Orphanage Visit

On Tuesday, we went to Dongguan to visit the orphanage where Emme has spent the last 13 months. I was surprised to see how nice the orphanage was. It looked like a small resort compared to the area around it. My guide told me that it was one of the nicer orphanages managed by the government in China. He said they are very proud of this place and what it offers abandoned children.

When we entered the building, there was a large marble lobby. To the left was a library with lots of childrens books for the families currently fostering some of the children from the orphanage. From the lobby, we went up a flight of stairs to the area where Emme stayed. We saw about 30 babies in cribs. To my surprise, only one baby was crying. The director immediately went to pick her up. The nannies were running around doing the noon feedings and were thrilled to see Emme. They were all touching her with warm smiles, trying to have her come to them. She would reach out with one hand, look and me and pull her hand back. She didn't want to go to them. I could tell that her nannies loved her a lot. I got their email address and promised to send updates with pictures. It was an emotional day, thinking that a week earlier, Emme was one of these babies. Anyway, I could tell she was happy to leave with me. As we got in the car, she gave me a huge smile and sang (well, we think it was singing). She is such a happy little girl.

We filmed the orphanage with the video camera and only got 4 actual pictures. The first photo is of her crib where she slept. The second is with her main nanny. I didn't get her name, but she is a lovely woman and actually had tears in her eyes when she saw Emme. The third picture is the place where she was found at 10 days old (in a box behind the shrubs). It is about 20 feet from the front of the local government building (picture 4). Our guide said that it looks like an ideal place to put a child if you want it to be discovered quickly.

Anyway, I'll post more soon. Sorry for the delay of updating the blog. Emme is active and the only time I have to post is after she goes to bed and I usually fall asleep then too.