Yesterday...Continued

Yesterday, we went back to the Civil Affairs office to complete the adoption in China. From that point, we are officially the parents of Sun Meng Jie-Maelin Brooke Parker. After that, our guide took us to apply for Maelin's passport. First we had to take her passport photo; then, we went next door to fill out the application. Basically the rest of our time here in Hangzhou is just hanging out and taking in the city while waiting for her passport to be processed. We then came back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit the Hangzhou Children's Welfare Institute-her orphanage. We were thoroughly impressed! The campus was beautiful with many new buildings and beautiful landscaping. We got to meet the head nanny and the lady in charge of the foster families. We were given a few treasures! They created a book for Maelin with pictures of her and the orphanage. We got a copy of the note that her birth mother left with her. It was obvious that her birth mother loved her very much. We will get it translated and post some of what it said later. The lady in charge of the foster families told us that Maelin's foster family planted a garden just for food for Maelin. They loved her very much. In fact, the last night they had her, they couldn't eat. All they could do is cry. Maelin tried to comfort them and told them, "Don't cry. I will call you!" We were told that Maelin knows their phone number. She is such a sweetheart. We looked in the "protein book" at the food that they had been feeding Maelin all of this time. GOD IS GOOD! They were taking excellent care of our baby. She is very healthy. When we finished our visit to the orphanage, our guide took us to eat. The restaurant had fish tanks in the floor. It was recommended by a friend. Thanks JoEllen and Matt. The food was good and Maelin had a chance to show us her art talents. (She scribbled on a place mat.) Then came the best part of the day-getting ready for bed. It seems that Maelin is most comfortable in our hotel room. It is the only place we get to see her personality and her quirks. She was playing on the bed before we went to sleep and really started giggling. It was great and warmed our hearts to hear her laugh. We hope she begins to open up to us a little more each day. Thanks to all of you for your comments. We love reading them so keep them coming please!

P.S.-Maelin must have had a boyfriend at the orphanage. When we walked in the room with all of the children, a little boy, who has a heart problem, came up to her and started kissing her on the cheek. He kept saying "Welcome back Meng Jie!" Many of the children came over to her and played with her hand calling her by name. It was so sweet!