We all slept well last night including Hannah. The White Swans breakfast buffet looked very appetizing and everyone says it’s very good. Tracy and Hannah enjoyed it but I decided I would try it another day. Quite a site to see the room filled with babies and their adoptive parents from all over the world. The dining room has an awesome view of the Pearl River.
At 10:00 a.m. we walked a short distance to the office that performs the medical examination on the babies. Again lots of babies and their parents. Babies must pass the exam in order to get their visa to leave the country. Hannah was very good for the doctors and nurses. She didn’t cry at all when she was poked and prodded on. After the exam we went back to the hotel and met in Williams room. We finished filling out the paperwork for Hannah’s US visa and gave William all the forms, copies and fees he would need to take to the US Consulate.
After a short nap we took Hannah for a stroll. It is very tropical here and the scenery is magnificent. There are tons of shops located close by that specifically cater to adoptive families needs for their babies and souvenirs to take home. After the fresh air we decided to try some food. We decided to dine at Lucy’s where they have quite a bit of American food on the menu The food was pretty good. Hannah loved the noodle soup. We walked around the park awhile and then decide to call it an evening. Today has been a better day. Hannah is trying to walk a little. Her referral said she was walking but she has not really made to much of an effort to do so until today. Although she is very clingy to me she loves to play with her daddy.
Thank you for all your prayers. We feel so blessed to be Hannah’s parents and are looking forward to coming home soon.
We are very thankful to have had another good night of rest. We all enjoyed the breakfast buffet this morning. Hannah loves to eat rice congee, toast, bananas, scrambled eggs and noodle soup. She spent an hour playing and bonding with daddy this morning.
We left around 10:00 a.m. to visit the Chen Clan Academy. There are 3 types of temples in China: Heavenly temples, Buddhist temples and family temples. This family temple represents the Chinese families with the sir name of Chen. It is an important historical site and has an elaborate artistic structure. It is known for its stone and wooden carvings. Next, we visited a market. There were all kinds of shops selling merchandise of jewelry, embroidery, jade, pearls, turquoise, clothing, etc. William told us to barter with the shop owners but we are not very good at it. Tracy drives a hard bargain when purchasing trucks and vans but just doesn’t have the heart to bargain with the people of China. William told us the average pay for a new graduate from the university in China is $250-$270 dollars a month. That amount increases with experience. Those without a college degree average $130-$150 dollars a month.
We enjoyed dining for lunch with the Keeter family at Lucy’s. Afterwards we explored some of the shops around the hotel and then we went to our room for some rest. Hannah has had a wonderful day. She has let her daddy hold her and play with her all day long. She has had a very good disposition today. After napping we went out by the riverside and watched the laser lights. The waterfront itself is quite spectacular when it is all lit up for the evening. We listened to a recorded worship service from our church back home. It sure was good to hear the uplifting music and preaching of the Word. That is one thing we have missed dearly while in China.
Thank you for your prayers and emails. We have received several emails from families who have adopted from China already. We thank you for all your travel tips and advice. We have also received several emails from families that are still waiting for the referral of their babies and are following our story. We hope by sharing our story that you will be encouraged. Hannah is a precious gift from God and we are so very thankful for the privilege to be her parents.
From China With Love
Ann, Tracy & Hannah Marie
My daddy's funny
I'm having fun
My first icecream sundae "Do I have to share?"
November 20 --
Today William presented our paperwork to the US Consulate’s office in order to obtain Hannah’s visa. It was a free day for us to do whatever we wanted to do. It was nice to have a day with no planned activities. After a late breakfast we spent time in our room recuperating and planning our shopping strategy. Then off to the shops we went. Hannah loves to shop and everyone comments on what a happy baby she is. We are very thankful that she has been so good especially since we are still not feeling quite up to our usual selves. I tried my hand at bartering and I probably didn’t get any real bargains but at least we didn’t pay the asking price for the items we purchased. We had to purchase another suitcase in order to get all of the things we bought back to the states and I am not too sure we won’t need a second suitcase. We are definitely ready to come home. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner. We often talk about how good turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie sounds. We miss all of our family and our home. It will also be nice to sleep in our own bed again ( the beds here are truly like sleeping on concrete slabs). It will be nice not have to brush our teeth with bottled water or boil the tap water to wash baby bottles, dishes, etc. We are looking forward to our church worship services. This trip has really opened our eyes to how many everyday things we take for granted and how blessed we are in America.
Here is a big cyber hug from China to (((( Caitlyn, Noah, Elijah, Joshua, Wesley and Madison)))) from Papa, Grandma and Aunt Hannah.
