Paperwork Run Around *updated*

Hubs posted this one night when I fell asleep at 9pm while trying to get Schäfer settled. I’ve added lots of additional photos and many details from our first day together. If anything, you must scroll down to see the “strawberry hat photo” of a very sleepy Sianna – one of my favorites.

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Day 2 as a family of 4.

Hubs and I got up. Got dressed.

Schäfer slept.

Woke Sianna for a bottle at 7. She slept through the entire night and didn’t cry out.

Made it to the hotel lobby by 7:30am – a miracle for sure.

We walked 8 minutes to the Jiangxi Province Center of Adoption Services. Our guide insisted that we get there early so that we could be processed first. We arrived before the doors were unlocked.

We took photos by the flags while we waited for the office to open.

One proud Papa.

A captivated Mommy.

Sweet Sianna.

We enjoyed the view of Ba Yi Square from the Adoption Services window. It was a cold, windy day in Nanchang. The temperature outside was bearable, but the wind was fierce.

Nanchang.

Hubs signed more papers:

• One form in triplicate that we will take responsibility of Sianna
• One form that we will never abuse her or abandon her and promise to give her a good education
• One form in duplicate that we are “willingly donating RMB35000 to the orphanage” ($5,126.85 – a required donation)

We took an official picture with Sianna. This is the picture used in our official orphanage registration, as well as Sianna’s Chinese passport (they cropped out her portrait).

Our Family of Four!

Hubs made paper airplanes to help pass the time while our guide and the orphanage representative moved papers from office to office.

Sianna took a nice nap from 8:15 – 9:30am in the Ergo.

During a meeting, Schäfer flew airplanes across an Adoption Services representative’s desk.

We are THAT family.

We had one interview where we answered three questions:
Why are you adopting?
Will you educate her?
Will you never abandon or mistreat her?

The Jiangxi Center for Adoption Affairs gave us a large gift (haven’t opened it yet) and we gave them a local tea from the Three Gorges with our family photo and personal story of why we are adopting.

While at the Adoption Center, we saw Evelyn, one of my old students from Nanchang. She’s worked at the actual Adoption Services Center and in translation services for various adoption agencies since graduation.

Seeing Evelyn was a full circle moment for me because the first time I ever saw a family with an adopted child was 10 years ago in a park in Nanchang when I was with Evelyn.

We “donated” a lot of money and paid some fees. All required.

We received our official Certificate of Adoption. At this point, according to the power vested in Jiangxi Province, Sianna is forever ours!

We had a rather odd conversation with the orphanage representative, Mr. Wang, regarding the possibility of meeting Sianna’s foster Nai Nai. We really want to meet her and say thank you for taking care of our daughter. She’s doing so well considering all the loss and transitions she’s had in her little 8 months of life.

The orphanage director wasn’t sure if this could be arranged. Evelynn, my former student, stepped in and said that Jiangxi Province had an official Heritage Tour that we could do which would allow us to see the orphanage, Sianna’s file and meet the foster Mom, but Mr. Wang gave a non-committal answer.

Meeting Sianna’s foster Nai Nai is really important to us. We hope that this will be allowed, but ultimately it’s up to Mr. Wang.

From the Adoption Services Center, we walked to the notary. It was a brisk 15 minute walk. Along the way, we stopped to take a picture in the “August 1st” Square.

Ba Yi Square

Sianna slept on and off in the Ergo all day.

The official notary is located just off the square.

I signed more papers. Meanwhile, Sianna woke up very happy.

Hubs paid the required notary fee of RMB4000 ($585.87) to notarize and translate our: adoption registration, the certificate of abandonment and birth certificate – each in quadruplicate.

Once Sianna was awake, Schäfer could not wait to give her a bottle. He’s been dying to feed her so I finally let him have a little turn.

After an 8oz. formula snack, Sianna was her happy, cooing self.

She made lots of eye contact and gave us so many sweet smiles.

After the notary, our business was officially done. All we have to do is wait on Sianna’s passport. So, Tuesday and Wednesday will basically just be us hanging out in Nanchang. On Thursday we pick up the passport and fly to Guangzhou.

After the notary, we headed to the export store in search of a celebration Dr.Pepper. They were out.

That’s OK. We celebrated with dumplings for lunch.

When we got back to the hotel, I said bye to my friend who came to take photos of our first two days. Thanks E for the photos! They are a treasure. It was such a blessing to soak in the moment and not worry about capturing these events.

Then, I tried to get Schäfer and Sianna to sleep because I wanted both of them to nap so that I could have a couple of hours to work on photos and posting.

Schäfer napped.

Sianna was not interested in napping.

Hubs napped.

Sianna was not interested in napping.

Schäfer woke up.

Sianna went to sleep.

Bless Schäfer’s heart. We tried to keep him quiet in the hotel room for 1.5 hours until Sianna woke up. Sharing a hotel room with 2 kids on different schedules is not easy.

Once Sianna was up, Schäfer presented her with two gifts: a ball and a block. We were all excited to put Sianna on the bed because during a December 28th phone call with the orphanage, our Adoption Guide was told that Sianna was crawling. Since crawling is my absolute favorite baby stage I could not wait to see her go.

We laid Sianna on the bed and she just laid there and automatically started playing with the fabric. We watched her for quite some time. Right now, at 8 months Sianna can’t roll over, she can barely hold her head up and she most definately can’t crawl.

We’re OK with this.

We’ve done a lot of reading and preparing ourselves for this beautiful journey of adoption. We’re prepared to help her catch up.

However, we don’t understand why the orphanage would make up something like this. Furthermore, in her other paperwork, there are dates of when she learned to roll tummy to back and back to tummy. Sianna cannot roll.

Sianna’s head is also quite flat so we’re pretty sure she’s been laying on her back for quite a while.

We began to question if she really was in foster care. We do believe that she was because she can suck a bottle so well (as opposed to being “bottle proped”). We’re starting to wonder how many children the Foster Nai Nai was caring for.

We have no answers. Ultimately, what matters now is bonding well with Sianna and giving her lots of tummy time.

I never knew how much one little girl could automatically capture my heart. I’ve never known love to be so intense after just a few hours of meeting.

Since Schäfer gave Sianna a ball and block, Sianna gave Schäfer “Elizabeth the Lorry Truck” from the Thomas the Tank Engine series. It’s so funny to hear him call a truck “Elizabeth”.

By the way, Schäfer is all about teaching Sianna to crawl. He’s been showing her his moves on the bed. Good times.

That evening, we went back to Walmart for a pan for Sianna’s first bath.

We picked up some KFC and took it to a friend’s house. Sianna immediately falls asleep when we are in the taxi.

Sianna nursed on a bottle while we munched on chicken. Today, Sianna started pulling my hair so I’ve been trying it back again.

Did you notice all the dried spit and runny nose on my shirt? Bring it on.

Later this evening, after we were back at the hotel Sianna took another 8oz. bottle.

We had both kids in bed by 10 o’clock – that’s what happens with a bucket of chicken and good fellowship.

So far, Sianna is pretty easy going. The most amazing thing to me is that she sleeps through the night. Schäfer didn’t sleep through the night consistently until 13 months!

Sianna does not like her diaper changed. Wails.

Sianna does not like her clothing changed. Wails.

Sianna does not like to lay on the bed during a diaper or clothing change. Wails.

I’ve been writing down how much Sianna is drinking and eating at what times of the day. It’s reminded me so much of when Schäfer was a little guy and I wanted to watch his formula intake to make sure he was getting enough.

Speaking of, Hubs and I still have a great bottle rhythm. It goes something like this, “Hubs, can I have a bottle for Sianna?” To which Hubs says, “Of course!” I had a lot of problems breastfeeding Schäfer so we’re pretty knowledgeable with the old formula and bottles routine. This was the first and only time, I’ve been thankful that experience.

Sharing a hotel room with 2 kids is challenging! Schäfer needs complete darkness to sleep. Meanwhile, Sianna is still awake.

Already looking forward to:
not having to eat out.
being settled at home.
not sharing the same hotel room.