We've been home a week and doing super well. We are all adjusted back to Pacific time and it only took a few nights for Jade to start sleeping through the night. She has acclimated to her new home faster than we expected. It's as if she's known us her whole life.
China is crazy. I can't believe how huge it is. We never left enormous city- even though we traveled to 3 different Provinces; it was like a cement jungle. The drivers are incredibly talented. People, bicycles, motorcycles and other cars come out of no where every few seconds. Watching traffic is like watching fish. They actually don't have as many accidents as you would think. The drivers are very alert and expect the unexpected. Believe it or not we felt quite safe through it all.
The air quality is incredibly poor. Ninety percent of the population smokes. It was very hard to get away from it. Even on our non smoking floor in the hotel the hallway was rank with smoke.
We didn't get to do much site seeing. We hiked on the Great Wall for a short distance, that was all our hearts could handle. It's incredibly steep and uneven. We also walked around a lake near where Jade is from one day. Most of our days were spent doing the necessary paperwork to get Jade her visa, passport, etc. We had a guide at all times which was vital. There is no "winging it" in China. We had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying or have any understanding of food on a menu, let a lone government documents. There was no possible way of completing the mission correctly or at all without our wonderful guides.
When we first met Jade, we were in a conference room with 7 other families. The nannies descended on the room with 8 kids, handed them off to their new families and departed within seconds. I can't even tell you what the person looked like that handed Jade to me, it was all so fast. And within seconds the room was like pandemonium. There was crying and tons of commotion. Jade held it together pretty well considering the boy right next to us was hysterical. She just looked around with a tear drop in her eye. By the time we got back to our hotel though, she was all smiles. She's been that way ever since.
She is the happiest baby I've ever known. She is also very sharp; she imitates everything. Nothing gets past her watching eyes. She's also very outgoing and ready to have fun at any time. Thankfully she is one of the easiest babies I've known.
Thank you all for helping us rescue such an amazing child! She has great things to do in life. We feel privileged to have a part in that. Thank you!
Also, we raised the final amount to receive the matching grant from LifeSong! Thank you all and thank you Costa Rica! So much came from dear friends and family in C.R. Thank you, each and everyone near and far!
