Orphanage visits

I just realized I never posted about the visits we made to the girls' orphanages. Unfortunately because of our bouts with the stomach bug, plans got switched around at the last minute and I did not get to go on Bethany's visit and Charlie did not get to go on Annie's visit. But they were both highly successful.

Charlie said Bethany was welcomed with open arms. They had a nice tour, she got to play in her old playground and see her former teacher and her classroom. Bethany was very, very happy to be there and really enjoyed showing off her beloved Daddy. The staff gave her a photo album and has promised to send us some more photos via email.

Annie's orphanage is about 5 1/2 hours by car from Guangzhou, so Annie, Bethany and I had a very long day with our guide Bob and two drivers.

The staff at Annie's orphanage was so glad to see her. One of my favorite moments of the whole trip was when the woman who had been Annie's caretaker the longest saw her. She ran screaming toward Annie, with her arms open and the look on her face was just amazing. She is in the 6th picture above.

They were very, very kind to us and took us on a nice tour. We were able to see the room Annie slept in as a baby, where she slept as a toddler and also got to visit her classroom and see her teacher. They remembered us well from when we visited in November 2005 when we adopted Annie and we were able to meet several people we'd met before. The orphanage staff took a whole bunch of pictures and made a disc for us before we left. They also gave her a beautiful vase with the characters for Happy Family on it.

Even though the logistics were a little difficult, we are so happy that we made these visits. It was wonderful to see that both girls were so well-loved and well-remembered.