Day 11 - Baby Butterfly Day!

Day 11 - Baby Butterfly Day! (short version)
~Slept in
~Nice breakfast
~Walked to Walmart
~Baby Butterfly!!!
~Lots of crying
~Family of 4!
~Long night...

Day 11 - Baby Butterfly Day! (long version)

When we arrived in Guizhou yesterday we were informed by Jonathon that because of the busy, hectic schedule of a Monday, we would not be getting the baby Butterfly in the morning, but rather in the afternoon, when things were not so busy on the roads and the Adoption Affairs Center. My first reaction was, “No! I want her now!” (I didn’t really say that, I just thought it.) But as it turned out, having that extra time was wonderful.

We had the opportunity to sleep in a bit, enjoy a nice, casual breakfast, and finish getting the room ready for the baby. With a few hours left before our departure, Daddy, the Ladybug, and I ventured out to do some last minute baby shopping at Walmart, an adoption family tradition! Fortunately for us, the mega-mart is right across the street, within walking distance from our hotel. Walmart was a hoot, and although similar in some ways, still very different from a Walmart that we would find in the states. I will talk about that at a later date though (trust me, I realize that you all want to see the baby photos). Eventually we made it back to the hotel and met Jonathon in the lobby.


Our drive to the Guizhou Adoption Center lasted about 30 minutes because of… you guessed it, more Chinese traffic (yup, we are getting used to it, and apparently waiting didn't make much of a difference). Apparently the building where the Adoption Center is located is just temporary, which is good to hear since the place seemed to be located at the top floor of a non-descript building which I believe to be a run down hotel. As a matter of fact, the elevator only goes up to the 14th floor, and we then had to hike up some steps to get to the 15th floor, where the Center is located.


As soon as we got to the Adoption Center, I looked around the corner and barely saw our baby girl in the other room being held by, what I found out later, her nanny from the orphanage. I immediately put my bags down, grabbed my camera, and tentatively walked into the room with my family. As we rounded the corner I saw the Butterfly and her nanny. The baby was very quiet, just looking around trying to soak everything in. Naturally, she was very shy, so I did not run up and grab her from the nanny’s arms. Instead, I sat down on the couch next to the nanny and the baby. The Ladybug and I had some strawberry puffs (a small cheerio-type of snack) which we offered the baby. She was tentative at first, but eventually started enjoying the treats.



After being there for almost ten minutes trying to acclimate the baby to our presence, the nanny handed the Butterfly over to me. As can be expected, this hand-ever did bring about tears and sadness. It was pretty tough on all of us in the room, but we had anticipated this reaction. Daddy and I took turns walking her around from room to room to keep her occupied, which actually did keep her busy and content most of the time. We learned from the nanny that walking her around helps to soothe her when she is sad, and this technique seemed to work nicely in calming the Butterfly. At one point, Daddy took her into another room and I was able to take two gorgeous profile photos of the two of them together. Daddy bonding with his new daughter, a priceless moment.





After numerous signatures and thumbprints (the official way that the Chinese seal their signatures), as well as our first official family photo,



we loaded back into the van and headed back to the hotel. Once there we realized that the Butterfly had a wet diaper so we changed her. I wasn’t expecting to see her wearing a diaper pad with no tabs, held together by an elastic strap. We were all very surprised to see this and thought the strap might be binding and irritating her. I realize that at least for the poor rural areas of China, this is what they have the babies wear, but it was sad to see.




After being in the room for a few hours, we wandered out to the river in front of the hotel where many people gather. The baby loved being out of the room, but soon fell asleep in my arms. We headed back to the room where she quickly awoke and continued to whimper and cry, even after we went to bed. The Butterfly has a very quiet cry. Daddy describes her cries as a car alarm that has a battery on the fritz, they seem to trail off at the end. The baby eventually fell asleep between Mommy and Daddy and we were all able to get a little sleep.


The baby is beautiful and delicate, but super strong. She is now 14 ½ months. She can stand, but cannot yet walk. She does have some little spots on her face that are bug bites in the process of healing. Those should clear soon. We have seen the start of little smiles here and there, but nothing solid yet. Seeing the photos of our girl, I do know that smiles will come soon, but in the mean time she is grieving, big time. We will see what tomorrow will bring.


~~Aloha!