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

Leisurely Day

Today was another leisurely day. We started off by going souvenior shopping. I got a few things. Tori and Roger bought me a birthday present.
Then we went to a tea ceremony. We got to taste four different kinds of tea. I didn't enjoy any of them. Tori enjoyed the jasmine tea the best.
Then it was back to the hotel for a light lunch. Violet was being quite rambunctious and I figured it was time to settle down for a nap. I picked her up and snuggled her in close. Within 2 minutes she was asleep - just from being held. I have NEVER seen a child go to sleep that fast from being so active - and by someone else's accord.
We went for a walk in the park this afternoon. Violet was a good girl and stayed in the stroller with no problems. I was very proud of her.
It was a beautiful day today with temperatures around 23 degrees Celcius. It was gorgeous. Tori is wishing the pool here at the hotel would be in commission. But it is an outdoor pool and it is not ready for the season yet.
We plan to either go out for Chinese or have take out if the restaurant is smoky. There is a lot of cigarette smoking here in China.
At some point I should start thinking about packing up the hotel room. Our flight leaves for Beijing on Saturday. And I really don't want to spend my birthday packing up our room. :P
We discovered today that Tori and I were both born in the year of the tiger. Also, Violet joined our family in the year of the tiger. Pretty cool.
Right now Violet is sitting under the desk drawing on paper.
She started saying some words today, "Mama, Dada, Tora, Apple, Up." It is amazing how M&Ms can persuade someone to try to talk! Roger picked up some mini M&M containers yesterday. Violet has carried hers around all day today. She's looking like she needs a snuggle now, so time to say goodbye!

Discovering Sunglasses

More photos

Visiting a Buddist Temple and Going to Breakfast

Restaurants and Temples

Happy St Patrick's Day, everyone.

Last evening our two families walked to a restaurant that Isabel told us about fairly close to our hotel. I tried out our snuggly for Violet and it was much more comfortable for me and she enjoyed it, too!

When we got to the restaurant location we had to cross the street. It was about 5 pm. I noticed traffic cops located on three of the corners so that gave me an added sense of security. And there were "walk lights" for the pedestrians. Once the light turned green we started across the street. Ray exclaimed, "Watch out!" There was a motorcycle/scooter that did not stop and continued towards us, weaving amongst the people. We have concluded that there must be a different set of rules for them!

The location for the restaurant was not easy to find. Isabel had told Ray that it was on the 4^th floor (there has been so much discussion about it since, that I'm getting confused what floor it actually was supposed to be on). We took the elevator to the fourth floor and it looked like an office workplace. So we went to the 5^th floor. Before the doors closed some workers looked like they were going to attempt joining us on the elevator, but we told them we were going up. Nothing on the 5^th floor so we hit the sixth floor button. Then, instead of going to the sixth floor the doors opened on the fourth floor to an even bigger crowd waiting for the elevator. We tried again. When the doors opened again on the fourth floor a lady, to me it looked like in exasperation, got on the elevator with us. It surprised me when she pushed the 2^nd floor button. I had assumed she was on her way home and wanted the ground floor. When the doors opened on the second floor we could see that it was a restaurant! We thanked the lady and got off the elevator.

We received a private "room" at the restaurant. Our babies got highchairs. The difficulty came in ordering. Thankfully Isabel had made a "cheat sheet" for us the day before. But we couldn't get them to understand white rice (for our older girls). So Ray pointed to the kitchen and they allowed him to go right in and point out what he wanted.

The food came in spurts. One dish would arrive, then another. The problem was that the white rice and the beef that Ray was looking so forward to never showed up! He tried to ask about the white rice and soon a waiter arrived with another serving of fried rice. He tried to put it back on the serving tray but the waiter wouldn't let him. The waiter left and soon another came. He asked in broken English what he could do. Ray explained that we wanted white rice. So he took the third plate of fried rice and left. After a while some white rice arrived. Ainsleigh had had a headache and had fallen asleep, so she wasn't eating the rice. Tori tried some and didn't like. See, she's used to having soya sauce and it was not palatable at all for her.

The restaurant also had a distinct odor. I kept trying to place it, but was coming up blank. It wasn't the most pleasant of odors. About halfway through the meal Tori asked me, "Do you smell dog?" And that is when I realized the scent resembled wet dog. Not the most appetizing of scents during mealtime.

Violet, however, made up for Tori's and my lack of enthusiasm for the meal. I had forgotten her spoon and started to feed her with chopsticks. She didn't like that at all. So we just set a bowl of fried rice in front of her and she ate with her hand. She would scoop up the rice with gusto and shovel it in. Then she would shake her hand to dislodge any rice that was remaining. (She doesn't like having sticky fingers.) Then she would repeat the procedure. She ate a lot! To me it reminded me of gorging tendencies. But it was hilarious to watch.

I think we were all quite ready to leave by the time Tori's white rice arrived. As we were leaving Ray joked (I hope he was joking) there are still some more pictures on the menu for things we haven't tried, so we'll go back tomorrow!

Once we got back to the hotel the girls had a bath. I didn't have any bath toys with us, so I gave her two spoons to play with in the tub (the ones that I forgot to take to the restaurant). Tori warned me, "Mom, when you see her put both spoons in one hand look out." No sooner had Tori said it then she took one of the spoons and put it under her arm, freeing up her right hand. Her right hand hit the water so hard that it made a huge splash. We squealed and she laughed. It was grand fun. When it came time to wash Violet's hair I tried to prevent the water from running down her face. She didn't make it easy, though, since she pulled her chin right down to her chest. So after the first attempt I just let the water run. She looked up with the biggest grin on her face. That must be how she is used to washing her hair!

She almost fell asleep in my arms while I still had her wrapped in a towel. She falls asleep so easily. When Tori came out of the bathroom she crawled into her cot and I asked, "Are you really going to go to sleep this early." She said yes, she was that tired. It was about 8 pm. Roger and I weren't that long behind her, I guess we were all tuckered out from our day's excursions.

I was awake around midnight with stomach issues. Thankfully they passed by morning, but they didn't allow any more sleep for me.

This morning we tried to do a live chat with my family at my niece's birthday party. But we couldn't get it to work. I don't know if it was due to China's censorship or my ignorance in getting the chat to open! We could chat – just not with the video which I was really hoping for. (And I guess my nephew Charlie was too!)

Thankfully my stomach had settled by then and we went for breakfast. Violet had more decorum eating breakfast as we remembered her spoon!

Then we met with Isabel in the lobby and started our morning sightseeing.

The first stop was Logan's orphanage. It was located only a few minutes from our hotel. While the Chongs went inside Isabel directed us to a playground in the back. Violet seemed to enjoy it. Roger thought it wasn't much of a playground.

Next we went to a Buddhist Temple. Isabel explained that not many young people are choosing Buddhism now, instead they choose no religion. The buildings and grounds were beautiful, however. And I really enjoyed the tour. Isabel and I walked together and I think I enjoyed that most of all. We talked about Violet, her orphanage, our family. She said she thinks Violet is a very lucky girl to have Tori as her big sister. She said she has seen lots of families with older children that are happy with the adoption, or tolerate it, but she said, "I can tell that Tori really loves Violet." I told her about how Tori started praying for a baby brother or sister right after Roger and I were married. Then once we started the adoption process she began praying for her baby sister, Violet. I even told her that she would pray at night, "Help everyone to have a good sleep, and please help everyone in China who are just getting up to have a good day." Isabel put her hand over her heart when I was telling her this and said, "She really does have a big heart."

Isabel asked us if we wanted to eat before going back to the hotel. We all told her that we were flexible, so whatever she suggested. She said, "I wish all my families were like you. It would make my job very easy!"

She asked if Chinese was okay and we agreed, with some trepidation remembering the restaurant she recommended last night. However, when we told her the story she said, "Oh, not the second floor!" So, apparently she wouldn't have recommended that one to us! She taught Roger and I how to say white rice and soya sauce to help in ordering for Tori when she is not there.

Well, the meal today made up for last night. We asked Isabel and the driver to join us, Isabel was a long time agreeing. Then she tried to call the driver on the cell phone to come inside and couldn't reach him. When she went out we all debated on whether or not she would be back. She did come back, but it was to say that the driver had already picked up something for the two of them. She didn't want to be disrespectful, so she went out to eat with him. But we did make her promise that she would join us tomorrow!

The meal today was fried rice, fried noodles, sweet and sour pork, beef, broccoli and white rice for the girls. They also served us Chinese tea. I even drank some of it. It was very weak compared to what is drunk at home. Roger said he might prefer it if it stayed in the pot another half an hour.

Then it was back to the hotel. The director of guest relations met us in the lobby (she has introduced herself to us yesterday) and asked us how we were. It came up that we were cold last night and she said she would send more blankets up to our room. Tori also wanted an extra pillow (she takes after her mother!) and that was arranged as well. At one point I said, "Thank you, Michelle." She raised her hand to her jacket front and it looked like she was checking to see if her name tag was on. Which it wasn't. Then I wondered, "Her name was Michelle, wasn't it?!?" As we were heading back up in the elevator I mentioned it to the others, but they couldn't remember her name from the day before. But Tori said she could and it was Michelle. Whew!

We all laid down for a nap after we got back to our room. Violet was a little wound up for a bit. Probably due to eating about half of Tori's chocolate bar. Roger suggested that I put her in bed with me. I thought, "She's just going to fight." I got up and held her in my arms and walked a bit around the room and then lay down with her. She didn't fight at all and just lay against my chest. She was asleep within minutes.

And they all continue to sleep right now. It is going on 6 pm, so they should be waking up soon! I awoke earlier with another bout of stomach issues. So I think I'll be sticking close to the hotel this evening and let the others venture out without me for supper.

Tomorrow we are going to go to Logan's finding place. (These are all things that we would do if we were in the city where Violet was from, too. But it is a four-hour drive, one way. And we felt that that was just not reasonable.) Isabel said, "Maybe in a few years you'll be able to take a trip back to China and visit Xiamen. She said that it is a most beautiful city. If Fuzhou wasn't her hometown, she would choose to live there. I thought that was a high compliment.

Tomorrow Isabel also plans to take us souvenir shopping. Woohoo! You know me and shopping! I've been waiting for this all week. It wasn't scheduled, but I mentioned that I would like to get a jade pendant like Violet has with the symbol from her year on it. Violet's is rat (yuck) and mine is tiger. So I expect that tomorrow is going to be a great day as well.

Tuesday pictures

A view of our hotel.

At Panda World

At West Lake Park

West Lake - Tuesday

This morning Roger and I wondered if our walk in the park was going to be cancelled. Our guide was taking us to West Lake Park – which is right by our hotel. ////][[-z\xztg gaw (little message there from Violet) Early this morning Roger and I heard thunder and when I looked out the window we noticed that it was raining. We figured that would be the end of our walking trip.

When we went down to the lobby at 10 I asked Isabel if we were still going and she said yes. It had stopped raining by that point. We had tried Violet again in the stroller after breakfast and she was not impressed. So we didn't take the stroller. I had meant to grab the snuggly carrier and forgot it.

West Lake Park is 1700 years old. It was constructed for the Emperor – I believe Isabel said as a summer retreat. But Roger and I can't imagine someone retreating to here in the summer as it stays at 40 degrees Celsius for 2 months!

The weather was cooler this morning because of the rain. But it wasn't long carrying my little girl that I started to warm up!

The park was really pretty with pathways, pagodas, and flowers. Then Isabel asked us if we wanted to visit Panda World. There was a fee, but it was an opportunity to see real, live pandas! (Just a little over $10 Canadian for the entrance fee.) Violet had fallen asleep by this point and the Chongs had offered us the use of their stroller. She woke up soon after we put her in the stroller, but she was content as long as she held my hand.

Even though there were a lot of stairs in Panda World the use of the stroller was GREATLY appreciated. Maybe now Violet will get in her stroller – as long as she can hold Mama's hand. Roger and Tori took pictures for us.

We are noticing the stares that we are getting from people. I think it is more noticeable to Roger than me. Maybe because of my years in Africa??? I just smile at people and nod my head when they look at us. (Me? Smile?? Go figure. :D) But we had a very positive response today. One lady in a kiosk in the park smiled and nodded her head at us. Then she gave us a thumbs up sign. At first Roger figured it was because she was happy that Violet would not have to spend her life in an orphanage. Then as we got talking about it, we thought perhaps it was because we had her dressed warmly.

After we got back to the hotel we made plans to go to a Temple tomorrow. We're leaving at 9:30 in the morning.

Isabel gave us Violet's immunization records. She took them yesterday and translated them for us. Then she said that she had something else for our family. She dug in her purse and pulled out a wrapped package. She said, "This is for you because your birthday is coming on Friday." It was wrapped in purple paper with white polka dots and there were stickers over it. And sticker letters that spelled out "VIOLET". Inside was a CD with Chinese children's songs. We had looked for a CD yesterday at Walmart and Isabel didn't see anything that she thought would be what we were looking for. So she found one later in the day for us. So special!

Fiona, Ray and the kids came to our room this afternoon to send an e-mail. The kids had lots of fun playing together. I was very impressed that Violet was sharing her toys with Logan. (Especially when she handed him her Kai-lan doll! She also seemed to like the extra stimulation, so family gatherings should be fine for her!

She had fun playing with Tori this afternoon. Tori is a doting big sister and can't stand to see Violet upset. She is VERY helpful, too.

Even though I was out of commission last night (my body crashed and I slept all evening long) Violet is still very much a Mommy's girl. Isabel mentioned today that it is like she wants to make sure that I'm not leaving her. (Which breaks my heart to think of children with that insecurity. But I know that is not limited to Chinese orphans…Tori was EXACTLY the same way.)

I put Violet's "split pants" back on her this afternoon as a safety precaution. Her little waist is so small that the size 18 months pants were sliding off her. I was afraid she was going to trip. The split pants were what she was wearing on Sunday night when we received her.

She is smiling and laughing a lot now. (Well, right now she is sleeping on my lap.) She seems to delight in making us laugh, too. (Just like the report that we got in her referral.) And it seems to be working. I don't think I've heard Tori laugh as much as has these past two days.

Happy girl on Tuesday Morning

Tuesday the 16th - Violet's breakfast

Playing with Tori and Daddy

A couple more pictures

Sitting on my big sister's lap on the bus.

Sleeping on mommy on the bus.

Getting to know Violet

Since I basically told you about our Monday morning activities in my last blog entry I'm going to take the time to share what we're learning about Violet.

First off, she is still very tiny. I "kind of" weighed her yesterday on the bathroom scales. I just had her stand on them and it registered 20 lbs. So she hasn't gained much since our referral info that we received.

I chose one of her smallest outfits yesterday (that we brought with us) and it was still a little big in the waist. We haven't measured her height as the ruler on our desk is only 15 cm. It could be done, but we'd need a string and I haven't looked for one yet.

I don't expect it to take too long for her to gain weight, though. She loves to eat. One of her favorite drinks is like a yogo drink. The orphanage had some for her in the bag that they gave us. We picked up more yesterday at Walmart.

She doesn't use a bottle, but drinks from a cup. She doesn't seem to like the sippy cups that we brought so we bought her a cup at walmart that has a straw. She'll walk around the room holding the straw with her teeth so that she has her hands free to hold other things.

She really likes to "hold" things. Yesterday she was either holding her Kai-lan doll, the bank ticket, or both.

She doesn't care for potatoes or french fries. But she loves crackers, rice, etc. I've got to try to get an apple from the breakfast buffet this morning for her. I was too rushed yesterday to get one.

Violet seems very content to be held and doesn't struggle to get down or off your knee. I held her in my arms all of Monday morning and she was completely fine with that. (As you can imagine, so was I!)

She can walk. The hotel bathroom has a slight step up into it and she has no trouble managing that on her own.

She has 16 teeth!

Her feet are probably about a size 5. She doesn't like having her shoes taken off. Sunday night when we took them off she cried. Monday morning when we did her footprint at the foreign adoption office she cried when Roger and Tori took off her shoe and sock (I was signing paperwork).

One of the pairs of shoes that I brought for her was way too small, so I gave them along with the orphanage clothes as a gift yesterday.

During both of her baths she has held something in her hands, first the Kai-lan doll. Last night was a fist full of raisins. She doesn't care to eat them, but she seemed to have fun playing with them and teasing Tori with them. (She'd hold them out to Tori as if she was going to give them to her and then when Tori would put her hand out she'd yank her hand back and laugh.)

We're starting to see her comedic personality shining through with actions like that.

She has a way of putting her chin down to her chest and looking at you out of the corners (or top) of her eyes. It is so funny.

She is very cooperative at getting dressed. And she is a dream to change her diaper. She lays there just as content as can be. According to the orphanage questionaire that Isabel had done for us, she usually has one "dirty" diaper a day. Yesterday it was around 8:30 in the morning - just as we were leaving the hotel for our business. So it was a quick jaunt to the ladies restroom in the lobby to change her before our excursion. She was a very good girl.

I was concerned about how she would react when she saw the workers from the orphanage yesterday at the government office. Especially since she had cried so hard the night before when they said goodbye to her and left the room. But she didn't pay attention to them. We figure she was giving them the silent treatment. Isabel told us afterwards that they had commented about how smart she is. It was like she was ignoring them and punishing them for leaving her. And I could completely agree with their opinion.

She kind of gave me that look last night when Roger sat her on the bed next to me when I woke up to eat supper. (I was dead to the world last night - 5 days of only about 2 hours sleep each night finally caught up to me. I slept for about 2 hours in the afternoon with the rest of the family. Then slept from about 6 pm til 2:30 this morning with only snatches of being awake in between. Feeling rested!) Violet looked at me from the corner of her eye and I said, "Oh, how quickly your loyalty changes!" My sleepiness was probably a good way for her to bond with Roger, though.

When I woke up for supper Roger was holding Violet feeding her rice. I said, "Look, Tori. Violet is letting dad hold her!" Tori was quick to tell me that if I'd been awake I'd have seen her going to dad a lot. But maybe if I had been awake she wouldn't have gone to dad...not sure. We'll see when she wakes up today if she will come to me again.

She has slept through the night both nights now. Well, it is still very early morning here (3:45 am) Tori and Roger just woke up. Tori is writing in her journal right now and having a snack.

Violet is not very vocal. Yesterday she did say "Hi" several times at Wal-mart with Tori's prompting. Then Tori asked her, "Can you say 'Bye' and Roger said, 'Let's not teach her Bye quite yet.'" We all agreed that for now "Hi" is the word we want her saying. She did rattle off several words to Tori yesterday evening and Tori said it sounded like she was trying to tell her something. So maybe when she gets more comfortable with us she will start trying to communicate with us more. But according to the orphanage she doesn't say a whole lot of words anyway. Last evening Violet and Tori were throwing a kleenex back and forth (who needs expensive toys? bank tickets and kleenexes are great entertainers) and Tori said, "Oh!" when it landed. So then Violet started saying, "Oh!" too. Of course, I missed it because - you guessed it - I was sleeping!

Today we have a leisurely day planned. Isabel is meeting us here at the lobby to go take us to the park for a walk. And that is about all that we have planned for the day. So it is just some time to get to know each other and bond. ah...that sounds nice.

We just tried Violet very briefly in her stroller yesterday in the hotel room and she did not seem to enjoy it. I was going to try to distract her, but Tori was saying, "Take her out! Take her out!" Tori doesn't like to see her little sister cry or fuss. We'll try again this morning, as I think it would be convenient to have her in the stroller at the park.

We did pick up a snuggly-type of baby carrier yesterday at Wal-mart. She would go in it for me, but at that point she didn't want Roger to hold her yet, so she did not enjoy it when he tried to carry her in it.

We spent some baby shower money on things for Violet at Wal-mart. We got the snuggly, a blanket (I thought the hotel would have one for the crib, but they didn't), a Chinese children's dvd, a Chinese/English picture book, sippy cup with a straw, brush and comb set.
Prices are very reasonable here. For example, I bought a bag of cotton balls for me - $2 RMB which is equivalent to 29 cents US. Even beats Dollarama! I can't remember the prices on everything, and since the receipt is in Chinese we can't use it to check. We might ask Isabel to help us, just so we can keep track.

Still haven't found any postcards to mail. There were ones at the hotel in Beijing but they were over a $ Canadian each. I figured that I could find them cheaper elsewhere and haven't seem them yet. I haven't checked out this hotel gift shop yet, though.

Thanks for the messages that people have been sending us on facebook. That's the only way we can keep in touch right now - can't access the blog comments or facebook notes on our walls, etc. until we get back to Canada.

Our appointments yesterday morning went so smooth. Part of that could have to do with the fact that we are only two families, but I was impressed! Isabel even did the paperwork for the passports for us. Since they were already signed, she just had to drop them off. I think most of our "work" for the week is done now. And we can just enjoy ourselves. We do have to pick up the passports on Friday - (my birthday!) but that is it. Well, I need to check our itinerary again to make sure.

Violet's cold seems to be not bad at all. We didn't give her the cold medicine because when Roger removed the safety seal he was able to read that it should not be given to children under 4 years old. That couldn't be seen with the safety seal on. She hardly coughed at all last night. She does have a bit of a runny nose, but not bad. She is a very good girl to get her nose wiped, too. Thanks for your prayers.

Thanks for taking the time to keep in touch. We can't wait to introduce you to Violet in person.

Monday Activities

Well, today has been a very busy, but very good day!

Violet slept all night long for us. When she woke up she was in a good mood. She surprised me at breakfast. Roger had brought me a plate with some pancakes on it and congee (rice-type hot cereal) for Violet. The congee was too hot for her to eat right away so I cut up some pancakes on a plate for her. I sat the spoon down on the highchair and she picked it up and started eating it right away. She is very good at handling her spoon. She ate pancakes, toast, ham and congee for breakfast. But she didn't care for the hashbrowns.

After breakfast we quickly got everything together and met up with our guide in the lobby. This morning we visited the bank (thankfully I got all the travelers cheques with my signature on them cashed as it was a huge hassle – now Roger can handle the rest of them when we need to exchange money). Then we went and signed official paperwork to adopt Violet. Then we stopped at the passport office – our guide took the paperwork in and we all stayed in the van. Then on to the notary's office. Then we went to Wal-mart. Yes, China has a Wal-mart! There were three floors and we did most of our shopping on the third floor as it was where the baby department was. We also got some bottled water and snack food.

Then when we got back to the hotel I fed Violet some applesauce – which she loved. Roger went with Ray to get takeout at the Chinese restaurant nearby. After we ate we all laid down on the king size bed and had a nap…a long nap. Which means I missed the opportunity for getting this posted before my sister heads out for work for the day.

Violet and Daddy had some bonding time at the bank (we were there a long time) While I was signing 60 travelers cheques Roger gave Violet our ticket (what you take when you are waiting in line to show your number) and they played with it. She held that in her hand the whole time. And then for most of the morning until we got back to the hotel. So sweet.

She's warming up to Roger and Tori and even sat on Tori's knee several times today.

The hotel that we are staying at is beautiful. But Tori is a little bummed that the only swimming pool is outside and not in commission yet for the season. Oh, well…we know there is a pool at the hotel in Beijing.

It is warm here and very muggy. In fact one building we went in today had condensation forming on the glass doors and the marble floor was slick because of the moisture.

I'm hoping for a better sleep tonight…for me! Roger is getting ready to order room service since I am wiped and sore from not getting a good position for our family nap. :D Next time mommy and Violet get first dibs on the location.

Monday Photos

Discovering the pocket in my ladybug outfit - and liking it!

Giving a smirk and looking out of the corner of my eyes.

Big girl eating with a spoon!

Mmmm .... congee!

With officials when we completed the adoption paperwork Monday morning in Fuzhou. Government official (on the left) and the ladies from the orphanage (on the right).

Laughing at the Notary's Office (We went first and this was during Ray and Fiona's time.) Violet was teasing Tori and laughing about it. Tori was squatting on the floor in front of me, and Violet would put her foot out and tap it against Tori's chest, and then give a little push.

Gotcha!!

GOTCHA!!!

Wow! What a day we have had. Today we traveled from Beijing to Fuzhou, there is a lot to tell about our day – but most of it is inconsquential…because we have two daughters sleeping in our room right now!

Yes, Violet Anna-Mei joined our family today. There were some tears when I held her in my arms and off and on later on. But on the whole everything went smoothly. She fell asleep in my arms with no trouble at all. She opened her eyes when I laid her in her crib, but fell right back to sleep. Roger just adjusted her foot to be inside the crib, and she woke up but didn't cry. Just fell back to sleep.

I still can't believe it.

Our day started off with Tingting telling us that it was snowing out when she came to take us to the airport. It looked like rain to me, but then when we headed out on the highway I could see that she was right. Our trip to the airport was much faster than our trip to the hotel when we arrived in Beijing. We had no problem getting our boarding passes. Roger, Ray and Fiona were "frisked" coming through security, but Tori, Ainsleigh and I weren't. But my carry-on was searched.

When we got to our gate (Tingting was gone) we heard that our flight was delayed, but I thought that 8:35 am was the original departure time. So we weren't too concerned. We boarded around 8:35. Then we sat there on the plane, and sat there…and sat there!!!!

To say that our flight was delayed would be the understatement of the century. We sat there on the tarmac for over 7 hours before the flight actually took off! Yes. SEVEN HOURS!!! When I heard the announcement, "Crew be seated" I didn't think that I had ever heard 3 more beautiful words in all my life.

That meant that we didn't arrive in Fuzhou until around 6:30 pm. In my mind all thoughts of meeting Violet today were gone because of the time. Thankfully our guide in Fuzhou, Isabel, was there to meet us when we picked up our baggage. I have to admit that was another concern of ours. She and our driver had also spent 7 extra hours at the airport today.

She told us it would take about an hour to get to the hotel. Then she said she would take us through our itinerary of our week. "When you arrive at the hotel," she said, "You will meet your baby."

Both Fiona and I, in astonishment, said, "Tonight?" I started crying.

We checked in very quickly and then met Isabel and went to the meeting room. Logan and Violet were both there with people from their orphanages. Tonight we signed guardian papers, which means we have the right to have Violet in our care tonight. Tomorrow the real adoption paperwork happens. Violet was held by a lady from her orphanage and she was telling Violet, "This is your mama" Then someone told me to hold her. Of course, she cried. She had a doll and was not letting go of it for the world. (Which was not an issue, because we wanted her to feel safe.) It all happened very quickly and soon we were heading back to our room. Isabel came with us and showed us the homework we have to do tonight. She also explained that we should give Violet a bath tonight and check and see if there was any marks that we had questions about to ask the people from the orphanage tomorrow. She didn't want to let go of her doll, so she had her bath holding the doll. There are no pictures from her first bath, as I got in the tub with her. She seems to have attached herself to me, possibly because I was the first one to hold her? But her first smile was for Roger. (Got on video) Tori commented that perhaps Violet will be like she was and be a Momma's girl…which is fine with me!

She seemed very calm this evening. (We got back to our room around 9 pm and she was asleep by 10 pm.) She also would put her chin down and look up at us with those adorable eyes, and I can only imagine the thoughts going through her precious head.

I was overwhelmed with the gifts that the orphanage gave Violet. There is a CD with pictures on it from her time at the orphanage. They gave her a jade pendant depicting the year of the rat – year she was born. They gave her a framed picture with Violet and her caregiver. They gave her a doll. They gave her several clothes and a bag with snacks that she likes. It was more than I ever could have hoped for.

Our guide had been in contact with the orphanage and had asked them all the questions that we would probably like answered. She had typed all the answers out for us and presented us with them to read on the bus ride to the hotel. I was so appreciative.

Violet is tiny. I'm hoping the size 18 month clothes are not too big, but hey, if they are I like to shop! I meant to weigh her when we got out of the tub (the hotel has bathroom scales) but we forgot.

She seems to have a bit of a cold – stuffy and a runny nose. The orphanage director mentioned it us. He said it just started. So maybe it was from the changes she experienced today. A big trip for her, too!

Well, it is now 11:30 and I still need to go on-line and send this message. And I'm not sure when I'll be up in the night.

Oh, my heart is so happy! She is beautiful.

More to come tomorrow.

Fw: Gotcha!

Photos - First family photo in meeting room. (7307)
Getting ready for her bath (7313)
falling asleep on mommy's shoulder
settled in for the night

Awake in a Dream

Awake in a Dream

Tori asked me yesterday (Saturday, the 13^th) "Mom, is this really happening? It doesn't even feel real."

I knew exactly how she felt…it is like we are awake in a dream. Except I'm really awake because I haven't been able to sleep. Christmas has never, EVER made me this excited.

Last evening we went to a musical theatre about Kung Fu. I have to admit that as we were heading down to the lobby to meet Tingting, our guide, I was wishing we could just stay at the hotel and get our luggage sorted out and prepare for our flight in the morning.

You see, we decided to leave some luggage in Beijing at the Gloria Plaza hotel while we travel to Fuzhou. The reason for this is that the airline we are traveling is very strict about the weight restrictions and there is a large fee for overweight bags. So we left one big suitcase here with 5 changes of clothes, our dirty clothes from so far, gifts for our guide/driver here in Beijing, heavier clothes, etc. When we met with Tingting in the lobby and she told us the price for the show I swallowed a gulp and smiled…it was over $100 Canadian (but that was for all three of us). Then she said we would be taking 2 cabs to the theatre, since we wouldn't all fit in one. I thought that our driver would take us and we would go in the bus that we had been using. Then she said she would only be able to travel with one family and she had a cell phone that she gave to the other family in case the taxis got separated. Then she handed the phone to Roger. I swallowed another gulp. Yikes…we were going to be on our own in CHINA! Tingting spoke to our cab driver and we climbed in. The other cab led the way. And it was when we pulled out onto the street that I realized how much more secure I felt in a bus over a small car! Then we passed the lead taxi…Double Yikes and more gulps being swallowed! About two minutes later they passed us and waved and my heart slowed down a bit. It was about a 15 minute drive to the theatre, but part of the length can be contributed to the fact that a lot of the roads are access roads to the highway and are only one way. When we pulled out of the hotel we went a back route. Then about a minute later we passed in front of the hotel. About 5 minutes later we passed in front of our hotel again. This time traveling in the other direction. It was then that I was glad that our transportation was arranged for us and we didn't have to rent a vehicle and have Roger drive and me navigate. Because I know I would have a hard time navigating with my hands over my eyes!

We arrived at the theatre and Ray commented that for the first time since we arrived in Beijing we no longer looked like the minority (and he and Ainsleigh now looked like the minority). The audience was filled with tourists.

About 30 seconds into the show I completely lost all my regrets about not being at the hotel preparing for the next day. The show was phenomenal! The lights, props and music were amazing and the performers were out of this world. Before the show begin there was an announcement that these were professionals and not to try this at home. Don't worry, I would never attempt those moves. I would probably end up in a full body cast. To say that the show was impressive would be an understatement. As I sat there I thought, "Hmm, and you wanted to stay at the hotel and pack!"

About an hour into the hour and a half show my eyes begin to get very heavy, and I struggled to keep them open. I remember thinking, "Do something exciting to keep me awake!" And then they did and I didn't have any more trouble for the rest of the show. The show was about a boy who was learning Kung Fu and his struggles and how he overcame them to reach full enlightment. (Think about Kung Fu Panda.) Most of the talking was done in English with Chinese translation on a screen over the stage. But sometimes it was reversed (especially the singing – it was in Chinese). I highly recommend the show to anyone coming to Beijing. :D

We got back to the hotel a little after 9 pm. (Again no problem with us being without the guide.) In fact, it was a whole lot faster than our route there. And it only took us a little over 5 minutes. Which my bladder was thankful for!

The taxis charge $2 RMB for 1 kilometer of driving. That is a little less than 30 cents Canadian. So our trip to the theatre was $19 RMB and our trip back was $13 RMB. Pretty inexpensive, I thought. Roger told me later how inexpensive it really was. He gave our driver $100 RMB and the cab driver gave him back over $100 RMB in change…I wondered if Roger had made a mistake. But then he showed me and said he wondered if 2 $50 RMB were stuck together when the driver counted out the change. But when I did the calculations it still didn't add up to the right total. If I remember correctly Roger gave $100 and received back $188.

He wasn't sure of the mistake until after the cab driver had left.

Then later when he took our bags down to the concierge that we are leaving here at the hotel he settled up our bill for the internet usage. The rate I had was $2 RMB per minute to a maximum of $90 RMB per 24 hours. I also could have went with a flat rate of $60 RMB per 24 hours, but I decided to go the other route since I didn't know how long (or short) I would be on the computer. But when I had trouble accessing my blog and then facebook I ended up being on the internet a lot longer than I had expected. Thankfully I can still access my hotmail account and Janice has more than graciously agreed to update my blog for me.

I told Roger that the bill should be $90 RMB (About $15 Can.) The front desk confirmed the amount and Roger gave her $100 RMB. She almost gave him back $20 RMB. Roger said she had two 10's in her hand and was passing them to him and looked down and pulled one back. Roger wondered what was causing this strange behavior of receiving too much money with his change!

The current time as I type this note is 4:18 am, Sunday morning. We're expecting a wake-up at 5 am so we can be ready to check-out and eat breakfast by 6 am, as we leave for the airport at 6:15 am. I'm typing this now so that when we arrive at the hotel in Fuzhou it is all ready to send. I expect that I'll add to the note with details from our in-China flight experience.

But needless to say, once again it looks like I do not need a wake-up call. At the airport in Fredericton it struck me how much Mom resembled Gram Slipp. She told me that she is noticing it more and more herself. She says every time she looks in the mirror she sees more of her mother looking back at her. Well, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Here it is, 4 am, and I'm thinking that I'm turning into my mother. Another early morning. I can remember trips where Mom would wake up before everyone else and then go into the bathroom to turn on the light to read. Well, Patti, look in the mirror and who do you see? J

Note: Ray, Ainsleigh, and Fiona Chong are a family from Ontario travelling with us. They are adopting a little Chinese boy, Logan. (Ray and Ainsleigh have Chinese heritage.)