Mei In China

Welcome to my adoption travel blog!

2007-07-25T18:39:00.001-07:00

Hi there.

You probably found this blog via a search on China adoption travel. Welcome! I am glad you stopped by. I have a lot of great information for you in this blog and numerous details about our experience.

This blog was written in June/July of 2007 when we traveled to meet our 8 month old daughter.

Our wait time was exactly two years.

During that time we went on maternity hold for six months.

After going off hold, our referral came one week later.

We traveled to Hong Kong, Nanchang, and then finally to Guangzhou, China.

Our experience in China was incredible. We fell in love with our daughter and her birth country.

The blog ends with me talking about our experiences once we came home and becoming a family of two babies two months apart and a three year old.

Due to people's interest in our story, I stopped blogging here because I want this to JUST be a travel blog, and moved my daily rambling to a new site.

If you like this blog and want to follow our story, please visit my blog. Link.

I also do a video show for moms and I have a vlog. AND THREE KIDS. Yes, I am tired. Links to everything I do online are on my blog page.

Make sure you leave a comment and let me know if this blog helped you or inspired you in any way!

Thanks for coming by and good luck in your own adoption travel adventures!!

Mama

2007-07-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Juna said Mama.

I sat her down on the floor and she wasn't happy about that. She looked up at me and said, "MA!" (pause) "Ma."

And it's been non stop Mama ever since.

My heart has officially melted.

I also placed ads looking for a Mother's Helper. I can't go this alone, folks. I need to drag an 11 year old down along with me.

Still deciding how to work out the blogs. I'll let you know what I am going to do or where I am going to go. In case you want to come along?

Babysitting

2007-07-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

I knew our family would attract attention. I was all prepared for the comments. We in the international adoption community (oooh how I loved writing that) have heard them or have been briefed on what we will hear. Bottom line- people who haven't BTDT, don't know the lingo. They don't know how to delicately phrase a question so as not to come off as an insensitive arse. Or maybe they are insensitive arses and therefore, all is lost on them anyway.

Example- (as they point to the children) "Which ones are yours?"
(Or, as they point to the baby from China) "How much did she cost?"

I wasn't prepared for this one:

"Are you babysitting?"

I took the girls out for a walk in the stroller on Friday and heard the above question twice in ten minutes. And one person knew we were adopting from China. When I reminded her, she smacked her forehead and said, "DOH!" The DOH made up for any annoyance I felt at her forgetting our situation.

We took All My Children out to lunch today. Juna hates the car seat. The entire trip to and fro any destination has the soundtrack of a baby wailing in anger. Sounds familiar. Miss Boo did that her entire first year of life. She stopped when we could finally turn her around to face forward. I predict similar results with June Bug.

Lunch was a success! Av lounged in her car seat, J Bug sat in a high chair and ate piles of food, Boo was a good girl, and Mom and Dad ate too much, too.

Seriously, do all China babes eat THAT much food? She can eat adult sized portions of food. Our Ped said to let her. She's underweight and needs to gain. But seriously- WOW that girl can eat.

Speaking of... I've not been dieting. Eating now is simply for survival purposes. I don't care if it's high fat/low fat/loaded with high fructose corn syrup/10 days past the expiration date. Can I throw it into my mouth while rushing off to calm a screaming baby? Can it be cooked/eaten/cleaned up in five mins or less? I'm eatin it!

Have I gained or lost weight? I don't know and I don't want to know. Seriously, don't tell me. Yesterday I ate half a container of blue crab dip from Costco. There's 32 servings in that little container. Must not think of all the calories and fat I consumed. LA LA LA LA LA happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

My generous friends kept us in food for two weeks. Now we must cook for ourselves again. I predict many frozen meals in our future. Hopefully cooked before eaten.

Speaking of generous friends- my invitation for Juna's shower arrived yesterday. My friend hand made all the invites. She has a three month old baby, people. I don't know how she does it. When Boo was three months old, I was still in my sweats and Tshirts, no makeup, hair everywhere, and curled up fetal style while sobbing, "When will I ever sleep again!"

No one has ever thrown a shower for me. I've been married twice. I've had three children. Not one single shower thrown in my honor. Wow, I must be a raging bitch or something. Tee hee. So you can tell how honored/awkward I feel about this. Especially when I heard that people actually wanted to attend. I'm really touched by this. But also a bit freaked out. What if they have a bad time? What if I say something completely out of place and they go, "WHY did I even bother showing up for you?" Then I'll always be known as, "now I understand why no one ever threw a party for her before" girl.

And now we see why no one throws parties for me. I'm socially awkward. Gee, what gave it away?

I love the weekends. Parenting is so much easier when Daddy's around. How come Saturday and Sunday always fly by?

Upward and onward

2007-07-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

Juna said her first word.

Up.

It sums her UP completely.

Juna is a very determined child. She does not sit back and wait for something to happen. She makes it happen. She will not stand for being second in line. She must be first, front and center. It's her way or the highway. Already the leader at 9 months old. Already the leader after only 2 weeks home. And she's smart, this kid. Show her something once, no need to show again. She's got it.

Oh we're SO in trouble.

In China, I pulled her up to a standing position while saying, "Up up up." She mimicked me by saying, "Puh puh puh." We play that game every day, numerous times per day. Now she has reversed the puh to up. "Up. Up. UP!" And I don't have to pull her up anymore. She will climb anything that gets in her way. Including the other baby.

Up is whispered, so does that really count as saying her first word?

It's so cute. It has to count.

She can stand while holding onto something with one hand. She will let go, balance a few moments, then fall on her behind. Then get right back up again. "Up up up up up."

Daddy will take her hands and walk her across the room. She giggles the whole time. She giggles because she knows that she's going to skip crawling and go straight to walking. So funny, Mom and Dad. Get ready!

At the same time this happened, Av learned to sit and crawl backwards. Today, Av got up on her hands and her feet and tried so desperately to stand up.

It's time to find a looooong baby gate for the living room.

I'll post an appropriate pic tonight or over the weekend.

Going Home Barbie- another comment

2007-07-19T07:17:00.001-07:00

Katie made a comment in the last post about how she was laughing over the Going Home Barbie. To refresh your memory, it's a Barbie given to adoption families who stay at White Swan. Maybe other hotels, not sure. I had written a snarky post about this particular Barbie. Me? Write a snarky post? Are you SURE?

Check out a link with picture to see what the current version looks like.

While thankful Mattel does something so nice for adoption families (and gets a little publicity at the same time) I think Barbie and her supposedly Asian (Guatemalan) baby need a slight re-design. Ok, ok, I think she needs a complete overhaul. It's in the archives, if you're interested.

Anyway, I forgot to mention what my Chinese friend said when he saw the Barbie. I showed him 20 year old Barbie (too young to adopt from China- or perhaps she's been had some Botox) and her Asian (Guatemalan) baby in her hoochie baby outfit and my Chinese friend said, "Why is she holding a Hawaiian baby?"

I said, "Just to clarify, for the record. You're Chinese. If you saw this in the stores, would you assume Barbie was holding a Chinese baby?"

He replied, "No, I would think Barbie has been to Hawaii."

And there you have it.

All I can think of is that Barbie is the hot nanny you stupidly hired to take care of your... Chinese.... baby. And you wonder why your husband is now coming home early from work to eagerly offer her a ride home?

A reminder to me to hide the Going Home Barbie before Miss Boo finds her, strips her and the origins unknown baby down, and wraps them in toilet paper. Because that is just what Miss Boo does to Barbie Dolls. Of unknown and known origins. Well, Barbie is CLEARLY the girlfriend-on-the-side of a studio chief in Hollywood. But that baby... the debate rages on.

Babies babies babies

2007-07-18T18:12:00.001-07:00

Here's J Bug, modeling a Y2k band aid. It didn't show up well in the pic, but it says "Year 2000! Y2K!" You'd think with as many times as I slice my finger while cooking, I'd have more current band aids in the house.

Marge In Charge is truly enjoying these babies. Aw, look at the Way Cool Red Couch. It's seen better days. Here's what you shouldn't do. You shouldn't run out and furnish your entire home in brand new, lovely furnishings and THEN have kids. We were thinking with the same brain that bought this stupid house in the first place. Then again, it's kind of cool. I have baby drool and who knows what else all over the Way Cool Couch. Does that make it even cooler?

I can't wait until the first Nosy Nelly at the grocery store makes a stupid comment about these two being sisters. Unless of course, it's Nelly the rap star. I will ask him to autograph Juna's rather large forehead. I'm kidding! Humor, har har. Look, Avie has a large forehead, too. It's supposed to be a sign of intelligence. Or perhaps it just means my kids will need bangs once they have hair.

Yes, they are wearing matching dresses. I've read up on artificial twinning (all the experts are dead set against it) and they say please do not dress your artificial twins alike. This is why they are wearing matching dresses. It's my way of saying thanks, experts. Come up with something better than the term artificial twin, will you? Just look at that smile on Avie!

Don't want to forget ...

2007-07-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

When Matt comes home from work. All three girls are playing in the same room. I hear him come in, yell, "Daddy's home!" He comes into the room and all three girls light up in smiles. The babies reach up their arms for him. Boo hugs him tightly. The babies smile and smile and giggle and are so happy to see Daddy. Boo dances around him while singing, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, my daddy!" Mommy is also happy because that means two people for three children, hah.

Matt must feel like such a rock star when he comes home from work. Perhaps less Mick Jagger and more a member of The Wiggles.

Must also remember....

When I stand Juna up and then say, "Boom!" She will fall forward against my chest. Anytime I am holding her and say, "boom," she will fall onto me and laugh.

Juna 9 months

2007-07-17T17:28:00.001-07:00

Juna is 9 months old today.

I thought I'd do a little update on her progress so far- almost two weeks home.

I still monitor the China adoption boards and love reading referral information, especially from Juna's orphanage (Suichuan SWI.) I love how parents are now celebrating the fact that the baby is from Suichuan, since there has been so many happy adoption stories from that province lately. Add ours to the list.

Even with coming from a "good" orphanage, it's still an orphanage. Juna still has issues when it comes to security and confidence. She worries we will never feed her again. She hates going to sleep. She doesn't like it when we leave the room. Hmmm. These issues are not unlike issues I have had with my bio kids. Which sounds funny to say- like they are science superheros. Bio Kids, to the rescue!

I have learned that it's good to be educated about attachment/bonding/issues that come with children adopted from Chinese orphanages. But I have also learned you can get too wrapped up in the worry over attachment/bonding. You can get too many case studies in your head and start looking for issues that aren't even there. Your child can be crying because her teeth hurt and you instantly think, "She's grieving for her nanny." No, a razor sharp tooth is breaking through her gums. Sometimes the worry over attachment/bonding is blamed on basic baby-related problems. It's good to be educated, it's good to know the signs, but it's also good to just relax and let your child just be a child- not just an orphanage baby.

I use my mother as an example. She has no clue about attachment/bonding. She treats Juna like Juna's been with us forever. At first I was like, "Oh, don't do that, it might scare her.. bonding/attachment/blah blah." Juna and my mother get on famously. They have a great time together. After watching them interact, I learned to just let go a little bit. Let Juna be Juna and not Juna from the Orphanage. It's like Jenny from the Block, but with a lot less bling.

Example? Mom had the three year old in the tub and was holding Juna in her arms while seated in the bathroom. I had sliced my finger open on a knife while making lunch. Again. I do this often. I need Jenny from the Block money I can hire someone to cook for me because obviously I am dangerous in the kitchen. So Mom was wrangling the children, Av was asleep, and I was bleeding everywhere.

Once I realized I didn't need to rush to the ER- again- I peeked into the bathroom. My mother had Juna in the tub with Miss Boo. I said, "No, this is a bad idea, Juna's not used to water and this might scare her off baths forever!"

Puh-leaze. Juna was having the time of her life. Splashing and giggling! It's now a routine. Juna bathes with her big sister for a few minutes out of each bath. They both have a great time and I have cleaner children as a result. And hey- it's BONDING TIME for both of them. Something I wouldn't have realized because I was too worried about Juna's "special issues." So worried about bonding that I didn't give her a chance to bond. Hmmm...

Other things I want to remember:
Juna's boil is almost completely healed thanks to antibiotics. Again- so happy I joined the online group for parents adopting from her orphanage. I expected a boil, I got a boil, I knew how to treat a boil. Thanks, Internet.

I also learned the girls from Suichuan like to sleep with lovies/wubbies/little blankies cuddled to their faces. Juna is using one from when Miss Boo was a baby. We started giving one to Av. The problem is that when Av has on a bib and I'm feeding her, she will rub the bib against her face, stick her thumb in her mouth, and pass out.

Juna is both fascinated and frightened of her older sister. If you know Miss Boo, it's easy to figure out. Miss Boo is... everywhere at once. And not in a subtle way. Juna is also protective of her little sister. She is now rubbing her head against Av to show her love. When I bring Av into the room from a nap, Juna lights up with a big smile. If Av is crying, Juna will pat my leg and go, "Mmm! Mmmm!" As if to say, "Take care of her, Mom!" Not sure if I've written about this yet, but hey- it's not the first time I've repeated myself. Today.

And because the other blog isn't up yet, I have to make a note that Av started babbling today. She looked at me, opened her mouth, and said, "Da da." Then didn't stop saying it. "Da da da da. Ba ba ba ba. Da da ba ba." Then she moved her mouth like she was talking, but no sound came out. And that was it. Nothing more since. Except when I make high pitched noises at her and Juna. Both babies will make high pitched noises back.

I spend most of my days on the floor playing with the babies and Boo. The house is "sanitary, but not clean," to use my friend Britney's famous quote. We're eating meals that friend's have prepared and will continue until the weekend when they run out and I have to start cooking again. Ugh, hate that idea. Not because I hate cooking so much ( I do) but I also I hate tearing myself away from these kids. Even to work- ahhh work. It's REALLY slowed down. But so have I, so I guess it's ok. Right now, the kids are the top priority. There will always be work, but I can't get these young years back again. Some day they will be in school and I can take over the entertainment world. Until then, it's Baby Time!

Yes, it's exhausting. No, I have not done my fabulous Chinese hair-cut hair since we got back. I wear nothing but old Tshirts and sweats. Most get covered in baby snot and cereal. Looks WONDERFUL with the Louis Vuitton I bought in China, let me tell ya. When I can carry my Vuitton, on the rare occasion I do get out of the house. Oh and it's soooo pretty. But I'm not. And that's ok. THIS is what I wanted. THIS is what we worked so hard for all those years. It's happening. And I want to enjoy every single exhausting and amazing moment.

Oriental Marketing

2007-07-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

We had our first outing with All My Children today.

We went to the "Asian" section of town. Laughable because it's about one block with some random shops here and there.

By the time we got to that section of town, which was tricky due to highway construction, June Bug had HAD IT with the car seat. It's only her second time in one and the first time was only a five minute drive.

Would it be correct of me to say the market had a "wet section" dedicated to live creatures swimming in tanks? Miss Boo was fascinated with the blue crabs, alive and frantically clicking their claws.

I did not manage to find any of the goodies we fell in love with in China. Items we found in the grocery section of Walmart. I fell in love with a baked good from Taiwan. It came two to a wrapped pack. It was round, about the size of a moon pie, light in color and a bit dry. I was told by my Chinese friend it was a milk cake, made of milk and honey and to be eaten at breakfast with tea. Oh it's soooo good. I cannot find it anywhere around here. I also cannot find Juna's beloved Mo Bao cakes, also from Taiwan.

Matt and I browsed the market and breathed in the smells- the good smells we remembered from China. We both said, "I miss China!" Our biggest regret is not extending our visit AND spending more time in Hong Kong. If he had a job offer in HK (that paid for housing) we'd be gone in a flash.

We did baffle a Chinese man in the market. He stared at me holding Juna, then looked at our basket filled with our other children. Back and forth, back and forth. He stood there and really tried to figure us out.

We did not encounter any Caucasians. In fact, since that was our first outing, we have not encountered any Caucasians. I cannot wait for our first Target trip. I can just imagine the stares. I will post when I get my first question inquiring as to how we became this particular family. Especially since the youngest is so fair haired with blue eyes. We are an odd family. In so many ways.

So many people go to China on their adoption trips and dislike it greatly. We totally fell in love. Most evenings I sit here and long to be back again.

And that was our first outing. Other than Juna freaking out in the car and us not being able to find our favorite goodies, it went fairly well.

How it's going

2007-07-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've been fighting with this. Do I blog or not?

I made a pledge to be honest and honest I shall be.

It's hard. It's really really hard. It's wonderful and it sucks all at the same time.

The wonderful parts are obvious. Three amazing girls. The sucky parts are also obvious. The fatigue, the worry, the guilt, not enough hours or energy for one day. Blah blah.

Being on the go 24 hours a day is difficult, I cannot lie. It would help if I was in excellent shape. There's a lot of getting onto the floor. Getting up from the floor. Bending. Stooping. Racing around. I'm 36 years old. I'm a bit old for this. I will be in shape shortly, I will have you know. There's no way a person can race around this much and eat this little without shedding a pound or two. Knowing me, I won't. And we can have a little chuckle over that someday. Ahhh someday. Why aren't you now?

My children haven't gotten used to that fact that there's three of them yet. They have those huge soulful eyes and when they well up with tears because they've been made to wait for two minutes for something, it just kills me. In time, they will get used to one another and learn how to handle life with two other siblings. And I do think about that a lot. THe future. When they can talk to each other and tackle each other and drive each other crazy instead of me.

We've gotten taking care of their basic needs down pretty quickly. Everything in our house is organized to take care of the babies. There is never a wet wipe far out of reach. The bottle station is all set up with different sets and different formula for each girl's needs. The Big Girl now has a doll posse that goes everywhere she goes. They sleep at one end of the bed, she sleeps at the other.

Oh- for those of you who watch Between the Lions, you will get a chuckle out of this. Boo has a Cinderella doll. She hangs her by her hands from a shelf. Then she calls for Cliff Hanger to come rescue her. Because Cinderella and Cliff Hanger are getting married!

For the most part, everything is running quite smoothly. Our house now resembles the orphanage Juna came from. All cribs and toys and bottle station and children everywhere. My super sleek red couches are now covered in.. what IS that? Ahhh home sweet hell.

I joke. I joke because if I don't, I will tear out all my hair and run naked through the streets of Downtown. I joke so I'm not tomorrow's top news story.

The struggle I'm having is with my emotions. I have constant Mom Guilt that I'm not doing enough for each child. That each one isn't getting enough individualized attention. That we did Juna a disservice by adopting her. Oh yes, my mind has gone so far as to wonder if she was better off in the orphanage! I know, it's crazy. I just lack confidence right now. I feel like Juna thinks she went from one orphanage to another. Would she have had a better life with a family with no other children? The amount of times I've had to say, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" to her is unreal.

Just what am I sorry for? We gave her a small, but comfortable home. There are toys everywhere, I swear, the toys! We gave her an endless supply of food, love, comfort, and SISTERS. Why do I feel so badly for her?

I can't help the emotions and the questions and the doubt.

Am I mom enough for all these girls?

The sleep issue, for all of us, is not good. Avie must be cutting every single tooth at once. And she's a screamer. Man can that little preemie let out a wail. June Bug is still scared to fall asleep at night. And who can blame her, with a wailing banshee in the next crib? Pats on the back seem to work. But mom and dad have to sleep SOMETIME.

When I get the chance to sleep, I can't. I cannot shut off my brain. Typical.

I also have not left the house with the babies yet. We are going to try this weekend. I am not confident enough to do it alone. Yet I have to get Juna used to her car seat and being on the go from time to time.

In time, right?

The rewards? Today June Bug pulled at my hair. I made a mock, "AHHH" sound. She reached forward and hugged me. Hugged me. Oh it was precious. She is also starting to say Mama. And when Matt comes home from work, she reaches for him with a big smile. She is also starting to say Ba ba.

Also today, Avie got up on all fours and rocked back and forth. She's trying so hard so crawl. She'll be seven months old in a few weeks, five months adjusted for prematurity. She watches Juna and copies her sounds and movements.

And Miss Boo? She makes me laugh so hard, my sides ache. My comic relief, that girl. She really helps me get through the day with a smile on my face.

When I get down, I think of three special friends of mine who are currently in fertility treatment/domestic adopting. They are my strength right now to quit whining and be strong and look at the good, not obsess on the fatigue and the worry and Mama Guilt.

Two months from now, I want to look back on this post and just laugh because we conquered this phase and lived to laugh about it.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from. I hope I have gotten it across clearly in this post. I'm so thrilled we did this. But I'm not so far gone that I think it's a cake walk. Mmmm cake.... I also know that this adjustment phase, while trying, will end eventually. I just wanted to get it out there so I can remember this time. Since I can barely remember my own name. It's so good to have it documented. And I wanted people reading this to know what it's really like in our unique situation.

This is the Adjustment Phase. We're adjusting.

Shower the people

2007-07-13T11:48:00.001-07:00

My friend, the ultimate shower-er (she's so clean) is throwing a diaper shower for Juna.

August 4th
4ish, I think...
Ladies only, no children except the guest of honor
Asian themed, of course

If you are a local friend and this interests you, please email me or leave a comment with a way to contact you.

Some of you will be contacted via email by my friend anyway.

But if you think we will forget you because I'm in a fog, remind me, ok?

Who does this kind of stuff? Who posts on their blog saying, "Hey, are you my friend? Do you want to come to my party? Pwetty pwease? PS Who are you again?"

I do. And that's why you find me oh so charming.

Heh

A routine is getting established

2007-07-10T17:06:00.001-07:00

It's a little easier. A little. Slowly. Bit by bit.

The babies are getting on a schedule. I know, some of you roll your eyes at my schedule. Talk to me when you have multiples. Then you won't be able to roll your eyes. Your eyes will be too tired to even blink.

Avie is cutting her first tooth and spends most of her time gnawing on teethers. When a teether isn't in her mouth, she's wailing. Keeping Av comfortable has been my biggest challenge.

J Bug plays happily her toys. When I sing to her, she pounds out the beat on the floor with a rattle. The orphanage had said, "The baby loves the music." They were right. Each day she learns to trust us and her new environment even more. She's learning that her big sister is loud and crazy and her little sister hates getting teeth. She will reach over and pat Avie when she cries. When Avie goes on too long, Juna will pinch her.

Part of the schedule is to feed the babies their solids around 4pm. I put Avie in her car seat and sit Juna next to her. I feed one, then the other. Two birds with their mouths open, ready for more. Today I set up Avie, grabbed the bowls and Juna crawled over and sat next to her sister. After just one day, she knew what was coming and what to do. She catches on so quickly. Which is why the routine is good for her. She feels comforted by knowing what the day holds for her.

Miss Boo has a special big girl day today. My mom watched the babies while I picked up Miss Boo from camp. She raced into my arms and when I said we'd be going out to lunch, she screamed for joy. Screamed. SOOO happy to get alone time with mommy. We had lunch, then I took her shopping for a new doll. She wanted a King Triton doll from Little Mermaid but he doesn't exist at Target. She got Sleeping Beauty AND Belle. Hooray for clearance. ANd when I got home, the babies were napping right on schedule and my mom wasn't completely bald from pulling out her hair in frustration. She actually had a good time with the girls. Who knew my mother could handle "twins."

It might have just been Mr Goodcents and Target with a three year old, but I was out of the house and MAN did that feel GREAT!

The only time my new life is difficult is when I seriously lack in sleep. Say five hours or less a night. I cry a lot on those days. I don't handle sleep deprivation very well. On the days I get at least 7 hours, I am Super Mama!

I had much to discuss with you, but I can only blog in the evenings. Around 730pm, I start to zone out. Perhaps in the future I will have more energy for my old hobbies again. Too tired to blog, imagine that! I have more to discuss about China.

Which reminds me of something... ok, I will leave you with this last story.

You know how most people are really scared of the toilets in China? The Squatty Potties? Well I had a toilet experience today in the good ol USA that I just have to share.

Miss Boo had to poop. Of course she had to poop in a public toilet. She did her thing, I got her all cleaned up and happy. I told her not to flush. I like to use a piece of toilet paper to touch the handle. I leaned over, flushed, and the super powerful USA toilet was so powerful, it sent sprays of toilet water all over my face. Miss Boo poopy toilet water.

That would never happen on a Chinese Squatty Potty.

So there you go. Score one for the Chinese toilet. And the Neutrogena company. I probably used an entire container of face wash to get rid of that experience.

2007-07-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Friends are asking what they can do to help. You know what would be so appreciated? Food. A small dish of something I can quickly heat up and serve. Just during this adjustment period when there's little to no time to cook and we are both too tired to even function. That would be wonderful! Thank you!

Sunday was rough, I won't even try to make it sound any other way. It was just plain awful. The reason? Mom and Dad were running on no sleep. It is impossible to get anything accomplished or just enjoy being alive when one is that tired. We took turns during the day taking mini naps, as there was so much that needed to be done. I had to work. Car seats needed to be installed. Items for babies needed to be purchased. And the babies were on different schedules. There wasn't one single break yesterday between babies, chores, and trying to sleep. I don't consider a nap a break. It's a chore. When I lay down and HAVE to sleep, I can't. "Come on, come on, FALL ASLEEP ALREADY!" The pressure makes me anxious and I cannot drift off.

But we made it through the day. And now it's Monday and we both got some sleep and the world is a much nicer place.

Today I had to take June Bug in for a series of blood tests. I first went to a lab close to the house. No one was at the front desk, but I could hear the lady talking in the back room. I knocked on the window. I called out. Nothing. The lady kept talking and talking. So I took Juna's rattle and shook it as hard as I could. The lady came flying out to the front desk. "Oh, I didn't know someone was here!" Then she told me that she couldn't help me. She couldn't give a baby a blood test on her own, she needed two people. Go to the lab down the street. Ok fine. Loaded up the baby and guess what the gal wants to do? Ask me ALL about adoptions. The baby is screaming, I'm rushing, and this chick is asking me how much the adoption cost! Second time it's happened since landing in the good ol USA. The first was by the flight attendant from Chicago to STL. The nerve.

I'm usually pretty polite but today I just turned around and left while she was still talking. Totally unlike me, but come on. I've got a screaming baby!

We went to the next lab. No other customers, good. Told them what happened. They said, "What it the lab on (BLAH BLAH) street?" I nodded and they rolled their eyes. "You don't need two people, she's just lazy."

One problem. They couldn't find a good vein. The baby is so upset and crying so loudly and they keep moving the band from arm to arm and she's being pinched and is so scared. They took THREE STICKS and still did not get blood from her. I finally said, "ENOUGH," and was told to come back another day. Juna buried her head on my shoulder and I rocked her to sleep. Tucked her into her car seat, and went to the door of the lab. 12 customers in that lab and not one person offered to get the door for me. There was a lady standing there with a very bad Louis Vuitton fake purse, I might add, and she just looked at me. She watched as I struggled to open the door. Didn't even reach forward to hold the door for me.

Then I get to the front door of the main medical building. Again, I am having trouble with the door. I've got two people behind me and one on the other side of the door. Did any of them get the door for me? Of course not. They made the lady holding the carseat in BOTH hands get the door for all of them.

Honestly, what is wrong with people???

I miss China. I miss how polite people are. I miss good service.

Oh, and how odd is this- there was a ladybug crawling on the box of gloves in the lab. Ladybugs are a big sign for those of us in the China adoption community. Usually it's a good sign. This ladybug was slightly yellow. Maybe THAT's a sign of it's own.

Alright, it's baby time. Back later.

The girls, the story

2007-07-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

A hilarious picture. Poor Avie looks like she wants to flee back to my mother's house. Juna looks like she wants to reach up and back hand her older sister. And Miss Boo? Looks like Miss Boo always does- amusing! And Matt? Fast forward 12 years and I betcha that brown hair has turned white.

There's a lot of people reading this blog who don't know our full story. I'd like to share a brief version, because I know some of you are curious. You said so in your emails!

Miss Boo was born after years of infertility treatment. Textbook pregnancy and delivery.

When she was 14 months, we went back for more treatment. I got pregnant, and had a miscarriage with a D and C.

We decided to adopt several months later.

During the long wait, I became pregnant. It's interesting how it happened. I mean, beyond the obvious, heh.

We were at our agency's adoption education seminar. (NO, not there!!) We were seated at a table with other couples. I mentioned out loud that since we weren't going to CHina anytime soon, we'd love a vacation. No, we NEEDED a vacation or I was going to go crazy. A Disney cruise sounded great, didn't it?

The lady across from me got out a card. Her sister was a Disney vacation planner. Give her a call, see what she could do.

Three weeks later and we were sailing!

Two weeks after getting home and two lines appeared on a pregnancy test.

The pregnancy was rough. We almost lost her several times. I was in and out of the hospital and on bed rest and going in for test after test. It was a nightmare. At 32 weeks pregnant, on Christmas to be exact, I wasn't feeling well. I felt so awful, I should have gone straight to the hospital. I didn't. I didn't want to ruin anyone's Christmas. STUPID STUPID STUPID!! Me, someone who isn't a big Christmas person to begin with!

My 3 pound baby was born by emergency C section the next day. It was such an emergency, the doctor warned my husband in private that it, "might not end well." There was a concern both of us wouldn't make it.

After only 23 days in the NICU, my 4 pound sweetheart came home. We put all of our energy into her care and making sure she was going to be ok. Oh, she's such a sweet baby. When she smiles, her entire body curls into a ball, she's that happy. She's the kind of person you want to hang out with, if that makes sense.

After numerous talks with our agency, we all agreed to continue with the adoption. It was planned so that the baby would be just about a year old when the adoption went through.

I think we have all learned that the matching process in China is a magical one. Yes, things happened a bit quicker than expected. But could anyone argue that she isn't the perfect child for our family?

Watching the girls together, I am reminded of how well she was matched with us. She is outgoing, she loves music, she is playful, and she adapts so well to new situations. She picks up on new things so quickly. Show her something once and she's got it for life. She's early with her motor skills (as are the other two girls.) Where Miss Boo is dramatic and crazy, Avie is so laid back and happy, and Juna is very serious and more reserved but also a lot of fun and can be quite silly. The sisters balance each other out perfectly- already! I cannot wait to watch them grow up together.

No, this isn't easy. I have a whole new respect for moms of multiples. Everyone has that fantasy of twins, but the reality? Yeah, it's a lot of work. And that's an understatement.

When I get overwhelmed, I remind myself of everything I've been through in life to this point. I think about the time when Miss Boo was rushed to the hospital for an emergency and I was suddenly surrounded by a team of doctors giving me bad news and I felt the world spin out of control. It's the first time in my life I realized why people who get bad news suddenly lose their footing. And everything we went through to get Avie into the world. That loss of footing happened numerous times while pregnant and after. And the miscarriage- do you ever truly recover from that? That kind of pain is something that you never forget. It smacks you upside the head and keeps smacking you when you get all, "Woe is me."

After all I've been through to get these kids into my life and keep them there, I think I can handle two babies at once.

I'm a warrior. Yet I'm still an emotional softie. I picture myself covered in armor, but if you remove that armor, you see the Pilsbury Dough Girl. I'm the Pilsbury Dough Warrior.

I'm a strong woman, but I'm an emotional woman. I vent. I cry. I get it all out. I don't keep any emotions inside. Maybe I'm healthier as a result? I know people think I'm nuts for blogging it for the world to read, but others also thank me for being honest and sharing the reality of this situation.

It's bad. And it's amazing. It's draining. And it's uplifting.

Tonight, I had my girls in their cribs. I was singing them to sleep. My singing was making them both laugh. Avie laughed so hard she curled into a little ball. June Bug peeked through the crib and grinned and grinned and said, "Ahhhhh!" I got choked up. My girls! My beautiful babies.

There is no doubt I love my children. I'm going to be tired and frazzled and emotional and crazy, but wow do I love my children.

Thanks to my mother and Kat for coming over. Thank you, Kat, for going to the Asian market and the grocery store. I could get used to three adults to three children. Don't spoil me, please!

I will have more information coming about our trip through customs and immigration- might be helpful for families traveling soon. I'm also thrilled to hear from the other Suichuan Mamas. I will have more tips for you, too, just as soon as I get more time to blog.

Solo Flight

2007-07-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

You know it's going to be a bad day when the first thing you do is bend over and rip your pants.

It didn't get any better when seconds later, both babies woke up at once and one was poopy while the other was screaming to be held.

And that's when the doorbell rang.

My day went downhill from there. Jet lag? They're not kidding about that jet lag thing. It's horrendous. Example? I'm an insomniac. I can barely sleep when it's night and I'm in my cozy bed. Today? I was falling asleep while changing diapers. It scared the hell out of me because it felt like I had been drugged. Jet lag literally took over my body and made me completely unable to take care of my children.

It's been three years since I've called my husband at work, sobbing, and pleading, "Please, please come home."

This is when a girl needs her mother. And again, this is when a girl's mother is not available due to the new boyfriend.

Britney came over this morning. Britney, who has young children, yet she's right there. She took Av while I gathered up Juna and took her to her first American DR appointment.

She's 50 percent for height, 20 percent for weight. She's ahead when it comes to motor skills development. Behind when it comes to vocalization. Way ahead when it comes to eating and appetite. She has the croup, which is why the Chinese antibiotics did not work. Her ears looked great. Her boil is of some concern. She's back on oral antibiotics to help clear it up. If not, then she has to see a surgeon. Our Ped doesn't lance boils on a baby. Then Juna got five shots- starting over with the shots, poor thing, and sent off to do a ton of blood work in the coming days.

I came home and Britney left and that's when things fell apart. Alone. With three kids. And me so out of it I kept passing out. I'd put the babies on the floor and literally fall asleep. I'd wake up in a panic, wondering how long I'd been asleep. It was just seconds, but it was enough to scare me. I'd get up and jump around and eat some chocolate, but nothing worked. When I fell asleep and woke up with Juna half way across the room and Av screaming and Miss Boo nowhere to be found, I lost it. A sobbing mess. That's when I picked up the phone and begged my husband to please come home.

He did. I fell into bed and fell asleep in one second. Again, not like me. It can take me hours to fall asleep on a good night. Boo came in and bounced on me. The cats jumped on me. I didn't even flinch.

After an hour, I woke up and was a new person. I immediately took action and put our evening plan into place. And guess what? It worked perfectly. We had our dinner. Then the babies had their dinners. They were changed and put to bed and are sound asleep and it's 730pm.

Lesson of the story- Moms need sleep.

Actually, a mom returning from China needs help. She should not be thrust into this type of situation all by herself. Even an experienced mom such as myself was in a panic all day.

I'm a schedule mommy. My children and I all feel very secure when we have a schedule. We wake up at the same time each day, eat at the same time each day, go to bed at the same time each night. This house is run by the clock and it works perfectly for us? Now? Oh, we need that clock set to American time.

What's really funny is how the babies instantly got in tune with one another. ONe would rub her eyes, then the other would rub her eyes. I'd put them both down and they'd nap. Then I'd peek in and one pop open her eyes, look at the other, and the other would pop open her eyes. They didn't make a sound, just POP! Eyes open, we're awake.

They took all their daily naps at the same time, woke at the same time, and ate at the same time. Well, the bottles were slightly staggered, but the cereal was fed side by side at the same time.

I really did have my moments of doubt today. I really did think I had done something horribly wrong for Juna. How could I bring her into this mess when she deserved to be the only child, getting all the attention? But when I see her reach over and pat Av's head or giggle with Miss Boo, I know we made the right choice. Juna will adapt. We will all adapt. She will grow up with two crazy sisters. We are a happy family who is still keeping a sense of humor. It will all be ok.

I did want to be honest about this part. I didn't want anyone to think this is an easy route to take. Getting children into our lives has always been such a struggle. Each path has brought much pain and heartache. There was a time I thought we'd never have children. And here we are, with three, and we're so appreciative. We're also honest in that it's extremely difficult to adapt to our new lives, only days off a plane from China.

Until then, yeah, I could use some help. If you're offering, email me. We'll set something up. Poor Matt has to work all weekend. I have to work this weekend. It's going to be tough for the next few weeks. Once we all adapt, things will be fine again.

Photos

2007-07-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

Oops, slightly out of order, sorry. Av is not happy. June Bug is about to comfort her little sister.
Juna's "American Baby" outfit that she wore from Chicago to St. Louis. She became an American Girl on the 4th of July, our wedding anniversary. How cool is that? Oh, and on the flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, we had FOUR SEATS in a ROW! The family next to us decided to get bumped, get 1500 bucks, and take a flight five hours later. Tempting as it was, we wanted to get home ASAP. It was wonderful to have all that space and only have to pay for two seats.
Here's the American Girl in her fourth of July firecracker nightie. First night home.
Juna is cruising the couch just as Zappa walked by. She is amused by the cats, but more amused by me saying, "Kitty kitty kitty!"
Juna meets her unhappy little sister and tries to comfort her. Later, Juna was banging stacking cups on the floor. Av watched her a moment, then joined in.

Miss Boo, dressed in her favorite princess dress, yells, "I LOVE YOU!" at Juna.

Miss Boo, in her red Chinese dress, waves her arms in the air. Juna copies her. I got the pic just as Juna's arms were coming down.

The Sisters Meet

2007-07-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, let's hope I can type this because my hands are shaking. The reality presented itself to me today in the form of three children, all at once.

I'm a little scared.

Nope. I lied. I'm terrified.

The day started with me waking up and my husband going back to bed. My other two girls, the baby and the three year old, were still at my mothers and due to come over this afternoon. June Bug and I played while I tried to unpack. Each time I left the room, she wailed. Now at the hotel, she had stopped doing that. She was comfortable there and knew we'd always walk back in from the bathroom. In this "big" house? Not so comfortable.

I walked her around and showed her each room. She loves ceiling fans. I hold my hand up and say, "breeze, breeze!" She giggles and then holds her hand up, too.

I knew I had to unpack and most importantly, wrap the gifts before Miss Boo, my three year old, came home. It was just impossible to do. So I took Britney up on her offer to come over and help if I needed her. I did!

She came over and we took turns entertaining Juna and unpacking at the same time. We had a lot of opened medication and I didn't want it laying around. Plus, I didn't want my three year old tearing into her presents. I wanted them wrapped!

Then Juna had her bottle and fell asleep. Britney left and I continued to unpack.

June Buggy woke up, had another bottle and was in high spirits. I called my mother, asking if she could please bring my girls over. Her reply? No, not now. Later. There's laundry in the dryer. Ok, how much later? Not sure, we'll call you.

I hung up and gave them a half of an hour. Juna and I were having fun in the TV room. What one item did she want to play with? A room filled with toys and she wanted the remote, of course.

Then I called back my mom. It was 4pm. She had just put the baby down for her nap. At 4pm! AHHH. I said nope, wake her up. I've been without my girls for two weeks, I cannot go another second. Plus, the baby's bedtime is 7pm, (what were you thinking?) but of course I did not say that. The woman did me a huge favor by watching my children for two weeks. But I'm home now and things are gonna change.

They arrived and of course the batteries were dead on the camera. I couldn't find new ones and didn't want to wake up my husband. So no reunion pics. We'll stage one tomorrow, how's that?

I went into the driveway and saw my three year old. She was so excited. Not to see me, but to see Juna. She hugged her and kissed her and told her she loved her a million times.

Then I went around to the other side to see the baby. Little Av took one look at me and burst into angry tears. Then for the rest of the evening, she wouldn't look at me. She wouldn't let me hold her. She became completely withdrawn, which is not like her bubbly self. She acted like an orphanage baby is supposed to act. Except she's my 6 month old biological baby. I was heartbroken. I held back tears, but I was just so so upset.

My orphanage baby? Happy as could be. She was thrilled with Miss Boo. Laughing and crawling to reach her. I stood her on her toes and Boo waved her arms around and Juna copied her every movement. It is true love between those two.

Little Av was also teething. Did mom give her Tylenol? No. No nap, no Tylenol. No wonder Av was not herself. And she's angry with us, that baby. You wouldn't think a six month old could have those feelings, but they do.

Plus, she looks so thin to me. Maybe it's from two weeks of staring at my robust 8 month old. But Av doesn't look healthy to me. My mother didn't give her any solids for two weeks for fear of upsetting her stomach. Like I said, I'm back, thank goodness. It's my way now.

My mom was anxious to leave and she handed me an angry Av. I sat on the floor with a baby who wanted nothing to do with me, a baby who was happily crawling onto me, and a three year old who was singing and dancing around the room. It hit me. They outnumber me. I've got this newly adopted baby, a teething and tired six month old, and a three year old who is bouncing off the walls. Each one going in a different direction or wailing, or laughing- depending on the kid. At that moment, I felt very very frightened. How was I supposed to DO THIS? The baby can't sit up on her own. The new baby can cruise the furniture. The three year old is doing cartwheels too close to their heads. I'm still jet lagged and exhausted. And that's when, slowly, each baby started breaking down, wanting a bottle. And my mother wants to bail while telling me, "I told you this wasn't going to be easy."

ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod.

That's when my husband woke up. "I need a shower and haven't eaten in 24 hours."

help meeeeeeeeee!

And with that, Juna pooped.

As much as my heart was breaking over Av's unhappiness with me, and as overwhelmed and scared as I felt, I had to take action. I had to make a plan and make it work. I'm now the mom of "twins" and a three year old. But most importantly, I'M IN CHARGE NOW!!

1. Got on the phone and ordered a pizza and told husband to shower
2. Changed the babies and got them into their nighties
3. Got the big girl a brand new toy to play with- a present. A Chinese baby doll.
4. Made two bowls of cereal with applesauce and bananas
5. Made two bottles on stand by
6. Put the babies in the bouncie seats.
7. Husband fed one baby while I fed the other
8. Husband gave one bottle while I gave the other
9. Husband ate dinner while I got one baby to bed.
10. I ate while husband got the other baby to bed.
11. We both got the three year old ready for bed.

8pm
Everyone is asleep.

For now.

What a thrill to peek into the nursery to see two cribs and two sleeping babies. Two very different looking babies. One blonde American with blue eyes and the other Chinese with black hair and black eyes. Sisters. My girls!

As exhausted and scared as I feel, this is the job I signed up for. I might break down and cry each day, but I WILL DO THIS. I need a schedule. I need organization. I need wine. I need friends to call and say, "What was I thinking?" And knowing they won't judge me or think less of me.

This isn't going to be easy.

But I can do this.

What a long strange trip it's been

2007-07-05T09:35:00.001-07:00

We're home. We're safe.

That trip home? It shows you what you're made of. That is one.... wow. Difficult. Difficult, trying, demanding, exhausting, trip.

26 hours into the journey, I turned to Matt and said in an unsteady voice, "We're warriors." Then I swayed slightly to the side. He took the baby from me and replied, "We're warriors who need to sleep."

We went through the entire journey, that started at 530am in GZ the day before, with the Hogan family. It was comforting to have them next to us. Everything we felt, they felt. When we thought we couldn't take another step, we knew we weren't just being wimps. They were as pale and shaky and unsteady and ready to wave the white flag, too.

I'll give more details in another post. I just wanted to let you know I am blogging this from home. HOME! Oh home. How I love my home now.

There's so much yet to tell you. But it might have to wait just a bit.

We were met at the airport by Britney, who has been this family's rock away from home. She has held my family together, what a woman. We stood in the parking garage of the airport, watching fireworks, with her physically holding me up while I babbled incoherently and swayed side to side. Honestly, that's a trip that needs to be broken into two days. The Hogans and we kept saying, "We are not safe to be holding this baby right now."

Britney got us home. She played with the baby while I got into my night clothes, brushed my teeth, popped a sleeping pill (the plan was for me to crash for 8 hours, then take over for Matt) and make sure Matt got settled with everything he needed. Matt slept more on the plane and was more steady than I was. Britney showed Juna the house. They laughed and played. I ran into walls. I waved goodbye at 10pm.

The sleeping pill worked. The next thing I knew it was 11 am. The baby and Matt are passed out together on the couch. I am going to wash everything on HOT water. Get the gifts organized. And see my GIRLS in a few hours! My babies, how I've missed them so much.

I'm still swaying from the motion from the plane. Hence the sleeping pill last night. You lay down and you're still rocking back and forth from 30 hours of travel. I feel like I'm not really here. But I'm home. I'm HOME.

I'll update soon, including pics of us along the journey. I will also have lots of hints and tips for those traveling soon.

We're home. We didn't die in a plane crash. Nothing went horribly wrong in China. We have a beautiful baby girl. I'm stronger than I ever thought possible. I'm a new person. This trip has changed my entire life.

But most importantly, our family is now complete.

I'll be back soon. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I appreciate you taking the time to "take the journey with me."

White Swan pics

2007-07-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

White Swan may be the adoption tradition, but the rooms have certainly seen better days. It makes sense to me why they are closing down the hotel to redo all the rooms. Here is Juna's crib. I will be anxious to see what the Westin's "Heavenly Cribs" look like and hope future families post pics when they come to GZ. As you can see, this crib wouldn't even be taken in by Goodwill in the States!

The room. The best part being the view. Certainly not those horrendous beds.

The bathrooms. I bet they will renovate these to look more like the high-end style "W" hotel bathrooms which feature Asian inspired high end luxury. These are very 80s. I do like the sound system! Classical music to go with your intestinal distress? Sure!

Another room pic. The rooms do not match the luxury of the rest of the hotel.

What families will miss is the fantastic light show at the end of the day. As Steve told me today, "The Chinese realize you need to unwind at the end of the day. This is why they have the light show."

Unwind I shall before our big travel day in the morning. Goodnight!

Last night in China

2007-07-03T03:05:00.001-07:00

Ahhh my last post from China.

It is now 6pm. Daddy is on the bed entertaining Juna with a business card and has been doing so for a half an hour.

No pics from today. We couldn't take pics in the purse mall and the shoe mall. Yes, a shoe mall. What kind do you want? Stories and stories of just shoes, everywhere! However, very hard to find a size 8.5 They have to run to a warehouse to fetch that size and we didn't have the time. I found some brand new Nikes, real ones, for 20 bucks. Not even released in the US yet Nikes. AHHHH do you feel my frustration???

Then, we did something just for Mike Blecha, a man that Matt works with. We went to Mcdonalds. Mike, our intestines suffered for you.

Let me just say it was some of the best service we have ever received in a restaurant, period. A manager saw that we were Americans and came running. She brought a menu with pictures and a hand held order taking device. Mcdonalds in China is a bit different. Every sandwich comes with lettuce and cucumbers and a spicy sauce. The menu is much much smaller than in America (at least this one was) and they serve ice cream in many unusual flavors, like melon, green tea, and pink peach. Hello Kitty was the kid's meal toy. Hello Kitty is so very popular here.

The food was awful, of course. Mcdonalds in the US is awful and it's even worse here. That spicy sauce was a killer on our stomachs. We were racing for the bathroom as soon as we walked in the door.

HOWEVER, we did so not really for Mike, but because we were on such a tight schedule. Isn't that why people always hit up Mickey Ds? I am vowing to make China Mcdonalds my last Mcdonalds trip EVER.

We did attract a lot of attention, of course, as we were Downtown and the only Americans anywhere. Mostly the workers who came up and wanted to know more about the baby. None spoke English or limited English so I tried so hard to communicate by miming. We were with my pal Steve, who is Chinese. One woman assumed she was our baby and Steve was my husband. I pointed to Matt and said, "Ba Ba." She smiled and said, "Lucky baby."

Then we had our swearing ceremony at the US Consulate.

Ok, let me just talk to the families who are coming to GZ in the coming months. White Swan is closing for renovations. You will probably be booked in the Westin. Lucky families!! It is next door to the Consulate, which is located in a gorgeous area of GZ. It's a downtown area, very modern, very clean and appears very safe. It is across from a park area that has a HUGE waterfall. I wanted to get out and take pics, but there was no time. Again with the no time thing. AND the Westin is down the street from a huge indoor fashion shopping plaza. There are limited restaurants in the area, but I did see a pizza joint and some Chinese souvenir shops. Once White Swan closes, more will move in, if they can afford the rent. It is a pretty swanky area.

The US Consulate office is in a modern building. No cameras or electronics of any kind were allowed. You go through security and have to check your electronics if you bring them. No water, no liquids of any kind. You can bring a bottle and formula and one diaper but that is all. No big bags of any kind.

You enter a large room and take a seat. Then your coordinator gives you some paper work. You take it to a window and a nice lady looks at your child's visa page, then at your child. Ours was asleep, so we had to wake her up. They are very serious about this part and must take a close look at baby.

After that, you sit down again. Once all families go through, and it's really a fast process, a woman comes out with a mic. She reminds you of everything you've been through to this point. Then she has you stand up, raise your right hand, and take an oath to take care of baby and swear all info provided is correct. Then everyone cheers and you are handed a folder and told not to open it until you get to immigration. Done!

We got back to the hotel. The group is going to a farewell dinner. We and our travel mates from our city opted to eat peanut butter sandwiches in our rooms and go to bed super early. With the stomach distress we've had here, we cannot risk a repeat on the plane. It appears every single family has had stomach issues of one kind or another. Even with the daily Pepto tabs. Matt ran to the local grocery and got some bread and chips. We brought the peanut butter over. And we are going to have a picnic, watch the 8pm laser show and go to sleep.

We leave at 530 am for the airport. GZ to Hong Kong. Hong Kong flight at 1245pm and arrive in Chicago at 2pm the next day. Go through customs and have a FIVE HOUR freakin layover. Get into our city around 9pm. Let's hope.

Our travel mates from our city hate flying as much as we do. We're all dreading this. But we keep repeating it brings us one step closer to our families. We'll get through this. We have a laptop loaded with TV shows we never watched here in China.

And that is that.

I want to thank you for reading ALL my entries. I know there's been many and I've been all talk talk talk talk talk. I've had a lot to say! This has been the trip of a lifetime. I know the point was to get June Buggy , but it was also to experience CHina so one day we can tell her about her country. Experience China we did. I cannot believe it's been two weeks. It's FLOWN by. Seriously, we just got here!! Aside from a few stomach issues, it's been amazing.

I'll post once I catch up on sleep. And I will also let you know how the adjustment period goes at home. I hate how people abandon their adoption blogs once they get home. I promise not to do that to you. Children do nap, so there's always a few mins to blog.

Alright, time for my peanut butter picnic.

Goodnight for the last time from China.

Last day in GZ continued- bag lady

2007-07-02T23:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry I cannot reply to your Yahoo mail. I can receive, not send, for some reason.

Purse lovers? Are you listening? Are you prepared to be green with envy. You will be so green, Kermit the frog will look at your and go, "Wow, I guess it IS easy, being green."

Today I went to .... wait for it... wait for it...

A FIVE STORY PURSE MALL.

An entire mall. Just. For. Purses.

Otherwise known as Mae Heaven.

Each floor, each store, around every single corner. Purses. Purses. PURSES!! Gucci, Chanel, LV, Coach, Dooney and more more more more more.

And we were the only ones in there.

I almost fainted.

I don't think I've ever been that happy IN MY LIFE.

We were short on time. Can you believe it? SHORT ON TIME IN A FIVE STORY PURSE MALL. Short on time in a five story purse mall!!! Oh the humanity!

I ended up with only two. Two lousy purses from the five story purse mall. Because we were short on time. SHORT ON TIME IN A FIVE STORY PURSE MALL.

No, I'm not over it yet.

I doubt I ever will be.

Ok, that's all I wanted to say. Five story purse mall. Oh how I love you, five story purse mall.

Last day in GZ

2007-07-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Bittersweet. While I cannot wait to get back and start our family, I am also sad to leave China. To be honest, Nanchang was my favorite part of the journey. Take our view here in Guangzhou and then put it in Nanchang, and I would be crying right now because I wouldn't want to leave. Nanchang memories will be the best from this trip. It's where we met Juna and fell in love with the older style of China.

Last night we took a river cruise. It was just ok for me. The food was awful- served buffet style, Chinese, and the only thing edible was the pot stickers and they ran out within minutes. Most of us just skipped the food and took in the view.

The top deck did not have seating. The top deck was very uneven and difficult to navigate, especially with a baby. Of course it started to rain when we got to the best part of the view- the White Swan and the surrounding bars and hotels. On the lower decks, the AC did not work properly and the rain covered windows covered the view. We were very sweaty and miserable so I just bounced Junie on my lap and sang to her. Fortunately it was not a long cruise, nor did it cost that much.

Our guides did warn us to not buy flowers from the little children who swam the boat docks. It's a scam to distract you and pickpocket you. The other agency present did not warn their clients and I saw much chaos and uncomfortable people trying to get away from the mobs of children.

I would inquire about the more private, newer cruise boats. There is a green one with lovely white seating that travels around and looks lovely. I am sure it is pricey, but might be worth it to have a private dinner cruise just for your family. Future families might want to look into that, if you have some bucks to spare. Or perhaps some of the nicer cruise boats. I felt ours was very touristy and not very nice at all.

Breakfast this morning was quite amusing. There's a large group of American high schoolers here for a sports tournament. The coaches were heard saying, "Don't buy anything. You give them money, and they give you their money back, but it's worthless in the United States. It's just paper, it doesn't have any value. It's not real money."

We are now all on antibiotics as our colds have turned into sinus infections. Fear not, Hawk Family, we will not infect you on Weds and Friday!

Today is our last day to shop. Then we will go to the US Consulate for our swearing ceremony. That's what our guide calls it and when she does, I giggle. I picture all of us standing around and using some choice words. I think many in this travel group has some choice words to say right about now. Eh, not worth getting into. Let's just say some of us had fun on our trip and others didn't. Others forgot what the point of the trip was truly about. There. Very PC of me.

I am now almost completely Chinese! You should see me, butting into the buffet lines and pushing my way into elevators and almost knocking people over to get where I want to go. That's not being rude, it's being Chinese in a city packed with people. Our guides explained that to us on the first day and it's so true. It's every man for himself here. Oh, people are polite. But they are not like Americans to be overly polite. There are no lines. There is no real order. You just get where you want to go. And if you want to stop in the middle of the street to chat, people/cars/whatever will go around you. It took me a few days, but I got the hang of things here. But yeah, got some looks this morning when I cut into the buffet line. I just needed one thing and I didn't want to stand and wait. But in, get my bacon, but back out. mmmmm Bacon.....The Chinese man next to me didn't even bat an eye. The American lady behind me seemed miffed. Tee hee. Took me two seconds and I was on my way. that is the Chinese way.

If you are genteel and polite, get over it. Being nice is fine. But it's a different kind of nice here.

Anyway, I'm off to shop. A goodbye letter later today!

Monday in GZ Continues- Red Couch!

2007-07-02T00:55:00.001-07:00

Today we had to stay in our rooms until Noon, in case there were any questions about our paperwork from the US Consulate. If so, then we'd be called from our coordinators, who were at the Consulate's office.

There is one unhappy person in our travel group. Things went badly for her in Nanchang in terms of smoking people being put in non smoking rooms. They smoked in their rooms, and the smoke drifted into t everyone's rooms. It's shared ventilation at Gloria Plaza, so if someone next door is smoking, you might as well be smoking. She is worse than I am about smoke, so she's angry and things are going badly for her.

We saw our coordinator coming off the elevator. We said, "How are you?" She said, "I'll be happy when you guys go home."

Ouch!

Our other guide, Jesse, is new to the job. We called her this morning when we didn't know where to take Juna. She's been following up with us ever since. She came by to see the baby, make sure we were ok. See, Jesse has not been driven nuts yet, as this is her first week. I am sure the frantic Americans can wear a poor Chinese coordinator down. Again, it's cultural. Americans rant and rave and want things done NOW. That is not the Chinese way.

We have learned things run on Chinese time. Like the sit down restaurants. Don't go if you are in a hurry. Things move very slowly. And if you inquire about something- like one time Juna's congee was very late. Everyone had been served and halfway through their meal and she still hadn't gotten her congee. I asked very nicely and the waitress snapped my head off. Ok! That is not the Chinese way. The thing to do is alert a manager. They roam the restaurants. Tell them the problem and it's fixed immediately. You don't tip a waitress at a Chinese restaurant, did you know? I did not know that.

So after 12 Noon, we met our friend Aler Young in the lobby. He was going to take us to see his university, but we only had 2 hours and it was a long subway ride away. I was looking forward to seeing a Chinese University! Oh well. Instead, we walked around the Island. Aler had found a must dine restaurant from his guide book. He's never been to this Island, even tho he lives in GZ. The guide book had must eat dishes, so we ordered the ones listed.

It was a cute place. Very small, nicely decorated. The staff spoke a little bit of English. The food arrived very quickly and was quite good. The Drunken Chicken was a dish served in a pot of cold rice wine. That threw me off. Cold chicken, still on the bone. But good. Another dish was pork served in a glob of brown fatty material. The waitress cut it open and the pork inside was so delish. I have learned you serve your food into a bowl and eat it from the bowl. The plate you are given is for the bone yard. You are not given napkins, just sealed wet cloth. Today's smelled like fresh tea. They also give you a a packet of tissues if you want to wipe your hands on something. I keep those packs for the toilets. It's so hit and miss. Will you have TP or won't you? Oh, this restaurant had WESTERN TOILETS! ANd lots of them. Honestly, I've used about five Chinese toilets now and STILL cannot get the hang of the right "aim." HAHHA.

Please note I witnessed another young and tiny Chinese woman purge her lunch in order to stay slim. It appears to be a big problem here. Which proves that even size zero women love to eat. "I'm just never hungry" is pure BS.

Aler Young, a university student from GZ.

The lunch specials page. Note the prices are in RMB. Click on the pic to enlarge. And yes, they did have pigeon here, too. Most of the menus here are in English, too.
Myself and Aler Young, posing at.....
STARBUCKS! From the hotel, walk down the Jennifer's/Lucy's/Name Your Shopkeeper street. Go to the end of the block. Make a right. It's the second store on the corner. And it has this lovely outdoor eating area. It is located near a little park. A lovely area where the Americans stroll around. The staff in Starbucks speak English.

We did not go to Cow and Bridge because it is Thai and we are not crazy about Thai food.

Walking back to the hotel with Aler, we witnessed a photo shoot outside of Lucy's shop. Two very good looking men, shirts off, and modeling jeans? Shoes? Who cares. Probably the best looking men I've ever seen in person in my life. Italian, maybe? Longish hair. Smoldering eyes. Young Chinese girls were gathered around, oohing and ahhing. The fashion director was smoking and looking bored. "She's French, I can tell," said Aler.

Then the girls followed us to try to get into the White Swan but the doorman would not let them go in. I can in and out of White Swan with ease. Even looking as grungy as I do. A white gloved uniformed man helps me out of the taxi and says, "Welcome to White Swan." Another uniformed man opens the door for me. Another man gets the elevator for me. A girl could get used to five star living real quick!!

Ok, now I take you to a special tradition at the White Swan Hotel. The babies get dressed up in traditional Chinese dresses and pose on the Famous Red Couch. How did this start? No one at White Swan even knows. They think we are nuts for doing this. Especially because the red couch in question has faded to a dull pinkish color.

There are about 6 or more red couches in the White Swan. No one knows exactly which is the famous one. We only knew because another adoption group were being photographed there. But there's two across from one another in this lounge and both have seen better days. So which is the famous one? The group chose the one by the birds. Whereas I think the one in front of the river view would have been more stunning.

The couch is located on the 2nd floor, beyond the lobby. There is a small open air lounge that overlooks the river. It's hotel guests only and there is a bar area. There is also a large bird cage filled with love birds. today one of the birds was out of his cage. There are other brand new, deep red couches near the bird cage. But the FAMOUS red couch is the most beat up one of them all. Gee, wonder why!
Miss Thang smiles on the couch before the other families arrive. She is wearing a pink dress we bought in Hong Kong.
The mommies frantically assemble the babies on the red couch. The following pics are the progression from assembling to breakdown. Juna is the second baby from your left, seated on the couch.

Juna is trying to comfort the baby in yellow next to her. she keeps patting the baby's head, which is pushing the baby over.
Juna is now attempting to comfort both babies next to her. She completely knocked over the baby in red. We think she was sick of sharing the spotlight. She did not cry once. She was more interested in consoling her couch mates.

Here is our entire group, assembled on the level between the second and first floor, overlooking the water fall.

More later.

Sunday/Monday GZ pics

2007-07-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

Monday morning, after her bottle. That's when she's the happiest baby!
Still so happy and pretty, even with bronchitis, as we'd soon find out.
A view from our window at night to the river below. Those are the cruise ships decked out in neon.
Pink Floyd has nothin on GZ. That is the Jiang Feng Hotel and the light show that happens on the hotel. The lights around the trees below is from a bar district. See the green laser that is projecting from the top of the building? The suspension bridge is to the right of the pic. It also has a laser. They spread out and dance around and hit the water. It's pretty cool.
Mommy, where is my congee? Stop giving me the sign for "more" and just feed me already!
The White Swan breakfast buffet taken from the bread/pastries table.
More river views at night. Not sure which one we will be on tonight, but we are going on a dinner cruise. We will get to see the light show from the water. WOOO!

Katie- where the HELL is that Starbucks??? I've found one so far in GZ and it's in a NINE STORY shopping mall. Oh yeah. Nine stories. One of several downtown. Like to shop? China is your country. This is shoppers paradise. It's insane how many bags I have NOT purchased. I'm running out of money!! I guess I will go ask the concierge. Mama needs a Starbucks fix. But seriously, GZ is fantastic for shopping.

The White Swan's walls are paper thin. I can hear the man coughing next door. I can hear the man above opening his shower curtain. I am lucky to have a quiet baby and no babies next door. Oh those beds, so so so rock hard. I discovered padding in the drawer under the TV. Even with two bed bads, one down comforter, and one blanket under my body, it's still too hard. And I'm so padded! I cannot wait for my comfy bed at home.

Wait, here's Matt. He wants to tell you what he did on his birthday night. He was just running out to the market to get some water and some wipes. This is what happened.

I went to the concierge and said I needed to go to the supermarket. 7-11 didn't have the wipes we needed, nor did they have any sort of dishwashing detergent (which is how we clean the bottles and nipples). She wrote down a bunch of Chinese on the back of a business card and said "Give this to the driver." I looked at the card and thought "Hmmm. I could go to 7-11 and do without some things that we really sort of need, or I could go on an adventure. So adventure it is." I hopped in a taxi out front, the doorman looked at the card and said something to the driver. He drove me off to the Carrefour about 12-14 minutes away (an 11 yuan ride, or $1.40 US).

The place is amazing. It's the biggest grocery store I've ever seen in my life. It makes the Super Wal-Mart look like a corner convenience store. It's underground, so you go down an escalator to the B1 floor where you get your cart. Then you travel across that entire floor past tons of kiosks that are not part of the store but have leased space from them (this is pretty common, Wal-Mart in Nanchang had the same sort of setup). Down to the B2 level where you will find furniture, hardware, cosmetics, electronics, fashion, household items, cleaning supplies, etc etc. This floor is the size of a very large Wal-Mart or Target. Then you go down to the B3 level where you find the actual grocery store. This floor is also the size of a very large Wal-Mart. And it's just groceries. The place was jam packed, as is everything here. Fighting through the aisles is quite an experience. I of course got lots of looks as I was one of three Westerners in the entire store. I was able to find everything I needed very quickly and get into a checkout line with no hassles. In the next lane were two young kids, probably 6 or 7, with their mom. They kept looking up at me and whispering to each other. The next time they looked up I smiled and said "Ni hao" and they laughed and hid behind their mom. 8 1.5L bottles of water, a twelve pack of Duracell batteries*, two packs of Pampers wipes, 70 yuan. Or about nine dollars U.S.

*Batteries in china apparently have less acid in them, they don't last nearly as long as U.S. batteries. I was warned about this by Vince.

The cab ride home was as curious an experience as the shopping. There are LCD TV's in a lot of the taxis and they run main video content with a crawler across the bottom and three boxes of ads down the right side. It's one step closer to the TV in Idiocracy. The music videos here are as goofy, creative, and outlandish as the best of the 80's in the U.S. where there were no rules.

Thanks, Matt. Great update. Now back to Mei.

Helloooo. Ok, so Chinese bottles? LOVE them. I have stopped using my drop ins and am using the Chinese bottles exclusively now. They are the Betty Bottle brand. They come with a long rubber straw with a ball thingie on the end. That keeps the bottle mixed up and acts as a straw so the baby sucks the formula into the nipple. I don't use that part. But it's cool to see how it works.

Chinese wipes? Too thin. Don't like.

Chinese baby and children's clothing? The regular clothes are like boutique clothing in the US. It's SOOOO cute and SOOOO cheap. About 3 USD per outfit and we're talking really elaborate little outfits. Pirated licensed characters, I'm sure. I've got tons of Hello Kitty and Disney outfits for the girls in designs and styles I've never seen before.

People always comment about the smells in China. It's true, they can be brutal. Nanchang smelled like exhaust fumes. Guangzhou can downright stink. There's a vegetable that's used in all the cooking here that rots very quickly in the trash cans and WOW, it knocks you over when you encounter the odor. It smells like garbage/sewage at the same time. You can be walking along, la la la, then AAAACK! GAGG! Then la la la everything smells fine again. You will look around- where is this coming from? No clue. But now that I have had enough Cantonese cooking, I know the smell.

Do I like the food here? I am sorry to say I liked the food in Nanchang so much better. There is a spice here that is used on everything that does not agree with me. It does not taste appealing and it does not digest AT ALL. Bahhhhh. Lucy's, the cafe across the street, sells American food. They use that spice on everything. We had a club last night that I couldn't eat. I literally took one bite and threw it away. I will scan the Lucy's menu for future travelers, but please... don't expect Western food to taste Western. Not with that spice on everything.

Today we have agency stuff to do, then we are going to visit a Chinese University with our local friend. Then it's time for the famous Red Couch picture at 330. Then the dinner cruise tonight. A fun packed day with a family who has plenty of sleep. The Chinese medicine? Baby is out cold AND she can breathe! Hurrah!

Talk to you later-

Oh someone update Marge for me? Tell her about our latest adventures and although we love China, we cannot wait to get home and see everyone.

Katie- how do I get to Cow and Bridge? Cantonese food? How are prices?.

Monday in GZ- Good morning doctor

2007-07-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Another unique experience in China for us!

Last night, Juna woke up screaming and crying. She could barely breathe. So congested and miserable. We finally got her to sleep and we all managed about 8 hours, WOW! That is a record for our stay so far in China. THe baby slept until 7am and boy were we grateful.

I got her out of her crib and noticed her cough had gotten even more congested. She was also tugging at her ears. Oh oh! Bad sign.

We got everyone ready for breakfast. Which means heat up the hot pot. Oh, for those about to travel- do you know what a hot pot is? I didn't. It's a plastic kettle on a hot plate. You fill with water, press a button, and it heats up boiling hot within minutes. You pour about 2 oz of the hot water to 3 oz of bottled water. At least that is what Juna likes and might be a good place to start for you. Daddy feeds while I shower and get ready. Then I play with Buggie while Dad gets ready. Then we head downstairs.

At White Swan, there is a room attendant on every floor. He will rush out to push the elevator button for you, then direct you into the elevator. He or she is there for your every need. It may not happen quickly- the Chinese are not people who rush or like to be rushed. Let them lead by their pace. I often find myself acting in American mode and rushing them along- and I'm a nice person! I just forget to SLOW DOWN and let them lead.

After getting downstairs, we had another fabulous buffet breakfast. We stuff our faces because we don't know what the day will bring, food wise. SOme good, some horrible. Best to stock up while you can.

I just had a bad feeling at breakfast. I went up to the table of our travel group and asked for advice. I was told there is a medical clinic here on the 3rd floor. They will not give antibiotics, only Chinese medicine. But someone from our group offered medicine.

Now, let this be a lesson about rumors and info you read online. I was grateful for the offer for medicine, but I wanted a professional's opinion on Juna's condition. So we headed to the 3rd floor. Sure enough, there was a doctor's office right here in the White Swan. My thinking is that she could tell me what was wrong, then I could get antibiotics from my travel mates. Yeah, like I'm a doctor and know what I'm doing....

It's tiny. One waiting room, one exam room. It's clean. A bit worn down, but nothing extreme. There was a nurse/interpreter and the doctor who only spoke Cantonese. The doctor was a lovely older lady grandmotherly type.

They started with the routine questions. What was wrong and is she peeing and pooping? The doctor looked in her ears- infected. Listened to her chest- bronchitis. We were told it is a very minor infection, but will get worse without treatment. So this is when I braced myself- what kind of treatment?

Antibiotics! See! Find these things out first hand. Or just trust what I am telling you on this blog. And, after talking to another daddy, you can get antibiotics in Nanchang as well.

So then the nurse got out the ear drops and showed us how to put them in Juna's ears. She told us the doctor said she does not want Juna eating any more eggs, as eggs give the ears energy. Tee hee. I am sure that got WAY lost in translation. Then the nurse went behind a counter and we watched her mix the medicine. She took pills and crushed them and put them into little paper sleeves. Then she filled four bottles with various liquids. The crushed pills are vitamins C and B "to help absorb the antibiotics." We are to take a cup and mix the liquid antibiotics with the vitamins, then spoon feed them to Juna three times per day. The ear drops are for one week. We are to see our doctor when we get home and show her all the paper information on what Juna has been taking. We read the info- it's all stuff we've given Boo back home. THe only difference being the vitamins.

The doctor praised us for getting her in early. In a few more days, it would have turned for the worse. Well, in a few more days, we'll be on an airplane. That was my thinking- get a doctor now so our flight home isn't worse than expected.

There is another family with us who had a hospital experience. Their baby had a stomach bug and became too weak to drink her bottle. She was a baby who was weak to begin with. They went to three different hospitals- not sure why? Maybe they were sent there. They said the conditions were horrible. Kids just peeing in the hallways. Dirty gloves. Really unsanitary conditions in comparison to the US. However, their baby is now 100 percent better after two rounds of IVs and medications.

So there you go- if your little one gets sick, see a doctor. Even if you have antibiotics with you, it's nice to know just what is infected in there. If your doctor was like mine, and did not want to give you antibiotics to take over- no worries. They have them here- same kind as in the USA. My doctor just felt that it is not right to give a baby medication if you don't truly know what's wrong and don't know if the baby needs it or not.

Oh, and if the baby appears sick before coming home- go to a doctor. Don't have a sick baby on the flight home. The total cost for the visit and medicine was 40 USD.

Well worth it!

Alright, pics coming in the next post.

Sunday night in GZ

2007-07-01T05:38:00.001-07:00

Too tired to write. Falling asleep at keyboard. Catching up on pics from the last few days. Here's Matt and Juna at a local Chinese restaurant in downtown GZ. Yes, we took a cab and went downtown. The only Americans around. We attracted a lot of attention.
Coco, Juna, and Samster. Internet friends meet.

A happy baby especially loves the song, "Shoo fly, don't bother me."

A birthday cake sent to our room courtesy of our adoption agency.

More when I can focus my eyes again.

Sunday in Guangzhou

2007-06-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Guangzhou at night is something to be seen. I sit with the baby by our hotel window and watch the light show on the river below. The entire shoreline- buildings and walkways- are lit with neon. THere is a hotel across the way that has a light show projected on the side of the building. Cruise boats covered in neon float by. Then spotlights flash across the water. Lasers project from the tops of the highrise buildings and shoot all over the water. The suspension bridge down the river is also covered in neon and lasers. They pay obnoxious music, so I turn up the sound system in the room to classical music. I sit and feed the baby and take in the unreal display below. I have heard that tonight there might be fireworks to help honor Hong Kong's holiday. Hong Kong will have the real show tonight with 5 million dollars worth of fireworks. I wish we could be there. I sure hope Hong Kong Muse and her husband will be out, taking in the display and taking pictures!

Matt now has the cold. He is pretty miserable. Juna appears to be getting over hers. I think I am being reinfected again. Bah.

It's the lack of sleep. 1212 is/ (was hurrah!) a bad room. We watch the laser show at 930pm, then go to bed. That's when the upstairs plumbing went crazy again. We were up very late with the bang bang clang clang. This morning at breakfast, I asked our travel mates if they had the same problem. Nope, just us! Matt immediately went to the front desk. Within ten mins, a bellboy arrived to fetch our bags and take us to a new room. Two floors up, two doors down. Same stunning river view, non smoking, and a baby crib arrived five mins later. There is a hot pot here, too. This is the service people have raved about from the White Swan. The service that was lacking when we arrived several days ago. Whew, thank you White Swan. Let's hope this is a quiet room. Mama really needs to sleep.

I cannot nap. Our days are now so packed with appointments and sight seeing. I can sleep when we get home. hahahaha, yeah right!

Yesterday the group went to the pearl and jade market. Which sounds fun, right? Five stories of jewelry! Connected to a tower of shops on the other side! Mei Heaven!!

Eh, not so much fun with a baby in a poorly air conditioned building. If you come here in summer, just prepare to sweat constantly. Even tho GZ is far cooler than Nanchang, it's still pretty stifling here. An 8 month old orphanage baby has newborn like needs. THere is a need for a bottle ever few hours. Our baby cannot sleep on the fly. She is too consumed with the world around her, which is to be expected. The whole time we were there, I was worried about her.

I did manage to get a ton of outfits for my girlies for about 3 usd per outfit. My Chinese friends said I overpaid. It's funny how there are prices for Chinese retail, Chinese wholesale, and then prices for the Americans. Bargaining? I HATE IT. I have learned how to blame Matt- that really works. "Husband says too high!" They will instantly lower the price. That is, when I have had to bargain. They usually lower the price immediately. I turn to Matt. They lower some more. I still look skeptical, more lowering. Then I finally find the price in my head that seems reasonable. To me, it all seems reasonable compared to US prices. But my Chinese friends have gotten into my head. Wholesale!!

June Bug had a huge blowout diaper while we shopped. No changing tables. But would you, even if you could? The bathrooms are Chinese and in this location, not clean. We changed her outside in the square of the center. With plenty of onlookers. We stood her up to put on her pull up Chinese diaper and she peed everywhere. It's ok. The little kids just pee wherever they want. Still... not comfortable.

I wandered around the Jade market for a bit. I am not a jade or pearl girl. And the shop keepers were not willing to bargain as much. Instead of waiting for our group, we said goodbye and caught a cab to the hotel.

Later in the evening, we met Samster, our online friend. We are meeting three wonderful online friends while here from the China Daily website. It's an internet forum for the CHina Daily newspaper. There have a GZ section and years ago, I posted. I asked for local friends to give me as much GZ info as possible. Samster is one of the people who answered who I have been talking to all this time. I meet my other two friends in the coming days. He had time in his busy schedule to take us to dinner. Ok, his name is Sam, but I nick named him Samster. He is a very outgoing young graphic designer. We met in the hotel lobby and there was much happiness. We have been waiting a long time for this meeting.

We walked to Sam's favorite restaurant, which was packed. So we headed down the street to another. they had outdoor dining, so we dined by the river. This place was AUTHENTIC. Like pigeons as appetizers authentic.

uyguygkgbkjhbk

she is up. more later

Shopping in GZ

2007-06-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

In the lobby of White Swan. It really is a lovely hotel, despite my complaints from last night. The 1st floor buffet is to the left of this picture.

Walk out the front door of White Swan. Cross a very small street. Cars are not insane in this area and you will be just fine. Right across the street are the "Ladies Names Shops." Lucy's, Susan's, Jennifer's. That's where you can take your laundry and do some shopping. Here is a pic of us standing on that street, looking back to the White Swan Hotel. The shop behind Matt also offers those services but we did not go there yet. The White Swan is to the left of where Matt is standing.

I have never seen pics like this is any of the adoption blogs. I hope this helps future travelers. I plan on posting much more.
A typical scenario. People stop to shake Juna's hand. When they speak to her in Mandarin, she breaks into a huge grin. She misses the tones. I think all parents should learn a little Mandarin for speaking to the babies. They really do understand. What they don't "get," is made up by the familiarity and comfort of hearing a language they've heard spoken since birth. Just a few simple phrases is all you need. I often ask Chinese women to speak to her just so I can see her reaction. And react she does!
Standing in front of Jennifer's place, looking back to the White Swan hotel (not in the picture, but to the right of this picture.)

I just got an email from my friend Sam, who lives here in Guangzhou. He asked what kind of cake to order for Matt's dinner tonight.

His birthday dinner.

I sat here and went, "Oh my god. I forgot my husband's birthday!!!"

Matt was out getting us some lunch. He came in and again, I cried. I have cried so much on this trip! Wu wu wu wu wu wu wu.

He looked shocked. Huh? It's my birthday? Wu wu wu wu turned into shew shew shew shew!

I am blogging a lot today, huh! Hey, the baby naps a lot, thanks goodness.

The baby passed her medical exam, just fine. The doctor was worried about the now disappearing boil on her arm. Matt assured him, via translator, that she had it in the orphanage. He seemed relieved to hear that, as he did not want her to give it to the other babies. And then he said she needs to drink water, as her throat is very sore. Otherwise, she got the ok, health wise, to leave China.

After the medical exam, we headed out to the shops around the hotel. Everyone talks about them on the various adoption blogs. Jennifer's Place. Lucy's Place. Susan's Place. They stand outside and hand out fliers on laundry prices and try to get you into the store. Lucy has the best location. She's first on the block. Plus, she is not pushy, which I loved. I handed her my bags of laundry and said I would wander the store. She left me alone, which is amazing. Other shop keepers are very pushy here.

She got my business just based on her friendly, no hassle attitude. I bought a gorgeous Chinese silk robe for myself in blue. Going back for a red one later. Getting one for Marge, don't tell her! Got a special something for one of you reading this, but my keyboard is sealed! haha. Most of these stores carry traditional Chinese dresses for girls. Lucy's has the Chinese silk traditional top with a tutu skirt. Guess who got several of those?

In Nanchang, I had a wedding dress made for next year, as it is our ten year anniversary and we plan to renew our vows. Not sure if I mentioned it yet or not. It's brown with silver trim, very lovely. With my recent weight loss, it's already too big. I need to find a Chinese tailor in our city! So not traditional Chinese wedding dress, as it is not red and poofy, but it works for me. Today at Lucy's, I bought matching traditional red dresses for the girls for the wedding in the appropriate sizes. Next to the brown, it will be stunning.

These little shops let you borrow strollers. So we put June Buggy in the stroller and headed down to Jennifer's, where we bought a suitcase for loading up our souvenirs. You can get a suitcase for about 7 USD.

Got back to the hotel and totally confused a Chinese man. He saw Juna and said, "She looks so Chinese, how is that?" He was looking from Matt to me and back again. A lady came up to him and explained in Mandarin that we adopted her. He started laughing and then the group that had gathered exploded in laughter. The man was embarrassed. I told him thank you for thinking I was pretty enough to be an Asian beauty, hahaha. The crowd wanted to stare and comment about Juna for about ten minutes. That is normal here. If you don't like crowds or being the center of attention, stay in your room.

The people on the streets in GZ are very friendly to the Americans. In Nanchang, we confused them. They are not used to seeing us and they were so baffled. Here, they smile and wave and speak English. It's a much different scenario.

If you are an outgoing person, you won't get anything accomplished here. If you are chatty like me, and can talk to anyone, you will spend most of your time talking on the streets to so many wonderful people. From the other adoption families to the locals. And I'm not even a tall blonde. Imagine if I had that going for me. I'd never get to my room! If I had gone with Katie, as our LID dates had originally planned- oh imagine that. Katie, if you are reading this, imagine the attention we'd attract! (Katie is blonde.) And we both talk talk talk talk talk and laugh very loudly and talk with our hands and are very expressive. Tee hee, that would have been a blast.

My western burger and fries for lunch tasted awful. I am looking forward to my traditional Chinese meal and cream birthday cake tonight.

Off to the Jade market. Five stories of pearls and jade and bargaining to be done. Oh, we got some excellent deals in the local shops. A big smile and friendly attitude goes a LONG way when it comes to bargaining, I have found.

Or maybe even the Chinese cannot resist my charms.

Hey, don't be impressed by my weight loss based on the pic I posted. The camera was held up and I was tilting my head just right. I know how to pose for a camera, people. Especially if I want to look ten pounds lighter. And yes, I will get one of me and the baby. The problem is that I'm the photographer in the family.

Someone described my hair as being very Louise Brooks. With the humidity and no round brush or styling products, I would agree.

You know I'll be back with more. I am so glad you are enjoying all these details. I am having fun sharing them with you. And of course, I will love printing these pages for Junie Bug's scrapbook. Oh- she's doing this thing now where she pats my face and goes, "Ahhhh! Ahhhhh! AHHHHHHH!" Then she tries to pull my hair or take off my glasses while screeching AHHHHHHH. If I repeat it back, she will say it again. We sing song it back and forth, back and forth. She also smiles the instant she sees me. So different from the baby who wouldn't make eye contact with me on Gotcha Day. Now she stares deeply into my eyes and pats my face. Amazing that it hasn't even been one week.

I hope someone reading this blog becomes sold on the idea of adoption. If I could convince just one random person out there to consider adoption, I will feel so proud. I will feel like I am paying it forward.

Can you love an adopted child as much as a biological? Can you look into the eyes of a baby of a completely different race and see yourself looking back? Can you your heart melt from a baby that came from someone other than you and your sig other?

I hope my experience can show that the answer to all of those questions is yes. YES YES YES oh heck yes.

I'm so glad we are doing this. I'm so glad our answer was yes.

Chinese Beauty

2007-06-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

Airport with Daddy
On the bed in Nanchang. Wearing a sweater from Katie. So needed in the cold air conditioning. The Chinese people love her tuxedo Robeez.

Barbie Goes To China

2007-06-29T18:46:00.001-07:00

And she adopted a Chinese baby. Maybe.

There was just a knock at the door. Our room attendant, much happier today, handed me a box with a Barbie inside. She's the typical blonde Barbie, but she's holding a baby in front of her. A Guatemalan baby? That's no Chinese baby! That looks like Scarlett, my friend's baby from Guatemala! Tee hee, this is great.

Everyone who stays at White Swan gets a Going Home Barbie. When I first heard of her, I assumed she was Asian. Of course not. She's a white girl who adopted a Chinese/Guatemalan baby. While wearing 6 inch hot pink shoes.

Sorry, sorry. I am not knocking this age old tradition.

Ok I am.

Barbie is about 20 years old, right? So she's not old enough to adopt from China. She meets the weight requirement, that's for sure. Income wise? Oh yeah, Barbie's loaded what with the super fancy townhouse and the Malibu swim house and the clothing line. But she's single. Or did she and Ken get married at this point? She looks amazing for a woman who's spent 2 weeks in China. Shiny, styled hair. The locals must hover around her and take pictures, which Barbie loves. SHe's a fashion model, remember?

Barbie is wearing a multi colored satin wraparound skirt that shows plenty of thigh. 6 inch high heels, as I mentioned. The dress is topped off with a bolero jacket made of woven tweed with gold threads. Matching belt. The Guatemalan/Chinese baby is wearing a ... hmm.... hoochie baby outfit. Purple hot pants with skimpy tank top that ties in the back. Bare feet, which would never go over well in China. Chinese women think babies need covered feet! And she needs a sweater. Chinese women think babies need sweaters inside in the air conditioning.

Barbie and the baby have the same skin color. Barbie needs to stay out of the sun. Skin Cancer and all.

The baby has a head full of plastic black hair. And pink lipstick. Her lipstick matches Barbie's! And yes, that baby is wearing eye liner.

Mattel, Mattel, Mattel. You could have at least made the baby Asian.

But thanks! Miss Boo is going to LOVE her.

Saturday in GZ

2007-06-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

7 hours of sleep has given me an attitude adjustment. I told you I'm an adventurous person. If I get enough sleep. And I'm not sick. And I am not worried sick about a sick baby. And my basic needs are met. Well, hers, more importantly. I am still sick with whatever got me yesterday. All intestinal. I am going to assume it was the plane food. Chinese plane food is even worse than US plane food.

Could anyone question how I have bonded with this baby? I was like an angry lioness in this room last night. My baby needed food and sleep and getting both was this impossible task. Oh- orphanage babies like their cribs. They do not want to go to sleep on a bed. Well the ones in our travel group don't.

I was so upset about the disorganization because it meant she would suffer. I don't care about my needs as much. But hers? Her have to be met. . I finally slept through an Ativan haze last night even tho the plumbing problems upstairs continued into the wee hours of the morning. Hence, the need for Ativan and lots of it. So funny because other travel group members did the same thing. The construction and plumbing noises here are pretty irritating. I am so grateful for the DR for prescribing that drug. He swore I would need it in China and he was right!

Our view IS stunning. It's like Vegas here. Everyone says that but they don't explain why. The buildings along the river are lit up with neon and flashing lights. Laser lights project off the tops of the highrises onto the river. They play music along with the lasers. Cruise boats float by, also covered in neon and flashing lights. We are no longer in Nanchang, that is for sure! I am totally going to enjoy that tonight. last night, it was like a bad acid trip. "Make it stop, maaaaan. Make the noises go away, maaaaaaan!"

WOW are the beds hard here. Harder than Nanchang. I mean, like sleeping right on the floor. I doubled up the extra blankets on the so called mattress and was able to get comfortable. If you are staying at White Swan in the future, do the same. Even hard mattress lovers think the beds here are ridiculous. About three blankets underneath and you will feel like you are on a normal mattress again. I realize I am in China, but I think about the new Westin opening up here soon. They will feature the Heavenly Beds and Heavenly cribs. They will also give each family a stroller and a baby bath. I think they will steal away the White Swan's business. To me, it seems White Swan wants less adoption families, more business travelers. I think that is the direction they are headed, anyway. I will be curious to see how this trend plays out in the future.

At this point, I want anyone reading this to know that if you cannot stay at White Swan due to construction this summer, don't even worry. With the construction going on here and all the plumbing problems, this place is unorganized and chaotic. And the rooms are tiny. I think people are impressed if they have never stayed five star before. There are interesting touches here and there. The lighting plan in unique. You can light up pretty much any surface in this room. There is marble everywhere. But the carpets are filthy, the furniture is dinged up, and our bathroom was not clean. I think this floor may be next to go under construction, hence why it has been let go a bit.

There is also a floor attendant at the elevator to take care of your every need. Ours is less than thrilled to do so. She is probably sick of all the chaos as well. NOt sure who dropped the ball on the crib situation last night. But it made for a tense situation on this floor. Half the families had cribs. Half did not. The staff had to assemble cribs, then find mattresses and blankets. Totally not prepared. But they were apologetic to us, which we appreciated. We were perfectly nice to them and kept our cool, but we were not pleased.

There are some very unhappy families in our group due to that situation. Also due to putting smoking families in the non smoking rooms. Since they smoke in those rooms and the smoke gets into the non smoking rooms. Some of the travel mates are asthmatic, so it's a health hazard. The smoke I smelled getting into our room in Nanchang? It was from a non smoking room of a travel mate. My clothes reek of smoke from that hotel room. We pondered asking to change rooms here but were advised against it. We have a lot of smokers on this trip and if we get moved next to them, we get smoke and not banging noises from the plumbing above. I'd rather have the noise than the smoke, seriously. Blehhhh. Another travel mate picked up her bags in Guangzhou to find someone had thrown up on them!! So it could be a whole heck of a lost worse. I hung up a lucky Chinese symbol in our room to keep all the bad mojo away. Then I counted my blessings. THen I chased all the bad stuff away.

Speaking of smoking, one Chinese person told me that he is amused by the ladies from a particular country who travels to China to adopt babies. Won't list the country, but they are known for being heavy smokers. He says the ladies smoke with one hand, eat with another, and blow smoke in the direction of the babies. He says the Chinese people get very angry when they see that happen. He said at least the Americans keep the smoke from the babies. I told him not all do! But some do try.

This morning was rushed due to our 8am appointment and baby who slept in! We had to wake her up. Give a quick bottle, while one of us gets ready, then switch off, and head down to the buffet. She seems more congested today, but less snotty. Good. Maybe this will be a quick cold.

The restaurant is gorgeous. One wall is all glass that overlooks the river. The other view is of the waterfall in the lobby. The food is set up at several stations. There is just one tiny Chinese breakfast station. The rest is all Western. I was a bit sad by that. I do love my breakfast dim sum! But I cannot find any as good as in Hong Kong. The chef at the Chinese breakfast area was thrilled that I wanted a plate. He filled mine with various goodies. "Here, here, try this. Very good, you like this!"

Sorry about lack of pics in this post. We had headed downstairs for the 8am medical exam and that's when.. I got sick again. ARG! I was so mad! I wanted to be there for Juna. But I could not. I was dizzy, sweating, and so so sick. Don't blame the chicken feet! Yeah, I swore no heads and no feet, but I had to give them a try. Seriously, blame that plane food. SO SO SO spicy. And food in Nanchang is spicy in general. Our lunch was spicy and so was dinner. I am reacting the way I do when I have spicy food in the US. I will not blame this on food poisoning. Just a hungry woman who ate food that is not on her ok list.

So Matt took the baby to the medical exam and now here I am, typing to you crazy people. I took several Pepto tabs and am much better, thank you.

I wanted to mention some of the sweet things that happened in Nanchang yesterday. It was hard to say goodbye to Rose and Jason. They were so kind to us and we will miss them. We exchanged email addresses and hope to stay in touch.

Yesterday, Tiffani's of Nanchang came through. They delivered our daughter's finding ad to the hotel. It was hard to find, as she was in Suichuan, not Sichuan. Sichuan is well known. Suichuan is confusing, even to the Chinese. It is a very tiny area in the Jiangxi province. It is often hard to get a hold of their local paper.

When a baby is found, an ad is taken out in the local paper. A finding ad is a heartbreaking sight. It's rows and rows of newborn faces- ok, not only newborns but children as well! ROWS of them and this is from a tiny little area of China. All abandoned. Some in her finding ad, which took up two whole newspaper pages, had obvious deformities. Others looked "normal." And there was sweet Juna. Wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep. I cried. I mean I sobbed and sobbed. I'm crying as I type this because those babies... so many babies. And the little girls in those photos! Three to five years old. Abandoned? Parents are dead? Who knows. No mommies and daddies to love them. Oh it is just unreal how that touches your heart. I sat and stared at those faces and sobbed until I shook. It was so real then, seeing her in that photo. Seeing those little faces who just need so much love. And knowing how many out there want them right now, if they could have them.

My crying woke her up. She was sleeping on her tummy, and she popped up her head and smiled at me. More tears. I mean, I was a basket case. I held her and held her and sobbed onto her little head. She let me. As if she knew. As if she understood.

Tiffani's gave us a copy of the pages, and the front page of the paper that day. Our baby was found on the steps of the local tax bureau by a citizen of Suichuan, who took her to the police. The police wrote her report and took her to the Suichuan Social Welfare Institute. They guessed her age based on her umbilical cord condition. Tiffani's also gave us her actual ad cut out and put into a red Chinese envelope.

I will look at it again once I get home. I can't do it now. Too painful to see.

Other things of note- when at the Nanchang airport, Juna and I chose to sit down with a group of Chinese people who were waiting for their plane. There was immediate interest in her. An old man started chatting to me in Chinese. I understood baby and how old? I said "Sorry, English only. Bao bao 8 months. " A lady leaned over and translated it for him. That's when many more people came to ask questions and she translated. "They want you to know you have a Chinese Beauty. Her eyes are round. She has perfect earlobes. Women in China want to have earlobes that look like that. They say she will grow up to be very beautiful." I said thank you and asked what she meant by the earlobes. The woman traced Juna's ears with her fingers, showing me how Chinese women like their ears to be shaped. "She has that perfect shape. Such lucky baby."

She then asked Juna's age. No one could believe her age. "Such big baby, such strong baby for 8 months. Baby will be tall." She translated that the people said thank you for caring for China's forgotten children. She actually said it that way, which was really neat to hear. "We in China are so grateful you care so much about our children. We cannot afford to care for them. We all want to adopt them, but we cannot afford to send them to school if we do. Thank you so much for giving her a better life."

She then gave me a message to everyone out there. "Tell the Americans who are coming how grateful we are and how we feel they are such good people, such kind people to care for our children."

Then she gave me some Chinese medicine and tissues from her purse. "Baby is sick. Give her half this packet, she will get better."

As I said before, your baby in China is everyone's baby in China. We have not encountered the Clothing Police, who want to cover her up in layers in this heat. Instead, we have encountered the face wiping police. Everywhere we go, Chinese women want to wipe Juna's nose. And they are rough with it. This is why the babies hate having their noses wiped. Our travel mates keep asking what the nannies did to these babies. I think they wiped their noses too hard, if it's anything like how the strangers wipe Juna's nose. Try stopping a Chinese lady from wiping your baby's nose. It's amazing how hands on they are with the babies here. Or they want to stroke her cheek or play with her hands. Men and women! No one has taken her from me yet. But they do crowd around. The thing I hear over and over again, by men and women, young and old, "Chinese beauty. So beautiful." Even on the plane, the flight attendants could not stop fussing over her. "Big eyes! So lucky!"

Which proves the age old theory. The Beautiful People are very lucky people indeed. If a baby can attract this much attention, imagine what it's like to be a beautiful woman.

Eh, I'm glad I'm a funny woman. This is why I make friends everywhere I go. People like me. Awww, you like me.... you really really... ok I'll stop.

OH! We got video of this! The plane in Nanchang? When we boarded, it was so hot, that the air conditioner vents on the plane were blowing out steam. Condensation? Whatever. Cool air met hot air. It looked like the inside of the plane was smoking. We walked into a cold steam bath on the plane. It was unreal looking.

One last note. Since I've been in China, I've lost ten pounds. Between the walking in the extreme temps, the healthy food, and the occasional bouts of stomach troubles, I've haven't been this "thin" har har, in YEARS. I am at my lowest weight in five years. Man, I need to stay in China for a few months. I'd come back a size 6.

If anyone talks to my mom, please tell her that a good night's sleep made the world a better place. We'll be fine. We're just getting through each day until we can get home. We'll have fun in the next few days, but it is wearing on us. Travel is stressful! Traveling half way around the world to meet your new baby? I can't believe I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet.

More later, with pics!

Friday night in GZ, where it all falls apart

2007-06-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, that was dramatic, but I've HAD IT.

We are in GZ.

We have a sick baby.

Granted, the flight here was short, but there's all that airport hoo hah to deal with. And a sick baby on a flight next to a grumpy business man. A sick baby whose ears are not popping. Screaming baby, even with a bottle. It was not fun.

Then we landed, got luggage, and were on a chartered bus to the White Swan hotel, which is where all the adoption parents stay in GZ. Our guides were passing out breakfast coupons, maps of the hotel, lists of the rooms (most importantly, where they are staying) and other assorted GZ info.

They did not have anything for us. I just had a feeling things were going to go downhill from there.

I got off the bus and our guide handed us some leftover coupons and said, "Sorry, I don't have any other info for you. I will get it to you later or tomorrow. " Ok cool, at least we can eat in the morning.

We get to into the hotel and that is when I got sick. Must have been the airplane food- very spicy, but I as hungry, so I ate it. Big mistake. Another family took care of Juna while Matt checked in and I was sick in the bathroom.

Keep in mind that poor Juna is an hour past her bedtime, hungry, sick, and freaked out.

We get into the room. No crib. No hot pot to make a bottle. Nothing is ready for us.

That's when I fell to pieces.

I'm so exhausted at this point. Emotionally and physically, I am wrecked. I just wanted to get into the room, feed my sick baby and put her to bed.

We asked our floor attendant for a crib. She said, "I will get you one later tonight." Later tonight? It's getting close to 9pm. What does this mean?

We can't call our guides because we have no idea where they are in the hotel. The baby, bless her heart, is just being a trooper. She is just amazing, this little girl. I'm the one who's spent.

I take the elevator down the lobby and cannot find anyone. Because there are two lobbies and I could not find the lobby we were in. This is a HUGE hotel. And I'm all turned around. Oh and sick and running to any available bathroom.

So much for being the adventurous traveler.

So we fed our baby with room temp water, which the orphanage babies do not like, but she took it. Again, because she is just a great baby.

See, I don't know if this is just how the White Swan works. But when we got to Nanchang, the room had a crib and a baby bath waiting for us. If we had a problem or needed anything, they were there in a second to help. This is supposed to be a super fancy hotel. Nothing was ready in our room.

FInally housekeeping came around with a crib. and then a hot pot. And then we had to ask them for a clock because the room didn't have one and we have an 8am meeting. But baby was already asleep, good girl.

I think I could handle this better on more sleep and feeling better and less mental strain. I just assumed we'd walk into our room and everything would be ready for us. I assumed they would know we were coming with a baby- since there are 12 families coming with babies and all checking in at the same time. I guess it doesn't work that way here.

Again, I am venting. I'm airing my frustration so I can get it all out and get to sleep. If it wasn't so late at night I would probably just brush this off and be like, "No problem, mon!"

I will also feel better when we have our coordinator's room information. Oh and when the noise upstairs stops. Plumbing issues. There is very lound banging upstairs for the past hour. Lovely.

Alright, done bitching. This really isn't THAT BAD. At least we have our luggage. And we have a stunning view of the river. We are right next to the elevators, bah, but we have a great view.

And with that, I sign off a bit frustrated and weary from GZ. Tomorrow is an 8am medical exam, then free all day.

I will be back hopefully with a much better attitude.

Friday morning in Nanchang

2007-06-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

OOOH I was able to post after all.

Ok, here is the cut. It's SUPER short in the back, then tapers longer in the front. I was very sweaty when this pic was taken, so you cannot really see how the front really works. If you are outside in Nanchang in the summer, you are drenched. I had just come in from outside. My nose looks huge in this pic. and I look thinner in this pic, so that is why this pic won. HAH! I'm almost as vain as the beautiful Chinese women of Nanchang. Today the humidity has already gotten to my hair and it is curling. But still cute. I love it.

I was also able to check Yahoo. We were smart enough to finally go through Yahoo China! Duh! thanks for the emails and for checking in on Margeinator. Thank you thank you!!

I am shattered again today. Another night of going to bed at 10 and waking up at 4am. This time, my stomach woke me up. It was bound to happen! After all, I ate CHICKEN FEET last night. Can you believe me? I know, it's so much fun. The food here is VERY spicy. Lots of red pepper which just gets me in the US. SO yeah, my stomach was waving a white flag and saying, "Enough!!"

Luckily the bathroom stay was short. I am taking 2 Pepto tabs per day. I learned it on a travel site. It really works! But the bathroom stay was enough that I was side awake. Once I finally drifted off again, Baby Girl woke up.

She has a snotty cold that she got from me. She hates having her nose wiped. Goes into a fit of rage when we do. Matt is now getting sick as well. I really needed my sleep last night! You guys think I'm such a great traveler but the one area where I lack is in being able to pass out at night. I hesitated taking a sleeping pill last night because of June being sick. When I don't take a sleeping pill, I cannot sleep under exciting conditions. Being here is so exciting.

I do wish I had a Katie in this travel group. I really need a friend to go out on the town with when Juna is sleeping. We are free this morning and I want to hit the pedestrian mall again. Matt suggested I ask a lady in our travel group but I have not bonded with anyone and would feel awkward doing so. Plus, most of the people in our group have HAD IT with Nanchang. Those who can tolerate China have sick babies. Staying away from the group has helped in one respect. The babies that play together have shared a raging stomach bug. There are many tired parents at breakfast this morning. So I am not sure if I will go the mall or not. Going alone is not an option. While I feel safe enough here, I am still the only American in a huge sea of people who find me very amusing. It's not comfortable to be that person. With Matt by my side, no one bugs me. When I was with my Chinese friends, it was a different story. Some hassling, but nothing too upsetting.

I cannot imagine being a first time mom under these conditions. I admire the other parents in our group so much. The reason Matt and I can just grab the baby and head off into Nanchang is because we know babies so well. Plus, in China, your baby is everyone's baby. Everyone pitches in to help. Last night at dinner, Rose's husband fed Juna some steamed egg. Here is a man who traditionally would not take on that role and he was just thrilled to do so.

I was hesitant about this. With what I have learned about bonding and attachment, I really wanted to grab Juna back from our new friends. However, it would have been rude. In the Chinese culture, as I said, a baby is for everyone to love. I had to just take a deep breath and trust the situation. If Matt and I had stepped back from the table to watch, we would have assumed she was part of the family at that table. It is hard to describe, but she just adapts so well to every situation.

Matt and I know we are so lucky. We see the other families and what they are going through and we know, we KNOW, we are truly the luckiest parents. How did we deserve this? Sometimes I wonder if the other shoe is going to drop. How did we become the ones to get such a healthy, on target, amazing baby? What did we do to deserve this?

The reason I am getting out so much in Nanchang is because I felt it was my duty to experience Juna's province. She is not from this city, granted, but one day I can tell her about a city close to hear home. I can tell her that I had dinner with a wonderful family. I experienced "daily life" in Nanchang. I did not sit in a hotel room and watch a re-run of Friends. That isn't why I came here. I came here to get my daughter and experience her culture.

Speaking of which, she is now awake. She is on the bed, looking at me,a nd going, "Buh buh buh." She has attached to us so well in just a very short time. The difference between Gotcha Day Baby and today's baby is... unreal. Two different babies. This baby is all smiles and loving and so playful. Time to go play.

Talk to you in GZ!

2007-06-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

Can someone please call Marge and tell her we might not call for a few days, due to going to GZ (say Gwan-Joe) and not being sure of our schedule at that point? We will call once we are settled in. Tell her not to worry, all is well here. Still having fun and baby is fine, except for a small cold.

And please tell her about my Asian beauty salon experience. HAHAHA

Also, she should be jealous about the food. Marge would love the food here, too

THANK YOU!

Thursday in Nanchang- Chinese Haircut

2007-06-28T05:20:00.001-07:00

Let me start from the morning- another incredible day in Nanchang to tell you about.

We had breakfast and were greeted by the lovely Rose. I mentioned I was having a bad hair day. Rose said, "We meet at 3, take you to get Chinese hair cut." Sure, why not!

Junie Bug was such a ham today. So lively and giggly. She loves to stand up. In fact, she can PULL HERSELF UP and CRUISE. Can you believe that? An 8 month old orphanage baby. She is so so proud of herself. She will pull herself up while saying what sounds like, "Up up up." Probably not. Then again, who knows? She's amazing, that kid! She just laughs and laughs. Especially when she falls down.

We did observe some heartbreaking behavior that started today. When she's tired, she just flips out. She screams, I mean SCREAMS and claws at herself as she is falling asleep. Hysterical thrashing, in complete fear of falling asleep. We are not sure, but wonder if falling asleep means the crib, which means no interaction for hours on end? Or did something bad happen as she slept? I have never seen a baby react that way. It's downright frightening. We now just give her a bottle when it's time to sleep. Hungry or not, she gets a bottle and it eases her to sleep. She won't take a pacifier but she will suck on the bottle until she is calm and passes out.

Today we boarded the bus and headed to a village just about 10 mins outside of the city. The agency likes us to see a typical village setting, to show us where our daughters would have come from. They asked us not to post pictures, but we can show friends when we get home. It's as bad as you can imagine. We brought candies and treats for the children, who gathered around us and followed us everywhere we went.

We headed back into the city to a shopping area that has a famous porcelain shop. We bought a set of family chopsticks with chopstick holders. Also some small tokens of appreciation for the friends who have been helping us while we are gone.

On the way out of the store, we saw a man skinning snakes alive in the street. EEK! Ok time to move on to more pleasant scenes, please. I'm finding that is China. You have a scene like that not far from the pedestrian mall where the young and beautiful hang out at the arcade and play Dance Dance Revolution.

We headed back to the hotel while the group headed to Mcdonalds. We wanted another delicious meal at the Chinese buffet. While dining, Jason approached and asked me just what I wanted done with my hair. Curly or smooth? Color? Or just a cut? He said he needed the info in order to select the perfect Chinese salon for me.

I met them around 330 and we headed to the salon. We crossed several Nanchang streets. I will never get used to that- ever! Ok, here is where is gets really interesting. I walked into the salon and the entire place STOPPED. Everyone turned and stared. I didn't get pictures, so let me describe the scene. The salon was one large room. Women who looked like candy stripers are at the front door to open it for you as you walk in. They gather around and ask what you want done. The stylists themselves are all dressed in black. They have that incredible razor cut Asian hairstyles I so admire. The men have the modern Duran Duran cuts. The women look like rock stars. It's quite a contrast to the candy striper girls.

After much back and forth in Mandarin, everyone finally got what I wanted. A very short bob in the back that gets longer as it goes to the front. That's not a popular cut in Nanchang right now. The girls all want 80s big hair with lots of layers or razor cut smooth long hair. The men want the spiked out Duran Duran style hair. No one wants a bob. Maybe grandmothers do. Great, I'm out of style, even in China.

Then a young candy striper girl sat me in a chair and began pouring a solution in my hair. She then lathered up the solution right there in the chair. Not near a sink or anything, just in the chair. That turned into a head massage. I swear it lasted a half an hour. I kept asking Jason how much this was going to cost me! And did I tip the shampoo girl, like we do in the States? He said no. But I could and she would be thrilled to get 20rmb from me.

Then she took me to the back of the salon to a large table. I laid on the table and hung my head into a sink. She rinsed my hair and gave me another head massage. Then a face massage. That's when the other girls crowded around me. I was looking up into a sea of young Asian girl faces who were all giggling at me and saying, "Hello hello!" Then more giggling and frantic Mandarin. Rose shooed them away and rolled her eyes.

After that, I was lead back into my original chair and the girl took a Qtip and did- get this- an inner ear massage. I did not like it one bit. Totally freaked me out. I asked Jason to tell her to please stop.

The total process I just described? One hour.

Then I was led to another chair where my rock star looking female stylist opened her bag and grabbed a bunch of razors and scissors. I was seated in the window, so all of Nanchang could walk by and watch me. Lovely. I'm telling you, I attract A LOT of attention in Nanchang. No one is over 100 pounds here. And none of the Americans go the places I have gone.

She began cutting. Rose reached into the stylist's bag and began doing her hair as well. Things are really different in China.. as if you haven't noticed that. The stylist then began making unhappy noises. She said my hair was too curly for this style and I needed it relaxed with Jet- some relaxer product. I said no thanks. I know how to blow dry it straight. Of course this took ten minutes to convey through translation. Jason had to look up words on his phone.

A half hour passed and she was still razoring and snipping. Then some styling. Then more razoring and snipping. Then a long discussion about my bangs, which I am growing out. She did not like them just laying on my face. She had to cut them a little bit, she said. Then more styling. Then more cutting.

Total hair cut time? 1 hour.

Total cost for the entire 2 hours. 11 dollars.

Are you just freaking out over that or not?

Oh, and I look amazing. It's an Asian razor cut, which I wanted. It's a super duper short bob. As Jason said, "You have new Asian dress, new Asian haircut, and new Asian baby. You are almost Asian woman."

While I loved the experience, I missed chatting with Katie, who does my hair back home. There's nothing like not being able to communicate with someone about your hair as they have a razor in their hands and are chopping away.

I know, I'm brave. But it's so worth it. I will NEVER forget that experience.

After the cut, Rose and Jason asked if we could have dinner together. Our agency group was dining together, but asked our coordinator if we could skip the dinner. They said fine and also mentioned that I was one adventurous lady.

We went to a popular Chinese restaurant close to the hotel. Another place where you have this long flight of stairs that leads to an enormous restaurant. So huge. And packed! Overflowing with people. We sat at a table overlooking the street below. Rose's six year old daughter and husband joined us. We had a great meal, Nanchang beer, and a lot of laughs. Especially when I had to use the toilet. Another squatty potty! And guess what? There was a woman throwing up in the one next to me. How you do that, must take a lot of talent. When she came out, I noticed she was yet another high style very thin Chinese girl. See! Even around the world, women go to extremes to be thin.

Rose's husband paid for the meal. It came out to 25 USD. We tried to hard to pay, but he insisted.

We walked back to the hotel, where I asked them to hold on a moment, then raced up stairs and presented them with gifts. They were SO uncomfortable. I told them, please, I wanted to give them some items from back home. Nothing much- but just something to remember us by.

So that is my hint to anyone traveling. Bring extra gifts. You never know who you might befriend along the way.

Junie was amazing this entire time. She loves going everywhere we go. She loves eating- she chowed down on fish tonight. But she is catching my cold and I feel terrible about that. Ugh.

Most young Chinese women are obsessed with beauty. Even tho we are in Nanchang, which isn't the wealthiest of Chinese cities, the young women are dressed to the 9s. The latest in hair, makeup, and clothing. Teetering on high heels, so thin and most are very beautiful. It can give a big American girl a real complex, real quickly. Especially since I only brought my big baggy old clothing.

Ok it is very late. I am not sure when we will be back again. Friday is going to be pretty crazy. Breakfast, then pack, then rush out to buy extra coordinator gifts (we have three, thought there would only be one) and have our bags at the door by 130pm. We leave at 3pm for the airport. I am terrified because it rains HARD each day about the time we will be taking off. Ugh.

We should arrive in Guanghzou about 6pm and will check into the White Swan. Saturday will be a free day and I hope to blog as soon as I can.

Talk to you then!

Shout outs

2007-06-27T21:45:00.001-07:00

Britney- got your email, thank you. Yes to all you mentioned. Esp the banana bread made by Jack. MMMM.

HK Muse- thanks for the congee recipe.

Katie- cannot wait to gossip with you. LOTS of interesting characters to describe. Oh my!

Callie- Thanks for the updates.

Who am I missing? Ahh sorry- Yahoo let me log on for about a minute and I raced through the email and comments. AHHH.

Plus, Fluid Pudding and her International Bacon Vacation has my laughing so hard, I might throw up. That's not how squid should exit the body.

Sorry I am forgetting people.

Oh Paper Whore- Boo is going to LOVE June Bug.

Diana- come to China. You won't regret it one bit. It's so incredible if you are an adventurous traveler.

Three on Verge and anyone else who left hints about the flea market- heading there now... bye !

Thursday morning in Nanchang

2007-06-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Good morning JunaHappy Baby! The only member of this family who looks stunning in orange.
Time for a bottle. Daddy will feed you.
Look at how big and healthy she is, considering where she came from.
In this pic below. you can see the river outside of our hotel.
Here's our room.

Good morning! I am unable to read your comments or my Yahoo email due to the Great Firewall. It will probably be back later today. If not, I will post my new email account.

Can someone call my mom and update her on what we are doing? Could you tell her of some of our adventures? We call each night but the connection is horrible and we can only talk a few mins.

Also, if she could do some grocery shopping before we get home to get some items for Juna? She will not eat jar food. She needs things like eggs, soft fruits, and she loves banana bread if Mom or someone could make some? Banana bread is her number one food choice (second to congee) and I know my mother cannot find congee.

Thank you to anyone who can do this. Mom is curious to know what we are up to and we just cannot communicate for long via phone. Thank you!!

Ok here is my latest update.

I slept 8 hours last night! I feel like a new woman. Ahhhh.

I woke up and looked over at the crib to see two big eyes staring back at me. I picked her up and she smiled and smiled. This has been her happiest morning yet.

We just got back from breakfast. Rose said hello and got some steamed egg for the baby. Something we hadn't been feeding her because we didn't know we should.

So funny because we dined with some of our travel mates. When Rose came over and fed the baby, they whispered, "This is what they do? Should we warn her not to feed our baby?" We laughed and said no, we're friends, it's ok! Our mates were so baffled by this. You made friends with someone who works in the hotel?

We had asked our agency guides about this. They said to just be careful. Perhaps Rose wanted to take us to a shop that her friend runs, so the friend could make a commission. But no, they were honestly interested in helping us and hanging out. While you should always use caution in situations like these, do not let it scare you. Since Rose is a manager in the hotel, and Jason works for her, we felt pretty comfortable going out with them.

The people of China are very friendly. I was told that once you earn their trust, you have a friend for life. If you are coming to China, take the time to make friends while here. They are so curious about American life and love to share their culture.

The one thing we aren't doing is spending any time with our travel mates. They joke with us, "You were the one who set up our online chat group and we never see you!" I know, I know. I just love spending time alone with Matt and the baby in our room. I love dining with just them at a private table and sharing our laughs and special moments together. I also love going out and experiencing China. Our mates complain about the walls closing in on them. We tell them to get out! Wander around the pedestrian mall!

I have to remember not everyone has the adventurous spirit as we do. There are three types of travelers. The ones who throw themselves into the moment and experience as much as possible , those that are just getting through each day, and those that are hating every second. We have one of each kind in our group, as are in all travel groups. And that's fine. Everyone processes this differently. Tho I must say that if you are in the first category I listed, you will have a much better time!

Today we visit a Chinese village. More on that later. Then we're meeting up with Rose and Jason again in the afternoon for more shopping and exploring of Nanchang.

Bye for now. Sleep well, my Fellow Americans.

Weds in pictures

2007-06-27T03:50:00.001-07:00

This was such a great day!!

June Buggy went back to sleep about 7am, so I headed to the buffet alone, as I had been up since 3am and was hungry. Rose, the manager who got Juna's first smile, came over to say hello. I told her I wanted to do some shopping but did not know where to go. She got out a piece of paper and asked for my room number. "At 3pm, I call you, we go shopping!"

The buffet had cream filled dumplings this morning. It's like freakin Las Vegas for me with the food here. I was actually worried about how I'd handle my MSG allergy in China. I thought I'd be eating KFC, which is EVERYWHERE here. Maybe my MSG allergy is a thing of the past. Or maybe the use of MSG is a lot stronger in the US. Who knew the second biggest highlight for China for me would be the FOOD? Oh the glorious food....

After Matt and Buggy ate breakfast, we joined our travel group in the lobby and headed in the blasted heat to the Pavillion. Two mins into the journey and Juna and Mommy were both melting down. Bug has discovered she loves AC as much as we do. Oh, and she refuses to ride in a stroller. The Mei Tai is too warm, so we bailed on the Pavillion sight seeing. It was so hot, we were unable to video tape- the lens kept steaming up.

I did get this picture before we made our exit. You can see members of our travel group buying fans from a vendor. We later learned others bailed out, too. It was just THAT hot.

We wandered the streets of Nanchang- as the sidewalks are mostly covered by awnings and it actually feels slightly better in the shade. We crossed our first Nanchang street. Let me tell you, with no rules on the road, that was frightening for the first time. I am learning that everyone has the right of way in China. The right to do whatever they want on the road. You want to drive down the wrong side of the street? Ok. You want to walk right in front of a bus? Sure, why not. You want to ride your bike in the middle of the street into oncoming traffic? Hey, why not!

We stopped in at Tiffani's, which is an adoption tourist trap right across from the Gloria Plaza. We asked to have our daughter's finding ad, but have learned the Suichuan ads are hard to come by. So we headed back to the hotel to cool off and feed Buggy.

We played on the bed and that's when she gave us this beautiful smile!
She was a much more animated baby today. Still very serious, still very worried when she got hungry or tired. She claws at her skin, so frantic when that happens. Nap or bedtime is the worst. Her nanny said she was rocked to sleep. She does not settle well on our chests or next to us in bed. We are trying to figure out a solution. Otherwise, she was such a happy baby when she played today. We have discovered that she LOVES to accomplish- anything, really! If we stand her up on her feet, she will grin and giggle like mad. When we help her "walk," she will laugh herself silly. She also loves to be picked up by her little hands while laying down, so that she goes into a seated position, then into a standing position. She laughs and looks so proud of herself. She can also push up on all fours, as if she is attempting to get into a seated position. This is a baby who wants to be as mobile as possible and SOON! And boy can this kid eat. Don't you dare try to eat a Chinese BBQ potato chip in front of her (again, YUM) She would eat all day long if she could.

Buggy took another nap around 12 noon. I tried, but the baby next door was freaking out and wailing so hard. Poor baby girl! I decided to head downstairs to the lunch buffet. Oh you would have died if you saw my plate. A lovely layer of rice, topped with squid- not pieces of squid, the entire tiny octopus looking creature. Keeping those guys company were some jelly fish and chicken gizzards. I'm telling you, it was good dining. I ate with my chopsticks and munched down so much, I went back for thirds.

While dining, I was approached by one of the wait staff. He introduced himself and said he would be going with Rose and I on our shopping trip, as he was fluent in English and Rose was not confident in her speaking. He warned me it would be very hot so please dress the baby in cool clothing and bring an umbrella for her to keep the sun off her skin. So cute to hear this from a 22 year old kid!

Matt and Bug joined me at the buffet. Matt had fish and chicken. No squid for him.

The lobby was filled with Japanese tourists who snapped several pictures of all the adopting families who hang out in the lobby. They are fascinated by us and we are a plenty in this hotel! There must be at least four or five travel groups here in this hotel alone.

At 3pm, we took our laundry to our guide's room. It will be cleaned by Elephant King Laundry. They return the laundry to our room with our socks sewn together so they are not lost. Also, all items are sealed in plastic bags. It's not as good as the Novotel City Gate's laundry in Hong Kong. But it's half as much. One large load is about 15 USD and worth every penny.

That's when Rose called. We went to the lobby and saw that she had dressed up so nicely for our outing! I felt bad, since I was in my usual Tshirt and Capris that truly are two sizes too big for me now. There are mirrors everywhere in this hotel and I look like my mama dresses me funny. Seriously, I need to go shopping for clothes when we get back to the States. It's bad enough that the owner of Tiffani's said to me, "Why do you hide in such big clothes? Show off that curvy figure. So womanly." Yeah, like two women. The thin one wants out, please.

Oh no, time to cross another Nanchang street. Rose took my hand. It is very common for ladies to hold hands here in China. It's just what friends do. It's cute to see the young girls especially. They lock arms or hold hands and stroll around together. Not "girlfriends" girlfriends. Just friends. Otherwise, you do not see much public display of affection here between males and females or males and males.

We met up with Jason and walked IN THE STREET (EEEEEP) to an outdoor pedestrian mall not far from the hotel. Blocks and blocks of shops just waiting for us and no cars to run us over. We hit some children's clothing stores first. Jason bargained with the shop staff and saved us a lot of money. We did spend a little bit more than necessary on matching Disney outfits for the girls. These adorable Minnie Mouse matching dresses with a subtle Minnie pink print.

Then we went to a Chinese wedding dress shop. We were able to get a gorgeous red silk Chinese dress for Miss Boo. In China, babies do not wear the Chinese dresses. It is not for them to wear until they turn 3 years old. The adoption cities have them around the hotels because the parents love to dress their babies in the Chinese dresses. But Chinese families do not do this. Hence, why the wedding shop only started at sizes for a three year old.

We headed back onto the street and WOW did we get stares. We were the only Americans there and I do mean ONLY. I guess the adoption gang doesn't make it over there often. The shop keepers were thrilled beyond belief when we'd come into a store. Very nice stores, too. Just like American mall stores, only smaller. Each one gave us big discounts thanks to our new friends. Who, by the way, held our bags and took the baby when we needed our hands free.

Ok, they say to not let anyone hold your baby during the bonding process. June Bug? She loved it. She thought Rose was spectacular. Gone was her fear of Asians as she cooed at Rose and Rose spoke Chinese to her. We'd walk a block, then Juna would reach for me and nuzzle me. Then she'd hang out with Jason a bit. Then back to Rose. Then with Matt. Just as happy as could be. Not all babies could pull this off, but we are leaning June Bug is a very special baby indeed.

The highlight was walking into a fancy purse store. Oh yeah, purses! My love! I didn't want to go in. I told Jason we could not afford such a store. He said to go in, they would make deals for us. I was afraid to look at the tags. Fancy fancy purses with top notch hardware and leather. High end designs. 20 USD each. No lie. I have never seen such designs in the US and certainly not that kind of quality unless you start at 500 bucks a purse. I think we are going back tomorrow to buy some more. Really, they are spectacular bags.

Our new friends suggested we hop the bus or a cab home. We opted for a cab. A Chinese cab! I sat in front and held on for dear life. It was like being in a video game. Frogger, to be honest! That cab driver was insane. We were on the wrong side of the road. We were almost mowing down bike riders. He didn't stop for pedestrians. It was brilliant. I was laughing the whole time. Cab ride cost? 70 cents.

Our guides ordered Pizza Hut for dinner. Worst pizza I've ever eaten. No, seriously. Terrible. Like fried cheese on fried bread with no flavor except... fried. I bit into a piece and said, "I want a plate of squid!" When in China, eat Chinese food.

Here is the pedestrian mall.

And here is a great sign!

We took a lot of pics of the excellent Chinglish signs that are so funny to Americans. The Chinese do not know why are we laughing so hard at a store called, "Funny Love."

730pm. Time for bed. What a wonderful day, but I'm shattered. Good night from Nanchang!

Weds

2007-06-26T14:42:00.001-07:00

I can't believe we leave China in one week. I was once a person who thought, "Why would anyone CHOOSE to visit China?" Now I am someone who can't wait to come back. I need oodles of money. I would make the best world traveler!

We stayed up too late last night- 9pm, oooh ahhh so late! I managed to sleep until 3am. My body clock is moving forward to CHina time, it seems. Baby woke up at 5am. It is now almost 6am as I type this. She is gulping down her bottle with Daddy.

She woke up and we brought her into bed with us. She flipped over and did her little rock back and forth crawling and just grinned and grinned when we cheered. Sorry to our travel mates next door. I am sure we woke them up! I believe the nannies at her orphanage cheered for her as well. She just let out a big burp, I turned around and cheered and she grinned and laughed.

This is going to be a pretty random post, so bare with me.

A special shout out to Fluid Pudding- please note that the bacon here is the best bacon on earth. It's served at all the hotel breakfast buffets. It's wide, not too thick, not too thin, and full of flavor. I'd bring some back for you... but... bleh...it woud be green and full of strange flavors by then.

Can someone pass this address along to Tempe? I don't think she has it???

Harvey and Laura- come visit in August. Just let us know when.

Three on the Verge- we are dining on the 2nd floor. All those mirrors when you get off the elevator! So confusing. There is a lovely Chinese lady to direct us into the dining hall. Which is good, because I'm like a bird banging into a window. I get very confused in that hallway.

HK Muse- we have a four hour layover in HK on the 4th. Can you visit? Or will we be in a security restricted area? We fly in about 845am from GZ and leave about 1245pm.

Thank you for all the comments. Seriously, I love getting them. Do not hesitate to post. I love the connection to home.

June Buggy is on the bed with Daddy and going BAH BAH BAH and laughing and smiling and having a great time. She is so happy this morning. I wonder if this is the "day 3" baby everyone talks about? Considering we got her late in the evening on Day 1. They say the babies show their true personalities on Day 3.

We have a gal in our travel group who is over 6 feet tall and blonde. When she walks down the street, the Chinese men stare at her and then stare at her rear end when she passes. Even in China, men appreciate a nice tushie. It's universal!

Most of the men in our travel group are quite tall or large. Except Matt. Tee hee. It's so amazing to see these huge guys with their tiny babies. One daddy is a big tattooed fellow and he just melts when he holds his daughter. The daddies carry around the babies in snuglis or various carriers or push them in the strollers. THey are so proud of their daughters. Of course this gets a lot of stares in Nanchang. You see a lot of daddies with children in Nanchang, but not being worn on their bodies. In fact, I have not seen any baby wearing here yet. I am the only person I've seen with an Asian baby carrier!

It's so true how wild the conditions of the babies in our group varies.Some are floppy and newborn-like and not eating solid foods and some are almost walking. The best advice I can give to future parents out there is to join your SWI's yahoo group and talk to other parents to get an idea of the possible condition of your baby. It may or may not be accurate, but I found ours was completely accurate.

I was told Suichuan babies are:
Right on track or ahead on motor skills
Well fed. Fed a lot of solid foods.
Receive a lot of stimulation and attention
Fairly healthy
Boils being the main skin ailment
Also known for being "pretty" babies - meaning pretty according to Asian beauty standards

People don't like the discussion of pretty babies. All babies being beautiful and all. I can say that none of the babies in our group look alike at all. Some have full heads of hair that need to be held back with bows. Some, like mine, are baldy waldies! Some have smaller eyes, some have rounder eyes. Some are darker complected, some are lighter. They are all so damn adorable you just want to squeeeeeeeze them!

Shannon made a comment that really hit home to me. We all say the babies will have better lives in the USA. It's true that having a family will give them a better life. But I would argue that life in China isn't so bad, either. They have their fair share of problems and struggles, but we do in America as well. I love my country, but I am also falling in love with my daughter's country.

People hear of us staying here two weeks and usually say, "UGH!" To me, two weeks doesn't seem long enough. I am so glad we get this time with our baby before going home to reality. This hotel living where all our needs are met is pretty sweet. We can focus entirely on her. And yeah, the food.... my gosh the food...

Ok time to start the day. I am going to head to Tiffani's, which opened back up yesterday! I am going to get our daughter's finding ad. Then we will do some local shopping. I'll be back, of course. I am so glad you are enjoying my blogging.

Birthday Party

2007-06-26T05:37:00.001-07:00

Tuesday evening in Nanchang. 5pm. Our travel guides arranged a special party for us. June Bug dressed up in a pink Chinese gown. She looked oh so gorgeous! We walked from the Gloria Plaza down the street....To this restaurant.
We walked in on the main level. There are numerous tanks with your dinner swimming around in them. There are pretty hostesses dressed in Chinese dresses. We were escorted upstairs to what looked like an apartment building filled with numerous rooms. Each room had round tables. We were in this room.

We were served family style. They first brought out an egg dish for the babies. Then they brought out soda and Chinese beer. Guess who loved the Chinese beer! One more glass and I would have been on the floor. It was hard to stop, since our hostesses kept filling them up! We ate an assortment of yummy dishes- none too strange, darn. I am now an adventurous eater. We were all given chopsticks. It appeared Matt and I were the only ones in the group who had practiced using chopsticks before coming to China. The servers took pity on the other families and gave them two prong serving forks. This is a restaurant that does not have traditional silverware! Our travel mates made good use of the forks. Some were confused by the food, others really enjoyed. Oh, It was so good. Chinese food in America is going to taste like Mcdonalds after this. How will we ever find food that tastes this good once we return? Again, I stuffed my face. I am going to gain back each pound I lost before coming to China! So worth every calorie.

June bug devoured her egg dish and then ate some banana bread I had packed for her. But the real treat came when our guides and the servers brought in this cake and sang happy birthday to the babies. This is a Chinese cream cake. All the decorations have been done in cream. It's a light flavor- not like a US cake. The cake part is sweet, but not too sweet. The cream filling inside and on top is also slightly sweet. Together it's a fantastic flavor combination. The showstopper was the cake topper. It appears to be a flower. Our guide Lina lit the wick inside the flower....

And it burst into flames in one quick shot.

Then the flower opened and just like that, each candle was lit.

And it played Happy Birthday. Only in China!

Junie Bug looooooved the cake. But she hated getting her hands dirty. When she dug her hands into the cake, she wailed! We cleaned her up and she cried even harder. So we hand fed her some cake. She only wanted the cream.

Oh, guess how much it all cost? 3 dollars per person!!
Then we families walked back to the hotel. There were groups of young children who walked past while waving and yelling HELLO HELLO!! They were quite excited to see Americans.

What a special night in Nanchang.

Tonight I will fall asleep to the sounds of Nanchang traffic below. That's the sound of horns constantly honking. It's oddly soothing!

Guess who's crawling?

2007-06-26T01:29:00.001-07:00

All while saying, "Ba! Ba! Ba!"

She woke up from her nap and was just a completely different baby again. Happy as could be. Playful and loving. I guess the stages of attachment aren't really predictable.

Tuesday in Nanchang

2007-06-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday around 2pm here in Nanchang. It's cloudy and rainy and not so hot, hooray! June Bug is sleeping, so I will show you our day so far in pictures.

First of all, after blogging at 1am last night, I fell fast asleep. The Bug woke up at 5am, but Daddy fed her a bottle in the bathroom so I could continue sleeping. Buggie then went back to sleep. I woke up experiencing the worst day of my cold- you know the constant sneezing, runny nose fun, so I was grateful for the sleep. He's such a great dad! I'm hopped up on cold medicine right now, so I'm feeling a bit better.

We began our morning at the breakfast buffet, which is included in our room fee. No dumplings today! That's probably a good thing. People thought I'd lose weight in China? Do you know how good the food is here? MMMMMM gimmeeee mooooore!

June Buggy loves to eat. She especially loves congee with meat, bananas, banana bread, moon cakes, and well... anything and everything. She loves food! Just like mama.

It was suggested by someone in our travel group that perhaps I wear a mask today or perhaps not partake in the social activities. The mask was a no no. I'm trying to bond with a baby, not scare the crap out of her. I stopped by our guide's room and told her of my situation. She said, 'No way, come along! Sit in the front of the bus and have fun with us!"

Here is the group in the hotel lobby, getting ready to board the bus for our morning activities.

Word must have got around that I was under the weather. When one of the husband's got on the bus, he said, "I hear you're sick." My reply, "As long as you don't touch me or make out with me, you'll be just fine."

So far the adults in our group have had one case of an extreme migraine, three food poisonings, and one cold. I'd say we're doing good so far!

Here's us on the bus.
The plan was to go to a local park, then go to Walmart. It had just stopped raining, but we had a bus full of babies ready to go down for their 9am naps. Those with babies asked to skip the park and go to Walmart instead. Those without wanted to go to the park. It's very hard to please people in a group situation. We knew we had about one hour of nap time to do shopping without babies waking up and needing bottles. Walmart won. All the babies in this group are so young, so those morning naps are very important to keep baby happy until the next nap. Plus, our babies were fed quite often. June Bug gets a bottle every four hours. Quite unusual for an 8 month old. Making a bottle on the side of the road or in moving bus is challenging. Especially since the babies like hot water from a thermos. There's a lot of mixology going on.

Ok, so Walmart! Walmart in Nanchang is two stories tall. You enter through a mall area that sells cheap trinkets. Then into Walmart you go. The top floor had the baby items. Our group headed for the diapers and like sheep, we all grabbed the same diapers. Bad move. Turns out we bought pull ups. ARRG!

The prices at Nanchang Walmart are about 1 dollar cheaper than any Walmart in the USA. The clothing is much worse quality, so I did not buy baby clothes at Walmart. The downstairs area was interesting. That's the food area and it's loaded with really unique items. Like the eels on ice!

You know what really shocked me about Walmart? Here's what happened to our blonde travel mates. They were followed from aisle to aisle. People wanted to take pictures and hold their babies. Some even just grabbed the babies from the arms without asking. Big fusses were made over these babies. And here's what happened to Matt and I. People stared. They pointed. They frowned at us. They pointed at our baby and shook their heads and frowned some more. We'd smile and say Ni Hao, but they'd turn their heads and walk away. And that happened in every single section of the store. I finally tuned them out. In the check out lane, we were approached by high school girls who spoke English and wanted to know where we were from. "USA? Oh USA, that's great! Such pretty baby!!" So I have no clue why the others were unhappy with our presence. I've heard theories that they feel envious of the baby getting to leave for a better life. Or maybe I was just too fat for their tastes or Matt's nose ring was too freaky for them. Who knows.

We did get everything on our list, including June Bug's beloved Moon Cakes. Oh how she loves Moon Cakes.

Walmart in Nanchang was an hour of my life I never want to repeat. It was really hot, not too crowded, but the crowd was not friendly to us. They weren't hostile, they were just not thrilled we were there.

This is Matt, giving me a look that we had been given while shopping.

We were getting back to the bus when Mary, our guide, said, "We're going to stop at Mcdonalds so you can get some lunch." We laughed and said, "Mary, we don't even eat Mcdonalds in the USA. Can you suggest a good Chinese restaurant for us?" She was impressed with us. "You are embracing our culture, this is good! We have such good food! I will organize a dinner for us tonight at authentic Chinese restaurant."

Our driver parked illegally so the travel mates could get Mickey D's. An unhappy motorist banged on the bus door and began shouting at the bus driver. This carried on for several minutes while those of us on the bus got worried. The dude outside was PISSED! We thought for sure it was going to escalate into something major. But it didn't. Because it's China. If it was the US, there would have been a fist fight or worse.

After getting back to the hotel, Matt and I packed up June Bug in her carrier and tried out the restaurant's lunch buffet. It was entirely Eastern. OH it was AMAZING. The only downside is smoking is allowed in the restaurant. A sweet host tried to seat us away from the smoke. "You have baby, smoke is no good for baby." Then he cast an evil glance at a woman smoking next to her newly adopted Chinese baby. Smoking with one hand, eating with the other hand.

I had (and you are going to freak when you hear this) a plate of squid, tofu, jellyfish, and assorted green veggies over clear noodles. OH MY GOSH. Fantastic. And I better not get sick from this food because then people will go, 'SEE! You should have eaten the Mcdonalds instead!"

June Bug is a completely different baby today and not in a good way. She has shut down emotionally. I've read up about attachment phases and it seems normal. Maybe someone can help with this. She's very very clingy with us, but not smiling and not interested in interacting with us. She'd crawl into us if she could, but doesn't really want to look at and refuses to smile. She doesn't seem down, just scared. Not of us. She is TERRIFIED when any Chinese woman approaches her. Our guides came in to visit us in our room and Juna became hysterical and clawed at me to get her away from them. When the hostess at the restaurant wanted to touch her cheek and sing to her, Juna buried her face into Matt's shoulder and whimpered. She seems fine when when other Caucasians talk to her. But Asians? No.

My thinking is that she is bonding with us and feels anyone Asian is from the orphanage and is ready to take her away from us. She doesn't seem to be mourning anyone from the orphanage at all. She does get very concerned when she hears another baby crying. To the point that she will almost fly off our laps to try to find the crying baby. She also gets angry with us- like when we change her diaper (she hates that) and will not look at us or want to be near that person for a few minutes. Then she wants to crawl into our arms and not let go again.

When she's really scared, she claws at us or at herself. It's so sad to see that.

The poor baby is so confused. My heart breaks for her. Even tho I came all this way to get her, I am part of why she is going through this. The emotions- wow, so hard to process. From what I have read, tomorrow will be the day she will come out a bit more. I'm not concerned, since it's obvious she has attached to us and does not want to go back where she came from. I'd just like to see some smiles and more trust of us. That will come in time.

Just curious if her fear of Asians is normal? Am I right about my theory? Any suggestions or advice from those who have been there?

I hope this entry doesn't seem down or negative. I am trying to be as honest as possible about this experience and not gloss over my emotions. You think, "I'm going to be so grateful when I'm there, none of those things will bug me." When you're here and you're living this, it's a completely different ballgame. This is such an emotional experience. You never know how you will react from day to day. Today, I am worried about my Buggy Girl. I just want her to know we love her so much. It's hard to go through this while also missing my lovelies back home. Thank goodness for Matt. Again, I say that. Matt is getting me through the emotional times. He's so good with Juna. It shows in how much she wants to be with him.

Ok- any BTDT advice or insight for me??

Until 1am, cuz you know I'll be here blogging at 1am!!

Some pics

2007-06-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Nanchang and a section of traffic where people are actually following the rules???

The Bug sleeps. Loving the little characters on her blanket. So Asian. Where are the smiling bubbles and grinning triangles?

More pics coming tomorrow. We need to stop and take more pics! We are so busy soaking in the experience that we are not taking pics or much video. We'll be better about that, I promise. And there are some Gotcha pics that we want to keep private just for the family and for her.

Oooh another thought I forgot to include. At the local grocery, they had live eels in tanks. The eels were trying to escape. They were half out of the tanks and falling to the floor. Tomorrow we will see eels on ice at Walmart!

It's 1am, I must be lonely

2007-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

1am and true to form, I am wide awake. Thought I'd blog instead of laying in bed and staring at the crib.

Sniff sniff, cough cough. I'm sick. Just a stupid cold, but still, annoying. Oh, and remember how I described the "western" hamburger? Yeah. The one time I order a western meal from room service and I get SICK! Blehhhh puking sick from my burger. Recovered by dinner time, ordered dim sum, feel great other than my cold and raging insomnia. And there appears to be a spider living in this room who feasts on me at night. I am now covered in Off, hoping it works. Hey, it sounds like I'm bitter. I'm not. the only true thing I'm bitter about is my lack of sleep. By 5pm, I'm wrecked. I'm literally falling asleep and unable to go to dinner. I force myself to stay awake, yet in a daze, until 7 or 8 pm. Then by 1am, hello world! My sleeping meds are not working, either, weird. Honestly, that's the only thing truly bothering me.

Yes, it is polluted here. You can smell the exhaust. I don't smell other "strange" china smells that others have described. Just exhaust for my exhaustion, haha. Oh, and we are on a non smoking floor but some moron keeps lighting up. The baby will wake up coughing because it's so strong.

Matt went to the local grocery store and had a great time. He loved picking out local treats for us to try. I especially love the graphics on the products. Everything is so HAPPY. Bubbles with smiling faces flying through the sky over triangles that are laughing. On the dish soap. Oh, and we watched some TV last night. Japanese channels and local channels from several of the provinces. Nanchang has two channels. They were featuring a story about break dancers who annoy people on the streets with their dancing. But the commercials? Oh, classic stuff. Just as hoakey as American commercials, but with that extra twist of those insane pop graphics.

Hmmm just posting my random thoughts....

Oh, and we get annoyed if we can't eat with chopsticks. We want that true China experience, dontcha know. We draw the line at eating feet or faces, tho.

Oh that baby. THAT BABY! We are so in love.

She loves playing with stacking cups- thank you Katie for that idea! She can play for hours. Literally, hours, with her stacking cups. She loves it when I put one on my head, let it fall to the bed, and go, "BOOM!" She will giggle and giggle and giggle. She wants me near her. If I use the bathroom, er TOILET, she will panic and cry. So we take turns leaving the for potty breaks if need be. Then she just plays and plays. But she will pause in her play time to lean forward and nuzzle us. We lay beside her and she will lean down and rub her face against our faces or foreheads. I hate that I'm sick because I know she's next. She has a way of hooking her finger right up my nose! Welcome to the family, June Bug. When one member gets sick, we all get sick. Oh, but that nuzzling! She's giving us love and it just melts my heart.

She does not like going places. If we walk her around the hotel, she panics and wants to go back to the room. I think she fears we are going to take her back. She clings to us and wimpers and when we get back to the room, she plays and giggles and is happy again. Honestly, she can go for hours playing on the bed with one stacking cup.

She is teething like mad. Matt got her a penguin teether at the local grocery. Honestly, I should have brought more toys. And diapers! If I knew Walmart was going to be on Day 3, I would have packed accordingly. I packed pretty lightly.

I am having problems accessing Yahoo, so I am unable to read your comments as often as I'd like. I did get a question- how old in The Bug? She just turned 8 months old. THank you for the comments, really! I get to them as the Great Firewall allows. Yes, she is gorgeous. That's all we hear when we walk around the hotel from guests staying here. "Such pretty baby. Such big eyes. Such pretty skin. You like baby?" We say yes yes we love baby. "Does baby like you?" We laugh and say yes, thankfully baby likes us, too!

There are no clothing police here so far. No elderly ladies to ask us to cover her up. It's just too hot for that. In fact, people hardly look at us. It's so common to see Westerners with Asian babies in the areas we've been. Perhaps today at Walmart we might get the questions or stares.

I forgot to mention that right after Gotcha, when we got on the bus, a daddy from our group handed out cigars to the other daddies. Classic!

Alright, let me TRY to get some sleep. I hope you are liking all my talk talk talk on this blog. I swear, this is probably the most talky adoption blog ever. It helps that I type a zillion words a minute and am so blog savvy. I can do this and no one is ignored and you get all kinds of great details AND so do I for later memory archiving.

Achoo! Night night.

Weather or not

2007-06-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

About 3pm today (Monday) the skies became black. In an instant, rain was pouring down in sheets. Matt and I were staring out the window going, "Wow, what a storm." That's when debris started flying and the windows began to shake. We're on the 11th floor. We grabbed the baby and headed into the hallway with the other families. Those of us from the Midwest wanted to take shelter. Other families soon joined, saying they saw guys on the road abandoning their scooters and running for cover.

When the storm stopped, Matt and I went exploring in the hotel. The lobby was completely flooded.

We went back up to the 11th floor to learn that the Hogan family, (oh the poor Hogan family) is now flooded out of their rooms. The Hogans, who still have not gotten their luggage from the Chicago to Hong Kong flight. Our new expression is, "Oh those poor Hogans!"

Lina, our guide from the agency joined us on 11 and said, "Oh that was just a typhoon."

A typhoon!

Matt thinks it was a 6 out of 8. Not that he's an expert or anything but it was BAAAAAD. The streets below are completely flooded.

And we, the idiot Midwesterners at the window going, "Look at the debris flying around!"

We know better!

We have a little flooding, but not much.

The Hogans will be moved, I'm sure. This hotel is very attentive to your every need.

A cleaning lady just brought us a stroller. It's time for MAtt to head to the store. I'm keeping the baby inside, thank you.

Awww our first typhoon. Hopefully our last!

Monday Continued

2007-06-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Scroll down to the next post if you want to read about Gotcha Day.

Ok, let's start this where I left off.

As per usual, was up at 1am. That's my pattern here. Fall asleep at 7 or 8, wake up at 1am wide awake. Arggg, so frustrating. I usually don't fall back to sleep, either. Hence, why I am so tired. Jet lag, so fun.

I checked on baby, who was sleeping so soundly in her crib. Hey, add this to your packing list- a tap light. The rooms are so dark. It's nice to pick up your tap light (the small ones) and turn it on and not wake everyone up. You can rummage through luggage or use it to light the bathroom when you don't want blaring light to fully wake YOU up.

The hard bed is actually quite nice. The covers are so comfy and the pillows are fluffy. I had the fan pointed right at my head, like I love when I sleep. Don't stress over the hard beds if you are going to Nanchang. They aren't too bad here! And you are so tired, you'll sleep anywhere!

I managed to conk out again at 4am, but got up at 6 when I heard the baby rustling. We both went to her crib and she opened her eyes and stared at us. Didn't cry, didn't smile, just studied us. I picked her up and she clung to me and nuzzled into my neck. We talked and sang to her for about a half hour before making a bottle. She was so content to study us, to touch our faces, and pat our hands.

The morning bottle was a bit more successful. I did make the nipple larger, which helped. Daddy fed her while I got showered and ready for our morning. Then I got baby ready in that adorable Ann Geddes outfit you saw in the last pic. Thanks, Kitty. She looks so cute in that outfit! I then put her in the Mei Tai (thanks, Callie) which she LOVED. She loved being against me as we walked to the elevator and down to the buffet. Didn't fuss, just snuggled and seemed so happy.

The breakfast buffet? So sweet. They had round tables with high chairs positioned at each table. Lovely ladies are there to greet you and help with whatever you need. One lady saw me staring at the congee. She said, "Good for baby!" and scooped a bowl. Then she said, "But add meat. Baby like meat!" She leaned forward and fed the baby some of the dried meat (?) Baby ate it up. She said, "See I tell you!" I think she was a manager or something. Very nice lady. Made sure we had June Bug seated properly in her chair and then entertained her while we ate. She was the one who got Junie's first smile. An ear to ear grin. I burst into tears, no lie. Right there in the restaurant, just crying away. Who would think I had any tears left? Honestly, I am not a blubbering idiot. But what a sight!! The lady understood and was so happy she could do that for us. That smile let me know everything was going to be ok.

June Bug ate up her congee, yum yum. She tried some fruit, not interested. Banana bread? LOVED. More more. Then she was content to play with her spoon while we stuffed our faces. She never fussed. She just sat there happily and played.

We had a short time before boarding the bus. I came upstairs and sat her on the bed. Just sat her down, without even thinking. Total experienced mom thing to do. I just assumed at 8 months, she could sit on her own. And guess what? She can. I gave her some stacking cups and she went crazy. She sprawled on her tummy and played and rolled from side to side with the cups in her hands. Then she'd sit up again. It was great! I was able to pack the diaper bag, then grab her and head out.

The paperwork portion of this adventure is interesting. Let me first say that it is a million degrees, no lie. SO SO SO hot, like nothing you've experienced. We boarded the bus and headed back to the civil affairs building. Where again, it was packed with other families getting their paperwork done. An un air conditioned room on the 22 floor of a highrise building PACKED with people and babies? Not fun. No where to sit, no where to get the babies cooled down. And June Bug? Stayed calm. Played with her chewy necklace, totally content. Babies were melting down left and right. Not our girl. She didn't even break a sweat!

Right as she drifted to sleep, we were called into a little room where we sat on a bench, held her up between us and posed for a picture for our adoption certificate. Very assembly line, no lingering. If you linger, you will be snapped at. But it's not clear what to do next. So we went back into the crowded room and hoped we'd be told more soon.

We saw Junie's nanny walk in and she came over to say hello. That's when our baby started to freak out. She dug her nails into my neck with one hand and reached for Matt with the other. She clung to both of us, whimpering as her nanny talked to her. She did not want to go to her. She was afraid she'd be taken back to the SWI!

We parents sat around and compared notes of the night before. It seemed everyone had a good night- really good sleepers in this batch. None of the parents slept! But the babies did great. Every single baby from this group is healthy. One has a cold. A few are congested from the air conditioning. Not one is seriously sick. Some are very thin, very frail and very behind in their milestones. The Bug appears to be right on track or even ahead for hers, which is common from her orphanage. The babies there come out very healthy and strong. Which makes me wonder why she was hesitant with her nanny. I guess she realized what it means to have mommy and daddy?

OH, another hint. Bring TP or tissues everywhere you go. None of the bathrooms have TP in Nanchang. The Civil Affairs bathrooms have western toilets, but no TP. Oh, and did I mention to always use the word toilet? If you say bathroom or restroom, people get confused. It's toilet. Maybe I did, I forgot, sorry.

Oh the princess just woke up. We laid her between us and she held onto me with one hand and held onto Matt with the other. Now Matt is feeding her, so I will continue this post.

Back to the Civil Affairs Building. We were then called into the Registrar's office where she asked why did we adopt from China, what are our education plans for the baby, and do we promise to never abandon her? Then she gave us a red box containing a vase made in the area. Then we went to the cashier's office and paid our fees.

Back to the bus. We traveled to the Notary's office. Again, chasing that other group who was ahead of us. The babies were getting fed up at this point. Parents were melting as well. This portion went pretty quickly, after the other group was done, that is. We love that group, don't get us wrong. Made friends with many of them on various airplanes. But we'd get places and groan. "Oh! The other group!"

Then we headed to the police station where... I used my very first squatty potty! I don't intend to ever do that again if I can help it. Oh yeah, no TP in there, either. And did you know squatty potties can be flushed? Hey, when you gotta go....

At the police station, we just had to pose June Bug for her Visa pic and were on our way. By then it was Noon and it had been a long day for the babies.

Nanchang traffic- WOW. Unreal. You've never seen anything like it. There are no rules. And yet, no accidents??? How is that possible? I will have to describe what it's like some other time. Matt and I made sure to sit in the front seat of the bus so we could get a theme park experience.

As of today, The Bug is ours. She is officially our daughter.

Came back to the hotel and Buggie passed out. We ordered room service. The room service here is not so good. I want to get back out and eat authentic Chinese again. A burger in Nanchang just doesn't seem right. Even a burger topped with a fried egg, cucumbers, and a splash of lemon. Getting out is a problem. The streets here are INSANE. With the Bug being so new to us, we don't want to take her out in that madness just yet. Maybe in a few days.

Time to collect laundry and drop it off in our guide's room where it will be magically cleaned by a service and brought to us tomorrow. Then later, Matt is going with some of the daddies to the grocery store. We families are desperate for supplies and are not going to Walmart until tomorrow.

And that is my latest update. I hope you like all these details. Again, sorry for the errors. I don't have time to go back and proof read. The Bug wants to play, so off I go!!

Monday

2007-06-24T21:38:00.001-07:00

The baby is simply amazing. She is just.... wow. Guess what kind of personality? Laid back, easy going, go with the flow, mellow.

She did not bond with us instantly. She bonded according to her personality, actually. She's a very serious baby. She studied both of us and then held on tightly. The next morning- Hello Mama Hello Baba! I'm yours, never let me go!!

But I'm jumping ahead.

Gotcha day was a bit of a let down. You build it up in your head to be this event where angels are singing and it's just you and the baby and the world just stops. Nope. It's madness. Pure chaos. No order whatsoever. We got to the Civil Affairs building shortly after another group had arrived to get their babies. So there was no, 'Wait for your name to be called, the baby will be presented to you." We walked in and there were so many waiting parents, we just moved to wall and tried to search for our baby in the chaos.

We finally saw her in a corner of the room, seated with the orphanage director and a nanny that we recognized from pics in our Yahoo Group. She looked so tiny in her nanny's arms. She did not look like her referral photo at all. To me, she looked so frail. When in reality, she's solid! I guess it's her eyes. They are huge and she was leaning forward and all I saw were these big brown eyes. That's when my eyes started leaking. Oh I cried so hard!! There was my baby!

I did not approach them. I just stood there and cried while Matt got out the video camera. I assumed someone would call our names. But no, the nanny looked up, saw us, and walked over. She asked for our passports and when she felt comfortable of who we were, she handed over the baby. That's about when our translator walked over. I mean it was madness in there and I think they were overwhelmed with the group already in there, us, and the group waiting to get in!!

What happens is that a confused baby is put in your arms and they usually search around for the caregiver. They don't know what is going on. It's extremely hot in that room, the babies are so tired from the long bus ride, and very hungry. So what is what I mean by no angels singing. The moment can be very distressing for everyone. The baby can be so upset and you as a parent just want to make everything ok. Yet this baby is going, "WHO ARE YOU?????" And we were so rushed because of the next group waiting to get in. I stood there with the nanny and the director of the orphanage- neither spoke English- and we just looked at each other. The Director was in a huge hurry. He kept pointing at his watch and staring into the hallway. Maybe he had another baby to hand out to the next group or he just wanted to get going. He was not looking happy. The nanny was feeling the pressure from him to get going. Finally a translator came over and was able to help me ask a few questions.

This orphanage usually sends along formula- which is a milk mate and rice type combination. They did not do that this time. I did get a hand stitched pouch that held rocks from the orphanage garden- very sweet for her to have. If the Hammer Family is reading this- please know the nanny told me that Anna and our baby were best friends and when Anna left, my baby was very sad for many days.

I held the baby first, then Matt held her. Oh, she LOVED Matt instantly. Reached up and stroked his goatee and nuzzled against him. She clung tightly to his shirt. When her caregiver said goodbye, she held even tighter. She did not want to go back to her caregiver at all.

THe baby began to fuss and the nanny started repeating something over and over. Then said, "Hungry!" The translator asked if I had any snacks in the bag. No, I didn't. How about a bottle? They watched as I made a bottle for her and the nanny and the director tsked tsked. Oh great, nothing like that kind of pressure. It appeared they did not like the bottle I was using- a Playtex Drop In.

As soon as I sat down to feed her, we had to get up and make room for the next group, so we headed to the bus. That's when I could get a close look at the baby. She was wearing brand new Carter's pajamas in blue. Probably a donation from a waiting family. She was clean and did not smell at all. She appeared to be well fed. And very, very serious. Just studying us and the bus and then us again. Especially Matt. She wanted him and kept reaching out for him. Once in his arms, she was content to just look out the window.

We got to the hotel room and she began to get very fussy. We tried the bottle again and she was not happy. She did not like the nipple. Ahhh so that is why they were tsk tsking. We eventually took a few ounces. But that's when Matt had to race downstairs in the hotel to do some paperwork. That was about 7pm and we were all wrecked at that point. The baby was rubbing her eyes, so I changed her diaper and her onesie. Her bottom wasn't too clean, so I decided to give her a bath. I filled up the tub provided by the hotel and she seemed very interested in the water. Eased her in and used a disposable cloth. She was fine with that. She did not like to be rinsed.

Quickly got her dry and into her fireworks pajamas and that's when I noticed she has a boil on her arm. Boils are common in her orphanage. Easy to treat. Otherwise, her skin looked great.

At this point, she was clearly telling me it was time to go to sleep. I laid her on the bed and cuddled her against me. She fell right so sleep and so did I. An hour later, Matt came into the room and told me I had to go downstairs to do my portion of the paperwork. I could hardly get out of bed. I was so far gone at that point from days of not sleeping properly, plus the stress and excitement. Let me tell you, for me to fall asleep like that means I was so happy and content with that baby in my arms. Me, the difficult sleeper was out like a light with her next to me.

I wandered into the hall and a dad from our group took pity on me and escorted me to the room where we were to do paperwork. Got it done in a daze, hope it was right. Went upstairs, fell soundly asleep at 830.

To be continued in the next post.... I am not going to proof this, so sorry for the errors. Baby is sleeping and I want to get this done before she wakes up.

So pretty

2007-06-24T17:20:00.001-07:00

Smiling, laughing, babbling, and so playful. Such a different baby from last night!! She appears to be a very mellow go with the flow baby. We have nicknamed her June Bug. Off to do paperwork!!

Bonding

2007-06-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry for lack of details. We are bonding with baby and are starting another long and crazy day with appointments and meetings. It's going well. She is very mild mannered, very sweet, and adores her daddy. She can sit up on her own, appears very healthy and her skin looks good, too. No smiles yet. We got back to the hotel and she went right to sleep. Slept all night. I didn't! I kept checking on her. She is an angel. I'll post more when we get some down time.

Gotcha

2007-06-24T04:13:00.001-07:00

Everybody Nanchang tonight

2007-06-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

And that title works, because it is pronounced Nan-Chung.

4pm according to my new Hello Kitty watch while a storm rages outside the 11th floor of the Gloria Plaza hotel. We have an end unit. The room is huge! We have a view of the river, too.

Today we got up, got some breakfast and headed to the airport. International travel means standing in lots o lines, which we did. Go to our gate and it was nothing but adopting families flying into Nanchang.

I got on the plane and snoozed for the hour we were stuck on the runway. No clue why, but we did move. During our hour long flight, we were served lunch. Whereas on our 15 hour United flight, we were barely served dinner. Cup of Ramen, come on!

Got to Nanchang and we were in another world. The airport was humid and mosquito filled. The ladies restrooms only has squattie potties. Again, more forms to fill out requested by people who do not speak a word of English. That's ok, we just went with the flow.

We found our guide from the agency waiting for us. The other members of the travel group arrived a half hour beforehand, since their plane wasn't delayed. That means we had to rush out of the airport and dash through the parkinglot to the bus in INCREDIBLE heat and humidity. Much worse than in Hong Kong.

The bus ride to the hotel was sobering. Nanchang is not a wealthy city. Poverty is quite evident.

We are in a lovely hotel, tho. Highrise hotel filled with staff that barely speak English, but it's a lot of fun to mine to them.

For example, we arrived to find a cot in the room, not a crib. They sent housekeeping to fix the situation but she brought us towels. We tried to explain but she did not know. Matt drew a picture, she still did not know. She got someone on the phone who explained. She kept nodding and smiling and backing out of the room. Five mins later, she had a crib. Then I had to go and confuse her more by asking for a fan. The room was incredibly hot and I knew I had to snag a fan before someone else did, heh. We drew a picture and set it on the table and I made fan noises while waving my arms. It worked. Five mins later, she brought a fan.

Requisite hard bed? Check! Harder than in Hong Kong. But huge.

It was total chaos when we arrived. I threw open every suitcase and unpacked as fast as I could. I assembled the nanny gift bags while Matt packed the diaper bag. We then made a baby station on the available table. Learned to use the hot pot. Got bottles set up.

Then Matt exchanged money, bought a honking huge bottle of water, some snacks, and we are chillin until 430. That's when we go downstairs to the bus that will take us to the babies.

THE BABIES!

The only downer is that I am sick. I have a cold. It was bound to happen and thankfully I have tons of medication. It's the stress and the lack of sleep. I passed out cold last night at 8pm. Woke up at 1am and could not get back to sleep.

Alright, time to go chill on the bed before it's BABY TIME! I'll post soon.

Pics from HK

2007-06-23T04:53:00.001-07:00

One of the streets of Hong Kong.

Vince and Michelle live in the pink topped apartments. As seen from the ferry.

A view of Hong Kong Disney from the ferry.

View from our hotel

Vince and Michelle demonstrate the importance of wash cloths in a tropical climate.

Hong Kong Whirlwind

2007-06-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong Day was Fantastic! So so so lucky to have Vince and Michelle as our local guides show us everything. And I do mean everything. Let me type this out and then I will post pics. Just easier that way.

We met Vince and Michelle for the breakfast buffet at our hotel. Half of the food is Western. I automatically put eggs and bacon on my plate before going, "When in Rome!" Or rather, when in Hong Kong. Dumped the eggs and grabbed a plate full of dim sum, noodles, and rice. One dim sum was a sweet bread with BBQ beef wrapped inside. It looks like mereinge. How do you spell that word? Tastes soooo much better than my spelling. The other dim sum was beef and fish, but the BBQ one was incredible.

Then we left the hotel and got on a bus to head to the beach. We went through the mountains on a one way road that was under construction. You've heard about the bus and cab drivers in China? They're just as crazy in Hong Kong. I became extremely motion sick, so we took an available stop so I could get my stomach to settle.

Here's something I want each and every waiting family who will be traveling during the hot months to put on their packing lists. Underline it twice if you have to, it's that important. Wash rags. Lots of wash rags. Everyone in these extreme climates carries them everywhere they go. Remember I mentioned my Hong Kong goodie bag from Michelle? Two of the items contained within were wash cloths. I gave her a quizzical look and she asked me to trust her. She was so right! You are drenched in sweat the second you step outside. You think you've felt hot and humid in the States? You haven't. And I grow gills each summer with the crazy humidity we get there. It's NOTHING in comparison. It's intense humidity with a penetrating sun. That washcloth is a life saver. Pack wash cloths and extra undies and bras. You are soaked to the skin within minutes, no lie.

After my stomach calmed down, we hopped a ferry- not a tourist ferry, a rickety local ferry. Cooled off in the breeze while watching the sites go by en route to Vince and Michelle's apartment. Saw Disneyland- or rather, saw the hotels. You can't see much from the water. The ferry pulled up to Vince and Michelle's neighborhood, which highlights three immediate things right from the waters. 1. Squatters who live in shacks along the beach 2. High priced rentals mainly for Ex Patriots. 3. Run down housing for Aunties- (Nannies for the Ex Pats.) It's a lovely area, actually. We climbed up a steep hill and got over to Vince and Michelle's apartment. It's HUGE by Hong Kong standards. 1600 sq feet with a breathtaking view of the water and Disney in the background. They can watch the Disney fireworks at night from their balcony. We hung out with them and cooled off and had some drinks before heading back out again.

From there we took a short bus ride to an outdoor dining mall type area. Again, very nice. Everything in Hong Kong is very clean. All modes of transportation are spotless. Nothing is messy anywhere, really. Actually, in one of the public toilets, a woman cleaned it between each person's use. A lady would leave, she would step in and clean, and step out of the way. It was that way at the airport, too. Oh, and you never ask to use the bathroom or restroom. It's toilet. All signs say toilet and everyone knows what you mean when you say toilet. Most of the toilets were Western. We only encountered one Easter squatty on the ferry.

In this outdoor mall near Vince and Michelle's place, we went to a Japanese bakery and had some goodies while waiting to board another ferry. again- such incredible food. The reason everyone in Hong Kong is so thin is because of all the walking and the sweating. The food is too good to resist! We then boarded the the double decker indoor seating ferry that took us to Hong Kong.

The views going into Hong Kong are incredible. You have the mountain backdrop and then hundreds of high rise buildings all over the bottom of the mountains. No two buildings look alike. It resembles something from Alice in Wonderland. It's beautiful, but oddly out of place against the mountains. While on the ferry, we noticed so many families where the children spoke several languages. They'd go in and out of Mandarin, English, and French. It's so impressive. Oh, and while we are in the minority in Hong Kong as Caucasians, no one notices. So many Ex Pats live there, it's just no big deal to see Caucasians speaking numerous languages. Except we stupid Americans who can barely speak our own language!

We left the ferry and walked to this outdoor escalator that actually takes you up over the city. You can get off and shop, or get back on and head higher. While on the escalator, you can see between the buildings. Very interesting to see laundry hanging from lines outside of an apartment on the 30th floor!

We then went to an authentic Chinese restaurant. A typical hole in the wall where no one speaks English and there's a lot of pointing to the menu and hand gesturing. It looked to be a family owned place. Vince ordered for us and WOW, the food was sooooo good. Chopsticks are kept on the tables in a large container. Vince took ours and dunked them into his hot tea. He says all the locals do that to be darn sure the chopsticks had been sterilized. He says it's better than nothing.

We had a chicken and rice dish first. We were given a large bowl each with a spoon. We served the food into our dishes and attempted to eat with chopsticks. Rice is very difficult and the owner kept coming over to try to teach me how to scoop it into the spoon, then grab it with the chopsticks. That was too complex for me. I just ate it with the spoon.

We also had dumplings filled with leeks and chicken- MMMMMM. Noodles. And Dragon Rolls which were filled with meat and veggies but I didn't care for them. The total cost of the meal was about 15USD for four people.

Hong Kong is so odd like that. Housing is more expensive than Manhattan and yet everything else is so cheap.

From there we caught a cab to the outdoor markets. If you are keeping track, note that we took two busses, two ferries, a cab, (and later a train) and walked a whole heck of alot. The cab ride was uneventful except for hearing a news story in Mandarin on the radio about Paris Hilton. No, there is no escape from Paris Hilton!

We then walked to the market. The outdoor market we went to was sandwiched tightly between two highrise buildings. It was super hot and crowded and the shop keepers were not keen on much negotiation. I let Michelle do the talking because she understands conversions from Hong Kong Dollars to USD. I ended up doing a little bit of shopping on items I doubt I can find in GZ.

After that, we went to the train station. Took the train back to the mall that connects to our hotel. Said goodbye to Vince and Michelle. Attended the reception for our Executive Floor- beer and chicken fingers! Boooo! Too American! And now here I am, blogging this entry at about 730pm Friday evening as the sun sets over Hong Kong.

I never once felt afraid in Hong Kong. Not once. It is so incredibly crowded but the crowds flow so beautifully. No one stares, no one even notices you are alive. When you see that many people just going about their day, doing their thing, it really puts all the pettiness of a "small town city" like ours into perspective. You know- the whole- everyone knows everyone knows everyone's business.

Matt just got back from visiting the snack shop here in the mall. He was able to snag some Dr Pepper made with SUGAR! In fact, all sodas here are made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup and they taste sooooo much better as a result. He also bought some cucumber flavored Lays potato chips for the plane. And a huge bag of rice crackers that the babies are supposed to love.

I am starting to get a sore throat. AHHH! I do not want to get sick on this trip. I am hoping it was just the pollution downtown. It didn't start until we got off the ferry. I plan on ending this blog entry, posting some pics, taking a bath in this giant tub, and going to bed.

I plan on posting after we return to the hotel from Gotcha. As long as we have a reliable connection.

So that means tomorrow:
Wake up early
Have more dim sum for breakfast
Take a shuttle to the airport
Land in Nanchang
Meet the travel group
Learn when we will get our babies!

Talk to you then. Yes, my heart is already pounding with excitement.....
Tomorrow is one of the biggest days of our lives.

Pics from the plane

2007-06-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

On the plane. Shortly after my big crying breakdown. The lady across from us was thinking I was unhappy with my noodle bowl.

You asked questions!

Gotcha Day is Sunday Afternoon. We leave Hong Kong Sunday morning for Nanchang. Get off plane and.... not sure what happens but we WILL get our babies Sunday!

Life behind the Great Firewall is a breeze here in HK. On the Mainland, I have some tricks to use to get around them. Let's hope it works.

Katie- yes that flight is HARD CORE! The Hogans kept asking, while in a daze, "How are we going to do this with a baby?"

I would love the jet set lifestyle. If I had a private jet. Waking up in Hong Kong is blowing my mind. I could get really used to this.

To those who are traveling soon, let me give you a list of items for your carry on.

Make sure these items are in a purse or a back pack under your seat, not in the suitcase in the overhead bins. Much easier for access.

1. Eye wetting drops - so so so dry in there
2. Saline nose spray
3. Tissues
4. Lip balm
5, Food- food of all kinds.
6. Anything to help freshen up and make yourself smell better. You will smell when you get off that plane.
7. Lots of things to do. Those movies were a joke.
8. Eye mask and ear plugs Target sells a kit that has a blanket, eye mask, ear plugs, and blow up pillow. Get one. It's great.
9. Head phones. THey ran out of them but we had our own.
10. Hand wipes. You won't want to touch anything when you sit down after using the toilet until you wipe your hands.

If you ever get worried, tune into the Flight Deck audio channel. When the turbulence got out of hand, I'd tune in to be sure all was normal. It's easy to tell when there's a serious problem- like when we were in SIberia. (note below.) Otherwise, it's fun to hear the captain check in with the towers in the various countries. You will hear the languages and the accents. It's entertaining.

More advice and tips as I get them. Breakfast time.

Starts with a single step

2007-06-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It is now 6am Friday morning in Hong Kong. I do not remember writing that last blog entry. I was THAT tired.

Alrighty, let me back track.

Our ride to the airport was there right on time. As soon as we got into the terminal, we saw the Hogan family who will be on every flight from the US to US again. They were running on three hours of sleep as well. It's impossible to come down the night before this trip and get decent sleep. If you are someone about to travel, just know you are going to start this journey in sleep dep mode.

You know you live in a friendly city when even the TSA people are friendly. Going through security was a breeze and I actually shared laughs with the guys. Our flight to Chicago was on time. Smooth sailing, no issues there.

Chicago was insane. Is the airport always like that? We got to our gate 2 hours in advance and it was already packed with passengers. We were the minorities! You could tell the adopting families from a mile away.

I've been been on a double decker plane before. I must have seem like quite the hayseed when I stepped on board and went, "There's stairs!" Well gorsh! We were seated all the way in the back, both with window seats. Did I not say that we'd get some idiot who'd refuse to switch seats with us? WE SURE DID! We finally got a grumpy guy to switch. There was no way I was going to spend 15 hours next to some strange dude.

Now I have to warn you that this was not a pleasant flight. The high and adrenaline of the purpose of the journey quickly fades when one is that uncomfortable. We had such cramped seats, next to the area where people hang out to talk and stretch their legs. The projection screen was 14 rows ahead and impossible to see because people hang out to talk in the aisles. The movies were ones that bombed at the box office anyway, so no big loss. But let me tell you, after about four hours, you'll watch anything. If you can see the screen.

The food? That was another source of amusement for ourselves and the Hogans, who were seated across from us. They were going to serve two snacks, 1 lunch, and 1 breakfast. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Where's dinner? Ok, the snack was a mini bag of pretzels served immediately before the lunch. THey ran out of western meals before getting to us so we had some Asian dish that didn't taste Asian, nor Western. Just bad. The next snack? A small bowl of ramen noodles. Night night! Let me tell you, by Midnight, I was going crazy. I'm not a 100 pound Asian girl who can eat some Ramen and get full.

We decided to try to pass out around 10pm. However, we had kids in front of us who were fascinated with their window view. We chased daylight the entire flight and it was BRIGHT. Even with a mask on, it was super bright. That's ok, I was tired enough. Not a problem. Settle back, ahhh... "Fasten seatbelts" barked the captain. Wow, that sounded serious.

Matt and I turned on the Flight Deck audio channel to listen in. The captain was not pleased with the traffic controllers in Siberia. Apparently there had been a close call with another plane. The captain kept asking if he could increase altitude and they would tell him to hold on. He was getting verrrrry frustrated. It would have been comical to hear if our lives weren't on the line! SHEESH.

After that, put on the mask, settled back and... hit turbulence. Non stop turbulence until 1am when our ham sandwich breakfast was served. We were bouncing around so hard, it was impossible to eat. And at that point, you're so exhausted, too hot or too cold, frustrated, tired of using dirty toilets, tired of drifting off only to hear the Americans behind you laughing at the top of their lungs. What's a little plane shaking turbulence?

We finally got into Hong Kong. Oh my gosh. I have never landed over a more beautiful city. It's unreal! Mountains, water, sky scrapers. So gorgeous. That made those miserable 15 hours so worth it. It was 230am our time when we landed.

We met the Hogans outside of the date and noticed we all looked red eyed and drained. We walked together to the passport check in area. Stand in line, and someone checks and stamps your passport. Everyone's sailing through... except me. I'm standing there and the guy is reading it, looking at his screen, reading it again. Then gets out a paper that says, "Rejected." I am FREAKING OUT at this point. He calls over a supervisor who looks at everything and waves his hand. The guy stamps it again and looks past me to the next person. I asked, "Am I ok?" He nods. I go to his supervisor, "I am ok?" He nods and says, "Yes, yes, fine!"

That's when the tears started. Note I already had one breakdown on the plane 7 hours into the flight when I realized we had another 7 to go. I was missing the girls so much and was so tired and FED UP. Seriously, it's amazing what happens to your brain in this highly emotional situation. The strongest person can just shut down or freak out.

We went to baggage claim and everyone from our flight had their bags except the Americans. We were looking at each other and shrugging and hoping our bags would arrive. 20 mins later we could see a big pink monster suitcase roll onto the conveyor. Everyone cheered. Hooray for my big pink suitcase.

Then we went through another line "Nothing to declare" and I used the restroom. The Hong Kong airport? SO CLEAN. Sparkling clean. I was telling Matt how clean the toilets were when I saw a woman frantically waving a sign while doing a little dance. I looked away and that's when the dance got more frantic. It was Vince and Michelle, with a big pink Hello Kitty welcome sign.

We then went to our shuttle station for the airport. Things are done much differently in Hong Kong. A nice man in a suit tells you were to stand to wait. Then he comes to gather you. If you fall behind in line, he becomes very worried. He was like a mother duck, making sure we were all together.

The ride to the hotel was awesome. The mountains, the water! And the hotel? SWANK! A uniformed bell hop raced right to us to gather luggage. Another man opened our doors. And at checkout? Chic Asian men and women with the razored hair cuts and black glasses checked us in, making a big deal of the fact that we'd be on the Executive Floor.

We headed to the 21st floor and were greeted by two more lovely and extremely hip Asian ladies, welcoming us to the floor. They described our special amenities, including free laundry service, a cocktail hour, and free internet useage. The room is amazing. THe view overlooks the mountains and the bay. The bathroom has a wall that you can open up so the people in the room can watch you bathe? Ok, if that's what you're into. I think it's meant so that you can bathe while staring at the bay. It's a large room by Hong Kong standards. And the beds? HARD- typical Asian style! But soft covers and pillows.

We went to cocktail hour and had our sushi bites and I did that blog entry and then floated back to the room. It was lay down or fall down time. Matt went out with Vince and Michelle for dinner. I crashed until 1am where I woke up and started crying again from missing my girlies. Then back to sleep until 5am,

Here's the question everyone wants to know. Did I bathe while leaving the door open? HAH are you kidding me? Heck no. We've been married way too long for that. Tee hee. There's no kids here. Do you know how good it feels to bathe in private?

Checked in back home and the babes are fine. I still have that woozy not all here feeling which I guess it jet lag?

We are about to go downstairs for breakfast. We are told it's all Western and alllll good. Then we we will hit the town. I want to get out on the water. I want to go to the beach a bit. Not sure what else.

Tomorrow. TOMORROW. TOMORROW WE MEET OUR NEW DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!

THank goodness for sleeping pills or I'd be up all night again tonight. Tomorrow is huge.

Well, I promised you a detailed travel blog and you're getting one. Thanks so much for following along. If you have questions, just ask in the comments.

I'll be back tonight with another update.

Here we are!

2007-06-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

Good evening from Hong Kong!!

It is 6pm as I write this, Friday evening, Hong Kong Time.

I am seeing double, I am so tired. I will have to keep this short. I might fall over, I'm so exhausted. I'll update more tomorrow.

THe flight? Rough! 15 hours is a looooooooong time to be in a plane.

Hong Kong? AMAZING. Beautiful. Our hotel is super luxurious and we are on the Executive FLoor. We just had a reception with free cocktails and sushi overlooking the bay.

We're here, we're safe. I just wanted to let everyone know that. I will come back tomorrow with all the details.

Test

2007-06-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

This is the travel blog. We'll post an update once we get to China and have reliable access. We plan on updating as much as possible.