DECEMBER 7, 2012 (LEAVING NANNING GUANXJI PROVINCE)
Last night Mei Mei DID NOT grieve before going to bed. It was warm in the room. I took off her pajamas, left her in a diaper for a few minutes and allowed skin to skin contact with me. I cradled her as a baby and she fell peacefully asleep snuggled to mama.
In the morning we woke up, got dressed and headed down for
our regular breakfast. We woke up a little late. We were to meet David
downstairs to head into town at 11:00am for an appointment to get some Chinese
Massages.
The Chinese massages were an amazing experience. We walked
into this building. On the bottom floor was pharmacy, then you had to walk
upstairs where it felt more like a hospital.
Mei Mei had to go NEOW NEOW (meaning she needed to go potty) –
so I went to take her to the bathroom and there was no light. The power had
gone and they said it would eventually turn on. Jay Cole had a flashlight we
could borrow so I took mei mei to the bathroom using the flashlight. The
bathrooms here in China are not toilets. They are holes in the floor and you
have to squat on the floor to pee. Most of the time when I took mei mei to the
bathroom, I had to strip her, take off her diaper, have her squat and then get
her dressed again. (This part of the trip allows me to have a deep appreciation
for what we have in America).
After using the bathroom we went to a room where there must
have been about 6 massage tables. Herb and I got situated on the massage table,
lying on our stomach. (They massage with Clothes on). David took Mei Mei and
was holding her for a few minutes. When it was David’s turn to get his massage,
David had Bonnie hold mei mei while we were getting our massage done as well. I
did not hear Mei Mei crying at all, she was such a good girl. When I was done,
I walked outside to find Mei Mei fast asleep on Bonnie’s shoulder. She is such
a good girl who is on like clockwork for her naps.
The experience of our massages was interesting. Herb was a
big cry baby. It was so funny though. All I kept hearing was Herb whining “Oh
my sweet Jesus, Ouch… Man, you are strong. You are a woman with man hands”
David and I were cracking up during the entire 30 minute session.
The massage therapists were really strong. They are petite
woman with lots of strength. It felt like this woman removed every bit of knots
that I had in my back area. They really did an amazing job.
After our massage adventure we headed to the nearby mall to
get some lunch. We went to Pizza Hut for chicken wings and pizza. The restaurant
setting is not like the one in the United States, it is so much nicer. Also the
menu is not just pizza; they have a much more variety. La-La and mei mei shared
a spaghetti dish, again our sweet girl eats like a horse.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel to pick up our
luggage and check out. After checking out, we went to the majestic hotel to
wait while David ran to the passport office to see if Mei Mei’s passport was
ready. It was not ready until after 4pm. We left to the airport and David
advised he would fed-ex the girls passports to Guangzhou.
David took us to the Nanning Airport. We checked in and went
through customs. The customs agent kept reviewing mei mei’s adoption documents
to let us through. It seemed like forever and I was getting a bit nervous. I
don’t know what was the issue but the Cole family went through very fast and
they kept checking out all of our documents. Eventually, we went through and
headed towards the gate.
When we got to the gate, Jay & Bonnie were already there
along with another American family from another agency. This other family
adopted a little 16mth old baby boy with a cleft lip / Palate. They named him
Jackson. He is such a cutie. A few minutes later like 4 other American families
arrived at the gate. So on our flight there was a total of 6 families with their
cuties attached to their hips. We boarded the plane and off we were heading to
Guangzhou.
Mei Mei did pretty well on the airplane ride. It took about
45 minutes to an hour to arrive in Guangzhou. Prior to boarding, mei mei had
fallen asleep and right before getting on the plane she woke up. I was carrying
her during the entire flight and all she did was lay her head on my chest with her eyes
wide open. I can see the concerned look on her face as to what is happening
now. Anytime there is a change in environment, the look of worry comes about.
One thing I know that will remain consistent is her mama and baba’s face.
We finally got to Guangzhou at about 7:30ish. We were greeted
by CCAI rep, Grace. She was holding a big CCAI sign and so we got our luggage
and headed to the van. The ride to the China hotel was about 40 minutes. When
we arrived, it was like heaven. We felt like we were back in part of the United
States. People spoke a little more English and the hotel was amazing. Let me
just say that inside the hotel is a Starbucks, Yep pretty amazing.
Right next to the hotel is a 24hour McDonalds. After checking
in we walked over to McDonalds for a quick bite to eat and then it was hit the
hay time. We were tired and hungry and were ready for bed.
I ordered chicken nuggets for mei mei with French fries. She
ate the fries and preferred a hamburger. This kid can eat!
All in all it turned out to be a long but productive day. Tomorrow
is Mei Mei’s physical exam at the clinic and also we are going to take her picture
for her Visa to get into the USA.
5 more days and we will be heading home. I miss our boys.
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