Day 7

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

So, tonight ended with a Thanksgiving Dinner that our guide organized for us at the hotel's restaurant. We all expected the standard "Western" meal, which in China translates to pizza, steak, spaghetti, and other various things that are associated with American cuisine, but we were pleasantly suprised with TURKEY! One of the hotel hostesses is American and somehow she arranged for a turkey to be cooked for us. According to our Chinese guide, Lineker, there are no turkeys in China, and he has no idea how she found one or found someone who knew how to cook it. He had never had turkey before and we had to tell him how it would normally be served and what would be served with it. It was very cool and a great way for all of us to celebrate together. We aren't with our families, but our travel group has quickly become a family and we were all able to bond together and enjoy a fun evening with our new babies. It was a great way to end an excellent day. It seems that all the first time parents are getting the hang of things and all the families are definitely starting to fall into patterns with their new girls, it is very cool to see and experience.

This morning started with a trip to a porcelain dealer...which meant more spending for the boys and more shopping for the girls. I almost had to physically restrain April today...once she found a pattern that she liked, she wanted one of everything in that pattern. I managed to get out of there with only a little dent in our remaining spending money and a set of rice bowls that I get to somehow bring back to the states without breaking them...no pressure there.

After the shopping trip we drove to a village just outside of the city we are staying in (Nanchang). Our guide wanted us to experience a little bit of what life is really like in China. The hotels we stay in are five star hotels and he didn't want us to think that this is the way all of China lives. There are over a billion people in this country that live at or below the povery line and we got to see this first hand. Many of the houses in the village are nice, but they have no heat and no running water. The entire village works together to ensure that everyone has what they need and that they get all the work done that needs to be done. The village we saw is close to a city so they have some of the benefits that come from city life but it is still a very poor village. I can't imagine what some of the truly rural villages are like.

We then spent a little bit of the afternoon walking around the city. Ok, what we were really doing was walking to the closest McDonalds, but we saw some very interesting shops on the way. One whole block of shops appeared to be a Home Depot, just small shop style. Each storefront had a different aspect of home goods. One had plywood, another sold, hardwood floors, next to that was bathroom fixtures. It was like seeing the Twilight Zone version of Lowes. In front of the McDonalds was a large scooter parking area. While I was in ordering us some cheeseburgers, April saw someone knock over one scooter, which started a game of dominos as a bunch of them starting toppling into one another. What killed me is that some of them had car alarms on them. You know...the annoying car alarms that always seem to go off at 4 AM...well over here they put them on their mopeds! Very interesting.

As for the food at McDonalds...it is the same as what we get back in the states, they just have some added selections to their everyday value menu that you wouldn't see back in Wisconsin. I am not exactly sure what they were...but the pictures didn't look appetizing. I am finally over the rice and Coke diet so I wasn't feeling very adventuresome. I will leave that to the Food network stars...

Happy Turkey Day everyone! Find something to be thankful for today and enjoy your time with family and/or friends! We miss all of you and will see you soon.

BJ, April, and Sophie (Hey...that has a ring to it...I think I like it!)

Day 6

Not much to talk about today. We had no scheduled meetings. Everyone got to try to sleep in a little bit and we went to a palace for some sightseeing.

Apparently our little girl is a cute little girl. We are constantly stopped by locals who talk to us in Mandarin as though we can understand them and then they try to make Sophie smile. According to our guides, the people of China appreciate that we have come to adopt their little girls because they believe that we will give them great lives and treat them like princesses. For that they are thankful and they are very friendly to everyone.

The temple we visited is over 1300 years old...although it has been rebuilt a couple of times because it keeps getting destroyed in war. On the top floor we saw a quick 15 minute stage show of some local dancing and singing. April video taped some of the show so we can show everyone when we get back. There were also lots of old artifacts from the history of the region within the palace which was cool to see.

I know most of you aren't really reading this...you are just scanning it trying to get to the pictures so I will keep this one short. On to the photos!

Day 5

Sorry for the delay everyone...we are trying to figure out how to be parents while in a foreign country...no pressure there.

So here is Day Five...

Today was a pretty relaxed day. We went to the notary office which is like a municipal judge in the states. We had a quick interview which started with the question, "do you like your baby?" and ended with "Do you promise not to abuse or abandon her?" Really? Like we are going to go through all of this and then change our minds?!?!?!?!? So...we answered yes to both questions...duh...and then we were on our way to the Chinese Walmart Supercenter. Just like home...screaming kids, annoying people that don't know how to drive carts, people yelling...although the dead ducks hanging in the meat section were new to us...

After that we just worked on being a family. And I think we are doing a decent job of it thus far.

Stand by for heart breaking time...

We have a little girl here that doesn't want to fall asleep because she is afraid we will not be here when she wakes up. She battles to keep her eyes open and is constantly looking from one of us to the other to make sure we are still there. Several times in the night last night she woke up, whimpered, saw me, looked at April and then fell back asleep. She really does not like to be put down once she falls asleep. I think she has some sort of balance switch in her that once her body goes horizontal it zaps her and wakes her up. In all seriousness...for the past ten months, every time her body goes horizontal she loses contact with humans until it is time for the next bottle or diaper change. I know the orphanage workers do their best, but there is no way these little girls get the attention they need. They get the basics, food, diaper, maybe a cold bath. It is sad to see Sophie constantly checking to make sure we are still here...how do you convince a 10 month old baby that doesn't speak your language that it is okay to sleep...we will be here when she wakes up.

On a much more positive note, she has definitely relaxed and is a playful giggly baby...just like she should be. I will find the best pictures we have of her giggling and post them. And I might try to include a video if it isn't too large of a file to get out of the country!

BJ

WE HAVE HER!!!!

We have her! She is ours! And she is perfect!

Now, I am not saying my daughter is the smartest kid in the world, but how many of you can say that your baby said Mama and Baba (Chinese for Dada) on the first day that you met him or her? I wonder how old you have to be to win the Nobel Prize...

Just a short blog to go with a long day today...

We got up early today to get on a bus for the airport...of course I have been wide awake around 3 AM every day anyway so it wasn't early for me. We then got on a plane for Nanchang and promptly sat on the tarmac for an hour waiting for clearance to move. After we got that clearance we moved to the end of the taxi way and waited for another 30 minutes to take off. Let's just call it a little inefficient and frustrating. I wonder if the pilot knew that he had 9 mothers waiting to meet their daughters in the plane...he is lucky April didn't storm the cockpit and fly to Nanchang herself.

With the delay on the airfield, we were late to pick up our daughters by 90 minutes. The orphanage workers had them all in a conference room at the hotel we are staying at and by the time we arrived they were all hungry, wet, and cranky! Luckily we were able to go straight to our rooms to change diapers and figure out how to make a bottle...you laugh...but it was quite an adventure. After a quick bottle we went to the Civil Affairs and Adoption Services Office across the street. This was about 3 hours of chaos as we all tried to get our paperwork in order and our donations paid to the government. Sophie was perfect sitting in her sling on April's hip and I filled out as many forms as I did when we bought our house in Florida...the only difference is that I couldn't read any of the questions. I might have sold some of you off to work in Chinese factories for all I know...sorry about that...

After paperwork we got some dinner...Sophie is a good midwestern girl...she loves mashed potatoes and bread. I think she will fit in quite nicely with our families. After dinner we promptly crashed back at the hotel. Well...April and I tried, but Sophie was not interested in sleep just yet...she was still trying to figure out what the heck just happened. Apparently I have the "touch" as I was able to get her to fall asleep after about 45 minutes. She slept about 7 hours and we have just spent the last hour watching her wiggle and chatter in the crib. Not crying at all...just figuring out what is up with the world. She rolled onto her stomach and then eventually back onto her back, all the while babbling in baby chatter. She may have spent the last 10 months in an orphanage, but she is pretty mobile and just my luck will be walking down the mall with her mother soon, spending all my money.

Well...off to try and get some sleep before the next big event. Tomorrow is the court system to make things a little more official. We also get to visit the Chinese Walmart...woo hoo!

Day 3

Hello everyone, it is technically 3 AM on Day Four for us, but I was so tired last night that blogging was not within the range of my capabilities. It seems, Chinese Chinese food is a little different from American Chinese food and apparently our bodies didn't appreciate the difference. Not to worry though, we will just chalk it up to a new fad diet...maybe the Biggest Loser could use it during sweeps week or something...

ANYWAYS...back to the important stuff,,,like Great Walls, church in Beijing, and Chinese acrobats! Today started off with a church service at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship. I broke my rule of never going to a church without the word church in its name, but it was worth it this time. There were about 300 people in a theater all speaking English and singing songs we were familiar with. It was very cool. It is an international church service and you need to show a copy of your passport or your foreign ID to get in there. According to our guide Sherry it is a registered Christian church with the government and as long as they are registered, they are okay. More to discuss on that later...like after we get back to the states later...

April got to feed her shopping hunger once again after church. This time it was at the Jade factory, and let me tell you, it is more of a Jade dealership than a Jade factory. I think they train these sales ladies at American Used Auto dealers or something, because they are good...We managed to leave with most, but not all, of my checking account intact, but we did get some very nice (that translates to expensive in BJ language) jewelry for Sophie and April and I.

After shopping we had another traditional Chinese lunch...but, based on the earlier conversation, we stuck with the traditional rice and Coke lunch...I can see my target weight from here...



We then spent about an hour trying to kill ourselves by climbing the Great Wall. I am pretty sure they took us to the steepest part of the wall just to watch all of us exhausted Americans struggle to exert ourselves while taking part in the rice and Coke diet. It was all worth it though, when the Chinese Army showed up and they were struggling just as hard as we were to make it to the top. Anyways, we made it to the second guard tower and the views were pretty cool. As you can tell in the pictures, the Chinese "fog" (see Day one) let up a little bit because it was windy, but that also drove the temperature down to something low in Celsius...funny how much colder it feels when you see a thermometer that says 9 degrees in stead of 40 degrees...but I digress...

The night ended with a Chinese acrobat show. I will describe it as Cirque du Soleil without the safety features...These people are flexible and have some crazy senses of balance...and why wouldn't you want to put 10 people on the same bicycle? I am pretty sure that is the future of Chinese mass transportation...who needs to spend money on trains or busses, just give a bicycle to every tenth person and we are good to go...and it cuts back on "fog" too!

Well...I need to try and get some sleep. It may be Day three where you are, but technically it is Day four here and I get my daughter in about 6 hours! Talk to everyone later...

BJ

Day 2

Tienanmen Square

Day Two! (Two more days until we get her!!!)

Well...after laying in bed awake from 2AM until 4AM, we did finally get some sleep. We were up and moving by 7AM for breakfast with the rest of the group. Including our two guides, there are 39 of us wandering around looking lost (well...the guides aren't looking lost, but you know what I mean...). Several of the families are on their second trip so there are three adoptees that are in the 7-8 years old range that are on their first return trip. It is very cool to watch them see the country they were born in. They have also become fast friends which is cool too. As for us adults, we are all getting to know one another and it is obvious everyone is "patiently" waiting for Monday afternoon when we get our daughters.

Today's itinerary was Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, a pearl shop, traditional Chinese lunch, The Summer Palace, a silk museum, and a traditional dinner including Peking Duck (no...the head was not still attached, but we were expecting it to be!!)

Inside of Tienanmen Square we saw Chairman Mao's Memorial, the Great Hall of the People, and the People's Hero Monument. Very interesting. We then went into the Forbidden City and saw some of the 10,000 buildings. For those of you who are curious, it is called the Forbidden City because the royal family was Forbidden from leaving its confines, and the commoners were Forbidden from entering it. After some shopping, which made all the ladies happy and the men broke, we went to the Summer Palace which has a 300 acre man-made lake which was filled by hand using wooden barrels hauled by carriages from the Forbidden City. Amazing what you can get done with slave labor!

The food here is good so far. No crazy surprises...yet. I am not quite craving a pizza yet, but we are close...very very close! Everything is served "family" style around a big table with a lazy susan in the middle. Lots of rice and basic meats and veggies. Beef, chicken, and pork are the most common...and yes mom, I am eating the vegetables.

As for photos, we are taking lots of them. However, we are blogging by proxy (facebook and blogspot are blocked in China) so we have to e-mail them to (my super awesome brother) Isaac so he can post them in the blog from the states. This will limit the number of photos, so we will put the best one's up now and will follow them up when we get back with all the others. Bear with us. Once we get Sophie, her pictures will likely take priority and you might not see as many shots of landscapes...but I don't think any of you are going to mind too much!

Well, tomorrow is the Great Wall so we are off to try and get some sleep. T-minus two days and counting!

BJ and April

Summer Palace

Marco Polo Bridge


Golden Throne



Gardens

Marco Polo Bridge

Day 1

Hello everyone! We successfully completed the first leg of the trip! After locking ourselves into an aluminum tube for 14 hours, we are in Beijing and let me tell you, the "fog" is thick around here. I am pretty sure we call it smog back home, but hey if they want to call it fog, so be it, when in Rome...

Our route of flight took us up over the North Pole. We left Chicago and flew straight north, flying past Green Bay, across the Upper Peninsula, and then across the Hudson Bay in Canada. After crossing the pole, we traveled south through Siberia, across the eastern part of Mongolia and then into Beijing. In all, the flight was 6700 miles and mostly uneventful...other than the fact that as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign came on, inevitably the same old Chinese man would stand up and wander around the plane. The flight attendants would chase him down and get him to sit back down eventually. It was definitely amusing to watch two American women who do not speak Mandarin trying to convince an old Chinese man that speaks no English that he needs to stop wandering around when the fasten seatbelt sign is on...ahhh international travel, gotta love it.

So that is about it for the first day, not much other than an airplane ride and trying to convince my body that it isn't 1 o'clock in the afternoon and I shouldn't be wide awake at 3 AM. We took some pictures and promise there will be more tomorrow!

BJ and April