Happy Valentines Day II, Day 10, February 14, 2008

We got Andrea Zhi Bei up and to breakfast. It became apparent this morning that she was bonding much more rapidly to Ann than to David, which is the norm and to be expected. She hung tight to her ma ma. We took the van to the Provincial Adoption Service Center to begin the paperwork in earnest. We had our family photo taken for the adoption certificate. We went to the same conference room where we received Zhi Bei the previous day. We met first with the director of the provincial authority who seemed to be pleased with the progress we made over the past 24 hours. The orphanage director and orphanage doctor then arrived and they too were pleased that Zhi Bei had begun to accept us. We signed several adoption papers with our signatures sealed with our thumbprints. We asked a few more questions and shared some photos that other families had sent with us to provide updates to the director of the orphanage. These were very much appreciated and we were encouraged to send updates to the director of the provincial service center who could then forward them to the director of the orphanage.


We then had the orphanage donation ceremony. Fortunately they accepted our worn, but not frayed, American currency. We spent the previous evening weeding out bills that were torn or had marks on them. Fortunately we were carrying enough currency to set some aside for later use. We then presented the orphanage director, the orphanage doctor, and the director of the provincial service center with gifts we had put together for them. They included bandanas that were Texas flags which seemed to be very much appreciated, more so than the more costly things in the gift bags we presented. They very much appreciated having something representing the area the family was from. The bandanas had actually been promotional items from one of Ann’s nursing conferences.

The orphanage director with Zhi Bei

Once we finished with the paperwork and certification process it was once again time for us to part with the orphanage director. Uh oh. The tears started again and quickly escalated to sobs and even screams. It was very obvious the orphanage director had been very close to Zhi Bei. We were sent packing to get in the van for the get away. Once we were in the van the orphanage doctor brought poor Zhi Bei to us still crying, she sat her next to Ann and off we went. We are pleased to report her recovery was swift. It truly is a good sign that she was so bonded with someone in the orphanage and we are thankful for that. Zhi Bei had pretty much fully recovered by the time we arrived at a super market 15 minutes later to do some shopping.

Zhi Bei at the mall doing some shopping finds Bei Bei, one of the Olympic mascots

After picking up some food and clothing items for Zhi Bei and a quick bite to eat at, we are embarrassed to report, KFC, we headed back to the hotel. Yes the Colonel himself is alive and well in Harbin, and for that matter in Beijing and Shanghai. The funny thing is the way we ended up at the KFC in the first place is when Ann said she would like to find a restroom. When asked if one would be available in the supermarket our guide said she was not sure. But she said, we could always go into the KFC. Oddly this was the same response when we asked guide Ann in Shanghai about the public restrooms in Shanghai. She said she would not be caught dead in one and besides it was not really necessary, there was always a KFC somewhere nearby. Apparently KFC has the reputation for the nicest restroom facilities in China.

We finished Valentines Day back at the hotel. Zhi Bei had fully recovered and was in great spirits during the evening and at dinner here in the hotel. She is constantly packing and unpacking her things. She lays them out on the bed to survey them, and then folds them back up. She has tried on every piece of clothing we brought or had bought here.

When we put her down for bed though, Ann got up to take out her contacts. Once she realized Ann was gone from the room, she sat up and you could see the panic in her eyes. David’s presence was no consolation. She started tearing up and immediately got up to find Ann. We got her back in bed and she was out like a light before we knew it. We are sure we will be building trust with this little girl for sometime to come.

Zhi Bei practices her Mandarin orange slice designs

The books on attachment talk about how children who have never experienced being part of a reasonably functional family, in many ways revert emotionally to an age when those trust issues were explored and hopefully resolved for infants and toddlers. A time at which children are able to discover that when a parent leaves, they come back, and when they have a need, a parent will respond. Our beautiful daughter does not yet comprehend what a family is. We have much work to do but are looking forward to it with all our heart.

Zhi Bei leaves her hand print on a document