Last Night in China

Ryan was still running a fever and sluggish all day.  Poor thing looked absolutely miserable.  We did head out this evening for some dinner and she ate a lot of chicken congee. This evening her fever broke, was playing and even gave us a smile or two.  She is starting to say 'mama' which I love.  We have an early morning  and the itinerary is flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, HK to San Francisco, SF to Boise. Apparently  Jessica is planning a special dinner for us and on the menu is shrimp and for dessert- chocolate pie!

Getting Closer...

...to coming home!  Our consulate appointment was bright and early yesterday morning.  We were in our taxi by 7:30 and arrived at the U.S. Consulate a few minutes before 8:00 a.m.  There was large line of Chinese people trying to get travel and immigration visas. Along with several other adoptive families, we had to show our passports and go through security.  We then were guided to a large waiting room.  After a few minutes we were instructed to stand, raise our right hands and take an oath that all of our information was correct to the best of our knowledge and so forth.  I then had to wait for them to call Ryan's name and I headed to window 32.  I handed the officer all my documents, she went through them, had me sign the ds230 and we were on our way. 

In the afternoon we went to the pearl and jade market for a bit of shopping. I have never before purchased any jade in my previous travels to China and have really wanted to get a traditional jade bracelet for the girls which I was able to do.  I also purchased a strand of beautiful white pearls and right  then and there they strung a necklace and bracelet and made some earrings.  I had hired a local shopping guide that was recommended to me by an another adoptive parent (we used her services the last time we were in China). I was glad to shop with her because my knowledge of these items is so limited and it was obvious she knew what to look for in terms of quality and value.  The market was intense and the shopping a bit chaotic and we had a fantastic time.

My sweet little girl is feeling a bit puny.  She has been running a fever the past couple of days, has a horrible cough and runny nose. Even sick she is in good spirits and likes to play, but at night when she is trying to sleep she becomes extremely frustrated -I think- because she can't fall into a deep sleep and she is exhausted. When she cries it's so pathetic and it's frustrating not being able to help.  I'm trying to keep her fever under control and am making sure she is getting enough liquids.  Needless to say I'm not getting much sleep either and am TIRED.

After our shopping shopping spree  we met some of the families we got to know in Nanning for dinner.  It was so good to see them again and hear about their time in Guangzhou and bid them farewell.  Our dinner was at a French place I believe called
'The Orient Express'' and it was delicious and a nice change of pace.  Typically, I'll try anything, but my stomach has been a tad nauseated this trip and for whatever reason the shredded pig belly in soy sauce or the skewered octopus with quail egg just isn't appetizing to me.

I've really enjoyed my time in China, however, I'm missing my girls.  The last time we skyped Kate was crying and it's just time we need to be home. 

Pipsqueak

Otherwise known as ''Pip".  Auntie Kelly has taken it upon herself to give our little miss a nickname and I think it's going to stick. Ryan already responds to it and it fits her well.  Yesterday we visited Liurong Temple (Temple of the Six Banyan Trees) and then back to Shamian Island to have Ryan's TB test evaluated.  It was a relief to find out the text was negative and she is good to go!  We spent a couple of hours popping into the little shops, enjoying the gorgeous colonial buildings and banyan  trees and enjoyed a cool drink.  It was the second long day in a row - smack dab in the middle of nap-time.  I put Ryan down early for bedtime and she slept fairly well through out the night.  Today is a pretty mellow.  We had a late breakfast then visited Liu Hua Lake Park.  This is a beautiful  park that has walkways and gathering areas around a man-made lake.  The park is covered in banyan, palm, and mango trees.  Even though it is early spring here there are still several diffent types of flowers in bloom. After a long Idaho winter, the blossoms are nourishment to my soul. There are many retired people that congregate here, playing card games, doing tai-chi, ballroom dancing, and playing badmitton. We diddn't stay long due to it being a cold and windy day.  Ryan is developing a bit of a cough, so we are spending our time inside the hotel room letting her sleep and keeping her warm. I must admit our hotel is fantastic, I've never lived in such chic accomodations. I'm more accustomed to the Super 8.  I think my standard has just been raised -wink! Ryan still is not eating much, she had about 3/4 of a bottle and a small bowl of white rice -othing else, which is concerning me. I continue to introduce foods to her that she might like such as noodles and mango custard and items she has taken bites of before, but she takes one look and shakes her head no.  I know all you folks really want is pictures...so, enjoy!

Catching Up

We celebrated Kelly's 35th birthday our last day in Nanning. Our guide ordered a cake from the hotel and as it was a fairly large cake, we wheeled it out into a common area and shared it with some other families who were staying at the hotel. Shortly later Lynn departed for the airport to catch a flight home. Ryan's passport was being processed and on schedule for pick-up at 4:30. When Kelly and I arrived at the airport we found out our flight had been over-sold and there were no seats left. The last flight out to Guangzhou (on another carrier) had one seat left. Because Ryan had her appointment for her medical examination the following day at 8:00 a.m. the guide was suggesting we take that ticket and Kelly would follow ''later''. However, after several minutes of discussing it and several direct and pointed questions from me, it was still unclear about when Kelly would actually have a ticket and meet up with us. Kelly is capable and I have no doubt she would have been fine, but without the specifics there was no way I was going to leave her, that coupled with the idea of explaining to my brother that I had left her...um, no thank you. So, I must say our guide worked her tail off...and we did eventually get a second ticket on the 8:50 p.m.flight...which ended up being delayed and we boarded about 9:30, putting us into our hotel room well after midnight. Ryan did AWESOME on the plane, except poor little thing did throw- up everywhere. She has been so mellow and go with the flow with the traveling and changes. Reminds me a lot of Jess in that way.

The next day (Saturday) we headed to Shamian Island for Ryan's visa photo, medical evaluation and TB test. It was fairly quick, smooth and without incidence. While on the island Kelly and I treated ourselves to our first Starbucks and it was heaven...coffee is just not coffee here and we needed that pick-me-up for sure. In the afternoon Ryan slept hard while I finished compiling the documents for her visa application, after her nap she was ready to go. That girl is so busy, she just plays and plays. It's obvious she has watched someone cook before as she stirs and pours and throws in a little spice now and again She is smart as a whip too and every day more and more of her funny, sweet, spunky little personality is coming out.

Ryan is still not eating much, except bananas and white rice, and has had a few bites of yogurt at breakfast. We had purchased a large container of white rice for lunch and at dinner I fed her rice again and she not only ate a ton, but I handed the chopsticks to her and she used them to feed herself. Her ability was comparable to a toddler using a fork or spoon. She was very precise and exact and determined. It was so funny to watch her we drug out the video recorder and ran out of tape. After dinner I dressed her in footed jammies. The girl is obsessed with socks (always putting them on and off and switching the sock on the right foot to the left foot etc.etc.), and insisted on putting the socks over her jammies. She is full of life and fun and sweetness. She is very dainty and has a big personality.

Today (Sunday) was spent at the Safari Park, the largest zoo in China and it was awesome! The park itself was beautiful, well maintained, thoughtfully laid out. The animals were amazing, and I really liked that there wasn't just one or two, but several of each kind. Some of the animals we were able to see we giraffes, elephants, giant pandas, koalas, kangaroos and camels. We we able to feed the giraffes some leaves and one of the giraffes nibbled on Kelly's hair when her back was turned. We tried to count them and stopped at 17. It was a great day for down time, and just being able to enjoy our time here and the one-on-one with Ryan. By the way...Happy Spring!!

Nothin' But Sass!

My girl is showing her colors and am certain she will fit right in with her sisters. I have a feeling I'm going to be in trouble! Today Ryan just opened up and her sunny little personality came beaming out. Throughout the entire day she was in great spirits, bouncing around, laughing, giggling, teasing, playing with her toys, humming, eating. It's such a blessing to have this time together just to get to know one another before we head home. She is also very comfortable in letting us know her likes dislikes. The girl also has a temper! Full of mischief and just a happy little girl!

Out of our three adoptions so far this has been a breeze - with Jess we were so tense with being unfamiliar on how to care for a child and Kate was so full of grief and fear we were all just holding on. So many people have been praying for us and our transition including 15 kindergarteners who have been faithful in remembering Ryan and us. The sense of peace on this journey has been ever-present and we are so thankful. My greatest concern with Ryan is her health. I can definitely feel her heart, the intense way it's beating. She sweats just like Jessica did and tires easily. I'm eager to get her home and to her cardiologist. On top of it all, she has not received any immunizations, so needles to say we will be holing up for awhile and will be hosing down visitors with antibacterial.

Kelly is proving herself to be a fantastic midwife, nanny, and photographer/videographer. If she would quit making fun of the locals "Engrish" and such (which, of course, invokes inappropriate laughter from me), and her periodically reading passages from her Nora Roberts novel we'd be a bit better off. That alone reminds me of why I don’t read that (dare I call it genre?) of ’’author’’. Ugh. With that said, am really enjoy her company and her help has been invaluable. Kelly is always in great spirits, up for anything, and looking to help. Lynn is heading back to the US tomorrow and I cringe when I think of how I'd be managing the duration of the trip without her help. I’d make it, but it wouldn’t be pretty.

I'm missing Jess and Kate so much I can barely stand it. I'm happy Lynn will be back with the girls soon, it will give me a better peace of mind.
The weather here has been cold and rainy, so we haven't been able to see much of the city, but today we did tour the minority museum. There are 12 minorities in Guangxi province and the museum highlighted each one, their contributions and culture as well as giving the history of housing, bronze drums and brocade. We then did a bit of shopping where we were able to pickup some hand made items for Ryan to have when she is older.

In the afternoon our paperwork was ready and brought to our hotel. We are just waiting on her passport which will be finished tomorrow and then we’ll be dropped off at the airport. Next stop- Guangzhou!

Getting There!

Yesterday we had an appointment at the civil affairs office where they interviewed Lynn and I, we signed our names on several documents and used red ink to place our thumb-prints on top of our names.  We then traveled to the notary office  where we did more of the same and now it's a done deal. As of March 15, 2011 Ryan Grace MeiLi is officially and legally ours!

Ryan is doing WONDERFUL which is a relief and  a joy!  Little-by-little she is opening up and showing us what she's got.  She has  funny little personality,  loves to tease and scrunches up her nose when she is being ornery.  She loves to play is aloof and has a great giggle. I have no doubt she will fit it well with her sisters. She is spending time with both Lynn and I. allowing each of us to tend to her needs, but she does seem to prefer her daddy at times.  She has been quite busy with her teacups and plates and putting her shoes on and taking them off.

Today we traveled three-plus hours east to Ryan's home town of Guiping.  Most of the drive was on a highway and through the countryside which was lovely. Limestone mountains jetted up here and there - steep and swooping (reminding me of the hump on a camel).There were long stretches of green fields and rice paddies including some terraced areas as well.  Water buffalo were tethered and grazing.   These animals were being used to till the soil and we also saw fields being hand plowed. Amidst all of this were stretches of town.  The towns seemed quite busy with lots foot-traffic, vendors selling their goods and men sitting around outdoor tables playing cards.  It was a cold day and the people were bundled up, it doesn't seem as though they were using any sources of heat as all the doors were standing wide open. I was taken back by the piles of garbage and rubble - it was unimaginable. 

Even though we were not allowed in the orphanage, we stopped by to take pictures of where our little one spent some of her life.  We came with the intention of making a donation to the orphanage and yesterday asked what their needs were.  Immediately the director asked for diapers, so today we delivered over 500 diapers for their use.  Next we lunched at a local restaurant where each dish was as good as the last.  Ryan has been surviving on formula and potato puffs, and here she finally ate some rice. I experienced for the first time hot corn nectar and  Kelly proudly experienced (and survived) her first squatty potty. After lunch we went to Ryan's finding spot.  For each of my girls, it's their finding spot that gets me, it's like sacred ground.  It's difficult for me to explain, but the circumstances surrounding their situations...the finding spot..it is a place of severance, of brokenness and anticipated hope.  It's a place I need to see and to be in, if but for a moment. It's important to me. I think it will be important to my daughters.

We've Got Our Girl!

Our driver picked us up in front of our hotel today at 2:45 taking us to the offices where our daughter was waiting.  Even though it was only a short 10 minute ride away it was a ride filled with emotion and alternating impulses of nervous giggling and the urge to vomit. 
As we were pulling up in front of the building we saw a glimpse of our girl -dressed in red- being carried into the building by the orphanage director.  We were shown to a a large business room where several other families were meeting their children as well.  One-by-one a staff person called out the name of the child, the parents identified themselves, and the children were placed in their arms. 
Once again,we had no idea what to expect; Jessica was so quiet and inward, Kate came kicking and screaming.  Our daughter was the last to come in through a backdoor and it was a quiet union. MeiLi was placed  in my arms by the orphanage director, and she was very calm during all the commotion in the room.  MeiLi is teeny-tiny.  She has huge curious eyes and extremely expressive facial expressions. She seems to have been very well taken care of and has a mouth full of teeth! 
We had the opportunity to sit with the director and ask some questions, which seems to be a formality as we left not knowing much more than when we got there.  I was quite disappointed to learn that we will not be given the name of her foster family nor the police report of when she was found.  There are bits of information that exist about her life that we are not privileged to have. I could write a good several paragraphs on my thoughts and feelings about this but I'll save it for later.  Just saying it sucks. 
There were a couple of times that she puckered up a bit, but for the most part MeiLi has been very calm and hesitant but interactive.  We even got a few smiles and laughs! Her dad was able to feed her a bottle and she also ate some crackers.  Afterward she cried for about 20 minutes and then went to sleep.  She is super precious and I'm relishing every moment of getting to know her.
We are in the harmonious period where we are caring for her but the adoption will take place tomorrow. Will keep you posted.  On a side note -I'm having difficulty posting pictures...have no idea why.  I have sent them to a friend to add them to the post (thanks Sara!) -- so just fyi.

In Guangxi!

We had several hours before our flight to Guangxi yesterday, so we did my favorite type of travel..just walked the streets of Hong Kong wandering down narrow alleys and getting lost in it all.  Our flight was uneventful and being exhausted we immediately crashed.  So far today we made a few purchases- stroller, snacks etc.  We meet our daughter in about an hour, I can't believe we are finally here -I'm ready and  so excited!!!!!!!

 

Planes,Trains and Automobiles

Well, actually it was two ferries, a bus, a gondola and a subway.  Today we headed out to Lantau Island to visit the Big Buddha and PoLin Monastery. I have never seen anything like it before in my life.  260 steps took us to the top of the site where there is a massive bronze Buddha  sitting on a lotus flower.  The size itself was overwhelming and the number of visitors was incredible. Like us, many people were there visiting a tourist site, but there were also many people on a spiritual journey.  Worshipers were bowing before the statue, saying prayers, and lighting incense. Mums, dahlias and orange trees lined the steps to the temple entrance. Inside the temple were massive amounts of flowers -orchids and lilies. An interesting cultural experience for sure.

There were two options to get back to our hotel on Kowloon: either take the lurching bus around hairpin turns back down  the mountain or ride the largest gondola in Asia.  Neither were very appealing to me, however, the gondola ride was significantly shorter. I'm not one for this type of travel, but said a prayer, swallowed my fear and
hopped on.  The views from the gondola were AMAZING.  The pictures will vouch for that.

I've been enjoying the time in Hong Kong - although it seems much more Western than Asian and I wasn't expecting that. I have no interest in shopping which is too bad because the stores are endless.  The people watching is FABULOUS and ongoing; just when it seems I've seen it all I walk around the corner for a whole new lessson.

Lynn once again is doing an incredible job getting us around town to where we are going which is necessary being as I am so busy gawking.  Between his guide service and technical support...I don't know what I'm going to do when he heads back to the U.S.


Kelly has been fabulous to travel with- we all share a very similar sense of humor and have been cutting it up!  I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard I can't breathe. It's been a good time to decompress especially since the craziness of the past few months.  I'm missing the girls like crazy - and have tried not to think about it too much.  We were able to Skype and talk awhile which I sense will be my lifeline. 

Once back at our hotel we were glued to the tv watching news coverage on Japan- simply speechless

Today we fly from Hong Kong to Nanning and tomorrow we meet our girl!!!  I CAN'T WAIT!

Hong Day One

I had intended on resurrecting Kate's adoption blog and adding on our travels for Miss Ryan, but for some reason have had nothing but trouble with it, so sitting in the SFO I threw a quick one up and am trying to get it going. I guess that is what get for not keeping an updated blog. But we are back on track so that's good.  In addition I am devastated at leaving my Kindle on the airplane...yes you read that right. Not only had I loaded several new books onto it I have no other reading material with me. These are the times I drive myself insane.
Today we dinked around in HongKong, went to the top of Victoria Peak, toured the harbor on a boat meandering through the Aberdeen fishing village, wandered through Stanley market, indulged in high tea at the famed Peninsula hotel, took a long nap and walked along the promenade seeing the amazing HK sky-line at night.
It's been a packed day trying to keep busy, adjusting to the time as well as seeing as much as we can while here.  With all the fantastic sights and excitement, the anticipation of meeting Ryan on Monday is a constant companion and the adoption truly is the highlight of our trip.  Another day down, three more to go!

China or Bust!

After the mountains of paperwork, dozens of emails, months of staring at a little photo and the challenge of packing with two very eager 'helpers', it's a relief to FINALLY be here in the SanFrancisco airport ready to board in about a half an hour. My FANTASTIC  sister-in-law Kelly is traveling with Lynn and I and we are both so grateful for her joining us. Not looking forward to the 15 hour plane-ride but am excited for the adventure that awaits!