Say What?!?

Today we were supposed to do some more sightseeing, but the other couple had to do a bit more with their adoption at civil affairs.  I was actually grateful for the down time.

We slept late, or at least everyone else did.  I was awoken from a dead sleep by one little girl having a dream/nightmare around 4 a.m.  She never really woke up, but I sure was awake.  It was equivalent to the smoke detector going off in the middle of the night..... just enough to get your heart to stop for a second, and then spending the rest of the night getting it to slow down.

Once everyone else woke up we went for breakfast and then went to the store.... again.  This time not Wal Mart thankfully, but this place had just as many live turtles and frogs you'd care to buy and eat.

Eating a little snack.  Brannen was her waiter :)

We came 'home' in time for Harper's nap, but she was having a hard time falling asleep even though she was completely exhausted.  I'm pretty sure she stopped traffic down below on the street with her piercing screams.  Rocking and patting her back were not soothing her whatsoever.  I then spotted her pajamas she wore the day we got her.  It was the closest layer to her skin under the mound of clothes she had on that day.  The moment I laid it next to her, she stopped screaming.  A-mazing.  I had always heard to keep something that smelled familiar, but never thought it would work like magic.  The elephant she came with (who we've since named Hefei... after the city we are in) is actually a Scentsy stuffed animal, so instead of loading it with a Scensty scent, we're cramming her pajama bottoms in it.

Hefei the Elephant

When she woke up from her nap, we headed out to the park across the street from our hotel.  We can see it from our hotel room, but didn't realize how big it really was.  It has a big lake in the center of it, and we were making our way there when we were stopped by an older lady who had her granddaughter with her.  The granddaughter was about the age of Harper.  The grandmother spoke pretty good English, and because it's rare to come across someone who can carry on a conversation with you in English, we stopped to talk for a bit.  What we didn't realize was that we would soon become the center of attention.   Mostly older ladies flocked over to stare at us and then at Harper.  The English speaking woman would translate a little for us, and then she and the other ladies would rattle back and forth to each other.  One of the ladies who didn't speak English was talking to the grandmother, and then she started to whisper a little.  Obviously she was saying something about us that she didn't want us to hear.  I found it hilarious because even if we could hear her, we had absolutely no clue what she was saying!

We moved a little trying to get on with our park visit, but when we did, the whole groups of geriatrics would move with us.  We almost made our get away when a guy, who was walking something on a leash, walked up.  I thought he had a dog at the end of the leash, but when I looked again, its was a monkey!  Crazy.  He made it do a couple of tricks and then gave us the universal sign for money by rubbing his thumb across his fingers.  It was definitely time to go.

We walked not ten steps and noticed a bunch of college age girls taking our picture.  It was like the paparazzi!  Good grief.  We made another get away and was able to have a somewhat decent time at the park, with an occasional picture being taken here and there of us.  It was pretty chilly, but it was still so nice just to get out of our hotel room... even with all the pictures.

These horses cracked me up..... it looked like they were screaming

They made the boys laugh for a different reason..... :)

Our hotel across the lake

more pictures

It was getting close to dinner time, so we decided to go to Pizza Hut really close to the park.  We are already so sick of noodles and dumplings, so Pizza Hut was like a beacon shining in the night.  Not to mention they were playing music we knew! Harper was really animated while we were eating, making faces and laughing along with us.  Then..... out of nowhere she says "Papa" and stretches out her arms to Scott for him to pick her up.

Y'all!!!

I'm not even kidding when I say it was like the record scratched and all went silent.... at least at our table anyway.  Everyone else in the place had no clue what bit of awesomeness they were missing!  It was pretty soft, so I wasn't quite sure if I'd heard it right, but then Scott said, "What did she say??" and I  knew I wasn't the only one who had heard it.

C.R.A.Z.Y!!!

I'm pretty sure her foster mom - or someone - had been working with her to say papa and mama by pointing to our picture in the photo album we had sent her a while back.  It was THE highlight of the whole day.

Everyone went to bed early tonight, and like nap time, Harper had a bit of a rough time going to sleep.  When she started up, everyone yelled, "Grab Hefei!!!"  And just like at nap time, Hefei saved the day.

We are up early tomorrow to make our way to Harper's orphanage.  It's 2 1/2 hours away but its a trip we are wanting to make.  Tingting gave us a copy of the notice that ran in the paper of Harper being abandoned two days after birth.  When a baby is abandoned in China, a notice is placed in the paper with pictures and info where the baby was found, in case someone wants to claim them.  Anyway, the spot - or at least the road- where she was found is not too far away from the orphanage.  I'm wanting to see that, but the thing I'm wanting more information on, is a note that was attached to Harper when they found her.  I know for sure it had her real birthday written on the note.  Usually, they will guess when they think a baby was born, or just make up a birthday for them.  I'm hoping it has a little more information written on it, but I'm not holding my breath.

We will see!!

Day Two!

Last night went pretty well.  Really well in fact.  

I gave her a bath, and since the rest of the day had gone so well, I was wondering if bath time would be the time she just lets loose and screams and cries.  

She didn't.  

She did cry a bit when I put her in the tub, but once we threw some toys in with her, she was good.  Unbelievable.  I got her dressed in her jammies and laid her down.  She took a while to get to sleep, she  rolled one way then the other, she threw her legs over her creepy old crib (a crib I'm sure would raise about a thousand safety violations in the states), she was up and down, but finally got to sleep without much of a fuss.

This morning, the 4 of us were up before Harper so we just stood over her watching her sleep....

We had to be at the civil affairs office at 8:30 a.m. to do more paperwork.  Harper didn't seem to get the memo because she kept on sleeping, even when we shook her to try and wake her.  I finally just had to pick her up and start taking off her clothes to get her to wake up.  When she did finally wake up, she seemed to process us all over again.  She was more subdued this morning and was a bit fussy, but not anything horrible.  

We went to breakfast and I'm still amazed at how much this kid can eat.  Watermelon was her favorite and she packed it all in.  While eating breakfast, Scott and I realized we are pretty rusty at having a two year old around, because you would think we would've packed a bib or something!  We didn't, so we had to clean her up a bit before we headed out.

We were at the civil affairs office for a couple hours signing paperwork and promising that we would take care of her, not abandon her, etc.  This was also the meeting we were handing over all the cash we had to bring, so we were both relieved when we were finally able to do that and not have to worry anymore about losing it or being mugged!

While we were there, other kids and their new moms and dads were doing the same thing we were.  Most of these families we had seen the day before when we got Harper.  It was so fun to see the 'before and after' on all the newly adopted kids.  Not just their clothes, but you could see it in their faces.  They looked happy,although some still had a stunned look like they were still trying to process it all.  

Since we had a lot of wait time, there was a place for the kids to play in.  It wasn't much, but it still was an area with a few, and I mean a few, toys.  Harper and another little boy were playing and Harper wanted whatever he had.... so she hit him.  

Oh my.  

We have a hitter on our hands. 

We had already noticed it a little yesterday because she tried to hit us a few times.  We had mentioned it to Tingting in passing today, and she had told the ladies from Harper's orphanage who were at the civil affairs office today about it.  They said, "Oh yeah, she was doing that when we had her."  That would have been some nice info to pass along to us.  It's nothing major, but still it would have been nice to have a little warning to duck!

Once we were done there, we headed back 'home' to the hotel.  Harper had a nice two hour nap and the rest of us just enjoyed the down time.    

Later in the day, we headed out to the zoo.  It's not the greatest zoo, in fact it seemed like a lonely deserted zoo.  Even the animals didn't seem to have much pep to them.  We stayed there for two hours when we could have walked it in about 20 minutes.  Oh well, it was nice to get out and walk somewhere without worrying about getting run over by a moped, someone on their bicycle, or just the average crazy driver.  And a bonus.... we saw a bit of blue sky today!

Giraffe with a nice polluted/smog filled skyline in back of him

Even this monkey knows he got sent to a lame zoo... just look at him!  haha!

We actually went to this zoo to see their Panda. 

 Yes, they only have one....and this is how he was when we saw him.

We got back to the hotel once again and had dinner here.  Harper was really hamming it up with silly faces while we were eating, and as usual ate a TON of food.  Since we really don't know what she likes, we try a little bit of everything with her.  What she doesn't like, she spits out.  On the floor.  Ugh.  Going to have to work on that

Everyone headed to bed early tonight, including Harper.  She let out a nice scream when I laid her in her crib that I'm sure they heard 16 floors below us.  However, once she got it out, she settled down and was asleep within five minutes.  

Hoping it continues.... 

Party of Five

Today was the BIG day!  We all woke up from our Bendaryl comas from last night ready to go.  We weren't meeting our guide until 9:30, and that seemed like an eternity.  To pass the time, we ate breakfast at the hotel and met the other couple who is also part of our group.  They are actually from Richardson!  This is their 2nd time adopting from China.  We also met another family who came back with their teenage daughters, also adopted from China, to show them their orphanages and the spot where each were found.  I hope to make a trip like that with Harper one day.  The mom and dad were so sweet and gave us a lot of good tips.

9:30 finally decided to make its presence on the clock, and we all loaded up on the bus to head to the civil affairs office where we would finally be meeting Harper!

My stomach was all over the place.  It still seemed all to unreal that we were actually going to not only see her, and hold her, but we were going to take her home!  My prayers this morning were many.   I first thanked Him for bringing us all the way to this moment.   A moment that seemed would never happen, but here we were on the bus driving her way.

Tingting, our guide, told us Harper and whoever was with her was running late.  They were driving from 2 1/2 hours away, and part of the highway, train tracks or whatever they were on, was shut down.  Shut down because of fog.

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

We can fly when the sky looks like chocolate milk, but everything else will shut down.  The good thing was (I really tried to find a good thing at that moment) was that they actually weren't all that far away.  However, when we've waited this long to see her, around the corner is too far!  Actually they were an hour out.

Dude.

So.... in the meantime, we get to the civil affairs office and the other couple we are with are immediately handed their child.  It was so bittersweet, but actually, it worked out for the better that Harper was late.  We got to see them interact with their daughter and kind of "learn" from them in a sense.  How not to immediately grab for her even though thats what you want to do.  I was also glad Harper was a little late because it also gave me a little time to calm myself.  Had she been then right when we got there I would have been a blubbering idiot with all the emotion pouring out.

So, we waited.
And waited some more.  

We roamed the tiny room a little, just to get the nervous energy out.....

...and of course I took some pictures.  I thought the above sign was hilarious because it was anything but quiet!  It sounded like kids at Christmas being hauled to the mall to sit on Santas lap, but it was like times 10.  

Also had to take a pic of Griffin.  He "dressed up" because today was a big day.  Not only was he getting a sister, but he was becoming a big brother!

Then, just like that, we're told Harper is in the elevator on her way up!  I couldn't breathe.  

This sweet little girl, who is bundled up to her eye balls in clothes, is sat right in front of me in a chair.  

It's her. 

Harper.

Our Harper.

I couldn't look at Scott because I knew we would both lose it.  She sat there drinking her milk and whimpering.  It was so painfully sad.  I just wanted to pick her up and hug her but I knew in the moment it would make it worse.  

We slowly surrounded her and the boys showed her everything we brought for her to play with.   She just moved her head back and forth looking at all of us while still downing her milk.

She didn't want anyone to hold her hand, but she did want to rest her hand in Brannen's.

Our first family picture!

We handed her the baby doll we brought along, and we also got the elephant she brought with her (that we actually sent her for her birthday).  She threw it on the floor an the boys cracked up about that..... and that made her laugh!  The boys then hammed it up and she laughed again.  We were completely shocked not knowing what to make of it.  We were bracing for the ear piercing scream that we've heard  from every other kid.

Griffin knelt down as we were waiting for the elevator to finally leave and she went over and hugged him.  I'm shocked!  Who is this kid they brought us?  We were told she was a totally shy kid.  I was glad to see it, but also was a little worried.  This seemed too easy.

On the bus ride home she sat between the boys and was really quiet.  It may have had something to do with that sucker we gave her, but she just seemed to be taking it all in.

Back in the room, we signed some more papers our guide needed us to sign.  We had waited so long at the civil affairs office, we all just wanted to get back to the hotel room, so Tingting agreed to finish the paperwork in our room.  Harper was due for a diaper change, so I peeled off the many layers to get to the soaked diaper.  I couldn't believe she actually was little!  Praise God.  Now her clothes will for sure fit her!

This is what I peeled off of her.  Unbelievable!

She looked like a different kid.... half her size!

She really liked to play with the boys, and let out some more laughs.  The laughs soon turned to giggling!  Tingting was watching her with her mouth wide open.  She said she's never seen a kid who's just met their parents be so happy.  I've got video of it, but for some reason, it's not letting me upload it!!  

These next two pictures I absolutely love.  It makes my heart smile.  

This little girl can put away the food.  We gave her some snacks and she zipped through them like nothing.  We panicked a little because we realized if she keeps up the pace, we'll be out of snacks for her in no time.  So, we all geared up and headed to our favorite place.  Wal Mart.  This time we knew what areas to avoid :)  

I also needed to find her shoes.... STAT.  The measurements we got for her converted over to a size 8.  It seemed a bit big, but having not seen her myself, I had no idea.  The shoes I have for her looked like  clown shoes when I put them on.  They were so HUGE.  So, she's having to wear her nice bright orange shoes she came with.  We looked around the mall but didn't see anything that I cared for. So, we just got her some pink and white shoes that were just ok.  

She sacked out on the way over to the mall

Of course we also had to take her in for her first time at Starbucks.  She drank her own milk, but she still seemed to like the place!

OH!!!  I forgot to mention the thing  I was most grateful for, besides finally getting her that is.  The ladies who brought her, brought a bag of her things.  And in that bag was a little photo album that had pictures of her as newborn all the way up to her birthday!!  I had NO idea they existed.  I am so thrilled to have them

I'm off to bed in hopes of getting some rest.  This has been a long day, but one I wouldn't trade anything for.  God is so good and I am thankful. 

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore...

Griff chatting with Big Mama (my mom) over Skype early this morning.

We left Beijing early this morning.  Early!  We left so early, we didn't have time to get breakfast, and also because nothing was open at that time of the morning!
Our guide, Michael,  was so nice to get everyone in our group breakfast boxes.  However, we all opened our boxes and a sigh of "ugh" rolled out of everyone's mouth.
In the box, there was a sandwich, and not really a breakfast sandwich.  It was a cheese sandwich with a side salad.

Swear.

Luckily there was a banana and water bottle in it as well, so that ended up being breakfast.

We all went to the airport together, Michael checked everyone in to make sure we got the correct boarding passes, and then flew our separate ways.  Traveling inner China alone was quite an experience.  Just going through security was something.  How we got through with all our stuff, I'll never know.  They kept grabbing our bags and sending them through the xray machine at such a crazy pace, I almost walked off without my iPad because I had no idea they ran it back through.

Exhausting.

We finally make it to our gate and I'm starting to notice the trash cans that you would think was just for trash was also a good place to spit out any luggie's (sp?) one may have.  I'm not talking just one person, I'm talking just about everyone in the terminal..... except for us of course.

Dis. Gus. Ting!!!  It was all I could do to remain calm and not pull out the Purel and bathe in it.

It was finally time to board, and as I'm getting on the plane, there seemed to be a sense that this plane was not one that just rolled off the manufacturing line.  I'd guess it was a circa 1970 plane.  That, in combination with the poor visibility, I mean POOR visibility, I had little faith we would live to reach our destination of Hefei.

The pilot somehow manages to get the plane off the runway and in the air despite the poor visibility.  I mean, if you can't see that tower or the plane in front of you, that can't be good, right?  At any rate, for a brief glimpse while we were up in the air, we saw a bit of blue sky.  How I miss a clear day!

The plane bobbed and weaved the whole time, but they still brought out the beverage/food cart.  Finally, time for some breakfast.

Or so I thought.

They served almost the exact same thing Michael had given us!  Only this time, instead of a side salad they served some sort of rice broth that resembled more of the paste you used in elementary art class.  Gross.  I passed on breakfast.  Again.

The boys on the plane.  Brannen was exhausted.

By the grace of God, we landed in Hefei after the hour and a half flight.  I think I left my fingernail indentions in the arm rest of my seat that will likely remain there forever.  Like Beijing, Hefei is covered in a blanket of haze, pollution, and today, rain.  Our new guide, TingTing (yes, that's her name) was waiting for us by the time we got our luggage.  She took us to our hotel, mapped out the area around us, and then leaves for the day for us to relax.

Our hotel, Holiday Inn.  Home for the next 5 days.

Sights around our hotel

After TingTing left, the 4 of us head out for bottled water at the place that has everything.

Wal Mart.

The airport had nothing on Wal Mart.  Just when I thought the day couldn't get any more weird, Wal Mart proves me wrong.  

I'm not sure you can tell, but these are frogs available for purchase.... to eat.

Above the frogs were a ton of turtles..... also for eating.

In case you're not into frogs or turtles, perhaps you might

like a pig snout!  

Luckily, just outside Wal Mart, there was a Starbucks.  Our day seem to take a turn for the better!

Even got a souvenir!

Wal Mart really isn't too far away, but because of the rain and the groceries we now have, we decide to get a cab back to the hotel.  It shouldn't have been so hard, but once we finally did manage to flag a cab  down, he had no idea what we were saying.  I guess "Holiday Inn" doesn't translate.  Who knows.  

Griff was desperate.  He was trying anything to get us a ride back.

We gave up on trying to get a cab and just made our way back to the hotel with a nice brisk, rainy walk.  We did see some interesting things along the way, so I guess it wasn't all bad.  

Neat sculpture, only to have the below picture right around the corner from it.

  It looked like a landfill it  had so much trash.

A broom the boys really thought was cool.  It was made out of branches from a tree 

Scott lugged the water bottles all the way home on the slow, cold rainy walk.  He threatened us if we didn't drink every single drop of water after having to haul it back on the miserable walk back.  Haha!!!!

In other news..... tomorrow is THE day we get Harper!  Our appointment at the Civil Affairs office is at 9:30 in the morning.  Just a few short hours from now, we finally get to hold her in our arms!

Can.
Not.
Wait!!