Monday Continued

Scroll down to the next post if you want to read about Gotcha Day.

Ok, let's start this where I left off.

As per usual, was up at 1am. That's my pattern here. Fall asleep at 7 or 8, wake up at 1am wide awake. Arggg, so frustrating. I usually don't fall back to sleep, either. Hence, why I am so tired. Jet lag, so fun.

I checked on baby, who was sleeping so soundly in her crib. Hey, add this to your packing list- a tap light. The rooms are so dark. It's nice to pick up your tap light (the small ones) and turn it on and not wake everyone up. You can rummage through luggage or use it to light the bathroom when you don't want blaring light to fully wake YOU up.

The hard bed is actually quite nice. The covers are so comfy and the pillows are fluffy. I had the fan pointed right at my head, like I love when I sleep. Don't stress over the hard beds if you are going to Nanchang. They aren't too bad here! And you are so tired, you'll sleep anywhere!

I managed to conk out again at 4am, but got up at 6 when I heard the baby rustling. We both went to her crib and she opened her eyes and stared at us. Didn't cry, didn't smile, just studied us. I picked her up and she clung to me and nuzzled into my neck. We talked and sang to her for about a half hour before making a bottle. She was so content to study us, to touch our faces, and pat our hands.

The morning bottle was a bit more successful. I did make the nipple larger, which helped. Daddy fed her while I got showered and ready for our morning. Then I got baby ready in that adorable Ann Geddes outfit you saw in the last pic. Thanks, Kitty. She looks so cute in that outfit! I then put her in the Mei Tai (thanks, Callie) which she LOVED. She loved being against me as we walked to the elevator and down to the buffet. Didn't fuss, just snuggled and seemed so happy.

The breakfast buffet? So sweet. They had round tables with high chairs positioned at each table. Lovely ladies are there to greet you and help with whatever you need. One lady saw me staring at the congee. She said, "Good for baby!" and scooped a bowl. Then she said, "But add meat. Baby like meat!" She leaned forward and fed the baby some of the dried meat (?) Baby ate it up. She said, "See I tell you!" I think she was a manager or something. Very nice lady. Made sure we had June Bug seated properly in her chair and then entertained her while we ate. She was the one who got Junie's first smile. An ear to ear grin. I burst into tears, no lie. Right there in the restaurant, just crying away. Who would think I had any tears left? Honestly, I am not a blubbering idiot. But what a sight!! The lady understood and was so happy she could do that for us. That smile let me know everything was going to be ok.

June Bug ate up her congee, yum yum. She tried some fruit, not interested. Banana bread? LOVED. More more. Then she was content to play with her spoon while we stuffed our faces. She never fussed. She just sat there happily and played.

We had a short time before boarding the bus. I came upstairs and sat her on the bed. Just sat her down, without even thinking. Total experienced mom thing to do. I just assumed at 8 months, she could sit on her own. And guess what? She can. I gave her some stacking cups and she went crazy. She sprawled on her tummy and played and rolled from side to side with the cups in her hands. Then she'd sit up again. It was great! I was able to pack the diaper bag, then grab her and head out.

The paperwork portion of this adventure is interesting. Let me first say that it is a million degrees, no lie. SO SO SO hot, like nothing you've experienced. We boarded the bus and headed back to the civil affairs building. Where again, it was packed with other families getting their paperwork done. An un air conditioned room on the 22 floor of a highrise building PACKED with people and babies? Not fun. No where to sit, no where to get the babies cooled down. And June Bug? Stayed calm. Played with her chewy necklace, totally content. Babies were melting down left and right. Not our girl. She didn't even break a sweat!

Right as she drifted to sleep, we were called into a little room where we sat on a bench, held her up between us and posed for a picture for our adoption certificate. Very assembly line, no lingering. If you linger, you will be snapped at. But it's not clear what to do next. So we went back into the crowded room and hoped we'd be told more soon.

We saw Junie's nanny walk in and she came over to say hello. That's when our baby started to freak out. She dug her nails into my neck with one hand and reached for Matt with the other. She clung to both of us, whimpering as her nanny talked to her. She did not want to go to her. She was afraid she'd be taken back to the SWI!

We parents sat around and compared notes of the night before. It seemed everyone had a good night- really good sleepers in this batch. None of the parents slept! But the babies did great. Every single baby from this group is healthy. One has a cold. A few are congested from the air conditioning. Not one is seriously sick. Some are very thin, very frail and very behind in their milestones. The Bug appears to be right on track or even ahead for hers, which is common from her orphanage. The babies there come out very healthy and strong. Which makes me wonder why she was hesitant with her nanny. I guess she realized what it means to have mommy and daddy?

OH, another hint. Bring TP or tissues everywhere you go. None of the bathrooms have TP in Nanchang. The Civil Affairs bathrooms have western toilets, but no TP. Oh, and did I mention to always use the word toilet? If you say bathroom or restroom, people get confused. It's toilet. Maybe I did, I forgot, sorry.

Oh the princess just woke up. We laid her between us and she held onto me with one hand and held onto Matt with the other. Now Matt is feeding her, so I will continue this post.

Back to the Civil Affairs Building. We were then called into the Registrar's office where she asked why did we adopt from China, what are our education plans for the baby, and do we promise to never abandon her? Then she gave us a red box containing a vase made in the area. Then we went to the cashier's office and paid our fees.

Back to the bus. We traveled to the Notary's office. Again, chasing that other group who was ahead of us. The babies were getting fed up at this point. Parents were melting as well. This portion went pretty quickly, after the other group was done, that is. We love that group, don't get us wrong. Made friends with many of them on various airplanes. But we'd get places and groan. "Oh! The other group!"

Then we headed to the police station where... I used my very first squatty potty! I don't intend to ever do that again if I can help it. Oh yeah, no TP in there, either. And did you know squatty potties can be flushed? Hey, when you gotta go....

At the police station, we just had to pose June Bug for her Visa pic and were on our way. By then it was Noon and it had been a long day for the babies.

Nanchang traffic- WOW. Unreal. You've never seen anything like it. There are no rules. And yet, no accidents??? How is that possible? I will have to describe what it's like some other time. Matt and I made sure to sit in the front seat of the bus so we could get a theme park experience.

As of today, The Bug is ours. She is officially our daughter.

Came back to the hotel and Buggie passed out. We ordered room service. The room service here is not so good. I want to get back out and eat authentic Chinese again. A burger in Nanchang just doesn't seem right. Even a burger topped with a fried egg, cucumbers, and a splash of lemon. Getting out is a problem. The streets here are INSANE. With the Bug being so new to us, we don't want to take her out in that madness just yet. Maybe in a few days.

Time to collect laundry and drop it off in our guide's room where it will be magically cleaned by a service and brought to us tomorrow. Then later, Matt is going with some of the daddies to the grocery store. We families are desperate for supplies and are not going to Walmart until tomorrow.

And that is my latest update. I hope you like all these details. Again, sorry for the errors. I don't have time to go back and proof read. The Bug wants to play, so off I go!!