So, we got up at 3:00 in the morning Beijing time, hopped on a plane to Hong Kong, hopped on a plane to LA, and then hopped on a plane to Denver to get here at about 4:00 pm Denver time. Granted, there was a line or two to stand in as we waited to transfer airline companies, gather luggage, board planes, and naturalize a foreign citizen.
Forgive us if today's post is a bit short, but we've been "on" for just too long today, if you can even call it today at this point.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
All Good Things...
My apologies in advance for the brevity of this post, but I must pack for our exodus from the People's Republic of China. My wife, having taken some allergy medicine, is surprisingly passed out on the bed as I write this.
To begin today, we all went down to the Guangzhou zoo to have a little peek at the animals, especially the oh-so famous pandas. Katie and I saw the pandas in their Chengdu habitat about eight years ago, and we thought they were the laziest, most annoying mascot the WWF could have possibly picked ("They're too lazy to procreate?"we asked in disgust), but Jonah was interested, so away we went.
All we could say was "Erm... maybe they're dieting, Jonah" as we walked past emaciated animal after animal in their cages on the way to the pandas. Not the most uplifting trip, to say the least. Finally, when we made it to the pandas, there was one just sitting there in the middle of his cage, just chillin'. By then, Jonah had pretty much lost interest, anyway, so we headed back to the entrance, none too impressed.
Cheryl, our good friend from the Colorado via Newcastle, had to catch her flight right after we got back. She was invaluable in helping with so many things, and we were really sad to be saying goodbye to her after spending so much time together and relying on her so much.
In the afternoon, we all packed in to the consulate and swore that we wouldn't abandon our newly adopted child, which meant that the US gov't could give us his visa to enter the country. Having never seen a US visa before, I gotta say that it's one thing the US does right. I mean, you look at the US Dollar vs. the British Pound, or something, and you're, like, "What, creativity taking some time off that day, America?" Not so with the visa. That's something that a foreign national can look at in his or her passport and really look forward to using... until they visit any number of major cities at night, that is...
Anyway, back to packing some luggage. At this point, I'm just throwing crap into suitcases knowing that there is no such thing as clean and dirty at this point, and that we're all really looking forward to getting the Sam Hill home. We make a 30 minute hop to Hong Kong, a 12-hour marathon / skip to LAX, and then a little jump to DIA where our good friend will be waiting to drive us home and subsequently disinfect her vehicle.
Selfcrest, out!
To begin today, we all went down to the Guangzhou zoo to have a little peek at the animals, especially the oh-so famous pandas. Katie and I saw the pandas in their Chengdu habitat about eight years ago, and we thought they were the laziest, most annoying mascot the WWF could have possibly picked ("They're too lazy to procreate?"we asked in disgust), but Jonah was interested, so away we went.
All we could say was "Erm... maybe they're dieting, Jonah" as we walked past emaciated animal after animal in their cages on the way to the pandas. Not the most uplifting trip, to say the least. Finally, when we made it to the pandas, there was one just sitting there in the middle of his cage, just chillin'. By then, Jonah had pretty much lost interest, anyway, so we headed back to the entrance, none too impressed.
Cheryl, our good friend from the Colorado via Newcastle, had to catch her flight right after we got back. She was invaluable in helping with so many things, and we were really sad to be saying goodbye to her after spending so much time together and relying on her so much.
In the afternoon, we all packed in to the consulate and swore that we wouldn't abandon our newly adopted child, which meant that the US gov't could give us his visa to enter the country. Having never seen a US visa before, I gotta say that it's one thing the US does right. I mean, you look at the US Dollar vs. the British Pound, or something, and you're, like, "What, creativity taking some time off that day, America?" Not so with the visa. That's something that a foreign national can look at in his or her passport and really look forward to using... until they visit any number of major cities at night, that is...
Anyway, back to packing some luggage. At this point, I'm just throwing crap into suitcases knowing that there is no such thing as clean and dirty at this point, and that we're all really looking forward to getting the Sam Hill home. We make a 30 minute hop to Hong Kong, a 12-hour marathon / skip to LAX, and then a little jump to DIA where our good friend will be waiting to drive us home and subsequently disinfect her vehicle.
Selfcrest, out!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Red Couch
So, today was the big day for the Red Couch photo. For those of you scoring at home who may not know the power of the Red Couch, let me lay it down for you. Legend has it that at the White Swan hotel, on Shamian Island in Guangzhou, there was once a Red Couch. Upon that Red Couch were put some of the first adopted children for a photo. Regardless of the mist that time has put upon this tangled history, today was our day to join in on this special event.
We took our little guys down to the White Swan dressed in their finest attire and snapped away like mad.
After we did a little quesadilla lunch (a favorite of the blond one), we headed back to the hotel for some nap time and then a little walk off the island to the nice little chunk of Guangzhou paved over as a pedestrian mall. Quite the mall is is, too, and one that the local population obviously takes much pride in.
All in all a lovely day. We also found out that our visa paperwork was all good, so that means we're off to the consulate tomorrow for the oath ceremony, our last step in the whole visit. Thursday morning, we fly back across the ocean.
We took our little guys down to the White Swan dressed in their finest attire and snapped away like mad.
After we did a little quesadilla lunch (a favorite of the blond one), we headed back to the hotel for some nap time and then a little walk off the island to the nice little chunk of Guangzhou paved over as a pedestrian mall. Quite the mall is is, too, and one that the local population obviously takes much pride in.
All in all a lovely day. We also found out that our visa paperwork was all good, so that means we're off to the consulate tomorrow for the oath ceremony, our last step in the whole visit. Thursday morning, we fly back across the ocean.
Monday, February 25, 2008
One step closer to bringing home Grady
This morning, Katie went to the guide's room to fill out the paperwork necessary for Grady's US Visa. Ryan, Cheryl, Jonah, and Grady went to play in the playroom at the White Swan with some other families from our agency.
Jonah really does like Grady. He was worried that we were going to leave him in Lanzhou. When we were packing to leave for Guangzhou, Jonah wanted to know if we were going to leave Grady there. Then he wanted to know if we were going to leave him on the plane. I told him not to worry, and that he was in our family now and we won't leave him anywhere. We already went through the things we have at home for Grady: a car seat, a high chair, two little kid beds (a Pack N Play and a crib). This morning, he was whispering things to Grady. We're pretty sure that they're going to be joint conspirators against us soon.
In the afternoon, we went to get Grady's Visa photo and then took him for his physical examination. Cheryl stayed back and napped with Jonah (it's impossible not to fall asleep next to that kid if you are next to him in a hotel room...he radiates so much heat!!). When I told Jonah that we were taking Grady to the doctor, Jonah wanted to know if they were going to fix the hole in Grady's mouth, and I told him not yet. Jonah is so protective of him. Here are some pictures from the doctor's visit.
Grady has been sitting up for longer and longer periods as well...although he does fuss a little about it. Here's a picture of the little cutey.
Tomorrow, our guide, Grace, takes all the paperwork to the Consulate for us. After that, all we need to do it the oath and we will be able to leave China with our son!
Jonah really does like Grady. He was worried that we were going to leave him in Lanzhou. When we were packing to leave for Guangzhou, Jonah wanted to know if we were going to leave Grady there. Then he wanted to know if we were going to leave him on the plane. I told him not to worry, and that he was in our family now and we won't leave him anywhere. We already went through the things we have at home for Grady: a car seat, a high chair, two little kid beds (a Pack N Play and a crib). This morning, he was whispering things to Grady. We're pretty sure that they're going to be joint conspirators against us soon.In the afternoon, we went to get Grady's Visa photo and then took him for his physical examination. Cheryl stayed back and napped with Jonah (it's impossible not to fall asleep next to that kid if you are next to him in a hotel room...he radiates so much heat!!). When I told Jonah that we were taking Grady to the doctor, Jonah wanted to know if they were going to fix the hole in Grady's mouth, and I told him not yet. Jonah is so protective of him. Here are some pictures from the doctor's visit.
Grady has been sitting up for longer and longer periods as well...although he does fuss a little about it. Here's a picture of the little cutey.
Tomorrow, our guide, Grace, takes all the paperwork to the Consulate for us. After that, all we need to do it the oath and we will be able to leave China with our son!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Hooray for humidity!
Cheryl got here in the middle of the night last night just as we had hoped (mentioned in the last post). It is so nice to be here all together!
Also, it's lovely to be here in Guangzhou. It is humid and nice here in southern China in February (we're grateful to not be here in August). We were able to get out in the warm rain today. So pleasant!
We got up nice and early like always (the life of parents!) and went with the group on the bus to see a Buddhist temple, a cultural house called The Old Chen house, and shopping (I really wanted to get traditional Chinese outfits for the boys...I'll try to dress them up and post pics of that soon!)
Ryan also got us Starbucks during the boys' naps (so far we are able to get them to take naps together.....yay!), and we went out with the group to an excellent Thai Restaurant. Since we're in a total rut of what to eat at Thai restaurants, the four of us (Grady doesn't eat table food yet) shared some excellent Pud Thai and Massaman curry...I think Cheryl likes the old Self Thai favorites!!
As promised yesterday, here are some pictures from today:
This is Ryan and Jonah enjoying the pleasant atmosphere when we were at the temple.
While we were at the temple, Grady fell asleep on me. It is heaven to be holding that kid and taking care of him after waiting for him for so long!!
What a good daddy!!
This little boy is definitely getting more comfortable with us!
Hungry little boy wearing his daddy's hat
This is especially for Grandpa George...he's already a little baseball player!
Also, it's lovely to be here in Guangzhou. It is humid and nice here in southern China in February (we're grateful to not be here in August). We were able to get out in the warm rain today. So pleasant!
We got up nice and early like always (the life of parents!) and went with the group on the bus to see a Buddhist temple, a cultural house called The Old Chen house, and shopping (I really wanted to get traditional Chinese outfits for the boys...I'll try to dress them up and post pics of that soon!)
Ryan also got us Starbucks during the boys' naps (so far we are able to get them to take naps together.....yay!), and we went out with the group to an excellent Thai Restaurant. Since we're in a total rut of what to eat at Thai restaurants, the four of us (Grady doesn't eat table food yet) shared some excellent Pud Thai and Massaman curry...I think Cheryl likes the old Self Thai favorites!!
As promised yesterday, here are some pictures from today:
This is Ryan and Jonah enjoying the pleasant atmosphere when we were at the temple.
While we were at the temple, Grady fell asleep on me. It is heaven to be holding that kid and taking care of him after waiting for him for so long!!
What a good daddy!!
This little boy is definitely getting more comfortable with us!
Hungry little boy wearing his daddy's hat
This is especially for Grandpa George...he's already a little baseball player!Tomorrow morning, Katie will work with the guide and other families from our group to get all of the paperwork for Grady's visa together. The plan for now is for Ryan, Cheryl, Jonah, and Grady to go to the park playground during this. In the afternoon, Cheryl will stay at the hotel while Jonah has his nap, and we will go to get Grady's physical and his visa photo done. After all of this, our guide Grace will take all these things to our consulate appointment on Tuesday. We're not going to be here very much longer..we're leaving early Thursday morning...so we'll see many of you Coloradoans soon, and you know we will definitely come back to the great country of China in the future!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Guangzhou
Thank the Lord we have made it to Guangzhou!!!! Cheryl isn't here yet, but will be here at about 1 am. It is SO wonderful to be here! First of all, it is the last step in our journey before we make the long trek home as a family of four (all Americans come to Guangzhou to satisfy the American citizenship requirements of their adopted Chinese children at the US consulate here). Jonah especially is extremely excited to be back home to his own bed, his food, his friends, his toys, etc. Also, Ryan and I as we were being driven to Shamian Island (in Guangzhou where all the expensive hotels are - we're staying at one near the consulate) both noticed that Guangzhou is quite similar to Shanghai. Of course we adore Shanghai...the part of China where we used to live, and so that is something that we really like about Guangzhou.
It is darn good to be out of Lanzhou. There really isn't much to do there at all, and we had to stay there for awhile to wait for everything that we needed to have processed to finish. Of course, that is where Grady officially became our son (adoption date 2/18/08), so that does make it special. As a side note, for any adoptive parents reading this who will be going to Lanzhou to complete their adoption, my word of advice is: BRING SHORTS AND A COUPLE OF TEE SHIRTS (even in the winter)!!! Yes, it is cold in that part of China, but at the Sunshine Plaza hotel, they keep the heat up!! And since you will be there with at least one young child, you will be spending plenty of time in that hotel, and you will want some clothes to keep cool. I'm telling you, I'm writing this from my nicely air conditioned room at the Victory Hotel here in Guangzhou, and boy does it feel good to this long sleeved shirt wearing mama!!!
We had more adventure than we would have liked leaving Lanzhou. Our flight was supposed to leave at 4:10 pm. The guide, Yisha, told us to be ready to leave at 2. Since it is 45 min-1 hour to get to the Lanzhou airport from where we were staying, this seemed strange. Then she told us to be ready at 1:30. Then at 1:10, when we were in the room getting the boys ready for the flight (diaper for one, potty for the other, etc - we were planning to be down checking out by 1;15), the bellboys knocked on the door and told us to go down right then. We were downstairs before the other family (who I'm assuming was following the schedule which we were previously given). After we checked out and loaded into the bus, the bus driver drove way out of the way to get more gas. Then we got to the airport. Then the real fun began. Yisha took our passports and went to check us in. You had to buy the infant lap tickets (one for our family, two for the other - they brought their 14 month old son and were adopting a 12 month old) in a different place than Jonah's child ticket and our adult tickets. After running around all over the place with this other guy who was from a travel agency and was supposedly helping Yisha get the tickets, she came back over minus one infant and one adult ticket. So, she loaded us all over to the security area (6 adults, three babies, and one three year old). We were waiting for the rest of the tickets. Yisha and the other guy were running between counters, and somehow got the wrong tickets again. We knew that there was a direct flight from Lanzhou to Guangzhou leaving at 8:30pm, so we were thinking that maybe the people with correct tickets could go through security and hopefully get on the plane (this flight had a stopover in Xi'an and was supposed to arrive in Guangzhou at around 8:30 pm) and the others could come on the later flight. By this time, we were lucky to have not missed the flight but heard over the intercom that the flight was delayed one hour. So, everyone but Cheryl, Grady, and Katie went through security. More running around. One guy was demanding that we re-buy the tickets and Yisha was adamant that we not spend any more money. Finally, we had boarding passes. While going through security, Grady had to be wanded by the security guard, and every carryon bag that we had had to be opened and resent through security. During all of this chaos, Yisha is yelling to me from the other side of security that there is a problem with our boarding passes, but some guy from the airlines will be at the gate to get everything straightened out. Yeah right. So we get to the gate, and the other family isn't being let on the plane because their boarding passes aren't coming up as valid. I got Jonah, Grady, and I got through and took them onto the plane because they are both tired (missed naps) and hungry. Ryan stayed back to help the other family since he speaks some Chinese. I got on the plane a little teary eyed from the ordeal, and convinced some people to move so that our family can be together. At the last minute, everyone but Cheryl, Dean (the father in the other family), and their newly adopted daughter Mia got on the plane. There is an extra seat (but not enough for both adults). Apparently, Dean's boarding pass eventually worked, but they wouldn't let him on the plane with Mia because hers didn't and so he and Cheryl stayed behind with her. Ryan tells me that he told them to go find Yisha who was taking a plane to Shanghai. I also knew that Cheryl had the emergency phone numbers given to us by our agency. However, Dean didn't have the bottles, formula, diapers, etc. for Mia. Sheesh!!!!!
So, when we got into Guangzhou, and were pleasantly surprised to see that our luggage had arrived as well (we were seriously doubting it), we immediately asked the guide here, Grace, about Dean, Cheryl, and Mia. She tells us that Yisha called and said that they should be on the flight arriving shortly after midnight and should be getting to the hotel around 1. I really hope so!!!
Tomorrow if we wake up in time, we'll go explore the city a bit. We have never been here before. There isn't any official business to be completed until Monday. I will also include some pictures in tomorrow's post. For now, though, there has been enough excitement, and I will try to sleep some while the boys are, too.
It is darn good to be out of Lanzhou. There really isn't much to do there at all, and we had to stay there for awhile to wait for everything that we needed to have processed to finish. Of course, that is where Grady officially became our son (adoption date 2/18/08), so that does make it special. As a side note, for any adoptive parents reading this who will be going to Lanzhou to complete their adoption, my word of advice is: BRING SHORTS AND A COUPLE OF TEE SHIRTS (even in the winter)!!! Yes, it is cold in that part of China, but at the Sunshine Plaza hotel, they keep the heat up!! And since you will be there with at least one young child, you will be spending plenty of time in that hotel, and you will want some clothes to keep cool. I'm telling you, I'm writing this from my nicely air conditioned room at the Victory Hotel here in Guangzhou, and boy does it feel good to this long sleeved shirt wearing mama!!!
We had more adventure than we would have liked leaving Lanzhou. Our flight was supposed to leave at 4:10 pm. The guide, Yisha, told us to be ready to leave at 2. Since it is 45 min-1 hour to get to the Lanzhou airport from where we were staying, this seemed strange. Then she told us to be ready at 1:30. Then at 1:10, when we were in the room getting the boys ready for the flight (diaper for one, potty for the other, etc - we were planning to be down checking out by 1;15), the bellboys knocked on the door and told us to go down right then. We were downstairs before the other family (who I'm assuming was following the schedule which we were previously given). After we checked out and loaded into the bus, the bus driver drove way out of the way to get more gas. Then we got to the airport. Then the real fun began. Yisha took our passports and went to check us in. You had to buy the infant lap tickets (one for our family, two for the other - they brought their 14 month old son and were adopting a 12 month old) in a different place than Jonah's child ticket and our adult tickets. After running around all over the place with this other guy who was from a travel agency and was supposedly helping Yisha get the tickets, she came back over minus one infant and one adult ticket. So, she loaded us all over to the security area (6 adults, three babies, and one three year old). We were waiting for the rest of the tickets. Yisha and the other guy were running between counters, and somehow got the wrong tickets again. We knew that there was a direct flight from Lanzhou to Guangzhou leaving at 8:30pm, so we were thinking that maybe the people with correct tickets could go through security and hopefully get on the plane (this flight had a stopover in Xi'an and was supposed to arrive in Guangzhou at around 8:30 pm) and the others could come on the later flight. By this time, we were lucky to have not missed the flight but heard over the intercom that the flight was delayed one hour. So, everyone but Cheryl, Grady, and Katie went through security. More running around. One guy was demanding that we re-buy the tickets and Yisha was adamant that we not spend any more money. Finally, we had boarding passes. While going through security, Grady had to be wanded by the security guard, and every carryon bag that we had had to be opened and resent through security. During all of this chaos, Yisha is yelling to me from the other side of security that there is a problem with our boarding passes, but some guy from the airlines will be at the gate to get everything straightened out. Yeah right. So we get to the gate, and the other family isn't being let on the plane because their boarding passes aren't coming up as valid. I got Jonah, Grady, and I got through and took them onto the plane because they are both tired (missed naps) and hungry. Ryan stayed back to help the other family since he speaks some Chinese. I got on the plane a little teary eyed from the ordeal, and convinced some people to move so that our family can be together. At the last minute, everyone but Cheryl, Dean (the father in the other family), and their newly adopted daughter Mia got on the plane. There is an extra seat (but not enough for both adults). Apparently, Dean's boarding pass eventually worked, but they wouldn't let him on the plane with Mia because hers didn't and so he and Cheryl stayed behind with her. Ryan tells me that he told them to go find Yisha who was taking a plane to Shanghai. I also knew that Cheryl had the emergency phone numbers given to us by our agency. However, Dean didn't have the bottles, formula, diapers, etc. for Mia. Sheesh!!!!!
So, when we got into Guangzhou, and were pleasantly surprised to see that our luggage had arrived as well (we were seriously doubting it), we immediately asked the guide here, Grace, about Dean, Cheryl, and Mia. She tells us that Yisha called and said that they should be on the flight arriving shortly after midnight and should be getting to the hotel around 1. I really hope so!!!
Tomorrow if we wake up in time, we'll go explore the city a bit. We have never been here before. There isn't any official business to be completed until Monday. I will also include some pictures in tomorrow's post. For now, though, there has been enough excitement, and I will try to sleep some while the boys are, too.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Friday
I know it's Friday because the carpet in the elevator says so. Everyday, the wonderful people here at the Sunshine Plaza change the elevator carpet to meet the stringent naming requirements of the day. Today was supposed to be the day we got Grady's Chinese passport, and, thankfully, things went off without a hitch. We need that Chinese passport to get his American passport on our last and final leg of the trip, which starts tomorrow when we fly to Guangzhou.
Apart from that, we didn't do a whole lot, honestly. Jonah and Grady took long naps, Ryan and Cheryl took half-asleep semi-naps with them, and we didn't leave the hotel. I think the guide, Yisha, thinks we're a bit lame. The other family here went out for a trip to the museum, but we didn't really think that the kiddos would be that interested in seeing fossils and relic coins. I mean, Jonah has really been into Qin-era legalism and it's roots in the Lanzhou area as opposed to the more commonly assumed Confucian relationships that are assumed to have driven the first emperor of China, but he just didn't seem up to it today.
With that, I leave you video of the day's events:
Apart from that, we didn't do a whole lot, honestly. Jonah and Grady took long naps, Ryan and Cheryl took half-asleep semi-naps with them, and we didn't leave the hotel. I think the guide, Yisha, thinks we're a bit lame. The other family here went out for a trip to the museum, but we didn't really think that the kiddos would be that interested in seeing fossils and relic coins. I mean, Jonah has really been into Qin-era legalism and it's roots in the Lanzhou area as opposed to the more commonly assumed Confucian relationships that are assumed to have driven the first emperor of China, but he just didn't seem up to it today.
With that, I leave you video of the day's events:
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Happy Lantern Festival!
Today is Lantern Festival, and the boys are somehow happily sleeping! The fireworks are going on right now and probably will all night. Jonah loves the fireworks...he's never seen them before. Myself, I always love a good Chinese holiday! :)
We went to a lovely dinner tonight at a jiaozi (dumpling) restaurant. It was delicious!!
Then we went out and explored the town with the lights and lanterns and people. It was a lovely night to walk around, and not cold at all (a big change from when we were trying to walk around by the Yellow River).
Jonah also lit a few sparklers in celebration, and he really liked that....and he shared with other kids around him.
Yes, he was safe with all of us adults helping him...see our guide Yisha helping him there.
We also received the adoption decree, Grady's birth certificate, and his abandonment certificate in Chinese and English and with many copies today. Yesterday, we got a copy of his finding ad (before kids can be adopted here in China, a finding ad has to be placed here in the paper to see if biological relatives can be located) and his vaccinations. All we still need paperwork-wise here in Lanzhou is Grady's passport. How cool to be moving on with this adoption process!!
Finally, a bit of video from our day:
We went to a lovely dinner tonight at a jiaozi (dumpling) restaurant. It was delicious!!
Then we went out and explored the town with the lights and lanterns and people. It was a lovely night to walk around, and not cold at all (a big change from when we were trying to walk around by the Yellow River).
Jonah also lit a few sparklers in celebration, and he really liked that....and he shared with other kids around him.
Yes, he was safe with all of us adults helping him...see our guide Yisha helping him there.We also received the adoption decree, Grady's birth certificate, and his abandonment certificate in Chinese and English and with many copies today. Yesterday, we got a copy of his finding ad (before kids can be adopted here in China, a finding ad has to be placed here in the paper to see if biological relatives can be located) and his vaccinations. All we still need paperwork-wise here in Lanzhou is Grady's passport. How cool to be moving on with this adoption process!!
Finally, a bit of video from our day:
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Adjusting to life as a family of four
Here are some pictures of our new little family:
We are spending a lot of time here in the hotel. We have gotten out to walk around a little bit and see the city. Grady gets a lot of exercise with us...we're always making him play on his tummy and go after toys as well as sit up. He is getting more comfortable with us. One thing with this not being able to see the blog here in China is that I can't remember what happened yesterday versus today and what I wrote yesterday versus today. If I didn't tell you yesterday, Grady is now putting his legs underneath himself and putting a little bit of weight on them when we hold him upright. So, that's good. Really it seems like he is getting more comfortable, learning new things, and changing by the minute.
Also, some of you out there must be praying, so thanks for that! Jonah didn't have nearly as much trouble with people petting him on the street today. The new plan is to have him ride on Ryan's shoulders everywhere, thus rendering him above the fray.
Here is a picture of Jonah with his buddy Cheryl. She misses Dan, her husband, and I know that you must miss her too, Dan. Sorry for not putting up more pictures earlier! And thanks again for lending us your wife. Her help here is invaluable!
Ryan and I both think that the pollution here is getting worse. At least that's what it has seems like in our time in Beijing and Lanzhou. However, we haven't been here since 2001, so everything in China is different!! We went on a walk by the Yellow River today, and it was totally hard to see things because of the air pollution. However, here is a picture that we got of that. Note that the background is maybe 300 yards away.
The last picture is one that I took of our boys asleep last night. We are one blessed family!
We are spending a lot of time here in the hotel. We have gotten out to walk around a little bit and see the city. Grady gets a lot of exercise with us...we're always making him play on his tummy and go after toys as well as sit up. He is getting more comfortable with us. One thing with this not being able to see the blog here in China is that I can't remember what happened yesterday versus today and what I wrote yesterday versus today. If I didn't tell you yesterday, Grady is now putting his legs underneath himself and putting a little bit of weight on them when we hold him upright. So, that's good. Really it seems like he is getting more comfortable, learning new things, and changing by the minute.
Also, some of you out there must be praying, so thanks for that! Jonah didn't have nearly as much trouble with people petting him on the street today. The new plan is to have him ride on Ryan's shoulders everywhere, thus rendering him above the fray.
Here is a picture of Jonah with his buddy Cheryl. She misses Dan, her husband, and I know that you must miss her too, Dan. Sorry for not putting up more pictures earlier! And thanks again for lending us your wife. Her help here is invaluable!
Ryan and I both think that the pollution here is getting worse. At least that's what it has seems like in our time in Beijing and Lanzhou. However, we haven't been here since 2001, so everything in China is different!! We went on a walk by the Yellow River today, and it was totally hard to see things because of the air pollution. However, here is a picture that we got of that. Note that the background is maybe 300 yards away.
The last picture is one that I took of our boys asleep last night. We are one blessed family!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Waiting for paperwork
These days we are in Lanzhou waiting for paperwork to process. We are waiting for Grady's Chinese passport (he will travel home on a Chinese passport with an American visa) and the adoption decree and other adoption documents. I think that is pretty much what we are doing this week.
So, as promised, here are some pictures of Jonah and Grady together:
This is from yesterday morning. As you recall, Grady came at 11:05 pm, so Jonah met him the following morning (Monday the 18th). Jonah was so excited to meet his brother!
This is from the same morning after Jonah got his clothes on.
This is this morning (Tuesday the 19th)...Jonah was having fun pushing Grady around our hotel.
Grady is doing better. We are giving him real baby formula with rice cereal in it. He likes it, and is eating, sleeping, and digesting well! :)
He is liking us more and more. He likes to be held and he leans into us. Today when I was putting him down for his nap, I put him down like we have been doing, and he cried until I picked him up. I stroked his face and held him and he almost fell asleep in my arms. He wasn't pleased when I laid him back down again. I stroked his face and helped him go to sleep. That was wonderful. He is a really cuddly little guy! :)
When playing, he is showing us he can do more things. I think some of the issue was that he was so scared before...he still can't do many things, but we hope he'll be able to do more and more especially as he gets more used to us. This morning, he was able to pull himself to a sitting position (a tripod sitting position) from the floor where he was prone. His favorite thing to do with the toys is push them away, move forward a little bit after them, and then push them away again. He did get up into a traditional crawling position and rock a little bit, but he doesn't crawl from that position.
So, as promised, here are some pictures of Jonah and Grady together:
This is from yesterday morning. As you recall, Grady came at 11:05 pm, so Jonah met him the following morning (Monday the 18th). Jonah was so excited to meet his brother!
This is from the same morning after Jonah got his clothes on.
This is this morning (Tuesday the 19th)...Jonah was having fun pushing Grady around our hotel.Grady is doing better. We are giving him real baby formula with rice cereal in it. He likes it, and is eating, sleeping, and digesting well! :)
He is liking us more and more. He likes to be held and he leans into us. Today when I was putting him down for his nap, I put him down like we have been doing, and he cried until I picked him up. I stroked his face and held him and he almost fell asleep in my arms. He wasn't pleased when I laid him back down again. I stroked his face and helped him go to sleep. That was wonderful. He is a really cuddly little guy! :)
When playing, he is showing us he can do more things. I think some of the issue was that he was so scared before...he still can't do many things, but we hope he'll be able to do more and more especially as he gets more used to us. This morning, he was able to pull himself to a sitting position (a tripod sitting position) from the floor where he was prone. His favorite thing to do with the toys is push them away, move forward a little bit after them, and then push them away again. He did get up into a traditional crawling position and rock a little bit, but he doesn't crawl from that position.
Jonah is doing pretty well. He sometimes gets a little jealous and puts his hands in his mouth and whines a little like Grady, but he does like that he knows how to do things that his brother can't do. He gets the most jealous when tired, cold, or hungry. The very hardest thing for Jonah right now is that he doesn't like all the attention he is getting for being a blond little kid outside in China. He doesn't like people constantly coming up to him really close to his face to talk to him, pat his head, or stroke his hands. He is actually relieved to just be at home at the hotel playing with his toys, which for those of you who know Jonah is not usual for his social, active personality. We're trying to block the way and give him a little more space away from people when outside when possible. Poor little guy...how hard to get a brother and deal with sibling rivalry issues as well as culture shock issues and be away from home at the same time!!!! We have been able to have good playtime with him, however, and he was very excited when we went to KFC today (he wanted the comfort food of french fries) because they had a little play area there. We have to be in Lanzhou until Saturday night waiting for things to process, so if need be, we might visit there again.
Tomorrow, our guide Yisha is taking us on a little walk by the Yellow River. Until then, thanks for the well wishes and prayers! :)
Tomorrow, our guide Yisha is taking us on a little walk by the Yellow River. Until then, thanks for the well wishes and prayers! :)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
We have our son!!
Well, they finally arrived yesterday at 11:05 pm!! They supposedly left Qingyang at 7:00 in the morning and hit traffic. Either way, we were glad to see them. I was in the other room checking on the sleeping Jonah when they came by. Here is a picture of the little guy when I came back into Cheryl's room:
The hotel is extremely hot, so they started shedding layers. The orphanage director is the smiling gentleman with the black leather coat, and I asked if the two women were nannies. They aren't nannies, but some type of orphanage officials. They had brought many of the clothes that we had sent in the care packages even though we had said that it was ok to donate them to the orphanage. They also brought two disposable cameras that we had sent which are full of pictures! We can't wait to get back to the US and get prints!! The orphanage director also asked for one of the pictures of our family which we had sent in a photo album for Grady Guoyu to keep as a memorial.
Grady Guoyu wasn't crying, just looking around stunned and sweating up a storm. The kid had been dragged on a bus for a very long day!!
After they shed some layers, they let us hold him. I was definitely teary eyed at this point. Our guide, Yisha, was asking the questions that I had written to ask at this day, and she was writing down the answers in Chinese. There was also a Guardianship agreement that the orphanage director had brought for us to sign. It was crazy in there, and Cheryl was doing her very best to take pictures, and here are some of the best ones I could find today. Really, it's hard to get pictures of him and of us where we aren't blocked out by all the action in the background.
At this point, he got fussy, and the officials said he needed a bottle. They set him up on a bed with a bottle. Here is a good picture of him.
He was pretty stressed out by now with the action, the people, the camera, and the noise. He was trying to stroke the side of his face and was hitting himself in the face. He did let Ryan and I stroke his face. This is how Ryan was able to get him to sleep later as well. It seems to be one of the self-soothing measures he used in the orphanage.
One thing about having the officials instead of the nannies bring him to us is that they were not able to give us very specific information about him. They told us that they call him Guo Yu and that he doesn't have a nickname. Since he doesn't really seem to respond to that name, we've been calling him Grady. (I know that I have a bad accent in Mandarin anyway!!) They didn't know what made him sad, happy, or scared specifically, just all the babies in general. It is disappointing to not know specifics but we do understand that the nannies are really busy. Yisha was surprised at the formula they made for him/ left the rest of the bag with us. She said that it is milk formula with sweetener but it is not for babies and does not contain vitamins and minerals that babies need. He seems fat, but not healthy fat, just chunky fat with no underlying muscle. So, we are giving him actual formula, and soon we will try to add rice cereal. I tried to give him a melt in your mouth Gerber star fruit flavored snack, but since he isn't used to being fed anything besides a bottle, he was not pleased. When we get back to the States, I'm sure that the pediatrician will have some ideas about how best to meet his nutritional needs.
He doesn't have any real muscle tone. It seems that he spends his days mostly propped up in his crib. If you hold him upright, he bends his knees up and doesn't attempt to stand or put his feet underneath him. He has good head control, and can sit by himself for short amounts of time, although he does occasionally get tired quickly. This morning, Jonah and I were playing with Grady on the floor, and he did attempt to go after toys that were a little far away from him. He can move a little but not with a traditional crawl. He doesn't babble or make many sounds. He does make some sounds with his lips, so I've been playing with him with those sounds. Really, I think that having better nutrition and more one on one interaction will help him catch up....and we will provide whatever else is needed to help him catch up developmentally.
Today was our first day as a family of four trying to get ready in the morning. Thank goodness Cheryl is here!! We had to meet in the lobby at 9. Cheryl and Jonah stayed back here. Jonah is tired of being fawned over, and taken pictures of (the life of a blond kid in China). He had a great time with Cheryl playing with trucks and trains and coloring in the hotel.
Ryan, Grady, and I went with our group to have our pictures taken for the adoption decree, and Grady's picture taken for his passport. After that, we went to the provincial office to sign paperwork and pay fees. Unfortunately, we were busy with that and didn't get many pictures. Here are the ones we got:
The last picture is of the orphanage officials and the orphanage director with us. They also gave us a photo album. It was a very nice gesture. It has some old pictures of him.
Also, if you are wondering why he still has his split pants on, the reason is that we had learned that you should try to minimize the changes at first and leave the clothes that he came in on for the first 24 hours. The sweater that he has on in this picture is the one that I sent him in the last care package which they brought him to us in.
Well, that is probably a big enough post for today!! While writing this entry and uploading the pictures, I was looking at how scared Grady looked at first. We have only had him for less than a day, but I think he is getting more comfortable with us. He does seem to like being held because he leans into us. He definitely likes having his face and his head stroked. We are so happy to finally be together and to be getting to know each other as a family. Tomorrow, I will post some pictures of the new brothers together.
The hotel is extremely hot, so they started shedding layers. The orphanage director is the smiling gentleman with the black leather coat, and I asked if the two women were nannies. They aren't nannies, but some type of orphanage officials. They had brought many of the clothes that we had sent in the care packages even though we had said that it was ok to donate them to the orphanage. They also brought two disposable cameras that we had sent which are full of pictures! We can't wait to get back to the US and get prints!! The orphanage director also asked for one of the pictures of our family which we had sent in a photo album for Grady Guoyu to keep as a memorial.Grady Guoyu wasn't crying, just looking around stunned and sweating up a storm. The kid had been dragged on a bus for a very long day!!
After they shed some layers, they let us hold him. I was definitely teary eyed at this point. Our guide, Yisha, was asking the questions that I had written to ask at this day, and she was writing down the answers in Chinese. There was also a Guardianship agreement that the orphanage director had brought for us to sign. It was crazy in there, and Cheryl was doing her very best to take pictures, and here are some of the best ones I could find today. Really, it's hard to get pictures of him and of us where we aren't blocked out by all the action in the background.
At this point, he got fussy, and the officials said he needed a bottle. They set him up on a bed with a bottle. Here is a good picture of him.
He was pretty stressed out by now with the action, the people, the camera, and the noise. He was trying to stroke the side of his face and was hitting himself in the face. He did let Ryan and I stroke his face. This is how Ryan was able to get him to sleep later as well. It seems to be one of the self-soothing measures he used in the orphanage.One thing about having the officials instead of the nannies bring him to us is that they were not able to give us very specific information about him. They told us that they call him Guo Yu and that he doesn't have a nickname. Since he doesn't really seem to respond to that name, we've been calling him Grady. (I know that I have a bad accent in Mandarin anyway!!) They didn't know what made him sad, happy, or scared specifically, just all the babies in general. It is disappointing to not know specifics but we do understand that the nannies are really busy. Yisha was surprised at the formula they made for him/ left the rest of the bag with us. She said that it is milk formula with sweetener but it is not for babies and does not contain vitamins and minerals that babies need. He seems fat, but not healthy fat, just chunky fat with no underlying muscle. So, we are giving him actual formula, and soon we will try to add rice cereal. I tried to give him a melt in your mouth Gerber star fruit flavored snack, but since he isn't used to being fed anything besides a bottle, he was not pleased. When we get back to the States, I'm sure that the pediatrician will have some ideas about how best to meet his nutritional needs.
He doesn't have any real muscle tone. It seems that he spends his days mostly propped up in his crib. If you hold him upright, he bends his knees up and doesn't attempt to stand or put his feet underneath him. He has good head control, and can sit by himself for short amounts of time, although he does occasionally get tired quickly. This morning, Jonah and I were playing with Grady on the floor, and he did attempt to go after toys that were a little far away from him. He can move a little but not with a traditional crawl. He doesn't babble or make many sounds. He does make some sounds with his lips, so I've been playing with him with those sounds. Really, I think that having better nutrition and more one on one interaction will help him catch up....and we will provide whatever else is needed to help him catch up developmentally.
Today was our first day as a family of four trying to get ready in the morning. Thank goodness Cheryl is here!! We had to meet in the lobby at 9. Cheryl and Jonah stayed back here. Jonah is tired of being fawned over, and taken pictures of (the life of a blond kid in China). He had a great time with Cheryl playing with trucks and trains and coloring in the hotel.
Ryan, Grady, and I went with our group to have our pictures taken for the adoption decree, and Grady's picture taken for his passport. After that, we went to the provincial office to sign paperwork and pay fees. Unfortunately, we were busy with that and didn't get many pictures. Here are the ones we got:
The last picture is of the orphanage officials and the orphanage director with us. They also gave us a photo album. It was a very nice gesture. It has some old pictures of him.Also, if you are wondering why he still has his split pants on, the reason is that we had learned that you should try to minimize the changes at first and leave the clothes that he came in on for the first 24 hours. The sweater that he has on in this picture is the one that I sent him in the last care package which they brought him to us in.
Well, that is probably a big enough post for today!! While writing this entry and uploading the pictures, I was looking at how scared Grady looked at first. We have only had him for less than a day, but I think he is getting more comfortable with us. He does seem to like being held because he leans into us. He definitely likes having his face and his head stroked. We are so happy to finally be together and to be getting to know each other as a family. Tomorrow, I will post some pictures of the new brothers together.
We're in Lanzhou
So, we casually got up this morning, had breakfast, and boarded the plane to Lanzhou. We talked about the time we had to get things ready for the big day tomorrow and wondered what we would write about in the blog tonight.
After we landed in Lanzhou, we got on the bus, and our Lanzhou guide, Yisha, said to look at the schedule that she was passing out because there were a few changes. Well, I looked and saw that it said that we would be receiving our children (there is one other family in Lanzhou with us who is adopting a baby girl who just turned one on Tuesday) at 4:30 today. We were quite surprised and nervous. So, we got to the hotel in Lanzhou and quickly packed the gifts for the orphanage director and the nannies and got everything ready..... bottles, sippy cups, clothes, diapers, medicine, stuff for Jonah, our pajamas, and waited. Yisha came by to chat a little about her family (she was probably trying to keep us from getting too nervous). I rewrote the questions that I had for the caregivers.
Then we just waited.
After we landed in Lanzhou, we got on the bus, and our Lanzhou guide, Yisha, said to look at the schedule that she was passing out because there were a few changes. Well, I looked and saw that it said that we would be receiving our children (there is one other family in Lanzhou with us who is adopting a baby girl who just turned one on Tuesday) at 4:30 today. We were quite surprised and nervous. So, we got to the hotel in Lanzhou and quickly packed the gifts for the orphanage director and the nannies and got everything ready..... bottles, sippy cups, clothes, diapers, medicine, stuff for Jonah, our pajamas, and waited. Yisha came by to chat a little about her family (she was probably trying to keep us from getting too nervous). I rewrote the questions that I had for the caregivers.
Then we just waited.
And waited some more.
Then Yisha came at 6 to tell us that they were stuck in traffic in the mountains and were going to be another 4 hours.
So, we took Jonah for a walk outside. We saw this awesome exercise park with both children and adults exercising.
Now Jonah is asleep and we are still waiting. Hopefully we will be meeting our little boy in a matter of hours!!!! I will update again tomorrow.
-Katie
Then Yisha came at 6 to tell us that they were stuck in traffic in the mountains and were going to be another 4 hours.
So, we took Jonah for a walk outside. We saw this awesome exercise park with both children and adults exercising.
Now Jonah is asleep and we are still waiting. Hopefully we will be meeting our little boy in a matter of hours!!!! I will update again tomorrow.
-Katie
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Great Wall of China
Katie says she is sure I am posting what she says, putting the pictures where they go, and labeling them. I am good at all except that last bit, but will caption any pictures that seem ambiguous :) She also reports the pictures are smaller, so hopefully that will help with the viewing. I remain your Blogmaster, Kris
For our last day in Beijing, we were busy!! After breakfast, we went to a jade factory and then to climb the Great Wall. We were extremely bundled up as you can see, but we shed some layers with the exercise we were getting from climbing all the uneven stairs. We didn’t know how far Jonah could make it, but as Cheryl put it, he is an animal!! He just kept climbing and climbing (usually with his hands and his feet). He would say, this is hard to climb, but big kids can do it and I can get to the top. He is one tenacious little climber!! He was able to climb a lot more easily than the adults, and he did get almost to the very top before collapsing with exhaustion. He also loved it.
After that, the poor little thing was exhausted. We went and got lunch and then had a 30 minute walk through the Ming tombs. It turned out to be a nice little walk in the park, and Jonah had a good time with a little boy named Andrew who is with the group and here to get a little sister.
However, after that, Jonah was so tired….he just wanted to get off the bus, eat, and sleep all at the same time!! We drove by the Olympic complex and saw the buildings which look cool even though they’re still under construction. It is pretty interesting to be here when they are getting ready for the Olympics. Everything is being fixed up and redone….even the metro smells new. (They’re building new lines).
However, when we got back, we had to take Jonah to Starbucks for hot chocolate (he needed milk), muffin and a sandwich. He was so tired he had a huge temper tantrum all the way back to the hotel, and then practically fell asleep on me while trying to eat at the same time. Missing a nap after climbing a large amount of steep, uneven stairs is possibly not exactly the best idea! Thank goodness Cheryl is here and can help with him so we don’t have to miss more naps due to adoption appointments or anything!
Tomorrow morning we leave for Lanzhou, Gansu province, the capitol city of the province where Grady Guoyu is and we get him on Monday….yay!!!
For our last day in Beijing, we were busy!! After breakfast, we went to a jade factory and then to climb the Great Wall. We were extremely bundled up as you can see, but we shed some layers with the exercise we were getting from climbing all the uneven stairs. We didn’t know how far Jonah could make it, but as Cheryl put it, he is an animal!! He just kept climbing and climbing (usually with his hands and his feet). He would say, this is hard to climb, but big kids can do it and I can get to the top. He is one tenacious little climber!! He was able to climb a lot more easily than the adults, and he did get almost to the very top before collapsing with exhaustion. He also loved it.
After that, the poor little thing was exhausted. We went and got lunch and then had a 30 minute walk through the Ming tombs. It turned out to be a nice little walk in the park, and Jonah had a good time with a little boy named Andrew who is with the group and here to get a little sister.
However, after that, Jonah was so tired….he just wanted to get off the bus, eat, and sleep all at the same time!! We drove by the Olympic complex and saw the buildings which look cool even though they’re still under construction. It is pretty interesting to be here when they are getting ready for the Olympics. Everything is being fixed up and redone….even the metro smells new. (They’re building new lines).
However, when we got back, we had to take Jonah to Starbucks for hot chocolate (he needed milk), muffin and a sandwich. He was so tired he had a huge temper tantrum all the way back to the hotel, and then practically fell asleep on me while trying to eat at the same time. Missing a nap after climbing a large amount of steep, uneven stairs is possibly not exactly the best idea! Thank goodness Cheryl is here and can help with him so we don’t have to miss more naps due to adoption appointments or anything!
Tomorrow morning we leave for Lanzhou, Gansu province, the capitol city of the province where Grady Guoyu is and we get him on Monday….yay!!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Arrival and Beijing
Katie wrote in her email today that she is paying by the minute to access the Internet and has no access to Blogger. They are tired but all is going well. Below is her narrative unedited and I have tried to fit in the pictures where it seemed appropriate. More tomorrow we hope! Kris
Sorry I’m so delinquent in writing. We’ve arrived in Beijing. I would hope so by this time!!
Anyway, we’re super proud of Jonah. He’s really taking things in stride on the long trip. He slept ~1 ½ hours on the plane from San Fran to Beijing. He was pretty much passed out while we cleared customs and met up with the other CCAI families. We were so excited to see our friend Cheryl!!
We came to the Peace Novotel Hotel. It’s definitely a much swankier place than we Selfs are used to….Jonah better not get used to such luxury! Katie was trying to make the little guy feel at home while Ryan and Cheryl went out to try to get us some Chinese food. They came back with French Fries for the little guy (he was already taking his shower and missed out) and some excellent Chinese food for us. Jonah woke up once last night, but we were able to get him back to sleep (with the help of our trusty Tylenol)!
Today, we had the breakfast which was included with the hotel and then went to see Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city with the group. I really like Tiananmen Square, and its size is definitely impressive. Jonah started singing Jesus Loves Me right by some soldiers at one point (why he picked that song out of all the ones he knows is beyond me), but with no repercussions! ☺
After Tiananmen, we went into the Forbidden City. That place is also enormous. It is laid out in a straight line following feng shui, and you go through one gate and enter a courtyard that looks much like the one you left. Jonah had a great time there. He could run around, and managed to make friends with a few little kids and play with them. You can get a long way with ”Ni hao” and “Hi” if you’re three. He played ball with some kids, held hands for pictures, and tried to teach one little boy “Ring around the Rosies” (he didn’t understand). Jonah did run into one “little emperor” (what the one child policy only children are sometimes called) who was not interested in sharing his ball, however.
The guide then took the group to have some Sichuan food, which was excellent. Seriously, you can give us pretty much any Chinese food (and lots of other kinds of food as well), and we’ll be happy!! ☺
At that point, we split off from the group tour and came back to the hotel so Jonah could take a nap. He went to sleep without an issue. Cheryl and I went off in search of adventure while Ryan manned the fort here back at our hotel, and almost got roped into buying some overpriced tea after a few complimentary glasses and some free tea cookies…after narrowly escaping, we picked up some drinks, toothpaste, laundry soap, and excellent fruit snacks and made our way back. ☺
This evening, we had Beijing duck for dinner. Cheryl was extremely excited about the certificate they gave us authenticating the duck. The restaurant has actually counted every duck they have served since 1860 something. It was gaudily decorated, and even had some type of pillar that was roped off so people couldn’t touch it like the nice things at the Forbidden City…but the food was good!
The trip is going well. Jonah is getting along swimmingly with Cheryl who he hasn’t seen for a long time and everyone is healthy and happy. Jonah keeps asking when we’re going to get Grady. Like when we were in the airplane, he said, “When we get to the airport, will Grady be there?” And this morning when he woke up and asked his customary Jonah question, “What are we going to do today?” and I told him, he wanted to know if we were going to get Grady afterwards. He alternates between excitement to meet his brother, and worry about how things are going to be. This morning he said, “All my toys are special and he can’t use any of them.” However, we are all so excited to meet the little guy…only three more days!!
Tomorrow we are going to the Great Wall, so hopefully I’ll have more to write then!
Sorry I’m so delinquent in writing. We’ve arrived in Beijing. I would hope so by this time!!
Anyway, we’re super proud of Jonah. He’s really taking things in stride on the long trip. He slept ~1 ½ hours on the plane from San Fran to Beijing. He was pretty much passed out while we cleared customs and met up with the other CCAI families. We were so excited to see our friend Cheryl!!
We came to the Peace Novotel Hotel. It’s definitely a much swankier place than we Selfs are used to….Jonah better not get used to such luxury! Katie was trying to make the little guy feel at home while Ryan and Cheryl went out to try to get us some Chinese food. They came back with French Fries for the little guy (he was already taking his shower and missed out) and some excellent Chinese food for us. Jonah woke up once last night, but we were able to get him back to sleep (with the help of our trusty Tylenol)!
Today, we had the breakfast which was included with the hotel and then went to see Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden city with the group. I really like Tiananmen Square, and its size is definitely impressive. Jonah started singing Jesus Loves Me right by some soldiers at one point (why he picked that song out of all the ones he knows is beyond me), but with no repercussions! ☺
After Tiananmen, we went into the Forbidden City. That place is also enormous. It is laid out in a straight line following feng shui, and you go through one gate and enter a courtyard that looks much like the one you left. Jonah had a great time there. He could run around, and managed to make friends with a few little kids and play with them. You can get a long way with ”Ni hao” and “Hi” if you’re three. He played ball with some kids, held hands for pictures, and tried to teach one little boy “Ring around the Rosies” (he didn’t understand). Jonah did run into one “little emperor” (what the one child policy only children are sometimes called) who was not interested in sharing his ball, however.
The guide then took the group to have some Sichuan food, which was excellent. Seriously, you can give us pretty much any Chinese food (and lots of other kinds of food as well), and we’ll be happy!! ☺At that point, we split off from the group tour and came back to the hotel so Jonah could take a nap. He went to sleep without an issue. Cheryl and I went off in search of adventure while Ryan manned the fort here back at our hotel, and almost got roped into buying some overpriced tea after a few complimentary glasses and some free tea cookies…after narrowly escaping, we picked up some drinks, toothpaste, laundry soap, and excellent fruit snacks and made our way back. ☺
This evening, we had Beijing duck for dinner. Cheryl was extremely excited about the certificate they gave us authenticating the duck. The restaurant has actually counted every duck they have served since 1860 something. It was gaudily decorated, and even had some type of pillar that was roped off so people couldn’t touch it like the nice things at the Forbidden City…but the food was good!
The trip is going well. Jonah is getting along swimmingly with Cheryl who he hasn’t seen for a long time and everyone is healthy and happy. Jonah keeps asking when we’re going to get Grady. Like when we were in the airplane, he said, “When we get to the airport, will Grady be there?” And this morning when he woke up and asked his customary Jonah question, “What are we going to do today?” and I told him, he wanted to know if we were going to get Grady afterwards. He alternates between excitement to meet his brother, and worry about how things are going to be. This morning he said, “All my toys are special and he can’t use any of them.” However, we are all so excited to meet the little guy…only three more days!!
Tomorrow we are going to the Great Wall, so hopefully I’ll have more to write then!
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