Meeting Miss Autumn

Yes, we made it here. We had a guide pick us up in Shanghai and get us to the train station for Hangzhou. They would not let her into the train waiting area, so we were on our own there but it wasn't that bad. It was Sunday and there were many people there by our standards, but not many by their standards. Shanghai has about 18 million people. Yeah, million... Hard to comprehend but you get the idea as you are looking around driving by everyone. We rode the 'bullet' train to Hangzhou where another guide picked us up. Yeah! Like to see that sign with our name on it and know we are going in the right direction.

Needless to say we were exhausted but we forced ourselves to stay up so we didn't wake up at 2 am, wide awake, ready to go. We met Michelle and Alex who are in the same hotel with their new son, just a few doors down from us. Then just got comfortable and hit the hay in order to be ready for meeting Autumn Monday morning.

We did good sleeping. I didn't wake up fully until 5 am. Ric said he woke up earlier but just didn't get up. (Like he is doing now...) It's 5:37 am here in China. 9 am we were ready to head for the Civil Affairs office. There were two children waiting there already for their new families from the same orphanage as Lei, Michelle and Alex's new son. We arrived early to do paperwork, which was a good thing since there was a lot. Soon after Miss Autumn came. We'll post pictures later since Ric is in charge of that and I don't know where all his gadgets are. (And the room is dark...) They introduced us and I put her on my lap, giving her some yogurt covered raisins. (Big hit!) Anna Lin was beside me the whole time and did very well. She just jabbered away to Autumn as she does anyone. :-) We saw smiles and even a laugh from Autumn while at the office. But then as Ric said, who could not be around Anna Lin without at least one smile and laugh.

Autumn sat on my lap basically the whole time, taking everything in. She only spoke when spoken too by our guide and the orphanage staff. She is very quiet. She is very skinny, with long fingers and feet that show her body wants to be taller than it is. Hopefully we can fatten this cutie up. The SWI person, maybe assistant director did most of the talking. Very nice man. He gave us some pictures of her, including one when she was a baby, then one when she was a toddler. He said she is not picky, does school with her pre-kindergarten class in the orphanage. She knows about 20 Chinese characters he said. I'm pretty sure this is true. She knew how to handle a book and pointed to the characters then would say whatever it was, (I'm assuming this of course, since I do not know what she is saying. :-) We left the office without a problem. She told the orphanage people goodbye, no problem. Went and changed her dress, got passport pictures done and our family picture for the paperwork. That was just the three of us and AL wasn't happy about that. But she's over it now. Then we shopped at the grocery store, an experience that has to be a post by itself, and came back to the hotel. We gave her the pink teddy bear, and her Chinese Barbie, then I brought out the different clothes for the bears and the Barbies. (Anna Lin has a pink Build A Bear too and a Chinese Barbie.((Thanks to Grandma Lois!!!)) These things were a big hit, along with eating noodles and chocolate covered pretzel sticks from the grocery store. Later I took them for a swim with Michelle and Lei. Autumn was scared of the pool but eventually warmed up and let me hold her in it. It was at least 4' deep at the shallow end. We put Anna Lin in a life saver ring like Lei and those two were all over the place.

Autumn did well. She is very quiet until she is comfortable where she is at, which unfortunately is going to be a while before that truly happens. She does talk. Once she was comfortable in our room she started talking (softly). She tried to speak with Anna Lin and figured out that she does not understand her either, like us. Anna Lin still doesn't completely understand that Autumn doesn't understand her. She was hiding behind one of the beds when I came into the room once. She said she was playing hide and seek with Autumn. Anna Lin, "I told her to count and I would hide." :-) I then told Anna Lin that Autumn just didn't understand what she is saying like she doesn't understand what Autumn or anyone else is saying, except Ni Hao (hello), Xia Xia (thanks), and good bye which I do not know how to spell (Tie Jian?). She is a good eater, eating almost 4 dumplings we ordered from the hotel, very cooperative. She's just a sweet little thing. She has come out of her shell a little and is quite industrious (sp?) and busy. She is a 'bag lady' like her sister, and many other orphans. She had a bag all filled with doll stuff carrying it around with her Dora croc shoes. By the end of the night she was following me around like that. I think she thought we would be leaving (probably to go to a real home not an itsy bitsy room). Finally when it was time for bed we were able to sit those things down. She is soooo very easy going. Thank you Lord!

Well I need to go for now. Maybe I will eventually be able to write more. We are really just exausted and trying to keep up with these two girls. We are leaving for the Orphanage in two hours to get her passport done in the town and visit her home.

Angi