Life at Home

Life at home has been going well. It's beginning to seem as though Maya and ShaoShao have known each other forever. Maya has been such a great big sister and has shared her toys so unselfishly. We're very proud of her.

1. two kids recovering from jet lag 2. ShaoShao finds his motorcycle 3. Maya being goofy 4. Welcome to cold weather ShaoShao

5. Look how quickly ShaoShao has warmed up to "the boys".

Last Pics from China

1. Maya and ShaoShao with their DiDi and Papa 2. Maya and Shao sporting their new sunglasses 3. Maya, DiDi, and Papa on the boat in Guilin 4. The Harrah's group dinner at the Cow and Bridge on Shamian Island

Even More Pics

1. The locals dancing in the park on Shamian Island

2. Dominic excitedly finds Starbucks on Shamian Island

3. Maya and Shao having a loving moment

4. ShaoShao devouring his chinese noodles

And Still More Pics

1. The Marten Family in Guilin 2. Maya playing in the balls at a small park in Guilin 3. ShaoShao looking at the airplane just before his first flight (from Guilin to Guangzhou) 3. Shao, Maya, and Daddy watching the planes 4. ShaoShao getting examined during his medical appoint in Guangzhou (the same doctor that examined Maya almost 3 years ago)

More Pics

1. Guilin 2. A smiling ShaoShao 3. Way too much food for 4 adults and 2 kids 4. Reed Flute Cave

5. Leaving Nanning and heading to Guilin; at the train station with our guide, Hannah.

More Pics from Guilin

1. ShaoShao trying some food from the market in Nanning 2. Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin 3. ShaoShao and the dancers
4. Spectacular peaks of Guilin

Settling In and Thank You!

We first wanted to say a big thank you to Neal, Tab, Tom, and Linda for taking care of "the boys" (our dogs Benson and Hunter) while we were away. The boys look great and seemed to have had a good time. We can't thank you enough for the care that they received.

We also wanted to thank Harrah's (our adoption agency) for providing excellent "in-China" services. Before we ever had time to be concerned, there was always a guide waiting for us, either at the train station, the airport, or at our hotel room. Thak you for making our trip as "stree-free" as possible.

Thank you also to Nanny for meeting us at the airport and staying with us for a couple of days to help with jet lag.

And finally, thank you to Jen's parents for making the journey with us. We don't know how we could have managed without your constant help and support while in China. We really appreciate all you did for us.

Maya and ShaoShao had a great night last night. They were both to sleep within 5 minutes. Shao woke crying around 1:00a.m. (probably scared to death of waking in such a new and strange environment). He was easily clamed by his daddy and was back to sleep in no time. Maya woke around 3:00 at which time I lay with Maya and Shao in Maya's twin bed. The kids fell back to sleep in no time while I lay awake, between them, suffering from jet lag. We actually had to wake them at 9:00a.m. this morning to try to maintain some kind of schedule.

They both had a great day full of play. They danced to music, played ring-around-the-rosey, colored, rode the scooter, and just goofed around. Shao had his first American grocery store experience which went well. Nanny is staying with us until Sunday which has been a huge help. I actually napped with ShaoShao today while Nanny spent some special time with Maya. Tonight, they were both once again asleep within 5 minutes. We'll see how the night goes. By the way, ShaoShao is now sitting on the floor with the dogs and petting them. He even asks Benson to "give him five" by pointing to his hand and then Benson's paw. It's amazing how resilliant kids can be.

I had some technical difficulties posting pics today (probably just over-tired). I'll try again tomorrow.

We're Home!

After what seems to have been an eternity on an airplane, we safely landed and now have a new American citizen in the family. The kids actually did great on the long trip. They both slept approx. 3-4 hours and barely cried. They're real stars in my book. At the airport, we were pleasantly surprised by a welcoming crowd. Thanks to Nanny, Kristi, Kenna, Michal, Joe, Regina, Kate, and Julia for making the effort to create such a special homecoming. The signs, balloons, snacks for the ride home, and video moments were all priceless! Thanks again to all of you.

ShaoShao was pretty much in "shut-down" mode on the way home. It must be strange to leave the only land you've ever known, where everyone looks and speaks similar to you, and arrive on the other side of the world where everything and everyone is foreign. He fell asleep on the car ride home and woke in time for his homecoming. He seemed fine until he was greeted by our two 90lb lab dogs. He is now warming up slowly to them and will tolerate being in the same room, just not within arm's reach. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks to John, Gretchen, Gwynyn, and Owen, for the delicious home-cooked dinner tonight. What a pleasant surprise to have this waiting for us after such a long trip. ShaoShao ate well, played in our playroom for a while, took a bath with Maya, and settled well into his new bed. Within 5 minutes, both kids were asleep. We'll see how long this lasts tonight considering jet lag.

Now that we're home, China seems like it was just a dream. We can't believe how quickly our China journey has come and gone. Thanks to all of you who have followed our journey. We couldn't read the blog comments until last night in Hong Kong as the blogs were blocked in China (meaning that we could post, but could not view the blog or any comments). Dom and I really enjoyed reading your input.

I will try to post a mix of photos from the trip over the next couple of days.

The Amazing Race!

Today was our last day on Shamian Island. We headed to our swearing-in ceremony around 2:30 where we met 55 other families who were all being sworn in at the same time. It was chaos but quite moving. A representative from the consulate addressed the group, had us raise our right hands to take an oath, and congratulated all of us on our adoptions.
Afterwards, the "Amazing Race" began. Of the 11 Harrah's families, 3 of the families (including us) were all supposed to board separate mini-vans and head to Hong Kong. We felt as though we really were on the television show. It was a rat race getting our luggage off of the bus, transferring to a van, and driving who knows where with a driver that spoke no English. After a couple of hours, we entered a parking lot where more vans were waiting for us (Hong Kong vans). We quickly played musical vans as we once again transferred our luggage to another van, let Maya and Shao take a quick wee in the bushes, and headed towards customs. We then had to fill out entry documents in the parking lot, drive through passport control #1 (the woman was asking where Shoa's father was, and was very surprised to see caccasion skin head Dom claim parental rights). She then asked for proof of our adoption certificate at which point Dom said "Don't you think he looks like me?", then passport control #2 (who actually believed we were Shao's parents), then the zapping by the temperature guns, then an additional hour to our hotel entrance. Finally in Hong Kong.

I bet you're all wondering who won. We don't want to get sentimental, but we think we're all winners as we are all going home with our beautiful sons and daughters.

Tomorrow we head out at 11:30 and land an hour later in Chicago (you figure out the time differance).

We Passed the Consulate Appoint!

Today was our official consulate appointment. Basically, this just means that the US consulate is reviewing our paperwork and making sure that all is well. We met with our guide and all 11 families in a conference room. There ShiShi gave us the great news that we all passed with no problems. She also had cake and drinks for all of the families. After our meeting, all 11 families gathered on in the 2nd floor lobby of the White Swan for the famous "red couch photo". I'll try to attach a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure.

Today was our last full day in Guangzhou. We shopped till we dropped (literally). It was a bit rainy and overcast which made for a good shopping day. We had our last dinner in Guagnzhou at Lucy's (a popular gathering spot for adoptive families as it has a half/half menu...half american food and half chinese food).

ShaoShao is doing great. He is laughing, playing, and being silly. He is even always joking around with us which is great. Maya also had a great day today which was so nice to see.

Tomorrow, we board a bus at 2:00 and head to our "swearing-in ceremony" at the consulate office which is located in downtown Guangzhou. From there, we will take a van to our hotel in Hong Kong (about a 3 hour trip). Thursday, it's homeward bound. I can't even believe how quickly time has gone. In some ways, it feels like we've had our ShaoShao forever, but in other ways, it feels as though we've just arrived in China. We will miss China so much and will look forward to our next visit. The people here have been so kind and welcoming.

Please wish us luck as we embark on a very loooong journey home. We are certainly not looking forward to a 15 hour plane ride with two toddlers. Please keep us in your thoughts.

The next time I post, it will probably be state side. See you soon!

We're in Guangzhou and Happy Birthday to Gran Jess + pics of Guilin!

Today is Dominic's Gran's birthday. Happy Birthday Gran Jess...we love and miss you!

Yesterday, we arrived in Guangzhou. In a strange kind of way, it almost felt like we were coming home. This is where we stayed for 14 days when we adopted Maya. Everything seems the same as we left it almost 3 years ago. We even have our same guides, ShiShi and Bob. It was great seeing them again. We had dinner at Lucy's last night and actually got to enjoy the sights and sounds of Shamian island as we dined outside (it was soooo hot here when we adopted Maya that we wouldn't have even thought about sitting outside).

Once again, we are staying at the White Swan which is great. We really feel pampered in this hotel. Someone pushes the elevator buttons for us, opens the doors, turns down our beds twice a day, and the list goes on. We had to be up bright and early for ShaoShao's medical exam since our consulate appoint. is tomorrow. ShaoShao even had the same doctor examine him as the one who examined Maya 3 years ago. What a small world. We spent most of the day wandering around the many streetside shops. Everyone is so friendly here and there are adoptive families everywhere you look. We ate dinner tonight at the Cow and Bridge with all 11 of the Harrah's families. It was a bit crazy with so many people all trying to order at the same time.

Maya and ShaoShao had a great time today. They actually really played without any adult coaxing. They loved running around on the sidewalks and throught the many parks of Guangzhou. The waterfall in the hotel was also a big hit this afternoon.

Tomorrow will be another day of shopping, possibly swimming, and of course, having our consulate appointment. Then Wed, we're off to Hong Kong for our last night in China.

I can't believe our journey is almost over. We have been sad to leave each city as we have been treated so kindly everywhere we have been.

Trying to Find Her Place!

Our poor princess Maya. She's been having a really tough time with the whole transition to having a sibling. She wants to be a big sister so badly, but emotionally isn't quite ready to handle such a huge transition, especially being away from the comforts of her own home. The worse times are at night and when she's tired and hungry. She has a really hard time seeing me hold ShaoShao. She wants to be carried everywhere (because he is), but also because she is bombarded by strangers on the street all the time. She wants to sit in a highchair next to Shao at every meal, and gets extremely agitated when only one chair is available. At nighttime, we have seen pushing, hitting, pinching, and just naughty aggressive behavior...all cries for help as she is feeling so "out of control" in her little world. We also think she is feeling very rejected. ShaoShao does not like her constant hugs and "hands-on" approach and often begins to cry when she's around him (although today was a huge improvement from yesterday). The first thing she said when she woke up yesterday was "Maybe I won't touch ShaoShao today and he won't cry"...it almost made me cry hearing her say that. She is also feeling rejected from me as I am now responding to another little one who is in great need of affection. Dom and I hit a wall last night and decided to regroup as to how we could better interact with Maya. Beginning today, I am making time for some special "Maya/Mommy" time. Today, all it took was taking a 15 minute stroll down the street and playing a few games, and she was a different child. I asked if she wanted to go to the park and she said that she missed Kai and wanted to go back to the room.
For all of you who are reading this and who will be seeing us when we come home, please remember to give Maya some attention too as she is really struggling with our new family dynamics. She tries so hard and is really doing such a nice job taking care of her little brother. It will all just take time, I know. We would just appreciate any help to make this transition as easy as possible for her.

Hello From Guilin!

Yesterday (Friday), we took the train from Nanning to Guilin. It was actually a very nice train and was not very crowded. The trip took about 4 1/2 hours and it was great seeing the China countryside. When we arrived at the train station, our guide met us on the train. We didn't realize what a relief this was until we departed the train and saw people everywhere. I have no idea where everyone had just come from, but we barely had room to walk, let along navigate with luggage. We hopped in another van, and were taken to the Bravo Hotel. We were definately not in Nanning anymore. We were in "tourist central". I think we're the only adoptive family that I've seen. The hotel restaurant only has one highchair (total) so that tells you how often they cater to families with young children. There are people here from all over the world. It's really kind of fascinating.
After our arrival yesterday, our guide Tony took us to Elephant Trunk park. Basically, it is a huge rock formation along the river that resembles an elephant's trunk. The elephant is actually the symbol of Guilin. Just as we arrived, a local group of dancers performed a show which was very entertaining. ShaoShao loves music and immediately began to dance. Maya then grabbed his hands and the two of them danced during the show. The performers were so taken by ShaoShao and Maya that they invited them over for a hug and photo. ShaoShao seemed ambivalant and Maya was a bit timid and unsure.
Poor Maya. Everywhere we go, Chinese woman are prodding and poking her and trying to give her hugs. Strangers bring their young children up to Maya and expect her to carry on a conversation. She has been very scared and timid and has not enjoyed this aspect of our travels.
This morning, we went on the river cruise. It was absolutely spectacular. The topography of Guilin is facinating...huge mountainous formations everywhere. It truely is a natural wonder. The cruise lasted about 4 hours (the river is currently very fast as it is rainy season and the water levels are high) and included a sit-down lunch. As we had lunch, a group of friends from Spain sat with us. Never did I imagine that I would be practicing my spanish in China. I was actually able to carry on a conversation with them for quite awhile (not at all gramatically correct) and mostly understood what they were saying.
Tomorrow, we visit Reed Flute Cave and from there, head to the airport to fly to Guangzhou. It feels like we're going home as Guangzhou is where we stayed for 14 days when we adopted Maya. It will be great to visit again and share this experience with Maya.
ShaoShao is still doing well. We really think he is still numb to so many things as he is processing his new life with virtual strangers. Even though he is somewhat ambivilant, he still has so much personality and a definate "naughtiness" side. We can only imagine what life will be like when he really comes out of his shell in a couple of months.
Tonight, we ventured out to a local chinese restaurant. We chose this place because it had a picture menu. As we were ordering, we were pointing to a variety of pictures and asking "what is this....beef? chicken? etc... Well, the waitress thought that we were ordering everything we pointed to. The food just kept coming and coming until there was barely room on our very large table for everything to fit. If only we had had some friends to join us for such a yummy feast. I guess next time we'll know to count the items on the waitress's order before we send her to the kitchen. Live and Learn!
I tried to upload pictures, but for some reason, the computers at our hotel business center do not accept my camera. Hopefully I'll be able to add pics from Guangzhou.

The Dynamic Duo!

ShaoShao has been doing great! His personality continues to surface more each day. He has also been sleeping well. For the first time last night, he didn't even wimper when he woke in the middle of the night. I think we are finally beginning to look familiar to him which is a great feeling.

Even though we have only known hime for 4 days now (it feels like so much longer), we are definately figuring out his likes and dislikes. So far, we know the following:

ShaoShao really likes:

Food (espeically anything sweet); being outside; music (everytime he hears music; he stops whatever he's doing and dances); fried noodles; balls; bubbles; making silly faces; milkshakes; his daddy; water (including bathtime); playing with chopsticks at dinner; and being held.

He's not so fond of:

short sleeves (he'll point to his bare arms and then to his drawer of clothes); diapers (he refuses to wear one...even at night); his sister invading his personal space; being taken out of the bath; getting ready for bed.

He is so easy going and seems to go with the flow. Maya continues to "mother" him like you wouldn't believe. Today, they wore matching outfits chosen by Maya. She wants to be just like him. Therefore, she is sitting in a high chair next to him during meals, requesting to be carried everywhere, always needing to go potty just as Shao let's us know that he needs to go, and always wanting her mommy's attention (expecially if I am holding or playing with Shao). She has dealt with so much change over the past week and is really handling it so well. She is also being prodded and poked by Chinese strangers everywhere we go. It has to be a bit intimidating for her. Anyway, she continues to be a trooper and always says something each day that just makes us melt.

Here are some pics of the dynamic duo.

Happy Birthday Papa!

Today we celebrated my Dad's birthday. Who ever thought his 62nd birthday would have been spent enjoying the sights of Nanning with his two grandchildren. Anyway, according to him, he couldn't imagine a better way to spend the day.

We began by visiting the local walmart...pretty much what you'd expect from any walmart, with a Chinese twist of course (barrels of rice sold in bulk and conveyer belts going from floor to floor that also carried your shopping carts). We then did the American thing and ate at the McDonald's next door.

In the afternoon, my dad and Dom took the kids to a local museum while my mom and I got pampered. Just across the street, there is an amazing hair salon. May mom was there the other day to get her hair cut and just raved about it. So today, I thought I'd give it a try. Since I had just gotten my hair cut before our trip, I decided to just get a wash and style. After about 30 minutes of washing (including head, neck, and scalp massage), I then sat in another chair for more head and back massage, and then in a chair to have my hair styled. It was so relaxing and my head feels great. All this for 15 Yuan (about $2.00). We then went to get a full body massage which was pretty much torture. It was a proper therapeutic massage that nearly sent me throught the roof with pain a couple of times. I'm still taking tylenol to ease the pain. I guess I was carring more stress in my back muscles than I thought. A one hour massage cost 60 yuan (just under $10.00). I just love the customer service around here...it is supberb.

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Shao's foster family. It is against orphange policy to release the family's address so we were unable to locate the family and coordinate a visit. A representative from Hope and Grace (Shao's foster program) met with us today and picked up our gift to take to Shao's foster family. He also gave us a cd with additional photos of Shao and Yulin City. Any info we can get is better than nothing.

Just after our meeting with him, we met Ayla's foster mom. Ayla is a little girl who was adopted almost a year ago by another Harrah's family. Her foster mom had heard that a Harrah's family would be in Nanning so she traveled by bus over an hour to deliver a small gift for us to take back to Ayla's family. She was so nice and very appreciative of us for taking the gifts.

We ended the evening at the buffet restaurant in our hotel. It was absolutely fantastic! At the end of our meal, the staff brought a beautiful cake to our table for my dad. They all sang Happy Birthday to celebrate his special day. The hotel also delivered flowers to his room in honor of his birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Tomorrow, we leave first thing in the morning to catch a train to Guilin. Wish us luck as we travel 4 1/2 hours by train with 2 kids and lots of luggage. We're actually looking forward to seeing some of China's countryside on the journey.

I'm not sure when I"ll be able to post again. After tonight, we won't have a computer in our room. I"ll try to find computer access when we arrive in Guangzhou (Sunday evening).

More From Wednesday!

I forgot to mention in the last post that Shao had a bit of a difficult night last night. He went to bed great, but woke crying a couple of hours later. When I tried to hold and comfort him, he arched his back and kicked his legs, resisting me. I just held him tighter and closer until he was finally able to calm down. Dominic and I took turns waking with him as he stirred often throughout the night. When he woke this morning, he had a bit of a fever. We really think that he just hasn't been getting enough to drink and was a bit dehydrated. After a good breakfast and lots of fluids, he was fever free and feeling fine. After the marketplace and some quite time in the hotel room, we headed back to the People's Park. Maya taught Kai how to feed the fish. She also felt as though she had to have her hands on him constantly...pulling him right, then left, trying to control his every move. He has definately been much more resistive to her today because I think he's a bit tired of having his space invaded. I guess the sibling bliss has already ended. Reality, here we come. After feeding the fish, we played some carnival games, rode a couple of rides, and walked back to the hotel. This evening, Hannah took us to a local restaurant which was great. The menu was in Chinese so she ordered a variety of dishes including spicy fish. I couldn't believe it when the waiter actually brought a live fish in a bag for us to examine before it was cooked as part of our meal. The meal was really enjoyable. Bedtime was dreadful. Shao would begin to cry, then Maya would start her fake cry, and it just seemed like utter chaos. Shao has definately formed a special bond with Dominic as he only wanted him tonight. This gave me some much needed mommy Maya time. So I lay in bed with Maya while Dom rocked Shao to sleep. Within about 15 minutes, both kids were sleeping. Fingers crossed that this will last more than a couple of hours. I'm including some photos of people's park. I particularly like the one of Maya waving her index finger at Shao as though to say.."do what I say or else".

The Local Marketplace

Today, our guide, Hannah, took us to the local marketplace. For those of you who have never been to an authentic Chinese marketplace, it is quite the experience. Besides the usual fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains, there is also a wide variety of live animals (birds, chickens, snakes, turtles, and yes, even dogs) just wating to be bought to be eaten. Dead, skinned animals also hang from ropes, unrefrigerated. This market also had a large homeopathic section full of a variety of roots, leaves, and spices used for medicinal purposes. The market streets are so crowded with people, bikes, scooters, motor cycles, and cars. Did I mention to look both ways before crossing any street! Nobody stops for pedestrians around here. I feel like a pawn in the old video game "Frogger". You definately take your life into your own hands everytime you leave the safety of the sidewalk As we walked through the marketplace, we felt like walking artwork (actually, it is like this everytime we leave the boundaries of our hotel) We are often the only caucasions within eyesight and everyone is just so curious as to why we are carrying chinese children. I will say, though, that almost every encounter we have had with the local people has been pleasant and friendly.