Medical Check...

Now that the adoption is final is the eyes of the Chinese government, our job is to obtain Abby's visa from the US Embassy so that she can travel home with us on Thursday.  The first requirement is a medical check at the Guangdong International Travel Healthcare Center .  We completed that this morning.

We met our guides in the lobby of the hotel this morning at 9:30 am.  There are three other Holt families staying here who are on the same schedule as we are.  We all boarded a bus together to travel to the medical clinic.  As we drove, one of the guides from Holt, Kathryn, stood in the front of the bus and explained to us what what happen and what we should expect.  Of course, she is also able to speak Chinese so she took a few minutes to explain to the children what would happen as well.  Her explanation to them was much shorter which was probably a good idea!  Sometimes less info on an upcoming doctor's appointment is better!

We arrived about 20 minutes later and headed inside.  

The clinic was full of adoptive parents and their new children.  I saw several children I recognized from the advocacy sites online.  It was wonderful to talk with other families and to see how God is moving in the lives of these children.  The entire clinic radiated hope...each child had found their family; they were on their way HOME!

Abby's first stop was to get her picture made for the Visa.  Easy!

Her second stop was a height, weight, blood pressure, and vision check.  She did well....they commented that she was very smart and very cooperative.  Her vision seemed to be good.

The third stop was a general check room.  They checked her temperature and looked in her ears and throat.

The fourth stop was also a general check.  We waited a while for our turn....there was only one female doctor and our guide wanted Abby to see her rather than a male doctor.  Once inside, the doctor listened to Abby's heart and documented her special need.  She checked the muscle tone in both legs, measured her foot, and checked the length of both legs.  Of course, this is what I think she was doing....I could be completely wrong, as there was very little English being spoken!

The last stop was a TB blood test.  Parents are not allowed here, so I worried how she would do.  The nurse took her to the back.  We listened for cries, but heard none.  She came back in a few minutes and there had been no tears!  She did great! 

After that, we were all done and met up with the other families to return to the hotel.

After we got back, we grabbed some lunch at a place called the "Coffee Club".  It was a little expensive, but the food was pretty good.  The boys, Anita, and I all had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and fries. Abby ordered chicken nuggets and cheese sticks.  When she orders, she simply tells the waitress what she wants instead of the "point to the picture" game that the rest of us have to play!  So I never really know what or how much she has chosen until it arrives on the table!

After lunch, Abby took a nap and I headed downstairs to meet with the Holt staff and the other families to work on paperwork.  When that was completed, I came back upstairs, we woke Abby up, and went for a walk around the hotel.  We found a 7-11 and everyone got an ice cream.  We explored the hotel a bit and found the pool and a great play area on the fourth floor.  

Once the kids were finished playing, we went back to the room and ordered Papa John's for dinner.  Yum!  It tasted almost the same as it does in America!

On our way to Guangzhou....

This morning we said goodbye to the World Trade Hotel, which has been our home away for home for the past week.  Our guide Echo picked us up at 9:00 am and took us to the airport to catch our flight to Guangzhou.  Goodbye was bittersweet.  We have made many wonderful memories in Taiyuan, but I think we are all ready to move onto the next leg of this journey.  

One of the best things about Taiyuan was our guide, Echo.  We were incredibly blessed to have her.  Echo taught us so much about China and about Chinese culture.  Better still, over the last year, she has forged a relationship with Abby.   She is the one who has visited the orphanage to request updates for Holt.  She has spent time with Abby on several occasions before our arrival.  You can tell that she genuinely cares for Abby.  She has been invaluable in helping us communicate and has shared many things with us about Abby's life in the orphanage.  We are truly sad to say goodbye to her.

After arriving at the airport, Echo helped us check in for our flights and made sure we cleared security without problems.  Once through security, we waved goodbye to her and made our way to our gate.  

We boarded the plane at 10:50 am and sat on the runway until 12:50 pm, when we were finally cleared for takeoff.  Thank goodness because things were getting a bit dicey....Josh was hungry, Will was frustrated he wasn't sitting in first class, and Abby had lots to say, none of which I could understand!

Once in the air, the flight was pretty uneventful.   We arrived in Guangzhou just a little later than scheduled, got our luggage, and easily found our guide, David.  

David took us to the hotel and helped us check in.  We are staying at the China Marriott...we love it so far!  Once we got settled, we were starving so we headed out for dinner.  We were all thrilled to find a McDonald's right across the street from our hotel.  Funny what a week of Chinese food will make you crave....those McDonalds French fries were AWESOME!

Jinsu Temple

Today, our guide and driver took us to visit the Jinsi Temple, which was about a 30 minute drive from Taiyuan.  It had lots of historical and cultural aspects and was very beautiful and peaceful.  It was nice to get out of the city and out of the hotel and do something a little different.

Josh practicing his Kung Fu moves....

Note the efforts taken to preserve this tree...

Our guide says this sign says "Keep off the grass."  What a nice way to put it!

After we finished touring the park, we headed back to Taiyuan.   We stopped and ate lunch at a local Chinese restaurant....dumplings and fried rice,  Abby turned down the dumplings, but loved the fried rice.  

Once we got back to the hotel, we decided to try a nap again.  We met with success and slept for over three hours!  We got up, headed to the pool, and then had another PB&J sandwich for dinner. Another good day!

147 million....minus one!

Today we returned to the Civil Affairs office to finalize Abby's adoption!  I signed lots of paperwork and was interviewed by the head of Civil Affairs office.  She asked me questions like:  Why did I want to adopt a Chinese child? Was the information I had received on Abby's health correct?  How did I feel about Abby after spending 24 hours with her?  Did I promise to love her and never abandon her?

Once the interview was completed, I stamped my signature with my fingerprint in red ink and Abby stamped her hand print in red ink and it was done!  The adoption was complete and this child officially became Abigail LiRong Strickland, claimed and loved, a member of our family and an orphan no more!

After we finished at the Civil Affairs office, we went next door to a shopping mall to get some groceries.  We ended up buying new shoes for Abby as well as some food staples like bread, chips, peanut butter, jelly, and some snacks.  Shopping was lots of fun....everything was so different and interesting to look at.  

After we finished at the mall, we went back to the hotel and did a little more swimming.  

We had PB&J for dinner and we were all asleep by 9:00 pm.  Such a big day for everyone!

September 2, part two

I wanted to finish this yesterday, but I was too tired last night.  The time difference and lack of sleep is getting to us all....we cannot seem to keep straight what time it is or even what day it is!

So, after we left this Civil Affairs office with Abby, our guide took us to a local Chinese restaurant.  We all had bowls of noodles...eating noodles with chopsticks presents all kind of challenges, not to mention very bad table manners!  Abby loved her food and even enjoyed her Coca-Cola!  

After we finished lunch, we walked back to the hotel.  We stopped at one of the many 7-11s and got ice cream for everyone.  Echo (our guide) helped us choose so that we would not make another "green pea" mistake!  Echo also talked to Abby about her new name, asking her if she liked the name Abigail or Abby and which one she liked better.  She quickly decided on "Abby"...I am so happy she liked it!

Abby's schedule says she normally takes a nap at 1:30.  We were all pretty tired, so I figured we would try the nap.  No such luck....she and Josh just laid down and giggled for thirty minutes.  Funny that they cannot communicate at all with words and yet, they are still so amused by each other!   We finally decided that a nap was not going to happen, so we got up and got our swimsuits on and headed to the pool.  Abby told us that she had never been swimming before, so this was another first for her today.

She was a little hesitant at first, but once she was in, she LOVED it.  She laughed the entire time and even tried putting her face in the water!

We ate dinner at the hotel.  It was expensive, but there are not alot of restaurants close to our hotel and we were all too tired to try and find something else.  Josh and Abby continue to be so silly together.  They are getting along really well.  Josh has told me several times today that he "likes her already"!

GOTCHA!

This is the day we have been waiting for for such a long time!  We were told that we would meet Abigail at 10:30 am on Monday, September 2nd, at the Civil Affairs Office here in Taiyuan.  We left the hotel with our guide and driver about 10:00 and arrived at 10:15.  We weren't sure if Abigail would already be there or not.

This is our last picture as a family of three....

We went inside and were told that some children were already there.  We were not sure if that meant Abigail or not.  We got into a tiny elevator and went up to the fifth floor and walked into the Civil Affairs Office.  I was relieved to see that she was not there yet....I wanted to have time to set up the camera and iPad.   We were told she was in the city (her town of Changzhi is three hours away) and would be there shortly.  We took a seat by the window so we could watch for her arrival.

Within a few minutes, our guide excitedly told us that Abigail had arrived and was coming down the hall towards the office.  I wasn't sure whether I should meet her in the hallway or let her come into the room.  I hesitated a second and my guide told me to hurry, so I ended up meeting her in the doorway.  

She presented me with a small gift.  She also gave me a picture of her favorite caregiver.  Josh gave her the Curious George stuffed animal and Will gave her a Hello Kitty necklace.  She did not cry at all and actually smiled most of time.  I am completely blown away by her bravery.

We were at the Civil Affairs office for about an hour.  I signed some papers...I have no idea exactly what I signed....and we took lots of pictures.  Before long, it was time to head back.....this time, a family of FOUR!!!

Traveling to Tiayuan

We got up this morning and had breakfast in the hotel.  The breakfast buffet is really good.  Will has been filling two plates each morning, mostly because he wants to try everything.  Today, Josh found a station where the cook was making eggs while you wait.  Needless to say,  Josh was this guys' best customer!

After breakfast, we took our map and decided to try and walk to the Forbidden City and to Tiananmen Squar.  The Forbidden City was the Chinese palace for the emporer from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.  Tiananmen Square was the site of political protests in 1989 that resulted in the deaths of hundreds or possibly thousands of civilian deaths.  On the way, we were stopped numerous times by younger Chinese people, asking us where we were from, how we liked China, what we had visited so far in China, and if we liked Chinese art.  The question about Chinese art became almost humorous after a few rounds of this.  All of these people just happened to be art students who had their art hanging in galleries just up the street.  They all wanted us to stop into the gallery and admire their work and then buy a piece to take home.  Don't worry, we caught onto the game quickly, at least before we purchased anything!

We finally made it to the Forbidden City.  It was a long walk, but I am glad we went.  There were what seemed like millions of Chinese tourists pouring into the Forbidden City.  We looked at Tiananmen Square from across the street, but decided against trying to cross the six lanes of very fast moving traffic to get there.  Crossing the street is CRAZY, even when it is only a lane or two of traffic.  Remember the game Frogger?  Crossing the street in China bears a striking resemblance to that game!

We got back to the hotel and finished packing.  We then decided to go grab a quick bite to eat at a dumpling restaurant behind the hotel that a friend recommended.  We asked the hotel concierge to show us where it was.  He took us through the back of the hotel, through the service entrance, and into this little restaurant that we would have NEVER found on our own.  I really wasn't even sure if it was a restaurant for a little bit.  We sat in an outdoor courtyard and the entire staff took nearby seats so that they could watch us.  No one spoke a word of English so ordering was interesting, but the food was some of the best we have had.  We ordered a potato, eggplant, and pepper dish that was outstanding....even Will liked it!  When we finished, we went back to the hotel, checked out of our room, and waited in the lobby for our driver to pick us up.

We traveled to the Beijing train station where we would take the high speed, bullet train to Taiyuan.  The train station was a bit crazy and our guide spoke very limited English, but we made it through.  One bag was held up in security.  Our guide kept pointing to our bag and then to her fingernails.  I opened up the bag and pulled out our fingernail clippers thinking that might be the problem.  Our guide and the security officer were amused by that, but clearly that was not the right item.  I then went for the fingernail polish, but again, not it.  They then decided it did not matter so I zipped up the suitcase and they waved us through.  I still don't know what they wanted....

Our guide took us to the train gate, gave us a few directions, and she was on her way.  We sat and waited until they called for us to board the train.  It was very easy and we all enjoyed the train ride very much.  It gave us a chance to see a great deal of the countryside as we traveled.  Within a couple of hours, we were pulling into the station at Taiyuan.  Our guide, Echo, met us out front and we were quickly on our way to the hotel.