Picking up Sarah in China

By:  Erick Nelson
Last Updated:  Monday, 24 May 2004

I flew out to China on Oct 29 to pick up our new baby, and returned November 10.  Her Chinese name is is Gao Fu Qian.  Gao is her family name.  Fu Qian (pronounced "Foo-Chian") is her first name.  We are naming her:  Sarah Elizabeth Nelson.

I left Susan her to take care of Christopher.  We debated all the combinations, but didn't want to leave Christopher here by himself for two weeks and when it really came down to it we thought it would be easiest if I went alone and had a fresh family to hand off to!  It worked out fine.  I got a lot of help from other families who were there.  Great, great people. 

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Nanjing

This is a big city (formerly the capital of China) where I met Sarah.  She was at the Gaoyou orphanage, and was brought to the hotel where I was staying.  This is the street a couple of blocks away from the hotel.  The main impression was the colorful signs - bright red, yellow, blue; and lots of bike riders.  Men, even when poor, tended to wear sport coats.  After I returned, I got an email from a couple who had picked up their baby in July from the same orphanage!  Read his description:  Gaoyou Orphanage

This is Nanjing at sunrise, by photographer and fellow-adopter Richard Rapfogel.

Guilin

After Nanjing we flew to Guilin, primarily to hang out and wait for papers to be processed.  This is fairly close to our destination Guangzhou.  It has tall skinny limestone hills.  I didn't get any good pictures of them, but this is the view from the hotel.  Nice boat tour and caves with nice lights.

This is fabulous spikey mountains from the river in Guilin, by photographer and fellow-adopter Richard Rapfogel.

Guangzhou

This is the big city (in the south-east, near Hong Kong), where we did the final paperwork at the U.S. consulate and got Sarah's American passport.  I had the misfortune of getting food poisoning just when it it was time to fly back, even though I was extremely careful about what I ate.  I believe it was the American Burger at the White Swan Hotel.  But I recovered, and we came back two days late.  All's well that ends well.

First Picture with Sarah - with Nanny

They brought the eight babies to the hotel, one for each family.  They brought the four older children (16-19 months) first, and I had to wait for mine for about 15 minutes; meanwhile I took pictures for other families.  When Sarah came and they handed her to me, I got tingles.  Big moment.  Here's our first picture together, with the nanny who most took care of her.

Getting Adoption Authorization in Nanjing

We went down together to an office in Nanjing and signed final papers.  We were told not to mess around with these people - very serious moment. 

Sarah Looking Cool - With Guide (Mary)

Of the eight babies, Sarah was the same age (13 months) as two, but was the smallest baby of all of them (16 lb 4 oz).  Some of the babies freaked out when handed to their new parents - either cried hysterically or went very quiet and looked fearful.  Sarah was kind of subdued, just checking it out.  My goal was to win her over as quickly as possible.  We had an hour in the hotel room together, and I put her in the crib.  Gave her some cups and keys to play with.  We played together and I got her to smile and laugh pretty quickly.

The Babies

The whole set.  Then the Gaoyou kids.  By photographer and fellow-adopter Richard Rapfogel.  (Sarah in blue, apparently with slobber down the front.  Guide Mary standing in for me.)

Sarah Standing in Lobby

Getting ready to start walking!

Reaching for the Stars

Sarah has a winning smile, and is very eager to explore and touch everything.  She likes to hold out a toy and then when you reach for it she pulls it back and laughs at you!  What a teaser.  She can stand up and walk with something (like a bed or the crib) to hold on to.  She loves her bottle and likes to laugh.

When I brought her home, she took to Susan and Christopher right away!  Christopher is great at watching out for her and getting her to stop crying.  Susan got her all cleaned up and fed with some great baby food, and is oncall at night if she wakes up.  Susan's brother Bill has stayed here to help hold things down, and he's great with Sarah, too.  The stars are the limit.

Me and My Girl

Going through the paperwork together.  She tended to crumple it up, however, and so her participation was limited.

Home Now!

Here's Sarah with Susan, her new mommy.  They really love each other!

 Sarah already idolizes Christopher, which is very flattering to him.  He's great with her.  This is the two kids with Susan's sister, Aunt Beth.  Sarah's middle name is Elizabeth, after Aunt Beth.

U.S. Adoption Day - Feb 18, 2004

We took Sarah to the King County Courthouse to finalize her U.S. Adoption.  It was a great experience.  The judge was extremely nice and she asked Christopher a lot of questions:  "Are you glad to be a big brother?"  He got to come around behind the bench and stamp the paperwork with the judge.  Here are a few pictures.