So, We Are Legally Gracie’s Parents

This morning went well. Our first stop was at the Jiangxi Province Adoption Center. They took Gracie’s picture and then a family picture. These were for the paperwork. After that, we were interviewed by one of the officials. Our questions were:

1. Occupation.

2. Do we have other children?

3. Verification that the photo they had (the one attached to the medical paperwork) was Gracie.

4. Were we satisfied with Gracie.

5. Why do we want to adopt a baby from China?

6. Do you guarantee that you will not abandon the baby?

7. What are your plans for the future?

8. Was this your first trip to China? Will you bring your child back to visit?

That was it. The “plans for the future” had me a little confused mainly because I didn’t understand the question. Angela said we would love her, raise her, and make sure she got an education. This seemed to be the right answer. I think the interview took about five minutes. The official thanked us and gave us a porcelain mug as a gift (Jiangxi is the largest producer of porcelain in China).

One of Gracie’s caregivers from the orphanage was there, too. We are not positive what she was there for, but we assume she had to be interviewed, too. She didn’t speak any English, but we got a picture with her.

Near the end of the visit, we got to see the notes that were with the babies. We will post the picture, soon. It had her birthday on it, and “thank you.”

After that we got on the bus and went to the Notary Office.

OK, automotive transportation in China is interesting to say the least. Cars, buses, vespas (large moped / small motorcycle), bicycles, and pedestrians all interact in a semi-organized, chaotic manner. Horns seems like they are non-stop. The traffic here makes large cities in the US seem like Mayberry.

Back on track. At the notary office, we had a quick interview, too. We were asked our occupations, and also made us guarantee that we would not abandon Gracie. After that we signed a document, and were handed the adoption decree. This made us Gracie’s legal parents.

The final stop was at the public security department. This appointment was just so they could take Gracie’s picture for her Chinese passport.

After that we went back to the hotel.

We had lunch today in the hotel restaurant. I think this was our first real meal since arriving here. We have been surviving on the morning buffet and room service. English isn’t spoken widely, but I think this hotel gets a lot of Western visitors, so the menu was also in English. We also brought the “I am a vegetarian” printed phrase with us. Bottled water got understood as hot bottled water in a teapot, though.

We ordered a tofu dish and an eggplant dish. Both were excellent. The tofu was described on the menu as “fried,” but that also seems to be used for “sauteed.” It was in a light sauce with pickled hot peppers and garlic. The eggplant was stir-fried with string beans, and had a fair amount of pepper in it, too. We also got some fried rice.

That’s been the day so far. It is pretty cold (mid thirties), and it keeps switching between rain and snow. Angela is going to venture over to the Walmart (it’s about three blocks away) with a few other families later this afternoon. I am going to stay in the room with Gracie. If it wasn’t raining and snowing we would spend some more time outdoors, but all of the sidewalks and steps are very slippery, and everywhere is very crowded.

So, We Have A Poopy Diaper

Yes, Gracie finally pooped! We put her down for bed last night around 8:00pm, and we also crashed about the same time. Around 4:30am, she woke up crying and wouldn’t go back to sleep. Angela picked her up, and she was soaking wet. So much for the American diapers being superior!

Many times the babies are really constipated when the match happens. Partly due to stress, of course parents aren’t given much info, so there are some discrepencies with feeding schedules and foods. The babies also wore split pants at the ophanage, which doesn’t help with the transition to full-time diapers. These babies eat pretty much everything. We’ve been following a general list that we had been given, so we try and get her some solid protien (eggs), congee (rice porridge), fruit, formula and some snacks. We did try yogurt yesterday. The packaging appeared to be that of standard yogurt, but it was actually like a yogurt drink. She liked it, but it was a little too watery for her tastes. I think I may mix some of that into her oatmeal, and see how that works out today.

We’ve been to the store, and although you can buy dehydrated bull penis’ you can’t seem to find a cheese stick to save your life!

Anyway, the fact that we finally had our poopie diaper was a big deal, and quite a stinky one, in the wee hours before dawn! Today is a big day, we take our paperwork to three Chinese government offices to start finalizing the Chinese portion of the adoption, and to get her Visa and passport.