Rachael's First Swim

In another reminder of what it's like to look so very different in another culture, I went for a swim today. I thought several Chinese were going to drown with their mouths agape. "Look, red bear swim at zoo!" But, I didn't care, since it was a hot day, and I wanted to cool down with a dip. So, after checking in, getting 3 locker keys, being instructed to put flip-flops in outside locker, "I wanted to wear them to the pool." "Put in locker" Hmmm... apparently, they only know those few words in about 10 languages. So flip-flops in one locker, t-shirt in another locker, with glasses, and then I could go to the pool. It was very nice, even though I felt on display, and the kids swimming up to look with their goggles at the parts that were under the water weren't subtle. They weren't rude, but curious. The swim was even better when I was joined 10 minutes later by Momma and Rachael, and she had her first swim. She was very glad to see Daddy (we're trying to introduce brief periods of being with only one caretaker), and she didn't seem to mind the water much at all. After a slow introduction, she loved splashing the water with her hands and playing with Dad in the water. Her grin and giggle are SO CUTE. We had a lot of fun playing underwater peek-a-boo, where Dad would go under then come up with a "Boo!" to make her smile. Just about the time we were done anyway, a big storm system with lightning came in, and we got out (though about 20 Chinese swam the whole way through the lightning storm with rain!). It was quite a fun first swim. Now, if I can only convince her to not pee down my shirt in the elevator lobby.

Visit to Buddhist Temple in Fuzhou

China is a beautiful country, with some astounding architecture. Today, we visited a famous Buddhist temple in Fuzhou, and the beauty of the gardens, buildings, shrines and artwork was amazing. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Rachael slept through the night, and woke up at 7:30. She must have been hungry, because she had a full 8oz bottle with rice, then a whole bowl of congee with hundred-year egg and onion, and some yam noodles and fried egg (Western style). That knocked her out for a good nap, so she slept through the first half of the Buddhist temple, but did wake up and enjoyed the tour and then some Chinese lunch. Though it was very humid and about 88F, but the copious shade in the gardens and some bottled water kept us going, and I'm very glad we went. Not only was it beautiful, but we also had some good times joking and talking as a group. At one point, I rounded one corner to see this panoramic view of 3 temples and pagodas, and two people bowing and offering incense, and thought, "Dorothy, this isn't Kansas anymore". Definitely a place you could spend a whole day to see. After the temple tour we had a good lunch (fried rice, steamed pea pods, chowed broccoli, Kung Pao chicken, pot stickers, congee, and steamed egg), and Rachael made quite a hit with the wait staff at the restaurant. They loved watching me feed her steamed egg, which was part because it's very difficult to do because it's like custard, and they were impressed a Westerner could use chopsticks so well. But, heck, let's be honest here -- they were really goggling our cute baby and all the faces she would make for them. After Rachael hammed it up a bit, the heat of the morning and a big lunch set her up for a power nap. Rachael didn't make it half-way back to the hotel before she was knocked out for a good nap (which she is two hours into right now). We're getting ready to wake her up and take her to the pool, which should be interesting.

Photo Op

Everywhere we go that aren't desensitized to westerners, Dan and Julia (at left) both make an impression, though Dan seems to be the real oddity. "You Christmas Man!" and "Rub Buddha for luck!" are the two most common comments, though most folks want to take their picture with Dan or Julia. It's pretty comical, and you should see some of the expressions as Chinese walk into each other and stare, trying to goggle all they can. It's like being in the zoo. For grins, at the Forbidden City, Dan and Julia walked side-by-side for several minutes, and it was like a double whammy on the locals, seeing that much non-Chinese features together in one place.

Gotcha day!

Today, we met our third daughter, Rachael Anne YuTing Houser. This was a rollercoaster of a day, and was fun, exhausting, and overwhelming. After breakfast, where we had pig ear, black conjee and cold squid for the first time, we took a sweltering walk in the park and watched women exercising with a fan dance. On the way back from the park, we saw several women walking into the hotel with babies in their arms. After several seconds, it occurred to us that 10 women entering the hotel, each with a baby, just 20 minutes before we were to get our babies, meant that one of them was likely our little Yu Ting! (Now that we've seen the pictures, we know one of them was, so it was the first moment we saw our child.) We didn't study the babies too closely, as we knew we would likely pick her out, and the thought of just leaving her in the lobby would have been too much. We made a quick change, and dashed off to the 26th floor lounge, where we spent several hours, on-and-off with the babies, local officials, caregivers, notaries and our guides. Rachael made an absolute fuss when she had to leave her caregiver, and her passport picture (taken 10 minutes after we got her) captured one of the few seconds she didn't cry for the first hour. Once we took her to our hotel room, changed her diaper, got her some food and a nap, she was much better. We took a shopping trip mid-day, and got several supplies like bottled water, bananas, yogurt (both a big hit with Rachael), diapers and a few containers of the same formula she had been using. By the way, golf shirts and dress shirts at the market were 5 Yuan, which is about $0.61. After applying for her passport at the police station, Daddy gave Rachael a bath, and then we went to dinner, then swiftly to bed. What a day!

Split pants

This requires little comment, but thought I'd toss in a few words about why this Daddy is willing to risk a nervous neck in this fashion. Apparently, this is common in China, particularly in the countryside, where diapers are oddities and expensive.

Smoggy Day at Summer Palace

We got to see Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City today, which were regretfully wreathed in smog. Our guide said this is normal for August, due to weather. Tian'anmen wasn't as wide-open as I thought (perhaps due to my perspective being limited by the smog) but impressive nontheless, particularly in the memories it stirred. The Forbidden City was huge, and very impressive. We thought we must be nearly done when we saw a map, and it showed that we had only gotten through 1/4 of it!!

We're safe and in Beijing

We had computer problems yesterday, so weren't able to post, so we're dashing off a quick blog post to let you know we've arrived safe and sound. After a very very very long flight, during which time Dan didn't sleep and Becca catnapped, we arrived in Beijing.

This is an overwhelming city that must give an ulcer to city planners, as it looks like a relatively random development strategy. Top that off with crazy traffic (2000 new cars are added to the road every DAY in Beijing), and you have a very interesting drive from the airport. Our hotel room is very nice, definately 4-stars, though smells odd... we think it's an odd odor in the cleaning supplies. Combine slight hint of skunk, stale unusual cigarettes and 2-3 unknown spices and you have the smell. Not bad, but bearable. The extra hard bed is the same, not bad but bearable. The food, however is fantastic. We've discovered that our local hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant we love, China House, is a pretty good restaurant. Topping the list of delicacies in the last 24 hours are homemade noodles (6 feet long, eaten only with chopsticks!) with chili sauce, eel fried rice, wonderful pork dumplings, coconut milk, plum juice, 100-year-old egg (gelatinous and salty), fermented bean curd (texture of fine cheese, taste like nothing else you've eaten, and WAY salty) in runny canjee, Peking duck (yum!), fried inside-out carp served whole (best thing so far), melons, very weird scrambled eggs, sausage that tasted like a cross between hot dog and kielbasa, fried pancake with shredded pork (yum!), sticky rice and various vegetables.

Today was touring the Great Wall, Chinese lunch served family style with about 12 dishes, visiting the Summer Palace, a dinner of Peking Duck, and then seeing the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. We were so exhausted by the time we we got to the Acrobats, we feel asleep several times. Now, we're going to pack, and then bed!

And..... they're off!

After months and months of planning, prayer, preparation, more prayer, and paperwork, the day is finally here. In 2 minutes we walk out the door to fly to China, and we are beside ourselves. This is so much bigger than we realized, and it's scary, wonderful and exhilarating at the same time. Like the biggest roller coaster I've ever faced (and I chose that metaphore carefully), the anticipation and rush is incredible. We are going to pick up our daughter, and it rocks! Please remember us, Rachael, Emily and Kayla in your prayers, and keep checking this blogs for our planned daily (?) posts.

Fun Diversion...

We made a search-a-word for Emily that includes lots of fun things we're doing in China. Click here for your own copy.

Detailed Itinerary

(for flight information to/from China, click here)

The Schedule for Fu Jian Group

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Aug 26 (Fri):

• Mable or Susan will pick up the families arriving by UA851 at 14:37pm by the KFC. Then, check into Temple of Heaven Beijing (Zhongcheng Holiday Inn), Tel.: 86+10+67626688; Fax:86+10+67611616).

Aug 27 (Sat.):

• Tour to Jade place, Great Wall, Summer Palace.
• Watch Acrobatic Show at night.

Aug 28 (Sun):

• Go to Tian An Men Square, Forbidden City and pearl place.
• Fly to Fuzhou by HU7195(18:10pm-20:40pm) and check into Golden Resources International Hotel, (Tel: 86-591-87088888; Fax: 86-591-87088999).

Aug 29 (Mon):

• Meet babies - 9am
• In the afternoon, go to the Civil Affairs office to do the registration.

Aug 30 (Tue):

• Visit Yu Mountain and go shopping.

Aug 31 (Wed):

• Go to Fu Zhou City Museum.

Sep 1 (Thu):

• Visit Fuzhou orphanage or Drum Mountain.

Sep 2 (Fri):

• Visit traditional lanes and fill the forms of the consulate in the afternoon.

Sep 3 (Sat):

• Visit Panda’s World.

Sep 4 (Sun):

• 3:30pm: Go to airport and catch flight MF8325 (18:35pm-19:50pm) to Guangzhou and check into White Swan Hotel (Tel: 86+20+81886968; Fax: 86+20+81861188).

Sep 5 (Mon):

• Go to a clinic to have a medical check-up for the child.

Sep 6 (Tue):

• Guide will go to send visa documents to consulate in the morning.
• Have group dinner at Pizza Hut and have a river cruise (two hours).

Sep 7 (Wed):

• In the afternoon, go to US consulate to take the oath.
• Group dinner.

Sep 8 (Thu):

6:30am: Go to airport to catch flight CZ319 (9:40am-10:40am) to fly to Hong Kong. Then, catch flight UA896 at 12:45pm back home.

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Two kids for rent, cheap!

Uh-oh, our plans for Emily and Kayla while we're in China have fallen through, so we are without a place for them for stay for a week! Crickey!!! Please pray for us. (Or rent our kids, cheap!)

Overwhelming Feeling

This phase of the adoption process makes me feel like I'm an overstretched guitar string, being pulled in 20 different directions, trying to keep work, home, family, church, career, and adoption balls all in the air at once (to mix a metaphor). I'm able to look at my watch and say, "We should be boarding a plane in 13 days, and Rachael's first birthday is in 10." Knowing how the last month has flown by, particularly with the loss of my mother and the grieving process, I know those days will evaporate like alcohol in the sun. Before I know it, I'll be kissing my kids goodbye, standing at the United ticket window in Columbus, and feel shock at the journey I'll be starting. How do you prepare for something like this, for the journey of a lifetime? It's overwhelming, and piles that overwhelming sense of something far outside myself on top of my already swamped psyche. 13 little days, just 310 hours from now... tick, tock... -dan

We have travel dates confirmed

Houser Travel Internerary
International Travel to/from China
____________________________________________________
Thursday - 25 August 2005
Flight #: UA6801 Airline: United (UNITED EXPRESS/SKYWEST)
Depart: 09:41 AM Airport: Port Columbus Int'l Arpt
Arrive: 09:59 AM Airport: Chicago O'Hare
Travel 1hr 18min

_________121_minute_layover_at__O'Hare______________

Flight #: UA0851 Airline: United
Depart: 12:00 PM Airport: Chicago O'Hare
Arrive: 26 August Airport: Beijing Capital Arpt
02:30 PM
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Mileage: 6572
Travel 13hr 30min
____________________________________________________
Thursday - 8 September
Flight #: UA0896 Airline: United Airlines
Depart: 12:45 PM Airport: Hong Kong Int'l Arpt
Arrive: 02:25 PM Airport: Chicago O'Hare
Aircraft: Boeing 747-300 Mileage: 7791
Travel 14hr 40min
_________4+ hour layover_at__O'Hare______________

Arrive: Thursday evening Airport: Port Columbus Int'l Arpt
Columbus, OH

Sorry -- as much as we love our family and friends, and romantically imagine a huge homecoming in the airport with balloons, banners and cheers, it would overwhelm our travel-worn, tired baby who is used to drab institutional surroundings, is experiencing jet lag, and has cranky parents.

Soooo, please give us a few weeks to settle into a routine, and we'll be glad to pop in and see you with Rachael. We promise.

Very cool info on Fujian province

Just passing on a very cool link on the Fujian province, with TONS of details. I've also pasted in this very cool map of the province, which shows the relation to Taiwan. If you click on the map, find the 'Taiwan Strait' in the middle of the water, then go due West from the 'T' in 'Strait', you'll see Jinjiang on the coast, which is where Rachael is. We've learned it's 150 minutes south of Fuzhou, where we will be, by driving the 'Autobahn' down to Zhangzhou and hanging a left.

Travel Date set: 8/25

Y_E_S_!_!_!_! At last, we have a travel date, so know when we are going to China. We should be leaving for Beijing on 8/25 and get Rachael Anne YuTing around 8/29. We will post our full itinerary once we get it. As a funny aside, friends of ours also adopting from China got their travel date today, and her husband (a cop) was making a traffic stop when she called his cellphone, and said, "Well, hurry up and make that stop, because we're going to China in 10 days. [click]" You can imagine his reaction!!

New information on YuTing

We received updated medical information on Rachael Anne. As of June 28th, she weighs 17.6 lbs, is 26 1/3 inches tall, has a head circumfrince of 17+ inches, a chest measurement of almost 17 inches, and her foot is nearly 4 inches. We ploted this out on a growth chart. Taking her March measurements and these June measurements, we can see that she is growing at a steady pace. She is still in the 5-10% for American babies, and in the 25-50% range for Southern Chinese babies. So, all said, she is growing, but is a tiny thing. Maybe this will be one grandaughter that won't be taller than her Grandma Archdeacon.
She also has four teeth now.
This is probably the last information we will get on her before we travel. Still no word on travel dates.

Visas & Paperwork

Though I think they have little else in common, international adoption and Army life should both have the same motto... 'hurry up and wait'. Now we are waiting on our visa stamps from the Chinese consulate in NYC to process our paperwork. Once our passports get stamped with a visa stamp permitting us to visit China, then we should get a travel date from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. So, a frantic two weeks since we learned we are getting a girl from Fujian, we are still waiting on a travel date. It's just normal 'hurry up and wait' in the adoption trail...

Cricket's Orphanage

We found pictures of Cricket's orphanage today on the Internet, at a site dedicated to children being adopted from the Fujian province. It looks like a nice facility, and we've read several positive accounts online from adoptive parents that have visited the orphanage. It's comforting knowing where Cricket is at this moment.

It's a Name!

Cricket finally has a name, besides Yu Ting that is. Her name will be Rachael Anne YuTing Houser. Rachael is Becca's maternal grandmother, and Ruth Ann is Dan's mother. We find ourselves calling her a combination of all these names. Sometimes it is Rachael, Rachael Anne, YuTing, and Cricket. We did not keep the Jiang from her Chinese name because that is comparable to our last name. All the children from her orphange (The Jinjiang Children's Welfare Institute) have the name Jiang. Besides, Rachael Anne YuTing Houser is long enough. : )

Where is Jiang Yu Ting?

We've gotten lots of questions, and one of them is, "Where is your daughter?" Jiang Yu Ting is in Southeast China in the Fujian province, in a city called Jinjiang.