The hotel we stayed at in Chenzhou was within walking distance to the orphanage. I got a lot of walking in during our trip! I couldn't track my food while we were there, so I assumed I'd gain while I was gone, because I pretty much ate whatever I wanted. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I didn't gain at all!
This was our first visit to the orphanage, the day we arrived in Chenzhou. There are 3 rooms of cribs on the baby floor.
Shannon, our team leader, has spent several years cultivating a special relationship with this orphanage, where 2 of her children lived before adoption. As a result, we had wide open access, which is really unusual in China.
We went around saying hello to all the babies, and then started pulling them out and taking them to the play room.
The nannies smiled as they watched us love on the kids.
This baby is very special to Shannon. Last time she was there (during the summer) a tiny 2 pound preemie was brought in. Shannon got to hold her then, and it was awesome for her to be back and see how much she's grown.
In China, most kids are dressed in multiple layers to keep warm.
They tend to look a little chubby in pictures, but it's really all the clothes they have on.
I scooped up this little guy, who the team calls Jude.
Behind Jude, in a crawling pose is Sampson.
Little Jayla is not available for adoption because she has a known living birth parent.
Jenny was great with Sampson, massaging his legs so that he would be more flexible.
Laura's sweet little Nellie. No file yet for this preemie.
This little boy is already matched.
Steve, our guide, with a little girl who is matched.
This little guy is Lochland. His file is not ready yet.
The feisty ones sometimes toss things out the window. We're on the 5th or 6th floor here.
This little guy is Tyson. He has Apert's syndrome. We met a family adopting a child with Apert's when we adopted Katie.
This sweet doll baby is Finley. I did a whole post on her from China. Out of every child we met, Finley was the one I most wanted to bring home. One of the nannies, who could tell I adored her, teasingly told me I could take her with me. It was tempting!
This shot shows most of the baby playroom.
This is the other side of the baby playroom.
If you missed other posts about Chenzhou, you'll find them here and here. I'll get to the older kids and the activities we did in Chenzhou soon, hopefully.
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