Panda Girl

For Halloween I wanted to find Violet a ladybug costume. After searching the second-hand stores with no luck, Tori found one at Walmart. It was more than I had wanted to pay, but did look cute. Then that very night I saw a panda bear costume at Value Village. We thought it might be a little big on Violet for this year but bought it for another time.

When we got home we tried both costumes on Violet. I realized that the ladybug would require turtleneck leggings and definitely a hat for our cold Canadian climate. (Yes, after some wonderfully warm days it SNOWED on Halloween.)

We thought the ladybug costume was very cute. Don't you just love the 'tude that Violet was sporting?!? She really seemed to love the costume. I think part of the reason was because it felt like a dance costume to her. (Tori had taken dance last year and performed "Hot Hot Hot" at the dance showcase with her class. Since then, Violet always says, "Hot Hot" when she feels like dancing!) So I knew that she thought it was a dancing outfit when she exclaimed "Hot Hot" after she looked in the mirror.

Then we tried the Panda costume on.

Oh.....

...what a cutie!

So...after much consideration I returned the ladybug costume and decided to go with the Panda for this year. Violet was a little upset when I carried the ladybug dress out to the van. "My Hot Hot!" she complained. (It almost made me take it back upstairs. Almost.) But I think it was a good choice. She made an adorable Panda Bear.

At the last minute...literally...Tori changed her costume idea so that she could be a tiger. I was wrapping black electrical tape around her rapid speed so we could head out the door.

Even I got in on the fun and had an elephant mask on. We agreed that my "ears" were small enough to pass as an Asian elephant.
So for Halloween we were all animals from Asia.

Some times great ideas come together at the last minute!

Update

Family Photo Shoot with Aunt Joni

Violet's Photo Shoot with Aunt Joni

Well, I've been asked if I ever update my blog and my answer has been - "Not yet". So here it goes.

Violet is doing tremendously well. She is speaking English great. Well, as great as a two-year old. Now that she is stringing a few words together it takes a bit more effort to understand everything. The first that I noticed her say several words together was when we were getting ready to leave the house - probably back in June. Tori can downstairs with a new pair of shoes on. Violet looked down at Tori's feet and said, "Oh, Tori. Nice shoes." Ah, a girl after my own heart!

When we first came home from China we noticed that Violet had a tendency to hit when she was upset. We were thankful that it didn't take long to teach her not to do that. The last week or so I've noticed that now when she is upset she hits herself. I'm trying to teach her that hitting is wrong - no matter who gets hit! Of course, she also will slap her herself on the face for amusement, too! She'll do it to try to get people to laugh. What a girl!

Violet is a go-getter, that's for sure. I haven't really noticed anything that she's afraid of. She meets all new things with such exuberance. I love it. Grampie and Grammie now have a spring-horse at their house. They had bought it for their oldest grandchild - who is now 17. Violet gets on that horse and really bounces!

Violet is also a great little swimmer. We bought a swimsuit that has a life-jacket built right in. The first few times in the pool, she'd hold on to your hands, but she didn't cling. Now she gets around like a pro! I highly recommend the swimsuit/life jacket to other parents. The only negative thing is that it is a little tricky to get off when it is wet. For a while it took two of us to undress her - one to pick her up and the other to pull off the swimsuit. I can do it now by myself, but Violet will still say, "Help me." when I start to take it off her. (That's what I had said before when I wanted someone to pick her up for me.)

Violet had all of her blood work completed. That was an episode. I used emla patches to make the blood work easier on her and it ended up making it harder. I guess she has tiny veins to begin with and the emla patches shrunk the veins even more. Well, at least it is over and done with now.

Violet received her permanent residency card the first week of July. We had to take pictures of her and Charlie together because they were both dressed in their Canada hats! Cute cousins.

Currently we're in the process of having her name legally changed - apparently it needs to be done before we can apply for citizenship in her Canadian name. Thankfully, it was not too expensive to do, but it was a bit of a run-around. Once we have her name change paperwork we'll be applying for Canadian citizenship for her. We've already got the forms - just need to get her pictures done for it. So it will be sent in right away.

Since it has been so many months since my last update, I really could go on and on with stories. But they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I'll just post pictures for you to enjoy.

Picking flowers from the garden - May 2010

Violet's dedication at church - May 30

Vacation in Prince Edward Island June 2010

First Canada Day Celebrations - July 1, 2010

Easter Time

Sweet Girl
Tori & Violet with Matching Easter Outfits

We had a beautiful Easter. The weather was fabulous - best Easter weather I can ever remember having in New Brunswick!

We started off the celebrations with a family cook-out on Good Friday. My whole family was there, plus good friends of ours arrived from Quebec just in time for the outing. Violet loved the Easter egg hunt that we had.

On Saturday Roger, Violet and I took 4 girls to town for some shopping. We actually dropped them off at the mall and then we looked for a fridge since ours seems to be on its last legs.

On Sunday we went to church and the girls looked adorable in their matching outfits (Tori's was a skirt and Violet's was a dress). They were a big hit. Then it was Easter "brunch" at the church. Home to Grammie's to say "Goodbye" to the Maltais family. Violet had her first cone of ice cream. We watched as Tori went for a boat ride with DJ and Grampie. Violet looked like she wanted to join them, so Grampie let her in the boat after they had "docked". The small size life jackets are here at our house. We need to take one for our next visit so Violet gets to go for a ride, too, before the flood water recedes.

Sunday night we went to the community Easter concert that my sister was singing in. Violet was very friendly and greeted all her neighbours. Then it was home for another Easter egg hunt. Our girl sure loves chocolate.

Settling In

We all seem to be adjusting okay to home life here.

On Friday we made a quick trip to town - to pick up some groceries and for Roger to take paperwork in for his parental leave. Violet did exceptionally well in the car seat. I'm very happy about that.

We had company stop by Friday evening. My sister, Jolie, and her kids were here for a bit. My nephew, DJ, stayed for the evening. We were eating supper when they arrived and Violet was quite shy. She held her head very low. They waiting in the livingroom while we finished eating. Then my brother, Dave, and his family came. Violet warmed up to DJ and Charlie and got down on the floor playing with them and Tori. My biggest surprise of the night was when Violet gave Aunti Joni a goodbye kiss. It was so sweet!

DJ and Violet had a bath together and there was lots of splashing and lots of laughter. It was so cute when DJ was prompting her to say words and then exclaimed, "I should have brought some M&Ms!" When the girls came back after youth group Violet played shy again by holding her hands over her eyes. She fell asleep on my lap like that.

Then she was awake from midnight to 4 am. Thankfully, she was able to fall back to sleep. Around 2:30 Roger got up to put some wood in the fire, Violet saw the glow of the cell-phone as it was charging on the nightstand. She picked it up and held it to her ear and started jabbering away. When Roger came back up she was sitting on the bed using the nightstand as a table. She had a hand full of business cards and it looked like she was dealing them out. Roger commented, "She looks like a card shark." I told him to just wait, she'd soon call in her bet. And sure enough, she picked up the cellphone and talked away on it.

Saturday was my dad's 70th birthday. We went to their place for a party. Violet was quite quiet to begin with, but then warmed up to everyone. She even fed Aunty Jan raisins. She loved playing with Lindsay, Candice and Grammie with the coloring book and stickers. She fell asleep before we left. She woke up when we put her in the car seat and cried for a bit. Then fell back to sleep. She stayed asleep when we got home and I held her on the couch. My cousin popped in for a quick visit. Violet stayed asleep. She slept through my supper preparations, but we decided we'd better wake her up so her nighttime sleep wouldn't be messed up. That didn't go very well. She cried as I put her in the high chair. I thought she would stop when I held her, but she didn't. I ended up taking her upstairs on the bed (so she wouldn't hurt herself when she thrashed) and she cried (aka - screamed) for at least 45 minutes. I tried holding her, laying her down, rubbing her back...nothing seemed to soothe her. When Roger came up he said, "It almost sounds like she's saying "Pick me up"." So I picked her up again and she stopped crying. She was laying there with her eyes closed and Roger lightly kissed her on the head. She started screaming again. Within a few more minutes she had calmed down enough to sleep. That was around 7:30 pm. It is now quarter to 3 in the morning, and she's still sleeping. I had to get up and get something to eat since I missed supper! Now, I'm heading back to bed to see if I can get back to sleep. Good night, everyone.

Home again

Ah...it is good to be home.

We left the hotel in Beijing at noon on the 25th. Our guide then took us to the Pearl Market. It was similar in fashion to the silk market, only on a much smaller scale. The top floor was "authentic and guaranteed" pearls. Very expensive. There were pictures of presidents and first ladies from around the world that shopped there. The other levels had a variety of goods - jewelry, clothes, purses, electronics, etc. I was able to get a camera battery for my camera and I bought a purple purse Dolce & Gabana (sp?) that I'll probably use as a "trendy" diaper bag.

Then we went to a Chinese pharmacy for a lecture on Chinese medicine. They offered us a free health inspection. I wasn't going to do it, but then when the doctor was commenting on chest pains, back pains, internal body temperature (just by checking the patients' pulse and looking at their tongue) I thought maybe if he checks my pulse and looks at my tongue he can give me a Chinese prescription for ingrown toenails! But, no luck. My diagnosis...I'm overweight. And I bet he really didn't need to look at my tongue or take my pulse to determine that! I opted not to get the pills that they offered. :P

Then it was off to the airport. We arrived quite early, but it was good that we did because it took us a long time to check in.

Violet was awake for the first three of hours on the flight. I tried to get her to fall asleep, but it wasn't working. So I tried a little trick. I got Roger to come sit beside her while I went to the bathroom. She started crying even before I left and I could hear her the whole time I was gone (not long). But when I came back she snuggled in and fell right to sleep. (The mean part is that I didn't really NEED to use the washroom.) She then slept for the next 7 hours of the flight and was awake for the last two. She didn't really cry at all and was charming the passengers around us.

Then in Toronto we got through Custons and Immigration. We had to rush to make our connecting flight to Fredericton, but we did it. (Not without some hassle at the security check when Roger forgot his briefcase and had to rush back to find it and go through a huge extra security check.)

Violet slept through the take off and most of the flight. She woke up after we got back on the ground. Family was waiting to meet us at the airport and it was SO good to see everyone. Violet was quite quiet.

Then we were on our way home - with a quick stop for supper at McDonalds. Violet likes McDonalds fries.

When we got home we discovered that Violet DOES NOT like our cat. This morning was even worse. Violet SCREAMS if the cat comes near her. But other than that she is settling in well. We were all able to get some sleep last night.

Wednesday

My grown-up China doll

My baby China doll

Last Update?

I'm thinking that this will be my last blog entry from China. Today we are spending the rest of the day at the hotel - probably a visit to the pool later on. Tomorrow we will check out at noon. Then go to a couple of markets and a Chinese pharmacy for a lecture on Chinese medicine. That will give us something to do to fill the time until we have to be at the airport. Our flight leaves Beijing at 6:50 pm - that would be 7:50 am Atlantic Time. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at the Fredericton airport at 11:59 pm. Roger says that anyone who is interested in being up at midnight and would like to see us arrive home is welcome to come.

This morning we went to the Silk Market here in Beijing. It used to be an open air market, but with the Olympics in 2008 they put it into a building.There were 7 floors...that we know off. The stores were similar in size to what you would see at an exhibition for a booth. They were probably only 7 feet wide by 9 feet deep (some were bigger). And the aisle was quite narrow. We were not able to walk 3 side by side. Roger was pushing Violet in her stroller and I was holding her hand. Tori walked behind me.

Ray gave us some advice before we arrived. He said that there were three prices - the sticker price, the price they would settle for for foreigners and the price they would settle for for Chinese people. He said that whatever price they quoted first to offer 50 to 75% less than that. Never pay more than 50% than what they quote. I remember my days in Africa and bartering. I had loved it. So I was ready to see if I still had the "gift".

My first purchase I was quoted 400 RMB. I paid 40 for it. :D I still had the touch. The trick is to walk away.

As you are walking down the aisles the merchants are calling out to you. Tori said that she prefers shopping at the mall over the silk market.

My favourite quote of the day was when a merchant said to Roger, "I can see that your wife likes a bargain." Oh, baby, if that ain't the truth!

We were able to get some Chinese style clothing for Roger and myself. Tori got a very pretty silk shirt. And we got a few clothing articles for Violet, too. But it wasn't all traditional clothing. There was a lot of brand name clothing - like Columbia jackets. I'm not big on brand names, so I didn't even recognize a lot of them.

Tori was thinking that I should have blinders on.

When we were finished we didn't see Ray and Fiona. So we decided to head back on our own. The thing I was most nervous about was crossing the streets. But, obviously, we made it back!

Thank you everyone for your support on this amazing journey of ours. We are so pleased that we will soon be home with our family complete. We'd appreciate your prayers for a safe journey home and that we'll all be able to rest on the flight. See you soon!

More Pictures

Peking Duck Meal

In the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace

Pictures

Pictures: Tori at the Summer Palace

Violet wearing Daddy's Hat

Tiananmen Square

Roger & Tori at the Temple of Heaven

Tuesday

Today I woke up feeling fine! Hooray!!!

We thought we were going to have a short day touring, but it actually was quite long. So I'm glad I was feeling fine.

We started by going to Tiananmen Square. It is the largest city square in the world. It also contains their parliament so we got to see that today. The square had tight security. We had to go through a security check before we entered (scanned bags, etc) however, Tingting told us to just keep going. She put her bag up but told us we didn't have to. There were video cameras everywhere. Tingting told us there were undercover police officers everywhere, too. Ray was nervous about opening his backpack and taking out his thermos to make up Logan's bottle. Tingting stood beside him and said she would explain if anyone questioned him.

Then we went to a pearl factory. These were freshwater pearls taken from oysters from Kunming Lake from the Summer Palace. Ainsleigh netted an oyster out of a pond and we guessed how many pearls were in it. Can you believe 26 pearls? Tori and Ainsleigh each got to keep one of the pearls out of the oyster that they opened for us.

Then we went to the Summer Palace. We actually walked in a corridor that is in the Guinness Book of World Records. The corridor at the Summer Palace is the longest in the world. So today we were in two of the "world's largest" places. (city square and corridor)

On our way to our dinner (which is now in the mid-afternoon) we passed by the Olympic Stadium. That was cool to see.

Then it was to the restaurant for our Peking Duck meal. I thought it tasted like chicken, but Roger didn't really. Violet didn't like it. She would spit it out of her mouth - even if there was other food in there - she would only spit out the duck. They just kept bringing dishes of food, and more food and more food! And I was eating very lite because I wanted to take it easy on my stomach.

Now we're back at the hotel for a relaxing evening. Tori wants to go swimming. Since we had a late lunch I imagine we'll only have snacks for supper. Tomorrow we'll going to go with the Chongs to the Silk Market. Since they haven't been buying souvenirs hardly at all (waiting for the silk market) I hope to find some good deals there!

Tuesday - early morning

Tuesday early morning

It is 5:30 am Tuesday morning and this is the latest that I've slept since arriving in China. The pharmacist said that the nighttime cold medication they got for me would help me sleep. I can't really attribute my good rest to that, however, since I fell asleep before taking one last night.

So the good news is that my stomach is not upset this morning and I don't think I have a fever. (I'm not going to search in the dark to look for the thermometer to check.) Everyone else is still sleeping.

Yesterday I wasn't sure if I would be leaving the hotel again until it was time to head for Canada. That was how bad I felt. But today is a new day. I also discovered that staying in our hotel room with a two year old, really isn't the most "restful" experience.

Yesterday Roger and Tori went to the Temple of Heaven in the afternoon and Violet and I stayed at the hotel. Thankfully I was able to get a little nap in before they left, because I certainly didn't have opportunity when they were gone. Violet is a typical two year old and loves to explore and play with things. Like the telephone on the bedside table. Thankfully I caught her before she placed any calls. But there was once I wondered if front desk would ring the room to see if I needed assistance making a call! She also likes to eat, but only seems to have good manners when she is sitting in a high chair. Otherwise the food seems to go everywhere. She is quite entertaining, though. And she learns very quickly. For example, whenever she saw the thermometer yesterday she would pick it up and hold it to her ear. I didn't take my temperature that much, so she caught on very quickly how it is supposed to be used. The other action of mine that she copied was whenever she passed the garbage can by my side of the bed she would lean over it, cough, and then spit. I don't think any explanation is necessary for what she was mimicing then.

When Roger and Tori got back from the Temple of Heaven they said Tingting was waiting for them downstairs and she was going to take them to pick up some food. The hotel food here is not the same as in Fuzhou. Nothing to really appeal to a sick Westerner. I thought maybe Tori would stay with Violet and me, but she wanted to go with Roger. Can you believe it? She WANTED to go shopping.

Before she left she gave Violet her birthday card that plays "Bibbity Bobbity Boo". Roger figured they would be about 1/2 an hour and then they would be back. Well, for 1/2 an hour Violet and I laid in bed and listened to Bibbity Bobbity Boo. I tried to teach her to say "More" for when she wanted to hear it again. But instead she would sit up and slap the card. (I showed her that you need to press on the button to make it play.) We were both getting sleepy and soon the slaps were less forceful. I played it a couple of more times and we both fell asleep. I'm not sure if how much longer it was until Roger and Tori came back.

Roger got some soup for me and noodles for the rest of them. The soup tasted delicious and I was able to keep it down. Hooray! Violet is like her sister and really enjoys the ramen noodles.

Today we are to meet Tingting in the hotel lobby at 9 am. We will be going to Tiananmen Square and the Summer Palace. Lunch will be Peking Duck. I believe I will go today. We will be able to use the stroller, I hope. Which means I don't need to carry Violet - just walk beside her holding her hand. (That is the only way we can pacify her to stay in the stroller.) And, as I discovered yesterday, I don't get much rest staying at the hotel. I'll take my medication for my stomach with me - just in case I need it.

Even though I probably won't eat much (taking it easy on the stomach) I do want to try the Peking Duck. Tingting told us that to be a hero there are two things you must do - climb the Great Wall and eat Peking Duck.

After we get back to the hotel this afternoon I'll send some pictures and let you know how the day went.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. I know that it was only by God's strength that I was able to get through our appointments yesterday. I'm glad today is looking much better.

Hi from Roger

Our Monday is almost done. My girls are all fast asleep its 10:00 pm here. Patti is feeling a bit better. She ate a little soup tonight. Tori and I went shopping at a "small" store which turned out to be a little smaller then the Superstore in Oromocto. It's not a long walk and the prices were ok too. We bought soup and noodles along with some other snack foods and drinks. Oh and water - no one here drinks the tap water not even the locals. It's not safe.

Tomorrow is our last tour day. We go to Tian'an Men Square and the Summer Palace. We will also be having Peking Duck for lunch. This will complete our second half of our becoming heroes. An old leader of China had stated that if you climbed on the Great Wall and eat Peking Duck you were a hero. The wall was hard on my legs so I'm hoping the duck dinner is easy on my stomach.

Wednesday we are going to the "silk market." I guess it's quite a bargain shopping area.
Our guide will pick up our final paperwork to bring Violet home, and then we pack and get ready for our 16+ hours of flying....but according to my watch it'll only be 5 or 6 hours....got to love the International Date Line.

Well better get to bed now thanks again for the prayers for Patti, I know God has been at work for us and I've seen it again today!

Monday

Okay, so here's how things have gone today:

I woke up around 3 am sick to my stomach. When I was getting Violet to fall asleep last night I was starting to feel sick. I tried not to think about it and thankfully was able to get some sleep. Violet slept with us again last night as she has the last few nights. I took my temperature at 3 am and it was up around 100.6. So I took 2 ibuprofen. Didn't sleep anymore until about 5. Was quite sick to my stomach again and Roger found me some gravol. Slept a little then.

When it was time to get up for the day I said to Roger, "How am I going to do this today?" He replied, "You're not, God is going to do it for you." And He did.

Roger and Tori went for a quick breakfast. Violet and I stayed in the room. We still had a form to fill out for Violet's permanent residency. So I did that. Violet walked down with us to the lobby so that I didn't have to carry her. It wasn't a long drive to the place where we went to get visa pictures taken for Violet. I felt so weak. Thankfully I found the strength to carry her. But I felt like I could fall asleep at any moment. My stomach was still rolling a little - but I wasn't sick.

After pictures we walked across the road to the S.O.S. International Clinic where Violet was getting her medical done. Violet went before Logan. She weighs 9.6 kg. She is 79 cm tall and her head circumference is 45 cm. When the doctor checked her over he said his only concern was that she was below the percentile for her size according to her weight.

Then we asked him about my symptoms. He said it sounds like a stomach flu. He suggested that I take rehydration salts. He directed us to the pharmacy on the first floor and said the pharmacist would be able to tell us which medications would work the best for me.
Roger ended up picking up rehydration salts, cold medication and adult pepto bismal. I took a pepto tablet at the clinic before we left. The doctor explained that my weaknesses and tiredness was most likely due to the gravol that I had taken. (3 since 5 am that morning) We were actually at the clinic quite a long time as Logan's appointment took longer since he hadn't been seen by a doctor at his orphanage.

Then we went to the Canadian embassy to get the kids stuff for coming to Canada. That took a while too - and we had to stand the whole time.

I'm doing okay now, but I plan to take it easy. If I don't feel like going out now I don't have to. All the paperwork is done and we signed a form to allow Tingting to act as our representative and pick up our paperwork on Wednesday.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. The way I felt today I know it was only by God's help that I made it through the morning. The doctor figures that it is the flu because I haven't had diarrhea with it. He said if I'm not better by Wednesday to come back to the clinic - but this way it saves us the cost of an examination (since he felt it wasn't really necessary). His best advice - rest. That's what I'm planning to do!

The Jade Factory
Pretending to eat while waiting for our meal

The Great Wall

Great Wall - Great Day

Great Wall - Great Day

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. After a feverish night I enjoyed a day with no fever and no stomach problems. Thank You, God!

After a very quick breakfast, we were slow moving this morning, we met up with Tingting in the lobby. Roger had to take 2 extra trips back to our room. The first was for his hat. Then as we were getting on the bus I realized that I hadn't gotten the snuggly. So back he went again.

On the way to the Great Wall - over an hour's drive, we stopped at a jade factory. We were given a special discount - 35% off anything we bought - because we were adopting a Chinese baby. We bought two things there.

Then it was on to the Great Wall. During the trip Tingting gave us a lot of information about it's history and other tidbits about China.

I was nervous about the climb, especially since I had to carry Violet and just recovering from whatever I had had the night before. The first part that we walked was sloped, not steps. Then the steps began. It wasn't easy. Roger took some pictures of the steps, but the ones that he got were the short ones. Some steps were almost to my knees. A lot of the way had a railing (I'm sure not original :) so that helped. I had many people say things like, "You are very strong" and the like when they saw me climbing with Violet. We hadn't gone too far when I knew that I needed to take it easy. Going down was even worse than going up - for me at least. Wearing the snuggly made it so that I couldn't see my feet. Tori and Roger went ahead of me and warned me of "dangers" like puddles, steep steps, drainage troughs, etc.

Tori decided to stay with me while Roger started to climb again. I am so proud of how far he got. He went to the second tower up. Quite a feat.

We stopped at a Chinese restaurant on the way home. I didn't eat much, even though the food was very good, because I wanted to take it easy on my stomach.

Then it was home to the hotel. I was happy to get back to our room and take it easy. But I had to wait until after we went for a swim. Tori was pleased to be back at a hotel with a pool. Violet loved swimming, which we were expecting since she loves bathtime. She was not so fond of the swimming cap. But after she got in the water she forgot about it.

Tomorrow we go and get Violet's pictures for her visa and permanent residency. She gets her medical. We also go to the Canadian Embassy and apply for her visa. It will be a very important day.

We plan to go to The Temple of Heaven tomorrow afternoon. We are going to get a calligraphy scroll done for Violet. It will be done by a descendant of the Emporer's Family.

Back in Beijing

Back in Beijing

Saturday proved to be a very interesting day. When we got up Roger checked the weather in Beijing on the computer and it said that they were experiencing a dust storm. I thought please don't let our flight be delayed again!

When we went for breakfast Roger got me my usual – Violet and I sit at the table while the other two go through the buffet. About 5 bites into my meal I said I can't eat anymore. I did drink my two glasses of juice.

After we got back to the hotel room I was sick. I felt some better afterwards. We left the hotel about 9:30 am. The drive to the airport seemed very long. I was feeling sick again. (It was about an hour's drive.) Isabel helped us check in and then we went through security. Our departure gate was right through security so I didn't have to walk far. The restroom was very close, too. I took Violet to the restroom and changed her diaper. I was sick again.

Those of you who know me well, know that I am sick very easily. I think it is how my body conditioned itself back when I was young. I was lactose intolerant and when I felt sick I threw up. Then I felt better because what was causing the problem was now out of my system. And my body continues to do that through the years – if I have a headache I throw up. So I didn't worry too much about being sick. I wondered if it had anything to do with my sinuses draining. I thought perhaps that was what was making my stomach upset.

As we sat in the departure area we could see outside. We could see that there was no plane at our gate. And I thought, "Not again." We wondered if it was late arriving because of the dust storm in Beijing.

We were scheduled to begin boarding at 11:30 – still no plane. I saw that people were beginning to line up to board. Ray commented, "Can't they see there's no plane yet?" But then to our amazement the ticket agents were starting to send them through. They didn't go to gate 7, but walked down to another gate. So we gathered up our kids and belongings and went and stood in line.

We asked the flight attendants if I could hold Violet, or if she needed to be buckled in her seat – since she had her own seat and was over 2 years old. I still didn't think that was as safe for her since she is so small. Our seats were 19 C, D, E, F. We put Roger across the aisle from us. Then I sat on the aisle holding Violet and Tori had the window. Before we took off the flight attendant asked me to move to the middle seat, she said it was safer. Probably just because people walking the aisle might bump Violet's legs or arms. So now our aisle seat was empty.

I snuggled Violet in as the plane began to move out on the tarmac and she fell asleep within moments. So the take-off didn't bother her at all. She slept for over an hour.

About 10 or 15 minutes into the flight my stomach started bothering me again. I montioned to Roger and he came and sat beside me. I just knew I was going to be sick. And I was. I have never thrown up on a plane before. At first I was embarrassed that people might hear me, and then I just didn't care. When I mentioned it to our friends after we got off the plane, she said that they didn't hear me. They were seven rows ahead of us.

We got to Beijing okay, Violet cried during the descent. But once we touched down she was okay. I was sick one more time in the Beijing airport before we collected our luggage.

We had no problems getting our luggage. Our guide, Tingting, was waiting for us. After a bit of manuevering we got to our bus and were headed back to the hotel. Tingting told us that we were lucky we didn't fly in in the morning as the dust storm was very bad. She said people weren't venturing outside because the dust would coat them and make it very hard to breathe.

I made out okay on the ride to the hotel. While we waited to check in I realized that my stomach seemed to be settling and now I was just tired. And hot. The hotel seemed so hot.

We got a pleasant surprise when we got to our room – besides the faint smoky smell – the room is way bigger than what we had here before. We have a suite. Our bed is queen size. Tori has a full size twin bed (not just a cot) with good mattresses. The sitting area has a couch and two chairs and an coffee table. AND WE HAVE A FRIDGE! Hooray!

I wanted a cool shower right away. But once I got in the tub the water seemed too cold, so I decided a warm shower might help soothe my muscles – from carrying Violet in her snuggly.

I didn't feel up to eating supper. Roger and Tori went to the hotel restaurant and Violet and I stayed in our room. (Violet won't go without me.) I wanted something easy on my stomach so that it wouldn't revolt again. So I had a banana. Violet ended up eating most of it. (Which surprised me, since every other time we tried to give her banana she wouldn't eat it – would just spit it out.)

After supper I took my temperature. I had a very slight fever – 99.1. When Roger and Tori got back they found Violet and I sleeping in bed. I asked Roger to find some fever meds for me, so that it wouldn't get worse. Took my temperature again. This time it was 100.8. Took some medication and drank some ginger ale that they brought back for me.

Violet ended up sleeping with us all night. Around 3 am, both of us were awake. I wanted to take another dose of medication – just to keep on top of things. I was feeling some better, so I was surprised when my temperature was 101.5. Took more medication. Roger filled up Violet's cup and she drank some water. I drank a whole bottle. I want to keep hydrated.

It is now 6:30 am. When I woke up I felt a lot better. I took my temperature and it was back to normal range – 98.2!! Please pray that it stays down. Today is a big day – we visit the Great Wall. I want to enjoy it. I'll also need my strength because I'll be carrying Violet.

I'll post pictures when we get back from our tour. We leave in two hours.

Oh, and we had a blessing when we checked out in Fuzhou. I told Roger how much our internet service charges should be. When he was completing the check-out they said, "No internet." But Roger explained that we did have internet. So they explained, "No charge for internet – free."

What a blessing!

Saying Goodbye to Fuzhou

Saying Goodbye to Fuzhou

First off, thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. It certainly was a birthday to remember. Despite my cold I had a lovely day. When Tori woke up she gave me a birthday card from the kids at school. I was so pleased. And surprised. I asked her how she managed to get that here without me ever seeing it. Clever girl.

Actually the morning started off a little rough. Violet was awake early and then when Tori got up Violet was a little cranky. Which made Tori a little cranky. And I thought, "Happy Birthday to me!" But they just needed some time and then the day improved.

We didn't have any appointments in the morning so we took a walk in a park located behind the hotel. There were beautiful flowers and fish ponds. Then we came to the front of the hotel and went for a walk around West Lake. Violet fell asleep soon after we started that walk and Roger spent most of the walk pushing the stroller on its back two wheels so Violet's head wouldn't flop forward. He's such a good daddy.

We ate snack food for lunch - we have plenty of it here in our room. The hard part is controlling Violet while she eats. It is much easier when she is in a high chair. I'm embarraseed everytime housekeeping makes up our room at how messy it is. Right now there are cracker crumbs right outside the bathroom door. Violet loves transferring things from one container to another, and it is unavoidable for things to end up on the floor.

We needed to meet in the lobby for 2:30 pm to go pick up Violet's passport. We debated amongst ourselves if it should be earlier...we wondered if the appointment was actually 2:30. A little after 2 there was a soft knock on our door. It was our guide, Isabel. I said, 'Oh, are we late?" But that wasn't the case. She had some paperwork for us. She also had a birthday present for me! She is so thoughtful. Isabel was impressed with how Violet is "jabbering" away.

We picked up the passports at the police station. We had to wait outside until it was cleared for us to enter. At the top of the stairs into the building there was like a little waiting room...with leather couches even. It was under the roof, so it was cooler. Isabel made a comment about waiting and Roger said, "Oh, if someone wearing a gun tells me to wait, I'm fine with that!" Isabel added, "Especially in China."

We had to show adoption paperwork and our passports in order to pick up Violet's passport. When one of the police officers was looking at Violet's pictures he kept looking at the picture and then at her. At one point it was like he said, "Are you sure this is the right child?" And my heart started quaking!!! But then he looked at me and said, "She is very beautiful." There were no problems.

After the police station we stopped at the supermarket. The daddys went inside with Isabel and the mommys and kids stayed in the bus. When they got back on the bus Roger gave me another birthday gift - a box of chocolates. Yum! I haven't opened them yet, but I'm sure they are delicious.

Violet fell asleep in my arms on the way back to the hotel. In her snuggly - which she loves. Oh, I forgot to mention this little story. When we were getting ready to leave for the police station Violet grabbed her snuggly off the dresser and carried it over to the bed and laid it down. Then she got up on the bed. It was obvious that she wanted in her snuggly. It was so cute. I had wondered how we would manage with the language barrier, but she is doing fabulously at making her wishes known to us. Yesterday I was putting on lip gloss in the bathroom and she was watching me. She held up her hand to me and said, "I-E-I-E-I-E!" We've figured out that she says that whenever she wants something. Isabel said, "I-E" is nanny. So Violet must have said "Nanny" to get what she wanted at the orphanage. So I bent down and put a little lip gloss on her lips. Then, are you ready for this? - she rubbed her lips together. Oh...my...land! It was so cute!

We went to the restaurant here in the hotel for my birthday supper. I wore my jade necklace that Roger and Tori had bought for me the day before. It is a tiger pendant. I was born in the year of the tiger. So was Tori. She got a smaller necklace, too. Violet has joined our family in the year of the tiger!

We got to the restaurant about 5:10. The buffet didn't start until 5:30, so we took our seats and waited. Then when it opened we walked around the buffet to see if there was anything we wanted. Believe me, there wasn't! Squid, full fish head included, prawns, a lot of sushi and much more. We decided to order from the menu. Thankfully it didn't take too long to receive our meals. But Violet was getting a little put out from sitting so long and not having any real food! (She kept throwing her raisins and cheerios on the floor. She kept throwing everything on the floor!) It was very fancy, and the waiter even came and placed the napkins on our laps. Roger said that he was thankful that he saw him do it to me first, otherwise he might have clocked him! Then he took Violet's napkin and wrapped it around her neck like a bib. A bit later it started to come off and he re-wrapped it. I said to Violet, "Can you say thank you?" And the waiter, Clarence, said, "She speaks?!?" He didn't realize that she was two. The waiting staff always seem to get a kick out of how she feeds herself. I feel like a negligent parent, but she has a fit if I try to feed her. So I just pass her the spoon and she feeds herself. Oh, she didn't have a problem when I gave her some of my soup last night. She ate from me then.

When we got back to the hotel we started packing up everything. Then it was bath time and off to bed.

Our flight leaves Fuzhou at 12:05 pm. We'll leave the hotel at 9:30 am. It is a 2 1/2 hour flight to Beijing. Hopefully there are no delays this time!!!

I'm kind of sad about leaving Fuzhou. There are some things I will miss.

I will miss the beautiful scenery outside the hotel. It is right on the lakefront and there is a beautiful walking trail that we've used - I think everyday.

I will miss the delicious breakfasts at the hotel. Very good.

I will miss Michelle from guest services. Whenever we entered the lobby, if she was on duty, she would come and talk to us. Very friendly. And she got us extra blankets and pillows. :D

I will miss our king size bed. Back in Beijing it is a twin size.

I will miss the mini fridge in our room. It has been wonderful having cold water to drink. Our room in Beijing didn't have a fridge.

I will miss the beautiful weather. No explanation needed for that!

But most of all, I believe I will miss Isabel, our guide. This has been one of the most important weeks of our lives and she has been so helpful to make everything go smoothly. She said it is easy when she has families as easy going as the two of ours. She wishes all her families were as flexible as we are. There will always be a special place in my heart for Isabel.

Well, the day is moving forward so I should get prepared for it.

No worries. We will have internet in Beijing, too! Talk to you again soon.

Big Smiles

A 2 hour stroller ride

Thanks Dada for the money...is it real?

Shopping
Snuggling on the bus

Our hotel

Chinese Tea Ceremony