Baumeister Blueprints: China Day 5

China Trip Day 5 – 3/8/15 - Meeting Theo

After a long night, we started out the day getting our bags packed and gifts ready for each nanny and the orphanage director. 1 backpack, 1 diaper/duffle bag, 1 ergo baby carrier, check, check, check.

Laura packing gifts

After a light breakfast in the hotel café, our guide arrived to take us to the orphanage. All four families jumped into a van and headed off to the north of the city. Jinan is a very pretty city with a population of around 4 million people. After a little ways Laura asked John, our guide, to watch a video on our phone that we think is a news broadcast about Theo’s finding date/spot. We were hoping to have one of the locals help us find the street corner where he was abandoned. He assured us that he knew this location and it was no more than a 10 minute ride from our hotel. We plan on taking a ride there tomorrow!

About an hour later, we came up on the orphanage, and our hearts were racing as we prepared ourselves to meet Theo for the first time.

Orphanage through the trees

Off the van at the orphanage - CWI

Laura signing some adoption papers

John led us into a large play room area where there was a table set up for us to sign the acceptance forms as part of the finalization of the adoption. We had always heard from some of the adoption Facebook groups to be prepared for anything. All of a sudden one of the older boys came running around the corner and caught us all by surprise. From that point forward, no one was filling out any paperwork, and the two other children came out in their caretaker’s arms… And then… out came Theo (Sun, JiaHui).

He was completely bundled up and very calm. He came right into Laura’s arms, and Charlie the liaison at the orphanage teased him a bit saying “ma-ma” and “ba-ba” while holding our family photo that we sent in December.

A lot happened today that would be too much to blog about in one sitting, but we spent the next several hours at the orphanage getting Theo changed, meeting the various nannies, seeing his crib, exchanging gifts with the caretakers, touring the other children’s foster homes, and saying goodbye. Everyone seemed to love Theo and were happy to see him with us.

Charlie joking that Theo loves these cookies

Later that day we took Theo’s passport photos, family adoption photo, and had lunch in downtown Jinan before going to the adoption registration building and finally the notary’s office. We finished at 6:00pm. It was the longest, best, most tiring, tearful day we have had on this trip.