Photo blog getting started

We're working on posting our pictures to a photo blog site, so you can view more extensive photos of our trip online. So far, we have our flight over and trip to the Great Wall uploaded. Click here for our Trip to Beijing, and click here for our Trip to the Great Wall. In the meantime, more cute kid pictures...

Clean Bill of Health and Two Nighs of Sleep

Sorry for no pictures... thanks to Sonny (THANKS, SONNY!), I got my laptop working before we left for China, and it lasted one day back, then our cat chewed on the power cable, and broke the inside power connection again. So, we're using two of our older computers, using old clunkers that don't have CD capability. But, enough of that... just letting you know why we've been text-only. We saw the pediatrician on Tuesday, and she said Rachael is doing really well, and doesn't see any major issues. She is pleased with Rachael's development, and we're going to monitor her progress carefully over the next few months. We are getting a full blood workup, and stool check, and redoing all the vaccinations we can't confirm from the blood test, which is standard procedure for Chinese adoptees. Oh the heady joys of harvesting stool samples at home. Then again, perhaps it's better that this doesn't have pictures. :-) We had a nice picnic after the doctor visit and Kaylas' (victorious!) volleyball game, where they beat Columbus School for Girls 2-0. Afterwards, we hit the KFC for a bucket of chicken, and enjoyed the sun and warm weather in the park by Children's Hospital, and Rachael had her first taste of the Colonel's chicken and biscuits. She only liked the chicken and mashed potatoes, (I'm a Hoosier, potatoe has an "e") and thought the macaroni and cheese was disgusting.

Frankly, I was so out of it yesterday, I can't remember a single thing about it. Fortunately, Becca reminded me that Rachael "helped" Momma deliver papers while I rested, and then we took her to church to meet the church staff and friends. I think we're finally over the hump now with the jet-lag, as I only took 3 naps today for a total of about 4 hours during the day, which was the shortest amount so far. (The record was Tuesday, when I slept about 10 hours during the day). Mornings are the worst, as we are utterly exhausted, even with a full night's rest. After getting up at 5:45 to get our teenagers off to school by 6:45, we did tag-team baby care until 10am, and had to pry our eyelids open with toothpicks (ok, not really) to watch Rachael while the other slept. We don't get energy until almost 4pm. Fortunately, everyone has basically slept through the night for the past 2 nights, which is a real blessing.

Rachael adores her sisters, and they adore her too. Last night, it was really cute to see Emily hold Rachael on her lap for 10 minutes while she sat at the table doing homework. Both girls have been a big help with their little sister, and Rachael took to Kayla immediately (perhaps because she looks a lot like Julia, or her mom?). Rachael is also very interested in the two cats, and has never really been afraid yet, and has even petted Sammy twice. Alas, the dog died last Friday, passing away in her sleep on the farm of a friend that had been watching Candy while we were in China, so Rachael never got to meet our loving dog. Tonight, she crawled 20 feet in her sleeper on polished hardwood floor and tile, which is quite an accomplishment for a kid that couldn't even crawl 18 days ago. Perhaps she wanted a little more ice cream from Momma?

Back Home and Jetlagged

After 27 straight hours of travel, we arrived home Thursday evening, and it's been a rough couple of days, fighting off jetlag and culture shock (which is why we didn't blog for 3 days). Becca, Rachael and I have been awake for several hours the past 3 nights, and Bec and I feel like we are in a fog. Rachael is also sleeping a lot more than normal, though has lost her overnight sleep period due to jetlag. Hopefully, she will gain that back, as a solid 10 hours of sleep is a blessing, for her and us. Her appetite has also been effected, and she is no longer taking a full bottle (except last night at 4am). This may be because we ran out of the Chinese brand of formula, so she's on Kroger formula now, but I think it's mostly jetlag, because she's also not eating much solid food either. It may also be that she's convinced now that she doesn't have to worry about getting enough food anymore... her big appetite the first 2 weeks may have been because she was never before given an option of eating until she was full, and suddenly she's in a situation where two parents are stuffing her with conjee, bananas and yogurt.

Becca and I woke up this morning with flu-like symptoms, with sore throat, body aches, head ache, and stuffy head, and lacked the energy to get around and go to church. We're so strung out that it's hard standing to cook and do dishes, and we're just doing basic childcare at this point. I was awakened at 4am, and didn't get to sleep until 7:30, got up at 9:30, and have taken two naps since then... it's insane! I fixed eggs for Emily and I, and it was all I could do to eat after that, we are just so weak from jetlag, sleep deprivation and flu. I think we're going to do some Domino's Pizza for dinner tonight, just so we can get a hot meal without hassle. Sleep deprivation is no way to recover from jetlag, so I'm awful glad I allowed a full two weeks of family leave following our return to the States. I couldn't imagine working an 8-hour day at this point. Please pray for us, that we can get our strength back and get around.

Rachael has progressed even more, and crawled on all fours for the first time today (she had been doing a belly crawl). She crawled across the floor to her bottle, rolled over, grabbed the bottle, and put it in her mouth, and fed herself 4 ounces of formula. This is real progress from where she was just 2 weeks ago! She's down for her 2nd nap since 10am, also obviously feeling jetlag.

Guangzhou Consulate Ceremony

Today we went to the new Consulate site in Guangzhou for the swearing-in ceremony, and to pick up Rachael's immigration papers and visa. This used to be a two-minute walk from the White Swan, keeping everything within easy walking distance. However, the Chinese government booted/asked the U.S. Consulate off Shamian Dao, and they're now a 45-minute bus ride across town, in a high-rise complex that shares space with several other businesses (most notably, a dozen visa/immigration lawyer and processing firms). Since you can't take anything but baby and passports, we weren't able to take diapers, bottle, or cameras, so have no pictures to show of cranky baby that wanted a bottle, then took a nap. Rachael cried for the first 90 minutes of her Gotcha Day process, and slept through her swearing-in ceremony, so she's not enjoying two pretty significant life events when they happen. But, she's a baby, what do you expect?

Note: We are furiously packing, so this post is done sans pictures. Checked baggage goes outside the door in 42 minutes, then we're hitting the Hawaii pool for a last swim under the waterfall. Wakeup is at 5am, breakfast at 6am, and we hit the bus at 6:25 for our 27.5 hours of travel. Oy! Saying that hurts. Please pray for us, since we weren't able to get seat information, let alone reserved seats, and we may have all three of us in dispersed seats on the plane (which is only feasible for 66.7% of us). We're getting the Chinese runaround so far, and have now been told that we can't change seats until we get to Hong Kong. Hey, great plan! I'm sure that no one else will have gotten assigned seats 60 minutes before the plane boards, so it should be a piece of cake. {set sarcasm=off} Seriously, if they aren't accomodating, United will have two options: refund on the spot the money we paid for Rachael's ticket, or we plop her in a seat between two strangers, and see how long it takes for one of them to switch seats with us. I'm thinking plan B has a near-certain chance of success. :-) Kids -- see you tomorrow!

Dinner and River Cruise

After so many days of Chinese food, our stomachs are a bit tired of it. I've taken to eating muesli or raisin bran with yogurt on it as a staple breakfast food, just to convince my body that there still is normal food in the world. We were happy tonight to go to Pizza Hut for some American chow, and it tasted just like it does in the U.S. (which it did NOT in Fuzhou). While the Veggie pizza was a bit different with the addition of peas, corn and apple, it was very good, and the pepperoni and cheese pizzas were exactly as at home. After dinner, we piled on the bus, and went for a river cruise. I went crazy with the camera in "Night Mode" and took over 100 shots.




It was beautiful, even if the blaring commentary was entirely in Mandarin, and went on continuously for 2 hours. After that, we crashed back at the hotel.

Red Sofa Pictures

I guess one of the tradtions for China adoptions is to get your travel group's picture taken on a red sofa (likely, all the same one) in the White Swan Hotel. So, we had that event this afternoon, and it was fun, even if it was quite an ordeal to get that many kids sitting still at once with flashbulbs going off in their face.

Wacky Food, Takes the Cake

Today's gourmand search started with an interesting breakfast that included a few unknown bits, such as meat on a stick and the odd clustered objects that look like they came out of the south-facing part of a northbound yak. They were crunchy, and had a center that was very similar to Thanksgiving style candied yams. Even though they had all the looks of herbivore droppings, they were quite tasty. Along with the anonymous meat on a stick, we also had two kinds of sausage, otherwise unlabeled, that were sliced like bologna, but had large chunks like souse. However, since all of that was at the White Swan, it was relatively benign.

It was when we went across the bridge to the fish market that things really went off the wire. Though we didn't nibble on the morsels, we did see a huge variety of objects we normally see in a zoo that were being sold for the table.
This included hundreds of baskets of snakes and frogs, tanks of (giant!) lobster, crabs, shrimp, prawns, many kinds of turtles, salamanders, puppies, bugs (really), scorpions, things that looked like giant water beetles, and some larvae in cocoons shaped like oversized bee combs, turkey parts, dozens of kinds of fish, eels, and more.

OK, the puppy was a pet, but all the rest was being sold for food. We got good video footage of the bigs crawling around (shudder). It was fascinating, though I wished I had not worn flip-flops, as the water sloshing around my shoes was none too sanitary. In fact, I'm not sure it was water. Some of the lobsters were enormous, and the pictues don't do them justice, as their tails were larger than my forearm.
Although we were taking copious pictures and obviously there to gawk, I also felt on display, as they'd never seen anything like me, and some of them were a bit obvious with their double-takes and stares, but most were friendly. In fact, one guy kept on trying to give me a large eel, telling me I could slice off pieces like sushi. Perhaps it was his idea of fast food.

Busy Day in Guongzhou

Rachael had her physical this morning, and was pronounced to have a clean bill of health, though we don't think she's gained weight in the last two months (if her prior weight was correct).

Don't worry, she's eating like a horse, and particularly likes congee, watermelon, noodles, yogurt, and ox stomach. OK, she didn't think much of that, but it was fun to write. See picture below of her wailing because someone is between her and food.

Anyway, we had her physical, where she was seen by two doctors and two nurses for the basics, and we did some shopping, then Dim Sum at the Golden Bowl for lunch, where we stuffed ourselves for 99 Yuan ($12.45). After that, a bit more shopping and a nice nap for the whole family, which Rachael started a bit early in her stroller. Note that, like her old man, she gets comfort from a bottle of Diet Coke.

After a nice nap, we had dinner at, ah, the Golden Bowl (which we didn't realize when we picked it for dim sum). Fortunately, we had no repeats, and it was some of the best Chinese food we've had so far. They also threw in a few Vietnamese and Indian dishes, and we topped it off with an ice cream bar ($0.45) and nice swim at the pool with her friend Grace.

What a day!

At the White Swan

We're in Guangzhou now, which is the huge city formerly known as Canton, at the head of the Pearl River Delta, near Hong Kong. We're staying at the famous White Swan Hotel, the first 5-star hotel in China, and located on Shamian Island on the Pearl River. This is truly an international 5-star hotel, and is beautiful. Like the brochure for the hotel says, it is truly an oasis in a bustling city. We got in rather later from our flight from Fuzhou, and didn't get to our room until after 9:30, so did little else but crash. Fortunately, it's a very comfortable room (with the small exception of the apparent Chinese preference for sleeping on a surface resembling concrete with a sheet over it), so we all dropped right off, and didn't get up until 8 the next morning. So far, Rachael has slept through the night every time, getting at least 8 hours a night, and has only stirred a few times tossing in her sleep. Since she puts up with Daddy's snoring without a peep, we can hardly blame her. The waterfall pictured is the one in the lobby.

Jinjiang Orphanage Visit

Next to the day we got Rachael, this was the best day so far. Today, we got to visit the orphanage where Rachael lived for a year, and the village where she was abandoned. Emily and Kayla, you'll be pleased to know we took 400 pictures today, along with 2 hours of video footage, so you'll get a pretty complete picture of her life before you met her.

The day started with a 3 hour bus ride to Jinjiang (pronounced "GIN-john", said quickly). Along the way, we saw surprisingly little typhoon damage, though we were on the highway. Once in Jinjiang, we stopped by a local store, and picked up 4 bags of cakes, cookies and crackers that the kids at the orphanage probably never get. I included about 40 moon cakes, since the moon festival is coming up soon. When we found the orphanage (which took a bit, since there were no street signs anywhere), it was on a very busy little street, with several of the orphanage workers out front looking to greet us.



We got a very warm welcome, and Xie Len Ying, Rachael's nanny, had come in on her day off to be there for the event. Those of you who know Karen (Murphy) Wilson may recognize a resemblance... I think Len Ying looks like what Karen would look like if she were Chinese. Maybe it's just me.




We got an extensive tour of the orphanage, which is clean and appears well-run, though the children live in abject poverty. The one luxury they get is that there was air conditioning in most of the nurseries. They've increased in size, so the orphanage director, Ms. Wong, gave up her office and conference area to create a nursery and playroom. We got to see Rachael's crib, her playmates, and the room she called home for 367 days, and shared with 9 other children. There were many special needs children, and lots of kids running around in awe of the 7 Americans that came in with video cameras and babies. Rachael was glad to see Len Ying, and took a bottle from her for a few minutes, but really wanted to get back to Dad and Mom. BIG change from her Gotcha Day, when Rachael would wail and lurch for her nanny every time she saw her. After a tour of the 4 floors, and many discussions, we boarded the bus and went to lunch with two of the orphanage workers. Sadly, Len Ying had to go, but we still had lunch with the director and assistant director of the orphanage (see previous post for fish pictures).






After lunch, we went off in search of where Rachael was abandoned, which was in a small village about 10 kilometers from the orphanage. Regretfully, we only know the village name, and not where, so just drove around the village for several minutes getting a feel of the place, and shooting lots of video to show Rachael in the future. It was both sad, and provided a sense of peace and closure to see how well cared for she had been, how much love she had gotten, and get a feel of where she would have grown up. Although it's the site of several large shoe factories, it looked like the major industry in the area is stonecutting and finishing of the naturally abundant granite. There are literally hundreds of small shops in the region where large granite slabs are finished into tiles and architectural slabs, and are then carted around on VERY odd little trucks that appear to run on a variety of means, including some on steam. Like as not, her family was involved in either shoes or stonecutting.

After seeing Rachael's village, we went to a local hospital in Jinjian, which is where Emma was abandoned (Chuck's daughter). We got to see the exact bench where she was left in the hospital lobby, and took copious photos of Chuck holding Emma, as well as the surrounding area. It was liberating and emotionally intense to stand at the spot where, perhaps, Emma's mother stood, watching her be discovered and taken away. I wonder where Rachael's mother stood, and what was going through her mind.

All in all, it was a very long day, and we were gone a total of 10 hours. However, I wouldn't have traded it for the world. It was, perhaps, our one chance to forge a personal connection with her caregivers and orphanage, and to be able to capture a slice of her hometown. With the incredible, constant construction and development in China, her village may be completely changed or replaced with high-rises in 10 years.

Wacky Food, Part III

OK, here's today's wacky food... fish head. Presumably, the cheeks of the fish are the tastiest part, though brave Becca also tried some of the rest of the meat. Me, I was satisfied at just eating the cheeks off the fish head. Actually, it was quite tasty, and much better than the cold sliced pig ear salad with anchovy sauce we sampled at breakfast (no lie).

Panda World

We visited Panda World this afternoon, and drove around seeing damage from the typhoon. Panda World was rather dark and macabre, as it is in relative disrepair, so I wonder how well the pandas, sun bears and lesser pandas are being fed with the decay visible in the facility... one sun bear performing on a ball and parallel bars was panting heavily and obviously having some health issues. No question, it was interesting seeing the panda, and watching the sun bears perform (though imagine the smell of 10 wet dogs, times two). It was also pretty cool seeing the lesser panda (pictured), which is a member of the cat family, and native to the Fujian province. We then went into the Panda museum, which was interesting, but largely devoted to panda reproduction, with lots of things in jars of formaldehyde. It was interesting, but I'm glad our kids weren't much older, as it might have been frightening for them. We then had a great dinner (again, more Chinese, go figure) and fell into bed exhausted.

Hangin' in the Hotel

Typhoon Talim hit the Fujian coastline 50 kilometers away, so we were safe from the brunt of the storm, and just had moderately high winds to contend with. The moaning and whistling of the wind through the inadequate insulation of the window was a bit disconcerting, and the sheer curtains billowed quite a bit even with the window closed. We got some video footage of whitecaps being kicked up in the swimming pool and blowing the water over the roof, and of cars getting stuck in the floodwaters outside the hotel. Even though the local drivers could see cars already stuck in the floodwaters, they'd drive right in with the water lapping over the hood of the cars in spots, and get stuck right by the other cars. Most of these were taxis, as taxi drivers are notoriously bad drivers in Fuzhou. With the storm going on, we had lots of play time with the other babies, which was really a very good thing. Rachael is getting quite well-adjusted, and is scooting around the floor quite a bit. She is also discovering some new foods, and loves watermelon and oranges.

Typhoon Blues

One of the issues with our hotel in Fuzhou is that it really isn't designed to cater to Westerners. While there is a partial effort, many signs have no English, and of the 49 channels on the TV, only two are in English, and the TV only supports Asian language subtitles. Because of this, it's difficult for us to get news, particularly local news (not that it would be easy anyway, as China seems to only have national channels, and not local channels). We've heard of a typhoon that's hitting Taiwan, and have been trying to find out from locals where and when it will hit China, and they don't seem to care or know (or understand the question). It was only a few minutes ago I found this map showing the strike path, which shows it hitting us in about 8 hours, with very strong winds. To see where we are (Fuzhou) in relation to Taiwan, click here for a map, and you'll see that we're smack dab in the middle of that forecasted line, just above the 26° parallel. We can get Chinese news that talks about weather, but most of the information is verbal and written, without the benefit of graphics, so the data we have on the storm's progress is far removed from the instant news and breaking alerts we are used to. Please pray for us and our entire travel group, that we will be safe in the storm. We already have wind coming in around the edge of the window in our hotel room, so I fear it isn't built to withstand a typhoon. We may be spending the day in the lobby.

Today's freaky food entry

We've tried to eat anything safe that comes across our path, in our quest to embrace Chinese cooking, and it seems like our hotel must know of this with their daily breakfast buffet selection. So far, we've had pig ear, chicken foot, meat (??) dumplings, hundred-year eggs, and more. Now, for today's special food.... ox stomach salad. It was quite good, though chewy, and tasted like beef. Becca actually had seconds, and Rachael liked it too. We also had a Mommy-Rachael shower this morning with a delighted splashing baby.