Wow!

Today was one of the BEST days of my life! I got to see my birth place and orphanage!  We also bought one cone hat, and one baby basket. We went to the orphanage and saw the kids and babies.  There was something sad about them all. We've  got pics. of them. Mom got to hold one of the smaller ones.  There was a 5 year old with dwarfism there, she also had problems learning because she got sick at 2 years old. You would NEVER guess she was 5. The others were just as sad. I prefer to tell this story over others.  I got to meet the person how found me today as well.  He was as excited to meet me as I was to him. It was very cool.  My finding place was at the entrance of a trade center, so that's where we went next. Quite an experience that's what I'd say.  Eating Xiushan food was not my favorite part of the day, but it was fun to try. Today was just AMAZING! I'm glad we came to Xiushan.

~Lydia



Today was worth every smokey minute on that train! Xiushan is a beautiful city with lots of dark complected people. When we woke up this morning, we looked out our window to find a beautiful river and gardens and buildings with Chinese music softly playing outside. 

We went downstairs to the breakfast buffet to find only Chinese options. All of our other hotels had a mix of Chinese and American food but they do not ever really see Americans here. It is very traditional here. The signs are written in Chinese and English in Chongqing and Beijing but rarely here. We got lots of stares today. Lots of curiosity. Lots of complete amazement that an American family was standing right in front of them. 

We then headed to the orphanage. We had read online that the orphanage was not really an orphanage anymore and had changed to a different location. But what we found was that the location was the same, they just moved the remaining babies to the adjacent building of the complex. But we did get to see the room Lydia was in and we got to visit with the orphanage employees and ask questions. The loved seeing her. The head nanny said, "Xiu Ai, our baby is home!" She kept touching her face and hugging her. (Xiu Ai is Lydia's Chinese name). There are very few babies being abandoned in Xiushan now because their economy has greatly improved over the past 10 years and more and more people are keeping their daughters because the Chinese people are changing their way of thinking.  

We went to the room with the babies. There were just a handful. The one with the red and pink polka dots is five but has dwarfism. She also contracted meningitis when she was two and was in the ICU. She hasn't really spoken since and her cognition was affected. She is very playful and smiley. The baby in the crib with the white sleeper was born with an imperforate anus and will soon have surgery and then be placed for adoption. The newborn is a week old little girl and is healthy. They must place her finding ad in the newspaper and will wait two months for her parents to return for her and then she will be placed for adoption. The one in the crib with the red blanket has Down Syndrome and other medical problems. She has significant nystagmus and we think she had a seizure while we were there. She is ineligible for adoption because of the severity of her issues. Children with Down Syndrome can be placed for adoption but her medical issues are much more extensive than that. The other child up walking around is also ineligible for adoption. His mother has severe mental health issues and is unable to care for him and his grandparents are older and unable to as well. So he is under governmental care but because he has a family he cannot be eligible for adoption. He was so sweet and really clung to the nanny that was caring for the babies today. All of the children are so sweet. I was in tears. My daughter was that little newborn baby girl living in an orphanage and being well cared for by these loving nannies. They go out of their way to take good care of the babies. We asked them what they needed, which our head tour guide told us to be careful doing because sometimes they will say they need a new laptop or something very expensive and then get offended if you asked and then didn't oblige. But we couldn't identify any specific needs so we asked and they said special diapers for the baby with imperforate anus and a can of formula for the newborn. Such things are very expensive in China. Each was $50 (USD). So, we got them those and some toys for the other children. We plan to keep in touch and help support the orphanage in the future. 

In our discussions with the orphanage staff, we were able to get the name and address of the man who found Lydia at the entrance of the trade center. We then went to the police station and asked for their help in locating him. They were immensely helpful and called him. He was so excited that he left his job and his boss lent him the company car to come right over to the police station and meet us. He remembered finding her. She is the only one he has ever found though his wife has found a baby also. He was overjoyed to have follow up to this situation and we had pictures taken with him. Can you imagine the talk around his dinner table tonight!? We are overwhelmed by how open and honest and helpful everyone has been along the way. We have found the orphanage and the Congqing Civil Affairs office to have been very open with us during our adoption by giving us exact copies of almost everything they have in her file. They were helpful in their explanations and guiding us today. 

No one knows anything about her birth parents. They were not seen at the finding spot. As we knew, she was found in a baby carrying basket with a thin small blanket. She was also found just before noon so she was either born in the morning or the night before. So her birthday remains May 16, although it is probably just as likely that it was May 15. 

We then had lunch. Lina, our guide, says that in Chongqing they will tone down the spiciness for foreigners but in Xiushan they only know one way to cook because they rarely see foreigners. It was incredible food and Lydia got to try it all. She loves trying it but doesn't care for really eating it. 

After lunch we went to her finding spot. This trade center used to be the city center but it is more on the outskirts now. It is a poorer area. It was nice to be able to fill in another gap in her first 8 1/2 months. Lydia is pretty quietly absorbing all this and taking it in. 

We went shopping for a baby carrying basket like the one Lydia was probably found in. Each are has their own style and Xiushan's is unique compared to areas at the border with Hunan, etc. So, the one we bought was made by farmers in Xiushan and is unique to this area. Lydia also got a traditional hat that the Chinese use to block the rain and sun. The kind you have probably seen in pictures of workers in rice fields. It was also made by Xiushan farmers. 

We have now made it back to the hotel and are going to go to bed early. We catch a train back to Chongqing in the morning. Another 5 1/2 smokey hours but I would ride a million smokey hours to get to see and experience what we did today. 

~Carla