Coming home

It's 10:45pm in China. China has only one time zone...very strange for a country as large as this. We get our wake up call at 4:00am. Our flight leaves around 8:30am. We arrive in Portland at 7:15am on the same day. Magic!

Hannah and I have still been laying low, as our illnesses are not 100% behind us. Better to rest a bit in China than to be sick on the plane. I did get out for a little shopping today, but it was really my only day out, so I didn't get as much done as I had wanted. Basically, I didn't buy all those things I really don't need for half the price as in the US.

This will be my last post before arriving home. I'm going to try to squeeze in a few pictures from the last couple of days (courtesy of Marian, primarily).

Marian had the chance to visit a local Kindergarten, something I was really looking forward to. I didn't want to go without Hannah, and she just wasn't up for it. However, the Kindergarten turned out to be a private boarding school for kids 18 months and older. The parents visit up to 2 times a week. Here are some images:

School3

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

School1

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Toothbrushes

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Beds

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Apparently this school is for the more affluent citizens of Guangzhou. Interesting how the classes have developed in the past several years. The gap between the poor and rich has really widened in this country. Capitalism has arrive in China.

Yesterday, we all went to the US Consulate to pick up the babies passports and visas. They had a corny little swearing in ceremony. It was the one time I actually teared up. I have been trying to stay very level emotionally, mainly for Hannah. I'm not sure why this particular moment caught me so off guard. We were in a huge room with about 55 adoptive families. The girls will arrive home as US citizens. Last year, there were approximatlely 7000 adoptions processed to the US from this Consulate. Only 10% of orphanges in China are open to international adoptions. We are only touching the tip of this very large iceberg.

Hannah is feeling better as you can see:

Feeling Better

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

She told me today that the first thing she was going to do when she gets home is to eat tortellini (hint, hint Grandma). She said she liked coming to China. When I asked her what she liked best, she said the Hotels. Don't all kids love to stay in hotels? She had a bit of a relapse today, so we kept her in again, but she was feeling pretty good this evening. Hopefully she'll just sleep a lot on the plane on the way home.

Here's a typical picture of Lucy at meal time. She continues to be a great eater, and usually is the first one to start eating, and the last one to finish. She gets mad if you don't feed her fast enough. She loves food!

Our Eater

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

During my brief shopping expedition today, I captured this image. This is very typical of something you see on a daily basis here. It's amazing, the combination of old and new here. Although cars are gaining in popularity rapidly, bicycles are still used quite heavily, not only as a means of transportation, but as a means of moving goods for businesses:

Bicycle

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

Lucy had her first official play date today, with her buddy Clara who will also live in Portland. We fly home tomorrow with Clara and her parents Kristin & Darrell. Clara and Lucy were found on the exact same day, and were given the same birthdates. Both of their Chinese names reflect the fact that they were found on a day that was bright and clear. They will always have that connection. They are both really big girls, with Clara beating Lucy by a pound or so:

Clara and Lucy

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

This morning we walked over to the White Swan Hotel and took some photos of our group and the babies. Hannah stayed in our room with Auntie Marian, so she didn't get to be in this family photo :-( Could have been our Christmas photo, but we'll have to try again:

3 of us

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

This photo of the babies says it all:

Babies

Originally uploaded by MomTo2.

They are, from left to right, Emma, Lilly, Maya, Mimi, Josiah, Lucy, Hau (sitting on top of the sofa), and Clara. Josiah (the lone boy) and Hau joined our group in Guangzhou. They were both considered special needs children, and came from orphanages in another area. They are both around 2-years-old, and are beautiful children. Also, if you couldn't tell, Lilly and Maya are twins. They will live with their parents in Alaska. Emma and her Mom live in Los Angeles, and Hau and her mother live in Sacramento. It was a bit chaotic, and this was the best shot I was able to get.

It has been a wonderful trip, and one I hope I have documented well enough for Lucy. It will be an important link to her past. A few nights ago, I made a comment to Marian at a restaurant that both of my daughters had pulled their socks off. She said, "Does that feel weird, saying 'your daughters'?" I have to admit, it did, and still does. It will take some getting used to, but I truly feel they are both my daughters. I suppose it's a little harder when you don't have them from the start. However, they are both such a joy. I heard a saying the other day: 'Giving birth is an act of nature. Adoption is an act of faith.' I suppose that's true to a certain extent, but I'm not sure I agree entirely. I think having children, regardless of how you get them, is a little of both.

Peace.