Journey of a Life Time....again!: Thank you Guangzhou

Our stay in Guangzhou was very busy in getting all the paperwork done to finalize our adoption and to obtain Rebecca's passport in order for her to fly back to Beijing. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and quickly without delays.

Alot of our time was also spent getting acquainted with out little baby. After 1 1/2 weeks I can proudly say that she has come a long way already as she has adapted and slowly showing some signs of trust in us. In comparison from the first time we had met her, Rebecca is growing stronger each day. With the help of her daddy and big sis she has done more standing, taken a few extra steps each day and has even started crawling rather quickly although still taking breaks in between to sprawl out on the floor. Not to mention that she has also been smiling and laughing much much more.

The little frown on her face is slowly disappearing and her eyes are still as big and beautiful as the first day we saw her.

Rebecca has been sleeping very well and fortunately for us she sleeps through the night most of the times. On the first night she slept without waking up once. However, on the second night it took almost one hour for her to settle down in the crib. Tim and I had a very disturbing time watching as she thrust herself around the crib at times hitting her head, arms and legs while crying out. After witnessing such disturbing behaviour I promised her, as I had done with Bethany from the very start, that she would no longer have to cry herself to sleep anymore. I know many would consider me spoiling my girls to run when they cry at night but they have already spent many nights crying in need to be comforted or held but eventually just crying themselves to sleep. It breaks my heart to think of those lonely nights that they had to endure at such tiny age when newborns/infants are held without hesitation....my girls never had that and now their mommy won`t let that happen ever again.

I will also say that despite her enthusiasm with her baby sister, Bethany has been having a very tough time adjusting to the arrival of her baby. There are moments in which she adores and continually hugs and kisses her, as well as commenting how happy she is and can`t believe that she finally has a baby sister. However, as the days have passes there has been more animosity towards the baby. We knew to expect this but what we have noticed is that Bethany has become more inquisitive about her birth parents. She has even commented that she knows we don`t love here anymore and she wants to go find her other mommy and daddy to love her. Many would say that all kids go through a rough time in accepting a sibling, however, adopted children are not like all kids and it is painfully real to me that this journey has made Bethany more aware of adoption. I have had many heartbreaking moments and talks with Bethany and realize it will be more difficult once we get home. As a mother you do everything you can to protect your child from insecurities and difficult life circumstances but adoption is a whole new world of it`s own....one that my girls will question in many aspects looking for answers; many of which I do not have or will ever know.

Despite being half-way across the world in such a beautiful country with so much history and sights to see, we did manage to get our for a trip to the zoo. You see, we are not on a vacation. We are on a special journey with the main focus of becoming a family of four and ensuring all our T`s are crossed and our I`s are dotted in the mountain of paperwork that we have had to do. It is also a critical time of making it a smooth transition for our little baby whose life has changed in a matter of hours which is more than any adult can get used to if it were to happen to them. So, despite our Tim & Liz adventure travels, we spent alot of time in the hotel room so as to keep Rebecca`s surroundings as minimal as possible until she becomes accustomed to her new family. We did manage to get out to the shopping strip known as the Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in the city's bustling retail and shopping district but despite the countless little shops, we did not buy anything as we found prices to be comparable to ours and fussy-shopper Daddy could not make up his mind on many items he liked.

We ended our stay with a night cruise along the Pearl River and took in the spectacular lit-up scenic path. It was the most beautiful and colourful display of lights and quite a fascinating experience.

Leaving Guangzhou was different than it was with Bethany. When we left Guangxi in 2009 I had such a fear that something would go wrong and would cause a delay or prevent me from taking Bethany home. This time, I felt confident that I was taking my baby home very soon and that we were just accomplishing yet another step along our journey. I still felt the overwhelming sadness of saying good bye to her home as well to her birth mother. Praying that she too will be given the peace in knowing through trust in God that her baby is in the loving arms of her forever family who have fallen deeply in love with her in a matter of seconds and will carry out her wishes for a happy and loving life. I hate good byes in person but saying good bye to someone who you've never met or will never meet and saying thank you for such a wonderful gift of a healthy child is unexplainable.

We left Guangzhou for now but with every intention to one day return with Rebecca to visit her home as we will do with Bethany as well.