Catching up and Gotcha day

I have a lot of catching up to do!!  Things have been so busy since we left Beijing.  We left Beijing for Xining on Sunday June 24th.  Well, we sat on the runway for two hours before taking off so we were 2 hours late arriving in Xining.  Luckily the airport is very small and we spotted our guide while waiting for our luggage.  Our guide's name is Pencil and this is his very first adoption.  He wasn't supposed to be our guide and I have no idea what happened, but we were very concerned.  The driver brought us to the hotel and helped us check in...let me tell you, our room was tiny.  We couldn't even move around each other.  I didn't know how we were going to manage with 4 people and 4 pieces of luggage, a walker and a stroller.  I wanted to cry (and this wouldn't be the first time).  Our guide was supposed to take us for supplies...we were tired, hungry and needed water and food for the room.  Instead he told us where to walk to a store...WHAT?  He expected us to walk where nobody speaks English, down a side street maybe a mile away from the hotel with a child in a walker and then carry the stuff back with us.  I was so frustrated at that point I figured we would just eat in the room and deal with supplies later.  WRONG.  The hotel restaurant was closed.  Haha...the laugh was on us.  They had a little store where we bought some water and coke and some noodle bowls which were too spicy.  Luckily for Wyatt we had some oatmeal packets.  Poor kid has been surviving on oatmeal, poptarts and granola, but I am thankful that I brought them.  If anyone is wondering if they should bring snacks to China, I would say yes.

We were told we would be met at 8:30 the next morning to go get Elise.  Everything was such a mess in the room that I didn't even prepare properly.  We brought cheerios for her, but no drink.  Ooops.  She was carried in and came right to me, calling me Mama and Devin Baba.  She smiled and laughed and played.  I brought out some toys and she was through those fast and looking for more.  I could tell she was going to be active.  Then she spotted a sippy cup from another little girl being adopted.  I felt so small...I should have known better.  They poured water into a cup for her but it was boiling hot...they drink everything hot here.  It hadn't even cooled off by the time we left.  We sat there with her for a while though I don't know how long while the guides worked with the officials on our paperwork.  It was very stressful.  We didn't have enough copies of things.  By this time Elise (Yu Meng) was done with me and started having a fit.  She would not stay with me or go to Baba.  One of the officials took her from me and she calmed down.  It makes you feel bad when that happens, a little rejected, but I have to understand where she is coming from.  Then we had to go have our pictures taken.  She was hitting me and headbutting me the entire time we were in the car and while I carried her to the building.  I have many bruises to prove it.  They told me she had to go potty...and to just do it in the bushes.  Ok, we tried, but she was just having too much of a fit.  The picture was supposed to be of all three of us, but instead they took Devin and I and photoshopped Elise into it like she was sitting on our lap.  They did a good job too.  When we left the guide carried her back to the van.  We sat Elise between us and a little tickling later she moved closer to me and let me pick her up.  She even refused the guide.

So back to the room we go and the guide took Devin to go get some food, water and a stroller.  Elise was very cute in the room.  She played and got into everything.  Now, you have to remember that our room was tiny so she didn't even have room to move.  But boy was she active and wild, still hitting and kicking.  We played with hairbows and stacking cups.  She let me help her and hold her.  She would not take a nap unfortunately.  Devin came back and left us alone so I could try to get her to take a nap.  He took Wyatt down to get some lunch which turned out to be a big mistake.  He ordered Wyatt apple juice and they brought back some awful green apple thing.  Two minutes after getting back to the room Wyatt was throwing up.  He wasn't acting right before, but I am sure the drink didn't help.  Poor kid.  He threw up again and then started to run a fever.  I felt so bad for him.  Elise fell asleep in her crib and Devin slept on the chair in the room.  It was not the best of circumstances and you want to stay positive but it didn't make the day any more pleasant.  But in any case, we have Elise and here are some pictures of our GOTCHA day.

Here is a picture of her province. It is one of the poorer provinces in China.  Unfortunately we really didn't go out much, though Devin did and I will post those on another day.

These gasmasks were in the closet of our hotel room...thought that was interesting.

 Speaking of hotel room, here is our first room.  What you see is all of it.  Where I was standing was basically at the door.  It was impossible to move.

Here is the first time I help Elise.  She called me Mama and smiled and laughed.

Here is the picture taken with the orphanage director.  She was holding Elise because by this point Elise wanted nothing to do with me. 



 Back at the hotel, Elise was all giggles.  She is very active and was into everything.  She is also a little daredevil...not sure how much my heart can take.