It's a Big, Big House With Lots and Lots of Rooms...

Yesterday was a day that I was hoping for and looking forward to second only to Gotcha Day. We got to visit Maria's Big House of Hope (MBHOH). Just in case you have either been living under a rock, haven't actually read any of this blog, or just need a gentle reminder, MBHOH is the special needs orphan care facility run by Show Hope, and it's where Asher was cared for from February of this year until a just over a month ago when he was moved back to the Luohe City orphanage. MBHOH is also where he had his palate surgery this summer. OK, now that your memory has been refreshed... We weren't sure whether we would even be allowed to visit, but in the end it was really no big deal at all to arrange. So, the four families in our group with kids who were cared for there boarded a little bus yesterday morning for the two or so hour drive over to Luoyang. Let me tell you, riding in a vehicle in China is an adventure! Everything is "at your own risk." Traffic signals, lanes, and even appropriate sides of the road are all up for interpretation, and there are no carseats for kids! Makes me laugh that I was so uptight about the kids's seats going in grandma's car back home. Meanwhile, we're over here, in a rickety bus barreling down the street head on toasted other vehicles. Oh well... We made it quite safely and were all thrilled when we caught our firsts glimpse of that big blue building covered in clouds. I knew it would be emotional, but I was unsure of what to expect from Asher. I didn't know if he would flip out and think we were taking him back and refuse to go in, or if he would cling to his ayi (nanny) and Lilybelle (the nurse who he loves) and refuse to come back out. I think we were all a little unsure of how all the kids would do. Asher did great though. And I only cried minimally when we first pulled up and when I first met Lilybelle. Asher acted like it was not at all out of the ordinary that we would be there. He resumed his role of the popular kid who runs the halls immediately as the ayis all flocked to him and he flung himself at them. I let him hang with them while we looked around and took pics and video of where he lived, slept, and played.  Every so often though, he would look around for us, and reach for me, which you know I just adored! It was reassuring to me that no matter how many familiar faces and arms reached for him, he already seemed to want to come back to us in the end. That fact alone, I think, gave me more closure and reassurance than anything else. He is already starting to learn that no matter how many "mamas" he has had, I am Mommy. I am the only Mommy. I am HIS Mommy! We got to speak with the one ayi with whom he seemed to be really connected, and learn her name. I had seen pictures of her, but didn't know her name. It is Li Ya Li. She is one of those people who I will never be able to thank enough. She clearly loves Asher. I had been told that she cries when he left, and she flew over to him like nothing I'd seen when we first arrived, and even after I thought we'd said our official good-byes, she still found us 2 or 3 more times and took him again. I can be nothing but thankful that she loved him so much. I was also very excited to meet Lilybelle. She is the 2nd floor nurse, and she and Asher were inseparable. Though she never knew it, knowing that he was in her care over there provided me with so much comfort throughout this process. To have the chance to meet these two amazing ladies and so many others, and hug them and tell them thank you was something I didn't want to miss being able to do. Of course, we also got to tour the facility and the kitchen staff made us some delicious lunch! Noodles with bean sprouts and more congee for the babies. Asher ate more noodles than congee. I did too. After seeing most of all there was to see, we started to pull ourselves away from the crowd of adoring ayis and head back toward the bus. Li Ya Li and several others were leaning out the 2nd floor windows and waving goodbye. I expected Asher to put up a fight when it was time to go, but he didn't protest at all. He just held on to us and we were off. This was also really comforting. Whether he is aware of it or not, it was like closing the book on that chapter of his little life. We are legally his parents, and now we have said goodbye to his last ties in another way too. We are not severing the ties. We would never do that because they are an important part of who he is, and in many ways, they are the reason he is as well adjusted as he is. They gave him better care and more love and attention than we ever thought our little Chinese man would receive. We will be forever indebted to them for that and forever grateful. We will continue to send them pictures and updates, and hopefully we will someday be able to bring him back, along with the rest of the family, and see them all again. For now though, as thankful as I am  to have been able to go, I am also glad that it's done. It is an amazing place! With Li Ya Li   The whole group   With Lilybelle After a good nap on the drive back, we took the kids up to the hotel's playroom to let them burn off some energy. They had a good time playing. After that, we had Pizza Hut for dinner again (I know, authentic Chinese food), which poor Josh practically got hypothermia bringing home because the guys just couldn't catch a cab for the way back. It is COLD here! Today we had a free day and we bummed around the hotel, enjoying a late breakfast and introducing Asher to the pool. Then a taxi to lunch and a walk back in the cold. It was nice to be outside for a while! Naptime next and more laundry in the bathtub before dinner at the noodle restaurant. I have decided I don't get particularly excited about noodle soup. The spring rolls were good though. Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou for the final leg of our trip. Lots of papers and appointments at the US Consulate to make things official on the US side of things. I am looking forward to warmer weather in Guangzhou, and to the hotel there, which I am told is incredible. All in all, Zhengzhou hasn't been as dreary as it looked on the first day here. The sun does actually come out now and then. The hotel shower has excellent water pressure. Breakfast here is still really good. The beds, despite feeling like a thin wood board on top of a dinky mattress, were surprisingly comfortable, and Walmart was fun. Oh ya, and we got a kid out of it all! So, that's another thing Zhengzhou has in it's corner. Still, I do look forward to home and being somewhere that doesn't always smell like cigarettes.