Hello from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, aka where our daughter has spent the first two years of her life. <3 Here, the sunrise view from our lovely hotel room:
We awoke after about 4 hours of sleep (our bodies are definitely still trying to adjust to the time change) and were looking forward to the leisurely day ahead. First stop, breakfast! Our hotel has a big breakfast buffet each morning; so, we headed down pretty early to grab some grub. To be honest, I am very wary of what I'm eating right now: I am terrified of us getting food poisoning; so, I am trying to be cautious with what I eat. I'm sure I'll become more adventurous as the trip goes on... Breakfast here in China is also quite different than American cuisines, as in, we basically had noodles and rice for breakfast, with a fried egg and some bread on the side. I know I'll be craving American cuisine soon, but it wasn't a bad way to start the day!
After that, I spent some time getting a few things ready for tomorrow, including preparing the gifts we brought for the orphanage nannies and director, unpacking all of Bella's things, and getting her crib ready. <3
We also decided to hit up the hotel fitness room to get in a little exercise and try to wake up our bodies a little more. I was excited to see a barre studio - I even got Clay to try some barre stuff with me after he finished his own workout. ;)
We spent the early afternoon exploring Hohhot. We walked all around the capital city, stopping for lunch at a local Chinese spot called "Tiny Tot." Then, we headed to the glory land - Starbucks!!!! Ha! We continued to walk around and take in the sights before heading back to the hotel to wait for our big excursion for the day (the supermarket :) ).
People love mopeds here!
Little shops along a side street
Check out the beautiful Inner Mongolian mountains in the background of the city!
After that, I spent some time getting a few things ready for tomorrow, including preparing the gifts we brought for the orphanage nannies and director, unpacking all of Bella's things, and getting her crib ready. <3
We also decided to hit up the hotel fitness room to get in a little exercise and try to wake up our bodies a little more. I was excited to see a barre studio - I even got Clay to try some barre stuff with me after he finished his own workout. ;)
We spent the early afternoon exploring Hohhot. We walked all around the capital city, stopping for lunch at a local Chinese spot called "Tiny Tot." Then, we headed to the glory land - Starbucks!!!! Ha! We continued to walk around and take in the sights before heading back to the hotel to wait for our big excursion for the day (the supermarket :) ).
Our hotel
Dragon greeting us at the entrance to our hotel
Pretty Chinese buildings
Our lunch spot
This man was toting kittens, puppies, chipmunks, and gerbils on his bike--all for sale?!
Hohhot reminds me so much of NYC! People everywhere, honking horns, crazy drivers, lots of shopping!
Starbucks! And my yummy Green Tea Chai Latte
Later in the afternoon, we met up with the two other families from our agency who are here to adopt their little ones. Our sweet guide, Aggie, took all of us to the local supermarket so we could stock up on supplies we needed (tons of bottled water; a new stroller; more snacks for Bella; additional diapers, candies and toys for the orphans, courtesy of Banks and Brooks; etc.). There were also some *interesting* edibles for sale there... :0
The market
Hundreds of candies for the orphans, courtesy of Brooks S. <3
Also for the precious orphans, eggs that open to reveal chocolates and tiny toys, courtesy of Banks <3
Cooked chickens for sale...with their heads still attached. :0 (I'm imagining the scene from A Christmas Story. Anyone else?)
Clay and I ended the day by having our last dinner together as parents to only three kiddos. Believe it or not, we had a (not so tasty - ha!) Italian meal at one of the restaurants in our hotel. But our conversation was everything. It was JUST what the doctor ordered for our Gotcha Day Eve.
And now, we go to bed, knowing that we will be meeting our daughter in the morning. After almost 18 months since this journey began, we will have our daughter in our arms. Such a dream come true. We know she will be scared and grieving, and while we will give her all the time she needs to start to adjust, we will immediately show her we adore her and she is safe with us.
I'm not going to lie, though. Right now, I am feeling so many emotions: anxious and excited, fearful and faithful, scared and happy, overwhelmed and overjoyed. I worry about so many things. I try to lay my fear at His feet and have faith that He is walking alongside us as we begin this adventure. Sometimes the fear takes over, but the prayers being said on our behalf truly help. So, to all those praying for us, for our family, for our Bella -thank you. And please keep them coming. These next few days/weeks/months will undoubtedly be a huge adjustment with lots of unknowns...
My next post will be all about our Gotcha Day. Which means, tonight is the LAST NIGHT that Bella will EVER have to sleep in an orphanage. Good night, baby girl. We'll see you at 10:00 am tomorrow. <3
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