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Trip to China
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Monday, June 16, 2008
GOTCHA DAY!


Gotcha Day arrived with Stefanie jumping out of bed early in the a.m. and skipping off to the shower. She let me continue to sleep and I was awakened by a call from home and the kids wishing me a "Happy Father's Day!" What an awesome way to begin a day in China -- extra sleep and listening to the voices of our precious children. Sometimes it is easy to forget just how tiny those little souls are but hearing them on the phone brought us back to the reality of how much we miss them and just how small they are.

After showering, it was time for us to find out how the Victory Hotel breakfast stacks up against the White Swan. We are staying in the Victory Hotel West and not the main Victory Hotel East but we went to the main hotel because it was difficult to understand where the breakfast is on this side (I did find it later when I saw the courtyard in the middle of the hotel and the breakfast bar there -- really bright of me, eh?). We found the East side and sure enough there was breakfast and several couples that were in different stages of the adoption process. So, as usual, Stefanie struck up conversations with a woman from Denmark and another from Florida. I told Stefanie that I find it interesting when people give her advice on adoption and issues with the special needs program. She is so good at listening, even if the knowledge they are passing is a little skewed or even downright wrong, and then building up the advice giver and offering her advice spiced just right with the 'correct' information but never in a manner that pretends that she is better informed than they are. It is something that I admire and wish I could also do. The breakfast was great and we both rolled ourselves (me a hefty 5-8 pounds heavier and Stefanie a little lighter and pretty as ever) away from there and started off on a little frolic around the park and then right back to the hotel. Once we arrived, we realized that the "PANDA" phone had been left at the breakfast bar so while I scrambled to recover it, Stefanie spoke with the front desk personnel and was granted permission to move from the 4th floor to a better room and, more importantly, one with a bigger bed on the 3rd floor. Ah, King Size heaven! We went to the old room and packed our stuff while also cleaning out the big suitcase. "Why clean out a suitcase?" you ask. Because we were 'fortunate' to discover that our Fiber One had been opened while our luggage was in transit and everything was covered with a thin white powder (by everything, I mean everything -- even stuffs inside plastic bags). Following a thorough cleaning we moved and walked into the room that is seemingly perfect -- more storage space, bigger bed, and a sitting room.

After unpacking we had a few moments of rest and then it was time to get ready for our walk over to the White Swan to meet our guide, David, and another Lifeline adoptive parent, Tim. We shot off to Civil Affairs and again were impressed by the ability of Chinese drivers to navigate without wrecking and the bicyclists ability to carry what appears to be ten times their bodyweight without falling over. At the Civil Affairs, we walked in, me on video following Stefanie, and went upstairs. When we walked in, there were other families there and although we were prepared JIC Shepherd was there, it turned out that he was in a separate room. We went to a different room off the main room and then waited for him. When he arrived, it was truly a gift from a God himself. He cried a little (the softest little cry but with a scrunched up face that would make the greatest actor proud) and then held onto Momma for dear life.

We departed the Civil Affairs after some paperwork, pictures, and with questions answered. It was back to the hotel and bath time as well as feeding, vegetable puffs, and an attempt at a bottle. The bath went very well and then Stefanie dressed our boy in his first outfit. At 6 p.m., it was time to go visit with other families to The Cow and Bridge, the local Thai restaurant that is a fave in our household. While there, we enjoyed the sweet-and-sour chicken and beef but then Shepherd became upset due to a number of factors (sleep, new people, and a stuffed puppy that I mistakenly thought he would like -- bad move!) and we returned to the hotel where Stefanie got him to laugh (see http://www.wheneastmeetssouth.com). After another short drink from his bottle and some vegetable puffs, it was "light, light" time (as Jude says) and now everyone is asleep.

See you tomorrow for more!


Love at first sight!


Finally in my arms


The three of us :)


One happy mama!


He sleeps


Back at the hotel


Not loving the bath


Gotcha day clothes

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