I really thought I would have this blogging thing down to an art while in China but that just isn't happening.
Last night we arrived in Guangzhou. It was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. In comparison to the last two cities we were in, it was clean, beautiful and the air seemed smog free. Baby girl did amazing on her first flight. I had a bottle at the ready but less than 5 mins after take off she was fast asleep and stayed that way until touch down. It was about 97 degrees outside when we met our guide and while waiting for the van to pick us up I thought I was going to melt. However, another nice difference was the van ride. Air conditioning. It isn't that the taxi's in Nanchang didn't have air, its that they clearly felt there was no or little to no need for it. Never mind the westerner's in the back drowning in puddles of sweat. That is another big difference between China and the USA in general. The weather conditions in Beijing, Nanchang and Guangzhou are crazy similar to NC but...in NC I take a sweater with me b/c the a/c makes being inside COLD. Here, not so much. Its not a priority. In fact, in the airport in Nanchang while we SAT and waited, I almost had a melt down it was so HOT! I'm complaining aren't I? Sorry. Just being honest.
OK, so we got all checked in and walked into our room and I thought YES, if I have to be in China 7 more days...this is the place to be. It is so spacious and its a great view. I mean, our room has one and a half baths for crying out loud. I can handle that! There is a mini mall on the first floor and a STARBUCKS! You know my hubby is a happy man. There are also 2 kiddie play areas, not that baby girl will let me put her down long enough. HA!
Although, last night once in the room she came out of her shell and it was THE most precious thing ever. She was being silly. She was laughing at us and with us. She would get up and down from the couch. She was playful and funny. We loved it. She even smiled when we face timed with Brian's brother and his fam. And this morning when she woke up I went over to see a smile on her face and no tears when we changed her diaper. God is good and I know He is mending her little heart and helping her feel secure. And I know all of YOU praying is why! Thank you!! I wish I could say I have pictures of it all but with her being so shy, that is just not going to happen.
Onto this morning. It was so nice to be re-united with our group this morning, some at breakfast and some in the lobby before the medical check. As we headed to our medical check I think baby girl knew something was up. She was very whiny and clingy. I was not looking forward to it and once we got there I knew my senses were right. It was organized chaos. There had to be at least 50 other families there all doing the same thing. We felt like cattle being herded around. The first thing was to get her photo taken for the visa. Yeah right! With Brian holding her she still screamed bloody murder and finally the photographer had to get Brian's permission to use the pic of her screaming. Really?! You have to ask. UGH! Next were the medicals. There were three checks. One was ENT, second was height, weight, and third was general physical. She wailed and wailed and wailed and by the time we were done I was crying, exhausted and dizzy. Thank goodness she was under 2. We had friends there who had to leave their kids in a room with a nurse to get a blood draw for the TB test. There is no way I could have done that. I wasn't the only mom crying today, thats for sure. We were the first of our group to finish our med check and we headed downstairs to wait. I felt so bad by this time. Dizzy, as if the floor under me was jello. It was awful. Maybe it was the sensory overload. By the time we were on the bus going back to the hotel all I could think was how far back would this push things. Thankfully, no sooner did we get back and head to the restaurant for lunch and there was our little girl's smile and playful mood again. Oh God, how I love you!
As I type this she is napping (I already took mine) and Brian is at a Holt meeting downstairs for more paperwork checks. I am starting to think this paper work thing will never be over.
Tonight and tomorrow we get to do whatever we want and I am hoping for some pool time, but we will see.
Its funny, I figured I woud take a thousand pictures and I haven't. I think its b/c this whole thing is not like being on vacation at all. My mindset is different. My focus is Jenna Grace. I really couldn't care less that I am in China. I don't even see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity either b/c I figure we will probably do this again so I'll take more pics then.
Just a side note, we've had people ask why we have to be here so long. Well, while we were in province we had to wait while they processed her passport which was applied for on Monday and picked up just 30 minutes before we left for the airport on Friday. And, just a guess but I'm sure they pay to expedite that b/c passports in the states take at least 6 weeks. This week, they process her visa and medical check. The medical check will be written up by Monday and the visa will be done by Thursday, I think. Its no different than the states. When we applied for our visa's to come here, they took 5 days. Yes, its red tape, yes its control and guess what? At this point, I don't care. I would do it all over again in a heart beat.
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| Its not the best pic but here she is in all of her cuteness walking on her own. |
Blessings.
