China doll part two

After being in Beijing for 2 full days sightseeing with about 40-something families, we all separated off to the province where our girls were waiting for us. For 2 days we had been accompanied by several lovely Chinese guides. This is Mary, our guide who stuck with us like glue. She was GREAT and we all loved her from the beginning. She proceeded to guide us through the next 2 weeks without a hitch, and with a sense of humor. So Mary and the 13 families we travelled with took a plane ride to ChangSha, arriving on an early Sunday afternoon. We were told the girls would be arriving by train & bus ride to our hotel later that day. So, Brandt and I decided to take a little nap. We were awaked by the phone just an hour later "THE GIRLS ARE HERE---WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!!" I remember thinking What?! I'm not ready...can you believe I even thought that?

For the past 3 days we had been going by couple numbers...we were couple number 4. When we got to the room where all the girls were waiting, every other family was in the hallway waiting for their number to be called. We were the LAST ones to arrive - everyone looked at us like "where have you been???" They called the first number, it was Jeff and Chris (who weren't number 1!) Then they called number 4----once again I thought it, but this time I yelled it out loud "WAIT---I'm not ready yet!" Everyone looked at me like I was from a foreign planet or had just sprouted a second head.

Then they pulled a kicking-screaming-red-faced-hard-headed but adorable little girl out to the hallway....I mean literally they were pulling her (like pulling a goat) and she was not going to have any of it. They picked her up and handed her to me...then Mary said to me "give her water"....WHAT? Is that all the parenting advice from China all wrapped in one sentence? I said "OK"........like if I said "No, I'm going to give her coca-cola" they might take her back?

So, along with Jeff and Chris and their new little girl, JinYu, we took off to the elevator and back to our room. All I remember is Annie screaming, crying, kicking and looking over at Jeff and Chris and JinYu, who were quietly looking at us...I remember thinking, why is mine crying and theirs isn't? I think poor JinYu was thinking "good Lord, why is Xin-Xin screaming like that?" or maybe she had seen it all before...you know they were friends at the orphanage. Maybe it wasn't a shock at all.

Here we are in the hallway just after I had been told "give her water". Notice all the other families waiting for their numbers to be called.

A couple of things to notice...they had dressed all the girls alike - down to the shoes and no diaper. By the time I got Annie back to the room, I realized she was soaking wet - down to the shoes. So if you look at this picture of them dragging her out of the room, you can see her wet pants. So much for "they are all potty trained" info we got.

This was the sad face that we saw pretty much for the next 10 days. She did not like this new family, especially this new lady who kept saying "I'm your Mom!" She just knew that an adventure ride on a train and bus had turned into something she never expected.