Leaving Beijing

12-21-08 Gotcha Day We left with everyone, Catherine our guide directing, to the airport. Very cold and high winds. Burr!!
Mark set off metal detector and was searched/patted down.
We started to leave the checkpoint and was called back. Angie had forgot a bag and they were searching it. The security person was looking frantically and could not speak english to tell us what she was looking for. As it turns out, Angie is cleptomaniac and taken butter knife from hotel to use for peanut butter and jelly. It was in the bottom of bag. They took us to another area with more talking in chinese. Finally let us go with the knife. I guess we need to mail it back to the hotel in Beijing.
The airport terminal was cold and needed jackets while waiting for our plane. I think we were the only americans on the plane. We did talk to a lady and daughter in the terminal who spoke english. It turns out they are from San Francisco and were going home for holidays.
We flew to Lanzhou Gansu
(Alaska) 10 degrees above 0. The rest of the group flew to Guangzhou (Florida) 74 degrees.
We are staying at the Grand Soluxe Hotel (Sunshine Plaza) in Gansu. Megan our guide picked us up at the airport. Her driver had difficulty in getting our luggage to fit in his trunk.

When we arrived she was in the lobby at the motel. I walked over to meet her. Chloe was very scared and verbalized it. I had her doll in my backpack and some snacks. She was gald to take them but didn't want me. Megan said that Chloe said she
thought Mark looked like chinese super hero.

Megan told us to go up to our room and prepare for her. Get her toys, snacks and clothes out . In about 50 minutes, we come up.
We went up to the room and got her toys, some of her clothes and some snacks out.
They brought her up to the room. Megan our guide and her GiG, from the orphanage brought her up. I had to start filling out paper work and Mark played with her.

Mark helped her change clothes. We left and went to the studio for passport pictures and family pictures. Rush Rush Rush..........

We came back to the motel and it was just us. The piano player in the lobby let her play the piano.
We came up to the room. Megan brought pizza up to the room. Chloe was doing great, looking at books,letting me hold her and talking.
She snarfed her first piece of pizza and was eating cherios, feeding BaBa (Daddy) and MaMa and letting me feed her.

Chloe was warming up. She was a different little girl in just a few hours.

We talked to Hannah and Chris on the phone. They saw her on the web camera. She repeated Hello Hannah and Hello Christopher.

Bath time, she did great in a baby bath tub. Megan told her she would have a bath, before she left.

If you are adopting important words to remember Halla Halla -its ok, be a cool- don't cry and wall I knee- I love you or MaMa I knee-Mama loves you, la ba ba ma- poopoo neow neow ma- pee.
They don't tell you everything. She is asleep in her bed sucking her thumb. So cute!

At home Chris called Sarah our dog is down in her back. Seth was melting down, he didn't want to go to church. I talked to him and I think he was better. He gets to play with Mckenzie his girlfriend. Good night!
Here are pics of her with Mom and Dad.
http://s418.photobucket.com/albums/pp268/AngelaClinton/