{"id":250,"date":"2008-02-22T12:15:38","date_gmt":"2008-02-22T16:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.handsful.com\/?p=250"},"modified":"2010-03-19T22:43:05","modified_gmt":"2010-03-20T02:43:05","slug":"222-friday-catch-up-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/archives\/250","title":{"rendered":"2\/22 Friday – Catch up time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"china-45\"<\/p>\n

More pictures, less words today!\u00c2\u00a0 Above was our first glimpse of what a smile from Lainey would look like. This was taken on Wednesday.\u00c2\u00a0 You can compare a more recent one down farther in the post…<\/p>\n

\"china-46\"<\/p>\n

You know how EVERY packing list mentions bringing stacking cups for your child to play with?\u00c2\u00a0 LISTEN TO THEM…they have been her very favorite toy.\u00c2\u00a0 Especially the large green one, her most favorite.<\/p>\n

\"china-47\"<\/p>\n

See what I mean?\u00c2\u00a0 She loves the green one!\u00c2\u00a0 This was taken on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\"china-48\"<\/p>\n

THIS is a happy girl!\u00c2\u00a0 We were playing on the floor, and we could see her changing, becoming more relaxed and happy.\u00c2\u00a0 Ahhhh….<\/p>\n

\"china-49\"<\/p>\n

Here is a\u00c2\u00a0picture of me\u00c2\u00a0posing with the news woman from yesterday…She told Randy that he had a very beautiful wife…I like this girl.<\/p>\n

\"china-50\"<\/p>\n

1st french fry!\u00c2\u00a0 We had stopped at KFC and brought food back to the hotel room to eat after our garden excursion.\u00c2\u00a0 She’s checking it out here, but let me just say the girl is gonna love american food…<\/p>\n

\"china-51\"<\/p>\n

This was taken on Thursday night, the last day of Chinese New Year.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, and the fireworks started that day at 6AM!\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, we awoke to what sounded like gunfire.\u00c2\u00a0 Quite a wake-up call.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a shot from our hotel room window.<\/p>\n

\"china-52\"<\/p>\n

This was taken on Thursday night…now, that’s the true Lainey smile.\u00c2\u00a0 Her eyes disappear when she smiles, just like her momma.<\/p>\n

\"china-53\"<\/p>\n

No chance she’ll have a bad hair day.\u00c2\u00a0 Double brushing is the way to go!<\/p>\n

\"china-54\"<\/p>\n

Friday morning…We have breakfast in the hotel dining room everyday, and this is our favorite waitress.\u00c2\u00a0 Her name is Kathy (they all take on American names for their work).\u00c2\u00a0 She always comes up to Lainey to talk to her, even though Lainey never looks at her…until, that is, Kathy walks away and then she looks at her.\u00c2\u00a0 Shy little thing.\u00c2\u00a0 Even though Lainey is opening up with us, becoming more comfortable, she is still very reserved with all strangers.\u00c2\u00a0 On the first morning we were here, Kathy brought Lainey a small pink rose.\u00c2\u00a0 If you’re ever at the Sofitel hotel in Hefei, Anhui, you should find Kathy!<\/p>\n

\"china-55\"<\/p>\n

Today, we had our orphanage visit.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a 2hr drive there, in a van that sounded as if it had 4 bolts holding it together in the craziest traffic we’ve ever been in.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, and no seatbelts.<\/p>\n

\"china-56\"<\/p>\n

This is the orphanage.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s new, having been built in August, 2007.\u00c2\u00a0 Lainey would have been in the old one for about a year, and here about 6 months.\u00c2\u00a0 It also houses a senior citizens hospital.\u00c2\u00a0 The orphanage is on the 4th floor.<\/p>\n

\"china-57\"<\/p>\n

This is (we’ve been told) Lainey’s favorite nanny, Miss Jun.\u00c2\u00a0 She is the head nanny of her room.\u00c2\u00a0 If you remember the pictures that we received from another traveling family a while back, it was Jun who was in the pictures with Lainey.\u00c2\u00a0 They do rotate nannies every few months, so I’m not sure how long she’d been in Lainey’s room.\u00c2\u00a0 They do that, I’m told, so that the children don’t get too attached to a particular nanny.\u00c2\u00a0 Lainey was content to be held by several of the nannies, but did not reach out for them.<\/p>\n

\"china-581\"<\/p>\n

This was her room.\u00c2\u00a0 The bed closest in the picture was Lainey’s and she shared it with the child farthest from the camera.\u00c2\u00a0 The other child must be new.\u00c2\u00a0 Can you see the ropes that are tied around the children’s waists and tethered to the crib?\u00c2\u00a0 They are there to keep them from falling out.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s wrapped around their middles, where there is much padded clothes and doesn’t hurt them.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m told that they pull out a carpet on the floor during playtime and let them play.\u00c2\u00a0 We arrived close to lunch time and they were waiting to be fed.<\/p>\n

\"china-59\"<\/p>\n

This was at the end of our visit.\u00c2\u00a0 The orphanage director is far left, then Jane our guide, Lainey and I, and a few other nannies coming to see Lainey.\u00c2\u00a0 The director is so very nice…we asked if anything was left with Lainey when she was abandoned and she said no, but then went back to a room and came back with a couple of toys that had been in her baby room for us to keep.\u00c2\u00a0 How sweet is that?\u00c2\u00a0 We brought a special book for the director and her nannies to sign.\u00c2\u00a0 Jane has translated these for us, I’ll try and remember to post their sweet wishes for Lainey in another post.<\/p>\n

\"china-60\"<\/p>\n

Lainey’s police report said that she was found on Nanhu Road.\u00c2\u00a0 The old orphanage was on this road, so we can be just about positive that she was left at the gate, so she would be easily found.\u00c2\u00a0 Here we are, in her finding spot.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, Lainey, we’ve found you and we’re never letting go.<\/p>\n

\"china-61\"<\/p>\n

A shot of Bengbu city…it’s a very poor town.<\/p>\n

\"china-62\"<\/p>\n

\"china-63\"<\/p>\n

\"china-64\"<\/p>\n

On the way home from Bengbu…has a saltine cracker ever made YOU this happy?<\/p>\n

\"china-65\"<\/p>\n

Took this from the backseat on our ride home…she’s sitting on Randy’s lap.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m sorry, but she’s just beautiful.\u00c2\u00a0 We’re biased, we know.<\/p>\n

\"china-66\"<\/p>\n

I bet you’d like an explanation for this pic, huh?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, today is the day after the last day of the Chinese New Year.\u00c2\u00a0 Which makes it the 16th day after CNY began and Jane told us that is a very lucky day to be married. In fact, we must have seen 3 different wedding processions during our drive to and from Bengbu today.\u00c2\u00a0 We noticed that they were decorating for a wedding at our hotel this morning, and I told Randy I’d love to see the bride and groom.\u00c2\u00a0 When we were headed to the dining room to order dinner, we saw the couple standing at a receiving line just outside of the reception hall.\u00c2\u00a0 Randy and I stood way back, out of sight (we thought) and he aimed for a picture.\u00c2\u00a0 An official looking guy in a suit with a pink corsage motioned for us to leave. Just then, the groom rushes over and says no, it’s okay and asks us where we’re from.\u00c2\u00a0 He then walks us over and poses us with them for a picture!\u00c2\u00a0 Randy gave some guy our camera and then cameras started flashing…ours, theirs, the official photographer, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 It was amazing and funny at the same time.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m sure the bride thought “what in the world is my new husband doing??”. :)<\/p>\n

Well, that does a pretty good job of catching you up.\u00c2\u00a0 We are in absolute awe of how Lainey is doing, she has blossomed in these last 2 days.\u00c2\u00a0 Granted, with the giggles and smiles we’re getting (tons of them, by the way) we’re also seeing a bit more “fits” and anger at times, but we’re learning ways to help her deal with this and know that in time she’ll get a grasp on her emotions.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s still so early in her time with us, and we couldn’t be happier with her than we are right now.<\/p>\n

In the morning, we head to Guangzhou!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More pictures, less words today!\u00c2\u00a0 Above was our first glimpse of what a smile from Lainey would look like. This was taken on Wednesday.\u00c2\u00a0 You can compare a more recent one down farther in the post… You know how EVERY packing list mentions bringing stacking cups for your child to play with?\u00c2\u00a0 LISTEN TO THEM…they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsful.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}