I hope my sister or niece will work their magic on my pics.
I love this camera, Mom and Dad! No need to take time to frame something up, just click.
So on our drive and at the orphanage, I just snapped. Some don't mean much, but gave you my view.
I decided the trip to the airport would be my artistic version of how quickly our time in Nanchang passed, it is all such a blur. You can see how much Grace's foster mother was upset and how kind and patient Wan Yun's foster parents are.
All the other children live in the group homes there that Holt sponsors. Such a nice arrangement. I don't think any are to be adopted as they are too old. So very, very sad.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My dream and my poor babies plus something all mothers already knew and I learned today!
I dreamed I woke up to a breakfast of bacon cooked till it was done, waffles, with maple syrup, hash browns, watermelon, and good coffee!
Wow! It was true! The breakfast here at the Holiday Inn is sooooooo much better! It is on a pedestrian street so it is like living at Canton for First Monday. Street vendors, small shops, department stores, just outside the door and NO traffic.
This morning the priority was for a medical examination for Wan Yun. For Grace it was no problem. Just an eye exam, pressing on her stomach, measuring, weighing.
I expected it to be the same this time.
OH NO!!!
Since she is 11 she had to have immunizations, a LOT of them.
She told the guide she was not scared. After the 2nd one she was not so sure, but cried very little. My heart just broke because we have not bonded enough for her to depend on me to comfort her and generally just yells NO at me about everything.
We made it through though and her measurements show she is very underweight. I remember she weighed about 60 lbs, but can't remember the height. Shorter than Grace, taller than Darcey.
I also asked the guide to have the doctor check her ears as I was concerned they might be infected. Of course they are and she cannot go swimming, the one thing she wants to do every day. So similar to Grace. I've tried to get everyone to explain that we can swim at home (not our house. Our first guide thought I was terrible that I did not have a swimming pool since both girls love to swim. obviously doesn't get it, huh?)
Our guide brought us back to the hotel and since she wanted KFC last night decided we would go there for lunch. We buy the family meal that did feed all of us on the last trip. This time feeds us with 1 piece left over!! Then we looked at some beautiful China dresses (about $10, but think I can buy cheaper on the Shamian Island) and then tried to find a new DVD for them for the afternoon. No luck, just a lot of walking.
It finally dawned on me that she was probably beginning to really hurt from the shots. DUH! So we hurried home.
She knows she is supposed to rest but I ran a bath for the girls as it is so hot and they did not shower last night. Also hope it is a good substitute for the swimming.
Now here is the other lesson I learned. If one kid is down, the other is too. Poor Grace feels so taken advantage of sometimes. Any extra sympathy to Wan Yun requires double for Grace.
I have tried to tell her it will take time for us to found our own rhythm and place in our family. But sometimes like today with Wan Yun so cross from being in pain, Grace doesn't think we need to change the rhythm we had.
Thank you all for your prayers. You have provided the strength I have needed to accomplish what could be very difficult. Most people look at us and wonder why and how. I know it is all possible through our faith in God.
Oh by the way. 2 full size beds and Mom slept on the mini chaise lounge. Is that what mothers do? Just kidding. I know my mom slept on the air conditioning vent in my hospital room for almost 10 nights at a time with me. Thank you mom for showing me so much how to show your love.
Ok getting sappy now. Still trying to upload some pictures.
Wow! It was true! The breakfast here at the Holiday Inn is sooooooo much better! It is on a pedestrian street so it is like living at Canton for First Monday. Street vendors, small shops, department stores, just outside the door and NO traffic.
This morning the priority was for a medical examination for Wan Yun. For Grace it was no problem. Just an eye exam, pressing on her stomach, measuring, weighing.
I expected it to be the same this time.
OH NO!!!
Since she is 11 she had to have immunizations, a LOT of them.
She told the guide she was not scared. After the 2nd one she was not so sure, but cried very little. My heart just broke because we have not bonded enough for her to depend on me to comfort her and generally just yells NO at me about everything.
We made it through though and her measurements show she is very underweight. I remember she weighed about 60 lbs, but can't remember the height. Shorter than Grace, taller than Darcey.
I also asked the guide to have the doctor check her ears as I was concerned they might be infected. Of course they are and she cannot go swimming, the one thing she wants to do every day. So similar to Grace. I've tried to get everyone to explain that we can swim at home (not our house. Our first guide thought I was terrible that I did not have a swimming pool since both girls love to swim. obviously doesn't get it, huh?)
Our guide brought us back to the hotel and since she wanted KFC last night decided we would go there for lunch. We buy the family meal that did feed all of us on the last trip. This time feeds us with 1 piece left over!! Then we looked at some beautiful China dresses (about $10, but think I can buy cheaper on the Shamian Island) and then tried to find a new DVD for them for the afternoon. No luck, just a lot of walking.
It finally dawned on me that she was probably beginning to really hurt from the shots. DUH! So we hurried home.
She knows she is supposed to rest but I ran a bath for the girls as it is so hot and they did not shower last night. Also hope it is a good substitute for the swimming.
Now here is the other lesson I learned. If one kid is down, the other is too. Poor Grace feels so taken advantage of sometimes. Any extra sympathy to Wan Yun requires double for Grace.
I have tried to tell her it will take time for us to found our own rhythm and place in our family. But sometimes like today with Wan Yun so cross from being in pain, Grace doesn't think we need to change the rhythm we had.
Thank you all for your prayers. You have provided the strength I have needed to accomplish what could be very difficult. Most people look at us and wonder why and how. I know it is all possible through our faith in God.
Oh by the way. 2 full size beds and Mom slept on the mini chaise lounge. Is that what mothers do? Just kidding. I know my mom slept on the air conditioning vent in my hospital room for almost 10 nights at a time with me. Thank you mom for showing me so much how to show your love.
Ok getting sappy now. Still trying to upload some pictures.
Monday, August 4, 2008
The hotel swimming pool
The first step was to walk through this pool of water to clean your feet. Just can't imagine how dirty your feet would be if you are staying in a hotel!
The pool was level with the floor.
I hope you can read this sign outside the pool.
Views from our hotel window
I kept hoping to catch one of the thousands of traffic jams from our window but thought this was a good sense of the differences in life in China. The very old "house" boat, buses, ancient architecture.
Lunch in our hotel room.
I'm not sure why some of these photos don't come through, but wanted you to see our typical noon time lunch. The girls each ate these huge bowls of noodles each day that I think are supposed to feed a family. But they also wanted more after that! I really should develop a taste for them as my peanut butter sandwich was VERY DRY!
Short post as these girls have got to go to BED!!
They either have to go to bed or we will not be able to wake up tomorrow.
We made the trip from Nanchang to Guangzhou without any problems. Reminiscent of Grace, Wan Yun had to use the bathroom on this very short flight.
The Guangzhou Airport is huge and clean, so different from Nanchang.
The usual guide was busy so he sent a friend named Jack who picked us up in a bus! Got stuck in traffic due to a "celebrity" or something. Police had closed the road for a while.
On our way here a huge storm broke! Still raining, thundering, and lightening. I hope the rain will follow us all the way home!
For those who love the White Swan, you must try this Holiday Inn. The room is huge, separate tub from shower, clean and really pretty.
At the end of a pedestrian street.
9:00 pm and no dinner.
Walked down to a "fast food" noodle shop for dinner and around the corner to ice cream.
Girls are ready for bed and internet cost $1 rmb per minute so good night!
We made the trip from Nanchang to Guangzhou without any problems. Reminiscent of Grace, Wan Yun had to use the bathroom on this very short flight.
The Guangzhou Airport is huge and clean, so different from Nanchang.
The usual guide was busy so he sent a friend named Jack who picked us up in a bus! Got stuck in traffic due to a "celebrity" or something. Police had closed the road for a while.
On our way here a huge storm broke! Still raining, thundering, and lightening. I hope the rain will follow us all the way home!
For those who love the White Swan, you must try this Holiday Inn. The room is huge, separate tub from shower, clean and really pretty.
At the end of a pedestrian street.
9:00 pm and no dinner.
Walked down to a "fast food" noodle shop for dinner and around the corner to ice cream.
Girls are ready for bed and internet cost $1 rmb per minute so good night!
We survived the orphanage viisit
I will post more later as I am trying to scour this hotel room one more time for lost "treasures"!
We barely arrived at the orphanage and Grace's foster mother swarmed down on her, wagging a half sleeping baby the whole time. Grace just froze like she was in a bad dream. The foster mother cried, and grabbed, and hugged on Grace the whole time with her standing very stoic. Finally our guide asked if she knew her. Grace just nodded.
There was an old toothless man who seemed to be everywhere and I assumed it was her foster father. He kept trying to talk to me in Chinese, of course, and I was just thinking, yes, Grace has grown very tall, very smart, etc.
Later I learned it was no one that Grace even knew, It was someone's Grandfather!!
We finally moved into the orphanage gates and there was Wan Yun's foster parents. She cried and cried and it was so touching and I am trying to take pictures, but no time to aim, and I'm sweating and crying and everyone around us is speaking such loud Chinese I felt like I had also woken up in the middle of a bad dream.
More about the kids later. Taxi ride back to hotel so sad, so many tears.
Leaving at 3:00 pm for airport and on to Guangzhou, about a 1 hour plane ride.
We barely arrived at the orphanage and Grace's foster mother swarmed down on her, wagging a half sleeping baby the whole time. Grace just froze like she was in a bad dream. The foster mother cried, and grabbed, and hugged on Grace the whole time with her standing very stoic. Finally our guide asked if she knew her. Grace just nodded.
There was an old toothless man who seemed to be everywhere and I assumed it was her foster father. He kept trying to talk to me in Chinese, of course, and I was just thinking, yes, Grace has grown very tall, very smart, etc.
Later I learned it was no one that Grace even knew, It was someone's Grandfather!!
We finally moved into the orphanage gates and there was Wan Yun's foster parents. She cried and cried and it was so touching and I am trying to take pictures, but no time to aim, and I'm sweating and crying and everyone around us is speaking such loud Chinese I felt like I had also woken up in the middle of a bad dream.
More about the kids later. Taxi ride back to hotel so sad, so many tears.
Leaving at 3:00 pm for airport and on to Guangzhou, about a 1 hour plane ride.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Last night in Nanchang and my girls need your prayers
This is our last night in Nanchang. Normally you don't stay as long we have but there were concerns about being able to get the paperwork completed on time since we did not meet Wan Yun until Monday.
But after eight days here we leave tomorrow, Monday, for Guangzhou.
Tomorrow is an important day though.
We will be visiting the orphanage at about 10:30 a.m.
We have asked for the foster parents of both girls to come.
I know for Grace this has been a difficult decision, one she has considered for the last 3 1/2 years.
She lived with her foster family from the time she was 2 months old until adopted at 6. She was very close to her foster mother and I believe very spoiled by her. But the foster mother also told her that if she ever left, she, the foster mother, would die.
Grace has cried so many tears fearful that she caused her foster mother's demise. She has at times when completely inconsolable about it.
To see her again is going to be very hard. She did not even decide she wanted to see her until tonight when I urged her to rather than regret it.
Now for Wan Yun, who has decided out of all the choices of names, Annabel, Annie, Wan Yun, or Belle, that she prefers Belle. She actually thought her name was Apple, and likes that too.
Anyway, Belle has been with her foster family from the time she was 2 years old until last year when she was identified to be adopted and returned to the orphanage.
For both girls these foster parents have raised them and seen them through a lot.
Belle, in sign language, tried to explain to me that tomorrow when she saw her foster family that they would be crying and she would be crying, but please do not be mad at her. Bless her heart, worried about how I would react to this sight. I used sign language that I would take pictures for her to remember when we got home and could have pictures of she and her foster parents. She grabbed me and hugged me and said over and over Thank you Mommy!
Grace has been very quiet about it all.
So if you can, say a little prayer for their sake as well as the foster parents. I know it will be difficult on all.
I have to tell something pretty funny before I end tonight and hope no one will have their feelings hurt if I didn't get an email responded to. I have packed and repacked so many times I am exhausted.
Anyway, back to the funny story. You are to take gifts for certain primary parties in the adoption process. One of the most important is the orphanage director. But because we will see the foster parents then they are the most important.
So we suddenly needed gifts for the foster parents.
Belle thought long and hard and first wanted to get her foster father cigarettes. I told her I would not buy him cigarettes.
The second choice was for ginseng for her foster mother. OK, how do you do that?
We went to the grocery store down the street from the hotel and she took us right to what she wanted to buy, a big box that has vitamins in them! So we ended up buying not only the big box of vitamins, but bird's nest and something. We convinced Grace to buy hers the same thing.
Anyway, I have heard of taking flowers, candy, wine, T shirts, ball caps, any and everything, but never vitamins! The guide felt it was perfect, practical and a wish for a long healthy life!
But after eight days here we leave tomorrow, Monday, for Guangzhou.
Tomorrow is an important day though.
We will be visiting the orphanage at about 10:30 a.m.
We have asked for the foster parents of both girls to come.
I know for Grace this has been a difficult decision, one she has considered for the last 3 1/2 years.
She lived with her foster family from the time she was 2 months old until adopted at 6. She was very close to her foster mother and I believe very spoiled by her. But the foster mother also told her that if she ever left, she, the foster mother, would die.
Grace has cried so many tears fearful that she caused her foster mother's demise. She has at times when completely inconsolable about it.
To see her again is going to be very hard. She did not even decide she wanted to see her until tonight when I urged her to rather than regret it.
Now for Wan Yun, who has decided out of all the choices of names, Annabel, Annie, Wan Yun, or Belle, that she prefers Belle. She actually thought her name was Apple, and likes that too.
Anyway, Belle has been with her foster family from the time she was 2 years old until last year when she was identified to be adopted and returned to the orphanage.
For both girls these foster parents have raised them and seen them through a lot.
Belle, in sign language, tried to explain to me that tomorrow when she saw her foster family that they would be crying and she would be crying, but please do not be mad at her. Bless her heart, worried about how I would react to this sight. I used sign language that I would take pictures for her to remember when we got home and could have pictures of she and her foster parents. She grabbed me and hugged me and said over and over Thank you Mommy!
Grace has been very quiet about it all.
So if you can, say a little prayer for their sake as well as the foster parents. I know it will be difficult on all.
I have to tell something pretty funny before I end tonight and hope no one will have their feelings hurt if I didn't get an email responded to. I have packed and repacked so many times I am exhausted.
Anyway, back to the funny story. You are to take gifts for certain primary parties in the adoption process. One of the most important is the orphanage director. But because we will see the foster parents then they are the most important.
So we suddenly needed gifts for the foster parents.
Belle thought long and hard and first wanted to get her foster father cigarettes. I told her I would not buy him cigarettes.
The second choice was for ginseng for her foster mother. OK, how do you do that?
We went to the grocery store down the street from the hotel and she took us right to what she wanted to buy, a big box that has vitamins in them! So we ended up buying not only the big box of vitamins, but bird's nest and something. We convinced Grace to buy hers the same thing.
Anyway, I have heard of taking flowers, candy, wine, T shirts, ball caps, any and everything, but never vitamins! The guide felt it was perfect, practical and a wish for a long healthy life!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Whole Chickens, Nanchang Wal Mart, and seeing dead relatives
OK, I will start with the dead relatives. Everywhere I turn I see someone who looks like a dead relative of mine reincarnated into a Chinese person! And I'm not talking about anyone who even resembles someone who is Chinese or anyone I was close to. I've seen a cousin who passed recently, an uncle, and now an aunt. Am I Bruce Willis and don't know it?
I think I have left out huge parts of our story. So I will backtrack a little.
Yesterday, Friday, I think :), we went to the People's Park. I love this park so much more than the August 1st park. This one is so much cleaner and more relaxed and actually has beautiful flowers and river flowing through. The rides are just as scary as the other one, but this one has all the little arts and crafts stand throughout.
Last time the girls got to choose a ride and they chose miniature army vehicles that seemed to wind up and drive around on the sidewalk. This time our guide only allowed one and it was over before I could count out the money.
We stopped to watch a man who used caramelized sugar to make designs/animals on a piece of marble. It was quite fascinating. If he were in the US he would be great at parties! The girls were thrilled to have an animal made out of sugar to consume on our way to dinner.
We had 2 choices of restaurants and our guide picked the smaller of the 2. You might think you know Chinese food but until you have had it in China in a family restaurant you really don't have a clue.
The food was very good. One of the dishes though was chicken. I realized when it was brought out that the feet, head, and beak were right on top!!
Grace was very disappointed that I would not let her eat the feet, so I finally gave up and she decided it was not her favorite after all. I can't remember the other dishes, several, and all for 80 rmb, which is just over $10! Now that is some cheap eats!
We had to switch rooms when we got back due to a problem with ours. Wan Yun got busy packing and I was shocked at fast she moved! She got herself and Grace packed while I was still getting out the suitcases! She even tried to pack the yellow pages.
The new room is on a higher floor, but we were woken up again with firecrackers. I have now had it explained to me that these strange processionals that we have been seeing are funerals. There have been as many as 2 a day! We hear the firecrackers, then a drum, sometimes other instruments, and a long procession of people dressed all in long white robes. Wan Yun caught us looking at one today and freak out! It is very bad luck to look at one.
This morning, Saturday, we went to Wal Mart.
In the Oak Cliff area of Dallas where we live, we were thrilled when Wal Mart came. But we learned very quickly not to go on Saturdays.
Multiply the worst you have ever seen Walmart, like on Christmas Eve night (which I have done too many times) and that is the way this one is. It has a couple of stories, don't know how many, 2 I think.
Anyway, our guide must have been a drill sergeant in an earlier life. She pushes through and says something in Chinese, and they let us through. My interpretation of it is, "Big, fat, sweating white Momma coming through!" Or she tells them I'm about to pass out, not sure which.
It was Christmas in August!
I knew this was my one chance to get some things that would help with the transition home and keep memories alive. And she still only has 2 outfits and a dress.
We hit the clothes department first.
Her typical response when shown something is very similar to what Grace would say, "NO!!!". This time I didn't ask her and just picked things off the sales rack in a size I hope would fit. Most things were about $3-5. She also picked out a pair of jeans which Guilan had her try on in the middle of the store!
Then we hit the toy department. So many things we have at home and I was glad for Guilan to be there to explain. I was mainly interested in a few things to have in the hotel and for the trip home. Actually most of the stuff I am saving for later. We also bought some CDs and DVDs, a few gifts for others, and then to the pharmacy. I forgot any and all advil or tylenol. So I am trying to explain to everyone what I needed. Someone found a box that does say ibuprofen and it cured my headache, so I guess that was it!
We went to the grocery area to buy milk for snacks, more noodles, and some water and tea for big fat sweating white momma!
I believe the shoppers in Wal Mart are still talking about us tonight, or at least me. I keep thinking when people are staring that it is at Grace and me, but it is actually just me.
We had our shopping cart full!
Finally the total was about $200, but we got things I cannot find anywhere in Dallas and so glad to have them for both girls!
We had a quieter afternoon with our typical lunch of bowls of noodles, except this time I got to have a tuna sandwich and Lay's potato chips!!! It was so delicious!
Tonight I was trying to decide if I could order from Pizza Hut. About that time the doorbell rang and it was Guilan wanting to know if we wanted to go to dinner!
Thanks goodness for her!
We walked to a hotel next door to the pavilion and had another huge meal for about $25. This time I ordered duck for the girls, since we WON'T have it at home. Grace got to eat the tongue, the most prized part. YYUCCKKK!!!!
Grace convinced Wan Yun to take a bath and I hear lots of commotion in there. I'm not sure if she had ever had a bubble bath!
I had Guilan, the guide, ask her tonight when she would let me call her Annabel.
Or if she preferred Annie or Anna or Belle.
She was so confused. She thought her name was Apple!
She has decided she likes Belle, but I expect that to change by morning.
Tomorrow morning we are shopping for souvenirs of porcelain.
Monday we are going to the orphanage. Then onto to Guangzhou for the last leg of the trip. I am worried about how Apple will do on the airplane since she is carsick in taxis.
Pray for us!!! I don't handle throw up well.
I think I have left out huge parts of our story. So I will backtrack a little.
Yesterday, Friday, I think :), we went to the People's Park. I love this park so much more than the August 1st park. This one is so much cleaner and more relaxed and actually has beautiful flowers and river flowing through. The rides are just as scary as the other one, but this one has all the little arts and crafts stand throughout.
Last time the girls got to choose a ride and they chose miniature army vehicles that seemed to wind up and drive around on the sidewalk. This time our guide only allowed one and it was over before I could count out the money.
We stopped to watch a man who used caramelized sugar to make designs/animals on a piece of marble. It was quite fascinating. If he were in the US he would be great at parties! The girls were thrilled to have an animal made out of sugar to consume on our way to dinner.
We had 2 choices of restaurants and our guide picked the smaller of the 2. You might think you know Chinese food but until you have had it in China in a family restaurant you really don't have a clue.
The food was very good. One of the dishes though was chicken. I realized when it was brought out that the feet, head, and beak were right on top!!
Grace was very disappointed that I would not let her eat the feet, so I finally gave up and she decided it was not her favorite after all. I can't remember the other dishes, several, and all for 80 rmb, which is just over $10! Now that is some cheap eats!
We had to switch rooms when we got back due to a problem with ours. Wan Yun got busy packing and I was shocked at fast she moved! She got herself and Grace packed while I was still getting out the suitcases! She even tried to pack the yellow pages.
The new room is on a higher floor, but we were woken up again with firecrackers. I have now had it explained to me that these strange processionals that we have been seeing are funerals. There have been as many as 2 a day! We hear the firecrackers, then a drum, sometimes other instruments, and a long procession of people dressed all in long white robes. Wan Yun caught us looking at one today and freak out! It is very bad luck to look at one.
This morning, Saturday, we went to Wal Mart.
In the Oak Cliff area of Dallas where we live, we were thrilled when Wal Mart came. But we learned very quickly not to go on Saturdays.
Multiply the worst you have ever seen Walmart, like on Christmas Eve night (which I have done too many times) and that is the way this one is. It has a couple of stories, don't know how many, 2 I think.
Anyway, our guide must have been a drill sergeant in an earlier life. She pushes through and says something in Chinese, and they let us through. My interpretation of it is, "Big, fat, sweating white Momma coming through!" Or she tells them I'm about to pass out, not sure which.
It was Christmas in August!
I knew this was my one chance to get some things that would help with the transition home and keep memories alive. And she still only has 2 outfits and a dress.
We hit the clothes department first.
Her typical response when shown something is very similar to what Grace would say, "NO!!!". This time I didn't ask her and just picked things off the sales rack in a size I hope would fit. Most things were about $3-5. She also picked out a pair of jeans which Guilan had her try on in the middle of the store!
Then we hit the toy department. So many things we have at home and I was glad for Guilan to be there to explain. I was mainly interested in a few things to have in the hotel and for the trip home. Actually most of the stuff I am saving for later. We also bought some CDs and DVDs, a few gifts for others, and then to the pharmacy. I forgot any and all advil or tylenol. So I am trying to explain to everyone what I needed. Someone found a box that does say ibuprofen and it cured my headache, so I guess that was it!
We went to the grocery area to buy milk for snacks, more noodles, and some water and tea for big fat sweating white momma!
I believe the shoppers in Wal Mart are still talking about us tonight, or at least me. I keep thinking when people are staring that it is at Grace and me, but it is actually just me.
We had our shopping cart full!
Finally the total was about $200, but we got things I cannot find anywhere in Dallas and so glad to have them for both girls!
We had a quieter afternoon with our typical lunch of bowls of noodles, except this time I got to have a tuna sandwich and Lay's potato chips!!! It was so delicious!
Tonight I was trying to decide if I could order from Pizza Hut. About that time the doorbell rang and it was Guilan wanting to know if we wanted to go to dinner!
Thanks goodness for her!
We walked to a hotel next door to the pavilion and had another huge meal for about $25. This time I ordered duck for the girls, since we WON'T have it at home. Grace got to eat the tongue, the most prized part. YYUCCKKK!!!!
Grace convinced Wan Yun to take a bath and I hear lots of commotion in there. I'm not sure if she had ever had a bubble bath!
I had Guilan, the guide, ask her tonight when she would let me call her Annabel.
Or if she preferred Annie or Anna or Belle.
She was so confused. She thought her name was Apple!
She has decided she likes Belle, but I expect that to change by morning.
Tomorrow morning we are shopping for souvenirs of porcelain.
Monday we are going to the orphanage. Then onto to Guangzhou for the last leg of the trip. I am worried about how Apple will do on the airplane since she is carsick in taxis.
Pray for us!!! I don't handle throw up well.
Friday, August 1, 2008
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