It Was a Good Day

Other than a minor hunger meltdown & having to attempt eating a spaghetti-type noodle concoction with chopsticks, it was a very good day. This was a "free day", so we headed off to the Safari Park with another family from our agency. The weather was beautiful, & we got to see LOTS of animals. According to our guide, this park is one of the 3 largest in the world.
Evidently we missed the memo that it was wear your yellow hat day. This picture really does not do justice to the sea of yellow-hatted people we saw.

Kemeri's wondering what's up with the yellow hat style, too.

Is it not the cutest?

Feeding the giraffes was definitely a highlight of this outing.

Even Kemeri wanted to get up close to the action. But seriously, look at that tongue. I couldn't decide if I should be grossed out or fascinated. I think Kade got slimed a couple of times.

And then this dude just cracked me up.

Kemeri is pointing at the elephants in this picture, but she did a lot of excited pointing all day. I hope this is a good indication of things to come when she meets Ella.

It was a busy day at the zoo, & she made it almost to the end.

Kade & my new friend Audrey's daughter, Allison, tried out a ride. Seemed like a lot of work to me, but Kade enjoyed it.

We no sooner got back to the hotel & Miss Thing was ready to be on the move again. Love her.

This was good news b/c Mama needed some Starbucks, & baby girl needed some more diapers. We got directions to Trust Mart (think kooky Walmart). I think "Trust" comes from trusting that you'll be able to get there safely without getting run over.

Trust Mart is to the right of KFC. It is has a teeny-tiny store front, but once inside, it just goes on & on & on. So bizarre. But I found the diapers, so all is well.

Have I mentioned that Kemeri seems to love the water? Bath time is a very fun time, so I couldn't resist a few pictures of her sweet self.

Get ready, Daddy! Someone is practicing her phone calls to you!!

Night, night from Guangzhou!

In Guangzhou!

For our last day in Changsha, we were scheduled to visit the Yuelu Academy. Fortunately, for the first day since we arrived there, the weather cooperated & we actually saw bits of sunshine. I finally learned that whatever the forecast said, count on the opposite. This day called for 90% chance of rain. Go figure.

We had our final lunch back at the hotel while we waited for it to be time to pick up Kemeri's passport & head to the airport.

This was our guide for the week, Celia, getting us checked in at the airport.

My friend, Amie, swears by lollipops. Up until now, I have not had occasion to need them. Buckling Kemeri into her seat on the plane turned into an occasion for the lollipop. She may or may not have had 4 of them before take-off. Don't judge. That seatbelt was causing some major stress, & the lollipop was the only remedy left in the arsenal.

We arrived safely in Guangzhou & our guide was there to meet us & get us to our hotel. After a decent night of sleep, we headed out for the medical appointment aka the biggest bullpen of chaos I have encountered outside of Changsha traffic. We are talking wall to wall people, crying kiddos, oh my. But you do whatcha gotta do.

I think I've mentioned that I was pleasantly surprised by Kemeri's size. Today confirmed the suspicions I had about her weight based on the cramping in my arms...The girl weighs 27 lbs! And the reason almost every pair of pants is too short on her is because she's 33.5 inches tall!

Yep, Kemmy, I agree with your thoughts of this whole thing.

But I hate to tell you that the TB test is still to come...

I was again surprised by this little girl of mine. When she got the needle stick for her TB test, she made a noise of dislike & then pointed to her arm with a look like, "Are you serious?? I'm completely annoyed by that." But no tears. Just a bit ticked for a few minutes.

Have I mentioned that it is sunny here & feels sooo good to be outside? Well, it is & it does & we headed to good old McDonald's. Kemeri & the french fry are getting along just fine.

My new friend, Holly, & her sister, Kim, lent me their stroller until I can get one purchased b/c Holly's little one doesn't care for it. Not only did it give my arms a break, but we were able to do a lot of walking, which was good for my soul and probably my lower half after all of the french fries we have eaten recently b/c we are a bit tired of everything unfamiliar or smothered in unfamiliar sauce.

Look what Kade found as we were out exploring...He is thrilled!!!

It's been a good first day in Guangzhou & the first step toward getting Lil Miss' visa done. We're getting together with some new friends for dinner & then hoping for another good night of sleep.

Please continue to pray for my family back home. I just got another message from Joe that Kendi now has the tummy bug, too. Just breaks my heart that it seems to be going through everybody. Thanks for continuing to pray for us here, too. It means a whole bunch!

Last Day In Changsha

I don't know that I'll have the time or energy to do an update later since we're flying out of Changsha tonight to Guangzhou, so I thought I'd post a few pictures. When we went to the embroidery museum yesterday, we bought Kemeri a little purse. She loves putting things over her arm, so I thought it might be a good thing. It was. She has played & played with it, putting things in & taking things out. It's just the right size for her!

And we took a quick pic this morning at breakfast. The hotel has a buffet every morning that we go to.

So long from Changsha...See you in Guangzhou!

A New Day

I must admit that I struggled with my post yesterday. I don't like to be negative, but I do want to be real. Now, I am so glad I did because I was so blessed by emails & words of encouragement on FB. It was another reminder to me that we are not meant to live this life alone. If you put yourself out there, chances are there are many who have "been there, done that" & lived to tell about it! So thank you, thank you for your sweet selves!! Today was a much better day!

We had to be on our way early this morning for the Civil Affairs office for an official adoption ceremony.

Somebody zonked out right before it was time to leave.

It was a short ceremony, & then we were presented with our official paperwork.

Afterwards, we went to the embroidery museum.

I think my favorite part of the day happened after nap time, though. Kade & I both marvel at how well Kemeri is adjusting. And every day she discovers she really digs her Gege.

We went down to the lobby to take a few pictures of Lil Miss in her new outfit that I mistakenly spent a small fortune on yesterday that we picked up while shopping. Let's just say long story, lesson learned.

We ended the day visiting our new friends at our now favorite restaurant next to the hotel. They were thrilled to see us again, & this one gal insists on touching Kade's face & even squeezing his cheeks. I finally told Kade I was getting a picture of him with his fan. They speak zero English, so I pulled out the camera to ask permission first. Oh my word. The place went into a frenzy! People were pulling out their cell phones to get their own pictures, jockeying for position to get pictures with Kade....Oh my gosh, it was a hoot! I think they may have made my boy blush just a little. ;)

Thanks again for your support. We find more to love about our little girl each day, & your encouragement has helped us hit the refresh button to get the most out of the rest of our time here. If you would, please say a prayer for Joe & the kids. Kaya has picked up a tummy bug, so life isn't very fun at home right now & we're hoping it doesn't go through the rest of the family.

Regrouping

The way I was brought up, if you didn't have anything nice to say, you didn't say anything at all. However, I was also brought up to tell the truth. So, I'm in a bit of a pickle. The truth wins, but I will try to do it tactfully.

Everyone says they miss China once they're gone. I hope I can say the same one day. I don't know that it will be anytime soon. I miss smoke-free environments. I miss making eye contact with people & sharing a smile. I miss personal boundaries. I miss common courtesy. I miss being yielded to as a pedestrian, for goodness sake.

There. I said it. An adoption journey is hard enough, but quite frankly, this environment is not making it any easier. Today was a hard day. Lil Miss was fussy. Who can blame her? It was good to be out of the hotel room for awhile, but it turned out to be too long. By the time we went to lunch, Kemeri was just too tired. As we waited for the food, she started really getting upset. The lady at the next table decided it was her place to tell our guide that the baby was fussy b/c her hat was too tight. That was the straw that broke my back. I knew before we came here that in this culture, it is expected that the children are dressed VERY warm & covered everywhere. In an effort to be respectful of that, I packed accordingly, & when we went out today, I had Kemeri dressed warm from head to toe. But it still wasn't good enough. I know it probably shouldn't have bothered me b/c everyone seems to have at least one chastising about how their child is dressed while here, but I was ready to snap. The child was tired, hungry, her world has been turned upside down, & she's 2. Her darn hat was not too tight.

By the time we got back, she was sound asleep & took a nice, long, much-needed nap. When she woke up, she was much more herself. During that time, I had a meltdown did a lot of praying. I'm struggling with a lot of guilty feelings. I am typically a friendly, outgoing, gracious person. I don't much feel like myself. But then I had to regroup & remember, this isn't about me. And in the midst of all this external stuff that doesn't seem so good, in our little hotel room, there's a lot of good happening.

My son has turned into a young man. He has become very bold in the different circumstances we find ourselves in, yet he is so sweet & patient with Kemeri. Kemeri is a smart, ornery, fiery little girl. I learned today what she says to me many times a day: "Bao" while holding her hands up, which means "hug". She still spends lots of time in a perpetual "hug" on my lap, which is fine by me. She likes to grab my face in her hands & give kisses. When we (yes, "we"...I do not get any privacy) go to the potty, she immediately starts asking for Gege, which is "brother".

This gentleman is one of the few smiling, friendly faces we encounter each day.
I continue to be amazed at how Kemeri has adapted to her little hand. She was curious about me writing something, so I gave her the pencil to try. I held the pad of paper, but after a minute, she took it from me & figured out how to hold it herself & write, too.

Since I was in a "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mode after nap, we ventured out on our own outside the hotel.

We ran into another AP while out, & he offered to take a picture. I don't believe this was a chance meeting, either. As we talked about the craziness we've both been experiencing, he gave me a nice pep talk. He reminded me that I'm strong & that I can do this. Right after that, I read an email from my husband who said the same thing. I needed that.

We ended up feeling adventurous & went into a nearby restaurant to see if we might find something to take back to the room for dinner. What a breath of fresh air! They did not speak but 2 words of English, but they were smiling & seemed genuinely pleased to see us! They brought me a menu with pictures, & then through a round of charades they understood that I wanted it to go. Kade said he wished we could just stay there. It was so nice to feel welcome.

The night ended extra special when out of nowhere, Lil Miss did this:

We're gonna be okay.