Medical Exam completed

After our long day yesterday, today is a relaxing day, as should be both days this weekend.  We enjoyed the buffet breakfast and walked to Shamian this morning.  (For those of you soon to travel, the walk from Shifu to Shamian is EASY.  It took us 5-8 minutes before our son, and about 12-15 with him in a stroller.  We just take him out of the stroller, have him walk the stairs on the overpass, and the other person carries the stroller.  No big deal.  And also, contrary to what others have said YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WALK THROUGH THE WET MARKET.  We walk through the pet market and then a dry goods market, and to the overpass.  Furthermore, the walk is a lot easier than navigating around Shamian with the tremendous construction there.)   Once on Shamian, we went back to the medical examination center to have Aaron's TB test read.  It was fine, which we already knew, as there was no reaction on his skin whatsoever from the tb test.  They also translated his immunizations, not that it makes much of a difference for us, as our pediatrician will run titers once Aaron is home.    We went to the White Swan and walked around.  It is so fancy and exquisite inside.  We will go back one more time with our camera to get some photos of Aaron near the fish pond and spectacular water fall (when we go to drop off/pick up laundry at A Gift From China).  Then we spent the next hour shopping.  Rupert says we ARE DONE SHOPPING NOW.  We will see! We bought seven traditional Chinese silk outfits for Aaron and Donovan today, in sizes 6-12, for the future.  GORGEOUS outfits - for between 40 and 80 yuan, so less than 30 USD - incredible prices that we just can't pass up.  We went into a store (Andy's Shop, right next to Victory Hotel) and as soon as we walked in I thought it would be so expensive...nope, some of the BEST prices we've encounterd so far.  We bought a LOT - two silk outfits for Aaron and Donovan, silk scarves, a silk purse, etc. etc.  Then we came back near Shifu to buy snacks for Aaron, and to drop off the two disposable cameras the orphanage had given us, which have photos of Aaron on them.  It did take some time to find the shop that develops film, but finally did and they will be back tomorrow.   We met a lovely family from Michigan who was here with their four children on a Homeland Tour.  They have one biological son, two daughters adopted from China, and one son adopted from China.  They children born in China looked to be about 14, 12, and 8.  All three were from different provinces.  The family had toured Beijing, then spent several days in each child's province and was able to go visit each child's SWI.  They said it was incredible - such a warm welcome with firecrackers, etc.  I am sure the SWI staff members were so thrilled to see these children come back for a visit and to see how well they are doing and how loved they are.  Then, the family was in Guangzhou for a few days and last stop would be Hong Kong, which would include a trip to Disney.  We had a lovely talk with them.  Like us, they have one biological child and then went on to a child, and then another child, and then another child.  We talked about what a wonderful experience adopting from China is, and the trip, etc.    Aaron is sleeping now for his nap.  He takes about a 2 hour nap, though the SWI said only one hour.  Either it is the increased activity and new surroundings, or perhaps they specifically woke the children up after an hour.   We have no appointments this weekend.  Monday our guide goes to the American Consulate with all our paperwork, for us.  Tuesday we go to the American Consulate at 3:30 to take our Oath. Then Wednesday our guide picks up Aaron's passport and visa at 4 pm adn on Thursday morning we fly to Hong Kong, where we will stay overnight before our big Cathay Pacific flight. We are enjoying Aaron so much! Love, Nicole

Finding Spot and a Picnic

I have known Aaron's finding location, since the day I read through his original paperwork.  I knew I wanted to see it when we went to Shenzhen.  We asked at the SWI, and they confirmed the spot, and that when Aaron was found, there was no note with him (there sometimes is a note left with abandoned babies in China, sometimes giving a  birthdate).  Our driver and guide were able to locate the place (with a lot of stopping and asking for directions).  Of course we do not know the exact spot, but the general location.  For example, for a child found in a train station, the family may know he was found there, but not the exact bench.  And so, I found myself at the general location Aaron was discovered at.     When I had first read the report of where Aaron was found, it said he was found beside a riverbank.  This seemed quite unusual to me, because I was used to reading so many stories of babies abandoned in China at very busy areas such as bus stations, train stations, shopping areas, or outside a hospital – (all areas where the child would soon be discovered).  As our car approached, I felt some relief – the shopping area, is along a river's edge.  Our guide confirmed it was the Chinese to English translation that caused the confusion for me – the shopping area is along a riverbank, not that HE was found along a riverbank…   Rupert stayed with Aaron in the car.  I felt strongly I would not take Aaron back to the spot where as a baby he was left alone, where no one he knew came when he cried.  I am the mother who will comfort him and always be there for him.  And so, our guide and I,  got out of the car.  We walked through the market – farmers selling beautiful produce and people selling other items.  I am so glad that we were able to locate this spot.  There were signs that they are starting construction to make this into a more modern shopping area and in fact construction equipment was at work along the river's edge.  A year from now, it will look very different…it is good we could find it today.   I did take a few photos, for Aaron to have when he is older.  I took photos of the market and of the homes.  It seemed to be a very poor area.  I knelt down and said a prayer.  I wish somehow, his birth family could know that the child they abandoned has now found a new family, a family who will love and cherish him for always.  I wish they could know that he is going to America and he will receive an education, medical care, a loving home and family, and everything he deserves.   And I know that as much as I am tempted to, I cannot pass judgment on what happened in those early months.  For it is part of my new son's story; it is part of how he has come to be my son.  And, I do know the reality is that it is highly likely it was NOT his birth mother who abandoned him; in many, many cases it is NOT the birth mother, but instead is the mother-in-law (the birth father's mother) who abandons the child (a girl, when the family wanted a boy; a child with a birth defect; a 2nd son in a country where the stiff penalties for having a 2nd child are steep - too much for most families in China; or a child who is sick, in a family unable to afford medical care).   The specific details of Aaron's finding are private information which we will share with Aaron when he is older.  (As we read the details in the report, we were filled with quite a few questions, which we will never have the answers to, and always wonder about.)    I do know that just as our orphanage visit, the images will be in my mind forever.  I don't mean they will haunt me.  Rather they will reinforce to me every day of my life that we are so lucky to have Aaron in our life.   When we returned to the car, our guide Dave had left the car, to use a restroom we assumed.  Wensi had bought some Bao'an bananas which we all enjoyed (very sweet!) and then we filled out paperwork for the American Consulate.  Rupert got out and walked along the marketplace.  Soon, Dave came back…with HIS SISTER…she teaches math for grades 8-12 at a secondary school just one kilometer from Aaron's finding spot.  He had called her, and she has lunchbreak from 12-2:20 (!, but teaches until 5:40) and the two of them had gotten us lunch.  So, we sat in the car (raining hard out) and enjoyed a picnic lunch.  Aaron devoured a chicken wing, and ate some congee.  This was so thoughtful of Dave, who Aaron now calls Big Brother in Chinese.  I cannot imagine many other families adopting from China have had picnic lunches right near their child's finding spot!   It was a wonderful day.  Tomorrow we must go back to the Medical Exam Center to have Aaron's TB test read (it looks fine).  Off to bed now! Love, Nicole

Visit to Bao'an Social Welfare Institute (SWI)

As I'm sure you can imagine, we are physically and emotionally exhausted from our long trip to Aaron's former orphanage. We left at 8 am and returned at 7:30 pm. Aaron gets very carsick, which certainly made the long trip even more unpleasant for him while in the car!

Even though it was a long day, I do not have not a single regret about going. We would not have missed this opportunity. For Aaron, it gave him a sense of closure. For us, it was a chance to thank the people who have cared for him for three years, while he was waiting for a family of his own. It was our chance to ask questions about his life at the SWI; his likes, dislikes, personality, etc. It was our chance to see where he lived. Even when we come back to China in the future, there is no guarantee we would be able to go back to his SWI, and so we know this is in all likelihood our only chance to visit and we did not want to miss it.

This orphanage currently has 380 children. We met the director, and many staff members. We saw several groups of beautiful children ages 2-4 walking from lunch to their sleeping rooms for naps. We saw the activity room (Aaron immediately ran over to the art center, as he loves to draw), the medical section, playground, and went upstairs to see his sleeping room. There were about 40 beds set up against each other. All the 3 year olds were in their beds getting ready for naps. The staff showed us Aaron's bed. We wanted a photo of Aaron by his bed. He started crying ...it was quite clear he did not want to stay in that room. He told them he wanted to go with his Mommy and Daddy.

Oh, my initial thoughts (I'll share more about our visit in the days to come…)

I wish China allowed you to adopt two children at once...

I wish every person undergoing fertility treatments could have the opportunity to walk through an orphanage in China. I wish they could see the hundreds of healthy babies lying in their cribs, waiting, just waiting for a family, and toddlers walking around, needing families. And, more than anything, I wish the process to adopt a baby or child from China moved more quickly. For I know for many, the prospect of waiting several years for a child born in China, after several years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, just seems too long... I know adoption is not for everyone, but looking at those hundreds of beautiful children today, I don't know how anyone could see what we saw and walk away without taking one child (a child already here on this earth who so desperately needs a home and family) home to be their own – to give them a family – to be a mom/dad to that child who needs one – and deserves one.

For me, I leave not only with some knowledge of Aaron's early life, but with the knowledge deep inside that we will return to China in the future to adopt another child in need of a family, and the with the determination to do so...

More Photos from Safari Park

Here are a few more photos from the Xiangjiang Safari Park

Safari Xiangjiang (More Photos of our Visit)

Here are a few more photos of our wonderful day at Xiangjiang Safari Park.

Incredible Day at Xiangjiang Safari Park

One of the nice parts of traveling ourselves, and not with a group, is that we have the freedom to plan our own itinerary (around the required adoption events that is). White Cloud Mountain, Lianhua Mountain, and today's visit to the Xiangjiang Safari Park are all things we wanted to do while here.

Xiangjiang Safari Park is THE LARGEST Safari Park in China (in fact, largest in all of Asia!) and is China's leading zoo. It is home to over 20,000 animals including Giant Pandas, Polar Bears and Koalas. It is the only zoo in mainland China to display Koalas and is the only zoo in the world to currently have koala twins, an extremely rare occurance. The zoo also has over 100 white-tigers, half of the worlds population. (For those of you soon to travel, this is NOT the Guangzhou Zoo! This one is about 45 min to an hour from Shamian and is PHENOMENAL. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.)

Dave (our WONDERFUL driver), picked us up at 8:30 this morning. We arrived at the safari park by 9:15, bought our tickets, had a snack, used restrooms, and were the second family in line for the Safari on Wheels when it made its first run at 10. This is a "train" that takes you through the part of the park you can only drive though. Aaron LOVED it. He was pointing to the animals and knew many of their names in Mandarin. This lasted about 45 minutes, and then we began our tour on foot of the other section of the park. The white tigers were an incredible sight, as were the koalas, and the Pandas just amazing! Rupert fed elephants (bananas) and giraffes. We ate our lunches and then went to an elephant show. It was a WONDERFUL day.

I was quite a celebrity today! There were thousands of schoolchildren at the safari today, in their uniforms. When they saw me (usually while in line with their teachers), they would shout, "Hello!" and I would say "Hello," and wave. Some brave ones (boys mostly) would run up to me and say, "Hello," and when I would reply, "Hello, how are you?" They would giggle and run off, not knowing how to respond. I had fun with one boy by answering, "Ni hao," when he came up to me saying "Hello." When we went to the elephant show, we walked in and there were about 2,000 schoolchildren seated there, eating their lunches, and they were all waving and shouting "Hello!" to me - and again, when we walked out as they sat with their teachers receiving directions after the show, they all waved and yelled, "Goodbye." It was quite something.

Of course we get many stares. I am chuckling thinking that people are probably thinking, oh look you can marry an American woman and your child will look fully Chinese. Oh if they only knew...and if they saw Donovan, now that would really throw them for a loop, since he has very little Asian characteristics.

When we are out and about in Guangzhou, and I see young children (not school age yet), I think the ratio between genders is pretty even. However, today at the park, with kids 8-12 it was about 4 boys for every 1 girl.

We spoke a bit with Dave today about the One Child Policy. He has two older siblings (born in the 1970s before the One Child Policy began). He mentioned there are MANY parts of the law. For example, if two people marry and both the bride and groom are only children, then they are allowed to have two babies. Farmers in his province of Hubei are allowed to try for a second child if the first is a girl...(of course, we very well know what happens to many of those second girls...so the family can try again for a boy...). He also mentioned a minimum age for women to have children EVEN if they are already married...He said there are so many rules that are part of the One Child Policy, and that fines for violating the rules are pretty much impossible for people from his farming area to pay...and so again, we certainly know the consequence of that for the children...

Tonight we at yet another dinner at our favorite hot pot restaurant. Aaron ate noodles (TONS), shrimp, beef, broccoli and is a GREAT eater.

At 7 pm Aaron told us it was time to turn out the lights and go to bed. He's asleep now, and we are soon to turn in, as Dave and our guide, Wenzi are picking us up at 8 tomorrow morning to go to visit the orphanage. It will be an emotional and important day for us!

If I don't post tomorrow night, it is from sheer exhaustion of our long trip.

Love,

Nicole

Lunchtime with Noodle Boy

As you can see from the photos, Aaron loves noodles!