Kisses in the Wind

Home stretch

2009-05-23T03:19:00.001-07:00

We are home! Reunited with my Mighty Knights. Greeted with pink balloons lining up the road and our driveway, and joyous ear to ear smiling boys on my front porch. By the time we made it inside after all hugs and kisses, a beautiful homecrafted banner across the fireplace awaited us. "This is my best day ever" says Nathan as he jumps up and down, and Brendan all smiles "I'm really missing you". I cannot express what a warm feeling this all gives me, brought tears to my eyes... What a wonderful homecoming! Thank you to all involved helping the Mighty Knights over the last 2 weeks, I felt so reassured knowing they were in such loving care. You all know who you are, but especially Mom, I couldn't have done it without you. To all who have supported us in preparation for this journey, and all the words of encouragement and best wishes from all our friends and this wonderful community of Cobourg, I cannot thank you enough. Karen needs special mention for inspiring this blog, I wouldn't have started it otherwise! How amazing it is to document such a special event in our lives, and share it with friends, while we are still there!

Now that I've caught my breathe a little, time to catch up with this blog!
(Back in China mode)

Wednesday May 20th was our designated "shopping" day. After fuelling up at Starbucks (yes Starbucks!), we were ready for some haggling! I have to say, I don't consider myself very good at bargaining, but I thought let's give it a try. Maybe I looked a little naive, but this woman trying to sell Susie and I luggage, decided it was ok to grab my arm and keep me there until I put down a "deposit" for luggage when we said we'd "think about"! Lily and Susie were able to walk away, which is why she grabbed me to begin with, as I called out to Lily for help! She started arguing that she doesn't trust me that we would come back, so she wanted my money! Well, I could have done a TaeKwonDo move on her, but decided to stay civil, and wringed my arm out of her grip, and of course DID NOT give her a deposit! After that, we had to hide from her, when we passed back to the escalators! Quite the experience! She was so aggressive! Haggling takes time and I do have to say, you can get some deals there, but as long as you don't get assaulted, it can be quite fun! Then there's the opposite, all the personal flattery and "loving Canadians" (despite the swine flu), just so you'd soften up to purchase goods.

For lunch we passed a noodle house, that Lily told us has been here since the Qing dynasty (1644-1911)! We had a very cheap and quick serviced meal there, listening to all the yelling and general loud talking of the locals. There was a very unappealing looking mashed tofu dish, brown in color, but it was delicious! Lily was kind enough to pick up our immigration paperwork in the afternoon, so that we could have more shopping time, and picked us up on the way back. A quick early dinner, and then Roger, Susie, Aidan and Magnus were off to take the subway to see the Beijing Acrobats, a must see. Again for Lily, this was extra time she spent for us, she really wanted to make sure we had a good experience. I stayed to settle Kristen, who is teething, fingers in the mouth and drooling, and then it was packing time!

Thursday May 21st. We didn't have much more time so decided we couldn't fit the Hutong tour in. (For next time!) We thought instead for the morning, to take a leisurely stroll over to Wang Fu Jiang pedestrian street, like the one in Changsha. Not a lot of shopping done, but we got some exercise, and pleasantly came across some interesting "snacks" at the food stands. Seeing how we were about to board an airplane, we opted out of the wiggling scorpions on a stick and sea horses, and decided McDonald's was a better choice for lunch! Back for last minute packing and checking out, and off to the airport for our final leg of the journey. Of course the real journey with Kristen in our family is just beginning. Kristen is leaving her country of birth, her birth family, her orphanage family. We now land kisses directly on her cheek, but we blow kisses for her to her China ties. Even though she is young, she has experienced loss already, and that will always be remembered. She has a different path in life now, what the other path would have led to is unknown.

We had a great flight home, being her night time, Kristen slept the majority of the flight. I stayed up to continue my movie marathon (so I could get back to Canadian time), but did shut my eyes for 1 1/2 hours. Customs and immigration only took 45 minutes, and then out to get luggage which did take longer than expected, being a full flight, there were a lot of people and luggage. And then out to see my Dad, such a comforting feeling... we're home!

Addendum:

I am starting to post pictures when I can, but attaching them to the appropriate dates, so scroll down to view!

Adorable

2009-05-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

Karen here . . . isn't this a most adorable smile?

Picnic at the Great Wall

2009-05-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Another hot hot day here in Beijing, and it's really too bad our touring van's AC has not been fixed since it was a bit more of a drive today to the Great Wall. I think we preferred having the hot air blow in from the windows! The babies did okay, but everbody was hot from the lack of air circulating.

We were are relieved to step out of the van and feel the warm breeze. The Great Wall of China, truly a great historic structure, as we stood in awe, and tried to decide which route to go, the long shallow route, or the steeper, shorter route. The young lads of course chose the more challenging steeper route! So we got Kristen comfortable in the baby trekker, sunscreened, and off we went, trying to keep up with Aidan and Magnus. Of course frequent stops for snapping pictures, which again, I'll post when I return home. I overheard a tourist who just passed Roger, say, "who would bring a baby to the Great Wall". Well, now Kristen can say one day, "I went to the Great Wall of China before one year of age! Roger did really well, just lots of stretching tonight. Going down the steep parts, even with the hand rails, could be slippery.

Our guide Lily treated us to a relaxing picnic under the shade of an ornate pavillion, with the Great Wall as back drop, and the warm breeze keeping us cool. Lily is really a great guide, she knew this would be more relaxing, than eating at the tourist restaurants. Being a small group, this was a lot more manageable.

Back on the "no air circulating" hot van we went for our drive back into Beijing. So far on the trip, with all the reckless driving, we were surprised there were barely any accidents, but on the way home, we saw one between a taxi and an ambulance! At least all the equipment was there if needed, but fortunately the people involved looked okay, so none needed. Hopefully another ambulance was dispatched to where that ambulance was expected!

Back to the hotel, for a quick swim, freshening up, and out again for the Peking Duck feast, a traditional dinner Children's Bridge likes to organize for the end of the trip. Normally we would have done this the last evening, but we had worked up such an appetite from the Great Wall, we decided tonight was the night. Aidan LOVES Peking Duck, so he was ready to go! And what a feast it was! Shopping day tomorrow! And if all packed maybe an Acrobats show!

By now, the Mighty Knights at home should be getting back into a routine after a great weekend, and I can't wait to see all the surprises you've been preparing for Kristen! Thanks for all the Skype kisses my Mighty Knights. 2 more sleeps!

Dancing in the Bird's Nest

2009-05-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Big day for Kristen, her medical exam at the International Medical Clinic, and picture for the Embassy (VISA). 16.5 pounds! I think 1 of those pounds was gained this past week! She is doing so well, interacting, babbling, sitting bit more stable, and wanting to walk more with support. She showed off what she could to the Doctor, but as often with orphans, is still quite motor delayed for her age. At the rate she's going, I think she'll catch up no problem.

International Medical Clinic

In the waiting room

Some play time with Kaya in the van, while dropping off documents at the Embassy

Aidan stayed behind with Susie and Magnus at the hotel for some "reading" and swimming, then joined us for lunch at a local restaurant (yum yum eggplant dish, and sweet and sour pork), where Kristen loved the steamed bean curd! Up to now, she really hasn't shown much interest in table foods, just her formula and toddler snacks. So I was pleased to see her not spitting the food out.

Then it was off to the Beijing 2008 Olympic site! It was a hot day, again not humid, but with it being sunny, we searched for shade often. The "H2O water cube" was my favorite, very impressive, and with clips of the events being played on the huge screen inside, we felt how amazing it must be to attend (and if talented enough, participate!) these events. Such adrenaline filled air! Birds nest is one of the most beautiful architectural designed structures I've seen. Inside we walked right down to the field, where Kristen danced away with Aidan and Magnus. They were too cute. I have so many pictures, seriously I wish I could post them right now, but they will have to be an "addendum" once I'm home.

I do have to say, I am truly impressed by the architecture I've seen. In the van and taxi rides, I've been snapping pictures, of great buildings. I know I haven't seen the true local Beijing culture yet, that will come with the Hutong tour if we have time on Thursday. Overall, there's more organization on the streets too. Wider roads, massive plantings of shrubs and flowers between lanes, a designated bicycle lane separated by a low fence/islands of shrubs, and what we've seen of the major streets, very clean!

Phew! I think I've caught up for now. I am itching to shop, but Great Wall tomorrow, then shopping day!

Kristen has been doing awesome with all this sighseeing, we just have to take our breaks. Thanks again to Karen for posting the last few for me!

Dancing

Blue Skies in Beijing

2009-05-18T08:45:00.001-07:00

Ahh, so nice to see blue sky. Sunny beautiful 30 degrees, but no humidity here in Beijing today, such a relief as we have lots of sightseeing outside this week. Comment of the day, as we approached Tiananmen Square (we had a good laugh, Theresa, the other adoptive mom allowed me to write her into my blog), "there are so many Chinese people here!" This impressive huge space of 440 000 sq. meters, fenced off, patrolled, and security check at the entrance, was covered in groups of tourists, many with their own "group hat", but "so many Chinese tourists"! I guess she just thought, being a great tourist attraction, there'd be many more non-Asians. China being so large and populated, "going to Beijing" is often a dream vacation. Nonetheless, Jim and Roger did not feel like the only non-Asians, as we saw travelers from all over the world, but mostly still "Asians" majority. In the middle stands the Monument to the People's Heroes, where uniformed children stood at attention. Just as Aidan asked me, "what if they have to go to the bathroom", there was a "shift change". We took our pictures, and thought to Aidan and Magnus, they probably didn't really understand what the big deal was, not knowing how significant that piece of land was in the history of China. Too much to get into at the time, we satisfied them and the pedlars they seemed to attract, with a couple of flags to play with, and hats, while we headed through the crowds to the Forbidden City. Through the impressive Tiananmen Tower, we were basically moved by mass osmosis effect with the crowd pushing forward. Good thing the babies were snug in the carriers.
I did feel for both dads, it was hot especially having a baby attached to them, and a lot of walking. Tsingtao for them when we return to the hotel!! Through 3 gates, we finally entered "the main palace". Partially refurbished for the Olympics, over the last several years, the details of the buildings and roof, were impressive, but I think after awhile, with two babies and 2 young children, we picked up the pace. Still I am in awe at how much history still stands. We departed the ancient City, and treated the boys to McDonald's, before heading back to the hotel for a quick stretch and freshening up, (restock on bottles for Kristen and diapers), and braved the taxi ride out to the Beijing zoo (not on our scheduled tour, but something to do for the kids). Surprisingly compared to my Changsha taxi experience, it was less stressful, maybe we were more relaxed, but he did drive less aggressively compared to my Changsha taxi driver. What a great idea the zoo was! Beautiful, shaded, less crowds (nearing the end of the afternoon), and Aidan and Magnus were able to run around without crowds to dodge. Ahhh, the adorable giant Panda!! Then we missed the Dolphin show, but checked out all the beautiful sculptures around the zoo. I think we took more pictures of Aidan and Magnus climbing the stone elephants, than of real animals. Made it back to the hotel after a slight detour, as our taxi driver took us to the Jianguo hotel, instead of the Jianguo GARDEN hotel. Then bascially showered and all asleep by 9! So no blogging time! But always time to Skype! Glad Nathan and Brendan are having such a great time at the McGoverns!

To be continued...

Blogging Speed Bump

2009-05-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

Bird and rabbits for sale

Teddy up for some bowling!

Who is that?

Can I give her a kiss?

I was on such a roll with the blogging thing! The website is being blocked from here in China for some reason, and I am unable to post directly, so Karen who inspired the blog to begin with, will be my technical support, and post for me. Thanks Karen! The pictures will be limited though, more will come once I'm home.

So we are in Beijing now! The last I left off, I think was a shopping day in Changsha, the embroidery shop, and swimming. Friday was so muggy and humid, we chose to have a free day rather than do any touring. Playroom fun, more swimming, pictures of local cuisine that I will have to post later (braised snake, turtle and snails!) Lots of playtime with Kristen and practising her walking! She's still far from walking on her own, there's no balance at all, but she's trying. She wants so much to! I think she'll have no problem keeping up with her busy brothers, she is just as busy! Our guide Lily was great, she went to pick up all our documents and Kristen's passport for us Friday afternoon, so that saved us line up times. She said it was very busy, didn't get back to the hotel until 7pm, (passport office closed at 5), so we were grateful we didn't have to go.

Aidan was so excited this morning to go to Beijing, partly because there's more sight seeing, but also we were meeting up with our friend Susie and her son Magnus. So great that we could just meet up in Beijing! We are so grateful they made the big trek out to Asia to come support us, it really makes the travel so much more fun! And for Kristen to have an "auntie" to help out, she is just being spoiled with attention! We checked back into the Jianguo Garden hotel, where we still had one piece of luggage stored from last Saturday (has it really been a week?), and settled into our much bigger room.

I do have to say, that while getting through the airport check in and security in Changsha, I was quite surprised at how relaxed we were, like Kristen was always part of our family, and last minute before boarding the plane, I thought, hey this is Kristen's first plane ride!! Of course out came the cameras and video, and I held in my emotions, realizing for Kristen, this is her plane ride away from home. She may have no idea what is happening, but she is saying goodbye to what was 'home' for the past 11 months! To think what would her life have been like, if she stayed? Her journey to us, began when she left the orphanage on Monday, on the 7 hour car ride to Changsha. Now her first airplane ride, leaving Hunan province, on to Beijing, signifies lifting off from her roots there. In Beijing, we are still in her home country, but this is the last gate to pass, and her journey to Canada begins. She will establish new roots in Camborne! One day we will all return to revisit. Even for myself, this whole China experience, has strengthened my own cultural ties. Oh, on the Friday, the other Theresa (we are travelling with) and I went out during the kids naps, to get our hair cut ($10!), and the hairdresser spoke Cantonese! So here I was all proud to be able to converse a little without Lily's help (or my mother's), and carried on a fairly decent conversation. He was really interested in learning where my ancestors were from and what life was like in Canada, and why, if I was born in England, why didn't I stay there. Of course my answers were quite simple, (see Mom, if you were here, I'd be needing you to expand for me), but at least we were able to make small talk while he was cutting my hair.

First airplane ride for Kristen and Kaya!

Anyways, I will have to keep track of the events this week, and may have to suspend this blog for a few days. Thursday is just around the corner!
Have a great long weekend everybody! We are off to Forbidden City and Tiannemen Square tomorrow. Monday Kristen goes for an immigration physical, and apply for her VISA. Home soon!

Teresa.

Soft as Silk

2009-05-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

We are waiting for Kristen's passport to be ready for Friday, so more sightseeing time. It would have been nice to be able to visit Kristen's orphanage, but hers is so rural, it would take a 3 day visit from Changsha. So Thursday morning, we went to see some Chinese Embroidery, a very long established art form in China. Very impressive, each piece taking up to 2 years to do (depending on size)! Seeing it up close, you could really see the texture of the picture, and see how much detail is put into it. When I photographed some of the pieces, there was a 3D element, not sure if posting the pictures will reveal this. Aidan found a beautiful blue traditional silk jacket that he really wanted to purchase, but being a little large in size, and expensive, we chose to wait until we get to Beijing to look for better deals. There was also a tea shop in the back, where we enjoyed a very expensive chinese tea, that apparently "keeps you young"! Is this the ancient Chinese secret to why Chinese people look so young!? I need some of that!

Sculptures along pedestrian street

Did some department store shopping after that, looking for deals, but apparently most of the deals will be in Beijing. After lunch and settling Kristen in for a nap back at the hotel with 'the boys', Lily took me out again to check out the "pedestrian street". First of all, the taxi ride itself was an experience on its own. So far, we've been travelling in a van, the driver is actually a 'relatively' more careful driver. The taxi drivers are another story! Let's just say I could not look down for even a second if I didn't want to feel car sick (and I don't get car sick easily), but he was weaving sideways, in and out, making his own lane between lanes... honking at pedestrians to get out of the way, almost running them over. Lily tells me that "Chinese drivers" can drive anywhere in the world, not because their license is good in other countries, but that they have such good reflexes from driving around here, that they could drive say in New York City! Whereas, us very safety conscious Canadians, child car seats and seatbelts are mandatory, we could never drive here without having a panic attack!

The pedestrian street, is named that because only pedestrians are allowed on it, thank goodness! You really have to be alert walking the streets in a city in China! On the pedestrian street, no worries about being run over. Not even mopeds allowed! (On the sidewalks elsewhere, mopeds are everywhere!). I didn't get into the shopping as much as I was more interested to see this street. It was 35 and muggy, I appreciated Lily's company, she got me around in terms of language, but I was glad to return to the hotel, to Kristen and air conditioning! Oh, did I mention I can't even try to fake my Mandarin here? They speak "Changsha dialect" (actually sounds a little Japanese to me), so I pretty much gave up on trying to practice any Chinese. When approached in their dialect, I start speaking in Cantonese, just in case they might understand Cantonese, but they just stare at me blankly... so I'm back to just saying in English now, "sorry I don't speak Chinese". Even Lily does not use her Mandarin here, she has switched over to the Changsha dialect. I do not think Changsha receives as many tourists as say Beijing. When we were at Yuelu Mountain yesterday, I didn't post this picture, but Jim (our travel companion), and Roger BECAME the tourist attraction. They being "foreigners" or as the translation goes "big nose people" ("high noses"), each with a baby in a carrier, received many curious eyes, and smiles. People would approach, cooing at the babies, and then take a picture of them! So I took a picture of the locals taking a picture of Jim and Roger!

Tomorrow will be our last day here in Changsha, a hang out day, pick up Kristen's passport and then pack to leave for Beijing Sat. morning! We are very excited as we will be joined by very good Cobourg friends Susie and son Magnus in Beijing to do some sight seeing. They had visited Susie's sister in Tokyo this past week, sounds like they've had some adventures too, and we will meet at the airport, assuming no quarantining! Sharing in our excitement, having them along, will make the trip that much more memorable. And to all our good friends and family back home who have been so very helpful and supportive, thanks for sharing in our excitement, we are very grateful!

Fresh Air

2009-05-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

Aidan learning how to walk?

Can you see the Olympic rings?
Mount Yuelu

Okay, I'm back in blogging mode. Wow, I'm not usually on the computer so much! E-mailing and Skyping and blogging... I had to drop facebook for now! Internet has really made us feel so close to home, even though we are so far away. We have been Skype calling the Mighty Knights on the homefront twice a day, (thanks to our wonderful neighbors who helped get the internet fixed for my mom). Being able to see them has made the separation much more manageable. Only one more week Mighty Knights Nathan and Brendan!

So where did we leave off. Wednesday was a breathe of fresh air, in that we had no paperwork to complete, but also we escaped the bustle of the urban centre of Changsha, and travelled about 1/2 hour out, to visit Mount Yuelu. Ironically that day was quite overcast, muggy and over 30 degrees, and with the smog, I could barely see the next high rise from our hotel window. So we were happy to enter a more rural spot, and breathe some fresh air. Hunan University actually lies at the foot of the mountain, and what a charming and inspiring place to study. Previously established as Yuelu Academy in 976, it is the only "ancient Chinese academy" that has evolved into a modern academic institute. Chairman Mao, the Chinese communist leader who was also a poet and philosopher, once studied here.

After our mountain trek, we returned to the hotel for some down time and getting to know Kristen time. We headed to the playroom down the hall and met another couple from the Netherlands, who adopted a little boy with cleft lip. Kristen quite enjoyed the peer interaction of this busy boy, especially once we put her in a walker, she seemed to be in her own element, pushing herself around. Aidan was so great, entertaining both toddlers, with throwing balls around, and just clowning around. He really has been a great help on this trip, and watching how Kristen looks up at him, and starts giggling, just melts my heart. I can't believe we've only been together since Monday afternoon! She seems more relaxed with us, making lots of eye contact, and searching for us when in need. We really started to feel she is 'ours'. Aidan has been good with Kaya too, our travelmate's daughter, who is super shy, but he takes her in our stroller, and does a couple of laps around our floor if her parents are busy. They really are holding up quite well, considering how little Kaya is eating and being first time parents. We have lent them snacks, even a syringe, to see what she will take. She feels even lighter than Kristen, and my heart goes out to all orphans to see how weak and underweight they are. We hope to catch them up soon though.

After some play, since Kristen loved her first bath Tuesday night so much, we thought we'd try her in the pool here. Little nervous at first, she did not cry, and started splashing and kicking in no time. We did the pizza thing for dinner as a break from dumplings, but Aidan was so tired from all the mountain exercise and playing, he fell asleep before the pizza arrived! We of course woke him up enough to chew and eat a couple of slices, before he went back into dreamland. We pretty much did the same thing (why I didn't blog yesterday!)

I will post pictures now, before I continue onto Thursday.

2009-05-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is Dean, we call him the "hello guy". He is so super friendly with an infectious smile. He says hello to us several times a day, Aidan loves him!

Good morning from China!

2009-05-13T17:29:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the wake up call Kate! We totally didn't mind that it was 4am China time, last night everybody slept early, after a busy day, which I will blog later, as we are about to leave to meet our tour guide now. It's actually Thursday morning for us, this computer is posting this as Wednesday. After a nice skype call from the Elliotts, Aidan wants to make a post, now that he knows Camborne School is following our journey. I think that is so great, and we feel so grateful, to be part of such a wonderful supportive community!

Here's Aidan:
Hi! I'm having a great time in China, and I've done all my homework Mrs. Oliver! The hotel we're staying at is super nice, there's a big indoor swimming pool and a smaller one for small kids. There's also a whole ping pong center with 8 tables in separate rooms, and there's a gym and a bowling alley!!! I have to go now,
Aidan

Hanging out with big brother Aidan

2009-05-12T06:59:00.001-07:00

Making it official

2009-05-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

Who is this guy?
Footprinting
Fingerprinting

Finalizing the adoption

2009-05-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, after an emotional day yesterday, meeting Kristen for the first time, we are taking some time today to get to know her routine. Everybody was exhausted last night, still bit jet lagged too. This morning, we had to return to the Adoption Services building where we met Kristen yesterday, to make everything "official". I guess yesterday was a "trial period", and today was to confirm we still want to keep her. Of course! we said. It was a very interesting experience, and I'd have to think about it when I'm more awake, how to put it into words (this is my sleepy time... everybody else is already asleep). Surreal, is often the word used. I do have to say that jet lag, mixed in with excited anticipation, and then language barriers, made the whole event surreal. Our guide Lily was running around, and not being by my side right away, I had to wait for her before I could approach the orphanage staff that brought Kristen. Today especially, there seemed to be a lot of people around, just kind of watching us, carrying around our babies, waiting for our turn for the "official interview". There were a few other couples in the room from Holland, Sweden... who adopted boys. Interestingly only ourselves and the other couple we are travelling with, adopted girls. I guess the trend is becoming more both genders, as opposed to before, predominantly girls being put up for adoption. There were crying babies as they saw their caregivers again, probably confused that yesterday they were handed over to strangers, and today they see them again. Kristen did okay, she had a nap just before. We were fingerprinted, and she was footprinted. We had a family adoption portrait taken, and then the paperwork was notarized. And then we were off to Walmart!! Same SMILEY rollback face everywhere, but everything in Chinese, and products mostly different. Picked up diapers, and a few essentials, and then headed back to the hotel to rest and enjoy Kristen all to ourselves. She was very tired from all the commotion in the last couple of days. Had 3 naps! She is really quite tiny, so all I wanted to do today was feed her and feed her. Aidan was a great big brother, they went to the playroom at the end of this hall (apparently this floor is used a lot for "adoptive families" that come here... Aidan and Kristen shot some hoops, and Aidan got her into giggles doing his goofy stuff. That was so great to see, I really am proud how helpful Aidan has been. Kristen loved her bath, which is good, she'll hopefully like swimming, because we'll be doing lots of that back home in our new pool!

Skype is up and running again back on the homefront, so Kristen got to meet her other 2 brothers over the internet. I just love this technology! Anyways, Nathan and Brendan, so glad you guys are doing well, it was so great to see your beautiful faces! We love you and miss you tons!

2009-05-12T06:15:00.000-07:00

GOTCHA!

2009-05-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome Jiang officially to our family! Our given name to her is Kristen Jade Woodward. For now we are calling her Jiang, because that's what she'll recognize. 3pm had finally arrived, we were at the Civil Affairs office first, and actually bumped into the other couple's baby on the way in, so that was a nice surprise for them, no waiting. Jiang arrived with the director soon after, as we waited in the waiting room, and seemed restless even with her, at first smiling at us, then wiggling around. I don't blame her after a 7 hour car ride in from the orphanage. It took a few times transfering back and forth, between myself, the orphanage director and Roger, but she seemed just hungry and tired, so we asked our questions with Lily as translator, and then went on our way back to the hotel for food and playing. She actually did really well and I'm glad there was crying, because that shows her ability to "attach" with her caregiver. Once in our hotel room, and after some milk formula mixed with rice (as instructed by the orphanage), she settled, and full of smiles. She has DIMPLES!! She is going to be an active one, already I sense the constant activity in her legs moving, or her arms reaching and grabbing things, or her looking around, swinging her head. She does have quite a flat head, but the rest of her development seems alright, although she's not standing or walking yet. This is not unusual for orphans I suppose.

Anyways, I am fading fast, I finally got her to sleep, so I should do the same!

I still have to figure out how to download pics to this labtop, so I can post some pictures...

Sounds of Changsha

2009-05-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

And smells...

What a difference this domestic flight was compared to our international flight. No health surveys or temperature scans, we pretty much just walked off the plane onto the tarmac, bused over to the luggage pick up, and walked out to the parking lot! A lot of commuters on our flight, regular daily or weekly routine for them. And the heat! Felt it right away, the humid type of heat that makes you want to jump into a cold pool. We noticed the abundance of GREEN and vegetation, as we rode the van into the city, with little high rises, just a lot of run down plain concrete buildings and lots and lots of rubble, and construction. It was actually quite deceiving, because little did I know that we were in just the outskirts, and about to enter Changsha, a city of 10 million people! I expected Beijing to be fairly Westernized and large (17 million), but I imagined Changsha to be much smaller. I guessed wrong, because here we were, entering a bustling commercialized city, with many "high" rises, and like Beijing, Hong Kong and other big population dense cities, lots of cars honking and mopeds scooting by. And smells of heat and pollution. And coming from somewhere where smoking is banned pretty much everywhere, here there's smokers everywhere. We were impressed we didn't see any accidents with all the crazy driving happening (is there a point painting lanes?), although there were some very close calls! We arrived at the Dolton Hotel, beautiful, huge impressive front lobby, and settled into our roomier (the Beijing hotel room would not have fit a crib) 30th floor hotel room. We explored the reputable hotel, and to Aidan's excitement, there's a bowling alley and beautiful swimming pool! Lily, our guide took us out to the streets to explore a little, and buy drinks and water (watch those toes, these mopeds seem to want us to share the sidewalks!). She took us to a local restaurant, where we experienced a few "mild" dishes, which to me put my tongue on fire, as well as the other couple's, and Roger who loved it, did agree that it was more than "mild". I was warned about the spicy Hunan foods! It was very tasty though, just before the "hotness" burnt off the taste buds...

After a game of bowling, I was ready to call it a night, to prepare for our big day, but Roger and Aidan fit a swim in too before retiring. I slept a little better - 5 hours before waking, but still not quite adjusted. I guess also I am just too excited, I could feel lying in bed, my heart rate to be just a little faster than usual. This is IT, next sleep we will have a new member of the family to wake up to! I rolled over in bed looking at the empty crib next to me, thinking, am I ready for the whole baby stage again? I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to already be a mother. We've had a break from diapers and sleepless nights, but here we are, stepping back to that wonderful sleep deprived dependent stage. It really goes by fast, and I know the importance of how that nurturing stage has on bonding. What we get from that stage can be indescribable. The little hands, the little feet, the innocence, the babbles. Yes, I am ready. Just over 8 more hours until GOTCHA!

Chasing the sun

2009-05-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yes it's 3am and I've been up since midnight! I was exhausted by the time we settled in after dinner, slept 3 hours, and here I am. I guess this is that internal clock, doesn't matter that I only slept 1-2 hours on the plane, it's been awhile since we've travelled across times zones. Quite amazing that the whole flight it was never dark, from Friday Cobourg day time, to Saturday Beijing day time. We were just chasing the sun!

I've already forgotten all about the bumps we've had this week, and can't stop thinking about Monday (GOTCHA day!!) So far things have gone smoothly. Beijing airport is quite large, but what struck me when we got off the plane, was how empty the airport was, other than our own flight lining up at the "Health Inspection" stall. Was this effects of recession or swine flu? We had a questionaire to fill and have reviewed, then we walked through a temperature scanner. All airport personnel at these check points had masks (not even the N95 ones) and gloves on. We didn't use ours. We found our luggage quickly (good thing because Jim and Theresa, the other couple we are travelling with completely impressed me, they had NO checked in luggage!... and then there's me the over packer). We found Lily, our tour guide, very sweet, and quite fluent in English, and followed her to a very "clean" airport garage (shiny painted concrete) where two drivers met us and took us on an "Amazing race" style drive into Beijing. I guess seat belts are not required here...

Lily told us that during the Olympics months, there were restrictions on cars for traffic and air pollution control. It's too bad in this densely populated city, that they couldn't apply those rules ALL the time. License plates that ended in a certain number could drive on certain days. It would definitely help with this permament grey in the air they call smog.

We are so grateful to the Ley family for lending us their very compact travel computer. And for Mark, introducing us to Skype. It worked! After several unsuccessful attempts initially because Nathan and Brendan were still sleeping, we finally called to wake them up to go down and turn on the computer. Oh my very adorable Mighty Knights, freshly awoken, bed head, rosy cheeks and all. So great to SEE you on screen! After a brief report on everything, we booked them in for another video call at 7 again later today.

Oh I'm just rambling now, it's late, but I do have to mention the BEST shrimp dumplings ever! We survived our first Beijing restaurant experience on our own (tour guide left by now). I do have to say this is a most humbling experience, to be spoken to in Mandarin, because I am obviously Chinese on the outside (a CBC, jook sing, banana - white on the inside as they would call it). This is where I'm just kicking myself for not being more diligent when I was younger in Chinese school(Mandarin and Cantonese are the same written, but spoken different). In Toronto I get by with my limited Cantonese speech and my favorite dishes in Cantonese, but I have no Mandarin at all, and the waitress had extremely limited English. To my relief though, on the menu there were PICTURES! So ordering was easy that way. Roger even learned to say "beer" in Mandarin! Priorities! Aidan has been doing well up to now, but at dinner, I could just see the energy level draining exponentially out of him. Straight to bed he went after dinner!

In several hours now, we check out and head to the airport for our flight into Hunan Province. 30 more hours until GOTCHA!

We have arrived!

2009-05-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

All settled into the Jianguo Garden Hotel. The Air Canada flight was not bad, left right on time, although it did make us a little nervous to watch from the gate waiting area, the maintenance crew changing the front tire prior to our boarding. Full flight, hot meals, and a movie marathon! I had difficulty sleeping, for some reason my seat would not recline. Aidan had a great time, excited to have his own TV screen. Roger was asleep before we left the runway. I guess staying up the night before worked. I couldn't NOT sleep Thursday night, I was so tired from the emotional roller coaster all week. Our travel package, including passports, China VISA, and adoption documents had been redirected for some reason, so by the time we got the package Thursday at 3:15 pm, (yes, for travel Friday am!) then finding a typo on one of the tickets... anyways, after the quarantining worries earlier in the week, I was more than mentally tired... had to sleep Thursday night for sure. So now that we've arrived, BIG relief and ready for what we're here for! We are waiting to try Skype for our first time to check on the homefront how our mighty knights are doing. Should be waking up soon...

So glad internet here is working for us... more to come

In full packing mode

2009-05-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

My final work day yesterday was filled with excitement and joy, as the staff surprised me with a lovely luncheon to celebrate our long awaited journey. Just some loose ends to tie up at the office, and I'll be in full packing mode. Relief this morning, when they released the Canadian students out of their medical quarantine in China, so hopefully our trip will be smooth and without quarantining delays. We are prepared nonetheless, visiting our lawyer yesterday to have a notarized power of attorney, in the event Roger and I have to part ways in China if delayed, with him needing to return for work or other reasons, and then myself completing the adoption paperwork without him. We are trying to think of all scenarios, just to make the trip less stressful. Lots to think about, and I am so grateful to all who have sent me their words of advice and suggestions. We are truly blessed to have such supportive friends and family. Kristen will be here soon to meet everybody. 2 more sleeps!

Swine flu outbreak

2009-05-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

As the media tracks the swine flu outbreak, in the back of my mind, I think, that won't affect us. But I got the call! Friday morning, our adoption agency Children's Bridge calls me, to say the CCAA has recommended we postpone our trip. At this point, it is like postponing labour after it's started! No! I said. We at that point were 1 week away, and there has been so much planning and coordinating of other people's schedule, that it just could not happen. This swine flu will not stop us. We have a daughter, even though she may not know that she's waiting for us, but we have been waiting for her for a long time, and we will overcome this hurdle, and come to you as soon as we can. And that will be in 5 more sleeps!

2009-04-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

2009-04-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

We have been blowing kisses in the wind for almost 2 months, to land on a very special cheek, of our soon to be little daughter who is eating, sleeping and playing on the other side of the world. 9 more sleeps, and we start our journey that has been on our minds for over 9 years. A journey that has been so surreal, a journey we hope to share with our loving family and friends through this blog. Enjoy.