A crazy day for sure! We woke up with lots of time to kill. Our gotcha wasn't until 4p and we didn't need to go anywhere until 2:30p to go to the bank so we put Isac down for a nap in hopes that he would be well rested before the rest of our big day. Thankfully he went down and we had some time to rest and get other things ready.
After eating lunch very quick we ran downstairs to meet our guide. We got to the bank and a man came up to Josh asked asked if he could change his money because he would give Josh a better exchange rate. This made me so nervous but I knew Josh would do what was best so I prayed it was an angle set from God and not a trick! LOL Everything went smoothly and we managed to save $133! The banker gave us this HUGE bank bag to take our money out in...ummm yea that's what I want to do-"HEY everyone I'm taking so much money out I need a huge bag! Want to come get it!" HA!
So off to the Civil Affairs office we went.
(Backing up just a little bit.) When we got picked up from the airport, our guide gave us a breakdown of all we needed to pay for all the fees for her adoption. Most were all the fees that we had paid for Isac's but most of them were WAY higher than his were. There was one fee that we had never seen before, not even on any of our adoption costs sheets from our agency. We asked out guide about them and she said it was the fee that all the families have to pay, set by the government to pay the for the newspaper ad that the orphanage put out to confirm that she is an orphan. We had NEVER heard of any one paying this fee, not even after we got back and were asking some of our adoption friends had anyone ever heard of it. I asked my social worker at Faith and our social worker who is a friend of ours and did our home study if they had ever heard of it and both said not at all and we definetly needed to fight it. My go with the flow kind of personality hated to hear something like that, but with the added cost of the fees already being more we didn't even have enough to pay it if we wanted too. Josh was very strait forward with our guide and needed to tell them we weren't paying and and despite the fact that she kept telling us that it is a set government fee that everyone has to pay, she made a few calls and told us in the end we will wait and see on Monday when we pay all of our fees.
We got to the building and the smell of a metal saw was strong. Apparently the building that was just redone a month ago needed to be redone again...yea I feel so sad they need more of my money :/. We went one way, up one elevator, which only led to a dead end, down again through the mad construction to another elevator that we couldn't use, back again to the last elevator and this time someone opened a door for us. Finally we got to the building and waited for a moment to happen. While waiting two other families came in to wait for their moment. Finally we heard foot steps and we jumped to our feet. There was our sweet girl who we have held our breaths for for so long. Our sweet girl was not so ready for her world to be changed that day though. After some waiting Josh finally braved it and scooped her up. She was not so much a fan. She wiggled and screamed and cried and reached for the only comfort she knew, her orphanage director. Her orphanage director was very sweet but told her to quit. Then I guess she must of told her to give her Baba a kiss because a few times through screams she gave Baba forceful kisses! LOL Poor girl. Isac just sat back and took it all in. Time for our picture for the adoption certificate, ahhhh, the pictures that seem to need to be perfect. Poor Nina, she was a trooper but she hated every minute. She fought being in our arms, she found sitting for the second it took to take the blessed perfect picture and I'm not sure what the director was telling her to do during the picture but Nina managed to stick her tongue out at every snap! LOL Oiy, that's my girl. Eventually Josh and I left the room in hopes they could get a good one.
Finally we were done and Josh scooped her up and we headed out. She seemed to give up the fight at that point. I would give anything to know what was going on in her sweet mind during that time. Her nanny snuck off and we got in the van. It wasn't until we were in the room that we started seeing hints of kisses and hugs and her personality. She is so so sweet with Isac. the two of them looove to run around and giggle and tickle each other. There really isn't too much fighting other than Isac's normal 2 year old whatever you have I want moments, which she usually just gives it to him.
I just have to add a note that will make my husband blush but he TRULY is a Rock star!!! He fought so hard for Nina! I was so nervous to push too much but he fought hard and stayed calm, sang to her, walked her around and just fought hard for her little heart! I don't know how in the worked I got so very lucky but this man fights like no other I have seen for his family!!!!! I'm falling totally in love all over again!!
I'm so happy to see you all finally together. Josh, "YOUR THE MAN" and every child should have a Dad just like you.
ReplyDeleteJudy
We have paid the fee for the newspaper ad many times (we have six daughters from China) It is nothing new. They will usually give you a copy of the ad too. If you buy from Brian Stuy here in the USA it will cost you $35. for the ad and if he has a newspaper that it was in it costs $70.
ReplyDelete@ourchinagirls-it wasn't so much that we had to pay it (not surprised by another added fee) we just didn't have it, with all the higher than expected fees of the noterary and registration fees plus the 800 we were told of, we speant everything we had! speanding and food money included, so we didn't even have the 800. Were scrambling now to get a pin number on our credit card to eat and buy some clothes for our sweet girl-she is a size 4 and not a 3 so many of what we have is too short and tight. lol poor thing
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