Trip to China
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007 Today was the big day. The second biggest day of our time here as today we visited Gutian, Jude's orphanage. I got an extra early start since I was having trouble sleeping and could tell by the looks of the hotel hair dryer that it was going to take a while to get my hair dry. I made sure to leave extra time for breakfast this morning since Jude has such a surprisingly large appetite and this morning he did not disappoint. He downed two yogurts, some egg, banana and some congee. We finally had to stop him for fear he would eat so much he would vomit, as he has several times in the last few days. Especially considering we were about to start off on a mountainous three hour van ride to Gutian. Jude was so wonderful on the trip, we played with every toy I brought and then moved onto anything he showed an interest in, especially an empty water bottle. He actually seemed to enjoy the drive and we were able to coerce many giggles out of him. When he wasn't actively playing he seemed content to just sit in my lap. The scenery along the way was absolutely stunning. The countryside is mountainous and a river runs along the direction we were traveling. So many times I wanted to ask the driver to stop so I could take pictures! Kris, you would have been in HEAVEN on this drive! The trip started out on a main road and then turned into a winding uphill, too- close- to- the- edge for comfort kind of ride. When I thought I could take it no longer, I asked the driver if the road for the rest of the trip was going to be this bad. His response was, "No, it gets worse." And it did. The winding, turning road turned into road construction unlike anything I've ever seen. Men and women literally breaking rocks into smaller pieces with hammers, turning them into cement, by hand, and paving the road, one foot at a time. The road was only one lane and we were driving on the unpaved side! But it made for some giggles along the way as Tori, in the way back of the van, bobbled up and down when the roads got bumpy. And it gave me an incredible admiration for the work ethic of the Chinese people. I can not imagine witnessing such a sight in the United States. We arrived about three hours after we left Fuzhou and once we were in the orphanage driveway, I realized how unprepared mentally I was for this visit. Suddenly we were surrounded by loving nannies all so excited to see JiaMing, or MingDi as they call him (his given name plus "di" which means little brother). As expected, Jude jumped at the chance to be held by his beloved nannies. I realized today that there were three women who cared for him, and he loved each one. He would hold his arms out to be held by one and then fuss for the next and so on. It was really very sweet and the nannies seemed to be thrilled by the opportunity to be given one more opportunity for hugs and kisses. The orphanage director greeted us also, as did a few of the older special needs children at Gutian. Thankfully I was armed with lollipops, the universal language. The director and nannies are incredibly kind and gentle people and they welcomed Tori and I into the orphanage. It was up two flights of stairs, I believe they house some senior citizens on the floors underneath the baby area. Jude's 'home' was comprised of four rooms, two of which were baby rooms, a play room and a room for very special needs children. There was about 5 or 6 cribs in each baby room and Jude's crib was on a main wall, alone, facing the main door. His head is unevenly flat in the back and now I know why... he probably spent many of his days laying in his crib, head turned toward that door. As I stood there and took in the emotion of seeing his little crib, I felt my heart belonging more and more to my sweet boy, an almost physical reminder of how I am slowly but surely becoming his mom, heart and soul. We continued our visit with some picture taking and question answering. On adoption day I received the list of questions I had sent answered carefully by the caretakers. So, most of my questions had already been answered. I used the time to express my gratitude to the nannies for all they do, I cannot imagine giving my heart to their little charges like they do and then having to say goodbye. Jude continued to 'nanny hop' and he seemed quite content when he wasn't reaching for one of the nannies that wasn't holding him. Some of the other ladies tried to take him, but he adamantly refused. I had brought along a yogurt for him, but the nannies all flinched when they saw it and they jumped to make him a bottle of their special porridge- like mixture. It consists of formula, fish soup and rice cereal. I believe it is all that Jude was fed, 5-6 times a day, through a very large holed nipple. The nanny mixed it carefully, stirring it in a bowl until it was just right, putting it in a bottle and carefully held Jude to give it to him. I know they felt like they were offering him the very best and I was almost sad for them when he pushed it away. Soon it was time to leave the orphanage, and we had to say a tearful goodbye to Jude's nannies on our way out to eat lunch with the orphanage director, vice director and some other employees. When I took him from his caretaker he cried, as I thought he would, but expecting it to happen did not make the moment any easier. He quieted down as soon as we were out of the orphanage driveway, but there is no doubt the experience will be in his mind for a long time to come.

Happy to be in the arms of favorite caretaker #1! Favorite caretaker #2 Jude's little crib Above Jude's crib Orphanage director, nannies and some babies from Gutain At Jude's finding location with his finder, Chen E Mei On the road back "home"

Lunch, most surprisingly, was excellent. Coming on the heels of our nightmare dining experience I was approaching this meal with trepidation. But both Tori and I ended up eating until we were stuffed. Bamboo was the veggie of choice and I have to say, I wish it were on menus in the US! We also enjoyed the mushroom dish and the carrot juice. Mushrooms are a specialty in Gutian as bamboo is in a neighboring town. We did take a rain check on the 'seafood' that looked alarmingly like tiny octopus. The orphanage director was a wonderful host and he graciously made sure that Tori and I had cold water during the meal and full bellies before we left the restaurant. Then it was time to visit Jude's finding spot. The director and the other orphanage employees offered to come with us to his finding location, and I was touched by their sincerity since it was not necessary. Once we arrived I was astounded to realized that the orphanage secretary, one of the women we had eaten lunch with, had been the one to find Jude. Since she was there with us, she pointed out exactly where on the police station steps he was found. I asked our guide to conduct a mini interview with her on video, so we could have the tape to show Jude when he is older. She talked about finding him, early in the morning on January 16, and how he was found in a large basket with some clothes. She stated that she hopes he has a happy and bright future, and that when she found him, she hoped he would have a family some day. I thank God that He chose us to be that family. The drive home was tiring, we were all ready to just be back at the hotel. We did stop to take a few pictures, the scenery was so amazing I couldn't resist. Once we got back to the hotel I made a cup o' noodles for Jude and gave him a bath, trying to help him wind down from an incredibly emotional day. He has such a joyful spirit, he laughed and played as if today were like any other. I feel so blessed to call this child mine. Tomorrow our plans include a tea ceremony and a visit to Panda World ;) Not terribly exciting and probably the exact same thing every other adoptive family does who comes to Fuzhou. But we don't mind, I think we are all very much looking forward to some emotional down- time! CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO CLIP OF JUDE SLURPING SOME NOODLES!

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