Finally, Gotcha Day!

Nanning is very different from Hong Kong. China is so full of contrasts. There are new buildings going up everywhere and some people are very stylish and cosmopolitan; however, most of the people here still appear to be living a life of the past. We went shopping at a Walmart here and it is quite different from home, lots of strange smells. The store is two stories of a multi-story building so there is a special escalator for the shopping carts...they go down a sloping ramp and the carts have brakes on them. I don't think this would be considered safe in America, but it works!

April 4th, GOTCHA DAY!

After a morning of shopping at Walmart for last-minute bottles & diapers, we had lunch at Pizza Hut, just like home only with a much fancier atmosphere, and then returned to the hotel to drop off our bags and rush back to the bus. We were transported to another hotel in Nanning for the final moment. An official came out and gave us a speech about caring for the babies and then in walked the nannies with all 15 babies. I recognized another lady's baby, but could not pick mine out of the crowd. But when they called our name, I knew it was her. Chloe is a wonderful baby. She has the most beautiful dark complexion and the biggest eyes of all. Some of the babies cried during handover, but not Chloe. We could tell she was scared, but she was also very curious, looking around and showing an interest in everything. Some of the other babies cried, shut down, or slept. But Chloe just acted like a curious baby. All of the babies from Chloe's orphanage were dressed in adorable bright yellow outfits. They are definately a keepsake to be treasured.

Immediately after receiving the babies, we were rushed out of the room, as there was another group from Wisconsin and Illinois waiting to collect their babies. We were whisked back to the hotel where we had time to get to know our babies and rest up for the next day when our adoption would become finalized.

Chloe did quite well the first night. We could tell she was sick with congestion in her chest and a cough. She was wheezing and had a fever. They told us there would be a doctor available the next day, so we decided to wait before administering any medication. She cried for about 20 minutes later on in the day, but we can see that she is a very strong tough baby who does not want to cry if she can hold out.