Official Paperwork and Xiamen

Yesterday we completed the official adoption paperwork, and now it will be processed this week and we will receive her passport on Friday, before flying to Guangzhou. Then in the afternoon, we played a game of bowling at the hotel, and it was super fun! Briella really liked it, and had never tried bowling before. Next we played ping-pong and spent more time laughing and chasing that little ball around than actually playing the game. We had a blast. Lidia and I were very competitive while bowling; but I did manage to beat her score. Lidia is hilarious at ping-pong :o)

We also went to the hospital twice to accomplish getting the TB skin test for Briella. It is such an event to visit a hospital here and so different than back home. Most of the time, it seems like complete chaos and the conditions are so different than what we are used to. In the end though, she received the skin test and we go back tomorrow to let them look at the result. So far, I don't see a reaction, but it gets looked at tomorrow and the next day we must go back again, as they look at the result both at 48 and 72 hrs.

We packed up our things this morning and left most of our baggage at the hotel, just packing lightly for 1 night because today we traveled to Xiamen. In a little while, we'll go see the orphanage, but we're not allowed to tour it, due to the swine flu. China is taking a very cautious approach with regard to the flu. Hopefully Briella will be able to say a final goodbye to her friends here. We might also be able to go see the spot where she was found at 1 day old. We stopped for a Chinese lunch at a university on the way. We are traveling with Jack, who's the head of adoptions for this province. He's super nice. He ordered all kinds of interesting food for us. When we got back in the car, I told Lidia that I was proud of her... she made no faces or odd noises regarding the food. This is a big accomplishment for her. She was very poised & she did try some new things. She will NOT try using the squatty potty though. This is mostly what's available outside the hotel, so it takes some strategy to avoid. You definitely need stronger leg muscles to use it effectively!

Gotta go now... just got the call that we are leaving. Here are a few pics...






Briella and I are completing the paperwork that will make us a family..... forever!