Ellie's Orphanage

Before going to China for their babies, adopting families commonly send a care package ahead: clothes, toys, and so forth. The baby is handed over in the clothes provided by the adopting families.... Some families send a disposal camera, and with luck, get the camera and/or the pictures back. We were blessed with luck, and Karen fetched the pictures home from Walgreen's today. So here are shots of Ellie in her orphanage (Nankang Social Welfare Institute.)

It appears as if this particular SWI is being renovated or maybe expanded. A Social Welfare Institute, by the way, is not for abandoned girls only: it is also for the seriously handicapped, elderly folk with no families to keep them, waiting children (boys and girls) and other such cases. We see only baby girls in these photos, however. Karen and I suppose that Nankang SWI is being expanded to serve the other needs.

One of the little girls in these photos we recognize: Ellie's playmate (Kathy, I think, is her new name) that we met twice after Ellie was delivered to us. We also see the two nannies who brought Ellie and Kathy to our Nanchang hotel. What you will see of the facility in these pictures looks very spartan indeed, but the children seem strong and in good health -- as indeed Ellie is.

Today she was taken by Karen for her second ride in a car seat, and did pretty well: a de rigeur protest that didn't last too long. She has also had her first visit to McDonald's, for breakfast (pancakes and sausage.) I believe we will upgrade that to Bob Evan's by the end of the week ... this is called "Americanization," I suppose. She was actually put to bed by Ba-ba last night, slept soundly through the night, and woke up without fussing about the same time the other kids woke up for school.

We are spending a good deal of time teaching her words, because she is obviously eager to talk.