The day after Violet was placed in our arms we had a busy day of driving around 2 cities, visiting 3 offices and 2 orphanages, over about a 10-hour span.
First, we had to finalize the adoption and receive our official Adoption Certificate. They require you to be her guardian for 24-hours before you make the final decision. After that, no returns, exchanges, or refunds. :-) Now she is OURS FOREVER!
After the certificate was complete we went to the capital's notary office, then back to the hotel for lunch. Then came the 2.5 hour van ride to Luoyang, her birth city. It's required that you return to the city of their abandonment to apply for a Chinese Passport. Finally, our last stop was at her orphanages. This tall brown building is government-run and houses 700 orphans. The smaller blue building behind it on the left is Maria's Big House of Hope, run by the Show Hope organization, and takes in the orphans who need special care and more one-on-one medical attention. Violet spent her first year at Maria's, then was moved to the Institute for her second year.
We weren't sure what the best plan would be during the orphanage visits, so we decided to just watch Violet's reactions and see what she could handle. She was SO excited to see her nannies. And the ladies were so happy to see her, they took her right from our arms before we could protest. She was all smiles, even when they put her in her old crib to show us where she slept.
It was very nice for us to see that she was happy and well-cared for during her time at the orphanage. In fact, we are pretty sure she was spoiled by her nannies, because we have seen that she can throw a tantrum and whine like a pro if you don't carry her around with you everywhere! We were told that a typical orphanage-reared child will not have learned to whine or cry because it will not get them a response from the nannies...not the case with our daughter!
They keep the kids bundled up like marshmallows for the winter (and it was only in the 50's outside!). This is one of the ways they transport the infants to and from the play room and eating room, by wagon. It was quite a sight to see how many puffy-clothed children they can fit in one ride!
I am not sure if they actually sleep 3 to a crib. I was told Violet had her own crib, and I've heard that they often will sleep 2 babies to a crib, so maybe this was just easier to set them together when it's not sleep time.
When it was time to leave the institute and walk across to Maria's House, Violet had to be torn away from her nannies. This was the most heart wrenching moment of our entire trip. She obviously loved them and was comfortable with them, and when it was time to go back to her new parents she was NOT happy. She cried hard for at least 20 minutes. So did I. So...we cut our visit to Maria's short and only looked at one room, where she had slept and played during her first year. You can see she is still crying about leaving her nannies...but she soon got over it and thankfully didn't regress in her bonding with us. We actually saw a lot of improvement over the next day as she warmed up to us even more and showed us her silly side. :-)
We were able to meet several of the staff at Maria's, including the American directors and doctor. They were AMAZING people- so compassionate and friendly and helpful. We are so blessed that they were able to take care of Violet from birth until she healed enough to move on.
The next pic is of Violet's "orphan clothes" as I called them. She had some layers on... and a well-worn pink dress that might have been chosen just for her special day.
With the donations that were given to us by friends and family before we left, we were able to go on a shopping-spree and buy clothes and supplies for the kids at the orphanage. We filled a duffle bag, and stuck things in every spare inch of our suitcases. I can't believe we managed to fly with ALL of these donations!!
We also had a little bit of money left to buy several warm, puffy sweaters once we arrive in China, which we also donated.
I can't tell you how much this was appreciated! What a blessing these items will be to Violet's friends, who are still waiting for a family. Thank you so much for your compassion and generosity!!
After a long, 10-hour day, we were all exhausted and happy to get back to the hotel. :-) Although it was painful, I am glad we had the chance to see what Violet's life had looked like before she met us. I know some day she will be curious to see the photos and hear the stories, and know that we are so grateful that her nannies could take such good care of her until we could bring her home.
