Shanghai Part 1

Shanghai was a lot of fun.  Sammy really didn't like being indoors,  so it was easy for him to be on the go.  Originally we were told we would have a guide our entire time in Shanghai but that wasn't the case.  Our guide was only available for adoption related appointments. We met another family there who adopted a 2 year old little boy from Sammy's orphanage.  We spent most of our time exploring Shanghai with them.  They also had their 3 year old daughter with them. She really liked Andrew, and I think having her there helped Andrew not be so homesick.

It was definitely an adventure.  Many people speak English but few speak it well.  The language barrier seemed more of a comic relief than a frustration.  The driving in Shanghai is terrifying and there are no seatbelts available.  Those who know me well know that we always wear seatbelts, and I'm a little crazy about carseat safety.  That being said we managed to cram 8 people into a cab each time we left the hotel. Each adult had a child on their lap.  We survived and there are surprisingly few accidents in China considering how aggressive they drive.

We visited a Buddhist temple, not sure which one, right as it was closing.  It was within walking distance to our hotel.  It was funny to watch people worshipping in this beautiful place with huge billboards and skyscrapers in the background.

The temple is in the background.  

Sammy wasn't used to walking a lot yet, so he hung out in his stroller and people watched.  

The next day we went to People's Park.  It is a beautiful place.

Andrew thought these were so cool

There was a Pixar event going on while we were there.  Disney characters were everywhere.  Malachi would have loved to see it. 

When we followed the signs to the Children's Park we found an amusement park.  We followed signs to the "playground" in hopes the kids could play and found an adult exercise area.

The Zoo was probably the highlight of the Shanghai for the kids.  It was huge, full of beautiful open areas, and lots of animals we'd never heard of before.

Andrew was  tired of having his picture taken, can you tell. 

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 It amazed me how clean and beautiful the city was.  The pollution was terrible, but the the city itself was very clean.  We did stay in a very affluent area that may have made the difference, but I was very impressed.  I had prepared myself for a lot worse.  I'll have to do two posts on Shanghai because I have way too many pictures.

The view from our room

Gotcha Day Pictures

We are home and everyone is doing well.    Here are some more pictures of Gotcha.  I will try and post pictures of our trip over the next few days.

Signing the paper work.

Here he comes.

Meeting Mommy

      

Meeting Daddy

Family Picture

Gotcha Day

Sammy is doing great. He came to us with a smile and has been happy most of the afternoon. We had a few tears this evening when we went to the lobby of the hotel and he saw other people. He adores Danny and tolerates me as long as I have food. He thinks Andrew is pretty cool. He loves to eat and man can this boy eat. We are having fun navigating Shanghai on our own. Aside from almost being run over 50 times and not speaking the language, we doing fantastic:)

We're here!

After 25 hours of traveling we made to our hotel last night around 10pm. Thanks for all your prayers. Our flight from The Springs to San Fransisco was HORRIBLE, but our iternational flights were awesome with no turbulence whatsoever. I much prefer flyin over the ocean to land now:) We found out last night we are sharing a guide with another family while we're in Shanghai. We just met them and they are very nice. They sre adopting a little boy from Sammy's orphanage. I'm sure it will be nice for him to have a familiar (maybe) face to see. We leave in one hour to go get him. I'm hoping I can figure out how to post pictures from my iPhone to my blog. Does anyone know? I hope to update with pictures next time.

Leaving for Shanghai

We leave at 7:30 tomorrow morning!!! I can't believe it is finally happening. Sammy will be ours Monday, October 10th at 9:30am (China time) YAY! I am hoping to access my blog from China so I can keep everyone updated. Please pray for safe travels, Sammy's transition, our very sad children we will be leaving home, and my wonderful mother taking care of them.