The day has arrived.........

We were in Nanning for three days. After the experience of meeting our new granddaughter, it was going to difficult to do anything to compare. We did, however, manage to see a few of the sites.

Nanning is the Capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. More than 60% of the population of 2.8 million are Zhuang people, who are China's largest minority and virtually indistinguishable from the Han.

Mostly our sight-seeing was done in the immediate vicinity of our hotel. We were able to observe the way of life in another of China's more important cities.

The morning of March 3, 2005 was one of the high-lights of our trip. This was "Adoption Day". We went to the "Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region" Notary Public Office so our kids could finalize the necessary documents to make the adoption official. As you can imagine, this was another extremely moving experience. One that none of us will ever forget.

Once our new granddaughter was offically a member of our family, we could at least relax a bit and enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery in China, maybe the world, Guilin and the Li River Valley.

This was the next stop on our journey.

Yes, miracles do happen.........

The remainder of that afternoon was spent in our son and daughter's hotel room becoming familiar with our new baby granddaughter. This was an extremely exciting time for all of us. We could have never imagined just how special and exciting it would be.

Of course, babies don't run on love alone. So, our next step was to visit a large Wal-Mart Super Store that was not far from our hotel. Yes, Wal-Mart! I was surprised also. We were allowed one hour to purchase any necessary items that were in short supply. Grandma would not be Grandma if she didn't purchase some clothes. This was her first priority.

The babies had been raised on conji (similar to grits in the south) to this point. Now, they would be given formula that would be similar. We were able to get conji in the restaurante at the hotel which made the babies happy. After our shopping was done, we went back to the hotel to rest.

"Gotcha Day".........

Get as much rest as possible. Well, that wasn't very much! How do you rest when you know why you are there. We were there to get our baby. I can't even begin to tell you how I felt. There were so many emotions going on inside of me.

I was the designated photographer. My roll was to capture every moment of what was to be one of the most exciting times of my son-in-law and daughter's lives. They were going to become parents for the second time. They already had a 20 year old daughter at home.

We boarded the bus for the Chinese Civil Affairs (CCA) office. For the second time that day there was electricity in the air; the first time was that morning in the hotel in Beijing. There was a constant buzz of excitement. Every dad was red-faced and every mother was crying and laughing at the same time. They all had their pictures of their baby in hand. They could only imagine what that first moment was going to be like.

The bus stopped outside this very large, official looking building. It was the CCA office. (See the picture in the previous post.) We all got off of the bus and walked briskly into the building. Our guides went ahead of us to find out where we were to go. Once they found our destination, they came back to get us.

There were some anxious moments when we had to wait in the hall outside of the elevator. Was there a problem? Had the babies not gotten to the CCA? Why the wait? Of course, there was actually no problem, just some last minute details to handle.

They lead us into this large room. There we were to wait another 15-20 minutes, while the paper work was placed in order. Finally, the Director of the CCA came to welcome all of the new parents and grandparents. She introduced the Director of the orphanage and told everyone what could be expected from the babies. Each one would deal with the trama in her own way. Therefore, there is no such thing as normal. They would be there for the next couple of days to help in any way that they could.

Then, we could see the care-givers in the doorway. Each one was holding a baby. One of our babies. Where was ours?

They all came into the room. I had the camera rolling. There was absolutely the most wonderful release of tension that I have ever seen. Everyone was crying. These perspective parents were ready.

The system was well thought out. The Director of the CCA would read the name of the baby in Chinese and the parents would come forward. As each baby's Chinese name was read, the parents met her in the center of the room. The care-giver would introduce the baby to the parents and allow for pictures to be taken.

Next, it was our turn. Our baby's name was read. The tears were rolling down my checks so much that I could hardly see to take the video. What a gorgous little thing she was. She hardly looked like her picture, since she was 4 months older than when it was taken, but I still felt that love for her that had developed over the past year.

After each set of parents had some time to become familiar with their new baby, it was time to receive their adoption documents. Our guides handed them to one of the parents. This was very exciting! It was the culmination of many months of frustration and work.

If you can imagine how exciting it is seeing one couple become parents, most for the first time, then imagine watching 10 couples becoming parents. Again, this is an experience that I don't have the words to describe. Simply put, it was a miracle.