In Guangzhou

Tallis and I at West Lake in Hangzhou

(More pics will be posted tomorrow)

Yeah, so blogging has not exactly been a priority the last couple of days.  We're in Guangzhou now.  We got to the White Swan Hotel around midnight and to bed after 1 AM.  Thursday, in Hangzhou, we got to tour the West Lake briefly.  It was beautiful and I would have liked to hang out there for a day but our guide sort of scooted us along and we were done in less than an hour.  All I remember is a story she was telling me while we were on a boat that involved a pagoda, a boy, and a woman who became a snake or took the snake's beauty and had to live in the pagoda or something freaky like that.  But, I don't remember the story much because I noticed that my mom was being laughed at on the boat by about twenty elderly men who were looking at her and shouting "Halleluja!"  She looked like she was dying and it made my day.  We also went to a silk shop.  Silk in Hangzhou is different because of the kind of mulberry leaves that the silk worms eat here.  So, I bought a few things because I wanted some things specific to Tallis' province.  Our guide also told us that Hangzhou is known for their umbrellas too.  We were thinking traditional parasols and I thought that would be fun as a keepsake for Tallis.  I thought that until she took us to a hole-in-the-wall shop that sells umbrellas that you could buy at Walmart.  Thanks, man.  I guess some things are just lost in translation. 

My mom and I also had a good time with our new buddies who run a tiny tea shop a few doors down from the hotel in Hangzhou.  It was an elderly couple who would yell at each other back and forth about the price they wanted to charge us.  We went back there a few times to buy tea and tea pots.  They were really cool and they fed us some of the shrimp they were eating for dinner.  Mom would rather die than eat the whole shrimp with the little whiskers and eyeballs, but I'm proud of her that she didn't offend them by refusing.  She looked like she was dying and once again it made my day. 

On Friday, we spent hours packing and then checked out of the hotel.  We stopped at McDonalds per Mom's request as she's not too fond of the surprises at each Chinese meal.  She was starving.  All she wanted was a Big Mac and fries.  But our guide must have forgotten that the large fry was Mom's and she ate it.  Mom looked like she was dying and it made my day.  She had to watch our guide eat the whole thing.  I couldn't look at her or I'd bust up laughing. 

We were also taken to a jewelry store that I thought would be fun to pick up some inexpensive jade bracelets.  But, instead we were led into a private room where we had to listen to the jeweller's song and dance and see him and an employee perform a routine they must have repeated a million times about how he was going to give us a special price because we are his new friends and for her not to argue with him about it.  He said that he normally doesn't do this, but for that day only just for us, he would sell me a $2,000 jade bracelet for only $500 as a gift from him for our first time in China.  It was awkward.  But, two can play at that game and I asked many questions and inspected the piece for quality and asked if he would be open tomorrow and if he would honor that same price.  He told me he'd give me one more chance.  I then "whispered" to my mom within his earshot that maybe I could go exchange a bit more money and come back to buy it.  Mom looked like she was dying and it totally made my day.  He was one happy dude as we walked away thinking I'd return with some money so that he could rip me off. 

For those families about to travel to Hangzhou, I have some advice based on my experience alone.  I realize it's different for everyone and so this may or may not apply.  Hangzhou is a seriously wealthy city and don't expect it to be cheap shopping.  I had to pay more here for things that I could get cheaper in the states.  It's a city, so people are hip.  Just not me.  Dress as you like, but I felt a little underdressed.  I wished I had stayed at the West Lake Hotel, but the Merchant was still nice.  West Lake is beautiful and I should have just gone there on my own without the guide and done my own thing.  It was fun to ride the boat and I would have liked to do so longer.  Also, people watching was the funnest there.  So, a day at West Lake would be a good experience if you can do it at your own pace.  Hangzhou and Wenzhou are not stereotypical China, so keep that in mind.  They are wealthy cities and it shows.  Overall, though, there isn't much time during the first week to relax at all. 

Yesterday, before leaving Hangzhou, we drove out to a tea village and actually got to sip tea at a farmer's house.  It was so cool and the village was beautiful.  The homes were traditional Chinese and we were surrounded my tiered hillsides with tea bushes growing in the mist.  Mom and I bought some dragonwell tea from the farmer and she packed it in front of us.  Once again, Mom paid full price and after she paid, I asked for less and got it.  Mom looked like she was dying and it pretty much made my day.  The farmer allowed us to use her toilet before leaving and she was very proud of her carpeted toilet seat cover.  There is nothing else to say about that. 

In the afternoon, our guide took us to the airport and we said our good-bye's.  I liked our guide a lot.  Even if she did lecture me constantly on proper health and nutrition.  Most of it was wacky bunk but I enjoyed her reasoning.  She really loves the children and it shows. 

The airport was interesting.  Our flight was delayed and it was very crowded.  I perused some snacks for sale, but did not make a purchase because I just could not decide what kind of packaged meat on the bone I was looking for.  Chicken feet in red sauce or yellow?  How can one make that decision?  The kidney tablets looked tempting, but I was concerned about my cholesterol.  I passed.  When our gate finally opened for boarding, we found ourselves boarding a bus instead of a plane.  We then drove around the runways for a few miles and eventually found a plane in the middle of nowhere.  The airport employees did not drive small vehicles, but, rather, bicycles.  I guarantee they were healthy from all that exercise, but how they managed to find an airplane in all that fog is beyond me.  When we got off the bus, a kind little woman helped us carry one of our bags onto the plane.  She was a tiny, little, 60 pound angel.  As we got off the bus, the wind came up and Tallis was surprised and excited.  She was swinging her head around and closing her eyes and had the biggest smile on her face as I believe she was feeling wind for the first time.  You could see it was a brand new experience for her.  Wind. 

She was terrified during take off and was absolutely beside herself.  I finally unbuckled her and held her and then she calmed down.  Way too many new experiences and new life for such a small person. 

Now we're in Guangzhou.  There are five families here working with the same guides through two agencies.  The hotel is full of families adopting.  Even so, Chinese people still stare and have a double take everywhere we go.  We had to have Tallis' medical today so that she can get a visa into the states.  She had a full exam, three shots, and a TB skin test.  She will have to go back on Monday for three more vaccinations and have her TB test looked at.  As of right now, it appears to be positive.  I will hope and pr-y that that is only because she may have been previously immunized for TB.  So, she'll likely have to have a chest x-ray on Monday to see if she really has TB.  That would be a disaster, but it's out of my hands.  It was nuts in there with so many families with their children.  I am angry with the CDC for requiring these vaccinations before the children enter the US.  It's just too much for them to go through on top of everything else.  Some moms in there were crying  while their children had to get shots.  It seems cruel when they are already so confused.  

Mom and I left the clinic and should have only walked for about five minutes to get back to the White Swan but it didn't quite work out that way.  We may have sort of kind of got lost.  Many people were friendly enough to honk their horns at us as we were trying not to get killed walking on the side of the road.  With all those horns honking, I like to think people must have been happy to see two lost caucasion women pushing a stroller with sweat dripping down their faces maneuvering through construction zones.  We finally got back to the hotel after realizing that we had been circling around it from about ten feet away for just over an hour.  We all took a nap after that bout of healthful exercise and fresh humid air.  Mom looked like she was dying and even though I was sweaty, it kind of made my day. 

Needing an ounce of home, we ate at Lucy's, a popular American style cafe.  We had dinner with a woman from South Carolina who is travelling alone with her new baby.  Mom ordered pizza and she said it made her sick.  She looked like she was dying but I enjoyed my meal anyway.

That sums up the last couple of days.  It has been insane and we are so tired and getting homesick.  I miss my boys terribly.  Tallis is changing daily.  Some good.  Some bad.  I'll write more about her later.  But right now I'm going to get in bed.  Because inquiring minds may want to know, I have had stomach cramps and diarrhea since Thursday.  Pretty sure it was the spicy beef? soup or the pig kidney I tried.  I'm adventurous with foods, but sometimes it's a treacherous road.  I'm getting a bit sickly as I'm spending more and more time running to the bathroom.  I started taking some meds that another family kindly gave to me.  I hope it works because I'm starting to look like I'm dying.  It totally makes Mom's day. 

Someone should've stayed in America

This is a conversation that transpired this evening in the van while Tallis was crying:

Me to Tallis: Mama ai ni, Hao Xue...Mama ai ni
Mom: Does 'ai ni' mean 'hello'?
Me: Seriously?  You've been here for like five days and you can't remember 'hello'?
Mom:  Well, why do you keep saying 'hello' to Tallis?
Me: I'm not saying 'hello', I'm saying 'I love you'
Mom:  Dang it.
Me: ?
Mom: Well, all day I've been listening to you say that to Tallis and I've been hoping you were saying 'hello'
Me: ?
Mom: Because when we were at that fancy restaurant today I nodded to one of the chefs and said, "Ai ni".
Me: !!!
Mom: No wonder he looked at me so weird.

Just a Wednesday in China

Right now I am in the van and we are leaving Wenzhou. It’s a bumpy ride so I hope I catch all of my mistakes. We drove here yesterday afternoon and we got to see a lot of countryside, although there is rarely a gap between the the endlessness of houses and factories. The houses here look more like tall condiminioms or small apartment buildings. They are farmers houses, but not exactly the kind of farmers we think of. They all would have some land and own a factory. Every thing in America is made here. Buttons – zippers – EVERYTHING! It’s all from here. For six hours we drove through the mountains and all you see is village after village of tall houses; most of which are quite run down. We saw so much poverty. It never ends here. The strangest thing of all is that you will see a brand new home that is five or six stories tall and just next to it a small brick shack. It doesn’t appear that there are “bad sides” of town. It’s all combined. No pretenses I guess.

Wenzhou is another very wealthy city here. Lots of high end businesses and shops. Our hotel was very cool. A massive chandelier hung in the middle of the lobby. Tallis loved it! Then, when she saw the revolving door she got all excited and started patting my face yelling “Mama!” and pointing to the door. I loved it!!! She certainly knows who I am. When she gets excited, she wrinkles her nose and sticks her little tongue out. I’ll try to catch a picture. Mom and I felt a little underdressed. There I was in this posh hotel with my jeans and converse on. Now that I am here, I am realizing that I didn’t really pack very strategically. It’s so casual where we live and I kind of forgot that I would be in big cities. It’s intimidating! The women walking in and out of the hotels are in furs and stillettos. Maybe if I walk on my tippy toes my sneakers won’t be so noticeable. Maybe not. Luckily, now that I have Tallis with me, people stare at her and not so much at me.

Tallis is very charming and lively. She is very mellow in the hotel room, but as soon as we get in public it’s like sensory overload and she gets pretty hyper. Last night, in our room, she was a little out of sorts. She started walking toward the door and was crying. Her crying is still pretty subtle though and her holding it all in just breaks my heart. I’m glad she lets me comfort her. She loves to cuddle.

Speaking of my lively girl, this morning we checked out of the Dynasty and went to get her passport photo taken and applied for her Chinese passport. It was a repeat of when we were at the notary office the day before. She did not want to sit still and was getting very feisty. I firmly held her and would not let her have her way. Tallis is pretty good at becoming dead weight when she’s not getting her way. At this point, I can see that discipline and structure in her orphanage is probably not applicable elsewhere. She’s just not trained yet on sitting still with Mama not matter where she is. This must all be so overwhelming for her. She’s a trooper, though and she’s behaving very well considering the amount of travel and change occurring in a three day period. Whenever we stop the van and I start to get myself unbuckled, she begins to whimper and I honestly think she believes I’m going to leave her. Our three days have been far too irregular to be predictable to her yet.

Today we got to go to the orphanage. On Monday, the director told us that we could visit the orphanage and walk around the environment of it but not go inside due to H1N1. I was bummed, but I’ll take whatever I can get. But today, when we arrived, they said that one parent without the children could go up to the second floor where some of the children are just to see where our child slept. Mom stayed with Tallis in the reception room and I went upstairs with an ayi. They showed me where Tallis’ bed was and allowed me to take a picture of just that. We saw a couple of playrooms with about 10 to 15 children in each. The ayis were in there singing songs with the children who were all lined up in a row on small chairs. It looks like a clean place. I really do think that it is one of the better orphanages and that they truly try their best. I was worried about getting emotional when I saw all of the other children, but I managed to be chipper. If you know me, then you know how easily I cry with things like this. It’s not that the children looked sad or anything, it’s just that even one child without a family is a heartbreaking concept. It’s just wrong. I will say again that all of the children I saw today looked very healthy and well-fed like Tallis. When they saw us they got very excited and started yelling and shouting "Ni How!"  I wanted to give them all a giant hug.  There are over 300 children at that orphanage and I only got to see about 30.  I think the floor we were on was mainly for visits such as this. 

When we went back downstairs, I told one of the ayis that I can see how well they cared for Tallis and that I was very grateful. I shouldn’t have said it because I got all choked up and was really fighting my tears. When we left and I set Tallis back into the van she had the biggest grin on her face. It was good for her to be leaving there with me. Closure I guess.

The directors then took us (us and three other families) to lunch. The entrance to the restaurant was a large display of every kind of seafood and meats. There were massive toads or frogs in one bin hopping around, turtles in another, and a load of other creatures that I am not sure how to describe. It was so cool. But, not if you’re a PETA member. We had a fantastic lunch. We thanked the directors and staff again and headed out.

As we walked out of the building, an old beggar was standing outside and she was holding out a little plastic dish toward us. My hands were full and I was glad when I saw my mom opening up her wallet. She gave her 100 yuan (about $14) and the woman immediately broke down and began weeping. I reached out and held her hand. She was beside herself with overflowing emotion. Her gratitude was something I’ve never seen. Mom and I started crying of course as we walked toward the van. The woman was following us and lamenting things we couldn’t understand. But we knew what she meant and we could see that she was thanking us. My mom grabbed another bill and handed it to her but the woman refused it and just kept crying. As if another blessing was more than she could take. Mom made her though and we grabbed her hands and nodded and cried with her. Then she just stood outside of the window touching it and bowing with gratitude. I cannot put this moment into words. It was too much. I opened up the door and got out and hugged her. She was weeping so hard. She just stood there crying as we drove away. Our guide told us that it was that woman’s lucky day and that the woman was repeating that we were very nice people with beautiful hearts and that God would bless us for this. Our paths were meant to cross today, I have no doubt.  NO ONE is unreachable to Him. 

After that we drove to Tallis’ finding site. I got out alone and snapped some photos and took a short video of the surroundings. Just a bus stop in the middle of a massive city. I can’t imagine what that was like for her two years ago. 

I am so exhausted today from not only the busyness, but from the extreme emotions and tears.  My daughter's orphanage, her finding site, and the elderly woman.  Also, again, the endlessness of poverty.  I am not negative here, and I love the culture.  The Chinese are so friendly.  I cannot help but be affected by someone's suffering, though.  I wish I had a million dollars.  Or two. 

Right now, my mom has fallen asleep.  Every morning she wakes up at 4:30 and manages to wake me up too.  I kindly told her tonight that even though she is my mother and I respect her position, if she wakes me up that early tomorrow I may not be able to refrain from killing her.  If no one ever hears from her again, you'll know why.  Sorry folks, but I'm just keepin' it real.  ;)

Right now, my little Hao Xue is sitting on the bed tucking her dollies under a blanket.  She is being a little mommy.  Girls are just born that way aren't they?  She has a doll from Kirsten and a doll that Melissa made.  Mel, if you're reading this, Tallis threw your doll (which I love!) on the floor over and over everytime I gave it to her until tonight.  I would say, "Look at the pretty doll Hao Xue, pea liau (pretty)"...then she would chuck it on the floor and giggle.  But tonight she seems to like it for the first time.  She is dressing and undressing the dolls and putting blankets on them.  She's smiling and happy right now.  Today was tough for her too.  When we were about an hour away from arriving in Hangzhou again, I looked over at her and she was fully sobbing and her face was covered in tears.  I had been looking out the window and had no idea.  Can you imagine???  It's difficult to fathom that she was crying so hard and I was right next to her and didn't hear a thing.  I unbuckled her and she reached for me.  She was on my lap in a flash and she calmed right down.  Going back to the orphanage may have been confusing for her.  Also, the ayis thought nothing of picking her up and loving on her.  And, apparently, she was getting a little rowdy while I was upstairs looking at the kids and one ayi even lightly scolded her and made her sit in a chair.  Mom said that Tallis immediately complied.  She probably thought that we were taking her "home" today.  She's better now that we're in the hotel room. 

She does not like to be naked.  Some places were pretty gross today (squatter toilets) and I wanted to get her clothes off because I know her pant legs got wet more than once.  She started crying.  I've noticed it several times.  It just makes her uncomfortable.  Strange to me, since I'm usually yelling at Seamus and Rowan to get some clothes on. 

Tallis has impressive fine motor skills and is so clever.  I can show her one little thing and she'll figure it out and repeat it exactly.  Her gross motor skills are lacking some though.  She's a bit clumsy and totally not used to running.  I've tried to get her too a few times and I can see that she's not at all used to it.  Her Mandarin name means studius and fond of learning and it fits her to a T.  She is one smart cookie.  She's also a meticulous and clean eater.  She tries not to drop a single grain of rice and always leans over her plate or bowl.  For lunch, we ate duck legs, some sort of gelatinous fish cubes (barfy dude), fish soup, deep fried bread, bamboo, dumplings, noodles, and waterchestnuts still in their skin and she ate it all like a pro. 

Okay, sorry this is long.  Most of it I wrote in the car.  What else am I gonna do for six hours?  I can only stare at fog, factories, and poor villages for so long.  Did I mention it was endless?  Oh, I did?  Yeah, it is.  This population is crazy.  I guess Shanghai, about 100 miles from here, has a population of 21 million.  At least that's what my guide told me.  21 MILLION!!!  That's a lot of ducks who lose their legs to lunch.  Mmmmm...salty goodness. 

So morbid. 

In Case You Don't Want to Read the Long Version...

Okay, so the post below is loooong so here is a short version:

• My kid can use chop sticks...no joke.  My mom cannot.  She's going hungry.
• I call Tallis by her Mandarin name and now her middle name, Hao Xue (said, how shwey)...otherwise, she obviously won't respond
• When she sees the revolving door in the hotel, she gets crazy giddy and smiley and pulls my hand toward it to go through it
• She is HEAVY!  They must've fed her bricks.
• They cut her hair and even shaved the bottom inch of her hairline...so now she has a serious bowl cut.  I cannot figure out why they would do this, but I make up for it with cute little headbands from Baby Gap (I know, totally depressing that I even mention Baby Gap)
• People stare, no, GAWK at me when I'm walking around with her.  I guess I'm a pretty funny looking Chinese mama.
• Hao Xue seems as proud to be with me as I am with to be with her...I think we are both showing each other off
• I now know how to say in Mandarin "be careful" (show shing), "I am your mama" (woh shur nee duh mama), "Mama loves you" (mama aye nee), and "do you have to go poo poo?" (ni yao niao niao ma?)
• Tallis has a sinus/chest cold and I gave her medicine which must've given her an allergic reaction because she woke up today with a weird red blotchy face
• She has obvious signs of orphanage life in the form of many small bruises, scars, and marks.  She also has some various skin issues. 
• Everyone here says how young I look to be a Mom and my head has grown too large to fit through most of my tee shirts. 
• When I ask "what is the price?" (dwoh show tchyen) in Mandarin, all the shopkeepers have a good laugh to my face and then tell me the price by showing me the calculater.  I get my revenge by saying "tie gway la!" (too expensive) and typing in half their price to counter offer.  It works!  Never pay full price here!
• Tallis pees and poops
• I pee and poop too
• Our guide lectured me tonight on why Americans are not healthy.  Reasons include running the air conditioner makes your bones wet and they age faster.  I told her that makes sense and asked her for more advice.  It was my own little comedy show and she had no idea.  I love her, by the way.
• The Chinese like their babies bundled until they are sweating and it drives me crazy but I comply.  I get tired of my guide lifting up Tallis' pant leg to see how many layers I have on her.  I figure she's been sweatin' to the ancient oldies for three years, what's a couple more weeks.  When I get her home, she can roam the house in her undies in January.
• I lied, this is also the long version.

Where to start?!

First of all, thank you all so much for you comments!  I just read them all and it's so encouraging.  It's Tuesday night and we just arrived in Wenzhou (Tallis' city) about two hours ago.  SO tired!  It was five or six hours by car to get here.  Okay, let me give a little recap of yesterday, a day I'll NEVER forget.

We met our guide in the hotel lobby around 8:30 AM yesterday (Monday) and we drove a short distance to the Civil Affairs office.  I was so nervous that I had to think about dumb things to keep myself from bawling.  On the way there, I reminded my mom all about how to use my camera so that she could capture "the moment".  When we got there and headed upstairs, my guide yelled, "Wendy!  Come on she is here!"  I yelled to my mom to get the camera ready and started going upstairs.  My mom was nervous too and her hands were shaking.  That's why most of the first pics are out of focus.  It's okay, though...it was a pretty intense moment.  As I walked up the stairs, I saw Tallis immediately and her ayi was saying, "Mama...Mama..." and directing Tallis toward me.  The VERY FIRST thing she said just then, was "Mama?"  And she walked over to me.  AHHHHHH!!!!!!  It just killed me.  I got to hold her and hug her and she would repeat after the ayi and say "Mama".  She was smiling too.  Crazy!  I was totally expecting screaming and kicking.  None of that at all.  You couldn't ask for a better gotcha moment. 

The ayis who brought Tallis there were so genuinely loving toward her and the other children.  There were four kids getting families that day and all were from the Wenzhou CWI.  I could easily see that the children from this orphanage are well fed and cared for.  I'm truly grateful.  I've heard horror stories and I'm so pleased to know that my baby was in a decent place. 

So, there was only like five minutes of that and then I was pulled over to start paperwork.  It's all a blur.  I couldn't think at all.  I panicked when they told me to write down my husband's SS number and I couldn't remember it.  My brain was mush.  It all worked out, though and somehow the paperwork got done.  During the paperwork, I gave Tallis a couple of toys and she was totally into it.  My friend, Kirsten, had given me a toy cell phone and Tallis played with it forever.  I just couldn't believe how well she was doing.

After paperwork and giving gifts, we went and took a family photo at a local photo shop.  That photo of Tallis and I was added to some paperwork today to finalize the adoption.  We're both smiling in that one too.  Then we went back to the hotel. 

I immediately skyped Damon and the boys and they got to see her.  We could talk to them but couldn't receive video so I didn't get to see their faces when they saw her for the first time.  I could hear the emotion in Damon's voice though (sorry honey...I'm exposing your soft side).  It was so cool.  Fortunately, Tallis just repeats everything I say and so she said "Baba" (daddy) and "guh guh" (big brother) during the conversation. 

Right after that, I gave her a bath (she was kinda dirty) and put new clothes on her.  The orphanage had her dressed pretty cute too.  The coat was brand new and she was wearing some shiny gold shoes.  While we were still at the Civil Affairs office, I asked my guide if I should give back the coat they put her in so that they'd have it for the other kids.  She told me that they probably put thought into what she was dressed in and that they would want her to have it.  I have to say that although an orphanage is no place for a child to thrive and even the best orphanage cannot replace parents...it's still reassuring to see that this one actually has the children's best interest in mind.

The rest of the day was fantastic.  She was a little afraid of the bath and took most of it standing up but she did eventually sit down.  After her bath, I slathered her in lotion because her skin was extremely dry.  She giggled the whole time and got such a kick out of it.  Then, I put her new panties on.  Yes, PANTIES!  This kid comes fully potty trained!  Did I luck out or what?  I put them on her and then walked her over to the mirror.  She started wiggling and sort of dancing with a big grin on her face.  She knew she looked cute.  After that, we took her to lunch and then spent the rest of the day just hanging out in the hotel room.  She definitely knows that I'm her mommy.  When my mom tries to talk to her or give her something, Tallis walks over to me and sort of looks at me for permission first.  The whole rest of the day she followed me everywhere, even to the bathroom.  She wants me to hold her and hug her and doesn't want to be more than two steps away.  I am so glad.  Maybe this is just a honeymoon, but I'm still going to enjoy it.

Today has been nuts!  We had to go back to Civil Affairs this morning to finalize the adoption and I was presented with a certificate and a handshake.  Tallis got a panda bear.  Then the supermarket to buy diapers for the orphanage, then to lunch, then to the notary's for some other paperwork that I didn't know anything about, then the six hour drive to Wenzhou.  Crazy crazy.  I am exhausted.  It took forever at the notary office and Tallis totally started getting naughty for the first time.  I knew she was overly tired, though and ready for a nap.  She even started to try to scratch my face and when I held her hand down she spit on me twice!!  I say "no" firmly and she just giggles.  She thinks it's hilarious when I say no and even when I say it in Mandarin (boo).  She was so tired and was asleep the moment we got back into the van. 

I know this is prabably all a big mixed jumble, but I'm trying to blog something while I have some time.  It's only Tuesday, but I feel like it's been weeks!  It's very tiring.  Poor Tallis was sort of miserable for the last hour or so the drive here.  It got dark and I think she was out of sorts and way too overwhelmed.  I finally unbuckled her (trust me, if we get in a wreck here, seat belts aren't going to save us...it's INSANE), and she climbed on my lap and laid her head on my chest.  She must've liked feeling my skin on her face because she kept laying on me, pulling away and looking at my skin and then laying on me again.  She is already very affectionate.  I can see it's new to her, though and she's not always sure what to do.  When I lean in to kiss her, she scrunches up her lips and sort of leans toward me really slowly like it's totally foreign to her.  Then she smiles shyly.  If you saw it, it would melt your heart.  She's soaking in all this love, but in such a careful way. 

She's cried a few times, but only when she thinks I'm leaving her.  Every time the car stops and we start to unbuckle to get out, she lets out this tiny, quiet whimper.  Then I tell she's coming too and put my arms out and she's immediately all smiles.  It's heartbreaking when she cries because it's almost silent but with tears.  She holds her breath too and you can see she's trying really hard to hold it in.  It might sound strange, but I can't wait until she feels comfortable enough to let out a good hard sob when she needs to.  I can quickly get her to stop crying by holding her and saying "Mama aye nee" (mama loves you).  Seriously, she understands it and gives a tiny smile or a hug.  I think this kid was so ready for a mom.  She is absolutely precious.

I am most shocked by how attached she is already.  I mean, it was right away.  So strange.  I hope it stays that way.  Tonight, we are in a new hotel room and I put her on my bed and crawled in beside her.  I put my face right up to hers and she put her hand on my cheek.  Then her eyes started rolling back into her head as she was falling asleep and it was kinda creepy, but you get the idea. 

Okay, I know this was probably long and boring but I don't know if I'll have time to write tomorrow.  I feel like we keep getting dragged back and forth and have not had a moment to rest.  I am so tired!  I just want to hang out with Tallis in the hotel room for a whole day and not have an appointment to get to.  Soon enough. 

Love to all and thanks again for your many thoughts and comments.  I love reading them! 

The Picture Says It All...

Wuzhen was Amazing!

Yes, I own this place!!!

Today was wonderful!  I made myself stay awake last night and I got to bed at ten.  Mom crashed in no time, and I told her she'd end up waking up at 4:30 and she did.  So, I ended up being awake at that time as well.  But, I really I don't feel any jetlag at all.  Somehow, the schedules worked out right. 

We are staying at the Merchant Marco Hotel in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.  It's not too shabby at all.  The breakfast buffet was pretty swanky too.  They had a huge selection which included Chinese food, Japanese sushi, and even good ole corn flakes.  My only complaint is the loud Italian tourists and that the creamer pitcher was empty.  I survived, though.  ;)

We met our guide and driver in the lobby at 9:30 and then we were off to Wuzhen.  Forget the idea of having a day of rest!  We would have missed out bigtime.  Although Wuzhen is now a major local tourist attraction, real people still live there and live very real lives.  They just have to put up with tourists waltzing up and down the narrow alleys taking photos of them all day long.  Myself included.  At one point, while looking over the canal from an ancient little footbridge, our guide said, "This is real China."  Every single nook and cranny was a photo op.  I purchased some of the beautiful calico fabric that is only made in Wuzhen for 20 yuan per meter.  Thats less than three dollars a meter. 

When we were finished, we took a boat ride down the canal back to the entrance.  The man who pushed the boat (I'm sure there's a word for him, but I just can't think of it) had the sweetest, most genuine smile.  But, he wouldn't show his teeth every time the camera was pointed in his direction.  I wished I could share with everyone his real smile.  The Chinese are a lovely, friendly people.  I can see that in one short day.  I'm so proud to have a daughter from this country.  I'll raise her to be proud of her heritage.  Okay, gettin' a little sentimental here.  But, with a day like this, I just can't help it. 

We left Wuzhen, crossed the street and walked into a "farmer's house" for lunch.  The farmers usually also own some sort of factory and so they build these homes that are tall and narrow and several stories high.  Some, open up part of their house as a restaurant.  Weirdest experience.  They took us upstairs to a tiny room that was only big enough to hold the large square table and then they shut the door and left us there.  Our guide wanted to eat downstairs with our driver.  It was so hilarious and Mom and I couldn't stop laughing.  Then, a woman came up and started bringing us food.  I am not a picky eater, at least I don't think, but I couldn't eat some of the meat.  The lamb was absolutely delicious with this rich, spicy sauce, but nearly every single peice was riddled with tiny, sharp bones and most of it was pure grisle.  I didn't eat much of the meat.  I hated to waste it, though.  The lady of the house did a great job making delicious food for us and she was so friendly and then kept apologizing for making too much.  She was also very proud that she could offer us a western toilet in her bathroom.  Our guide said, "Oh good, very clean.  Very clean".  I am constantly amused by not only the drastic difference in our cultures, but also in how we have absolute opposite meanings of the same word.....such as "clean".  I used the bathrrom anyway.  I find myself being proud of her for being so proud of her "clean" western bathroom.  Very sweet.

I can't say enough about our guide.  She is wonderful!  She is truly kind and sweet and very down to earth.  She has a big heart.  She said that after working with adoptions, she sees how much love these people have for these children who are orphaned and that she would love to adopt as well.  She tried too.  But, she said it would cost her around $14,500 and that her son would have to be an adult before she could adopt another child.  Baffling.  Absolutely absurd. 

Oh, before I forget...our little boat ride was shared with another family who desperately wanted to ride with us.  It was a grandmother, two women, and two children.  The girl was six and the boy was nine.  They were eager to ask us lots of questions and they kept inviting us to visit them in their beautiful Yunan Province.  The ladies wanted to know immediately what kind of products we use to protect our face, saying that we had beautiful skin.  My mom does have nice skin, but mine.....well, that's not a compliment I'm familiar with.  So funny.  Then, the boy, wanting to talk to us asked me what kind of cosmetics I used for my "beautiful face".  My mom and I busted up.  I answered and he perfectly anunciated a "thank you".  It was hilarious.  I cannot fathom a nine year old boy in America asking a woman what kind of cosmetics she used.  He was clearly trying to converse. 

Okay, so I'll post pictures on my Shutterfly so make sure to click on Tallis' photo on the right.  I don't know how long they will take to upload, but hopefully I can post a lot.

I feel privileged and blessed to be here.  I am grateful.

Hey Everybody! Landed on Chinese soil at 3 PM today. Flying over Hangzhou was amazing! I just can't believe that I'm here and this is really happening. This is a dream that has been in my head for years and now it's actually happening.




I missed Friday entirely, as we lost a day getting here. Left on Thursday, arrive on Saturday. The in-between is a blurrrrrr. We had a seven hour layover in LA and six hour one in Seoul. LAX was crummy. Seoul was long, but so clean there that I forgave them. Seriously, those Koreans have got it right! After LAX, I was in awe of the clean bathrooms. Sick huh? I guess they've got to impress all of the travellers shopping at the many Chanels and Bulgari's. I would have made some major purchases, but my hands were mysteriously stuck in my pockets. Better luck next time I'm in Seoul. Anyway, I'm so sleepy right now that I don't even know what I'm saying.



Okay, so I was totally intimidated about what the airport in China would be like, but it was a breeze. I thought people would be mean or something. I don't know why. The guy at immigration must've looked back and forth at me and then at my passport ten times. I wanted to say, "Look, it's really me. It was 2003 and it's not a very good photo...please let me in." He finally did, I pushed the button on his desk indicating that I was "greatly satisfied" by his work performance and my mom and I were on our way. Customs was nothing. Like literally. No one was at the desk, so we walked through. Our guide was not visible at first, and then she made her way through the crowd and confirmed that we were the mother/daughter on her sign. She said she didn't think we were her family because I looked too young to be a mom, let alone adopting. Flattery will get you everywhere. She seems totally cool. We got into our van and our driver for the week is a woman too. Four women, and Tallis will make five. Go estrogen go!!! Like I said, I'm tired. Sorry.



We got tossed right into China by a memorable rush hour experience. It was pretty crazy but I LOVED it! I'm pretty sure we ran over a couple of people. Our guide, Savor, told me a bunch of stuff that I don't remember about Hangzhou being the most beautiful city in China. I guess I need to see more. =) I mostly saw apartment buildings, and those people we ran over. It's a crazy city with wealth and poverty. I can't wait to see more and catch a glimpse of some of the beauty. Our hotel is smack dab in the middle of everything and the sight from the window is, well...foreign. I'm trying to soak it in.



I asked if we could skip having tomorrow as a "rest day" and go to the village of Wuzhen instead. Another Wenzhou family went there and I was inspired. I had the driver and our guide name a price and I decided to go for it. Pretty sure they are ripping me off. Maybe not. But, I'm gonna do it anyway. I think it will be my only tour that is my choice and not pre-arranged for me. Hopefully, I'll be able to post pics of tomorrow's adventure by the end of the day.



Sorry these pics are so pathetic. Obviously, they were taken from the van and we were weaving all over the place. The first one is the top of my mom's and my head. It's at LAX and we both decided that we looked too hideous to share with the world. Enjoy our foreheads. After these blurry glimpses, I hope to post many worthier pics another day. I haven't really seen much yet. And, to be honest, a few things were sad and I'm not sure what to say yet. If anything. Thanks to everyone for your "thoughts". We're going to need them.

Oh Man!

I've got butterflies!  Bad!  I can't believe I'm leaving in less than 24 hours.  It's finally here.  I'm excited and I feel a little sick.  Maybe if I puke a few times I'll feel better.  Maybe not.  Next time I post, I'll be in the P.R.C.!!!

Free high-speed internet, hair dryer, TOILET, and mini bar!

I absolutely LOVE that a toilet is included in the amenities at our hotels in China.  Right along side a hair dryer.  I sure do hope they look like this fancy fella.

Those poor poor fish... 

Not Now!!!

Last night, when I went into my boys' room to check on them before I went to bed, I discovered that Seamus was burning up with a fever.  I prayed, "not now God!"  I took off his shirt, gave him medicine and set my alarm to check him again in three hours.  Seamus gets fevers easily and they are always scary high.  He's been 105 several times.  Freaks me out!  Can you tell that I'm a worrier?  I've been feeling like I had a scratchy throat the last few days, but thought maybe it's nothing until today.  I am starting to cough and my body is fighting something.  I'm tired.  Everyone keeps telling me to get some sleep and not to wear myself out before I go.  I agree.  But it seems to be impossible with so much to do.  I'm drinking Airborne.  I hope it helps.  I hope Seamus recovers ASAP.  I don't want him to miss his little Thanksgiving Feast in kindergarten tomorrow.  I know everything is going to be fine.  The Lord didn't bring us this far to stop now.  I just don't want to deal with complications.  I'm already pretty stressed out.   

Dumdum

Tallis' new 'bus' backpack

It's 11:30 PM and my poor husband is off to Walmart.  We are not fans of Walmart, but they have the biggest bags of Dumdums that I've seen and I really want to pack some to give to the kids at the orphanage.  So, I sent my husband there on a quest for suckers, gift bags, and luggage tags.  Actually, I think he just got sick of the crazed, half-mad look in my eyes and felt like he needed some air.  I accidentally opened up a bag of chocolates that I intended to take with me on the trip to give away, and now I'm on a disturbed caffeine high.  Mix that with nerves and stress and you've got something new to worry about. 

I am getting quite nervous about the trip.  I'm not nervous about going to China; I love travelling and I rarely get to.  I AM, however, quite nervous about the following:

• 
  
  missing a connection
  
• 
  
  overweight luggage
  
• 
  
  not packing enough
  
• 
  
  packing too much
  
• 
  
  packing the wrong things altogether which would be quite stinky and inconvenient
  
• 
  
  forgetting to pack my entire dossier -- OOPS!
  
• 
  
  my mother getting arrested for possession of an illegal substance even though I told her that she could bring a small container of baking soda on the plane to brush her teeth because security will not likely mistake it for cocaine, but why, for love of all that's holy, does she not just use toothpaste like everybody else!!!
  

     *deep breath*

• 
  
  getting lost at LAX or Seoul
  
• 
  
  not understanding people with accents different from mine even though they will probably be speaking English better than I can
  
• 
  
  getting attacked and bitten by a rabid mountain goat (a lifelong fear)
  
  
  

That's all.

Finding Ad

In China, the orphanages place "finding ads" every few months of children who were found.  In case their parents are looking for them, I assume.  This summer, I placed a request with research-china.org to see if they could find Tallis'.  They did, and I was able to get the original newspaper with the ad.  It was published on March 18, 2008 -- seven months after she was found.  Although, I don't know exactly when this photo was taken, it is the earliest photo we have of our daughter, and, to us, it is priceless.  It's a small piece of her history.  Her ad reads:

"A baby girl. 

She was born on August 5th, 2006 (estimated).

On August 5, 2007 she was found at -------------, Wenzhou City.

She had some baby daily use items found with her.

She has congenital heart disease." 

Aaaaand....we're DONE!!!

Whew! NO MORE WAITING! The TA arrived at our agency this morning. And, we got a confirmed Consulate Appointment on December 2nd. Can you see me dancing a jig? 'Cause I am! I'm leaving our little ole town with my mommy in tow next Thursday the 19th. How many days is that? Not many. I knew God placed November on my heart, but I've got to admit that I was starting to doubt. God is so good.

"Take a picture of my foot, Mom"

"now of me smelling it"

Some friends of ours had a Krispy Kreme fundraiser today for their Ethiopian adoption.

You can see from the evidence that Rowan enjoys supporting a good cause.