On Friday morning, it was time to leave Henan Province (Zhengzhou) and head south to Guangzhou China. The first week you're in China for an adoption, you're working through the Chinese side of things in your child's province. There's Gotcha Day, official adoption paperwork completion, and passport paperwork. Celine picked up Lottie's passport on Friday morning and we headed for the airport. We had no issues checking our three bags and stroller and had over an hour to wait at our gate. Mary and Dad had a snack at a little Chinese fast food joint and Lottie decided she'd walk circles around the terminal. She walked and walked and walked!
We said goodbye to Celine. She took great care of us and was such a help as we worked through paperwork to get our girl!
Course Mom found an airport bookstore. With Disney stuff.
Lottie's first flight! She did great. A bottle, some snack crackers, and a good nap did the trick! Mom has been sweating profusely at this point. Airports in China do not believe in air conditioning. In fact, NOWHERE in China believes in air conditioning. Mom misses air conditioning.
The flight attendants were dressed in beautiful Chinese silk dresses. So pretty!
All our luggage came through quickly and we met up with our driver and new guide, Simon!
Off to the Garden Hotel for the next seven nights... then HOME!
The second week you're in China for an adoption, it's to work through the US side of things. There's a mandatory medical appointment, visa application paperwork, and appointment at the US Consulate. Then you wait on the Visa and you're out of here!
There's shopping and sightseeing throughout the week while you wait (zoo, pearl market, local sites, river cruise, etc) unless there's a TYPHOON hitting the area, then the schedule changes a bit and you get to know the hotel really well!
SATURDAY: MEDICAL APPOINTMENT/VISA PICTURE
The girls wore the one matching outfit that I'd brought, so we took a few pictures after breakfast.
On our way to the medical! Somebody's letting Daddy hold her!
Here was Mary on the bus ride to the medical.
Lottie did an awesome job getting her visa picture made! Simon pulled out his TAMBOURINE and she was mesmerized. The passport office in Zhengzhou needs to get them a tambourine.
Mary and Joshua liked the tambourine, too!
There was a bit more paperwork to be done...... Dad rocks this part!
Mom is already sweating. NO AIR in here either. I bout died.
Then Lottie got M.A.D.
I was trying to love on her, but I kept dripping sweat in her face. She didn't like that, either. Poor little thing. She sure looks cute in those ruffle shorts, though.
Lottie's thinking, "That lady in the mask isn't going to touch me. I'm staying with this one right here."
Mom's thinking: "Why is the doctor not sweating and I look like I've taken a bath with my clothes on?"
Lord have mercy.... GIVE ME THAT BABY.
This little cubicle had a fan in it. Mom and Lottie lingered in this cubicle for a minute.
Mary kept busy wallering on the floor with Mickey Mouse.
She did a great job making funny faces at Lottie trying to get her through all these little medical stops.....
This was the exact same doctor who did this examination on Mary five years ago. Lottie did not appreciate that fact. She wanted OUT OF THERE.
The doctor for the general examination was very nice!
Lottie did not care.
Please note that she is SHOVING that woman away from her. We call this Lottie's PUSH BACK. She's known for it. Does not only apply to doctors.
Please look at my face and hair: I am smiling on the outside. On the inside, I am thinking that this is what hell will feel like.
Lots of sweet families comforting their new child through the medical appointment.
These sweet kids, all with varying medical special needs, have had LOTS of doctor appointments in their short lives. But FOR THE FIRST TIME, they've had a Mama and Daddy to hold them, wipe their tears, and help them through it.
I love that.
Also thankful for the fella in the orange shirt - that's our guide, Simon.... he was great to talk to the kids in Chinese and try to explain to them what was happening. Love that, too.
After Dad finished up some Lottie's visa application paperwork with Simon and some of the other parents (while the girls and I rested in the room), we decided to venture out to the Walmart. We'd been warned that there was a historical typhoon coming our way, and we needed to stock up on supplies. Apparently, every one of the millions and millions and millions of people in China had the very same idea and came to the very same Walmart at the very same time to do the very same thing. It was beyond crowded in that place. And do you think the Walmart in China has air conditioning? No. No it does not.
I do not know why Joe is smiling here.
There was really nothing to smile about.
Well, THIS is something to smile about, I guess. We found the children's book section and the SCHOOL SUPPLY SECTION. This was AWESOME. Not sure these are necessary typhoon supplies, but we got some just in case.
China puzzle!
RICE SECTION! THIS WAS NEAT!
Mary wanted some slippers like she wore at the foster care center. We couldn't find the kind with bunnies, but she was happy to have these.
Mom and Mary in their happy place.
The BEST part of this extraordinarily chaotic line was that it was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEAT SECTION. It did not smell good. I didn't get any pictures cause I kept telling Mary not to look at it. I kept telling her to LOOK AT THE TURTLES we were standing next to in line instead. That's right. Checkout impulse buys here are things like TURTLES right next to the Skittles. We got some skittles. Did not get a turtle.
But boy oh boy, we got a lot of these suckers. These are little round cracker things. They make Lottie VERY happy during things like medical appointments, plane and bus rides, waits for food in restaurants, bath time.... basically, they make her happy all the time. So, typhoon supply? I think so.
Another important typhoon supply - Disney notebooks. LOOK HOW CUTE.
So, here was our complete typhoon preparation Walmart haul: apple juice, Paw Patrol cookies, fruit pouches, a pack of Coke Zeros, a big ole jug of water, two LARGE packs of the cracker rounds, two ponchos, a puzzle of China, some Disney notebooks, cat pens, Chinese character pencils, a beginner calligraphy pen, and some pencils with scenes from China on them.
I think we're ready.
Typhoon ain't got nothing on the Walmart checkout line.
OH. And I should note. There are MULTIPLE entrances and exits at the Walmart. And if you don't go out the same one you came in, you're in a whole different part of China when you get back on the street. We got VERY, VEEERRRRYYYY lost. And we're toting a lot of stuff, a stroller, and two kids. We had to walk A LONG, LONG way back to the hotel. Like MILES. I'm not kidding. We had to get on Google Maps, which pointed us in the right direction until our phone ran out of battery. We wound up walking along the literal HIGHWAY pushing our stroller of supplies while I carried Lottie. FOR MILES. Finally, Joe stepped into a Starbucks and asked for directions. They pointed in the direction we were going (thank goodness) and said five more minutes that way. MILES, I tell you. It was a low point, for sure.
Except for this. Joe stepped in on a wedding photo shoot to take a quick shot..... said he kept thinking this would be us in a few years!
SUNDAY: SIGHTSEEING, SHOPPING, and STORMS
We visited beautiful Shamian Island toady! Lovely view of the city!
These sweet sweepers are probably trying to figure out how they're going to keep all the leaves picked up during the storm. It had started really getting windy by this point.
The statues on the island are my favorite!
This gorgeous jade piece is in The White Swan Hotel. This is where adoptive families used to stay during their visit to Guangzhou. The US Consulate and medical facility used to be on the island and staying at the White Swan made things so easy.... in the last few years, the consulate and medical building have moved, so most families choose other hotels now.
Look at the jade ship! incredible!
Smiley's personality is really starting to come out!
LOVE HER.
Lots of folks playing games and doing exercises on the island.
Then it was time to visit the Pearl and Jade market.
AMAZING place.
We got a few things here..... just a few.
These are not our things. But LOOK AT ALL THE PEARLS.
Traditional Red Couch photo! Didn't get one with Mary last time because the hotel was closed, so we were thrilled to get it this time! All adoptive families in the past have taken a picture with their newly adopted kiddos on this couch. OH, the miracles that have been on this red couch! Just THINK of all the stories that have been RIGHT THERE. Here are SIX of them..... two of them, Mary and Zao (spell?) are about five years into their story. The other four? About five days..... SO GREAT.
My two stories.
(Pictures out of order - back to the island): We spotted a shop that was open on the island (most were closed because of the storm), so we all did some shopping. Mom's working on her stash of Gotcha Day gifts for Lottie (she'll get one gift every year on Gotcha Day until she's 18!) and got some silks for both girls and some gifts for Mary's class back at home!
MONDAY: TYPHOON SHUTDOWN - STAY PUT
So. What do you do all day when a typhoon has shut down the city around you and your trip to the zoo gets canceled? Well.... you sleep late, take your time at breakfast, take more pictures, play in the lobby, ride the escalator a gozillion times, go to the playroom with your new friends, go for walks up and down the hallway, take a good nap, and go to dinner with your travel group. It was a GREAT, relaxing day.
The typhoon did a good deal of damage around the hotel (and city, I'm sure).... we saw a lot of debris when we walked to dinner tonight and Simon sent us a video showing the lobby of the White Swan (hotel we visited yesterday) totally flooded. But we were safe and happy on the 25th floor of the Garden Hotel and had everything we needed to stay busy and comfortable.
Lots of folks were praying us through the storm!
We worried absolutely ZERO.
So tomorrow is our appointment at the US Consulate. After that, it's all downhill! We're having a marvelous time - truly - but we're ready to see our boys and have our whole family together under one roof.
Four more sleeps in China.
If it's still Monday. Is it still Monday? I dunno.
Pretty sure.
Four more sleeps.
