Eventful Guangzhou

~ mbieniarz

Our last night in Lanzhou was made memorable by a meal at the hotel restaurant with our new friends (check out Mark’s Facebook profile for the astounding English interpretations of some dishes).

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Ada is trusting us more and more with our everyday routines.  We are still having to spend lots of patient effort to get her to sleep though.  It takes over an hour or two and requires lots of dancing, jiggling, and loving insistence that she needs to sleep! She has refused the crib since day 2 and sleeps next to me or between us in bed.

Ada gets her teeth brushed by her Daddy
Ada gets her teeth brushed by her Daddy
Ada has an increasing interest in books
Yay for an interest in books!

It has been wonderfully special and reassuring to have another family alongside of us on this trip.  Our little ones (Ada and Jake) were crib mates at the orphanage for at least a little while, and they both have bilateral cleft lip and palate.  Ada had her lip repaired in Kaifeng the week we found out about her in May.  From there, she went to a healing home in Anhui until just a few weeks ago when she moved back to the orphanage in Qingyang.  Jake has not yet had his lip repaired, but both of our youngsters will face many more surgeries before adulthood in order to repair their palate and gum line. Thelse two had a little tussle over Kit’s iPhone the other night that ended with laughing from them both!  We hope to remain in close contact with Jake’s family upon our return to the States.

Ada waiting to take off on her first airplane ride
Ada waiting to take off on her first airplane ride

Our departure from Lanzhou was not eventful, Ada fussed and promptly fell asleep on the plane.  She woke up when the meal trays were passed out.  She always seems alerted at the smell of food!

Oh, for shame! Jk.
Oh, for shame! Jk.

And as much as I hate to admit it…our first night in Guangzhou I was hankering for some pizza.  So yes, we found the nearest Pizza Hut and beelined for my very American tummy to be satisfied.  Thankfully, Ada’s was satisfied too!  She ate quite a bit and we had a lovely interaction with the Chinese mother and daughter dining near us.  They kept trying to make her laugh and kept reminding me that my valuables (purse) are not safe in Guangzhou! It’s hard to hold a baby and a backpack in your lap, though!

Enjoying our pizza together!
Enjoying our pizza together!

Through much patient effort, Ada finally fell asleep to ready herself for her big medical exam today!

Ada was okay with her general exam....
Ada was okay with her general exam….
But she was not a fan of th ENT! Thankfully she walked through it all safely nestled in Mark's arms.
But she was not a fan of the ENT! Thankfully she walked through it all safely nestled in Mark’s arms.

It was neat to see so many adoptive families here at the hotel and at the medical exam.  Just to count the number of kiddos no longer orphans is a unique blessing.   If you are considering adoption, especially of a special needs child from China, we would love to talk to you about our experience and about the number of precious little ones still waiting for their family.   It is a privilege to carry their stories in our hearts and hopefully into conversations with those that might be equipped to claim them as their own sons and daughters.

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To end this post on a much lighter note, if your ever in a Chinese WalMart….please don’t miss the dried fish section!

Perhaps you'd prefer the to-go snack option?
Perhaps you’d prefer the to-go snack option of chicken feet?

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