We went to the eye doctor on Monday morning since they could get me in. I did have a stitch loose and that is what was irritating my eye in China and since we came home. It is out now and I it feels better.
I showed the doctor the eye drop that they gave me for the Horse in China and he knew what it is - a broad spectrum antibiotic that you can't get in the US anymore. I didn't ask why. He gave me a prescription for some ointment to use on the Horse's eye twice a day for the time being. He also looked at the Horse and referred me to a pediatric eye practice that he really respects and has multiple offices and doctors who he knows in the metro area.
I called them this afternoon and we are going on Jan 5 for an appointment. I am anxious to see what they think is the actual situation with the Horse's eye and what can be done. The Horse will be sick of Doctors since he goes to the pediatrician Friday afternoon and then to the eye doctor Monday morning. At least the weekend will be in between.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas Day and then Santa Came Friday Night
We all slept till about 9:30 a.m. on Christmas day and then I made everyone get up. The day was spent in pajamas, playing, eating, and watching TV and movies. We all napped in the afternoon and I didn't feel very good the whole day. Most of the laundry got done, but not much else. Daddy's twin brother came by at about 5 right when we were about to eat Easy Mac (mmmm, mmmmm)and stayed for about 1 hour.
Not much else was done that day which was just fine with all of us.
We went to bed late and the kids were both up in the middle of the night -- bummer. Friday we got up a little earlier and the day went pretty good. I decided no naps on Friday in hopes of more sleep Friday night. Dad went to work for about 5 hours on Friday to check on his jobs and all was well and there were even 2 checks waiting for him - bonus.
I cut up some shapes and stars for the kids to decorate with crayons and that is what we decorated the fake Christmas tree with this year. Once I get the memory cards on the computer (Maybe tonight??? or not) I'll post some pictures here.
Santa was coming on Friday night and we were really glad that we had wrapped everything before we left. We had everything in the living room and we were watching the movie Stealth which didn't end till 1:10 or something in the morning, when the Rooster came walking out. She actually didn't see anything and finally went back to bed when we did. Santa had to come early in the morning.
We got up at about 8 Saturday morning and the Horse was really excited when he saw the presents.
One thing that I am not sure that I posted about earlier is the Christmas decorations, advertisements, Christmas Eve and Day dinners in all the hotels in China. I knew that Guangzhou would have Christmas around, but it was huge everywhere!! I think that the Horse may have already known about it.
All the presents were opened in record time and there was very watchful eyes to see if each got as much as the other. The Rooster said "he got more than me" (which wasn't true, but oh well).
My parents, brother D and Dad's daughter S came over later for more presents and dinner which was really nice. Later we watched the movie Bolt that I bought in China and took it easy for the rest of the night.
Sunday Dad put together the infamous Red Kitchen that Santa brought, the kids played and I started to feel much better. In the afternoon we put the Horse's car seat in the car and went to the big playground in Golden. The kids played hard and then it was on to Woody's for pizza. The kids had chicken tenders based on the Horse's disdain for Pizza Hut in China and we all had a nice time.
It is good to be home.
The translator that I bought in China is proving to be invaluable in communicating with the Horse. He is starting to understand some things, but it is really nice to be able to type in exactly what I want to say to him and push the button and have it tell him in Mandarin. Finally on Sunday night everyone slept through the night.
Not much else was done that day which was just fine with all of us.
We went to bed late and the kids were both up in the middle of the night -- bummer. Friday we got up a little earlier and the day went pretty good. I decided no naps on Friday in hopes of more sleep Friday night. Dad went to work for about 5 hours on Friday to check on his jobs and all was well and there were even 2 checks waiting for him - bonus.
I cut up some shapes and stars for the kids to decorate with crayons and that is what we decorated the fake Christmas tree with this year. Once I get the memory cards on the computer (Maybe tonight??? or not) I'll post some pictures here.
Santa was coming on Friday night and we were really glad that we had wrapped everything before we left. We had everything in the living room and we were watching the movie Stealth which didn't end till 1:10 or something in the morning, when the Rooster came walking out. She actually didn't see anything and finally went back to bed when we did. Santa had to come early in the morning.
We got up at about 8 Saturday morning and the Horse was really excited when he saw the presents.
One thing that I am not sure that I posted about earlier is the Christmas decorations, advertisements, Christmas Eve and Day dinners in all the hotels in China. I knew that Guangzhou would have Christmas around, but it was huge everywhere!! I think that the Horse may have already known about it.
All the presents were opened in record time and there was very watchful eyes to see if each got as much as the other. The Rooster said "he got more than me" (which wasn't true, but oh well).
My parents, brother D and Dad's daughter S came over later for more presents and dinner which was really nice. Later we watched the movie Bolt that I bought in China and took it easy for the rest of the night.
Sunday Dad put together the infamous Red Kitchen that Santa brought, the kids played and I started to feel much better. In the afternoon we put the Horse's car seat in the car and went to the big playground in Golden. The kids played hard and then it was on to Woody's for pizza. The kids had chicken tenders based on the Horse's disdain for Pizza Hut in China and we all had a nice time.
It is good to be home.
The translator that I bought in China is proving to be invaluable in communicating with the Horse. He is starting to understand some things, but it is really nice to be able to type in exactly what I want to say to him and push the button and have it tell him in Mandarin. Finally on Sunday night everyone slept through the night.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Oath, Packing, and Travel Home
Tuesday, December 22 in the afternoon we went to the US Consulate on the bus to take the 1 sentence oath and get the paperwork to give to Immigration when we got to LAX. The bus trip to the consulate pretty good with only minor crying over sitting down, etc. Once we left. it was back to the room and mental preparation for packing. I hate packing alot. I decided to go back to 7-11 for dinner food and got noodles and more bread for pbj's. After dinner, the kids watched Chinese cartoons (they are pretty violent at times) and Daddy and I set to get everything out to pack. We had four suitcases and managed to get it all in with a little space left. We all slept pretty good, and in the morning, got up and went to a little later breakfast at the White Swan and then back to finish up and chill out. We had to have out bags out for the bellman by 11:00 a.m. and they arrived right on time. We went down to the 2nd floor shortly thereafter and then it was off on the bus to the airport. There were 2 other families on the bus, but most of our group had left on really early flights that a.m. I am glad that we were not on the 8 a.m. flights since we would have had to be out of the hotel by 5 a.m.
Once we arrived at the Guangzhou airport, the Horse didn't want to walk and was acting not so good in the check-in line. We finally got checked in and they would not check our bags through to LA. Something about that it wasn't the first or second flight of he day where they will check through. This makes no sense at all, but what are you going to do. The flight to Beijing went well and we had pbj AGAIN in the airport prior to boarding the flight. We had a 3.5 hour layover in Beijing and it took the entire time to get bags, get re=checked in and get dinner and to the gate.
While checking in, the guy was taking way too long, so I asked if there was a problem. He said "yes, blacklist" I immediately thought that there was some issue with The Horse's passport, but it turned out to be my Dad. We had to get out of line and wait "for the American Police". It seemed longer than it probably was, but then a lady who worked for the airline showed up and took the passport, gave me the other 5 boarding passes and disappeared again. By the time she came back from God knows where, the issue was resolved. Apparently this has happened to my Dad before.
The flight to LAX was pretty good till the last 2 hours, when the Rooster got sick again. She was pretty miserable and I used a few sick bags. Once it was all out, she seemed to start to feel better. I was relieved when we landed.
We went to go through Immigration and had a really long line. It was pretty miserable with 2 tired kids who wouldn't mind. We finally made it to the front and then had to go in a separate room and wait again! When they finally finished, the lady said that the Horse's Green Card would come in about 6 months. WHAT!!! I said that he was automatically a US citizen and she then got flustered and said that sometimes they send a green card first before the Certificate of Citizenship. I decided that I didn't have it in me to get into the issue at the time. If they did something wrong, I will just have to sort it out later. I know that we had the correct paperwork, so I think that she just didn't say the correct thing. I HOPE!! I need to look at the Rooster's Chinese passport and see if the same stamp is there and contact our agency for advice.
Since out last flight was on South West, after Customs, we couldn't just give back the bags, but had to go to the next terminal and re-check in. Unbelievable. Once we finally got that done, we went to eat again. I wouldn't let the Rooster eat much because I really didn't want her sick again. The flight was delayed by 30 minutes only, and we finally boarded at 8:40 p.m. to come home.
We arrived and got out luggage successfully and the limo was waiting for us.
We arrived at our house at about 12:30 a.m. on Christmas Day and were SOOOOOOO HAPPY to be home. The Horse recognized the Orange Dodge Truck in the driveway from the pictures that I sent him last Spring and got really excited be to be here. After we got the stuff inside, the kids ran around the house and the Horse was really excited. The kids went to bed at about 2 a.m. and we went at about 3 a.m. I had to do 2 loads of laundry (at least one full wash and dry and another wash) It felt great to get out of the travel clothes and get in our bed. It took about 28 hours to get to DIA from Guangzhou -- way too long.
Home Sweet Home.
Once we arrived at the Guangzhou airport, the Horse didn't want to walk and was acting not so good in the check-in line. We finally got checked in and they would not check our bags through to LA. Something about that it wasn't the first or second flight of he day where they will check through. This makes no sense at all, but what are you going to do. The flight to Beijing went well and we had pbj AGAIN in the airport prior to boarding the flight. We had a 3.5 hour layover in Beijing and it took the entire time to get bags, get re=checked in and get dinner and to the gate.
While checking in, the guy was taking way too long, so I asked if there was a problem. He said "yes, blacklist" I immediately thought that there was some issue with The Horse's passport, but it turned out to be my Dad. We had to get out of line and wait "for the American Police". It seemed longer than it probably was, but then a lady who worked for the airline showed up and took the passport, gave me the other 5 boarding passes and disappeared again. By the time she came back from God knows where, the issue was resolved. Apparently this has happened to my Dad before.
The flight to LAX was pretty good till the last 2 hours, when the Rooster got sick again. She was pretty miserable and I used a few sick bags. Once it was all out, she seemed to start to feel better. I was relieved when we landed.
We went to go through Immigration and had a really long line. It was pretty miserable with 2 tired kids who wouldn't mind. We finally made it to the front and then had to go in a separate room and wait again! When they finally finished, the lady said that the Horse's Green Card would come in about 6 months. WHAT!!! I said that he was automatically a US citizen and she then got flustered and said that sometimes they send a green card first before the Certificate of Citizenship. I decided that I didn't have it in me to get into the issue at the time. If they did something wrong, I will just have to sort it out later. I know that we had the correct paperwork, so I think that she just didn't say the correct thing. I HOPE!! I need to look at the Rooster's Chinese passport and see if the same stamp is there and contact our agency for advice.
Since out last flight was on South West, after Customs, we couldn't just give back the bags, but had to go to the next terminal and re-check in. Unbelievable. Once we finally got that done, we went to eat again. I wouldn't let the Rooster eat much because I really didn't want her sick again. The flight was delayed by 30 minutes only, and we finally boarded at 8:40 p.m. to come home.
We arrived and got out luggage successfully and the limo was waiting for us.
We arrived at our house at about 12:30 a.m. on Christmas Day and were SOOOOOOO HAPPY to be home. The Horse recognized the Orange Dodge Truck in the driveway from the pictures that I sent him last Spring and got really excited be to be here. After we got the stuff inside, the kids ran around the house and the Horse was really excited. The kids went to bed at about 2 a.m. and we went at about 3 a.m. I had to do 2 loads of laundry (at least one full wash and dry and another wash) It felt great to get out of the travel clothes and get in our bed. It took about 28 hours to get to DIA from Guangzhou -- way too long.
Home Sweet Home.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Red Couch, Lucy's, and Monday and Tuesday Morning in Guangzhou
On Sunday afternoon we did the Red Couch photos and Daddy was able to get the Horse mostly happy for the photo session. The babies all did pretty good and it was a few minutes before there were tears. They and us will have non-crying red couch photos - very different from the Rooster's red couch group photos!
For dinner on Sunday, we went to Lucy's and ate outside. I had a peanut butter sandwich that had a sum total of 1 tsp of peanut butter on it and some jelly, but it was still good. dinner went well and afterwards we went to Jennifer's Place to pick up the laundry. After that it was back to the room and to bed and a difficult day was ended.
Monday we got up and went to breakfast and then to the room to wait to hear that all was well at the consulate appointment. Jason, our guide, called at about 11:20 and all was well. Then afterwards we all went to order name chops and then to Starbuck's for Mochas. They were good. The Horse wanted a fruit cup and he devoured it. He and the Rooster shared a Mango/Papaya or something and then to the playground. We stayed for awhile until about 1:20 p.m. and then back to the room for naps. I went to the Pearl Market with my Mom and we looked around. We went to the Womens and Essentials Store to buy the translator.
No one spoke english in the store but I finally think they understood and they got the one to work. I paid and then we went to the DVD store. I bought 5 movies for under 100 Yuan. Not a huge selection, but good enough. When I got back to the room at about 5 p.m. the Rooster was really sick and had thrown up and been on the toilet quite a bit. While Jason was trying to see if the translator that I bought was the correct one, she was getting sicker by the minute. We ended up taking her to the clinic and got 2 prescriptions for the diarrhea and stomach pain. One of them smelled so bad (crushed up pill) that she wouldn't drink it mixed with water, then sugar too, then liquilyte, then Kood-aid too, so I gave up. She finally drank all of the other one with the concoction. We ordered room service which I am sure will cost us dearly, but was the only real choice at the time.
tuesday morning, the Rooster was feeling better and did sleep through the night and the Horse's Benadryl test went well, so we will use that for the long plane ride. Daddy and the Horse got entranced with the Transformers movie, so the Rooster and I went to breakfast with Grandma and Grandaddy where she eate 3 pieces of toast with homey and a few bits of banana. Later, since neither Jason nor I could get the translator to say anything in Chinese, we went back to the store to make sure that it would and to have them show him and explain how it works. It took awhile, but it does work (Sentence Translator is the part - just in case I forget) and it is neat. I found some spiral notebooks with blank paper for drawing and coloring on the trip home and we came back to the hotel. I went to pick up the name chops and did some more shopping and then back to the room where I found all 3 of them watching TV and relaxing. I went back to 7-11 for bread, peanut butter and then we had sandwiches for lunch. We may just do that for dinner again - cheap and easy and good!!
this afternoon, we go for the oath and tomorrow home - YAYYY!
For dinner on Sunday, we went to Lucy's and ate outside. I had a peanut butter sandwich that had a sum total of 1 tsp of peanut butter on it and some jelly, but it was still good. dinner went well and afterwards we went to Jennifer's Place to pick up the laundry. After that it was back to the room and to bed and a difficult day was ended.
Monday we got up and went to breakfast and then to the room to wait to hear that all was well at the consulate appointment. Jason, our guide, called at about 11:20 and all was well. Then afterwards we all went to order name chops and then to Starbuck's for Mochas. They were good. The Horse wanted a fruit cup and he devoured it. He and the Rooster shared a Mango/Papaya or something and then to the playground. We stayed for awhile until about 1:20 p.m. and then back to the room for naps. I went to the Pearl Market with my Mom and we looked around. We went to the Womens and Essentials Store to buy the translator.
No one spoke english in the store but I finally think they understood and they got the one to work. I paid and then we went to the DVD store. I bought 5 movies for under 100 Yuan. Not a huge selection, but good enough. When I got back to the room at about 5 p.m. the Rooster was really sick and had thrown up and been on the toilet quite a bit. While Jason was trying to see if the translator that I bought was the correct one, she was getting sicker by the minute. We ended up taking her to the clinic and got 2 prescriptions for the diarrhea and stomach pain. One of them smelled so bad (crushed up pill) that she wouldn't drink it mixed with water, then sugar too, then liquilyte, then Kood-aid too, so I gave up. She finally drank all of the other one with the concoction. We ordered room service which I am sure will cost us dearly, but was the only real choice at the time.
tuesday morning, the Rooster was feeling better and did sleep through the night and the Horse's Benadryl test went well, so we will use that for the long plane ride. Daddy and the Horse got entranced with the Transformers movie, so the Rooster and I went to breakfast with Grandma and Grandaddy where she eate 3 pieces of toast with homey and a few bits of banana. Later, since neither Jason nor I could get the translator to say anything in Chinese, we went back to the store to make sure that it would and to have them show him and explain how it works. It took awhile, but it does work (Sentence Translator is the part - just in case I forget) and it is neat. I found some spiral notebooks with blank paper for drawing and coloring on the trip home and we came back to the hotel. I went to pick up the name chops and did some more shopping and then back to the room where I found all 3 of them watching TV and relaxing. I went back to 7-11 for bread, peanut butter and then we had sandwiches for lunch. We may just do that for dinner again - cheap and easy and good!!
this afternoon, we go for the oath and tomorrow home - YAYYY!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Travel to Guangzhou and the First Couple Days
We left Nanchang on Friday afternoon after spending the morning playing, bathing, napping, and packing. The Rooster said that her stomach hurt and didn't eat any lunch and on the way to the airport, she was sick in the bus. By the time we got to the airport and checking in and to the gate, she was seeming to be getting better. We drove around the New Town, as James calls it, and it is really new - the buildings are new apartment buildings, new roads, etc. Compared to the Old Town where we were, there was hardly no traffic at all. It seemed like a totally different town.
The Horse's first airplane ride (Feiji in Chinese) was pretty good with the exception of the seat belt. He did not want it on and had a total fit including kicking the lady's seat in front of him really hard. Daddy had to hold his legs so that he would quit it. We asked the flight attendant to explain to him that he had to wear the seat belt and she did, but he really didn't care. The flight to Beijing on the 24th is longer and I will have to have several activities to do both on the plane and for the layover in Beijing that is about 4 hours - I wish we were flying straight to LA from here . . . .
We were met by Jason and it was nice to see him again. He was our CCAI guide in 2006 and we saw him in 2007 at the picnic. We went to the hotel via mini-van and checked in just fine. By the time the roll-away beds arrived and I found the pajamas, it was time for bed.
Saturday morning (20th of December) we took the Horse for his Visa photo and the physical examination. We met up with the other families who came Chongqing and from Nanning and it was nice to see them all again. One other 5 year old and the rest small girls (babies). The photo session and physical went well. The Horse did really good on the eye exam which was a relief. We had lunch and then naps. During nap time, I went with some others to the market to see the sights (dried snakes, frogs, live scorpions, chickens and ducks, etc). Most of the market is Chinese herbs and other items for medicinal purposes. Then there was the pet section; dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc. I am glad the Rooster was not with me because it was stinky.
We all went to the Cow and Bridge for dinner (Thai restaurant) and it was good. The Horse picked what he wanted by the picture in the menu (sauteed lettuce, but it was Bok choy, I think) and he ate about 1/2 plate full. He loves greens, but not meat so much. He shared my Pad Thai and had a great time at the restaurant. The Rooster didn't eat more than 1 bite as I think that she is still a little weary of food even though she hasn't been sick since the bus ride to the airport in Nanchang.
After dinner we came back to the room and watched a little TV and Grandaddy and Grandma played and visited too. I think they are having a good time and they both got massages during the afternoon yesterday.
Sunday morning, we opted to not go on the optional city tour (Granddaddy and Grandma did go) and decided to have a later breakfast and walk a little and go swimming. The pool water was really cold but it was nice outside. There was a couple of people swimming laps in the lap pool, but no one else in the other pool where we were where it is a wader pool. Everyone had fun and after swimming we came back to the room and the Rooster and Dad fell asleep and me and the Horse ate leftover Pad Thai and garlic pork ribs (me only) and watched Chinese cartoons.
Since the Horse hadn't napped and the Rooster hadn't eaten, we decided that Daddy would take her for lunch and I would stay with him. They left and the Horse got really upset. He just didn't understand and got really mad at me. He cried for a long time and then finally fell asleep in my arms (from exhaustion) after he would let me hold him. I think he was really tired in the first place and he felt like mei mei got to do something and he didn't. I wish I was totally fluent in Mandarin so that I could really communicate with him. Everyone said that he will pick up English quickly, and I think he will, but for now, it is really hard on him. We will try to keep the separate activities to a minimum for the next few days while we are still in China. He is sleeping now while I type and we have the Red Couch photo at 4:00 so I will have to wake him for that and hope that he is OK.
Tonight we will probably go to dinner somewhere like Lucy's? ot the Italian restaurant and then just hang out. Tomorrow is our consulate appointment so we will have to stay in the room between 10 and 11 just in case, and then in the afternoon, I am going to try to go shopping with Grandma and Granddaddy while the others nap.
The Horse's first airplane ride (Feiji in Chinese) was pretty good with the exception of the seat belt. He did not want it on and had a total fit including kicking the lady's seat in front of him really hard. Daddy had to hold his legs so that he would quit it. We asked the flight attendant to explain to him that he had to wear the seat belt and she did, but he really didn't care. The flight to Beijing on the 24th is longer and I will have to have several activities to do both on the plane and for the layover in Beijing that is about 4 hours - I wish we were flying straight to LA from here . . . .
We were met by Jason and it was nice to see him again. He was our CCAI guide in 2006 and we saw him in 2007 at the picnic. We went to the hotel via mini-van and checked in just fine. By the time the roll-away beds arrived and I found the pajamas, it was time for bed.
Saturday morning (20th of December) we took the Horse for his Visa photo and the physical examination. We met up with the other families who came Chongqing and from Nanning and it was nice to see them all again. One other 5 year old and the rest small girls (babies). The photo session and physical went well. The Horse did really good on the eye exam which was a relief. We had lunch and then naps. During nap time, I went with some others to the market to see the sights (dried snakes, frogs, live scorpions, chickens and ducks, etc). Most of the market is Chinese herbs and other items for medicinal purposes. Then there was the pet section; dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc. I am glad the Rooster was not with me because it was stinky.
We all went to the Cow and Bridge for dinner (Thai restaurant) and it was good. The Horse picked what he wanted by the picture in the menu (sauteed lettuce, but it was Bok choy, I think) and he ate about 1/2 plate full. He loves greens, but not meat so much. He shared my Pad Thai and had a great time at the restaurant. The Rooster didn't eat more than 1 bite as I think that she is still a little weary of food even though she hasn't been sick since the bus ride to the airport in Nanchang.
After dinner we came back to the room and watched a little TV and Grandaddy and Grandma played and visited too. I think they are having a good time and they both got massages during the afternoon yesterday.
Sunday morning, we opted to not go on the optional city tour (Granddaddy and Grandma did go) and decided to have a later breakfast and walk a little and go swimming. The pool water was really cold but it was nice outside. There was a couple of people swimming laps in the lap pool, but no one else in the other pool where we were where it is a wader pool. Everyone had fun and after swimming we came back to the room and the Rooster and Dad fell asleep and me and the Horse ate leftover Pad Thai and garlic pork ribs (me only) and watched Chinese cartoons.
Since the Horse hadn't napped and the Rooster hadn't eaten, we decided that Daddy would take her for lunch and I would stay with him. They left and the Horse got really upset. He just didn't understand and got really mad at me. He cried for a long time and then finally fell asleep in my arms (from exhaustion) after he would let me hold him. I think he was really tired in the first place and he felt like mei mei got to do something and he didn't. I wish I was totally fluent in Mandarin so that I could really communicate with him. Everyone said that he will pick up English quickly, and I think he will, but for now, it is really hard on him. We will try to keep the separate activities to a minimum for the next few days while we are still in China. He is sleeping now while I type and we have the Red Couch photo at 4:00 so I will have to wake him for that and hope that he is OK.
Tonight we will probably go to dinner somewhere like Lucy's? ot the Italian restaurant and then just hang out. Tomorrow is our consulate appointment so we will have to stay in the room between 10 and 11 just in case, and then in the afternoon, I am going to try to go shopping with Grandma and Granddaddy while the others nap.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
20 Yuan Please
"I sorry ma'am, but break glass, 20 yuan please" -- this is what I heard at breakfast Wednesday morning. You see, Tuesday morning, the Horse, being very proud of himself after cutting his fried egg successfully with a fork and knife, had swung his arms out and knocked over the orange juice glass onto the floor where it shattered. Nothing was said on that date. Then Wednesday morning when it happened again, even though the circumstances were different and it was truly an accident, 20 yuan please.
Both yesterday (Wednesday) and today (Thursday) we went to the People's Park where there is a playground and rides. Both of the kids went on the Zip Line and both had a blast. Later, when we are home, I will upload the pictures of the two of them on this. I can't believe that the Rooster, who is a chicken by heart, actually did this. The Horse on the other hand is somewhat fearless.
Now, I thought I better do some recording of our activities and time here in Nanchang before I forget the experience and what we have done.
First, Nanchang is NOT a tourist town. It is roughly the same size as Denver, and is a true Chinese provincial capital. Our hotel has only HBO and Cinemax for English TV; so no news or other shows; only movies. Lots and lots of Chinese channels and there are a couple of shows that the Horse really likes to watch. I think I said it before but this is a very different experience here in Nanchang.
The hotel is really nice though and the breakfast buffet is good and has lots of Chinese food that is good (and American too, but not as much ).
Monday morning, we went to the Registration office to do the paperwork and have our interview for the adoption to be finalized here in Jiangxi, then to the Notary office, and then on to the Police station to get the Horse's picture taken (for what I am not exactly sure since we had the family photo and his individual photo taken at the Adoption Registration office earlier that day). We finished early so called my Mom and Dad who kept the Rooster at the hotel that morning and went to pick them up to go to Walmart. It is a nice Walmart and very busy. There we went on the first escalator that you can take a cart on that I have ever been on. We got snacks, water, drinks, jeans for the Horse (he is smaller that the measurements would indicate for sized), a suitcase, and KFC take out for lunch.
when we came out of Walmart and got on our Mini-Bus, the driver was immediately getting a ticket from the Traffic Police. James and Daddy went to help and we ended up paying the 50 Yuan to keep the peace, but no points for the driver so he was happy.
That afternoon was nap time for all ( including me who can never take a nap but who can easily here).
Tuesday we went to the Zoo and had a nice time. There have been very few large meltdowns, but right before the zoo, there was one. Daddy had to carry the Horse for a long time and he wouldn't talk, even to James, for quite awhile. When we got back, we went to the Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel and had a really good lunch. The shrimp dish had fried corn with sprinkles on it, so the Rooster was in seventh heaven. The Horse will eat most foods and will gladly tell you when he doesn't want something. the chopsticks in the restaurant were causing quite a problem and when we left, both kids had some in their hot little hands, and I didn't know. The staff chased us outside to get them back and I was really embarrassed, but OH WELL, that's how it goes. After lunch was naps, and then we all went to the pool. Many thanks to Lynn for giving me Ethan's hand me down's because the scooby doo bathing suit fit the Horse and he had his first swim here in Nanchang at the Jin Feng Hotel. Both the Rooster and the Horse had a great time and we stayed int he water for about 1 hour. Dinner Tuesday night was in the room and consisted of the instant ramen noodles from Walmart. Everyone was happy.
Wednesday was the People's Park as mentioned above. First we walked all around and it is a really beautiful park. We saw "the elderly" per James doing dancing for the exercise, Tai Chi, Chinese Opera being practiced, lots of people just walking and doing fitness activities. It was a really nice place.
We saw the people from the plane walking with their smaller children just when we got off the Plane )Feiji in Chinese) ride which wasn't too bad. They looked a little haggard and mostly have younger children. I remember being soooo tired and sore the last adoption trip -- thank goodness I am not this one. There are definitely different challenges. Having a child who you can't understand (the Mandarin that I learned is just not enough and I'm not sure what would have been) who is very frustrated is in some ways more trying and hard than a baby/toddler crying alot and sleeping not so much. Also, he is larger and a you can't just put him is the baby carrier to control movement! Like I said he is very stubborn and really wants to get his way. We learned Sunday night that he has actually been in foster care for awhile so that he could go to school. I don't know if they spoiled him or not, but he is definitely testing every part of us on everything. James thinks that he will be fine once he knows the rules, and I do too, but you can tell just from the devilish look on his face, that he does know that he shouldn't be doing certain things, cut is seeing how far he can go. He went a little too far with Daddy earlier today, but we are all OK now.
Wednesday afternoon, I went to the supermarket for more noodles/snacks and then my parents and I walked up a pedestrian street and looked in a couple shops and then went to the Buddhist temple that is now not operating but open to the public. It was really beautiful inside. The kids and Daddy took naps.
Today, Thursday, we went back since the Park was really nice and the kids need to burn some energy - we CANNOT stay in the hotel room all day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For lunch we went back to the Chinese restaurant and all was fine till the Rooster had to go potty. Most of you don't know this, but the Rooster is very particular about where she goes to the potty in America -- no toilets that flush by themselves, no stinky bathrooms, etc -- so when we went to the bathroom in the restaurant and there were only 2 squatty potty's, she went into hysterics and refused to go. By the time we got back to the table, the Horse was crying with his head on the table because apparently he was upset that the Rooster and I had gone to the bathroom without him. So here we are in a nice restaurant with 2 crying chinese kids; we took them both back to the hotel where there was a meltdown on both of their parts, got them back to sanity, peed and washed hands, shoes back on, and back to the restaurant where we had a nice lunch at last! Oh, and when we got there I made the waitress/hostess take all chopsticks away right away to avoid another theft incident!
James is getting our documents from the Notary office this afternoon and I am typing while everyone else takes that afternoon nap. The Horse wiggled for about 30 minutes while I was typing, but all are asleep now. James is bringing us Pizza Hut for dinner tonight so we will eat in the room for dinner again tonight. That works better. I can only take 2 restaurant experiences a day with these 2 kids! Tomorrow, James will go get the Horses Chinese Passport and we will pack up and leave at about 2 or 2:30 for the airport and James will drive us araound on the way to see more of the City. I am looking forward to getting to Guangzhou; it is nice being in the Provice where my son is from, but I am ready to move on. Our flight is at 5 tomorrow and we arrive at about 6:30 I believe and should be met by Jason. I am so looking forward to seeing him again. I hope that the other families week's have been nice and I am looking forward to meeting Hillary's baby who turns 11 months this week. She is in Chongqing and it will be interesting to see what she thought of the city.
More thoughts next time I post.
Both yesterday (Wednesday) and today (Thursday) we went to the People's Park where there is a playground and rides. Both of the kids went on the Zip Line and both had a blast. Later, when we are home, I will upload the pictures of the two of them on this. I can't believe that the Rooster, who is a chicken by heart, actually did this. The Horse on the other hand is somewhat fearless.
Now, I thought I better do some recording of our activities and time here in Nanchang before I forget the experience and what we have done.
First, Nanchang is NOT a tourist town. It is roughly the same size as Denver, and is a true Chinese provincial capital. Our hotel has only HBO and Cinemax for English TV; so no news or other shows; only movies. Lots and lots of Chinese channels and there are a couple of shows that the Horse really likes to watch. I think I said it before but this is a very different experience here in Nanchang.
The hotel is really nice though and the breakfast buffet is good and has lots of Chinese food that is good (and American too, but not as much ).
Monday morning, we went to the Registration office to do the paperwork and have our interview for the adoption to be finalized here in Jiangxi, then to the Notary office, and then on to the Police station to get the Horse's picture taken (for what I am not exactly sure since we had the family photo and his individual photo taken at the Adoption Registration office earlier that day). We finished early so called my Mom and Dad who kept the Rooster at the hotel that morning and went to pick them up to go to Walmart. It is a nice Walmart and very busy. There we went on the first escalator that you can take a cart on that I have ever been on. We got snacks, water, drinks, jeans for the Horse (he is smaller that the measurements would indicate for sized), a suitcase, and KFC take out for lunch.
when we came out of Walmart and got on our Mini-Bus, the driver was immediately getting a ticket from the Traffic Police. James and Daddy went to help and we ended up paying the 50 Yuan to keep the peace, but no points for the driver so he was happy.
That afternoon was nap time for all ( including me who can never take a nap but who can easily here).
Tuesday we went to the Zoo and had a nice time. There have been very few large meltdowns, but right before the zoo, there was one. Daddy had to carry the Horse for a long time and he wouldn't talk, even to James, for quite awhile. When we got back, we went to the Chinese restaurant across the street from the hotel and had a really good lunch. The shrimp dish had fried corn with sprinkles on it, so the Rooster was in seventh heaven. The Horse will eat most foods and will gladly tell you when he doesn't want something. the chopsticks in the restaurant were causing quite a problem and when we left, both kids had some in their hot little hands, and I didn't know. The staff chased us outside to get them back and I was really embarrassed, but OH WELL, that's how it goes. After lunch was naps, and then we all went to the pool. Many thanks to Lynn for giving me Ethan's hand me down's because the scooby doo bathing suit fit the Horse and he had his first swim here in Nanchang at the Jin Feng Hotel. Both the Rooster and the Horse had a great time and we stayed int he water for about 1 hour. Dinner Tuesday night was in the room and consisted of the instant ramen noodles from Walmart. Everyone was happy.
Wednesday was the People's Park as mentioned above. First we walked all around and it is a really beautiful park. We saw "the elderly" per James doing dancing for the exercise, Tai Chi, Chinese Opera being practiced, lots of people just walking and doing fitness activities. It was a really nice place.
We saw the people from the plane walking with their smaller children just when we got off the Plane )Feiji in Chinese) ride which wasn't too bad. They looked a little haggard and mostly have younger children. I remember being soooo tired and sore the last adoption trip -- thank goodness I am not this one. There are definitely different challenges. Having a child who you can't understand (the Mandarin that I learned is just not enough and I'm not sure what would have been) who is very frustrated is in some ways more trying and hard than a baby/toddler crying alot and sleeping not so much. Also, he is larger and a you can't just put him is the baby carrier to control movement! Like I said he is very stubborn and really wants to get his way. We learned Sunday night that he has actually been in foster care for awhile so that he could go to school. I don't know if they spoiled him or not, but he is definitely testing every part of us on everything. James thinks that he will be fine once he knows the rules, and I do too, but you can tell just from the devilish look on his face, that he does know that he shouldn't be doing certain things, cut is seeing how far he can go. He went a little too far with Daddy earlier today, but we are all OK now.
Wednesday afternoon, I went to the supermarket for more noodles/snacks and then my parents and I walked up a pedestrian street and looked in a couple shops and then went to the Buddhist temple that is now not operating but open to the public. It was really beautiful inside. The kids and Daddy took naps.
Today, Thursday, we went back since the Park was really nice and the kids need to burn some energy - we CANNOT stay in the hotel room all day!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For lunch we went back to the Chinese restaurant and all was fine till the Rooster had to go potty. Most of you don't know this, but the Rooster is very particular about where she goes to the potty in America -- no toilets that flush by themselves, no stinky bathrooms, etc -- so when we went to the bathroom in the restaurant and there were only 2 squatty potty's, she went into hysterics and refused to go. By the time we got back to the table, the Horse was crying with his head on the table because apparently he was upset that the Rooster and I had gone to the bathroom without him. So here we are in a nice restaurant with 2 crying chinese kids; we took them both back to the hotel where there was a meltdown on both of their parts, got them back to sanity, peed and washed hands, shoes back on, and back to the restaurant where we had a nice lunch at last! Oh, and when we got there I made the waitress/hostess take all chopsticks away right away to avoid another theft incident!
James is getting our documents from the Notary office this afternoon and I am typing while everyone else takes that afternoon nap. The Horse wiggled for about 30 minutes while I was typing, but all are asleep now. James is bringing us Pizza Hut for dinner tonight so we will eat in the room for dinner again tonight. That works better. I can only take 2 restaurant experiences a day with these 2 kids! Tomorrow, James will go get the Horses Chinese Passport and we will pack up and leave at about 2 or 2:30 for the airport and James will drive us araound on the way to see more of the City. I am looking forward to getting to Guangzhou; it is nice being in the Provice where my son is from, but I am ready to move on. Our flight is at 5 tomorrow and we arrive at about 6:30 I believe and should be met by Jason. I am so looking forward to seeing him again. I hope that the other families week's have been nice and I am looking forward to meeting Hillary's baby who turns 11 months this week. She is in Chongqing and it will be interesting to see what she thought of the city.
More thoughts next time I post.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Horse and Jiangxi
Well, we met the Horse for the first time at about 4:40 p.m. on Sunday, December 14, 2008. Mrs. Wu, the assistant Director of the orphanage brought him to Nanchang on the train and to our hotel. James, our wonderful guide, called us when they got to his room, and they came right over to our suite. He was so excited which really made me happy. He had all his stuff with him and was a little hyper but smiling from ear to ear. Mrs. Wu was really nice and told us all about him. We videotaped the time and this meeting was very nice with hardly no tears. He weeped a little when Mrs Wu was going to leave, which was normal. She brought us a gift and that was really nice as well.
The rest of the evening was nice and pretty calm. He really liked the pajamas that we brought him and went to be really good and slept through the night. I didn't -- I was still worried and kept hearing things and was worried that he would be scared or try to leave the room. He didn't and last night - our second - I slept way better.
The Rooster and the Horse are getting along really well. They play together constantly and seem to really be hitting it off. I am so glad that we brought her as I believe that it has made the transition alot easier for him. He calls her Mei Mei most of the time and she seems to really like it.
One funny thing is that the Rooster keeps trying to imitate his Chinese! He is mimicking us saying things in English some and is already starting to understand some things -- like the word NO. He has had a few "meltdowns" that are very much like Carlie's used to be - crying when he doesn't get his way or what he wants, and then
"The Statue"
I find it hard to believe that I now have 2 children that turn into statues when mad!! I need to research to see if this is normal child behaviour or if it is more common among orphanage kids.
Mostly all is going really well - better than I expected.
We went swimming this afternoon after nap and I don't think that he had ever been in the pool. He had a good time and so did the Rooster. Afterwards, the two of them were in the warm shower in our room for a really long time - and I got told to "go away" by both of them as I was clearly interfering with their fun.
Walmart was visited yesterday and is a crazy place here. We got another suitcase and a couple of pairs of jeans for the HOrse as the clothes that I brought are mostly a little too big. Today James took me and my Mom to the stores where the locals shop for clothes and we bought a couple of pants. The shirts fit him OK and so do the socks and underwear.
Tomorrow we go to the playground/park and today we went to the Zoo which was fun. More swimming will be in order tomorrow and the next day as well. Nanchang is very different from Chongqing - more local and not as many people speak English and if they do it is broken and difficult for them. Crazy streets and I don't want to walk anywhere for fear of getting killed by a scooter or bus or something.
The rest of the evening was nice and pretty calm. He really liked the pajamas that we brought him and went to be really good and slept through the night. I didn't -- I was still worried and kept hearing things and was worried that he would be scared or try to leave the room. He didn't and last night - our second - I slept way better.
The Rooster and the Horse are getting along really well. They play together constantly and seem to really be hitting it off. I am so glad that we brought her as I believe that it has made the transition alot easier for him. He calls her Mei Mei most of the time and she seems to really like it.
One funny thing is that the Rooster keeps trying to imitate his Chinese! He is mimicking us saying things in English some and is already starting to understand some things -- like the word NO. He has had a few "meltdowns" that are very much like Carlie's used to be - crying when he doesn't get his way or what he wants, and then
"The Statue"
I find it hard to believe that I now have 2 children that turn into statues when mad!! I need to research to see if this is normal child behaviour or if it is more common among orphanage kids.
Mostly all is going really well - better than I expected.
We went swimming this afternoon after nap and I don't think that he had ever been in the pool. He had a good time and so did the Rooster. Afterwards, the two of them were in the warm shower in our room for a really long time - and I got told to "go away" by both of them as I was clearly interfering with their fun.
Walmart was visited yesterday and is a crazy place here. We got another suitcase and a couple of pairs of jeans for the HOrse as the clothes that I brought are mostly a little too big. Today James took me and my Mom to the stores where the locals shop for clothes and we bought a couple of pants. The shirts fit him OK and so do the socks and underwear.
Tomorrow we go to the playground/park and today we went to the Zoo which was fun. More swimming will be in order tomorrow and the next day as well. Nanchang is very different from Chongqing - more local and not as many people speak English and if they do it is broken and difficult for them. Crazy streets and I don't want to walk anywhere for fear of getting killed by a scooter or bus or something.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Beijing - Saturday Early Morning
Saturday Morning --
We arrived in Beijing after a short (one plus hour delay in the Denver airport on the plane due to some technical computer problem on the plane) and a hectic transfer at LAX between the United terminal and the International Terminal safely. The flight was not bad and the Rooster did a great job on all of the flights. I slept about 4 hours which was enough to get us through to Beijing. Turns out there were other families on our flight and there were a total of about 17 people at the Beijing airport to the Hotel including us.
Thursday, the 11th of December, we just rested at the hotel and went to the supermarket and a flea market and looked around the area of the hotel in Beijing for awhile. It was a pretty long day and we were all really tired. We went to bed at about 8 Thursday night and slept till 3:45 a.m. when the Rooster woke up.
Friday we went to the Forbidden City and Tianemem Square in the morning and it was really spectacular. I had no idea of the actual size fo the place - It is immense and so beautiful. It was really cold and boy, was I glad that we packed the long underwear for all!!! Layers and more layers were the outfits of the day and we were OK. Our cheeks were frozen numb!
Later we went to a nice Chinese lunch and the food was really good. The Rooster wont use the squatty potty which does not surprise me. She is also having some sensory issues with smell here in China and the "P.U." chant has been hears quite a bit.
After lunch we went to a Silk shop that had alot more than silk. It ws really nice stuff but a little expensive. We didn't buy anything yesterday. After the silk shop (by which time we were all really tired) we went to the Hutong and got a Pedicab ride (Rickshaw on a bike) and went through Hutong neighborhood and visited a home. It was quite interesting and I am glad that we had the opportunity to do this.
After we got home, the Rooster just wanted to get in her nightgown so Daddy went and got Mc Donalds for us all for dinner. She was out by 7 p.m. and Daddy followed shortly thereafter. I watched a movie for awhile but was asleep probably by Nine or so. We woke up at about 4:15 a.m. today and will have another long but fun day today.
Today we go to the Great Wall which I am really excited for and we also are going to the Jade Factory, the Olympic Village and an Acrobatics Show. It will be a really long day and I am sure that we will go to bed early again tonight.
Tomorrow morning we go to Nanchang to get the Horse and I am really getting excited and emotional about it. There are alot of other really nice people here but they are going to other provinces. We'll meet up in Guangzhou next week.
We arrived in Beijing after a short (one plus hour delay in the Denver airport on the plane due to some technical computer problem on the plane) and a hectic transfer at LAX between the United terminal and the International Terminal safely. The flight was not bad and the Rooster did a great job on all of the flights. I slept about 4 hours which was enough to get us through to Beijing. Turns out there were other families on our flight and there were a total of about 17 people at the Beijing airport to the Hotel including us.
Thursday, the 11th of December, we just rested at the hotel and went to the supermarket and a flea market and looked around the area of the hotel in Beijing for awhile. It was a pretty long day and we were all really tired. We went to bed at about 8 Thursday night and slept till 3:45 a.m. when the Rooster woke up.
Friday we went to the Forbidden City and Tianemem Square in the morning and it was really spectacular. I had no idea of the actual size fo the place - It is immense and so beautiful. It was really cold and boy, was I glad that we packed the long underwear for all!!! Layers and more layers were the outfits of the day and we were OK. Our cheeks were frozen numb!
Later we went to a nice Chinese lunch and the food was really good. The Rooster wont use the squatty potty which does not surprise me. She is also having some sensory issues with smell here in China and the "P.U." chant has been hears quite a bit.
After lunch we went to a Silk shop that had alot more than silk. It ws really nice stuff but a little expensive. We didn't buy anything yesterday. After the silk shop (by which time we were all really tired) we went to the Hutong and got a Pedicab ride (Rickshaw on a bike) and went through Hutong neighborhood and visited a home. It was quite interesting and I am glad that we had the opportunity to do this.
After we got home, the Rooster just wanted to get in her nightgown so Daddy went and got Mc Donalds for us all for dinner. She was out by 7 p.m. and Daddy followed shortly thereafter. I watched a movie for awhile but was asleep probably by Nine or so. We woke up at about 4:15 a.m. today and will have another long but fun day today.
Today we go to the Great Wall which I am really excited for and we also are going to the Jade Factory, the Olympic Village and an Acrobatics Show. It will be a really long day and I am sure that we will go to bed early again tonight.
Tomorrow morning we go to Nanchang to get the Horse and I am really getting excited and emotional about it. There are alot of other really nice people here but they are going to other provinces. We'll meet up in Guangzhou next week.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Saturday Before We Leave
We leave for China in almost 3 days exactly. I have been starting to pack today and am starting to feel more at ease (less panicky). The medications, DVD and movies/headphones/coloring and other entertainment for kids, camera, all things power related, gift related, and shower/get ready related are finished and what clothing to take is sorted out in my head. Only one more shopping trip to make tomorrow to get pullups for the Rooster (doing really good at night, but not quite good enough) and some food for the freezer when we return.
I put up pictures of the Rooster, in her princess outfit that she got for No Cavities at the Dentist a couple of weeks ago, and the Horse in his Birthday Crown last May. We'll be able to post pictures of them together soon which just brings tears to my eyes.
I feel like we have been waiting to go get the Horse for an eternity. As a matter of fact, the waiting this time has been much harder and I am sure it is because I had a face the whole time to picture in the orphanage and wonder what he was doing and whether he thought that we were not really going to adopt him.
I hope that is not what he thought.
He has had a hard life so far, but I hope he has had his own happiness in his own reality up to now.
We meet him for the first time on the afternoon of December 14th.
I may not post again before we leave since there is alot to do still. Those Christmas Cards aren't' going to get addressed and mailed by themselves and I am going to mail them before we leave!
The weather in Beijing is supposed to be 47 on Thursday and Friday and then 37 on Saturday. We go to Jiangxi on Sunday morning and stay through the 19th. The weather is supposed to be in the mid to upper 50's and low 60's. Then on the 19th we are off to Guangzhou where the weather is supposed to be in the upper 60's.
If I don't post again, Merry Christmas to all.
I put up pictures of the Rooster, in her princess outfit that she got for No Cavities at the Dentist a couple of weeks ago, and the Horse in his Birthday Crown last May. We'll be able to post pictures of them together soon which just brings tears to my eyes.
I feel like we have been waiting to go get the Horse for an eternity. As a matter of fact, the waiting this time has been much harder and I am sure it is because I had a face the whole time to picture in the orphanage and wonder what he was doing and whether he thought that we were not really going to adopt him.
I hope that is not what he thought.
He has had a hard life so far, but I hope he has had his own happiness in his own reality up to now.
We meet him for the first time on the afternoon of December 14th.
I may not post again before we leave since there is alot to do still. Those Christmas Cards aren't' going to get addressed and mailed by themselves and I am going to mail them before we leave!
The weather in Beijing is supposed to be 47 on Thursday and Friday and then 37 on Saturday. We go to Jiangxi on Sunday morning and stay through the 19th. The weather is supposed to be in the mid to upper 50's and low 60's. Then on the 19th we are off to Guangzhou where the weather is supposed to be in the upper 60's.
If I don't post again, Merry Christmas to all.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Travel All Set
We have all of our travel arrangements made and received our E-Tickets tonight. All In China travel is arranged and our hotels are set up. We will be at the White Swan again and in Beijing at the Holiday Inn downtown and the Jin Feng in Nanchang. All three hotels look nice. Tomorrow I have some more shopping to do and then to finalize picking what to pack and then PACK. We are pretty set right now. Excitement is setting in more and more and I feel more relaxed now that the travel is arranged. Whew!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Csnsulate Appointment and Travel Date
We received confirmation of our consulate appointment today and it is on December 22nd. We will take the oath on the 23rd and then fly home on the 24th. The best flight so far has us leaving on the 9th in th evening and arriving in Beijing at 5:30 a.m. on the 11th. Tomorrow we should finalize the travel plans. Our Visas and passports are on the way to me via Fedex to arrive tomorrow. Moving fast, but good!!
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