Day 4 - Visiting the Orphanage

今天上午我们去公证处领取了小安娜的公证材料， 然后去福利院参观。 杭州儿童福利院去年刚刚搬迁到新址， 很大很漂亮, 到处都非常干净整洁。我们都得穿上鞋套才能进入他们的卧室。我们参观了大厅，会议室，游乐场，还有她的起居室。安娜的班上有１２个孩子， 男孩女孩大概各半， 都是两三岁的。 教室里有三个阿姨。安娜见到她的小朋友和阿姨特别高兴，马上跟他们抱在一起玩了起来。其中一个大眼睛阿姨特别喜欢安娜，抱着她问这问那，安娜跟她也特别亲。这个景象真令人感动。孩子们看起来都很高兴, 很健康，大部分都胖胖的。我们在她的教室里呆了大约２０分钟，离开时，安娜挺痛快的就跟我们走了。走到外面，她嘴里念叨着阿姨，手指着要回去。我哄哄她就好了。福利院的负责人及所有工作人员都很亲切，路上见到不同的人，都认识安娜。福利院给了我们一个册子，里面记录了安娜的成长过程， 有她从小到现在的照片，真是太宝贵了。通过这次参观，我们得到了很多珍贵的信息. 看到女儿成长过的地方，我真是百感交激。这里毕竟培育了我们的女儿，和我们有着不解之缘。Today we first went to the public notary to pick up Anna's adoption materials and then visited Anna's orphanage. The Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute was relocated to this new facility just last year. It is very big, modern and clean. We had to wear shoe covers to enter their nursery. We visited the hall, the conference room, the playground, and her classroom and nursery. There are 12 children in Anna's class. Half are boys and half are girls, and they are all around 2-3 years old. There were three nannies in the classroom and one of them was very excited seeing Anna. One hugged Anna and put Anna on her lap and started checking her and talking to her. I could feel that she truly loved Anna. For Anna, it was like being back home; she was running around and playing with her friends. It was very touching to see the people who took care of her and to see how comfortable she was. All the kids looked very happy and well cared for. Most of them are pretty chubby. We stayed for about 20 minutes in her classroom. When we left, Anna didn't seem to resist, but after we were outside, she started pointing to her classroom and called for her Ayi (nanny) and wanted to go back. I distracted her with a candy. The orphanage director and all the staff members were very kind and they all called her name when we passed by them. Before we left, the orphanage gave us a booklet which recorded Anna's growth information with a lot of pictures from the past two years since she entered the orphanage. This is very precious to us and we are very grateful to what they have done for the children. We have gained a lot of priceless information from the visit. This place is where our daughter was raised and we have a special connection to it.

Day 3 - Enjoying Hangzhou

今天天气不错，我们是自由活动，我们沿着西湖走到白堤， 断桥残雪， 参观了浙江省博物馆。 路上有卖风筝的， 还有滑轱辘鞋的。其中一位老者滑得出神入画， 能单腿倒滑， 如飞燕， 还能两脚向外八字方向， 成一直线， 安娜看得不愿离开。 西湖边风景非常漂亮， 樱花和桃花盛开，柳枝垂掉， 真是春风杨柳万千条。中午时分， 我们来到湖边有名的杭州菜馆，“楼外楼”， 品尝了西湖醋鱼，叫化鸡，东坡肉， 还有一些其它小菜。安娜什么都喜欢吃，看到刚刚三岁的她自己会用筷子，真让人惊奇. 有时急了， 她就直接把脸放到盘子里吃。 看到她的吃相， 我们真是忍竣不禁。能吃的孩子好养， 我们心里美滋滋的。
The weather was good today and we had a free day, so we walked along the West Lake and visited the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. We enjoyed seeing the local people. Some people were selling various types of beautiful silk kites and some were roller skating. Anna really enjoyed seeing an elder person who roller skated amazingly well. The spring season is very beautiful along the lake with all kinds of flowers blooming. We had lunch in a famous restaurant called “Lou Wai Lou.” We had the famous West Lake fish, Dongpo pork, Jiaohuan Chicken and a few other dishes. Anna likes to eat everything. She knows how to use chopsticks. Sometimes, when she sees the food she likes, she put her whole face in the plate to eat. It made us laugh. In China, there is an idiom saying that kids with good appetites can be raised easily. We feel very happy.

Day 2 - She is officially ours

今天我们又回到了民政部办公室完成安娜的领养手续。他们给我们发了领养证书并宣布正式批准我们领养小安娜。然后我们又去给安娜申请护照。一切都进展顺利。然后导游又领我们去了家乐福给安娜买了个小推车还有一些其它东西。安娜今天跟我们很亲近，总是时不时的喊爸爸妈妈。虽然安娜跟我们只呆了两天，但是好像她一直就跟我们生活在一起。我们对她的爱是如此的强烈，我不能想象没有她生活将是什么样子。她注定就是我们的女儿。This morning we went to the Civil Affairs Office again to complete the paperwork, and they announced that the Chinese government officially approved us to adopt Anna. We then went to apply for her passport. Everything went smoothly. We then went shopping at Carrefour, a supermarket, to get Anna a stroller and a few other things. Anna seems very comfortable staying with us today and calls us mama and baba all the time, which is very heartwarming. Although she is been with us for only 2 days, it feels that she has been with us forever. Our love for her is so strong that I can't imagine what life would be like without her. We are truly blessed.

Day 1 - Meeting Anna

今天我们在浙江民政局终于见到了小安娜。 我们于８：４５到了民政局，还有另外一个美国家庭也同时到达。等待过程中我们都挺紧张。 过了不久门口传来了脚步声和小孩说话声，我的心立刻紧张起来。安娜同福利院的院长及她的阿姨进来了。安娜背着一个小书包，是几个月前我们寄给她的。我走过去，将她抱了起来，她显得有些紧张，但没有哭。我和Leah给她拿出了准备好的小吃和玩具给她。她的小书包里有我们给她寄的小像册。小像册已经翻看的很旧了，看样子她常看。我翻开像册问她，她都能指出爸爸，妈妈，哥哥和姐姐。我让她喊妈妈，她就有些胆怯的说妈妈。我感动得直流泪。过了一会儿，福利院的院长和阿姨偷偷的走了，可还是被安娜注意到了，她开始豪淘大哭。好在我们带了很多东西，赶紧给她吃，过了一会儿总算哄好了。我们回到宾馆， 她逐渐开始放松，时不时的笑起来， 中午时，把她放在床上，她就乖乖的睡了，很让人心疼。 睡醒时， 她又开哭，找阿姨。我们哄她去麦当劳吃饭, 给她薯条，她开始还不要，后来知道好吃了，眼里就只有薯条了。冰淇凌她也很爱吃。她很爱吃零食，小书包里装满了糖果, 走到哪背到哪，连睡觉都放在枕头边。晚饭她吃了很多，比姐姐吃得还多。小家伙太可爱了。小安娜和我们融合的很快，感谢福利院做了不少准备工作。We met Anna at the Civil Affairs Office. She came in with the director of the Hangzhou CWI and her Ayi (Nanny). Anna brought the backpack and the photo album we sent to her in September of last year. She recognized us right away and called us mama (mom) and baba (dad). She only cried when her ayi left, but we calmed her down with candy and toys. Once we left the office, she started getting used to us and laughed a lot. She really likes the small photo album we gave her and likes to sleep with it. She also likes the small backpack very much and carries it where ever she goes, and she cries if you take it away. She took a nap in the afternoon and only cried a little bit after she woke up. Then, we went to McDonalds for lunch. Anna had her first french fries and she really liked them. She also had ketchup, which she greatly enjoyed. For dessert, we had ice cream and she loved it. She loves sweets. Her mini backpack is filled with little candies which she eats all the time. She eats a lot, and we were all amazed by how much she ate at dinner. She ate almost everything in front of her and kept asking for more; she ate more than Leah did. She liked everything except for the eggplant dish. She took out the eggplant pieces when we put them on her plate. She is such a lovely girl and we are in love with her. We are very thankful to the orphanage staff who prepared her so well.

Only 3 hours left

今天早上， 不到４点， 我们就醒了。一是时差， 二是兴奋加紧张。 还有三个多小时就要见到安娜了。我和Leah给安娜准备了一个小包裹， 里面装了玩具， 几样小吃 还有一套衣服。 我们准备用这些东西贿赂小安娜，以减少她的哭闹。 We woke up before 4 am this morning both because out of jetlag and excitement. There are fewer than 3 hours left before we meet Anna. Leah and I put together a small package with toys, snacks, candies and some pretty clothes. I hope Anna will like these, so that she won't cry.

We arrived in Hangzhou

今天晚上我们到达了杭州。 导游在机场接了我们顺利到达望湖宾馆。我们的行程有所变化， 原先说要星期二接小安娜， 现改为明天， 星期一。 到了宾馆后， 填了些表格， 这样明天接孩子时就可以少填一些。今晚我们要好好休息， 准备明天的到来。 We just arrived in Hangzhou tonight. Our guide met us at the airport and checked us in at the Lake View Hotel. The hotel is in the city center next to the famous West Lake. It is a beautiful hotel with a lot of shops and restaurants nearby. Our schedule has been changed: instead of meeting Anna on Tuesday, we are now going to meet her tomorrow (Monday, 3/23). I hope that we can sleep well tonight to prepare for Anna's arrival.

Waiting at the Seoul Airport

从洛杉矶上飞机， 经过１３小时的飞行， 我们终于到达了韩国的汉城机场。 飞机上服务很好， 吃的也不错。 前一半时间我们都在睡觉， 后一半看电视。１３小时下来感觉并不累。汉城机场很干净漂亮。我们要在这儿等４个小时， 再飞往北京。这儿的机场有免费电脑及上网， 真好。

After a 13 hour flight, we finally arrived at the Seoul airport on time at 5 am here. We slept for half the flight and watched TV for the other half. The food was pretty good and we all feel fine. The Seoul airport is nice and clean. We will be waiting here for 4 hours before we fly to Beijing. There are free laptops with Internet access to use here, which is terrific.

We are leaving in 30 minutes!

We have been running like crazy for the past three days and now we have everthing packed and are ready to leave.

Travel itinerary

今天我们的领养机构发来了最后的行程(REVISED)。明天我们就出发了, 我还真有些紧张,只盼望一切顺利。
3月22日 到杭州，入住宾馆
3月23日 见孩子
3月24日 民政登记,公证
3月25日 参观西湖
3月26日 参观福利院
3月27日 取护照 , 离开杭州去上海
3月30日 由上海到广州, 入住宾馆
3月30日 体检
4月1 日 签证, 参观流花湖公园
4月2 日 参观六榕寺,取签证
4月3 日 12:35 由广州启程回美

Sunday 3-22-09：Travel to Hangzhou. Meet guide at Hangzhou airport, check into hotel.
Monday 3-23-09: Meet your child at the registration office of the Civil Administration Bureau.
Tuesday 3-24-09: Proceed with adoption registration
Wedday 3-25-09: Sightseeing
Thursday 3-26-09: Visit the orphanage
Friday 3-27-09: Pick up your child's passport and leave for Shanghai
Monday 3-30-09: Fly to Guangzhou. Check into Hotel
Tuesday 3-31-09: Take pictures for visa. Medical exam
Wednesday 4-1-09: Visa application at the American consulate and sight seeing.
Thursday 4-2-09: Sight seeing and pick up your child's visa
Friday 4-3-09: Fly from Guangzhou back to the states

TA and we are leaving in 2 days!

We finally got our travel approval (TA) from CCAA and we are leaving in two days. Our gotcha day (the day we meet Anna) is March 24 and our consulate appointment (CA) is April 1. We are over the moon!!!!!! Anna, You will be home soon!!!!!

Tentative Travel Itinerary

今天，领养代办人告诉我，小安娜的签证材料已经通过广州领事馆的审批，意向书已经快递到北京收养中心。 收养中心应该在两周左右给我们发旅行批准。 然后我们就可以出发了。这些天我一直在同领养代办人联系，根据她的预测，初步定于月底出发。下面是她给我发的行程：

• 3月29日，星期日：到达杭州机场，导游接机，入住宾馆
  3月30日，星期一：在浙江民政部交接孩子
  3月31日，星期二：办理领养手续
  4月1日，星期三：观光
  4月2日，星期四：观光
  4月3日，星期五：领取孩子护照，飞往广州，导游接机，入住广州白天鹅大酒店
  4月4日，星期六：体检
  4月5日，星期日：观光
  4月6日，星期一：清明节，休息
  4月7日，星期二：美国领事馆面试，签证
  4月8日，星期三：领取签证
  4月9日，星期四：启程回美

看到这个行程，我非常兴奋，经过大半年的翘首以待，现在总算感到幸福就在眼前了。

Our agency notified us that that the consulate had approved our file and it has been delivered to the CCAA. We should receive TA in about two weeks. I have been talking to our agency about our travel arrangements and here is a tentative travel itinerary she planned for us:

• Sunday 3-29-09：Travel to Hangzhou. Meet guide at Hangzhou airport, check in hotel.
  Monday 3-30-09: Meet your child at the registration office of the Civil Administration Bureau.
  Tuesday 3-31-09: Proceed with adoption registration
  Wednesday 4-1-09: sightseeing
  Thursday 4-2-09:Sightseeing
  Friday 4-3-09: Receiving your child’s passport. Fly to Guangzhou in the evening. Meet guide at Guangzhou airport. Check into White Swan Hotel
  Saturday 4-4-09: Take pictures for visa. Medical exam
  Sunday 4-5-09: Sightseeing, finish filling out forms of visa application
  Monday 4-6-09 (Qing Ming Jie): Rest
  Tuesday 4-7-09: Visa application at the American consulate.
  Wednesday 4-8-09: Pick up your child's visa
  Thursday 4-9-09: Fly from Guangzhou to back to the states

We are very excited seeing this. Now after 6 months of anxious waiting, it is finally becoming real that we are going to meet Anna.

New Progress

这几天，我天天给美国签证中心打电话，领养代办人也天天给广州美领馆打电话，今天总算有了好消息。美领馆终于查到了我们的材料。审阅后如没问题，他们两天后就可以给北京收养中心发通知。收养中心确认后，就给我们发“旅行批准 (TA)”。收到旅行批准后，我们就可以随时出发去接小安娜了。这真是一环扣一环，哪个环节出了差错都不行。我希望两星期内能收到旅行批准， 踏上我们盼望已久的旅程。

For the last few days, I have been calling the National Visa Center every day, and our agency has been calling the consulate in Guangzhou every night. We finally heard the good news from the consulate that they have located our file and they will approve it within two days. The approval will be delivered to CCAA and our TA should be issued. I hope we can receive our TA within two weeks. Once our TA arrives, we should be able to travel very soon to pick up Anna, which we have been longing for since last September.

Consulate Delay

收到领养批准已经有三个星期了。这期间我们又填了很多表格，大多都是新加的程序。现在的问题是卡在了广州美国领事馆。小安娜的移民签证已经批准，材料由美国签证中心已经电邮到广州，但广州那边就是找不到这份材料。 我们的领养机构已经连续三天打电话，可是一直没有结果。真不知道问题出在那里了。我很感谢我的领养代办人，她会每天晚上给领馆打电话，直到问题解决。
It has been almost three weeks since we received our LOA. In these three weeks, we have done a lot more paper work and waiting. First, on the day we received receive the LOA, we submitted the I-800 to USCIS. After that, we filled out visa form DS-230 and sent it to our agency, which then forwarded it to the Guangzhou Consulate. Next, the I-800 was approved and forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire. NVC transferred the file electronically to the US Consulate in Guangzhou on February 26. My agency has called the consulate twice already and they still haven’t registered our file. My agency will keep calling the consulate daily until they do so.

随想 What I learned......

现在离接女儿的日子越来越近了，可在没拿到最后行程之前，还有许多不定因素。中美两国都于去年加入海牙国际领养公约。我们正好是第一批赶上新手续的。现在虽然已拿到中国收养中心的批准，但下一步又增加了新的程序。在申请美国移民局的二次批准同时，还要把一些签证材料寄到美国驻广州领事馆。他们复查然后再通知北京收养中心，最后才能同广州领馆预约安娜面试时间。手续真是繁琐。只希望进展顺利，可以三月份去接女儿。

自从去年五月份开始办理领养手续到现在，已有9个月了。这个办理过程把我变成了一个平静而有耐心的人。从刚开始办理时，收集各种材料，繁琐的程序令我感到焦躁郁闷。 到后来看到小安娜材料之后，我体会到了，无论我怎么着急，不管这个过程有多么复杂，如果想得到女儿，都必需得去做。所以现在大多时候，我都能心平气和的对待这些。当领养带办人告诉我这么多新加的程序时，我很平静地告诉她无论需要什么，我们都办，没有一句抱怨。我很为自己能有这么大的忍耐力感到自豪。我深信如果我们能完成这个领养过程，那么今后就没有什么可以难倒我们的了。

The whole Hague paperchasing process has made me a very patient and calm person. At the beginning of the process, when gathering all the materials for the homestudy, I got frustrated and mad quite a bit. I later learned no matter how mad you are and how unreasonable something is, you still have to do it if you want to complete the adoption. Now, most of the time, I can handle such matters with a smile. When my agency told me about an extra consulate step for TA, I was calm and told her that we would do whatever it requires, without complaint. I was very proud of myself for this. The endurance I gained through this adoption process is priceless. If we can do this, nothing else can defeat us.

LOA Arrived Today (Day 94) !!!!!!

今天早上领养代办机构打来电话，告诉我收到了中国收养中心寄来了正式批准通知书(LOA)。虽然早已知道批准随时会到，但真的到来时还是让我高兴至极。有了这个正式批准，下一步就是在通知书上签字，然后寄回给收养中心。他们再过3-4个星期发来旅行批准 (TA)。有了旅行批准，就可以同广州美国总领馆预约小安娜的移民签证面试。最后一步就是整装上路去接小Anna了。

我昨晚睡觉不安稳，一直在做有关收到领养批准的梦。梦见领养带办人给我发来邮件，说收养中心申请费已办妥，很快就会收到批准通知了。今天大清早查看邮件，还很失望。但没想到过了不长时间，就收到了电话，而且信已到了美国。我想这也许就是心有灵犀吧。

We just got a call from our agency confirming that they received our LOA today! What a fantastic way to start out the week. Now we will have more paperwork to do, but we will finally be on an airplane soon to get our girl! We are thrilled. Our next step is to return the signed LOA, send I-800 to USCIS and wait for TA. It shall take another 5-6 weeks until we leave for China.

Birthday Pictures!!!!!!!

今天晚上打开邮箱，我惊喜地看到了小安娜三岁的生日照片。 真是要感谢“红线牵中国”机构为领养家庭提供的服务。两个星期前，我托他们给小安娜寄了个生日蛋糕。同时给福利院写了封信，祝安娜生日快乐，并询问了一下安娜的近况。 没想到福利院不仅回答了大部分问题, 还拍了生日照片。 小安娜越长越漂亮了，看到她的笑模样，我心中充满幸福， 恨不得马上见到她。下面是福利院给我们的答复：

"怀平知道她就要有个新家了。她能从相册里指出爸爸，妈妈，哥哥，姐姐，还有她自己。她性格腼腆，在陌生的环境会认生。我们不知道她在见到你们时是否会哭。 怀平很随和，一旦熟悉以后她就很活泼，很爱讲话。 她喜欢在外面玩儿, 我们福利院有很大的游乐园，她特别喜欢在那儿玩儿。她每天早上7点起床，7点半吃早饭，11点吃午饭，12点半到两点睡午觉，三点半吃水果。下午5点吃晚饭。 晚上8点喝180毫升牛奶，8点半睡觉。在寄养家庭时，她同寄养妈妈睡觉，在福利院时，她同别的孩子一起睡，但有自己的小床。她不挑食，特别喜欢吃面条. 她食欲很好，吃得很多." ----------看到这些描述，她同我们家的的人太像了。她注定就是我们家的人。

We received Anna's 3 year old birthday pictures from redthreadchina.com. We are very thrilled to see these precious pictures. Anna is very beautiful, and her smile melts my heart. Her orphanage said that Anna knows that she will have a new family, and she can recognize mom, dad, brother and sister from our family photos. We can't wait to bring her home. Here is what the orphanage wrote about Anna:

"Huai Ping knows that she is going to have a new family, she can point out father, mother, brother, sister and herself. But she is introverted in strange environment; we are not sure whether she is OK or will cry when she sees you. Huai Ping is easy-going, once she is familiar with you, she will be out-going, and talks a lot with you. She likes to go outside for playing. We have a big playground in our new orphanage; she likes to play there very much. Getting up time7:00, breakfast time7:30, lunch time 11:00, sleeping in the afternoon from 12:30-14:00, and eating fruit 15:30, supper time17:00, drinking milk 180ml at 20:00, sleeping time 20:30.When staying in the foster care family, she sleeps with foster mom, and in the orphanage, she sleeps with other children in one room, but has her own crib. She is not a picky-eater, but likes to eat noodles very much. She has good appetite, and eats very well.".......-She fits perfectly to our family and I believe she was meant to be our daughter.

Still No LOA on Day 88

We are now at day 88 of our wait for LOA! Our agency called CCAA for an update of our LOA status and found out that there was a payment issue. Our dossier was moved to the Department 2 (Placement Department) in mid January and they were ready to issue our LOA. However, with the payment not being transferred into CCAA’s bank account, they cannot issue our LOA. Our agency sent the payment with our DTC back in late October and it is hard to understand why it is taking so long to have the money transferred. I hope this can be sorted out very soon, so that we can have our LOA!

Birthday Girl!

我们的小安娜今天3岁了！她在杭州，在地球的另一侧，希望她知道我们全家都在等着她，时时刻刻想着她。
我通过一家机构，叫redthreadchina (红线牵中国) 给小安娜寄了个生日蛋糕套餐，除了一个大的生日蛋糕外，还有一个熊猫玩具，一包糖果，一次性相机， 还有我写的一封信。 希望以后能看到给她过生日的照片。
小安娜，生日快乐！我们盼望着见到你的那一天。

Our little girl is 3 today! She is half a world away in Hangzhou, China. I hope she knows that she has a family who is waiting for her and thinking of her all the time.
We sent her a birthday package, including a cake, through http://www.redthreadchina.com/. Here is the picture of the birthday package.
Happy birthday, Anna! We think about you all the time and cannot wait to meet you.