A Park and a Plane

On Thursday, we headed to a children's amusement park in Nanning.  It's sort of one one those time-warp parks, not that kids mind one bit if the rides that they are going on are stuck in a different decade.  At this time of year, all of the rides are not manned, so if you want to go on a ride, you have to hunt someone down to come over and run the ride for you.  At times it seemed like there was one lady who was running from ride to ride, switching them on and off for us and a few other kids.  Hong Kong Disney it ain't, but the kids loved it nonetheless.  Frannie did a lot of cautious watching from her carrier as her big sisters had fun.

She ate another great breakfast.
This girl can EAT.

I was a little afraid P was testing the weight limits of this ride.
You should have heard the creaking sound when he squeezed himself in with the girls.

Frannie tried this one.  She was a little unsure of the whole thing.
We tried to sit her on one of the horses for a photo and she wanted no part of that.

Christmas in China.

On Friday it was time to pack up and leave Nanning.  In more way that one.  Friday was the day I would label, "Gets worse before it gets better" in the Adoption Trip 101 handbook.  In part it was bad due to the incredible onslaught of illnesses we have all been hit with.  Rosie was sick with God knows what and covered in hives.  P was hit with a terrible stomach thing.  I continued my China-special illness, and Frannie's cough was rattling her entire body.

Sickness aside, this was the time when Frannie seemed the most inconsolable, the most frightened, and the most like she wanted to escape.  She was crying more than not, and refusing to be in the room with us at all.  As soon as we'd walk in, she'd put her arms up to be held and point to the door screaming.  Our guide's guess was that where she lived was big and that our room was small.  I personally didn't think this was too likely.  Because we went through this with Emmie, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this issue.  What I've come up with is that if a person was kidnapped, they would likely feel terrified at all times with their captor.  But wouldn't it feel much scarier to be locked in a room, out of sight of others with your captor than to be out in public with them?  I think it would, and I think could be how our children feel.

So Frannie was just sad and angry.  She wanted nothing to do with us, yet she wanted me to be holding her at all times, which made packing up several suitcases of belongings very trying.  Every moment felt so tentative with her.  If we managed to find something that would make her smile, there was this pressure to do it over and over again, to keep the momentum up in an effort to trick her into being happy.  It worked a little.

We left our hotel, picked up her passport, and headed to the airport.  It's a bittersweet moment, leaving the place where you first met your daughter, but bringing you one step closer to home.

Getting ready to leave the hotel.

Waiting for Glenn to pick up the passport.

Saying goodbye to Glenn.  Can you tell how SMITTEN Emmie was with him?

What a lucky guy!

Getting ready to say goodbye to Nanning.

Baby takes flight!

We left the plane after yet another Emmie celebrity-style photo session (she is constantly being photographed and petted here!) and a throw-up session from Rosie, and met our new guide, Connie.  As sick and tired and weary as we were all feeling, I still felt a sense of calm wash over me as we headed towards the Holiday Inn Shifu in Guangzhou.  It's a place we have spent so much time--more than we wanted to because we were stuck there on Rosie's adoption trip!  As soon as we walked into the lobby, Emmie remembered it well.  It was like deja vu when we walked into our room and realized it was the same room we stayed in last time.

Now we are just hoping that a change in scenery is just what we all need.  For our health, and for our baby's continued healing.