Ainsley is officially ours!!!! Today was a long day spent at Civil Affairs, Notary and Passport offices. Alot of prayer has gone into this day and it looks as if we will be able to continue on schedule without delay. Hooray! We were not expecting any "hiccups" with our itinerary and were upset to hear of problems- especially since alot of what we are hearing is spoken in Chinese and translated for us. However, God is carrying us through, as He does even when we don't see any problems.
Ainsley is firmly attached to her Mama and is warming up to her hairy Baba (Daddy in Chinese). We are seeing Ainsley share more of her time with Richard and pray that by the end of the trip she will be firmly attached to him, too. Ethan, Olivia and Sophia were so very well behaved during this long day and we were so proud of their behavior. We were able to meet 3 other families from other agencies who shared this journey through the red tape and more paperwork. It is a blessing to meet so many nice people along the way and on the other side of our world.
Ainsley likes to be carried by Stacy and has a new trick. The trick is that when she does not want to walk anymore, she melts onto the floor, which is usually very dirty. She did this while Stacy, Nana Carole, Sophia and Olivia were in KFC (yahoo for Western food!) waiting to use the pottys (that are oh-so-squatty). Ainsley "melted" onto the dirty floor in front of the female bathroom attendant who grimaced and hollered out in horror something in Chinese. We can only guess what she said. Ha!
Ainsley has been told over and over by our family that we love her and we spoke this in Chinese to her. Today Stacy was clearly told "I love you" back in Chinese. We all heard in the car and it was a special moment for Mama and baby.
After our busy day, we decided to stop by Walmart (who "stops by" Walmart even in China) for some snacks. We were sorry to only get 2 pictures of it all to show Manager Brice Klingensmith the legacy of WalMart across the sea. We were glad to have our facilitator and translator with us, as we had no idea what alot of the foods were. Who knew God made other food besides chicken, potatoes and macaroni and cheese? It was a quick visit and quite odiferous, too, and we were glad to return to our hotel for some rest. Ethan is frustrated that most of the TV channels are in Chinese and the programs are not very good. We have been impressed that Olivia has been following a Chinese soap opera and is translating to Stacy and Carole who is doing what. Don't worry, the story line and actions are very clean, or at least the actions are, since we really don't know what in the world they are saying. We just use our imagination and humor. Sophia has been drawing alot of beautiful artwork for us and even attacked the play-doh tonight.
Tomorrow holds endless possibilities for us, as there are no travel plans until Friday. Perhaps a nap will be in order? And yes, our school work, too! |
