Day 7: We wanted to visit Mia's orphanage and finding spot for several reasons. Mainly so she can have something to look back on one day. I've gone back and forth on whether I want to talk about any of this on here. This is her story, not mine. So I hope this encourages someone to think about adoption.
We sandwiched ourselves into a van and headed to the finding spot. We had a guide from our agency taking us there. I quickly realized that we were in a more poverty stricken part of the city. You could just tell these people have a hard life. We finally pulled up to a gate. It was black. We got out and all I could do was cry. I stared at the gate and cried my eyes out and held my baby. The baby that just over a year ago was sat down RIGHT THERE and LEFT FOR GOOD. My heart broke for Mia and her birth mom. How hard that must have been to leave her. We were allowed to go behind the gate and there were apartments back there. People kept walking by and I kept wondering if her birth mom was one of them.(We found out the next day that this was actually not her finding spot. They got it mixed up with the other couple with us. Mia's spot is right outside the orphanage gate, which is what I thought. So, we did go there but didn't really take it all in. We are going to run by there later today!)
Her orphanage was only about a block away so we went there next. It's very iffy if you should take your child back to their orphanage but we felt Mia would be ok. I had her in the Ergo and she seems to be attaching well so we took her. We walked around outside and immediately saw the place where they filmed a video of her that they sent to us! It was crazy to see the spot. We've watched that video hundreds of times and now here we were with her! Her caretakers were so excited to see her! You could tell that they love her SO much! She was happy to see them but she didn't even ask for me to put her down so she could go to them! SCORE! We didn't go inside, which was fine. They are battling hand, foot, mouth right now and we wanted no part of that!
We came back to our hotel and hung out for a while. Mia is starting to open up to Josh! She kisses him and hugs him and drags him around by his finger! :)
Later on in the day the big boys went with Paw Paw for a while. The rest of us went to the mall so Brooks and Reece could play on this playground type of thing and to Walmart for snacks. Mia fell asleep in the Ergo and when she woke up she was not herself. She had this blank stare that was empty. She walked over to the window of our room and just stood there. Blankly staring out. MY HEART BROKE INTO A MILLION PIECES FOR HER. I can't even describe how sad it was. Josh and I just sat there with her and talked to her and told her how much we love her. And I cried my eyes out. She finally went and grabbed her shoes and got me to put them on.
Then she went and pointed at the stroller so I put her in and she pointed to the door. I walked her around and around our floor and came back to the room. She wouldn't get out of the stroller. About that time the boys came back from their adventure with Paw Paw and as soon as she saw them SHE LIT UP! Y'ALL she had been looking for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's been fine ever since. I can't believe how fast she has attached to us. I'm SO thankful for that. I prayed and prayed she would fit perfectly and she does! :)
Oh, she also ate in a restaurant for the first time today! Pizza Hut! haha!
This is how you roll in China!
This is Vicky, she works for our agency!
Orphanage director and foster care director
One of the gates to the orphanage(not where she was left)
THE SPOT where that video was shot!!!!
Sweet babies enjoying the sunshine! These ladies were Mia's caretakers when she was a baby too!
Random but this is inside our hotel, this is how high up we are! Makes me so nervous! haha!
If this doesn't make your heart melt nothing will!
Pizza Hut!
First popcicle!
