Day 4 (Passport Day)

One of the main questions people asked us before we left was, "Will you have any down time?" When we looked at the schedule for the two weeks, it didn't seem like it. But today was a day full of unexpected down time.

Last night was a bit of a challenge. Lacey and the crib aren't exactly the best of friends right now. So she started in our bed and we moved her after she fell asleep. She slept very soundly...as in she made sounds all night! Lots of mumbles, tossing & turning, and a few cries. It all meant very little sleep for us.

Lacey did well at breakfast - eggs, rice, noodles, and fruit made it from the plate to the belly (and some on the floor of course). We ate with another couple in our adoption group, Alberta and Jim. Great folks! After breakfast, we had about 3 hours until we had to meet our guide to Lacey's passport application done.

So we took the stroller and walked over to Walmart to buy a new toy. I don't know that I've mentioned this, but folks over here love to stare. It was pretty bad with just Cindy and I, but now it has reached Skill Level: Expert...to the point of being really uncomfortable. I keep imagining my brother-in-law Dan and how he would react - something akin to "You wanna go, man??" Pretty awkward and hard to get used to.

Then we all napped a little before going to the Passport Office. It was kind of like a DMV office on steroids. We particularly enjoyed the dude that muttered "Americans" while we walked in the door. But thank goodness for our guide Lillian. Without her, nothing would happen. She got us through (3 families) in just about 15 minutes. So we were done for the day and back at the hotel a little after 2:00.

Today has been challenging for Cindy and I. Having known Lacey from a great distance for 8 months, it's hard to remember that we've only been "together" about 36 hours. You just want her to always be happy, playing, and smiling, but today was not all like that. She has a cold which is likely affecting her, but sometimes she just seems a little sad. It breaks our hearts, but we can't show it, you know? Right around dinner time, though, the sweet, giggly personality started shining through again. We had dinner in our room tonight (ramen noodles for L and oatmeal for D & C). But the day ended just great. She laughed with us, played with us, responded to tickles, and even gave Cindy a kiss when she asked her. She even looked at Cindy when I asked "Where's Mama?" and yelled "Baba" (Chinese for Dad) when she was dipped into the offending bath tub. We were thrilled to end the day so well!

The couple I spoke about earlier are so great. We've enjoyed spending time with them and the other family adopting from here. Alberta and Jim were kind enough to give us some medicine for Lacey's cold which has done wonders. I had a nice walk with Jim to (where else) Walmart and the local medicine shop. So nice to speak English to somebody that understands!

So that's been day four. We're all done paperwork here in Changchun and only have to get Lacey's passport before we head to Guangzhou on Friday. Tomorrow, we'll visit the site where Lacey was abandoned, and go to the zoo on Thursday.

Hope you all are well. Been thinking of the words of James, "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much." Based on what we are feeling over here, I'll add a hearty Amen to that!

Thanks for reading,
Daniel