hour from us.  Small world.  His orphanage director was there again to sign papers and she brought Zach a gift of a "love ball" or "friendship ball" - something unique to his province.  It was confirmed for us that Zach's region is Cantonese, which was what Mike thought.  We went out for Cantonese food, and funny enough, Zach didn't seem to like it as well as the rest of us did.  Since we didn't have to wait for Zach's passport to be processed, we left for Guangzhou on Friday morning.

On To Zhengzhou

On the 5th, Mike's birthday, we left Beijng for the city in which we would receive Molly.  Our CCAI rep told the hotel it was Mike's birthday, and they brought him a birthday cake - a whole group of employees came to sing to him also... unforturnately, Mike had taken Zach to the pool so he wasn't there to see it.

The 6th, we went to the registration office with the 3 other families in our group to get our children. Much like labor, we were not exactly sure when our children would arrive. Mike and Zach passed the time in the play area, while I nervously watched the door.

Then our sweet girl arrived.  She was so brave, she didn't cry much and seemed to accept us alright.  Of course, I was in tears.   Such a tiny little thing, and so pretty.  We then signed gaurdianship papers, and had 24 hours to make sure we had the right child and that she did not have health problems we did not know about.  On the 7th we went back to the registration office and officially adopted our little Qiang Sheng Dang - soon to be Molly Qiang Lee.

On the 8th we went to Sanmenxia, the city in which Molly's orphanage is located.  We had to go there to apply for her passport.  We were asked questions by the passport officials, who were making sure we could support our child.  Then we went over to the orphanage.  We met her nannies, who told us what a serious girl she is, always thinking.  We saw her crib and when I sat her in it she cried.  She played one last time with her favorite playmate, who was himselft going to be heading to Sweden next month.

The 9th and 10th were waiting days for us.  We had nothing to do except enjoy our children, while our guide collected our notary paperwork on Thur and Molly's passport on Fri. 

Saturday afternoon we headed for Nanning to take care of Zach's adoption.

Photos from Beijing

Getting ready to take our tour of Ancient Beining in a bycicle rickshaw

Getting ready to tour the Forbidden City

Zach's new outfit we bought him at the silk factory

 

Beijing

Let me try to start at the beginning.  We left for China at 10 AM on Aug 1, and with the time change we arrived about 11 PM on Aug 2.  When we got to the airport the first thing I noticed was it was HOT in the airport.  After I asked Mike if it was really hot, or just me, he told me that most public buildings in China do not have air conditioning.  Mind you, summers in China are very hot and humid where we were.  We went through immigration coming through the airport and then went to get our bags.... only to find one was missing.  Now we flew out, with a layover in Atlanta, and another in Seatle before arriving in Beijing, so WHERE could our bag be?  Anywhere.  Good thing I took heed of some travel advice of packing a little for everyone in each suitcase so if any bags were lost, everyone would still have some clothes, thank goodness.  Now to report our missing bag in a country we didn't speak the language, or could even to read signs directing us...  and ours was the only plane load of people in the building at that hour, and all the others had already gotten their bags and left the area.  Mike finally found the right place, luckily they spoke some English and our bag was reported.  They were able to send someone out to tell our giude who met us that we were there, but delayed, so he waited for us to take care of that.  By the time we were ready to go through customs, we were the only family left and the  lady working just waved us through without checking anything.  I don't think she was supposed to do that.  Good for us though, as it saved us some time.

We got to the hotel around 1 AM on the 3rd.  We were exhausted, but we had a tour planned for the next morning (meeting in the lobby at 8:30 AM) to see Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, and one of the old parts of Beijing where we got to tour the neighborhood from the back of a bycicle rickshaw, and even go into someone's house to look around.  Very cool.  Although we were tired and did I mention how HOT it was there?  Many people in China carry umbrellas to keep the sun off them.  We ended up buying an umbrella hat from one of the venders in the square for Zach.  We learned a lot about the culture, especially while we viewed the old city.  Then we napped.

The next day we took a bullet train down to Tia'An City, where Mike was helping set up an RV factory while he was working in China, so he could see the progress that had been made.  His business associates took us to lunch at a Chinese restaurant and ordered a variety of food.  The dishes are all placed on a giant glass lazy suzan that covers most of a round table, only about a foot of the edge of the table is not taken up by the lazy suzan for our plates and cups.  This is the way the food was served in every restaurant we went to unless it was a place serving Western food.  Now, I am not particulary fond of Chinese food, but I was sitting by Zach helping him put food on his plate. I thought that would be my out, since I was busy with him, no one would notice what I didn't I did eat.  Not so.  Since I was busy and I was sitting next to Mrs, She, the president of the company, she was putting food on my plate for me.  It didn't look promising when the first thing out looked like a pig's foot.  I was able to find some things I liked though, and everyone took pity on my chopstick skills.  First they gave me toothpicks to stab the food with (you know I was bad, since stabbing your food in China is awful table manners - sorry Mom, I'm even an embarassment to you in a foreign country), then they found me a soup spoon to use, shaped more like a spoon rest in the US, only small, then finally someone from the restaurant brouoght me a Western spoon.    Have I mentioned it was hot?  I was felt sorry for there too, because I was simply melting.  The heat was bringing on hot flashes which just made it worse.  They gave me the best seat in the private room of the restaurant, where the air conditioning was blowing directly on me.  Oh, and in Tia'An, I had to do what no woman should have to do.....use a "Squatty Potty".  Basicly the toilet bowl is level with the floor and you must manage to squat over it to pee - with out peeing on your shoes or pants.  Luckily this was the only time in China I had to break down and do this.  Some other public places have Western pottys in the handicapped stall, or I would just wait - I am NOT to proud to be thought of as handicapped if it meant peeing with dignity).  And did I tell you that there is no toilet paper in these potties?  You either bring in your own, or you do without....... I won't tell you which I did.

The following day we left Beijing for our next destination.  We were getting worried since our bag had not yet shown up, but the night before we left,  we finally got ahold of someone from Delta who told us our bag would be arriving about 10 PM that night to the airport.  We would just pick it up the next morning before we boarded the plane to leave Beijing.

We had good quality time (when we weren't exhausted from the jet lag) with just Mike, Zach and Me.  Good thing to have before we picked up the baby.  More to come from our next destination...on anohter post.

We're Home!!

24 days away from home is way too many.  We had a good time in China, the best ones of course were - Gotcha Day for Molly, and Adoption Days for both kids.  Funny that even though Zach lived with us for a year, things worked out that we officially adopted Molly first.

Yesterday was a LONG day.  We left our hotel in Hong Kong about 7:30 AM Friday morning (or 7:30 PM Thursday night here).  Our plane took off at 10:25 and the journey home began.  Our flight from HK to Detroit was about 15 hours.  Molly did great, napping some, although never sleeping real well, even after I dosed her with Benadryl, she only did 3 hours.  Because of the US time, they kept the lights off in the plane most of our journey to allow people to sleep.  We were on one of the more modern planes (wish we had been on a modern one on the way to China,  but what can you do??) and at our seats were power outlets and USB outlets to charge our electronics.  We all also had a personal TV screen where we could pick movies, TV episodes, or even play games.  That was nice since Zach could watch Disney , while Mike picked his 'shoot em up" shows and I could do the chick flicks. 

Molly likes her food and it was touch and go at the end to see if her snacks would last all the way home.  They did.  She was pretty great through the flight, not much crying or fussing on that long plane ride, although the way she started out on the puddle jumper we took from Detroit home, we were afraid she would cry through that whole flight.  She didn't though.  By the time we got home, she was ready to be free on the floor and out of the confines of our laps or the car seat. 

We got through the airport to immigration in Detroit at  2:15, at which time Zach and Molly became US citizens.

We got to our home airport about 4:20 PM on Friday, and home by 5:30 - about 22 hours after we left the hotel.

We came home to the big boys at home, they made us biscuits and gravy for dinner, had signs up around the house welcoming us home, and big hugs for all.

We were exhausted, since none of us slept much on the plane, with the world travelers in bed by 7 PM.  Everyone slept through the night, except Molly who woke every 2 hours, but we were able to put her back to sleep  each time.  Molly is up from her nap now, so I will post more later!