The girls have been quite cooperative and seem to be enjoying being with us (for now). They both slept through the night pretty well and this morning we needed to get them going for a busy schedule.
We started the day off with some typical things - giving each a bottle, changing their diapers, putting on outfits, etc. We made our first public appearance at the hotel restaurant for breakfast and they performed well. There were three other adopting families in the restaurant from different agencies who were all leaving the city this afternoon. We sat with one of the families.
The girls are good eaters, both taking the bottle and enjoying rice cereal. Soon we are going to have to make some changes to their diets since they have to slow down on their sugar intake and we'll want to vary their food a little more. We heard warnings that lots of kids have a hard time eating during the first few days after meeting their adoptive parents, but Fen and Mei haven't slowed down.
After breakfast we rushed around to get them ready to meet our guide Evelyn in the lobby at 8:30. It was a bit hectic, but we managed to get there just about in time. We were feeling pretty good about that.
Our first stop was to register the adoption with the provincial government. This is what makes the adoption legally official for China. We had signed papers last night and then we had to have an interview with an official who asked us a series of questions about our intentions and willingness to care for Fen and Mei. In some ways it felt a little like a wedding ceremony in which we needed to make a public statement of our commitment to raising the girls. Part of the process was also to have a photographer get images of all of us for the official records. That process took about 90 minutes.
We then went to another office in a different part of the city. We actually hired a van for the morning to shuttle us around since there are events in town that would make it hard to get taxis. The next office was a brief visit that only took a few minutes. Again, an official asked us some questions about our intentions and commitment. They were very excited for us in that place. I don't think either of us knows what the difference was between offices, but we again signed forms and moved on.
Our last stop was at a police station where we needed to have the girls photographed. I think those must be a little less interesting. Mei was pretty groggy by that point and I had to hold Fen's head up since she was deep in sleep when the photo was taken.
Evelyn made all of this pretty easy. It is pretty stressful to get in a car here since the roads are chaotic. Saying that there is heavy traffic does not come close to describing the scene. There are cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians going in every direction at the same time. There are lots of near misses and probably lots of accidents. Cars and motorcycles drive in what we would consider oncoming lanes all the time. Nobody seems bothered by this here since it is the norm, but even in the worst traffic areas in the US I have never seen anything like this, nor in any other country I've visited.
After all the administrative work was complete, we returned to the serenity of our hotel, which again is very nice, and began to relax. Fen and Mei ate again and we put them down for a nap. They have been asleep for a couple of hours now. A doctor will come here later in the afternoon to examine them, but apart from that we are staying put.
The next several days should be more relaxed. Evelyn mentioned something about arranging 1/2 days tours, but I think we can make decisions about what we want to do as the days go by. We will be staying here to wait on Mei and Fen's passports to be generated, and that takes about 5 business days.
This is a good chance to continue to bond with each other and enjoy this time. They seem like they will be entertaining. Both girls laugh a lot and are easily amused by our antics as well.
Bureaucracy can be exhausting.
Stace - you look happy and beautiful and happy!
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