China 2014 - Days 12 & 13 {Last Days in China}

~Monday, May 12, 2014~

I love that God is in every detail.  The little girl we were matched with last summer (that we changed our minds about because her medical needs "seemed too scary") celebrated her birthday on our consulate appointment day.  I think of her often and know she is with the family God chose for her. I truly believe she was a puzzle piece in the handiwork God was doing on our hearts. All along, we were meant to adopt Beilyn. He just knew we were going to need a little nudging to get there! ;)

We dressed our little daughter in some red, white, & blue for the consulate appointment, which is basically where we take an oath stating all of her adoption paperwork is true & accurate so they will grant Beilyn a visa to enter the US with her Chinese passport.

Ready for her visa appointment at the US Consulate!

On the way to the consulate, our guide stopped  by the medical clinic so that we could see her exam record from the previous day. (I was so busy trying to console Beilyn that I didn't realize we wouldn't have time to have our guide translate everything the doctor had written or to copy down her measurements.)  We found out Beilyn is in the 25% for height & 10% for weight (based on World Health Org chart, not CDC). Her head is very small. Based on the measurement at the clinic that day, it isn't even on the chart. It is comparable to the size of Braylee's & Brynna's heads at 4mo of age.  We are anxious to have some testing done to see if this will improve with nutrition or perhaps is just natural to her birth family or if it could mean some long term issues and delays for our girl. (In comparison, she weighs the same that Brynna did at 12mo but is the length she was at 18mo which is why Beilyn looks long and thin.)

We aren't allowed to take anything but the required paperwork inside with us, so we took a photo outside.  The consulate has moved since we were here last. We met several families while we were waiting. It's always interesting to hear about their new children, where they are from, or what led them to adopt.

While standing in line before our appointment, our guide Judy, who happens to be from Brielle's hometown of Fuzhou, asked us if Brielle was in pre-school yet.  We told her no.  She said, "Well when she does go to school, I want you to email me and tell me how she does."  I told her Brielle is very bright and seems advanced in a lot of areas. She went on to tell us that she is not surprised because people from Fuzhou are very smart. I thought maybe she was teasing because she is from Fuzhou, but she told us there have been studies done trying to figure out why people from that area are so intelligent.  She said 100 students from each province (state) are chosen each year to attend the top 2 universities in China. She said in the Jiangxi province, 50-75 of the 100 students come out of the city of Fuzhou. She said she and her siblings were considered average students when they lived in Fuzhou but then were at the top of their classes when they moved to Guangzhou. (She went on to double major in college, Chemistry & English.) Very interesting.

We went to the pearl market to buy a set of pearls for Beilyn. I told Judy what size I liked and then she picked the best strand and bartered for the price.  She got them lower than we paid last time and when she turned to tell me the price, she gave me a wink. She knew she had done well. :)




Then we visited the tomb of Emperor Wen.  When they were building the China Marriott hotel in 1984, the tomb was found and many of the artifacts have been saved. Like Alex said, it was the epitome of trying to take earthly possessions with you when you die.  He was buried elaborately in a jade covered outfit and like other emperors, had concubines and servants buried with him. When I asked our guide if the people thought it was an honor to be sacrificed to go with him, she said, "They didn't have a choice."  He was also buried with tons of jewelry, medicine, cooking utensils, swords, and livestock.

He was buried in the main room, 7-8 servants on the west side, 4 concubines on the east side and the rest was full of all the stuff he thought he would need to live lavishly in the next life.

Then our guide took us for some authentic, spicy Chinese food. She took us to a place that serves "original kung pao chicken."  It was delicious and indeed very spicy.

pork dumplings with spicy dipping sauce

messy girl

We spent the evening on the Pearl River cruise. We ate before we went because our guide told us the buffet was "very Chinese" and even too exotic for her taste. ;)

Just chillin with her dad.

Canton Tower

The family from Texas that was in GZ with us.

~Tuesday, May 13, 2014~

We enjoyed our last breakfast buffet, skyped with the girls, and then took the subway back to Shamian Island to pick up a few more gifts.

Braylee, Brynna, & Gabe

Beilyn's 1st subway experience

Oh so cute! Beilyn figured out how to play peek-a-boo with her new fan.

Another new trick-- Standing in the stroller. She is queen of stroller rides.

If she isn't holding something, she is trying to touch everything.

Beilyn's first of MANY trips to a Mexican restaurant.

Yummo! 13 days was 13 days too many without chips and something to dip them in! :)

After lunch, we had to go back and pack up our stuff.  Earlier in the day, I had told Alex I wanted to get pictures of Beilyn in her Chinese silk out in the garden before we left.  We were supposed to be out front waiting for our driver at 4pm.  At 3:45, with suitcases already zipped up and ready to go, I realized I hadn't taken the photos yet!  I seriously felt like time stood still around us... I stripped her down, threw on her silk, grabbed the headband and put her in the stroller. No time for shoes. I left Alex with all the luggage and hurried down to the garden, even carrying Beilyn in the stroller down some steps once outside (I'm sure whoever was watching found it all quite comical!). I snapped quickly as she flashed her pearly whites. I was sweating from the humidity and adrenaline as I rushed back inside. I couldn't believe it when I walked into the lobby and Alex told me I had a couple of minutes to spare!

Due to the humidity, my camera was all fogged up when we first went out!

Oh how I love this sweet child!

Saying good-bye to our guide Judy. Beilyn wasn't happy.

We picked up Beilyn's passport with her US visa now inside it and headed to the train station. I remembered from our last trip that at this point, I was just ready to be home...and that's how I was feeling this time.  We had done everything we needed for the adoption, and I wished we could magically be back home with our girls.  After the two hour train ride to Hong Kong, God blessed us with a little extra joy... a personalized sign in the lobby for my husband and a free upgrade to a suite! (Hotel rooms in HK are TINY so the extra room was much appreciated!)

(Someone named Alex was marrying a girl named Hazel. ;))

The suite came with an amazing view of the harbor too!

Almost home!!