Zoo Day

We are still just hanging out, waiting for our consulate appointment on Thursday! Today, our guide, Simon, took us to the Guangzhou Zoo. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it because we just went to the CQ Zoo last week. But, that zoo trip was before HR's little personality came out. Today, was so much fun!! She loved watching the animals and got pretty animated at times, especially with the monkeys!
























Hannah Ryan talking to the monkeys!




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Firsts

Today was pretty low key again. Basically, we are just killing time while we wait for our consulate appointment on Thursday. We went with the other Lifeline families to a famous park here in Guangzhou and then went to the pearl market. Of course, Mama has plenty of pearls from China already, so no need to spend money there! :)


Tonight, baby girl got to experience a couple of firsts. She had her first pizza and loved it!


After dinner we all walked to Hagan Dazs and HR had her first ice cream. She didn't know what to think at first...she actually spit out her first bite. She has probably never eaten anything that cold before...most all of the food here is warm/hot.





But, pretty soon this happened...





And, that cup stayed on her face for the remainder of our time at Hagan Dazs and most of the walk back to the hotel. :)


Our little girl is such a bundle of joy...we are so blessed!!!

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Sunday Fun Day!!!

Today was a much needed break! It was so great to have the whole day free just to enjoy our little cutie! She woke up smiling this morning! We started the day at the hotel breakfast buffet. Hannah Ryan has gotten more fickle...she will like something one day and not eat it the next. But, there are 5 things we can always count on her gobbling up: puffs, baby mum mum's, yogurt, bananas, and watermelon.












Then, we explored the hotel gardens. She loved looking at the fish with Daddy.












Next, we played on the hotel playground. She loved it! It was very similar to the playground at Love Manor, so it wasn't frightening to her.












After that, we had some play time in the room. Our baby girl is so much fun! :)

Where's Hannah Ryan?

We took a trip to Trust Mart (like Walmart) to get a few things and got lunch at Subway. Then, baby girl went down for her over 3 hour nap. She is a very good napper! We ended our day by joining the other families on a dinner cruise down the Pearl River. We had so much fun! The food was great, the sights were beautiful, and there was an after-dinner show featuring a very interesting clown. :)
























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Guangzhou

Sorry for the blog silence! It has been a crazy 24 hours as we traveled to Guangzhou to complete the American side of the adoption process. Hannah Ryan handled the airport like a champ! I think mom and dad were more stressed than she was! She did great all through ticketing, security, and boarding. When the plane started down the runway, she sat up straight and looked out the window. As soon as it took off, she sunk back in to me and fell asleep immediately...literally. She didn't wake up until the landing gear hit the runway. The only justifiable reason...your prayers!!! So, we need all of you to pray like that again for the return flight home! :)

We got to the Garden Hotel around 9:45. When we pulled up in front, Hannah Ryan said "wow" is the sweetest little voice you have ever heard! Wow is right...this place is SO nice!!! When we walked into the lobby, I could literally feel the stress leaving my body. Our room is so great...much more room for her to run around and play. And, the hotel had a little backpack waiting for her with toys, etc. inside! So, you can imagine after that late nap on the plane and our new hotel room, baby girl hit her second wind. She had to explore every nook and cranny and touch every button and gadget in the room. When did she finally fall asleep!?! Oh...midnight. But, she woke up this morning as sweet as ever!
We met up with the other two Lifeline families who are in China to go get the US medical exam this morning. I can't say enough how comforting it is to be with these two families for the rest of the trip!!! The medical exam was pretty traumatic, but because HR is under 2, she was able to avoid the scariest part of the exam...the TB test. So, no needles for baby girl today, just basic check-up stuff!
We are so enjoying our baby girl! Every day we see new parts of her personality come out. She is so much fun!!! I absolutely can't wait for her brothers to meet her in person...they are going to be as smitten as we are! The next 3 days are a holiday here in China, so our schedule is going to be very laid back while we wait for our consulate appointment on May 2. We are so looking forward to slowing down! We have not been able to stick to the schedule she has been used to because we have had to be at appointments during her regular meal or nap times. So, most days her schedule has been thrown off. Because of this, many days she has been exhausted. We are hoping to get back to her normal schedule the next 3 days.
Enjoy more pics of our cutie-pie!!!




























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Sightseeing Day!

We spent the morning today sightseeing in CQ! We went to the CQ Zoo and to Eling Park, which is the highest point in the city. Hannah Ryan did great! We were all worm out when we got back...CQ is very hilly! We got back and HR took a long nap, then we went out to eat.

Bath time is something we are working through. She had never had a tub bath, only sponge baths. So, bath time scares her...we learned this the first night. So, we are taking baby steps...we are now ok with putting our feet in the sink and splashing the water. We are making progress! :)

It is so crazy that our tome in Chongqing is almost over. Tomorrow, we pick up Hannah Ryan's passport and fly to Guangzhou. All the China side of the adoption is done while we are here in CQ. We travel to Guangzhou, where the US consulate is located, to handle the US side of things...getting her US medical exam and her visa. Our short flight leaves at 6:15 pm.



















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Hannah Ryan's laugh

Be warned...it's contagious!!!! :)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u2JfSHUJ1a8

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Saying Goodbye

Today was an emotional day for all 3 of us. For me and Ryan, because we were again reminded of God's amazing goodness to us. Hannah Ryan did get upset again when we left her nannies, but after seeing the way she has been loved and cared for at Love Manor, it is understandable. The entire place is amazing...it is literally the nicest orphanage in China. It is built on the top of a beautiful mountain in the middle of what used to be a national park, so the scenery is amazing. And, the facilities aren't just "nice for an orphanage", they are nice period. But, even more importantly, I was so touched by how the nannies genuinely care for my daughter. Every person we passed in the hallways, stopped and fussed over Hannah Ryan. Her nannies were elated to see her.

But, here is the part of the day where God really showed His sweet goodness all over again... I am very blessed to be a part of a sweet community of gals in the Birmingham area called the Red Thread group. We are a group of moms who have adopted or are in the process of adopting from China. We meet for coffee twice a month and those who already have their kids home meet for play dates. I can't say enough what a blessing these women have been to me during this process. There is something comforting about having people in your life who have already walked down a road you are walking down. And, in that common connection of precious children from China, friendships have formed. There is one mom in our group that I have become friends with whose daughter, June, is also at Love Manor. Well, I found out today that Hannah Ryan and June are crib neighbors...their cribs are right beside each other. And, according to the orphanage workers, they are best friends!!! How sweet and amazing of the Lord to place these two orphans in homes in the same community where the moms are friends...what a sweet connection they will have the rest of their lives!!!

We stopped for lunch on the way back and Hannah Ryan fell right to sleep in my arms for naptime. But when she woke up, she was in a little bit of a panic and started crying. She recovered and we had afternoon snack. But, as soon as it was over, she lost it. She began sobbing and was inconsolable. She didn't want to be held, but I held her anyway...she was grieving. It finally sunk in that she was not returning to her home and to her nannies. Imagine would it would feel like for a biological child to be abducted...this is what it feels like for her right now. After lots of holding and rocking with Mama, a dum dum finally saved the day. She had another much smaller grieving spell about an hour later and then our happy, laughing girl returned. There will be more moments like these as she continues to grieve...please pray for her little heart as she lets go of the sweet nannies who have cared for her so well.

Tonight was so fun...our little girl was full of energy. We are going to have our hands full!!!

I can't post many pictures of the orphanage for privacy reasons. But, here is my favorite...this first picture is Hannah Ryan and June!















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It's Official!

We had the official adoption ceremony this afternoon where the officially pronounced that Hannah Ryan is our daughter! It was such a special moment. They asked us if we promised to love her and never abandon her...to which we, of course, replied yes! Then we each, including Hannah Ryan, had to put our fingerprints on an official document. Then, they presented us with her adoption certificate and a plaque representing Chongqing. It was a pretty emotional experience for me. We are so blessed!!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the room playing and our little Hannah Ryan came alive!!! There have been smiles and laughter...it's almost like she knew today made it official, so she decided she could let loose a little bit. Haha! Daddy has even gotten to hold her a couple of times. :) We are absolutely exhausted, so we are going to turn in when Hannah Ryan does tonight. Enjoy the new pics!















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