Our Visit to the Orphanage & YES all you Alice fans out there we checked on her and she is PERFECT & waiting on Mom, Dad & Big Brother Charlie to come & get her

Today was an early one for us.  We had to meet to go to the orphanage.  I didn't sleep well at all.  I kept listening for Maran to stir and get up to go potty.  I am so concerned about her falling. She falls so easily.  I know that a 'big one' is in the future and I dread the day it happens.  She is such a trooper.  She finally got up around 5 and quickly was back asleep.  The bed here is so hard and I can't lay on my sides for long because my hip starts to hurt.... oh the woes of a weary traveler!  I didn't know how to feel on our journey there.  We were scared, nervous, anxious and ready to see where she has grown up for her whole life.  How can you be all those feelings at once?

THE RIDE THERE:

OK, it was like I was Julia Roberts in her trek in EAT PRAY & LOVE.  If only I looked like her I could have handled it better.  PROMISE YOU NO FIBS that at times we were not even on a road.  It was the bumpiest ride ever.  I was very happy that breakfast really didn't go down this morning because it would have been so ugly had anything of great substance been in the ole' tummy.  We passed billy goats on the road and countless chickens.  There were parts that were so run down and poverty stricken that even I was surprised. Some parts were so beautiful and green that it was simply breathtaking.  Our girl is definitely a mountain girl.  We met for lunch.  OK, back up a few steps.  The orphanage is fairly young and has been around for 5 years.  They have only done domestic adoptions until now.  We are the first international adoption to occur so needless to say it was quite a fanfare. (This should have been the Morrison's and not us but due to paperwork delays for them we got booted in front of them). 

LUNCH:

When we got to lunch Maran heard one of her nannies voices, she popped right up and immediately became teary eyed.  Her nanny came to get her and was crying to.  We enter into a large room and there are many more people there.  The Director of the Orphanage (Who made Maran's Gotcha Day trip) the assistant director, who was at Gotcha day too, two nannies, and a county administrator who handles all the adoptions.  Wow... an impressive group.  Pictures were flashing and food began to show up.  David and I knew then that we were kind of in trouble. We found out pretty quickly that you eat what they give you and when they give you more you eat it too.  So after some Roast Duckling, Roast Pigeon, Roast Port, Noodles, Tofu and a long list of other things our lunch was complete.  Thankfully our guide told them we were not interested in the Fried Beetles and the snake. (Snake truly tastes like chicken but moister).  The nannies feed Maran and get teary eyed... OK so mommy does too. 

MARAN'S FINDING PLACE:

We leave the restaurant and go to the bridge where Maran was found.  I must say that it is a beautiful bridge.  Her mother placed her there because she KNEW that she would be found and found quickly.  It was not as sad as I thought -- in fact it was enlightening.  I always felt in my heart that Maran's biological mother wanted her to be found and now I know that for sure.  We have a copy of the letter that her mother left when she found her and turns out she left 500 Yuan's (Chinese currency) for her to be cared for.  (About $75). 

ORPHANAGE BOUND:

We arrive at the orphanage I am the last one out of the van so I miss Maran going crazy when she sees the rest of her nannies waiting for her. David did get it on video though.  OK so my main concern is to see Alice.  I feel like this little girl is almost mine... like she is my niece.  I see Alice coming down the stairs and I start crying my eyes out.  She is as beautiful as Maran is.  I know that Jennifer won't mind me posting some of her pictures because I have gotten the messages about everyone keeping up with Maran's BFF Alice and those who are following Jen's blog as well.  The reunion was priceless.  Hugging everywhere and then the playing begins.  It was quite obvious that Maran and Alice were the ring leaders.  The true party girls.  The Lord will help us when they become college roomies and sorority sisters.  They handled their own and had a ball.  I gave each of them lollipops and a box of Jelly Belly Jelly beans.  We then gave all the nannies some small gifts.  The orphanage was so clean and well kept (the part we could see).  They allowed us to photograph all the kids and video them.  (I hadn't yet figured out how I was going to video Alice if they had told us no but I knew that I was not leaving that place without some pictures of Alice and footage... it was going to happen whether they wanted it to or not).  I asked about the little boy whom I have always been in love with.  It turns out that he has a mommy who has yet to completely relinquish custody.  So, he is in an orphanage until she decides what she wants to do.  I will not go any further than that because I was ready to take him with us (again not legal but oh well).  All the children were so pretty and you could tell that they were loved.  The nannies would hold them briefly but they were not hugged very much and were never kissed.  The children hugged and kissed each other a lot.  We were told that Chinese do not kiss their kids as much as Americans do.  I find this sad but that's my opinion. 

We did a huge group photo in front of the orphanage and during this time others came by to see what we looked like.  They were told about the plans for Maran's surgery on her legs to fix her Club feet.  They were so excited.  I hope we can get it done sooner than later because I don't want our beautiful little girl to have stitches on her face because she has fallen onto something sharp and believe me this child can fall very fast and you can't catch her.  When we left Maran was not happy.  She screamed and yelled for about a minute.  She kept looking back and our guide kept speaking to her in Cantonese.  She finally calmed down and fell asleep in my arms.  David and I were both crying with her.  I can not imagine how she feels.  She has been ripped away from these people twice now and they are all she has ever known.  When she woke up she grinned and smiled and seemed to be OK.  She ate like crazy at dinner.  She has had her bath and is playing like mad and just crashed into the wall (yes her crashes hurt me more than her).  She tripped on the comforter. 

What a day.  One I am glad is over but one that I am glad we chose to do.  It was as special to them as it was to us.  We are so blessed to have had such wonderful people caring for our daughter and also blessed that her biological mother placed her where she did and even more blessed that the gentleman (whose name we do indeed know now) found her when he did.  We are going to bed now and trying to get a FULL OF ENERGY little girl to go to sleep.  Tomorrow we go to the Dr for her TB test and other various shots.  We then get to move hotels.  We are here during the trade fair and I wouldn't want to pay three times as much for this bed that David says is "only good for flat folding his shirts".  Again we thank you for your messages, e-mails, texts and comments on the blog.  We love hearing from you and you have helped to make this trip bearable.  We skyped with Snickerdoodle Luke earlier and he was so precious.  We have two of the most beautiful children ever. Thank you for loving them as we do!

Sorry the pictures aren't in order but I have to post before the CHINA BLOG POLICE figure out that I can blog from here and shut us down. (Truly I hadn't the strength right now to figure out how to rearrange them.

 The FOUR musketeer's.  Sad but after December the little boy in red will be there all alone. All his buddies will have been picked up and taken to their new homes in America.

 The lady of the hour.... Alice. She is precious and tiny tiny! She is a little shorter than Maran but as skinny as Maran is.  Oh and WHAT A SWEET DISPOSITION! 

 Maran's Bridge.

 Maran falls asleep after leaving her buddies.

 Maran posing in front of her bridge.  (We finally got different shoes on her)

 The Orphanage

They run from the door to this middle section and go around it.  They did this countless times today. If only the calories had been burning off me instead of them!

Some Tears/ Where We Are/ TYPHOON READY/Orphanage Visit

Maran woke up this morning and had to go potty.  We went  two nights in a row with no accidents although we were told that she is not totally potty trained at night.  Beginner's Luck for sure but we will take it.  After a few minutes of being up she looked at me and had the biggest tears coming out of her eyes.  I cried with her.  She just wanted to be held and loved.  She likes being cuddled but I think at times she gets scared because she is not used to it.  She is playing both David and I.  She likes me during her moments of sadness and Daddy when she wants to go super fast in the stroller and go for a walk.  She grins at us often now and we both got our first laughs from her today. Mine occurred in the potty when her skirt fell completely off her and onto the floor. Thankfully it was a "REAL" potty and not a squatter.  She thought it was way too funny that her skirt was on the floor.  She had ice cream twice today.  Vanilla for early in the day and ChocolatE FOR NIGHT TIME. (caps on herE COMPLIMENTS OF MARAN). She LOVES the computer and ANY type gadget!  As the day passed she became more mischievous.  She knows when she is doing right and wrong and right now she is testing the waters.  So far she has won.  Earlier we passed a Starbucks and I had to get something cold.  Just something with a little bit of ice in it.  I got an iced lemon tea... not my first choice but it sounded cold and that was all that mattered.  I gave Maran a sip and it was way too sour for her.  Her expression was priceless... first experience with Lemons ahe?  I drank the tea quickly and then threw the ice and cup away (I didn't want to) as David didn't want me to eat the ice.  OK I let him win.  The stroller has been a gift from heaven.  She LOVES it and wants to be in it alot.  My back is killing me... not cause of her but because the beds we are sleeping on are as hard as granite counter tops.  The hotel has been great.  They totally cater to Adopting parents and are so accommodating. Maran likes watching the other kids play but has been hesitant to participate. (She is quite shy but so flirty at times).  She falls often due to her legs.  It is heartbreaking to see her fall so often. Soon this will not be an issue.  Shoes are such an issue now.  We have found a few pairs but it is very difficult to find some that are wide enough.  (She walks completely on the left side of her foot and she can turn her right foot completely in. We found squeaky shoes that she will wear but wow they are annoying and totally cute at the same time.  We would  have done anything though to get her out of the shoes that she has worn every day since June 23rd (when her birthday care package was received).  Right now we are playing a drawing game.  She will draw something and then I will.  When I draw something she looks at me and giggles. I think that this may be a good game for the plane ride home. 

TYPHOON TIME:

The sandbags have arrived.  Supposedly it will make landfall tonight.  We are 200 KM NW of  Hong Kong.  They are ready to put sandbags wherever they may be needed.  Thankfully we are on the NORTH side of the hotel (that's what David says so that doesn't mean much to me but I am thankful because he is).  We are on an island called Shamian Island (within the city of Guangzhou).  Tomorrow we will go to Huizhou to visit the orphanage.  Train service has been suspended and who knows what else may occur.  Our paperwork for today went well and was non-eventful (whew).  So we passed again today.

MARAN SAYS HI and HELLO:

We were strolling earlier and some people walked by and said Hello in Chinese.  Maran said in reply "Hello, Hi".  She has picked it up from us.  It was so cute.  She has said bye bye since about day 1.  When we flush we say Bye bye ... (I couldn't think of a better way to get her to learn the word). We also wave bye bye. 

      

Singing in the Stroller:

Some of our shyness has left the building as she now will sing in the stroller and often quite loudly.  This is quite interesting since she is such a quiet little girl. 

Orphanage Visit:

We have been very torn about this issue.  We know it will be hard for her to go back.  I don't know that I can NOT SEE where she has been raised for three years of her life.  It was different with Luke because we had the option of paying for him to be in Foster Care and we did.  Also, we have some gifts for the orphanage and the nannies and want to make sure they get them. (This is not a huge deal we know but it is nice to thank them in person for loving our daughter so much).  I also want to see Alice, Maran's BFF. I hope to get some pictures of her and I just want to make sure she is OK ... WHICH I KNOW SHE IS.  Many pros and cons about this issue and I respect all sides of them.  It may be something we regret but just don't know.  Right now I feel it is the right thing.  Tomorrow I may feel different.  Our guide will make sure that Maran knows that she is ours and that we are just going to visit.  Maran is very attentive when she is spoken to.  Her dialect is not what we have learned.  We thought we were learning it but there are apparently a number of versions.  So, as they say "don't kill yourself trying to learn the language"... well, don't.  It is amazing how you are able to communicate with each other.  We have found knowing Potty, Water, Hello, Good Bye, Thank you, hungry and hurt have been beneficial. 

Off to bed to try to get a toddler asleep.  We have to get up early tomorrow for our drive to the Orphanage. It should take about 2 1/2 hours.  Hopefully it will not be horrible weather. 

Again many thanks for your comments and E-mails.  We have never been so homesick.  We miss Luke terribly and can't wait to have a big ole' steak.  We know he is in good hands but that doesn't make us miss the Snickerdoodle any less.  

Hugs from China.  Many families are traveling in the next few days to get here or try to get home so we pray for them to get home safely and that they be granted many traveling mercies.  It is getting extremely windy here and the feeling outside reminds me so much of Hurricane Hugo.  I know everything will be fine! 

PROMISE TO POST MORE PICTURES TOMORROW... .she gets prettier by the day!