Near Normal in Nanchang

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think we are getting used to Nanchang just as it is almost time to leave. We have had a good two days touring Longevity Temple, the Tang We Pavilion, Elephant Lake Park and eating at a couple of nice Chinese restaurants.

Things don't seem as shocking to us -- the traffic, the stares, the food... Natalie takes pleasure in being the big sister who pushes the stroller. The baby takes everything in stride.

Abigail really is a good baby. She is generally happy -- smiling at us often. She's eating better now. She goes to sleep easily which was always a stumbling point with Natalie. Well, as I say this, tonight is the first night Abigail's having trouble. But we just returned late from watching a water fountain light and music show which may have her out of sync.

She is finally taking whole bottles in addition to all of her congee and steamed eggs. After I got her to take a whole one, I rechecked her report to find that it said they added sugar to her bottle. I am proud to report I never added the sugar packets that I did bring. I had read that it was a possibility that I might need them. And she has downed several full bottles sans sugar.

Our guide Helen is worried about us because she hears us sneezing or coughing occasionally. The pollution is very bad here -- always a thick haze in the sky. Everyone in our group has been taking sinus or allergy medicine. Helen thinks the problem is that we need to wear more clothing, even when we're dripping with sweat from the humidity. She tell us we need to cover our arms. We get very warm while out and about yet everyone seems to be dressed in winter clothes -- kids in sweaters, thick tights and adults in coats. I don't quite get it.

Here's another irony. When both of our families and our guide and the sometimes the bus driver eat dinner together, it costs a little less than 200 yuan, which is about 30 American dollars for 8 people and 2 babies to have more than enough food. But the Hagen-Daaz chocolate ice cream in the freezer downstairs that I want so badly costs 56 yuan which is about 8 dollars!! Chinese food has always made me crave chocolate, but no Hagen-Daaz for me!

Besides touring, we have also been catching up on our sleep. All the activity seems to have caught up with us.

Tomorrow is a holiday here -- May Day, something like Labor Day from what I understand. Helen offered to take us to People's Park. She said everyone would be off from work and school. But something triggered our memory of our Summer Palace experience. I asked Helen if the park would be crowded, and she said something like Disneyland. Oh no, things already seem very crowded to us. Can't imagine how the Chinese might think a Disneyland crowd would be.

So we passed on People's Park on a holiday. We are choosing the quiet, relaxing hotel pool and packing and repacking until each bag weighs under 44 lbs. The problem being that we have accumulated more keepsakes along the way.

And maybe we'll fit in a trip to McDonalds, of course. I think their milkshakes may be the only calcium we're getting. A milkshake has never tasted so good!

The day after tomorrow (Sunday morning) we leave for Guangzhou, the city where we became a family with Natalie and where we spent the entire 17 days on our last trip to China. I'm thinking it should bring back many happy memories and feel a little more like home. It's also our last stop before returning home. And as Doug just said, "There's no place like home."

Lions and Tigers and Dogs, Oh My!

With the babies in strollers, it was off to the zoo today. We thought we were going to a tomb because that's what it sounded like everytime our guide Helen told us. But today in the van on the way to our destination, we asked, "Whose tomb?" We found out we weren't going to a tomb at all, but to the zoo. She explained that she often puts the 'm' sound at the end of words. That's good to know.

The zoo was filled with lines and lines of schoolchildren. Everyone in one class all holding hands while following each other in line. (If only we did field trips that way back home.) The children would practice their English as they passed by saying "Hello", "Nice to meet you", "See you later" and "Goodbye".

Many families would stop to admire our babies, Abigail and the other baby in our group Josie whose birthday is just a few days away from Abigail's. They would talk to the babies, show their children the babies, etc. Helen said they were interested in Abigail's bow, which was handmade by the mother of one of the boys in my class.

Natalie enjoyed the animals especially feeding the coy which would literally swim on top of each other in one big mound to get the food. Natalie saw children taking smaller fish home. She really wished she could take one home to add to her pets Fin and Gill.

We saw the usual zoo animals -- an elephant with humongous tusks, a lion, lots of cranes, etc. Abigail was awake the whole time. But we were taken back when we got to the dog exhibit -- larger dogs like Golden Retrievers. Evidently the Chinese are only allowed to have smaller dogs as pets, so these dogs were rare to them.

Natalie said her favorite part of the zoo was the animal show which I will call Animal Acrobats. They had a goat walking a tightrope with a monkey balancing on one hand on its back. Next a bear did flips in rings suspended in the air, but when they started pushing the bear around in circles so it looked like it was flying, I'd had enough.

Many of the school children had the same cartoon character on their hats and clothes. We recognized that it was the character that was on Abigail's pajamas the day we got her. So I asked Helen who said he was Happy Goat from a very popular cartoon in China.

Jiangxi Province is known for the porcelain they make so we stopped at a porcelain store and got a little teaset for one of Abigail's keepsakes, and Natalie chose a trinket box. We got Natalie a teaset on our first trip to China.

Since we've started offering to pay for our guide's meals, she took us to lunch before returning us to the hotel. This time to a nice Chinese restaurant -- not a shock to the system in regards to cleanliness like the last one.

She asks us what foods we like then she orders the dishes which we eat the traditional Chinese way -- what I'd call family dining where large dishes are put out and everyone gets their servings from these.

She ordered us chicken among many other dishes. The whole chicken came out in a deep pot. Helen served us from the pot -- chicken legs for the girls, white meat for us, etc. Then she plopped a chicken foot on her plate, which she later ate, I hear. I didn't look. Doug joked, "Hey Helen, I wanted that foot." The chicken was very tender and tasty. Later when standing up to get Abigail some steamed egg, I looked in the pot and noticed not only another foot, but the chicken head. I knew the Chinese kept the head on the fish for good luck. But I am glad that I didn't look in there earlier and see that head.

We asked for vegetables and here's our first one. They brought green stems and we asked Helen what is it. She said it's grass from the local manmade river. We all tried it, but couldn't eat it because of the hot peppers which had given it flavor.

We tried the Peking Duck but this must not have been the place to get it. Because instead of getting duck meat, we got duck skin with a little fat on it to roll up with sauce in our wrappers. I passed.

We have discovered that Abigail and Josie have a love for steamed eggs, a pudding-like egg dish. Abigail downed 3 bowls, which is great since I still cannot get a bottle that she will consistently eat. Some days she likes rice cereal in her bottle. Other days not so much.
Looking at her, I wouldn't think she'd be a picky eater, but she is about her bottle. I still can not make a bottle that suits her every time. I'll figure it out. Until then rice congee and steamed egg will have to hold her over.

Abigail is laughing and giggling more now, especially if you hold her in the air or if she is in the pool.

So it was a good day. We ventured out on our own to McDonalds again for dinner and enjoyed shakes and ice cream with our meal, and never had to cross a busy street. We're getting the hang of things.

We still have a few days here. We leave Nanchang on Sunday. Evidently we are here so long because it takes awhile for our visa paperwork to process.

Tomorrow we're off to Tang We Pavillion, a temple here, and Helen said, another Chinese restaurant if we'd like!

More Mama Time

Great news! Abigail has been cuddling with her mama.

Doug woke with a bad headache so I took over. Before long Abigail was giggling and smiling and laughing with me. She even downed a bottle for the first time with me!

We strapped her in my hip carrier before our big trip to the Chinese Walmart. She somehow slept through the whole experience right there in that carrier.

We needed to go to Walmart because the luggage limits didn't allow us to bring the quantities of items we'd need for a 17 day stay -- 14 of those days with a baby.

But American brands were abundant Pampers, Johnson's baby shampoo, Nestle rice cereal. Then we got some snacks to make us feel more at home -- Lay's potato chips, Bugles, Oreos and Pringles, which come in flavors such as kiwi or shrimp. We stuck with what we knew. We have had enough adventure lately.

Our group gets alot of attention in these types of situations. People admiring the babies. They try to figure out if Natalie can speak Chinese. Lots of stares -- it's hard not knowing what they are saying. Every once and awhile if we ask her to our guide will translate.

Walmart was on the second and third floor with a magnetized escalator that you stand on with your shopping cart. The layout and the colors of the signs made it seem familiar, but the blaring heavy metal music did not -- nor the workers at certain areas yelling for customers to buy their items. It was very loud, but we got what we needed.

We convinced our guide to stop at McDonald's for lunch on the way home. I have never eaten so much McDonald's, but it so comforting because it is so much like home. Outside its doors are another story. Bicycles and motorized vehicles lined up as far as you can see.

The main reason we went out today was to go to the notary's office. God answered my prayers. We did not have to cross the street.

As soon as we sat before the notary, she said, "You adopt fat baby." Big sister Natalie stepped into protective mode and was worried that the comment wasn't very nice. I later tried to explain that maybe the woman didn't know the translation for a better choice of words.

Abigail took her first dip in the pool. At first she was okay if I was holding her close, but by the end she let me help her extend her legs in the water. Soon she might enjoy the water as much as our little mermaid/fish Natalie. Dad was supposed to come take photos of Abigail's first swim but he feel asleep waiting for our laundry to be delivered.

Now everyone's taking a nap. It looks like I might be able to catch up on some sleep too. Nothing is planned for the rest of the day. Well, Natalie has plans to revisit the pool!

Daddy's Girl

Well, it's official. Abigail is definitely a Daddy's girl.
What should be the last photo is from yesterday, I forgot to post it. I was going to write about how many people say the baby looks like Doug. No wonder she is going to him first.

We were told by one of our guides that when you receive the babies that there are typically these personalities -- happy baby (Abigail yesterday, not today), serious baby (very much Natalie's disposition when we got her), crying baby, and the baby that attaches to one parent first (this is where Abigail stands now).

She had her head on his shoulder rubbing his stubble on his cheek tonight. She cries when Doug leaves her side. She's taking the bottle better from him, but still not great yet. (She is gumming some soft solid foods with her 2 1/2 teeth). She cries until he holds her. Part of me thinks, "Wow, now he knows what is was like. Natalie clung to me like that. But then I get more realistic and realize that he's going to be going back to work. She's gotta attach to me soon, too.

The guide did give advice for clingy baby. Doug will need to be out of the room some so that she is forced to depend on me. She'll come around soon. She'll see that her mama loves her.

She's been kind of fussy today. She's tugging on her ears, started coughing a little and her nose started running a little thicker. So I went ahead and started her on the antibiotic I brought because I suspect an ear infection.

We also did the prune feeding thing which reared its ugly head literally when we bravely ventured out to a let's just say very authentic (Let me just say that we inquired about a fork, and they brought one with only two prongs instead of four) Chinese restaurant across the street.
We were all just about finished eating when 'Walla' Doug informed me that the diaper was full. We asked our guide Helen (who we offered to take out to dinner to get away from our 3 times a day tasteless hotel buffet) about the restroom. She said, "Oh, you don't want to go there."

So I pulled two chairs together there at the table only to find a diaper explosion that had found its way through layers of clothing. Doug and Natalie gathered around. I tried what the surgeons do, you know 'Scapel.." but they were too in shock to respond quickly. It was our first change of this sort. So we bagged everything up, wrapped a blanket around poor half-clothed Abigail (I know always bring extra clothes, I had a memory lapse here) and headed back to the hotel.

The six-lane highway in front of the hotel has no crosswalk, stop lights or stop signs. The strategy seems to be to step out in front of mopeds and bikes because they have room in the lane to dodge you. But the tour buses, trucks and cars that are coming whizzing toward you at this point are not as willing to slow down or much less stop.

Our guide Helen tells us to stay close to her and follow but there is never really an opening in the traffic. We are literally dodging all these vehicles on foot with babies and our daughters in hand. We have had to cross the road twice now to get to the Civil Affairs Office.

Once Helen took Doug and Chris (the other dad with us) to get us water bottles. They dodged the traffic with a case of water. (The tap water in the hotels in China is not drinkable.) Evidently Doug assumed a car would stop for him (this was early in our stay here), but that nearly wasn't the case, Chris explained. Doug said they both almost got hit.

Today I had tears in my eyes as I stood by Helen with Abigail in our carrier on the way back from our government interview. I thought we were going to be standing between two moving cars, but thank goodness the second car did stop.

Tonight when we left the restaurant early I thought we were going to have to cross by ourselves, but Helen magically appeared and guided us across much more easily than before. Did I mention that the hotel buffet is looking much better?

Pray for us as tomorrow we must cross again for the notary appointment. Sitting here now there is a constant honking that we hear in our 15th floor hotel room, but it's starting to sound like background music.

Natalie has been in her element today, well except after that restaurant experience. She has been asking to go swimming the whole trip and finally got the chance today. She and Genna had a much deserved swim. Being a big sister is hard at first.

We also finally got the drive hooked to the netbook so Natalie can watch her DVDs which gives us more time to tend to the baby.

That sums up our day. I did learn that the foster mother lives at a 'resting home for officials'. I'm wondering if she was allowed to bring that baby to us because she is married to someone important. China's foster mothers do tend to be older women.

Besides honking, I hear everyone here snoring. I must get some sleep.

The Belated Great Wall Post

 

That day seems like a blur now. The day before we got Abigail. But there are moments that I won't forget.

**Our guide gave us two choices at the Great Wall -- go to the right where looking up I saw a thick line of endless people climbing up a very steep incline (the challenging route, she called it -- evidently what the locals choose) or to the left -- much less crowded and less challenging. I don't have to tell you which one we chose.

**Because you see, the rise of the steps of the GW are very uneven -- one might rise an inch, the next a half a foot. And they are very worn and parts are missing in some places. As we went through the first tunnel, "Somebody needs to replace these steps!" Natalie yelled --which of course was followed by a history lesson by us.

**I didn't expect all of the steps going down in the dark tunnels before we ever started our ascent. My legs were already Jell-o before even going up.

**Needless to say, Natalie charged ahead on a mission, a couple of the other dads and one of their daughters with her. We stopped about halfway with several others in our group, okay maybe we stopped a third of the way up to the first tower only to hear Natalie at the top shouting, "Come on you, slowpokes." That was exactly not what I expected to hear at the GW.
**She tried to coax us up there with "I'm not coming down until you come up here." But we were definitely out of gas.

**As the few others in our group came down, so did Natalie. You'd think I would have many photos of Natalie's climb from my prime spot but as my luck goes that's when the batteries went dead. She climbed the wall to that first tower in the same amount of time it took me to change the batteries.

**Afterward we visited a Cloissoine Factory and ate a Chinese lunch next to it. Then off to a Jade Factory. We are buying keepsakes for Abigail like we did for Natalie.

**Our last stop at the emperor's Summer Palace was like nothing I have ever experienced. At first I tried to explain it to Natalie as like a busy day at Disney World. But you could multiply that times the largest number you could think of and not be close. I have never been squeezed through crowds like I was there while vendors blew loud whistles they tried to sell. It was all very surreal and hard to explain. And as Natalie put it, it 'freaked us out".

**To leave the last gate, we were pushed and shoved through only to find two street vendors on each side of the opening with blazing hot barrels selling sweet potatoes sitting on top. It's amazing that someone did not get burned. These are my memories of the Summer Palace.

**The other family who had been there before said, "It's not supposed to be like this." The guide explained that the tourist spots were busy because of the upcoming holiday May Day. Busy was definitely an understatement.

**Between all the sights, we sat in never-ending traffic an hour to two hours at each interval. The cars, bikes, tour buses here don't believe in using lanes and just cut each other off every minute or two with just inches between them. It's really heart stopping to watch.

**So we were worn out at the end of that day. Therefore, that's why this post was belated. We had to go back and prepare to fly out and receive our baby the next morning. We were drained and exhausted.

**But as you see we made it here to Nanchang and Abigail was placed happily in our arms!

All is Well with Abigail!

 

Meet our happy baby Abigail!

An hour after arriving at our hotel in Nanchang, it was time to go get Abigail! The foster mother had made a special trip to bring her to the Civil Affairs Office herself, which means Abigail didn't go back to the orphanage before meeting the adoptive parents like most fostered babies. The foster mother even tucked a special note in Abigail's pocket so that we may contact her later. (I'd like to get some pictures from her of Abigail's first nine months of life.)

She had Abigail dressed in brand new clothes and had her hair pulled back in a barrette. It was obvious that Abigail was very well cared for and loved.

Abigail has been very content. She's already flashing a smile. She sat in a high chair at dinner without a cry. She was busy moving around Cheerios and Puffs and a napkin with which she seemed to try to wipe her mouth. She ate several bites of congee (thick rice soup), but is just sipping her bottle right now. She went to sleep in just a few minutes of me putting her down. The foster mother left information in a report that she liked the crib to be rocked or shaked a little when going to sleep. It worked like a charm!

The only time she fusses is when someone walks around the corner of our hotel room to the bathroom. At first it was just when Doug was out of sight. But now it appears that she wants all of us in the same room together, because she cries when Natalie and I leave the room, too. But then again, she never cried once when we got up to get our food at the dinner buffet.

Natalie likes making faces at the baby and trying to make her laugh. She is already adjusting to sisterhood. But after about 15 minutes after sitting around and admiring the baby, she said, "What are we going to do now?" We explained that this is kind of what you do with babies. She said she was already bored.

Bless her heart! Natalie has gotten used to a lot of activity here in China. Yesterday we toured the Great Wall, a Cloissone Factory, Summer Palace and a Jade Factory. We were sightseeing from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. We were slowed down literally by unbelievably huge crowds and horrendous traffic. I'll go into more detail later. Evidently lots of people are in Beijing for an upcoming holiday, May Day. Then we had to come home and repack for the next day.

I'll have to post our Great Wall pictures and experience in another post. Hopefully, tomorrow.

We are all over the moon with Abigail. We feel so blessed that she is so healthy -- did I mention her Michelin Man legs? Oh, and that I should have lifted weights before I came. She is a super chunk, or at least that's what Doug calls her.

My legs were already shaky from my limited climb up the Great Wall. Now my arms are, too, in just a few minutes of carrying her. She'll give me a daily workout!

Really, we couldn't be more lucky!

I want to say thank you to everyone who has e-mailed with support. It makes all the difference. I also need to explain that we can't see the blog or its comments from here in China because it is blocked. We e-mail our posts and pictures to the United States and they are added to the blog there. But we can read our home e-mail.

Once again, thank you to everyone. For now, you'll have to enjoy only pictures. But one day real soon, we'd like for you to meet her, too!!

Busy in Beijing

Quick impressions from a very busy day 2:

** Tomorrow we get young Abigail! Amazing. We have been sooo busy, it's easy to forget every now and again. But the big day is almost here.

** Yesterday was wild and tiring, but amazing. Shopping on a "walking street", toured Tiananmen Square and the vast, historic and crowded Forbidden City and then a quick stop at Olympic Village and Beijing Acrobats show, then home at 9 p.m. We ate a power bar each and collapsed.

** Our hotel is great. Breakfast bar is amazing. Many dishes labeled Muslim or non-Muslim. Chicken rings? No. But there is squid rings.

** Allison got physically dragged by a walking street clothing vendor after refusing a purchase.I looked around and saw this woman literally hanging onto Allison's arm and pulling her back. She was hollering "Doug ... help!!"

** Food on the walking street? How about live scorpions on a stick? Or locust larvae? Stewed tentacles? The locals seemed to be enjoying it. We passed.

** Natalie has been great. A real touring trooper. She sleeps on the bus, which is best, cause the traffic will scare the &&%$ out of you. I don't know how people survive driving in it.

** Natalie has already bonded with her "new best friend" Genna, the 10-year-old in our group. There is also a 5-year-old daughter with another family in our group, although they are going to another province.

** Natalie has been very engaged in our touring. She answered a hard question from guide about a Chinese statue and could tell the difference between chinese police and Chinese soldiers. (We get lots of looks, here in Beijing, by the way, from locals.You can tell they are curious about our family.)

** We are getting ready to go out for another full day.This time the Great Wall, the summer palace and a jade factory.

Tomorrow we fly to Nanchang in the morning and get Abigail in the p.m. We will try to post again, but the next time you hear from us Abbimae will likely be part of the gang.

We made it!

We are finally here!! Doug shares his calculations that we traveled 6,500 miles at an average of 550 mph on a route that took us over the Arctic Circle and across frozen Siberia. Did I mention that he kept saying that he would be glad when the flight was over?

Well, we made it through without a hitch! Natalie slept during take-off and landing on our 13 hour flight. She and I got about 4-5 hours of sleep on the plane while Doug's napping was more spotty.

Another bonus is that all of our luggage made the journey, too - while only 2 out of 3 of our travel companions' bags did! We hope their bags will make the same flight tomorrow. If not soon, we can share some baby clothes. Wish we could help with clothes for their 10-year-old daughter.

We ventured out of our hotel tonight. We could see Mickey D's arches across the way from our hotel window. We went underground to cross the street and then pointed and gestured inside to get our hot fries, Cokes and fish sandwiches. Natalie was thrilled to get a Happy Meal complete with a Chinese toy!

It seems we're not far from home in another way. Near the McDonalds, we stumbled across the Henderson Shopping Center, how ironic! Could it be a red thread?

Tomorrow we're off to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Olympic Village and a Chinese acrobat show, but not until 1:00. There's a walking street nearby that our guide Catherine encouraged us to explore! They say we're just a few blocks down from Tiananmen Square!

We're relieved to be off that never-ending flight, ready for some sleep and actually sleepy when we're supposed to be. Then it's off to take in the sights before we are united with Abigail on Sunday!

Abigail, here we come!

We're packed and ready -- which has been no easy feat in itself!! We have everything on the list for the baby and us and still under the 44 lb. weight limit! Anyone who knows how I pack heavy will realize what an accomplishment this is!

I feel a sense of calm now after many weeks of worry and 'what ifs'. I've been running through all the possible scenarios I can think of in my mind and then packing a remedy. Last go-around we were blissfully happy with no idea of the experience we had in store for us. This time being more aware has caused more anxiety. But we decided that we had to turn those concerns over to God. Doug says he'll just be glad when the plane is in the air to China!!

Last time we flew straight into Guangzhou and right back out! We didn't realize how easy of a trip that was back then! This time we'll have much more of an adventure with stops in Beijing, Nanchang and then Guangzhou!

So Abigail is coming home! Everytime I see that precious face I just want to go get her right then -- like Natalie who wanted to put her rocket shoes on! Well, now it's time, no rocket shoes needed!

Abigail, here we come!!