Cai Yun's Adoption is Finally Official - August 28, 2012 (at least according to China)!!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Cai Yun slept quietly and soundly in the bed nearby on her first night with us.  Our first full and very long day with Cai Yun began early.  

We were relieved when Cai Yun was bright eyed and smiling upon waking up to her new "foreigner" parents around 7 am.  As she woke up and got ready, Cai Yun sneezed multiple times.  I was worried she might be catching a cold.  We were forewarned numerous times that our children would not be used to air conditioning and to keep them dressed in multiple layers (which was not always easy especially in 90 plus degree temps and oppressive humidity!).  Later that afternoon when talking to one of the orphanage staff on our visit to Zhumadian, Cai Yun told her how she sneezed so much as she woke up and referred to the Chinese expression used for when someone sneezes, "someone is missing you."  We were touched and felt a little sad by her delightful explanation that her many sneezes must have meant that a lot of people were missing her that morning.  We could only feel certain that many were indeed missing Cai Yun and wondered if little Cai Yun was also missing the various different people from the orphanage and her past life.

Since the update we received for Cai Yun upon our arrival to Zhengzhou said she took a daily bath, I offered to help her with one before we dressed for the day. She quickly agreed and I watched her methodically go through a very thorough and efficient pattern of applying soap, scrubbing down and rinsing herself with her wash cloth. Then she carefully rinsed out her washcloth and rung it out in a manner that reminded me of an old lady doing laundry. We have later learned that Cai Yun did help the older woman that raised her wash clothes by hand. I tried to not overwhelm her with the pile of new clothes that we brought for her and let her pick between a couple outfits for her big day. Aware of the fact that she knew we most likely would be returning to her orphanage for a visit while we were in Zhumadian City to apply for her passport, I was curious which outfit she would pick. Cai Yun chose one of my favorites - a white sundress covered with sweet ladybugs (ladybugs have become a sign of good luck in China adoptions over the years). 



Look at that head of hair!  Cai Yun opted to not wash her hair that morning so when we took her braids out from the day before, we laughed when this mass of hair revealed itself.  Many children in orphanages have their hair cut very short or heads shaved in case of lice.  We were pleased that Cai Yun was able to keep her cherished hair and even let it grow long and beautiful the year and a half she was in the orphanage!  Sweetly allowing me to play the mommy role, Cai Yun patiently let me attempt to put her hair in pigtails...this would be the last time I was allowed to do her hair! 

The eight families in our group had grown in one day by nine new children, all but Cai Yun were around age two, and most were tired and frazzled from the first night with their new little ones.  Our expanded group boarded the chartered bus around 9 am, which drove us back to Zhengzhou's registration office (the same spot where we were united with our "sweets" as our Beijing guide, George, lovingly referred to them).  Not before long after the bus departed the hotel, Cai Yun resumed playing with her daddy...this time with a small hot pink ball we gave her the day before.

I was also lucky to have some sweet moments with Cai Yun during our bus ride.

Then after all the hurrying at the start of the morning, we were asked to wait.  So like the day before, we pulled out our camera, but this time captured our newly expanded family. 

Cai Yun loved to play photographer and we loved seeing the different shots she captured!

Cai Yun's silliness always continues to reveal itself.  That morning she snatched my bracelets and instigated the fun that began...
 

My Grandma King would have loved watching our fun with her cool red bracelet set (probably 1960s model)!

I just can not get over how silly Cai Yun makes her papa, can you?!   

Then Cai Yun started meticulously molding the red play dough we brought for her.  



We were amazed to see one of the carefully crafted end results - a smiling dumpling (or is it a wonton?), which Cai Yun even filled with a small ball of play dough!!



Cai Yun can never resist being silly with daddy...

...and I could not resist loving on our sweet girl!



Finally we saw some registration officials come out with a stack of our group's adoption registration certificates.  Our guide, Yisha (on left of photo), was always good to give our group instructions on our every next move.



 

One of the registration officials was also from Zhumadian City, where Cai Yun's orphanage was located, and made a point to chat with Cai Yun for some time

For such a momentous moment - Cai Yun's adoption was finally and officially official by the Chinese government- and after waiting for this moment for over six years, there was not much, not really any, fanfare.  Each of the families in our group were hurried forward to be handed a certificate in a red holder, flatly congratulated and reminded that we had promised to never abandon or harm our child in any way... that was pretty much it!  It was hard to know if Cai Yun fully grasped that, according to China, she was now our daughter and we were forever her mama and papa.  At one fleeting point during the pronouncement, I teared up at that thought and of how our long wait was now OVER.  But like everything with this adoption trip, there was no time or room to process any emotion.

Then it was back on the bus and headed to Zhengzhou's notary office so our Chinese adoption documents could be notarized

In route to any of our destinations in China, looking down from the bus at the pedestrians and crazy drivers was always an interesting sight - especially the scooter drivers.  This woman had an oversized visor (more like a welding mask), was talking on her cell phone and had a mini chair for a small child mounted on the center of her flashy red scooter. 

Our group was warned before arriving at Zhengzhou's Notary Public Office that there were no elevators in the building so we would need to walk up many flights of stairs, while carrying a child and the accompanying stuff we were lugging around, in the unairconditioned building, on a 90 plus degree and even more humid day. Max was the lucky one to be Cai Yun's sherpa (I guess Cai Yun and I were really the lucky ones)!  Once we reached the top floor, our group sat and filled out more paperwork, waited, took another official photo and waited some more.

Then back on the bus to the hotel and on to a rushed lunch and the second half of our scurried day...our big trip to Zhumadian City and back to Zhengzhou!  See our "Zhumadian Visit" posting that will follow.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 

(1 Samuel 1:27 NIV)