Emily's Passport Secured and Lots of Fun in Hohhot

Emily did better today with her grieving. It's clear that she is getting to know and trust us, little by little. We are so thankful for your prayers through this battle. We had some very special moments with her today.

Quick update about our Wednesday... Today we went to the Civil Affairs Office in Hohhot and received Emily's passport!

We also visited the Inner Mongolia museum, which was filled with dinosaur fossils and other incredible history from Emily's province. This was important to us because we learned a lot about the region, which we will be able to share with her as she gets older.

After the museum, our guide took us to eat dinner. This might have been the neatest experience so far. The area and restaurant was one where only common locals go. She explained to us that rich people would not come here. It was amazing. The street was like a market, with everything from meat to clothing. People everywhere (which generally describes most areas of China). We ate at a hole in the wall Chinese restaurant where the owner was exceptionally gracious. Seamus was the only American man in our group and the owner was insistent on offering him alcohol through a toast. If you've ever had Japanese sake, this is about 3 times as strong. Seamus had a taste and secretly poured the rest in the tea that he wasn't drinking. ;) The food was delicious. We had hot tea, beef dumplings, fried rice, and some other unidentifiable (but delicious) food. Seamus had a beer that was pretty good, except that it wasn't cold (typical for any drink in China).

We were total rock stars today. It's really bizarre. People stare at us like you wouldn't believe. They take pictures of us everywhere we go and speak loudly about us. They often ask our guide about why we have a Chinese baby and who we are. It's quite entertaining to see the looks we get. People here are seriously blown away by American families (especially ones with a Chinese baby).

Emily is an awesome sleeper. She gets a bottle and crashes at 7:30 each night and sleeps until morning. She has been napping for 2 - 2 1/2 hours every day. She never cries. Even when she's grieving, she just shuts down and avoids eye contact. But there was even little of that today.

Tomorrow we are driving 3 hours to Baotou City where Emily's original orphanage is. This is where she was abandoned and lived for 6 months of her life. We have been told that we only have 30 minutes to see the orphanage and ask questions. There will likely be parts of the orphanage we won't be allowed to see and we may not be able to take any pictures. I am very excited to visit Baotou, since we know this is where she came from. The industry in Baotou is iron and steel manufacturing. Her biological parents likely work in this large factory as most of the Baotou residents do.

We are having an amazing time in China, as we bond with our sweet girl and experience an incredible culture unlike any we are familiar with. Please continue to pray for us as well as the millions of precious people in this country who do not know God. I look forward to sharing our day in Baotou with you (hopefully tomorrow night if I have the time and energy)!

Traded for a Passport!

 

Inner Mongolia Museum