Tuesday, April 3, 2007
GOTCHA DAY!

Ainsley is here! What a day! It started out like any other day but by 2:30pm David was holding Ainsley in his arms! From the moment she was placed in David’s arms, Ainsley has stuck to him like glue, feeling so safe and secure. The only time she has cried all day is when David tried to put her down or when he had to leave her for a few minutes to go to the bathroom. What a bond already!

Around 10am this morning, David and the “traveling grandmas” had a quick meeting in his suite to go over some details and logistics for the receiving of Ainsley. David reviewed all the required documentation and paperwork that he had to take to the receiving location, including the travel invitation letter from the Chinese government, passport, the required orphanage donation, etc. Nǎi nai (paternal grandmother in Mandarin) was given a quick training on how to use the DVD video recorder. Wài pó (maternal grandmother in Mandarin) reviewed her role as primary still photographer during the receiving of Ainsley.

After the meeting, we all ventured out to tour a great area of Guangzhou that David found the previous night. It is an area with lots of major shopping areas but also with lots of nearby narrow side streets that seem to be rarely traveled by tourists. This is where we had the best real Guangzhou experience so far! It was great to almost get lost in the maze of busy, tight, side streets full of local life! But we cut it pretty close in terms of getting back to our hotel in time to make it to the White Swan Hotel where we would rendezvous with Shiyan, the adoption coordinator in China, and the other adoptive families in our group and then head out on a bus to receive Ainsley.

Our bus pulled away from the White Swan Hotel around 2pm and by 2:30pm we were inside a nearby government building waiting for Ainsley. And all the other families were waiting for their babies as well. All the babies in our group were coming from the orphanage in Maoming, which is another city in Guangdong Province, about a 4-hour drive to the West of Guangzhou. The director of the orphanage and his staff were in a room adjacent to our waiting area. Soon the doors opened up and one by one they called out our names and placed our babies in our arms. It was that simple.

“Clubb!” As David walked up to the front of the room, all of the orphanage workers had big smiles on their faces and seemed to be almost laughing. We think they got a good laugh out of how similar David’s hair is to Ainsley’s! Within seconds, Ainsley was placed in David’s arms. She did not cry at all. She just settled into his arms as if that is exactly where she wanted to be. She put her arms around him and her head on his chest and shoulder and stuck to him like glue from that point forward! Amazing!

Once we got back to our hotel around 4:30pm, we gave Ainsley a bath, fed her some rice cereal mixed with formula (and some apple sauce), changed her diaper, put on new clothes, and played with her a little bit. Soon, it was time for David’s 7pm meeting back at the White Swan Hotel to review and complete all paperwork for our trip tomorrow morning to the local government office to officially register the adoption in China. Ainsley went with David to this meeting while the “traveling grandmas” relaxed in their hotel room.

By the time David was carrying Ainsley back from the meeting around 8pm, she was limp in his arms and ready to sleep. We changed her into her pajamas and laid her next to David on the bed (it was his time to sleep too!). The “traveling grandmas” went out to get some food and bring it back, and David and Ainsley slept on the bed.

It is now 9:45pm on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 and Ainsley is sound asleep as this update is being typed. This is great! According to the information we were given by the orphanage caretakers, Ainsley’s schedule does include some good sleep time. She goes to bed around 9:30pm and wakes up around 7am. It also indicates that she takes a nap at 12pm for about 2 hours. If David can also sleep during these times, that will be great!

Well, tomorrow is a busy day, starting very early at 8am. So, good night for now!