Orphanage Visit

Yesterday was a hard day for all of us. We were scheduled to leave the hotel at 7:30am so I had to wake both girls up and rush through breakfast to meet Rebecca on time. The van ride to Yangdong SWI took over three hours but Abby and Ruby slept most of the way.

We ended up visiting two orphanages. Our first stop was at the orphange that is right next to Ruby's. Rebecca needed to stop there to photograph and "interview" two children there. I really can't go into all the details of this heartbreaking situation right now here on my blog. But I can tell you that there are two absolutely darling, HEALTHY (previously referred as nsn infants) four year old girls on the shared list.

We then proceeded on to Yangdong. We were warmly received by the director and his staff, given a nice tour of the grounds, and told a bit about the new two-story wing that is being built. Ruby was a bit unsure about being there. She refused to allow any of the staff to hold her except for the assistant director. This is the same woman who was holding Ruby in some of the earlier photos that we have of her. After our general tour, we were allowed to go upstairs to see where Ruby's bed was. This was the hardest part for me. It was also very hard for Abby as many of her preconceived fantasies and dreams of her life in her orphange were instantly shattered. Twenty-eight infants were in that one tiny room!

The director and his staff took us to lunch where we enjoyed fabulous food. We then drove to Ruby's finding place and were able to photograph that. Again this was very hard for Abby as she is trying so hard to understand why she isn't still living with her birth family in China.

The entrance gate to Yangdong SWI

Outdoor play yard

Laundry drying area. The new two-story wing under construction is in the background. It will house the older children on the second floor and will have an indoor playroom and library on the first floor.

Ruby with the assistant director