Catastrophe in the park,,,,

Today started out well, except with my sleep deprivation I forgot to call the front desk to have them let me in the safe. We had tried last night after changing money to get it in and could not do it. I was so tired that I decided to to it in the am.....

We ate a good breakfast, or rather YangYang ate a good breakfast. She ate her plate and some from Aubri's and mine! What ever we put in out mouth, she also wanted! She let us feed her and was very sweet and happy.

We then went to get our laundry done, and on to the park. The park was very crowded with people and many of them all seemed to want to congregate around and stare at or touch Aubri or to come around Sera and stare and talk about her in front of her. I had worn a down coat when our group told us that it was really cold outside and was burning up. I too my belt bag and put it in my duffle bag since they were adding to the problem and I hung it on the stroller, with the intent of keeping my hand on the stroller.... DUMB, DUMB MOVE!!!!! NEVER DO something this stupid!! Aubri was excited to go walk in a large bubble on the lake. I moved Sera into a corner so that everyone walking by would not see her face and stop and stare at her. I took my hand off the cart, just for less than a minute!!! I took a video of Aubri walking in her bubble.... When I stopped, the duffle bag was GONE!

Then fear and problem solving mode took over the day..... The local police from the park came, I had to go back to the hotel to cancel my debit card then back to the police station were we sat,literally ALL day, first on one police station and then another while my wonderful guide had to fill out everything that happend by hand 2 different times!! There were computers in both affices, but the police had Aubri play card games on them!! No joking matter... It truly took all day since the characters are difficult and time consuming to write. The police then both re wrote what Christina wrote and asked more questions which they added to what they wrote, then had us all put our fingerprints of every place our names were mentioned..... We used up far more ink on this than on the adoption paperwork!! Wen were were finally done at the police station , we have one photocopied paper with several legal chops on it which certifies that our passports were indeed stolen, which will help us get new ones before we travel. The holiday on Monday is going to complicate things BUT w'ith some assistance from home it should be managable.

The police caught a theif who was looking for the passports stoled from the Americans. He had two stoled Visa cards on him and was in the crowd when the bag was stolen. I am sure of this because the police asked me to describe the man who had been next to me and tell his eye shape.... The answer is not Asian! Rond, one lid, two lids etc was what I was supposed to say! I had to look around me to try to find someone with similar eye shape and he was there. I understood them to say that he was part of a team.... In any case while we were wating in the park police station, he was outside crying pitifully and very loudly.... I truly did feel badly for him. Many bad choices do not add up to a happy life. Aubri and I said a prayer that he would find a better life. It was amazing how my anger was easily dissapated....

While in the police stations we also noticed some pretty interesting differences, outside of the efficiency and use of computers.... We were taken to a room to wait at one point, with a bunk bed and may many spiders.... Aubri was petrified that we would have to sleep there! We were assured that we were just waiting for an office to go do paperwork! While we were waitng there, however, many officers came by to see Aubri and Yang Yang and the crazy American mom.... They offered us sunflower seeds which we initally declined but decided that there was really not an option to decline. We tried to eat them and put the shells on my leg when a femal officer came over and threw them all ON THE FLOOR ! I know the shock that mus have come over my face was obvious, because they all laughed! Aubri and YangYang loved this and expecially loved stoping the shells on the floor! I assured Aubri that this will NOT happen at home! :-)

Additional to the passports, we lost the money I had exchanged yesterday, my IPod ( which is something I do not need, but use often to help de stress and I will greatly miss it!) my drivers license an insurance card and my debit card. The cards can all be replaced and the debit card was cancelled so that no charges could be put on it. I am working on figuring out how to have my dad wire me some money from that account, since I carried the debit card to take out money for our expenses rather than carry all the cash..... Oh, well.... they are just things, and I have the two most important things I had with me in the park lying in bed peacefully.

Aubri actually enjoyed her day somewhat, because while I was sitting doing paperwork, she had a police escort taking her all over the park in a police vehicle so that she could ride all the rides for free. She was thrilled! I was nervous letting her go, but my guide assured me that she could not be safer since this issue was of high importance in the province and they did not want any further problems. Aubri wanted to go so, my brave girl set off with a non English speaking guardian and had a blast on the roller coasters! She is excited about the stories she will be able to tell about this some day at school! I am glad that I was able to get the photos of her in the bubble... She LOVED it! I just wish I had been more alert.....

YangYang was an angel, except that she would have nothing to do with me and would only let Christina care for her, which she did very lovingly. I cannot thank her enough!! I did discover, however, since we never ate again after breakfast and only drank tea and ate sunflower seeds in the police stations, that while she eats ravenously, this little one does not ask to eat! She never once asked for food OR drink. Aubri knew there was none available, and was hungry and did ask several times but then accepted that I would get her fed when we got back to the room. YangYang just sat all day and played with her phone and her mittens and a bottle of tomato juice, which she would drink when it was offered to her by Christina only.

When we finally got back to the room, Aubri fell into bed without eating at all. She is still asleep. Yang Yang has woken several times and has eaten everything I offer her. Thnk goodness I bought her snacks and fodd at Walmart! I like the Taiyuan Walmart by the way, but am not too fond of its park :-)

When we all get more sleep and are finally home and YangYang has time to learn that we are not so bad and do love her dearly, all will be better.

Untill then, please say a prayer for us. I truly do feel in my heart the comfort I should feel when trusting in my faith and prayer, but I know that all the extra prayers will definitley help!! He has definitely have helped me stay calm and able to help Aubri not feel afraid.

Many thanks!!!