Monday In Guangzhou

On Monday morning Jing Xin seemed to be feeling better. We were supposed to go with other families from our agency to Shamian Island.  We asked her if she felt like going and she was eager to go out. I knew if she started to feel worse that we could always grab a taxi back to the hotel.  Shamian Island is just beautiful.  It is the home of the White Swan hotel where American families used to stay for adoptions.  We stayed in this area when adopting Mary Bailey and Anneli.  We have such wonderful memories of being there. This island was a previous home to the British consulate so all of the buildings are composed of British architecture.  It is a quiet oasis away from the bustling city of Guangzhou.  The White Swan hotel is still being renovated.  It  has been closed for several years.  There are still many tourist shops open.  There is a Catholic church on the island.  We had hoped to go inside but it was not open during our time there. I was able to find some very inexpensive squeaky shoes for Maya Grace and Hadley, our granddaughter.  They are only $8 and $10!  In the US they sell for around $30! We ate lunch at the Lucy's restaurant there.  It is where we had our very first meal with Mary Bailey so lots of sweet memories! Mary Bailey's first solid food that we gave her were mashed potatoes from Lucy's. 

Little bit has decided in the past few days that she does not like having her photo made so none of her here! I have not forced it with her but it makes me sad! I have even taken a few on my phone and then found that she had deleted them off.  Silly girl! 

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Shamian Island

Play area on the island behind Lucy's near the river.

When we returned to the hotel Ally Kate and Maya Grace took a nap.  Mary Bailey has been begging me literally begging me for months to allow her to get have a hair cut to get bangs.  As we were walking near the hotel I saw a salon which looked upscale with prices in the window.  A shampoo, cut, and style was 60 rmbs with a junior stylist.  That is $10 US! Since she and Anneli had been such troopers on this trip Billy and I decided to "treat" them by letting them go.  Anneli had inches of split ends and we knew we could not get a hair cut in the US for that amount. Here are photos from Q Salon!  For those who may need a cut in China it is out the Japanese Consulate side of the Garden around the corner  from 7/11. It is on the left.  It was an interesting experience.  One employee spoke excellent English.  There was a person who washed the hair.  A different person who dried the hair.  The hair dryer person had a helper who held up the layers of hair while the other dried. The stylist had on a belt with all of this scissors, combs, etc. and he/she walked from chair to chair to style. Mary Bailey LOVES her bangs and they make her look so much more grown up! 

Oh, and I must share they served us all  hot water in a mug.  I do.not. understand the hot water concept in China.  Our guide told me that I must get Jing Xin a water bottle to keep her warm water to drink.  Jing Xin will NOT drink cold water but only warm to hot.  Billy went to the Aeon store to the 4th floor and bought her a thermos type bottle.  She takes sips of the warm water all day long.  

After the salon we went back to the hotel apartment.  Our guide had planned an outing to a local park to see lanterns which are only lit at night.  Billy and Mary Bailey joined the group.  I knew that Jing Xin did not need out on the night air. Anneli being a momma's girl did not want to go without me.  So the younger three girls and I hung out in the apartment and had instant noodles. We had fun with Jing Xin using google translate conversations!  She is such a joy!  

Saturday and Sunday

I am in a brain fog right now but going to try and catch up our blog.  Saturday morning Jing Xin and I had her last medical visit! We learned her TB test was negative and her chest X-ray was clear! 

Saturday was our originally scheduled check in day at the Garden.  Our adoption agency travel agency offered to upgrade us free to an apartment!  We spent time packing and moving to the new area.  It is not as ornate and decorative as the hotel but very nice! We have two bedrooms - one with queen size bed and one with the Chinese version of double beds, two bathrooms - one full an one with shower, full kitchen with all implements needed, and washer/dryer! I will post a few photos for those who may be interested in seeing it. 

It is wonderful having more space!! We are so grateful to SSIT for arranging this for us. 

Billy took the three big girls skating at Martyr's park which is near the hotel.  Ally Kate JingXin was one happy girl.  Billy said it was obvious that she had skated before. While they were there Maya Grace and I walked to the former Jusco store now called Aeon.  It is a Macy's/Belk style store.  It is expensive in my opinion.  I went to look for Ally Kate a pair of jeans.  She wants to wear jeans like the other big girls. I only brought her one pair which are like jeggings and since she insists that she must wear two layers of pants they do not work.  It will be interesting to see this little one in the heat of the Alabama summers.  Hopefully she will not insist on the multi-layers of clothing that she wears here.  After a lot of hand gestures I finally found a pair in an affordable to me price range. I was once again of reminded how the Chinese shopping system works.  Someone helps you in a department.  They write a duplicate receipt for you.  You then go to a cashier to pay.  The cashier takes your money and gives you one of the duplicates back plus the register receipt.  You then return the receipts to the original department where you chose the item and the salesperson then gives you your item. 

After getting all settled in the apartment we met with our guide to go over the paperwork required for the visa application/consulate appointment.  Our appointment is 2/19 and this will be our last piece of official business in China. 

There are currently nine families here from our agency. A dinner was arranged for the families at a noodle shop behind the Garden.  It was nice gathering with other families. When we returned back to the hotel I noticed that Ally Kate was not acting herself.  I felt of her and she felt a little warm.  She laid down on the bed and fell sound asleep.  I did not sleep well the entire night due to my fear that she was getting ill.  When we woke up on Sunday morning she said she felt fine and did not feel as if she had a fever. 

We went on a bus with other families to visit Chen Clan Family Temple.  It is a beautiful place but our trip was very hurried due to the number of families who started out by shopping and this took up much of the time. 

We left there and went to a park.  On the way there I noticed that Ally Kate was not acting her usually bubbly self.   While we were walking in the park I felt of her and she definitely had a fever.  She motioned for me to pick her up.  She initially said that her ear hurt and then said her head hurt. I held her and she immediately feel asleep in my arms.  Our time there was to only be an hour so I just sat in one spot with her while the others walked around.  Our guides were working to try and find a physician to see her.  I did not want to go to a Chinese hospital.  The clinic at the Garden Hotel did not have an MD available until 7pm that evening.  Our guides located another Western style clinic who agreed to see her at 2:30pm that afternoon.  We returned to the hotel for around 30 minutes prior to leaving for the clinic appt.  I was able to give her children's Tylenol and her fever started breaking. The clinic was called Eur Am International Medical Center.  We were seen almost immediately upon arriving there.  The physician was Asian and spoke excellent English as did the other staff there.  The MD looked at her throat and said that her tonsils were swollen and has pus on them. He did blood work which showed that she did have a bacterial infection.  We were given Amoxil, Flagyl, and a cough medication. The total cost was $194 US. Much better than in the good ole USA! We were very thankful for our guides for helping us to get Ally Kate seen so quickly. Obviously we stayed in the rest of this day.  Thankful that Anneli and I had visited a small market on Saturday night after dinner and stocked up on snacks and instant noodles.  They came in handy for dinner. 

Fun Friday!

YAY! If I can finish this blog post I will be all caught up.  Today started with Ally Kate and I meeting our guide to travel to the clinic appt.  We were in and out very quickly.  Ally Kate was a pro at breathing the water vapors today and getting up the required sputum for the test.  She had a chest X-ray today too. I had her in multiple layers on top but only one pair of pants.  She told our guide that her legs were cold so when we returned to the hotel I took her to our room and put another layer on her. I need practice being a Chinese mother!  Billy and the other girls were just heading down for breakfast so it was perfect timing. After breakfast we went out behind the restaurant to the luscious gardens and fish ponds.  The girls had fun feeding the fish. I did not have my iphone or camera so I have no photos.  It was such a nice way to start the day.  We returned back to our room to find that housekeeping was present.  We made a quick decision to take the girls to the playroom here in the hotel.  On the way to the playroom we saw our guide Helen.  Jing Xin went up to her and started chattering away.  She was alarmed because "someone was in our room doing something and she did not know what and why we could not go in". Helen looked confused so we told her to tell Ally Kate that it was the ladies who clean the room. She was ok after being told what was happening. It was a great choice to go to the playroom because the girls got out a lot of energy.  It is so much fun with each day that passes getting to learn more about Ally Kate.  While in the playroom we discovered that she is made out of "rubber bands" just like Mary Bailey.  She is as limber.  She was cracking us up with some of her movements. While in the playroom Billy revealed to me that he was having a very hard time being back at the Garden due to her mother passing away while we were here in Dec. 2012 adopting Maya Grace.  I feel horrible that I did not even think about him having those feelings brought back up by returning here. Please pray for him to have peace. 

Since it was much warmer today that yesterday we walked to a park that is nearby.  There is a small amusement park area for children.  When we entered Jing Xin typed in my iphone translation app "smooth and level".  She was telling me she was NOT adventurous on amusement park rides!   Andrea, Jr.??  She then kept saying something to me over and over and over and over.  I had NO idea what she was saying and she was becoming even more frustrated that I did not understand her.  In desperation I called up Mrs. Sue in Alabama (my girl's second mother who speaks Mandarin)!  It was learned that Ally Kate saw a sign coming into the park advertising roller skating.  She wanted to SKATE!!  I left the amusement park area and found the skating area.    It was closed as it did not open until 2pm and she was SO upset.  Billy was swinging Maya Grace in the children's playground area and I made the decision to leave him there and take the other girls back to the hotel.  I knew the only way for Ally Kate to get passed the roller skating desire was to leave the park and distract her with something else.  This child is beautiful inside and out even with her buzzed hair cut! 

We had a nice walk back and stopped and bought nail polish for a little girl bonding time.  They chose "princess" pink with pink glitter.  We stopped in the 7/11 and each girl picked out instant noodles and a drink to have for lunch. 

Daddy came back with Maya Grace sound asleep in the stroller.  She had obviously used up all of her energy.  While she was napping I decided to take Ally Kate for eyeglasses. I will copy and paste my Facebook post here - "I have to share how many wonderful people are still left in the world! When we received Jing Xin we learned for the first time that she wore glasses. She had only pulled them out once to watch television. At her medical yesterday an eye test was given. The poor baby could not read the eye chart. A very brief eye exam was performed where the computer reads the eyes. The printout said her vision was -3.50 in both eyes. My eyes are -2.50 and -2.25 and I can't see far away without my glasses so I KNEW she was not seeing much at all at a distance. Her arms of her glasses were horribly stretched out and one arm had broken off and a crud piece of wire was holding them together. Even though we were hit with unexpected expenses I could not stand the thoughts of her not being able to see. As we were walking to the Trust Mart near the hotel I noticed an optical shop. I decided to walk there this afternoon (Friday afternoon in China) with Jing Xin and Mary Bailey. Our guide had told us that children's glasses would be $50 US in China and I knew they would be more than that in the US. The optical shop was very nice and the optometrist spoke enough English that I could easily communicate with her. I explained that we had adopted Jing Xin on Monday. I showed her the printout from the medical examination and I showed her Jing Xin's glasses. She said "bad" for child when looking at the print out. I "re-exam her". She took her upstairs and performed multiple tests. She tried multiple lenses on her. Her eyes were found to be -3.50 as the other test had shown. Her glasses were the correct prescription when checked. The optometrist took the glasses, cut the make-shift wire off, and repaired the arm. She then held them over a blow dryer type device on a stand. She heated the glasses and using very nimble fingers she kept working on them. When she finished her work the glasses looked NEW! She handed me the glasses and I told Jing Xin to put them on. Jing Xin smiled a big smile and started looking around. I asked the optometrist "how much". She looked at me crossed her hands in front of her in a wave and said "FREE, no charge!" I wanted to give her a huge hug but being in China I just reached out and shook her hand and made eye contact and said "THANK YOU SO MUCH". I left with tears streaming down my face. I pray that this sweet lady will be very blessed for her huge act of kindness today! My little bit looks absolutely adorable in her little pink glasses!"

We came back to the hotel and then we all went out walking for a bit.  Billy got pizza for dinner.  The girls are getting settled in for sleep.  Daddy will take Jing Xin back to the park to skate tomorrow.  Jing Xin is super excited!!  I pray it is open the hours that they had posted.  Since tomorrow is officially the day that we were to arrive in Guangzhou we will be changing our hotel room.  Our agency had arranged for us to have a free upgrade to the apartment side of the Garden Hotel.  We will have 2 BR. plus kitchen with washer.  This will be a money saver for us with meals and laundry.  Another huge unexpected blessing when the agency offered to make these arrangements.  We had no idea it was even an option!  Maya Grace and I will hang out and get settled in the new room while Daddy takes the big girls to the park.  

I will close with a random photo! The fashions here are really interesting! 

Thursday in Guangzhou

Today started very early!  Ally /Kate Jing Xin and I had to meet our guide Helen at 7:30am in the hotel lobby to travel to the first of three clinic appointments.  We let Daddy and the other girls sleep. The purpose of the three visits is to test Jing Xin for tuberculosis.  The clinic opens at 8am so our guide wanted us to be there when they opened.  Jing Xin could not eat before going so I was fine with the early time. Our guide explained that traffic was very light in Guangzhou due to Chinese New Year as most traveled back to their home towns.  Another interesting tidbit - In the lobby of the building that houses the medical clinic you will find a vending machine in which you can buy bottles of wine!  We entered the clinic area and our guide got Jing Xin registered.  She was taken in to a room and the door was closed.  I was out in the hall and could see in through the glass.  They kept having her take multiple sips of water, gargle, then swallow.  After each time they asked her to cough.  They had a vial to collect the sputum.  She could not cough enough to produce the sputum.  The nurse then starting hitting Jing Xin on the back.  I use hitting because that is what she was doing.  It was not too hard but definitely not soft.  This act still did not help.  I wanted to rush in and rescue my baby girl from them!  After they realized this was not going to work they took her into another room.  They assembled what appeared to me to be a nebulizer machine.  They had her put a tube in her mouth for her to breathe water vapors.  After a short time she was able to cough up sputum.  This was repeated multiple times until she could get enough out to obtain the needed amount.  As if this was not enough she then had to have a huge tube of blood drawn.  All of the nurses and our guide remarked on how cooperative Jing Xin was and how well she did with the procedures.

We went back to the hotel and hurriedly had breakfast only to have to return back to the clinic for the rest of the exam.  A very quick physical exam was completed.  She weighed 44 pounds complete with her coat, hat, and layers on clothing on! She is so tiny to be almost 9 yo.  Her height which is accurate was 47 inches.  The poor baby could not read the eye chart. It had hands pointing in different directions and she had to turn her hand in the direction of the hands on the chart. An eye exam was done and the computer print out was -3.50 in both eyes.  We are planning to get her glasses here in China ASAP.  One thing I had forgotten and think is really cool is the way that patients are dressed at this clinic.  Each patient must remove their street clothing. They change into sweat suit type pants and tops - dark pink for females and blue for males.  Much better than the crazy back out American hospital gowns.

All six of us went to the second clinic visit along with another family from our agency.  While there we met another family from ALABAMA! They live in Madison outside of Huntsville.  It is a SMALL world!

I mentioned this on Facebook but it totally cracked me up.  Billy is the most frugal human in the world and so careful with money.  We had to pay 3000 rmbs for the medical exam.  The guide took our money to pay and came back with the change.  She handed the receipt and change to Billy.  Jing Xin took it from him and looked at the receipt.  She then counted the change to make sure it was correct.  Oh my does God have a sense of HUMOR!

Upon leaving the medical visit we went to the tomb of Western Han Nanyue King.  This is an incredible "field trip".  Back in the 1980s a hotel was being built on this site.  As the land was being excavated this tomb was discovered.  This emperor had died in 160s BC.  You can go into the actual tomb and then tour the museum which has all the artifacts found buried with him.  He was buried with his multiple wives, concubines, servants and material possessions to carry with him into the afterlife. They had to drink poison and as a result died shortly after him.  He was buried in a jade garment shown below.  It is estimated that he was in his 40s at the time of his death.  His teeth and part of his skull are on display. I love history and this was fascinating.

After the visit we returned to the hotel room so Maya Grace could take a nap.  We had instant noodles for lunch.  After being in for a bit we ventured back out.  It is unusually cold here so we only took a quick walk to the Trust Mart aka mini Wal-mart.  We had not brought any "toys" at all with us other than the iPad and Kindles.  We let the girls chose markers, colored pencils, stickers, sketch books and coloring books. Jing Xin loves shopping and starts grabbing everything.  She responds fine though when we say "no" and have her put an item back on the shelf. As we were checking out at the Trust Mart my little bit spotted the KFC! She made it known that she wanted to eat there.  Since it was dinner time we ventured inside.  The kid's meals were very interesting - the chicken patty contained carrots, corn, and green peas!

We returned to the hotel and got settled in for the night!  Jing Xin sat in my lap and we asked each other questions with google translate.  She is a bright little one.  She easily types in the pinyin and chooses the character to chose what she is saying. Did I say that I love this kid!   She asked me if she had to have an "injection" at her next clinic appointment.  I assured her that she did not.  She told me her favorite color was pink. I asked her if she would like to go to the park after her morning clinic appt.  She said "Yes, morning or afternoon?" Below my quadruple blessings. You can see how tiny Jing Xin is in this photo when compared to the other girls.

Wednesday in Nanning

Today we visited the Guangxi Provincial Museum. Guangxi has a large number of minorities within its borders. The museum was interesting to learn of the different minorities, their dress, habits, etc. We believe that our Anneli is of the Zhuang minority in China so we especially focused on those exhibits.  We then visited the 

Qingxiu Scenic Area - Longxiang Pagoda

On the top of the mountain stands Longxiang pagoda or Qingshan pagoda which is the symbol of the Qingxiu Mountain. It was first built in the Wanli period (1573-1620) of the Ming Dynasty, but was destroyed by war. It was rebuilt in the mid-1980s and become the highest and largest pagoda in Guangxi. The pagoda retains the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty; inlaid with green bricks and tiles and featuring a 9-tiered octagonal exterior. The three big girls and I walked up about five floors into the pagoda.  It was really cold so we did not go further.

It was very beautiful and peaceful! The open air trolley ride there was really cold! Our time there was a little rushed since we had a time deadline to get to the airport. It is a gorgeous area and would be a fabulous place to visit in mild weather.  Both of these were wonderful homeschool "field trips"! 

We headed back to the hotel just in time to check out and get to the airport for our flight. 

All about Ally Kate! I expressed my true feelings of fear to several of those close to me.  It was scary adopting a child who is almost 9 yo.  I kept thinking what is she does not like us?  What is she does not want to be adopted?  What if she tries to run away?  I am laughing at myself now.  She will NOT let either of us out of her site.  When we are out and she can't see one of us she immediately starts calling Mama or Baba.  I was thinking on the van ride how when a mother gives birth to a child she can immediately know her child's cry in a room full of children.  Yesterday while we were out I kept hearing children calling their Mama's name.  I instinctively knew immediately when Jing Xin was calling me.  Her little voice has already penetrated her momma's spirit.  I know that we may be in the "honeymoon" period and that her behavior may change but she is so sweet.  Today at breakfast she served Mary Bailey noodles first before putting any food on her plate.  We have seen several selfless acts like this from her.  She says "xie xie" when given something. She has wonderful self-care skills.  She brushes her teeth like clockwork without being asked.  She bathes without hesitation.  If Maya cries she asks concerns.  

This is a random post so forgive me.  CLOTHES POLICE! They are still alive and well in China!  When visiting Jing Xin's home on Tuesday I was scolded because she just had on one layer of pants.  They had her go put another pair on.  At dinner one night I was scolded and told that Maya Grace's clothes were too thin for cold weather. At the musuem today I my first experience with a  MAN CLOTHES POLICE.  I had Maya Grace on my back in the Ergo.  Somehow her pant leg had gotten pulled up so the bottom leg was showing.  A man came and started pointing and pulling her pant leg down.  I do not know how Chinese children breathe with all the layers of clothes they are made to walk around wearing.  I can say for certain they will never get cold!

Ally Kate's first flight! Our guide took us to the China Southern counter to check in for our flight.  Ally Kate acted all excited and starting speaking to our guide.  Sarah told us that Ally Kate asked "why is the luggage going away?  Are they stealing it?".  We entered the line for pre-screening to be allowed to enter the security screening area of the airport.  I approached the counter with Maya.  The attendant kept looking at Maya's passport and then at her boarding pass.  She then called someone.  I looked back and saw our angel "SARAH".  She was still standing there making sure we got in ok.  She immediately came over.  Seems that the "r" had been left out of Grace on the boarding pass so they would not let her through.  I had to be pulled aside while one million Chinese people stared at me.  I can only imagine what they were thinking with a white woman with an Asian baby strapped to her back being pulled out of the line. Sarah finally came back with a handwritten "r" inserted on the boarding pass and we were allowed through.  Ally Kate's eyes lit up with excitement when we entered the gate area and she saw the airplane.  I sat beside her on the flight and I only wish I had been allowed to have my phone out to video her expressions when taking off.  Moments like these are priceless with an older child adoption.  When we got off this short flight our Guangzhou guide Helen was waiting for us.  We got to the Garden Hotel and checked in.  This place is fabulous.  Felt somewhat like being back home since we were here for three weeks in Dec. 2012. 

Another interesting bit I left out occurred at the boarding gate.  An Asian man came up to me, looked at the girls and started counting.  He then held up four fingers and said 'four".  I said yes! He started telling me how wonderful we were and how "lucky" the girls are.  Well the most interesting bit about his man is that he is Chinese from Australia and had an Aussie accent!  He was a fun guy to meet. 

An one more random tidbit! When we entered the hotel room Ally Kate started exploring! The bathroom is directly off the bedroom and the tub/shower area is enclosed in glass.  She came excitedly to the guide Helen and said something to the effect of "glass, no good.  Baba will see us take a bath".  Glad to know the sweet girl has been taught modesty! 

Beautiful photo of the Chinese New Year decoration in the Garden Hotel lobby! 

This was an exhausting hurried day so we ate fried rice and went to sleep as soon as we were settled.  Ally Kate and I had to meet the guide at 7:30am the following morning for the clinic visit. 

ALLY KATE ADOPTION DAY!

Tuesday began very early.  My sweet girl slept all night.  My heart was breaking because she kept coming to me and saying Mama and then a string of words in Mandarin.  I wish I knew what she was saying.  Not pleased with myself for not having attempted to learn more.  Body language works though! We had an early breakfast buffet and saw quickly how much our little bit can eat.  She thoroughly enjoyed her two or three plates of food!  We hopped on the van with our guide and then to pick up one other family for the drive to the Civil Affairs office.  There were many families there when we arrived.  It was a along morning as we had to wait our turn to sit in front of the official.  We answered why do you want to adopt.  Why do you want to adopt from China.  Do you promise to never abandoned or abuse her.  Do you promise to provide an education.  Are you entering into this adoption without any outside influence.  We signed and then had to put our thumb prints on top of each signature.  This is a requirement of this province.  Our little bit then had to place her handprint on the forms too.  The staff from her SWI were there again on this day as they have to sign the forms as well.  They gave us a photo book of photos with Ally Kate from her infancy on up to now.  They also gave us a beautiful beaded stitched piece with the character for happiness.  Ally Kate showed no emotion upon seeing them.  They did talk to her and she to them.  They showed her no affection.

We then left and went to the notary's office.  We had to show our passports and sign forms in front of her.   An interesting observation in Nanning.  It was cold 40s-50s cold.  Everyone was bundled in coats inside office buildings.  There is no heat.  For some reason they think it a good idea to keep the windows open.  The notary office was freezing and all windows were open.  Our guide told us that it is not common for the weather to be cold so none of the buildings have heat.  She could not explain why windows were kept open.

We returned to the hotel and Billy, Anneli, and our guide went out to pick up lunch.  Anneli had her own money and she wanted to purchase a cake to celebrate Ally Kate's adoption!  There are the most gorgeous cakes in China! My Anneli has a heart of gold.

We had to return to the Civil Affairs Office later in the afternoon to pick up the formal adoption document and to have the "formal" hearing. It was very quick but moving knowing that Ally Kate was OFFICIALLY our daughter.  MISSION COMPLETION! Thank you to so many of you who made this possible through prayers, encouragement, and donations to us.  ONE LESS ORPHAN in the world! 

This was an extremely happy day but also a crazy one.  We were to remain in Nanning until Friday.  We were then taking an overnight train and would arrive in Guangzhou on 2/15.  Ally Kate will travel to the USA with a Chinese passport.  We must apply for her a visa to enter the USA.  Part of this process is a physical examination.  Our guide learned this morning that instead of one visit which is standard that three were going to be required.  These visits had to take place on three consecutive days first thing in the morning before any food is eaten.  The clinic where exams are performed is not open on Sunday.  This meant that we had to be in Guangzhou no later then Wednesday night so that we could go to the clinic on Thursday morning.  This was the latest time to get the three visits completed.  As you  know we cut corners on this trip as much as possible and this was greatly stressful for us. We had to arrange a flight for the six of us plus pay extra nights at the more expensive hotel.  We also learned that the cost of the medical would be $200 more.  All of this is being required to insure that Ally Kate does not have TB.  She will have to complete three sputum tests.  It is one of the unknowns in adoption and we have no choice but roll with it.  We were disappointed as there were places in Nanning that we still wished to visit but it is all out of our control.  We are fortunate this was learned now as if we had not found out until Saturday when we were scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou and go for the visit we could have been delayed in China. 

Last but not least - we were given permission to visit the group home where Ally Kate had been living. When we drove into the lot after passing through the guarded arm gate we saw multiple children playing unattended.  Evidently this is normal in China. These were not only children in Ally Kate's group home but other neighborhood children too.  It was invaluable to us to see where she had spent the last 6 years of her life.  She seemed excited to return and "show off" her family.  There are around 20 children in the group home. It is in an apartment complex.  The apartment is narrow and 4-5 stories high. There are multiple bedrooms on different levels.  Seems there are 4-5 children in each room. It was an old apartment with paint peeling off the walls.  It was cluttered but seemed clean enough.  The children were eating dinner as we were leaving and it looked very nutritious. There were multiple bowls of food placed on each of the tables where the children were sitting. 

She slept on the top bunk. 

Her school! HUGE! We were told it has K-8.  Jing Xin along with two other girls walked to school alone and back daily.  The workers said the walk was fifteen minutes but Jing Xin said 30 minutes.  Their school hours are 8am - 5:30pm.  They are out of school from 12p-2p.  The children return home,  eat lunch, and nap.  Our guide said this is standard for all Chinese school children. 

The day ended back at the hotel packing to leave for Guangzhou the following day. 

VERY LATE POST - ALLY KATE DAY!

Finally posting! The internet at the Majestic Hotel was horribly slow and then we had a whirlwind of days. I will start this post by saying that I was filled with fear and anxiety on Monday as we were preparing to meet Ally Kate.  I would shift from excitement to fear of the unknown and back again! Our guide met us at 1:30p in our hotel lobby to drive to pick up one other family and then on to Civil Affairs.  Civil Affairs in Guangxi Province is in a new building.  It was FREEZING in the building!  Ally Kate was late arriving.  Our guide Sarah had spoken with the SWI director and knew they were on the way.  Having to wait only made me even more nervous! It was so beautiful seeing all the families being made and all the happy tears from parents.  It was heart-wrenching hearing the grief-filled agonizing cries from the children who did not understand what was happening to them.  Our last family photo without Ally Kate! Excuse Maya Grace's rolled up at the waist pants and her belly showing! She was a wild child on this day.

Our first glimpse of Ally Kate was from the parking lot.  She was standing outside with an orphanage worker.  I knew she was tiny but seeing her in person was a little shocking.  She is more the size of a 5-6 year old than an almost 9 year old.  Even though she was bundled I recognized that sweet little face.  She came in and immediately said "Mama" and "Baba".  She gave us all hugs.  As we were not supposed to see her yet she was whisked away to the "waiting area".  The children were then brought out one by one to meet with the official.  This is her walking toward us for the "official" meeting. She readily came and sat in my lap.  I immediately fell in love with her.  She is the cutest little thing ever!

We signed the agreement to enter into the Harmonious Period which in simple words is a 24 hr or less trial period to see if you truly want to adopt the child.  The orphanage workers were available to answer questions about her.  We were told that she is very easy going unless she is starting to not feel well.  At that time they said she will get a little grumpy.  She has no allergies and will eat almost anything. Ally Kate acted happy and we saw zero signs of grief as we were preparing to leave.  I asked our guide to ask Ally Kate if she wanted to say "good-bye" to her orphanage workers.  One was working on paperwork and actually shooed her off with her hand.  The guide then said something to the orphanage worker and she turned and did not touch Ally Kate in any way but said what I assume was "bye" to her.  Heart-wrenching for this huggy American mommy but likely a cultural behavior on the worker's part. 

Ally Kate was all smiles! She did not show any grief nor shed tears.  This is not always a good sign as it can show that a child does not have the ability to bond or attach.  We will use attachment style parenting so we will hopefully make her feel loved and very secure.  

We returned to the hotel and stayed there a very brief time before going to dinner with our guide.  Ally Kate is going to be spoiled! Mary Bailey is already becoming a little mommy to her too! Both big girls love her and Maya Grace did not act jealous when I was holding Ally Kate.  We went to a local dumping restaurant.  Ally Kate read the menu and asked for noodles with cucumber and egg.  Our guide said that Ally Kate speaks perfect Mandarin with no accent.  She also said that Ally Kate seems very bright. These were good things to hear. 

Since Little Bit is so little I had only brought two changes of clothes for her.  The orphanage sent her with the clothes on her back plus the items we had sent in the care package, a horribly torn up pair of underwear, and a thick pair of layering pants. The shoes she had on were too small and very ragged. Our guide took us shopping at a department store across from the hotel.  They had a small children's department. We bought her two pairs of pants, two tops, a pair of pajamas, a frilly Spring dress that she kept going back to, two pair of shoes, and a pair of pajamas.  She was so excited! During dinner I had our guide ask her what she liked to play and/or her favorite toy.  She said "books".  She is perfect for our family! We allowed her to buy two books.  She chose two Barbie children's reading books. 

We returned to the hotel.  She bathed and got her pajamas on.  We told her bedtime and she lay down with Mary Bailey and Anneli on the pallet we had made for them and she fell right asleep.  We are one blessed set of parents! God is amazing! We prayed that God would prepare her heart to receive us as her family.  I know grief may come later but this day was fabulous and even more than I could have ever dreamed possible.