Day 6 – Finding Treasures in Shangrao

Today was a very busy day for the Marquette family.  It also was a very special day.  Today we were going to visit the orphanage where Hannah had been living for the last 2+ years of her life.  Our day would be filled with lots of travel, lots of emotion, and many new discoveries.

The day started with us running downstairs for a quick bite to eat and then out the door by 7AM.  For Hannah, this meant that we had to wake her up.  Note: We’ve been hearing many “Chinese sayings” on this trip (more to follow), but here is a saying that I know.  “Never wake a sleeping baby.  Bad things are bound to happen.”  You see, although she woke up OK, we still had a long day ahead of us.

We spent the next 2 ½ hours travelling: 45 minute taxi ride to the train station, 1 hour train ride to Shangrao, Then, 15 minute ride to the orphanage in the back seat of a pickup truck.  Travelling on the train, by the way, was easy and relaxed.  I can see why so many of my Chinese co-workers recommend this for travel inside of China.  Although the boarding times for the trains are quick, we had plenty of time to find our seat before the train left the station.

You can really get places fast when you travel at nearly 190 mph

As we pulled up to the orphanage, it looked a bit daunting to us: tall three story building, towers on the corners of the building, bars on the windows, and one of those retractable gates blocking the road.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d thought they were taking us to visit a prison.  After stepping into the building, however, we were greeted with a totally different atmosphere.  Shiny tiled floors lined the lobby area while three large chandeliers hung overhead.  The inside had the appearance of being new and clean.

The orphanage complex in Shangrao

Immediately we were greeted by one of the women we had met on Monday and a new woman with the title “Vice Orphanage Director”.  We were shown our first treasure (a long red banner with Chinese characters on it greeting us}, took a picture, and then were whisked away to the “conference room”.  Can I just tell you … their conference room is nicer than the executive conference room at my office.  Plush black leather chairs surround a very large, solid wood table, and sit atop shiny hardwood floors.

Our red banner ... anyone know what it actually says?

In the office, we were asked to sign a big red book for the orphanage and leave a message.  We also met more people and were given more treasures.  We met two other families making heritage trips from Holland.  Each family had two adopted Chinese children.  We also met the “Deputy Orphanage Director” (i.e. the big boss) in that room.  It seemed everyone on the staff there knew and loved or little XiXi.  They were all excited to see her, talk to her, and hold her.  Hannah seemed very comfortable with them.  What a blessing it is for the Lord to have sheltered this little girl and put her in a loving place before He even worked in our hearts to adopt her!

The Red Book and our message

One of the administrative staff loving on Hannah

While in that room we were given pictures of Hannah when she was a baby, copies of her police report from when she was found, familiar suckers for Hannah (more on the later), and a priceless story for Hannah from the orphanage director.  The director was proud to say that she was the first one in the orphanage to ever hold Wuxi.  Apparently, the deputy orphanage director had just “by chance” been making a visit to Wuyuan (the place Hannah was found) on the same day that Wuyuan Social Welfare Institute had called saying they had found a baby.  This allowed the director to pick Hannah up, and bring her back straight away to the orphanage.  Simply by chance?  I know this is not so!  God is good.

Deputy Orphanage Director (picture taken at lunch)

We had a special quilt made for Hannah.  We were able to have the orphanage staff and her caregivers sign it.  Another treasure that will be a special memory for years to come!

After some visiting, we were escorted to the building where the children live in group homes.  Many of the children at this orphanage have Down’s Syndrome and severe special needs.  We first visited a group home on the first floor.  There are about 5-7 children in each home with two caretakers.  The home is divided into 4 large rooms; playroom, kitchen, sitting room, and sleeping room.  The staff was very kind and loving and the environment was very well maintained and clean.  All the beds were made of polished solid wood which helped warm up the stark white ceilings and walls.

After visiting a few of these rooms, we were ready for the main event.  We climbed the stairs to the second story, and then Hannah ran down the hall to “her” door.  This was the room where she had just recently stayed.  This was the room where her caretakers lived.  This was undeniably her home!  As soon as we walked in the room, her caretakers lifted her up and with smiles on their faces poured out love to little Hannah.

Here we were shown around, but not without first getting a scolding from her caregivers.  You see, we had broken the cardinal rule in China and only dressed in a long sleeve shirt and pants for the 68 deg F day.  This for sure was not suitable a child, who must be in at least 2 layers at all times.  Her hand felt warm to the caregivers, though, so we were given a pass.  Praise God that her nose stopped running just before we got there!  Otherwise, we would have been in big trouble.

In the room, we got to see Hannah’s bed, which she stood by proudly as we took a picture.  We got to see where her foster brother slept.  Apparently, he sleeps in bed with one of the caregivers.  Unfortunately, he was at school during our visit, so we did not get to visit him.  We left him a small gift from Wuxi (2 Ultra-man toys, a sucker, and a jar of bubbles) and handed out suckers to the other children in the home.

The play room was an odd sight … foam playmats lined the hard tiled floor.  There, babies sat and rolled around.  Lining the walls were multi-colored cubbies capable of housing many toys.  Instead, they were barren with only a few blocks.  Also in the room was a television and a crib. 

Here we got to see more of Hannah’s personality.  We were told she was the “big sister” in the room.  Hannah demonstrated by getting a few blocks off the shelf, throwing by one of the babies, stomping her foot, and demanding that the child play with the toys she had just given.  They started bickering, so she gave another foot stomp and said, “Stop fighting!”  Oh my, she is going to fit right into our family!  Claire, you better watch out girlfriend because there is a feisty sister headed your way!

While talking with her caregivers, we were told that they looked at the photo album we had sent with Hannah every day.  They pointed out and told her who her new mom, dad, big brothers, and big sister were going to be.  We also asked if they still had the pink jacket she had worn in many pictures.  They ran back to the bedroom and pulled it out.  Although we just wanted to see it and take one last picture, they offered it to us.  What a treasure that will be for Hannah!

Note on orphanage living
People taking care of the children are given free food and shelter and a meager earnings.  They eat with the children, play with the children, and sleep with the children day in and day out.  Most of the caregivers are elderly couples.  Due to the low wages, however, the orphanage has trouble finding married couples who are willing to work there.  In fact, Hannah’s most recent caregivers were two elderly women.  Food is prepared and cooked for them.  I imagine they live within the confines of the orphanage from the day they step into the building until the day they quit and leave.  Please pray for these men and women who are serving and sacrificing for children that someone abandoned!

After the orphanage visit, we headed for lunch.  We were thankful there were other families joining us so that it wouldn’t be so awkward.  We were thankful they served soda along with the food.  Both of us were able to find a few things to eat.  There, the orphanage director also gave Hannah another treasure: a new bracelet with a porcelain flower on it.  She loved it!  They agreed that she is a girly girl and loves to show off new clothes, shoes and jewelry.

Really neat looking restaurant 

Largest Lazy Susan we have ever seen

Hannah's new bracelet

After lunch we headed back to the orphanage to “relax” for ½ hour before we had to head for the train station.  As soon as we stepped back in the orphanage Hannah started crying.  It started as a whimper and turned into an all-out tantrum with all of the drama a tantrum usually encompasses.  It lasted all of the way to the train station and was only subdued with the sucker we had been given earlier.

That sucker was long-lasting and helped us make it all of the way home without another tantrum.  Our friend Yi Fan picked us up from the train station and brought us back to the hotel.  We put Hannah down for a 30 minute nap and then headed back out to dinner.  Tonight Yi Fan had made reservations at a local restaurant and invited Lu Xu’s two other friends: Miss Lee and Miss Tao.  We had a good meal and everyone found something that they liked to eat.  Thank you Lu for having such wonderful friends!  They have been such a blessing to us.

Day 5 – Daddy Smiles and Family Firsts

After one day with Hannah, it is clear that she loves her Baba!  Today started with us waking up at 4am (again!) and waiting for Hannah to wake.  There we sat in the dark trying to find something to do.  Finally, Matt decided to get up and take a shower.  The only problem was that we had turned the “master switch” for the lights off before we went to bed, and we didn’t want to turn it on for fear of waking Hannah.  This meant showering by the light of our 1 LED night light we had plugged into the bathroom.  Thankfully the outlet in the bathroom was still working!

We finally woke Hannah up at 8am.  What a blessing that she slept so well!  After getting her dressed, we made our way to the breakfast buffet.  There she ate congee, yogurt and a banana.  Hannah ate very well …. when Matt was at the table.  As soon as he left to get her more food, she put on her pouty face and wanted nothing to do with mom.

At 9:30 we met our guide, Lisa, in the lobby.  We headed over to the Civil Affairs office to arrange and pay for our orphanage visit.  This time it was not raining (blessing!) and we tried out the Ergo carrier.  Thank you Thuong for letting us borrow it!  Since Hannah wouldn’t let mom hold her, must less carry her, Matt got to strap up.  We’ll let you all know that we safely made it across the street and didn’t even have a near-miss this time.  After the Civil Affairs office, we purchased train tickets to travel to Hannah’s city Shangrao. 

Next up, a trip to the two-story Wal-Mart a few blocks up the road!  This was most likely Hannah’s first trip to a store.  She loved riding in the cart and pointing at all the buys.  Of course, she convinced us to buy a few of the things that looked good to her.  She was very excited about her flavored milk and mini buns.  We purchased some supplies along with some souvenirs.

The Wal-Mart was located in a large building with other stores.  We made our way to the basement to eat lunch at a chain dumpling restaurant.  Hannah enjoyed her snacks (Matt said they tasted like animal crackers) from Wal-Mart along with some pork dumplings.  Matt ate chicken dumplings and pork dumplings.  Deanna ate Kung Pao Chicken with peanuts and white rice.  Matt exclaimed that it was a victory because we found something that mom would eat!

After many hours out around town, we headed back to the hotel for naps and laundry time.  Hannah woke up around 3 and played ball (sounds like “pee cho”) in the hotel room with baba.  I was so tired that I didn’t even wake up when Hannah was jumping on the bed right next to me (so Matt says) or when she was screaming with laughter and delight.

Matt finally woke me up from my nap around 5 and our crew headed to the tennis court located on the roof of the 6^th floor.  There we played more with the ball we purchased.  Hannah certainly has a way to show her feelings, wants, and desires.  She makes it clear when she is not happy.  No worries, Baba to the rescue!  All is well when Matt can cheer her up.  I am not worried.  I know that it is very common for children to bond with one parent initially.  I am thankful for the few times that Hannah allowed me to hold her and play with her.  We are so thankful that Matt is able to be here to ease Hannah's transition.

We enjoyed dinner at the hotel restaurant and then headed to bed early.  We wanted to be well rested for our visit to Hannah’s orphanage.  Please pray for her heart while we visit the home she has known for almost three years.  We know that this visit will be difficult for her and us.

Day 4 - Hannah Day

Today we adopted Hannah!  What a cute and precious little girl the Lord has blessed us with.  Please keep her in your prayers as she continues to get to know us and adjust to living with us.

Buckle your seat belts, this is a long post ...

Meeting Hannah went extraordinarily well today.  Deanna and I were both a bit nervous.  We had been up since 4AM (Hello, jet lag!), trying not think too much about what was soon going to take place.  We filled our time with eating breakfast, getting ready, making photocopies, writing Hannah a letter, and even napping.  At 11AM, our phone rang,  The voice on the other end said, "You can come down now.  Your daughter has arrived."  Nervous energy continued to build as we checked our bags and then went down in the elevator.  

Our initial fears were relieved as soon as we walked into the back lobby and saw our little girl.  There she was, dressed in a brand-new, adorable outfit with a big smile on her face.  I decided to sit on the couch next to her and gingerly tried to pick her up.  I was expecting the stiff-as-a-board reaction kids give when they don't want to be picked up.  Instead, Hannah gave no resistance and sat nicely on my lap.  She never once called out for the orphanage staff or tried to squirm away.

We soon went to work with the parent top secret trick #1: toys.  The first toy out of the bag was a Ni Hao Kai-Lan doll we had purchased months ago.  The doll looks silly with a really big head, tiny arms, and tiny feet.  Hannah didn't know what to think of it at first, but soon grew to like it.  We had fun giving the doll back and forth, throwing it, and retrieving it.  Each time Hannah got down, she would always come back and sit on my lap.  During this time we got to hear her laugh many times and even say some words.

We followed this up with top secret trick #2: food.  Hannah's first American food consisted of some water in a spill-proof cup and puffs in a spill-proof bowl.  I got to hand feed her the first puff.  Surprisingly, she wanted me to hand feed her all of her puffs.  She seemed to suck on them rather than chew them.

While I continued to play with Hannah, Deanna was presented with a gift from the orphanage.  They had provided us a porcelain tea set.  What a beautiful gift!  Apparently Jiangxi province is known for porcelain and it was something on the top of our buy list.  Next, Deanna got work on filling out paperwork and started signatures and thumbprints.

Finally, when all of the paperwork was done, it was time for the orphanage staff to leave and go have lunch.  Off they went with only a few words to Hannah.  I was expecting an utter melt-down at this point, but she seemed to fine.  A few minutes later, our guide Lisa left to go have lunch, too. 

So there we were, all alone in the hotel lobby, with our daughter at our side.  This now would be the true test. We had two hours until our next appointment.  For the next two hours she would be under our care.  We would have no one to translate for us. No familiar people.  Just us in our hotel room.  Honestly, I'm not sure which one of us was more scared at this point.  

When we got in the room, Hannah did OK at first.  We showed her around, let her look at her crib, and then played with her on the bed.  She also enjoyed playing with stickers.  In a little bit, Deanna tried making her noodles while Matt ordered a burger from the room service menu.  Deanna fed her the first bite of noodles and Hannah had a large smile on her face.  I quickly grabbed the camera and tried to capture the moment.  By the next bite, however, the smile had gone away.  There she sat on Deanna's lap, mouth full of food, stone-faced.  She sat that way for a while, and then tiny tears started to form.

At first, we were nervous that she was choking on the food or couldn't breathe.  We gave it a minute and then a minute more.  OK, she was at least breathing.  Something about eating was making this little girl very sad.  Oddly enough, eating was the one thing we have been told time and time again that Hannah likes to do.  Next, I tried holding her on my lap to see if that would help.  Maybe she didn't like the food.  "Do you want a french fry?" "No," she said by spitting it out.  "Do you want some of this odd-tasting Chinese hamburger?"  No again.  "Do you want to try some of the bun?"  This time she said "Yes" by sucking on the bread and swallowing it.

Before long she was back to eating the noodles.  Apparently her sadness had left for a bit, because she went to work on her noodle bowl.  I started by cutting the noodles small with the spoon and then feeding them to her.  Before long, she wanted to feed herself.  Within no time, the cup of noodles was almost gone and so was our time.  We headed down to the lobby and started the next leg of our journey.

The rest of the day went fairly well.  We had to walk across the street in the rain, avoiding puddles and on-coming traffic.  I had Hannah in one arm and an umbrella in the other.  Somehow the Lord delivered us safely to the other side.  At the Civil Affairs office, Hannah enjoyed playing with the magna-doodle Deanna had brought while we waited for the paperwork and payment to be finalized.  The process there was similar to Micah's process with the following exceptions:  (1) much nicer office, (2) much nicer people, (3) a smoother process, and (4) no "picture taking ceremony".  Overall, it was a very easy time and we were thankful for that.

The orphanage staff that brought Hannah to Nanchang.  The woman in the pink gave Hannah her name.  "Wu" is for the county that she was found.  "Xi" means "hope."  They wanted her to have a life of HOPE!

Officially Hannah Wuxi Marquette!

After this, we traveled across the bridge to the new side of town to visit the passport office.  Hannah fell asleep on my lap.  What a joy it is to see a sleeping child!  We were in and out of that office in under 5 minutes time.  Then, back in the car and over to the Notary.  The Notary was only a 10 minute process.  Finally, we arrived back at our hotel with our daughter was now legally ours.  Yay!

Our night consisted of a long afternoon nap, WeChat with Carly and the kids, Papa John's pizza, trying to get Hannah to eat something, Hannah's first bath, and then all of us passing out around 10 PM.  Bedtime went remarkably well ... no tears, no fits, just cuddling up under a blanket listening to mom and dad sing a song in a strange language.

Please pray for Hannah to continue to feel loved, for us as we try to find something that she will like to eat, and for our safety as we travel around Nanchang tomorrow with our guide Lisa.

Here is the rough timeline of events from today:

Up at 4AM, breakfast at 7AM, photocopies at 8:30AM, napped from 9-10AM, met our guide at 10:30AM, back to the room to wait, met Hannah at 11AM, paperwork in the hotel lobby until 11:45AM, back to the room for lunch, Civil Affairs office at 2PM, Passport office at 3PM, Notary at 3:30PM, back to room for a nap from 4-7PM, talking to the family around 8 PM, dinner at 8:30PM, bed at 10PM.

Day 3 - Sghtseeing Around Nanchang with Yi Fan

Highlights for today:

• Hotel breakfast
• Best pancakes so far in China!
• Met up with Lu's friend Yi Fan
• Yi Fan is a high school classmate and friend of Matt's coworker Lu Xu.  He had volunteered to meet with us and give up his entire day to host us.  He also offered to drive us around the city and take us anywhere we wanted to go.  What a blessing it was to have an English-speaking tour guide today with a car!  Deanna and I were reminded of what love and hospitality look like.  I hope we can return the favor some day.
• In case you didn't catch it, the fact that we met Yi Fan is AMAZING.  Only God, the maker of the universe, who desires to have a personal relationship with all those called to him, could have orchestrated this.  Let me explain: Deanna first met Lu at Nathan's preschool in 2011.  Lu got a job working at CAT a few years later.  Out of all of the places to work in CAT, her job placed her in the same building as Matt.  The new job Matt took late last year moved him closer to Lu's desk.  Lu found out about our adoption and wanted to get involved.  It turns out she is from Nanchang city and has many friends that still live there.  Her friend Yi Fan has a condo that is literally a 5-minute walk from the hotel.  This could not have all come together by coincidence alone.
• Walked with Yi Fan to August 1 Nanchang Communist Uprising Memorial Park
• Today was a holiday so there were many people at the park.  There was also music and a water show.  Note to self ... do not try to cross the bridge during the water show or you WILL get wet.

• Met with our Holt staff guide Lisa
• We met with Lisa around 11 AM.  She prepped us for our day tomorrow and our week in Nanchang.  She also gave us our "red book" with some pictures of Hannah and our itinerary for this week.
• Lisa said Nanchang is known for three things: Spicy food, spicy/hot weather, and spicy/stubborn girls.  We also found out that Holt has a relationship with the Shangrao orphanage and that Holt staff visits there about once a month.  Lisa seems to know Wuxi well.
• Lunch at McDonald's
• Working at McDonald's is a respectable job here.  The staff works very hard to get the orders out fast.  Everyone is dressed nicely and is friendly.  The girl taking our order even spoke some English and was able to get our food as we wanted.

• Shopping at RT-Mart
• Think K-Mart in a downtown area.  We purchased water and snacks.  Matt bought a badminton set for kids.  We also found some Ultra-man activity books for the boys.
• Visit to Teng Wang Pavillion
• Tourist destination in Nanchang.  Apparently, the entire place is a concrete recreation of something that once stood.  The highlight was taking a picture for $5 in Chinese robes.  We apparently were very entertaining to see and had our photo taken by many of the visitors.

• Visit to Green Lake Resort in MeiLing Scenic Area
• 1 hour drive up the mountain outside of Nanchang.  We were very interested to see more traditional Chinese buildings and rural Chinese living.  We also came across a farmer who lost his cow, goats walking across the road and straight up the mountain, and we even saw a horse.
• The road we took gave switchbacks a whole new definition.  Maximum speed was somewhere around 25 mph.  It reminded us a lot of the drive from Guatemala City to Hogar de Vida.  The only difference was that this time we were in a car and we slowed down for the hair pin turns.  In Guatemala, we literally banged our heads against the windows while the bus driver took the turns as fast as he could.
• Green Lake Resort is at the top of the hill.  Apparently, it is a 5-star hotel and a spot for families and retired people to escape from the Nanchang heat and the hustle and bustle of the city.  The whole place was peaceful and serene.  You could actually see the blue sky and hear some wildlife.  Based on our previous travels, I didn't know places like this existed in China.

• Dinner at a Hong-Kong style restaurant in New Zone Area (West side of river)
• By this point in the day, Deanna and I were completely exhausted and the two hours of mountain driving had about been the end of us.  We were happy to arrive at the restaurant and get out of the car.  Yi Fan ordered us many things: braised duck, sweet bread, broccoli, soup, and the list goes on.  Our favorite was a dessert with short bread and ice cream.

Day 2 - We have arrived!

We are in Nanchang! Our flights all went well with no major delays. It is 1am local time and we are grateful to be at our hotel after 30+ hours of travel. We will write more details tomorrow. We are ready for rest. ~34 hours until we meet Hannah!!

Day 1 - Leaving on a jet plane

The time has finally come! After staying up all night, our bags are checked and we are waiting at the airport. We are hopeful that we will be able to rest during our flights. Pretty sure the last time we pulled an all-nighter was in college! The things you do for your kids. ;)  We are so thankful for the support of our family and friends. Please keep praying. We know that there is power in prayer.

Written Friday, May 1st, 6:00am

Going to China!

We can officially say we are going to China!  Travel approval is in our hands, airfare is booked and child care is arranged.  Thank you Jesus!

We leave May 1st.  Only 3 weeks!  We would have loved to travel sooner, but our agency travels in groups and there are no April groups.  We are so grateful that they added an additional group the first week of May.  On May 1st we will leave from Peoria and travel to Nanchang, China.  Nanchang is the capitol of the Jiangxi province where Hannah's orphanage is located.  We will arrive around 11 pm China time on May 2nd.  Monday, May 4th is Hannah Day!  Ahhh!  Can't wait!  Unlike most Chinese adoptions, we will not have the 24 hour "harmonious period" before the adoption is finalized.  Due to a Chinese holiday, we will finalize Hannah's adoption the same day we have her in our arms forever.  We will remain in Nanchang until May 8th for her passport to be processed.  On May 8th, we will travel to Guangzhou, China.  Hannah will have her visa medical exam May 9th.  Our visa consulate appointment is scheduled for May 12th.  We should receive her visa the next after noon.  We will depart Guangzhou May 15th.  We are so excited to have our travel dates confirmed.  Let the countdown begin!

In other news...we received an update on Hannah.  There were 7 videos and 3 photos.  The videos are of her and her foster brother playing and giggling.  So cute!  He is so sweet with her.  He appears to be a couple years older than her.  We also received news that her foster brother is matched with another family at our agency.  We have received their contact information and look forward to staying in contact in the future.  What a blessing!

Our sweet girl is certainly growing and we cannot wait for her to join our family.  Although there have been some delays, God's timing is perfect.  We are so thankful for God's goodness.  What an awesome God we serve!

 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"  Psalm 34:8