The Next Day (and a Half)

After a great first night of sleep with Francie we had a few more formalities to make the adoption official. We went back to the civil affairs office to be "interviewed" by an adoption agent and a notary public. The questions were a bit odd as they related to adoption. They asked us when we were married and our occupations. Then they asked if Francie is acceptable to us and if we wish to adopt her. Well of course. She is our little girl.

The afternoon was spent mainly napping and doing a little bit of shopping. For dinner, Katie stayed in with Lee and Francie while the grandparents and I went for dinner. There were leftover pieces of pizza from the night before, so Katie and the kids had a pizza and movie night. The grandparents and I went to a local restaurant. We have learned that although most menus are fairly extensive, the selection of dishes that Americans find appealing is minimal. All we needed were a few, so we managed just fine.

Overnight we didn't sleep nearly as well. Francie woke up, cried, and fell back to sleep on her own about every hour and a half. We're glad that she got back to sleep on her own, but she woke Lee up a number of times. We're paying for that today.

This morning we did our first bit of sight seeing. We toured the Chen Ancestral Lineage Hall which had fascinating carvings, embroidery, art, and architecture.

The best part of the last two days for me has been to watch Francie join the family. Lee is always concerned with how his little sister is doing, hugs her, and tells her "It's okay, Francie" whenever she cries. Often Lee's best intentions are not always received as well as he would expect, but they'll learn how to interact over time.

Quick family trips start to happen tomorrow morning. My brother, Greg, arrives tonight and Dan and Frances will go to Xian tomorrow morning for a couple of days. We're all loking forward to having Uncle Greg here, but we'll miss Katie's folks and all their help.