An Update

Well we have been home 7 weeks now - and what an amazing time it has been. Of course life has been filled with a million small and sometimes tedious details. School, homework, Dr. appointments, 3 rounds of sickness, laundry, laundry, and more laundry !:)

Chloe is doing well - she is learning new things all the time. She is pulling up to stand in the playpen, the crib, on the furniture - and even beginning to cruise! Amazing accomplishments in such a short time. She still isn't sure about the kissing thing - but is starting to hug and snuggle much more. She is full of smiles and is so interested in everything and everyone around her. When I think back to our visit to her orphanage - literally a world away - I am so thankful that she is here and that everyday we can hug her and love her.

As I am putting her to bed at night - or sometimes again in the middle of the night :) - it often strikes me what a miracle it is that she is here and is part of our family. Tony Brewer, the Executive Director of A Helping Hand - our adoption agency, recently described God's love and His intentions toward the needy and the orphans in the world like Chloe was. "They may be abandoned in an orphanage, but they have not escaped the reach of His Love. If they are street children, they may be covered in layers of dirt, but they appear bright, shiny, and clean to Him. His love animates our parents, our domestic staff, and our foreign staff. It propels us forward. His love is always reaching out, searching, and seeking for those little ones who He loves so much."

How our story testifies to the truth of this! Even as Chloe was born and then left on that bridge in Shao Guan - God was propelling us forward. We had already made the decision to follow God and adopt a little and we were in the process of filling out our application for A Helping Hand. It truly shows just how deep and wide God's love is - He saw Chloe's need. He knew her story even before it happened and because He deeply cares for her He made a way for her - and gave her a family. He connected the thoughts, the convictions, the paperwork and the hearts from opposite sides of the planet. Only a huge and loving God can do something like that. It gives me comfort when I am holding Chloe and thinking about how unlikely, how strange and even how impossible it is that she is here and a part of us - GOD DID THAT! He is filled with love for even the smallest and most alone little people on this planet - and He is doing something about it! He is working! What a comfort when it is hard to understand so many of the unfair and evil things that we see around us.

For me Chloe's story will always be living proof that God does care and that He is always at work on our behalf. I hope that our story is an encouragement to you - we would love to hear from anyone who wants more information on adoption or who wants to get to know this great and wonderful God better! Post a comment - we would love to talk with you! Blessings - Angie

We are home!

It is Tuesday morning at 3:49am. Great time to be typing a post - don't you think? This is our 4th night home. The first night went pretty well, Chloe slept all the way through the night but Dave, Melissa, and I could not. The second night was a very difficult one. Chloe woke up at midnight and was awake until about 4:30. She spent most of that time screaming. It was really hard because she didn't seem to be comforted by the things that you would normally do for a baby. She didn't want to be rocked, walked, fed, patted or put down. When I held her she would push against me and struggle as if she wanted to be put down - but if I did she would just scream even louder. Dave and I both were just about to our wits end by the time 4:30 came around and she finally fell asleep. Needless to say when the other kids woke up at 8 we both felt like mush.

The nights since then have gone better - she is still waking up but is not screaming like she did that night - just normal crying. I wonder if all of the stress of the trip and the changes just built up inside of her - and all came out that night. Of course we are trying to keep her (and ourselves) awake at the right times during the day and asleep at the right times at night - unfortunately our bodies do not cooperate easily. The jet lag is much more difficult coming home than it was going the other way. I'm sure this is partly to do with how much more tired we are here at home after the trip. Anyway I'm sure that time will sort it all out - but in the meantime - :(.

Tomorrow (or today depending on how you look at it) Melissa and Benjamin go back to school. Life slowly returns to normal. I'm sure it will be hard for Melissa who hasn't had a full night sleep yet. Keep us in your prayers - you are in ours also! --------Angie

Home at last! 

Catching Up

Hi everybody - for all of you avid blog readers out there, I bet this posting will be a surprise! It is 3:51am on Saturday morning and I am wide awake - actually I have been awake since 2 but I finally broke down about 1/2 hour ago and decided to get out of bed since I can't sleep. I figured I had better catch up on the last few days before my memory fades completely - 13 1/2 hour plane rides can turn your brain to mush!

On Wednesday after the doctor appointments and before the cruise on the Pearl River we first worked on paperwork. This was the day that Mabel had to take our adoption decree back to the Civil Affairs Office to be corrected - which as you know all worked out smoothly. After we had taken care of the details with her we started to pack our things - we didn't want to leave this big job until the last minute because there was definitely a lot to pack. We did a lot of shopping while we were in Guangzhou - some of the people we had talked with before our trip had shared with us that they had purchased lots of small gifts for their daughter from China while they were there so that on future birthdays and "Gotcha Day" celebrations they would have some remembrances of her country and culture to share with her. This seemed like a great idea to us - so in between other activities we have been searching for and collecting gifts for Chloe in the future. We have also made many interesting Chinese friends along the way.

The island that our hotel - The White Swan - is located on used to be the only place that foreigners were allowed to be. It is still more predominately foreigners here because of the large hotels located on the island. Surrounding the hotel are many small streets with little shops. This is similar to the street shopping in the main city - but many of the workers speak some English and they are much cleaner. Most of the shops are named with an English name like Lucy's Place or Emily's Place. We even have a picture of Benjamin's Place! Most of the people who work here are women although we did meet a few men. They are mostly in their 20's and seem to have an avid interest in practicing their English. I think this area must be a popular one to look for a job if you are trying to improve your English because of the steady stream of Americans and others that you can practice with.

The shop's are privately owned - but during the 10 days we spent in Guangzhou, I only saw one shop owner. It seems that work days here are very long - the shops would be open before we were out in the morning and didn't close until 9 or 10 pm at night. During this time the same people would be working - so that makes for a 12 hour work day - or maybe even longer. Everyone was very friendly - it is interesting the differences that bargaining makes in a shopping experience. I think it is much more important for a personal connection to be made when every transaction has to be negotiated. Especially for foreigners who are used to choosing what they want and paying at a counter - it can be very disconcerting not to be able to even know the price of anything without having a conversation with someone. And then when you do find out the price - it's not the real price. It is just the starting point of the price portion of the conversation. Our guide Peter summed it up very well one of our first days in China. He said that the Chinese people bargain, they expect you to bargain and if you don't you will "lose a lot of money here in China" - after telling us this he laughed and laughed. I'm sure that Chinese people do not understand how difficult the bargaining process is for us. It's like being in a poker game everytime you want to buy something. Some people (like Dave and Melissa!) really entered into the spirit of things and tried their best to bargain Chinese-American style. There were others in our group who found the whole thing so exhausting that they just paid whatever price was first given. I'm sure that the shop owners much prefer this!

Almost every worker around the hotel had an English name. When I asked how they got an English name - usually it was based either on the pronunciation of their Chinese name, or it was a name a visitor had given them along the way somewhere. Just outside the hotel was a shop where the main worker was named Lucy. Lucy is 19 and she became very good friends with Melissa. This was Melissa's favorite spot to visit, Lucy had a badmitton set (no net in case you were wondering) and they spent lots of time playing badmitton or hackysack while Dave and I shopped in her store and the others close by. Lucy spoke English very well and was very interested in improving her language skills. She would like to visit America someday but she said that it is very difficult to get a visa, and very expensive. She and Melissa exchanged email addresses (most of these shops have a computer with internet access).

Millie works in the shop across the street from the hotel. It is called The Ladybug. Ladybugs are a Chinese symbol for good fortune and adoption. When Melissa gave Millie a photograph of the two of them and a note to say goodbye, she was very pleased and gave Melissa a huge hug.

Ann works in the store right next door to the hotel and was a huge help to us. She came with us to the Kodak store and bargained for us in Chinese on the price of picture development. We ended up paying 12 cents a picture :). She was practicing her English by reading the Bible. One of her teachers at the university she attended gave her a Bible with Chinese and English side by side. She told me that her parent's generation trusts in Buddha, but that her generation only trusts in science. I encouraged her to keep reading her Bible to learn more and that God is real and very powerful. We are going to try to keep in touch through email - pray for her!

Minnie and Emily sold us Chinese name chops. A name chop is a stamp that is carved from soapstone with your name and other symbols on it. You dip it in ink and stamp it on paper. Families have chops with their family name and children have their own with their own name. Minnie told me that when kids begin school at 7 they take their name chops with them to help learn how to write their name in Chinese. Minnie also shares Chloe's Chinese name - she let us video her explaining about the name chop and telling Chloe about her name, it was really special and will be fun to show Chloe when she is older. Finally there was Lisa who sold us some traditional Chinese clothes for Chloe and the other kids. All of the people that we met were so friendly and encouraging, they would try to get Chloe to smile and tell her that she was so beautiful. And of course they would try to get her to say mama and baba!

Thanks so much to all of you who came to the airport. It was so wonderful to see your friendly smiling faces when we got off of the plane! Your caring really means a lot to us. And thanks to everyone who has been praying for us and following along - we are blessed to have so many great friends! We'll post more later when we've had more sleep :). ---------Angie

We are coming home!

Praise God it is almost Friday. We finished all of our paperwork at the US consulate today and everything went really smoothly. I really can't say enough good things about our guides Peter and Mabel. They have done a great job taking care of us and walking us through this process. We just got Chloe's passport and visa a little while ago that will enable her to emigrate to the US tomorrow! US law states that as soon as an orphan adopted by an American citizen lands on US soil she officially becomes an American citizen. What a great day tomorrow will be. We will have to post more on these last few days when we get home because our wake up call comes in only 6 hours! As far as we know all of our flights are going to be the same as before - so we will see you in Kentucky at 6pm Friday! We can't wait -----Angie

No News is Good News!

Yeah! Our paperwork went fine and we didn't have to make any more corrections. It has been another very busy day complete with a Pizza Hut pizza for dinner. We also took a river cruise on the Pearl River that runs through Guangzhou. It was fascinating to get a larger perspective on the city - Seattle is about 2-3 million people and Guangzhou is about 7-8 million. The skyscrapers and huge apartment buildings seemed to stretch on forever. It was also interesting to see how clean and modern everything looked from the water - with all of the lights it was very beautiful. However I know from traveling many of those same streets that many of those places are very dirty with poverty tucked into corners all around. It was a thought provoking difference in view-point. It's very late here so I have to go but will try to post more fully tomorrow. Our final consulate appointment is 11:30am Guangzhou time - 10:30pm US eastern time. The last step is in view! --Angie

PS For those of you who are wondering - the pizza was pretty good although it doesn't taste exactly the same as at home. Another interesting point - the Chinese still have all of their Christmas decorations up - although they are not everywhere - western style businesses especially are still decorated. The workers tonight at Pizza Hut were all wearing reindeer antlers on their heads! That is truly dedication to your job! :)

Hi everyone!

Hi - it's me. Sorry you haven't heard from me in a couple of days. The days here are very full. We are on our own for one meal a day and it is very time consuming finding something to eat :). Add paperwork, sightseeing and taking care of a baby and you get a very tired Mommy and Daddy by the time the end of the day comes.

First let me tell you how Chloe is doing now. She is rolling over both from back to front and front to back. She is babbling much more saying mama, and baba. These are the Chinese words for mama and dada - I'm not convinced that she is saying them with any meaning - but since almost every Chinese person that we meet tries to get her to say them - she is getting lots of practice. She is still falling over while sitting up - so pillows all around are very necessary. She is very friendly and smiles readily both at us and all of the friendly Chinese people who smile at her and try to make her laugh. Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first time that she cried to come back to me. Most of the time she seems happy to be with us and happy to be held by others also - not much difference. Last night when we were shopping Lucy ( one of the workers in the shops around the hotel who has become a new friend), wanted to hold her but once she left my arms her lip started quivering and she cried to come back! Progress I hope! She is also imitating our kissing sounds - she can do a really good kiss into the air, but when you try to get her to kiss you - or you kiss her - she gets a puzzled look on her face like "what was that?" She is still having lots of dirty diapers and going through at least 2-3 outfits a day. We did have to break down and do some more laundry, but this time we did it through a shop near our hotel and the bill was MUCH more reasonable (about $15 US).

Monday we did some sightseeing here in Guangzhou. We went to the Zoo/Aquarium. It was very similar to an American zoo - but there were not many people there at all. I guess Monday morning is not a popular time to visit. We saw a dolphin/sea lion show that was also similar to what we might see back in the states, although the pool was a little run down. We also trekked all over the zoo in search of the "Giant" panda. I guess panda bears are very small in general because the giant one was no bigger than Hadley - I was glad that we were able to see it and to take Chloe there. As I was sitting there watching the show I was thinking how amazing it was that all of these little girls who have probably only been outside a very few times were now sitting watching a dolphin show! They all seemed to really enjoy it. God is good!

We ate lunch and then went to the long awaited "Friendship Store". I say long awaited because we were originally supposed to go there the day after we got the babies because they were supposed to have lots of baby clothes and supplies. This is a government run department store that has lots of products that are imported from outside of China. It is very similar to one of our stores - 5 stories tall with departments for everything, electronics, appliances, clothes, jewelry, shoes etc. The prices here were basically the same or more than in America, so I don't think that the average Chinese person shops there. I checked on buying a curling iron (to replace the one that melted the very first day of the trip!), but at $30 US dollars it didn't seem worth it for just a few more days.

Shopping in any type of larger Chinese store is very interesting. You know how when you go to a place like Penny's the only sales people you see are cashiers? Well in China every small department has at least 2 sales people who will not allow you to look at anything by yourself :). A department is about 4 rows or isles and then you have moved to the next dept. So for instance when I was looking at the baby things at the Friendship Store, there were a few rows of blankets and bedding that had 2 women working, a few rows of 0-12 month clothing that had 3 women working and a section with cups, soap, diapers etc. that had 2 women working. If you pick up something to look at it they immediately take it and try to display it for you and then spend the rest of the time showing you things that they think are similar that you might be interested in buying. From an American perspective this is very awkward. It feels very rude to turn down the 5th or 6th outfit that they show me so I generally have to leave that department to escape! When you do decide to buy something you can not carry it with you to a main checkout to pay, instead one of those clerks has to fill out an order slip from that department, you take this slip to another part of the store to pay (where the receipt is officially stamped in triplicate!) and then you take your stamped piece of paper back to the original department where the clerk has wrapped your purchase for you. Whew! This process is tiring for me - I can't imagine what it is like for them! I think a Chinese person would feel very neglected shopping in an American store :).

On Tuesday morning it was back to paperwork procedures. First we took Chloe to have visa and passport photos taken. Then it was on to the doctor for the exam that will allow Chloe to enter the US. They weighed and measured her - 18.6 lbs and 77cm. Took her temperature - normal. Tested her hearing by shaking a tambourine on each side of her head. Asked us questions about her current health, and gave her a general look-over without her clothes on. This was the part that she hated the most - the doctor that did her exam was wearing a mask and this was very scary to her. The doctor said that her Mongolian spots were normal - these are areas on her body that look like very bad bruising. This is quite common in Asian children and from what I've been told usually fades by 5-8 years old. She passed all of these checks with flying colors so this hurdle was over.

We then had some paperwork corrections to make because our adoption decree was printed with our address as Louisville instead of Goshen. When Dave and I were checking our paperwork for errors this didn't stick out to us - Louisville was spelled correctly after all! We are very fortunate that our guides caught this before our paperwork was sent to the consulate - it would have been a huge problem. We are even more fortunate that we adopted from this province. If we had come to Guangzhou from another province with this error we would have actually had to fly back to the adopting province to go to the Civil Affairs Office there to have it corrected. As it was our guide Mabel took our papers back to the Civil Affairs Office here - we paid more fees - and had it corrected. Praise God for Mabel!

The rest of our group has joined us from Hunan - we saw them for the first time last night at dinner and it sounds like they had a good experience in Hunan. A general observation is that their babies seem to be more advanced than our group - with many of them walking and some even saying a few English words already! Most of the babies are within a month - 6 weeks of Chloe's age so you can see the range of development and stimulation the babies have experienced.

Today - right now in fact Peter and Mabel are at the Consulate presenting all of our paperwork. We are to wait in our room for the next hour hoping not to hear from them. If we don't hear anything then everything went smoothly and we just have to go tomorrow for our final procedures. If they call it will be because there is something in our papers that needs clarification and we will need to work that out. 35 minutes to go!

No final word yet on the status of our flight - but hopefully today we will hear something definite. Thinking of all of you - especially Benjamin, Johnathan, and Rebecca! We can't wait to get home! -Angie

Map of Guangzhou. We're staying on Shamain Island, which is in the bottom left quadrant of the map. 

Melissa's hand is touching a round stone inside the lion's mouth. There is no way to get it out. It was carved already inside.

Dave and Peter, our Chinese guide. 

Quick update

Monday, 10:45 pm

Not a whole lot happened yesterday (Sunday). Our group had dinner at the local "almost American" restaurant and afterwards I had a brief conversation with Peter, our Chinese guide. We talked about his testimony and a little about what God's called him to do in the future. I am very encouraged by stories of how God touches people's lives under such oppressive circumstances. I still want to talk to him about the underground church and what it's like being a Christian in China. He's a very outgoing person and I really enjoy listening to him talk.

Today (Monday) our group went to the zoo and aquarium, then ate at McDonald's (yippee?) and then went to the friendship store (basically a government run department store). Angie, Melissa, and I went out shopping again on the streets around the hotel. It was fun and Melissa made friends with one of the shop keepers named Lucy. She's 18 and speaks English moderately well. They played badminton on the sidewalk while Angie and I looked for interesting things to bring back.

Sorry this is so short. We're all tired and need to get to sleep now. One of us will be sure to post more soon.

On the other side of the world,
Dave

PS Chloe's doing great. She's making more sounds now (sometimes it sounds like mama and dada). I'm very pleased and astounded to see the improvement she makes every day. Also, we don't have news on the tickets yet. The agency in Washington should be opening soon, so I expect to here something Tuesday morning.

Bridge where Chloe was found. 

Road right outside orphanage gate. 

Shaoguan Welfare Institute. Babies are on top floor. 

Smallest babies sharing a crib. 

Shaoguan orphanage nannies. 

Countryside view between Guangzhou and Shaoguan. 

Train station in Guangzhou. 

Questions, Questions, and more Questions

Yesterday while we were traveling on the bus to the orphanage I had the opportunity to talk for a while with our guide Mabel. These chances don't come very often because our schedule is very busy and our group is so large. I asked so many questions I think I wore her our but here is some of what I learned from her.

Mabel lives in Beijing with her younger brother. Her parents live about 2 hours out in the countryside from Beijing and that is where she grew up. She became a Christian when she went to university here. In China primary school is from ages 7-13, middle school 14-16, high school 16-19, and university from 19-22 or 23. She is in her late 20's and she said that most people of her age/generation do not have any brothers or sisters. Her family is very lucky because her brother was born just 9 days before the one child policy went into effect in her hometown.

Her professor at the university is the one who told her about God and having a personal relationship with Jesus. She said that as she studied the Bible and talked with her teacher personally she began to understand more and more about how God loves her. She said it was in the spring and she saw all the small green blades of grass growing and she finally understood that the God who grows all things and who sees even when the small birds fall loved her very much and she accepted Jesus as her savior. She told the story much better than I can relay here - what a beautiful testimony!

I asked if it is illegal to be a Christian here - she said no and it is not illegal to talk to people about God and Jesus - as long as it is one on one. It is against the law to gather in a group and talk about spiritual things - unless it is on Sunday in a government sponsored church. The government has certain things that it does not allow the church to talk about, but it was difficult for me to understand exactly what those rules are. I don't think that many Chinese people are interested in attending the government church.
Mabel worked for the 700 club before this job working for A Helping Hand. She was helping them do charitable work with orphanages, but she was laid off when there were no longer enough funds to continue. That is when she began working for Peter with A Helping Hand. Peter is the main guide/supervisor who works here in China for A Helping Hand. They are both wonderful people who care very much for both the orphans here in China and for the families coming to adopt them.

I asked Mabel what happens to the children in the orphanages who are not adopted. She said that they can stay at the orphanage until they are 14 years old. If they are handicapped or disabled in some way they go to live at the home for the elderly (like the place that was directly across from the Shao Guan orphanage). If they are healthy and able they go to middle school. They actually leave the orphanage and go and live at the school. I asked if people looked down on them because they were from the orphanage - and she said no - and that the custom was for the teachers to give special care to the children in this situation. I asked if there were any orphans who had attended school at her school and she said no. She also said that the government provides the very basic education for children but that families have to pay extra for any extra activities. Since she listed both math and piano lessons as extra activities I am not sure exactly what makes up a "basic education" but I am sure that it is heavily focused on language (the Chinese language has over 5,000 characters and children memorize all 5,000 of them at an early age) and history because everything here is related to the past. History is incredibly important to the Chinese, it is so much a part of understanding their language that they are reminded of and use their knowledge of history constantly. Obviously an orphan would not have the means to have any "extras" at school but they do have access to basic education.

I asked if Chinese families ever adopt - and she said it is not common. 1st because of the one child policy and 2nd because the older generation is not very accepting of adoption. She said it is very difficult for the children because the extended family does not accept them as really being in the family. I asked what happens when a baby is abandoned. She said it is very sad for the Chinese people. She said that the mother will always wonder what happened to her baby - if she is dead or alive. She said that Chinese mothers generally do go to the hospital to have their babies but that they don't keep records and birth certificates like ours do. Instead it is the "Committee of the Neighborhood" where you must register your child that causes all of the trouble. It is only with this registration that you can receive health care and education for your child, and this is where the one child policy is enforced.

When a baby is found and taken to the orphanage, the orphanage places an abandonment ad in the newspaper asking the parents to come forward and claim their baby. The orphanage then waits at least 3 months before forwarding healthy baby's records on to the Province level Adoption Authority. The Province then forwards those records to the CCAA (the Central Chinese Adoption Authority in Beijing). This is the office that decides how many babies from each orphanage will be eligible for adoption and matches them with applicants like us! It was very interesting talking with her and I am so thankful that God has put her and Peter here to lead us through this process. They have both been so friendly and caring - and that really makes a difference when you are so far from home.

Angie

P.S. Dave is at a paperwork meeting right now (he has been gone for 2 hours!) starting to do the American-side of the paperwork.

Prayer Request

A quick prayer request - one of the members of our group from Louisville was checking on the flight home and discovered that several families (including ours) have had their return flights cancelled. We will have to wait until tomorrow to work this out because the travel agent who made the arrangements is closed. We are hoping that this will not be a problem - the flight we were scheduled on from Hong Kong to Chicago was already overbooked when we had reserved seats so I am not sure what will happen now. Pray it will not be a longer flight arrangement! Oh how I am dreading that flight home! :) Angie

Trip to Shao Guan and the Orphanage

Thank you so much for your messages and encouragement. I miss you all so much! Much more than I miss American beds and food.

Yesterday was a very long day. There were seven families out of ten that were represented in the group that made the trip to Shao Guan. We left on the bus at 9:30am and returned at about 8:00pm – lots of experiences in between. We traveled through Guangzhou first. It was interesting to see more of the city. We passed a TV station and a train station. Things look similar but different. To get out of the city we had to pass through a toll gate. The traffic was moderately heavy. Driving is interesting here. The bus driver drives as though he is driving a small car instead of a tour bus. He changes lanes often – trying to weave in and out of the slower traffic and everyone is constantly beeping their horn – as if to say I am passing you so get out of the way – or move over can’t you see I want to get around? As a passenger it is better not to look too closely or your heart will be pounding the whole trip!

The countryside between Guangzhou and Shao Guan was mostly rural – we drove for about 2 ½ hours between the two cities. We saw lots of rolling hills and some farms – a few people working outside. There were many small and poor buildings in groups here and there. The road we were traveling on was very similar to an American freeway – but with toll gates about every 25 miles. The outskirts of Shao Guan were very old and dirty with many run-down buildings, but as we got farther into the city there were more new and modern looking buildings. The one thing that is so very different here than in America is the mix of buildings in one location. You can have a brand – new modern building surrounded by dirty slum-like conditions. In fact this seems more typical than many new buildings grouped together. We pulled off to the side of a bridge once we were in town and waited for the orphanage worker to come and guide us to the orphanage. After about 15 min a little white van pulled up and we followed it the rest of the way. We passed through the main part of downtown – which has a river running through it and is very pretty. The area around the orphanage was very dirty and run down. The road leading up to it was dirt and gravel. But then in typical Chinese style, you arrive at the actual building and it is a modern new looking building with a large front gate. This building is the government social welfare building, not just the orphanage. It was surrounded by several other buildings where they care for the elderly and disabled people. It was very quiet outside – almost as if there was no one there.

We went upstairs to the top floor using the elevator. The elevator opens into a hallway area with glass doors leading into a playroom. This floor had two big rooms – the playroom and a bedroom. The playroom had a few older children playing – there was a slide and a little tunnel you could crawl through. Also there were about 5 ride-on animals on springs like we have at outdoor parks in America. In this room there was also a TV with some type of cartoon playing. There were about 6 nannies that came to greet us. They all seemed very happy that we had come to visit and were cheerful and smiling. You’ll see in the pictures they are the ones wearing the blue coats. Both of these rooms had marble/tile floors.

We were allowed to take pictures and videos with no problems. The bedroom had about 75 cribs in it. All of the cribs had babies in them except for the ones our babies left just a few days ago. Chloe's was the only one from our group whose crib already had another baby in it. They were arranged in double rows around the room. The babies were arranged by age, with the youngest ones 2 to a crib and the older (5mos+) in a crib by themselves. Every baby was covered with a big quilt and had on several layers of clothes. None of the babies had on diapers like we are accustomed to. Chinese baby clothes have a split in the middle so there are no snaps or anything. The babies had a piece of cloth covering their bottom and then a piece of plastic – it almost looked like a piece of a tarp – covering that. All of this was held on with a piece of string tied around their waist. I only saw one toy in one of the cribs. There were bright pictures painted on the walls and the curtains at the window were cute kid patterns. The positives about this orphanage were that the workers were cheerful, and it was mostly clean. But there were so many babies and so few workers! There were only about 10 walkers total in the playroom and most of the other toys there were only appropriate for older children. I asked if the nannies were assigned to care for specific babies. All 6 nannies share the duties of caring for all the babies. It really made me sad to see row after row of babies with no one to belong to. I don’t believe that the babies had much if any opportunity to go outside. There just aren’t enough workers to manage. It seemed as though the babies spend most of their time lying in their cribs. The nannies have their hands full changing diapers and feeding everyone – so I think that beyond having their basic needs met the babies are mostly left to entertain and comfort themselves. If we could have all stood in that room and if it were possible I think we would have left with as many babies as we could carry. I prayed that God would move even at that moment to prompt people to come for those babies and that the doors would open for the Chinese government to allow even more adoptions.

There were several older children who were playing in the playroom while we were there. They followed us around and were fascinated with our cameras. They loved it when we took their pictures and then showed them the image on the digital screen. We were told that one of the little boys was going to America soon (Praise God!), and that the older girl that we saw was special needs with a heart problem. It was very sad getting on the elevator and leaving all of those precious babies behind – several of us were crying on the way down.

Mabel, our wonderful, awesome guide, had a list of all of the places that our babies were abandoned and she made arrangements for the orphanage worker to accompany us to show us where each place was. What a privilege and blessing that God gave us the opportunity to see and capture this little bit of our daughter’s past – painful as it is. Chloe was left on a bridge. When we arrived there I was amazed that anyone could abandon a baby in such a busy place and not be seen. I wonder if she was left at night when it was dark. The intersection where she was left was as busy and full of traffic as the intersection of Hurstbourne and Shelbyville Road. I was able to get out of the bus and stand there for a moment. There was a group of men there who might have been waiting for a bus or something. They all stared at me and were talking and pointing. Mabel said that they were wondering why so many foreigners were in Shao Guan but she did not tell them because she said they would follow the bus in curiosity. I was able to take several pictures and a brief video – I found it very difficult to imagine leaving a 2 day old baby there, but I know that Chloe’s mom wanted her to be found. That is why such a busy place – so I am choosing to believe that she cared so much that she was willing to risk being seen (in such a busy place) to make sure that her baby would be found quickly. The other babies in our group were all found in different places - a factory, a middle school, a supermarket store, and one right outside the gates of the orphanage. When we finally arrived back in Guangzhou and I was able to hug Chloe and see her sweet little smile I was so thankful that she was not lying in a crib far away – waiting for someone to belong to anymore. She belongs to us!

With love and tears - Angie

Saturday

Today I am on my way to visit the orphanage. Melissa, Dave and Chloe are staying at the hotel because it will be a pretty long day and also the orphanage worker said not to bring the babies. I think it is probably best for Chloe not to go, she had a little bit harder of a day yesterday and it might be more confusing for her if she went. Pray for me that I will have peace while separated from Dave and that I will see and hear the very best so that I can share as much as possible with Chloe when she is older. Thanks for all of your support! Angie

PS Yes Charmin we are getting your messages and they mean so much to me - THANK YOU!

Missing Home

Hi everybody. I have been thinking about everyone back home a lot – at times it seems unbelievable to think that the life that I think of as “normal” is continuing on just as before. I am really missing Benjamin, Johnathan, and Rebecca. Hi guys! Mommy loves you very much!

Chloe seems to be doing well. She is very content – looks around a lot, and smiles. She isn’t making many noises, she does laugh (especially when her big sister is playing with her) but she doesn’t babble or coo – not even simple Chinese sounds. I don’t know if she is just being very quiet because she is still trying to figure out what has happened or if she just has not developed in that area. She is able to sit up by herself, but I would not leave her anywhere in this position except in the middle of the bed because she falls over frequently. She is definitely not standing – her referral paperwork said that she was pulling up and “cruising” holding on to things. This just doesn’t seem possible. When you hold her up she sticks her legs out in a spread-eagle position and doesn’t want to even touch them to the ground. Her legs are very bowlegged, you can straighten them out but on her own this seems to be the position that feels right to her. Her skin is very rough and dry in several places – but we are putting hydrocortisone cream on it and this seems to be helping a lot. She has two teeth on the bottom and three on the top with one more coming in on the top. When she arrived two days ago she was really congested and this seems to be getting better every day. We did not give her any antibiotics because we didn’t want to risk upsetting her system unless it seemed really necessary. She has only cried a few times. She doesn’t like laying down to be changed, and she has cried a few times about that. The back of her head is really flat, as if she’s been laying on it for long periods of time. She has also whimpered a few times when Melissa has left the room. But that is all. The one exception to this is when she wakes up. She will wake and lay in her crib dozing and then when she is fully awake she cries. It sounds like the sad sound she made the first day and even when you pick her up you need to hold her tight for a few minutes before she relaxes. I hope that she feels more secure each day.

We are having lots of runny diapers – we are going through baby clothes like there is no tomorrow. We didn’t bring enough to wear 3 a day! We have done some laundry – but were shocked when we got it back. 5 days of clothes for Dave, Melissa, and me cost almost $75 dollars US. When you can get your haircut for $1 – laundry for $75 doesn’t seem quite right!

Two days ago we completed the Chinese side of all of the adoption paperwork. So now we have the American side to go. This involves a medical exam and visa paperwork at the American consulate. We will begin to work on these things in a few days when the rest of our group arrives here in Guangzhou. In some ways I wish that we could speed up the process because I am so ready to come home and see my family. In another way I am glad because I do think it is important to try to understand at least a little about where she came from. Life here is obviously very different in many ways that I don’t understand. When we went out shopping yesterday on our own it was difficult to imagine what it would be like to live here. The area of town within walking distance of our hotel is a relatively nice area of town – but there were still many beggars and people who were struggling. Mixed right on top of this are some modern shops that are similar to those we see in America. One street is dirty, the next is clean. Culturally the preparation and storage of food is VERY different. There are stores with tanks of fish and other things lined up and the shop owner just reaches right in and takes out what people want and puts it in a basket. Food with heads etc. still attached is normal here – much different than in America!

Back to the process of finishing the adoption. The first thing we had to do was have a family picture taken. Then we waited in a waiting room for our adoption “interview”. The lady asked us how old we were, how long we had been married, our income, how many children we had now, if we promised never to abuse or abandon Chloe, and finally if everything we said was true. I wondered what she would think about Chloe being our 5^th child – if she would think it was strange or bad because of course that would be illegal in China. But she laughed and asked again and then she said that Dave was a very good father. I thought it was interesting that she would think that just because he had many children he was a good father – especially when that is so different than her own culture. Next we went to the Chinese notary who asked us the same questions and stamped our papers. Finally we had to go to the local police station and show our passports and adoption paperwork. At this point we were given our adoption decree and everything was complete! A wonderful moment! I did ask our guide if the police station was were he left any group members that he didn’t like. He thought that was very funny.

Have to go now – Chloe needs to be fed. We miss you all and can’t wait to get home and hug everyone!

Angie

If you could only see what is behind me better... your eyes would be big too! 

If you could only see my funny Daddy/husband... 

Just before leaving the Island. Our hotel is behind us about 4 blocks. The busy street is just ahead of us over some water. 

Off the Island on the way to shopping. 

On the way to shopping, looking down a side street. 

Halfway through January 6th

I know I said I’d write more about yesterday, but I've changed my mind. Maybe Angie can fill you in on all the details, but I’m moving on to today. Right now it’s 3:15 in the afternoon, but 2:15am back home. It’s very strange trying to figure out if I should write “today” or “yesterday” when I’m referring to local time. I’ll do my best to keep it straight.
After I typed this morning’s message (regarding the 5th) we ate breakfast again at the hotel (I’m sure this isn’t going to change until we come home). It’s been colder than we expected here in Guangzhou – think Disney World – so our packing isn’t fitting the weather very well. We decided to venture out shopping with a few couples from our group at one of the local shopping areas. It is SO different than America. We walked down several smallish roads (packed with people) selling stuff in these little shops. I’ll have to take a picture of one, because they are basically all the same tiny size and completely PACKED with stuff. They are organized by specialty it seems. On the street we walked down, there were several food/dry goods stores and clothing stores and small restaurant type shops. There was an engine repair store, shoe store, smoke shop, and a whole bunch of others. This went on for blocks and blocks and down side streets. It was absolutely fascinating. (no “stuff-mart” here – for those of you that have seen Veggie Tales). Every once in a while there would be a small alcove type thing where it was obvious the shop keepers and others lived. Just about everything is quite dirty and old. Most of the stuff is still in it’s original packaging so that although the outside looks old, the inside is still new.

Ok, so we proceeded down these streets until we reached an area where the street had been closed to vehicles. This was starting to turn into a more modern (using the term loosely) area. There was still shop after shop after shop, but they were bigger and newer. We walked for about two or three blocks down this street when we reached a big open area. The road was blocked off on all four streets and the buildings very obviously much newer. We noticed across the way what looked like the entrance to a mall type structure thing (it’s all so hard to describe!). We went in and sure enough it was like a mall… sort of. It was more like a four level mall – with escalators- but again there were these small, packed out type shops. The only difference between the shops we had just left and the ones we were seeing now was outside vs inside.

Still looking for baby clothes we asked as best we could if there were any baby shops around. People pointed us this way and that, but we didn’t find what we were looking for. I did, however, find this big store that carried cell phones and nothing else. Think of the Old Navy at the Oxmoor mall with lower ceilings and nothing but cell phones in glass counters and you’ll have 80% of the picture. We then decided to go back, frustrated we didn’t find a baby store.


Angie, Melissa and I stopped in a “Chinese Claires” shop while the rest of the group said they were going back to the hotel. A few minutes later, Angie says the other couple found an English couple on their way back who pointed out the store we should be looking in for baby clothes! Now we were back on the trail. We made our way back up the street some, and entered a skinny “department” store. Up on the third floor we found the baby department, but all the sizes were strange (for example 80 or 60 somethings) and it was organized differently that we’re used to back home. As a matter of fact I don’t think they are organized at all, but I’m sure the locals know how to find what they need. Needless to say, we found some things and didn’t find others. All told it’s been a very interesting day so far.


The weather has been nicer today – probably in the 70s. I’m wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt and am mostly comfortable. For those that have asked, the view out our window is of the Pearl River (it reminds me a lot of the Ohio). You can see our hotel here at this link --> http://www.lhw.com/property.aspx?propertyid=257

Most of the pictures I’m posting next are from today (while you are all sleeping)!

I almost forgot the most important part… Chloe! She’s doing great. Not talking or babbling a whole lot. She giggles some with Melissa, and I think she definitely likes us by her outward appearance.

She's alert and interested in what's going on around her. She poops well for those of you interested in that. Already has dirtied 3 outfits in the last 24 hours. Keep those emails and blog comments coming. You all are awesome! Enjoy the pictures.


Dave

Northrup-ized. Washed, lotioned, and smelling clean. 

MCDONALDS! 

Street market. 

Outside our hotel window 

Biggest and littlest sisters 

Another (mostly) busy day…

Today (January 5th) was the day the adoption is legally complete! There are a few more trips we have to make (Doctor visit, US consulate, etc) but essentially, we’re done. It’s such a nice feeling to have the majority of the paperwork and visits behind us. I feel like I can really spend some leisure time enjoying the surroundings, culture, and new daughter.

Here’s a short recap of the day:

Wake up early, eat nice American breakfast at hotel

Rush around to be sure we have all the correct documents and money

Leave for the Chinese adoption center at 8am

Wait

Sign paperwork, give money

Wait

Sign more paperwork, give more money

Adoption complete!

*Eat lunch at McDonalds (yes, McDonalds)

Go baby supply “shopping”

Laundry day (yippee)

Rest (sort of) at hotel

Walk the small streets by the hotel and “shop” more

*Eat pizza, french fries, and breadsticks for dinner

*note: before you start celebrating for us about the American food, remember that most American food tastes about 80-90% like REAL American food. I think it’s like eating diet ice cream. Good, but not the same.

I’m going to try and post more pictures today. I hope you can see them ok. For some reason, we can post to the blog, but can’t view it ourselves. It makes me wonder if the Chinese government blocks the site for some reason. Seems silly to me, but it’s the only thing I can think of. We can get every where else on the internet when it’s operating properly.

Anyway, Chloe slept pretty well last night. So far the only things we notice that are of slight concern to us are some areas of dry skin and bowed legs. We’re still wondering about scabies, but I really don’t think she has them.

I have to get ready to eat breakfast. I’m going to post some pictures and will try to fill out this day more when there’s more time. We appreciate you all and can’t wait to see you on USA soil!

Dave

PS Answered prayer update: I have found a local “coffee” spot. Not really starbucks, but at least it’s somewhat black looking and might have caffeine in it.

Lady who named Chloe. 

Resting with Mommy, shortly after we received her. 

I'm happy now! 

Chloe is here!

Praise God! He is so good to us! We are the very proud parents and new big sister to a beautiful little girl. We have had Chloe with us for about 12 hours now and have already seen the blessing of an amazing transformation from a scared and screaming little baby to a relaxed LAUGHING little girl.

Yesterday at about 3pm we arrived at the Chinese Civil Affairs Office here in Guangzhou. There were a total of 10 nervous and excited families. We all went upstairs into a waiting room together. We spent about 20 minutes preparing some paperwork and had the great blessing of praying together to our wonderful God that He would bless our families and giving thanks to him for the wonderful gift and responsibility of receiving a daughter. It was a wonderful thing to be able to give God praise and honor in a Chinese Government Office!

As we were finishing up we could hear some babies crying and then caught a glimpse of some of the Chinese nannies carrying babies down the hall. I can’t explain the anticipation in the room. One of our guides stood at the door of the room and began calling out family names as the babies came in. We were number 8 out of 10 and the whole process was over in about 5 min! 10 families with new little girls. Chloe looked just like her pictures and was very serious. When I picked her up she looked at my face and at Melissa’s face and her lip started quivering. Dave really put her over the top. She just wailed a cry that sounded so scared and sad. It seemed as though she was recognizing how completely unfamiliar we were. During the next 1 ½ hours we continued to sign papers and hold our daughters. Chloe did calm down during this time and even fell asleep once, but every time she looked at our faces she would start crying again.

One of the workers from the orphanage was there and we were able to ask some questions with the help of our guide. I learned that this woman named Chloe when she came to the orphanage. Shao – is related to the city where she was found (Shao Guan), Fu – means double happiness, and Yi which is her first name was given because it is a “very beautiful name for a girl”. I was blessed to know that even when she arrived at the orphanage she was thought of as beautiful. It was very interesting to hear some of the other reasons that babies received their names. One was given her name because they thought she looked like a boy!:) Another was given her name – Peach – because her cheeks were like peaches when she arrived.

We also learned that all of our babies slept alone in a crib. This is a blessing because it means that hopefully Chloe will have and easier time adjusting when we get home. We will be able to visit the orphanage – either on Friday or Saturday. This is an answer to prayer as we were praying that God would give us the chance to visit so that we could tell her about where she spent her first year when she is older.

As is the custom, all of the families brought gifts for the orphanage director and the nannies that care for the children – so they took these gifts and left to return to the orphanage in Shao Guan. The woman who we spoke with seemed very kind and smiled a lot. She did seem to care very much about the babies and to know them personally. I was able to take a picture with her so that Chloe can see the person in this world who gave her her first name.

The papers that we signed basically began the final adoption process. It gave us temporary custody of the babies and today when we return to fill out the next set of papers, the adoption will be final. Chinese adoption law has already terminated all parental rights and there is no additional waiting period. So today Chloe will legally become a Northrup. What God has already done in our hearts will become an earthly reality!

By the time these procedures were finished and we got back on the bus to return to the hotel Chloe had calmed down a little bit and was more interested in what was going on around her. She especially liked the rattle we brought with us and was holding it very tight. Melissa held her on the bus and she seemed to like that. When we got back to the hotel we only had about 45 min until dinner so we decided not to bathe her or change her clothes. We didn’t want to overwhelm her with too much all in the first few min.

Dave spent most of this time trying to track down some of the formula Chloe is using and that story is a long and funny story all by itself. By the time dinner came we still did not have formula but we did give her some apple juice in a bottle. She loved that! The best moment came when she smiled. Dave gets all the credit. There is just something about a daddy acting goofy that brings out the best in everybody. She just relaxed more and more from that point so much so that during dinner he actually got her to laugh out loud! I can’t explain how it feels inside to have her already looking at us with new eyes. Thank you to everyone who is praying. She is asleep right now and today will be a whole new adventure as she wakes up to so many changes. We are leaving soon to sign those final Chinese papers so I have to go.

Angie

Only 1/2 hr to go!

Only 1/2 hour to go until we go downstairs to meet our group on "the red sofa". My stomach is full of butterflies and I don't know whether I feel like laughing or crying or both at the same time. It is comforting to know that so many people are thinking and praying for us - and of course it is the most comforting to know that this day and this moment have been in God's mind and plan all along - we are just following. Please pray hard!
Angie

Hello from Guangzhou (Dave speaks)!

A day and a half have passed since the last time we posted, so I will try and summarize what we’ve been up to then go into more detail later. First, however, is a note about our internet connection… at this time we don’t have one in our room like we did in Beijing. I’m not yet sure how we’re going to get it worked out, but it’s going to be much harder to get timely updates to you.

Now for the day and a half:

Monday we woke up pretty early to eat and check out. We needed to have our bags ready and packed outside the door by 7:30 am. The early time wasn’t a big issue because the jet lag makes it hard to sleep past 3 to 4 am! If you add in the rock slabs they call a bed, sleeping comes mostly in fits and starts. The breakfast was really interesting. Foods that appear normal – bread, cereal, milk, and juice – all taste slightly different. Really, the only foods we’ve eaten that looked normal, tasted normal, and were prepared locally were some awesome french fries at the pearl shop. Sorry for the tangent.

We next left the hotel and rode the bus to a government jade factory. The items were very pretty and interesting but nothing that seemed worth buying. From there we went to the Great Wall of China. It was colder there than anywhere we’ve been – and the windiest. Most of the group got off the bus, put their feet on the first step so they could claim they’d been on the Great Wall and retreated to the safe, warm bus. Melissa and I, however, decided to climb as high as our legs would take us. I figured I probably wouldn’t be in China again and I didn’t want to regret not going all out up this crazy wall. Melissa was awesome and when she started to get tired and wanted to quit, she’d say out loud, “come on, no regrets!” I’ve got a picture from the top that I’ll try posting soon. In case you’re wondering, the other people in the picture are from our group also (all of us studs if I do say so myself). It’s unfortunate that the pictures can’t capture the amazing views, sounds, smells, etc of what we’re experiencing.

After getting back to the bus, we left the great wall and headed for a cloisonné “factory”. I put quotes around factory because as far as I can tell, it’s basically a government store with a small amount of workers showing the process. I’m sure there are more sales people than craftsman. The sales clerks follow you everywhere. They are not pushy, but are ready at a moments notice to help you buy anything you want. We also had lunch there - small plates, a fish dish that had the head and tail included on the plate, and other Chinese style foods. One thing I found interesting was as our guides were helping us get seated and ready for lunch, I asked one of them to sit down with us. She said no thanks and that the guides and bus drivers have a separate room to eat in. Then she smiled and said this food (the stuff we were going to eat) did not taste too good to them!

From there we made our way to the airport, where I had the joy of downing two cups of Starbucks coffee (my first in several days). It was a little watery and they didn’t have venti (only grande), but I have not seen coffee anyplace we’ve been so I could care less. We then left on a 3 hour flight to Guangzhou. We’ve been here a short amount of time, and I just got the internet and phone card situation figured out. We have 50 minutes until we meet with the rest of our group to head over to the Chinese civil affairs office to pick up the babies! One of us will post more later.

Everyone’s emails have been so wonderful to get and read (Kathy, I can’t keep straight what day it is here or back in Kentucky… I’m sad to admit that I didn’t really think of the staff meeting yesterday!).

Thanks for joining with us in this adventure!

Dave

The Great Wall Studs!