Can you do this?!

Welcome to summer! No big plans in the works yet, but I'll be sure to find our way out of the heat and into the tall pines or out to the beach at some point! While home we will be going poolside as often as possible and having lots of indoor fun with friends and family!

I'm very excited about the prospect of possibly unearthing some of Kailahni's past with the help of a woman named Cherrie Turner. She lives in Beijing and has two adopted daughters from China. She visits the Qianjiang Social Welfare Institute (Kailahni's orphanage)a few times a year. She works closely with a non-profit organization that (among other things) helps to provide formula and clothing for the children of the Qianjiang SWI. In fact, this organization raised money for formula and delivered it to the SWI in September 2008....the month Kailhani was born. They also raised funds and purchased winter clothing during her first (and only) winter in her SWI. Cherrie is leaving in a week to visit the SWI again. Since Kailahni has been on the receiving end of Packages of Hope's efforts in Qianjiang in the past, it was our privilege to assist in the current formula fund raiser.

Through emails back and forth with Cherrie, I have now learned who the "mystery" nanny, in the one and only photo we were ever given of Kailahni's "Ayi", is. Cherrie has known this woman for years. Her name is Gao Junxiang...warmly referred to as Ayi Gao. She told me that she loves the babies in care as if they were her own. She is poor and uneducated, but full of warmth toward the children. I can't tell you what these words meant to me...especially coming from someone who has met her personally.

I have sent a care package to Cherrie, in Beijing, with gifts for Ayi Gao and Ms. Lu (the orphanage director)and the other nannies. She is going to hand carry it to Qianjiang with her. In the package I included many updated photos of our precious Xiu Gang. I also included a letter letting orphanage staff know how loved she is and how much we appreciate the care they gave her.

Cherrie was at the orphanage twice during Kailahni's stay. One of her visits was only 20 days after Kai's was born. She told me that she held many of the newborns on that visit and was photographed with most of them. She is bringing her photos with her on this visit and said she would sit down with Ms. Lu and Ayi Gao to try to identify Kailhani in them. She also offered to venture out to Kailahni's finding location and photograph it for us.

I don't know what will come from her attempts to gather even the smallest bit of information on Xiu Gang's life in the SWI, but anything would be greatly appreciated and highly treasured! Keeping my fingers crossed!
Ayi Gao standing next to Kailahni's empty crib. The crib still has her name tag on it. This photo was taken just after we left Chongqing to head to Guangzhou for the last leg of our trip to China. We didn't receive it until after we returned home.