A bonding moment at dinnertime

Sisters at last

Telling Secrets

Girl's Club


Yesterday (Monday) was very busy. Monica, our new guide, met us at our hotel room and took us to a number of places to finalize our adoption of Jin Jin (Abby's nickname given to her by the orphanage director). It was a bit stressful, not because of any of the tasks, but because Abby would not be ours until we received a certificate saying so. After we filled out paperwork in our room, Monica took us to a notary.

Then we all hopped in the car (Abby is terrified of cars and screamed for the first 5 minutes every time we had to get in the car)- and we went to meet with a government official who interviewed us about our intentions for Jin Jin's future--that we would give her the same opportunities in life as Emily and that her education was very important to us. The official presented us with a gift for her, a beautiful piece of pottery. Monica explained that this province of China is very well known for its pottery so it will be a nice reminder of her homeland for Jin Jin. Jin Jin's orphanage director, who herself had given us a commemorative coin with a little booklet teaching us about where Jin Jin grew up, met with us again to also fill out papers and answer any questions we had.

We asked her what Jin Jin's first words had been, and she explained (through Monica's translations) that they had been : Ma Ma (mom), Ba Ba (dad or poop, depending on how it's pronounced), and Mahn Mahn (I want to eat). She was also able to tell us the name of Jin Jin's best friend, who, it turns out, is not only in a video that we have of her, but we also know her new mother in America. Perhaps one day they will get to meet each other! Leaving was difficult because we could tell how important Jin Jin was to the director, how tightly she held her and how sweetly she communicated with her. Upon our departure, we were presented with the official adoption certificate stating that Jin Jin is officially a part of our family forever, even though we have felt that she was ours from the moment we first saw her picture the day before Thanksgiving 2007.

Our final stop was the local police station where they took Abby's picture for her Chinese passport which will take a few days to be ready. One thing I must note is the method of travel. One person in our group mentioned that there is no such thing as traffic rules in China, only suggestions. Cars, bicycles, busses, motorcycles, and pedestriants all moved randomly on different sides of the road--often at each other--at the same time. For some reason, I did not panic as the driver seemed perfectly calm. Anyway, after the passport is ready, we will journey on our next flight to get her visa and have appointments with doctors who will verify to the visa people that she is healthy enough to travel. In the mean time, Monica showed us how to get around the local streets near the hotel before she takes on a tour to learn more about Chinese culture for Abby on Wednesday. We can't wait!

Meanwhile, we are enjoying every second of our time with our daughters. Abby is adjusting well. She is so alert and has a great sense of humor. We play a game with her called the "up / down" game (I'm sure you can figure out the rules). She laughs hysterically and is starting to say the words up / down when she wants to play it again. She is forming a bond with us very quickly, crying if Kate goes into the next room to get something for her. She is starting to call me "da da," to get me to come over to her. When I go back to where I was, she smiles and says it again. And, of course, she loves playing with Emily and tries to mimic her--the two of them are so cute together.

~Posted by Mike