Chinese paperwork

On Monday morning, Aug. 25 we went to the Chinese government adoption office in Lanzhou. On the way there we stopped to get photographs of Trent for his Chinese passport and a family photo for the adoption paperwork. At the adoption office we met with several officials. Also the director and an assistant director of Trent's orphanage were there. We filled out several different forms with the same information. They needed our thumbprints (in red ink) on one of the documents and also Trent's handprint. Usually they get the child's footprint, but with Trent's condition the hand was easier.

Trent was not happy about putting his hand on the ink.

Here is his handprint.

The orphanage director presented us with a picture book from them. (This is the same man who had protected Trent during the van accident.) This is very unusual. This did not happen with Nora and we have never heard of anything similar. We will have to get it translated.

We got to ask them about Trent's life in the orphanage. It is in the city of QingYang in the southeastern part of the Gansu province. It is a relatively small orphanage. There are about 57 children, all of them are special needs. Of these children, 36 of then are younger than 2 years old. Ours was the 61st foreign adoption in the Gansu province this year. It was only the 4th international adoption from the QingYang orphanage ever. This is the first adoption for the Harrah Agency from this orphanage.

Trent usually takes a nap at about 10 am and another at about noon. He goes to bed at about 8 pm in the evening. He is still taking a bottle with a mixture of rice flour and formula. At about 6 pm the children of the orphanage usually watch a TV children's program. Trent does not have any toy he prefers, but he does like things with the colors green, red, and yellow. The orphanage gave him the name of Chang Yu. In Chinese Chang means prosperous and Yu means jade. We have decided that his middle name will be Changyu in order to help him remember his country of origin.