We are home.....!!!! The story of getting home is long, so I will save that for another time.
The most important news is that we are home safe and sound, happy, healthy, and with
all our belongings! We were greeted by a beautiful welcome home banner and Kate, Grace,
and Andrew. Thank you to my sweet son who stayed with the girls a little longer than
expected because of our flight delays, etc.... The girls were wearing the most adorable
t-shirts that Sheron had so thoughtfully gotten the girls to greet their new brother. And
funny, I had him in his Chinese little brother t-shirt...how perfect.
After lots of giggles, hugs, kisses, and exploring the house, Aiden crashed on the floor
around 5:30 pm this afternoon, Mama crashed on the couch, Baba managed to feed the
girls dinner before we all headed upstairs. The girls wanted Aiden in our room, so I let
them set up to campout in our room as well. This won't be the long term plan, but it is
nice to be all together tonight.
I am wondering what our schedule will be tonight. Rick and I have had about 3-4 hours
of sleep in the past 48 hours.....so I am praying Aiden will follow our lead of a regular night
and our attempt to get on US time. We'll see........
Due to jet lag, this is all I can write for now.....I will definitely write more about our trip,
and share Aiden's adjustment into our family. I hope you will stay and read more!
Just want you all to know that it felt wonderful to see the genuine love from the girls
towards Aiden, and his delight in his new sisters...He was full of hugs and kisses...and
wanted to brush their hair. LOL
Goodnight for now.....
amy
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
CUTIES, PETS and FOOD????
(Hi everyone! The problem with me not getting photos up may have been me -- long story, but my keyboard did also die last night... it was a confusing day for computer stuff!! Here are the WONDERFUL photos from Amy to go with the update posted below. Enjoy!! ~~Cynthia)
(pets, pets, these are sold as pets... pets, pets, these are sold as pets... I hope...)
(This makes me want to go back to China... I can smell this market right now as I type this in Oregon... ~~Cynthia)
(Okay... here is the wet market for food! Very strange smells here, people!! Love it, though. Can't wait to visit again! ~~Cynthia)
Seahorses:
What we lived on last January -- tiny oranges. SO GOOD!!!
Sorry for taking so long getting these photos up!!! ~~Cynthia
(pets, pets, these are sold as pets... pets, pets, these are sold as pets... I hope...)
(This makes me want to go back to China... I can smell this market right now as I type this in Oregon... ~~Cynthia)
(Okay... here is the wet market for food! Very strange smells here, people!! Love it, though. Can't wait to visit again! ~~Cynthia)
Seahorses:
Scorpions:
Yes, a crocodile:
Chinese butcher:
Probably not pets:
What we lived on last January -- tiny oranges. SO GOOD!!!
Sorry for taking so long getting these photos up!!! ~~Cynthia
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
PET MARKET, PAPERWORK IS DONE!!!
(Blogger is still giving my problems with photos -- added to that my keyboard died on the desktop, life took over, and now I'm back on the laptop and have once again downloaded and treated the photos... but Blogger is being poopy!! soon... I promise the latest photos soon!!!! ~~Cynthia)
We have had a long and busy day. This morning after breakfast we ventured out to see the Qing Ping Market here in Guangzhou. This is where the streets are lined with local vendors selling herbs, fruit, vegetables, turtles,meat, kittens, puppies, rabbits, birds, cat food, dog food, pet supplies, aquarium must haves, etc.... You need it, they have it. I even saw one shop exclusively for jackets and sweaters for your designer dog.
We are glad we went to this market and vowed to be vegetarians for life...or at least for the day. NO, they are not selling the Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Pekinese, nor Shih Tzhus, and cats for food. They are sold as pets. There are shops with leashes and dog beds right beside these pets. I saw a chocolate cocker spaniel I would have brought home in a second if I could sneak it past customs.
Our US Consulate appointment was this afternoon. This is the oath ceremony that each adoptive family takes as a group in order to finalize the adoption, obtain your child's visa, and be able to leave China! It all went smoothly despite a room full of screaming children and very loud adults who could not use their manners and quiet voices. Aiden clapped when it was declared he could leave China and enter the United States of America. And I clapped as well....the nightmare of paperwork is over!!!
Tomorrow we are going to take a taxi into town and hit Beijing Road. This is where there are more department stores as well as some of the stores we have been waiting to shop at. Meanwhile, here nearby our hotel, a local artist is doing drawings of Kate, Grace, and Aiden. When we went in to pay the shopkeeper, we were able to peek at the beginnings of his work on Grace and Kate from the borrowed photograph I gave him. It was a perfect likeness and will be a lifetime gift of their childhood faces for a splinter of the cost an American artist would charge. Oh, and ready in 24 hours...wow!
Tonight Aiden had his first real meltdown. I know. I know....how could the perfect two-year-old possibly have a fit at this point? Well, of course it was Baba's fault. Aiden found his Cheerios in his backpack and wanted to eat them. Gasp!!! Baba and I both said "No Cheerios", since we had just finished dinner... Meltdown!!! Drop to the ground, sobbing, screaming, meltdown. Nothing would console or quiet Aiden. We were lowered to being the worst possible parents on this sweet earth by taking his cheerios away. But in our defense, there had been no nap taken today by this toddler. Who schedules consulate appointments at naptime???? So, we let the meltdown take a life of it's own and resolve itself. We are experienced parents, right? LOL.... Now, Aiden is asleep as is his Baba (the one who actually took the Cheerios away). Of course, always seeking my "Mother of the Year" award, I will personally hand him the cheerios container in the morning!
Goodnight all......special prayers that my dogs will be found (they have escaped the dog pen) and very, very special prayers for our nephew's new baby who is not doing well despite the attempts of the surgeons to address his special needs at his birth.
Counting the hours until we are home,
amy
We have had a long and busy day. This morning after breakfast we ventured out to see the Qing Ping Market here in Guangzhou. This is where the streets are lined with local vendors selling herbs, fruit, vegetables, turtles,meat, kittens, puppies, rabbits, birds, cat food, dog food, pet supplies, aquarium must haves, etc.... You need it, they have it. I even saw one shop exclusively for jackets and sweaters for your designer dog.
We are glad we went to this market and vowed to be vegetarians for life...or at least for the day. NO, they are not selling the Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Pekinese, nor Shih Tzhus, and cats for food. They are sold as pets. There are shops with leashes and dog beds right beside these pets. I saw a chocolate cocker spaniel I would have brought home in a second if I could sneak it past customs.
Our US Consulate appointment was this afternoon. This is the oath ceremony that each adoptive family takes as a group in order to finalize the adoption, obtain your child's visa, and be able to leave China! It all went smoothly despite a room full of screaming children and very loud adults who could not use their manners and quiet voices. Aiden clapped when it was declared he could leave China and enter the United States of America. And I clapped as well....the nightmare of paperwork is over!!!
Tomorrow we are going to take a taxi into town and hit Beijing Road. This is where there are more department stores as well as some of the stores we have been waiting to shop at. Meanwhile, here nearby our hotel, a local artist is doing drawings of Kate, Grace, and Aiden. When we went in to pay the shopkeeper, we were able to peek at the beginnings of his work on Grace and Kate from the borrowed photograph I gave him. It was a perfect likeness and will be a lifetime gift of their childhood faces for a splinter of the cost an American artist would charge. Oh, and ready in 24 hours...wow!
Tonight Aiden had his first real meltdown. I know. I know....how could the perfect two-year-old possibly have a fit at this point? Well, of course it was Baba's fault. Aiden found his Cheerios in his backpack and wanted to eat them. Gasp!!! Baba and I both said "No Cheerios", since we had just finished dinner... Meltdown!!! Drop to the ground, sobbing, screaming, meltdown. Nothing would console or quiet Aiden. We were lowered to being the worst possible parents on this sweet earth by taking his cheerios away. But in our defense, there had been no nap taken today by this toddler. Who schedules consulate appointments at naptime???? So, we let the meltdown take a life of it's own and resolve itself. We are experienced parents, right? LOL.... Now, Aiden is asleep as is his Baba (the one who actually took the Cheerios away). Of course, always seeking my "Mother of the Year" award, I will personally hand him the cheerios container in the morning!
Goodnight all......special prayers that my dogs will be found (they have escaped the dog pen) and very, very special prayers for our nephew's new baby who is not doing well despite the attempts of the surgeons to address his special needs at his birth.
Counting the hours until we are home,
amy
Monday, December 14, 2009
ZOO PHOTOS!!! *YEAH*
(So glad Blogger decided to let me add these!! LOL Keep scrolling to the next message for a note from Amy!! ~~Cynthia)
ZOO TIMES!!!!!
(There are photos -- but Blogger has been giving me trouble for the last three days and posting photos has been hit-or-miss... I will keep trying so check back again!! ~~Cynthia)
Today has been a good day. We took Aiden to the clinic for the medical staff to check his TB test and found no reaction, so we were clear to go! Our guide hailed a cab and took us to the Guangzhou Zoo.
It was quiet and not crowded, so we were able to ride a little shuttle to get around the park. The animals were in very bare areas with no vegetation and basic shelter. Of course we oooohhhed and awwwwhhhed so as not offend our local guide. The funny thing was that the locals visiting the park with their children wanted to wave and say hello to us. So, we felt like the exhibits and main attraction...LOL.
There was a precious girl probably around 9-10 years old who was speaking to us in English at the prompting of her mother. She was very polite, and I was happy to let her practice her English.
Aiden took a long nap, so I wandered through the streets and into some shops. The buildings here on Shaiman Island are under major renovation to beautify the city. Most buildings have scaffolding covering the outsides and the sidewalks are dusty, muddy, or blocked to pedestrians. It is a mess and very inconvenient for tourists and shopkeepers, but it will be beautiful when finished. If only projects in our city could be handled with the manpower and kept on schedule like the Chinese seem to handle their work.
I love the shops here and have found my favorites. I was able to find some clothes for Aiden. The local shops near the hotel have always catered to the families adopting girls and have limited clothing for boys aside from the traditional clothing. I ran into a woman who told me about a shop a few blocks down that had boys casual clothing. Hooray! I got 2 pairs of jeans, 2 sweaters, and a long sleeve polo for Aiden. In fact, real Polo, Fushi Polo, and "Burberry". It is cute and cheap....that's all I needed!
We had dinner at a new Italian (yes, we are in China) restaurant tonight down from our hotel. It is a beautiful building inside and out and has homemade pasta. The menu is extensive, and I chose the ravioli with eggplant and fresh basil. The pasta was fresh and delicate. Rick had a wonderful gnocchi dish which Aiden helped him finish of course! Later we got some ice cream to bring back to the room. We are looking forward to not having to get up early tomorrow morning and rush through breakfast. We are definitely enjoying our time here in China, but we are very much looking forward to getting home!
Goodnight,
amy
Today has been a good day. We took Aiden to the clinic for the medical staff to check his TB test and found no reaction, so we were clear to go! Our guide hailed a cab and took us to the Guangzhou Zoo.
It was quiet and not crowded, so we were able to ride a little shuttle to get around the park. The animals were in very bare areas with no vegetation and basic shelter. Of course we oooohhhed and awwwwhhhed so as not offend our local guide. The funny thing was that the locals visiting the park with their children wanted to wave and say hello to us. So, we felt like the exhibits and main attraction...LOL.
There was a precious girl probably around 9-10 years old who was speaking to us in English at the prompting of her mother. She was very polite, and I was happy to let her practice her English.
Aiden took a long nap, so I wandered through the streets and into some shops. The buildings here on Shaiman Island are under major renovation to beautify the city. Most buildings have scaffolding covering the outsides and the sidewalks are dusty, muddy, or blocked to pedestrians. It is a mess and very inconvenient for tourists and shopkeepers, but it will be beautiful when finished. If only projects in our city could be handled with the manpower and kept on schedule like the Chinese seem to handle their work.
I love the shops here and have found my favorites. I was able to find some clothes for Aiden. The local shops near the hotel have always catered to the families adopting girls and have limited clothing for boys aside from the traditional clothing. I ran into a woman who told me about a shop a few blocks down that had boys casual clothing. Hooray! I got 2 pairs of jeans, 2 sweaters, and a long sleeve polo for Aiden. In fact, real Polo, Fushi Polo, and "Burberry". It is cute and cheap....that's all I needed!
We had dinner at a new Italian (yes, we are in China) restaurant tonight down from our hotel. It is a beautiful building inside and out and has homemade pasta. The menu is extensive, and I chose the ravioli with eggplant and fresh basil. The pasta was fresh and delicate. Rick had a wonderful gnocchi dish which Aiden helped him finish of course! Later we got some ice cream to bring back to the room. We are looking forward to not having to get up early tomorrow morning and rush through breakfast. We are definitely enjoying our time here in China, but we are very much looking forward to getting home!
Goodnight,
amy
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees and a kiss!
This morning after breakfast, our guide took us to the Liurong Temple here in Guangzhou. It is the famous Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. We had never been here before although many adoptive families have visited as part of their sightseeing trips while in Guangzhou. There are 27 monks there, and we arrived as they were having a ceremony in the Grand Hall which was constructed in 1633 A.D. It was very beautiful, and the instruments are made of wood and iron. We received a special blessing which was not really any different than the blessing we receive each week as we receive communion in our church.
Our room was being cleaned when we returned to the hotel, so we went to the bar overlooking the Pearl River to have a beer (like any good Episcopalian). Aiden behaved like a gentleman. He was looking at the pendant on my necklace of the picture of Kate and Grace, and he leaned in and gave me a soft, long kiss on the lips. Be still my heart. He has given me hugs, but never returned nor initiated a kiss. So sweet!
We are back in our room for a rest. Aiden climbed up on the bed and laid down by himself! He is napping, so I am going down to the hotel salon in a little while to have my hair shampooed, cut, and styled. My flat iron won't work here (tragic, I know), and I have been seeing the most wonderful haircuts on the women here in China. I know my girls and sons don't want my hair short, so I won't go crazy....but I am tempted! LOL....Don't worry, there will be a photo!
That's all for now!
amy
Our room was being cleaned when we returned to the hotel, so we went to the bar overlooking the Pearl River to have a beer (like any good Episcopalian). Aiden behaved like a gentleman. He was looking at the pendant on my necklace of the picture of Kate and Grace, and he leaned in and gave me a soft, long kiss on the lips. Be still my heart. He has given me hugs, but never returned nor initiated a kiss. So sweet!
We are back in our room for a rest. Aiden climbed up on the bed and laid down by himself! He is napping, so I am going down to the hotel salon in a little while to have my hair shampooed, cut, and styled. My flat iron won't work here (tragic, I know), and I have been seeing the most wonderful haircuts on the women here in China. I know my girls and sons don't want my hair short, so I won't go crazy....but I am tempted! LOL....Don't worry, there will be a photo!
That's all for now!
amy
(These were taken in the shops on the first floor of the White Swan Hotel... know it well from our three trips to China! ~~Cynthia)
(And the very popular and gorgeous main lobby of the White Swan...)
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