Adoption Journal (5)

By Ridley Pearson

Today Marcelle joined the group and paid a visit to the orphanage - a complete tour of the facility - into the dorms where infants are in small cribs, one after the other. Clean but not heated, the infants bundled against the slight chill in the summer air of the high plateau. She was surprised to see so many older children, some handicapped - one such child of six or eight years stretched out his arms and appealed for an embrace, as if offering himself: "take me... take me..." She forgot the camera, but I don't think she'll lose the images any time soon.

You and I stayed behind at the hotel so you could nap. Did I mention your sleeping "routine?" Well... did THAT ever change by the second night!! You slipped quickly into a feed-me-whenever-possible mode. This translated to every two hours: a ten minute feeding; sleep for an hour and 3/4 and then awake to feed again. I sleep by the crib - and I stretched the 5:30 AM feeding to 7 by patting you every time you so much as twitched.

You had a great morning nap today, but we cut the afternoon nap short for a visit to the "bird and flower" market - an open air market with vendors in tiny cubicles selling everything from hamsters to wooden elephants, jade bracelets to taxidermied butterflies, Chinese pancakes to marble urns. So much color, life-chiseled faces, broken-tooth grins and women with rich black hair to their waists. Marcelle bore you in a carrier on her chest; I manned the video camera shooting stills. (Our film camera broke in a fall the first day we were here!) You drank in every face, every item, as curious and excited as your two enthralled parents.

Life spills out onto the streets here - grass grows from tiled roofs - "minority women" in their native mountain tribe garb, bright yellows, shocking orange - and always those grins. Wide-eyed and as fascinated with us as we with them. Enchanting!

My nap-sitting time included more paperwork. While at the orphanage Marcelle paid all those fresh $100 bills to cover the cost of the adoption from the orphanage itself. We inch our way closer to the visas, passports and notaries required to bring you home. Immersed in these dreaded forms, those inches can feel like miles.

You and I spent some time on a lobby couch while the room was serviced. We were approached by a Brit named Mike, and he and I discussed the Chinese economy, its politics and its people. He's been here for over a decade as an engineer for Hilton which manages more and more hotel properties here in China. This one, the Greenlake, since August 1st. Mike's job is to keep it structurally sound (we're in favor of this!). I learned so much about the inner-workings here - fascinating stuff! Kunming, host of a HUGE international horticultural expo (that's going on right now) spent $10 billion (US$) for a face-lift to look good for foreign tourists. The problem is, that's ten YEARS of their annual budget. The place looks great for the next few weeks - but for nine more years they will have virtually no money for infrastructure. Thus goes the thinking here: anything to save face. The next decade be damned! Today, we look great!

Storey, you are so quickly a part of our lives! You are more beautiful with each passing moment. We tear-up watching you sleep so peacefully. We hug and count our many blessings. You make us feel so complete - I have a feeling we've been waiting for you far longer than just twenty months. We feel whole and with great purpose - and we are SO ANXIOUS to connect with Paige and complete the circle. In the meantime, sleep precious baby, sleep.

We look forward to our phone calls - Wendy, yesterday; Betsy; L'Anne today, who told stories of Paige that made us laugh and cry. Stories everywhere. But just the one Storey here. And oh, what a story it has turned out to be! Tomorrow, a minority village (hill tribe). The adventure continues...

Picture a neglected flower drooping from its exposure to the sun, that withered leaf look, far from dead, but all its energy lost, its purpose sagging and flagging. You did not arrive that way, but you have responded as might that flower. In just two short days here we have witnessed the awe-inspiring power of love and attention. Storey, you little butterball - no shortage of food at the orphanage! - you have responded to our care in ways, and at speeds, that any parent would never believe possible. It gives me chills.

(part 5 of 10, to be continued...)