Lost Somewhere In Maryland

It’s been over two months since we returned from China, and I am only just getting around to scheduling visits and returning calls to the many friends and family we haven’t touched base with yet.  We’d been taking it slow, staying close to home, getting down the new “ day to day” routine and occasionally taking on a little adventure.  Focusing our energy on Liam and Emmett and on most days not having much left over.  When more than one person mentioned wondering when they would see our faces on the side of a milk cartoon, I knew it was time to get my act together!

So, what’s new here on Osborne Ave?  In a word, lots!  Mostly the mundane, but with the addition of Liam into our lives those annual celebrations, favorite haunts, and daily activities and chores have taken on a newness.  We’ve spent a fair amount of our time trekking around the neighborhood familiarizing Liam with Emmett’s favorite places: playgrounds.  There’s Hillcrest and St Mark School to either side of our house and the grand daddy of them all The Tire Park.  A playground entirely constructed of recycled tires. 

We’ve celebrated a holiday and some birthdays.  We’ve introduced Liam to both the good and the bad.  The good, Easter egg hunts and yummy birthday cakes and the  bad, the idea that the birthday present is meant for the birthday boy alone.

He is also becoming familiar with the joys and the drudgery of residing in our house.  It’s got lots of great nooks and crannies in which to hide, stairs to hop and slide down, a porch to tricycle on in the rain and a big yard to explore.  The hedges that surround the perimeter offer endless hiding spots for boys, bunnies and birds.  Is there a downside, yes!  1899 is not only significant because it was the year our house was built, but also because any given weekend means there are at least 1899 chores that should be done!  While Liam and Emmett often don’t participate, after all we know child labor is frowned upon!  They do occasionally stop playing and lend us a hand.  Emmett is very good at lifting, pushing and moving things and Liam is a helpful assistant gardener. 

While our recent reclusiveness has been called into question, I am happy to report we have ventured away from the homestead with some frequency.  Some adventures are nearby like hikes in Patapsco Park, Maryland’s first state park, which makes up part of our town.   And probably more interesting, a beautiful Saturday May morning spent in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon Square neighborhood for Flowermart.  Flowermart is a 100 year old festival that takes place in downtown Baltimore each spring.  It is a time to celebrate spring, listen to music, check out some art and of course pick up some plants for your garden.  I came away with some funky heirloom tomato plants I had been hunting for.  Women are known to wear outrageous spring hats and crab cakes are served up along with the Flowermart signature peppermint stick in a lemon.  We broke out the toddler backpack for the first time and Liam thoroughly enjoyed surveying the crowd high atop Jerry’s shoulders.  He also loves his sun glasses, and I must say looked particularly cool with them on.

That’s all for now.  Looking forward to seeing you soon, or in Baltimorese, “looking forward to seeing yoose all soon, Hon”!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well it was almost two months ago that we boarded a bus in Guangzhou in the wee hours of the morning on our way to Liam’s new life in America.  That bus ride was the beginning of a long journey, which ended some 30 hours later in Baltimore, Maryland.  At each new airport we bid farewell to another family as they continued on in a different direction to their home.  It was an exhausting trip for us not to mention Liam, but all and all he did wonderfully. 

In some ways those plane rides weren’t the end of our journey but the beginning.  Once home, we all had adjustments to make.  Parents caring for two children where their had been one, a little boy reuniting with his Mom and Dad and learning to be a big brother, and another little boy learning what it’s like to have a family for the first time. 

We’ve had good days and bad, and lessons learned through smiles and tears.  Each day things get a little closer to normal.  We are really all learning how to navigate our new family.

Liam continues to blossom and adjust to life with us.  He has done so well that at times it easy to forget how new this world is for him.   His Velcro grip on me is slowly subsiding.   It is still a challenge to leave a room without hearing a British sounding “mummy, mummy” within seconds, followed by the pitter-patter of little feet hot on my trail. 

But with each new day we see a bit more independence.  He is now playing like a more typical child his age.  When he first arrived his games might be balancing a variety of objects on any flat surface he could carry around with the dexterity of the best restaurant server you’ve ever seen or following me around as I did household tasks.  Believe it or not, he’s actually ok at dusting!  Those games are fewer and further between and he has moved on to cars, puzzles and other activities favored by the two year old set.

The boy, who not so long ago, wanted nothing more than to be carried around is now actively asking to go outside to play.  He loves his swing set and sandbox.  Watching Liam and Emmett create a variety of games, their favorite being “bumpy ball” has been a joy to behold.  That being said, their relationship does have it’s ups and downs and it is not unusual to hear the refrain “no Emmett no” when a game begins to head South.

This journey we’ve been on has been amazing, exhausting, exhilarating and a labor of true love.  As I mentioned before, coming home was only the beginning, but with each passing day we are a little wiser, stronger, somewhat better rested and more confident in parenting this special little boy.  These few months have been filled with many “firsts” for all the members of our family, most notably Liam.  We are slowly moving past the joys, the unknowns and anxieties that come along with those first experiences.  Some that are typical to all families with a new child in their home, others specific to adopting a child at the ripe old age of two.  The fact that I actually have the time to sit here and blog after a post China hiatus and communication black out is a testament to how far we’ve come!

So what else can I tell you about the Liam of today in this long overdue blog post?  He has a smile that can melt your heart and a belly laugh that can be heard throughout the house.  He is often content to be held and will bear hug you and wrap his little legs around you monkey style with amazing strength considering how tiny he still is.  He has quite an appetite and is slowly adjusting to foods with unfamiliar tastes.  He will tell you he loves pizza, but still refuses to eat it.  After all he is a Chinese boy at heart!  His language skills are nothing short of amazing.  He was initially a wonderful mimic, but will now speak to you spontaneously with often crystal clear pronunciation.  He is a rabid Curious George fan following in his big brothers footsteps and loves to jump and tumble.   While he wears his big smile much of the time, he does have an incredibly stubborn streak and is known as a bit of drama queen in these parts.  He will tell you of seemingly invisible injuries and demand they be kissed for entire afternoons.  He is smart, funny, and full of little surprises.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of making his acquaintance I really look forward to introducing you soon.

Coming back to Charm City

Wrapping Things Up


We’ve spent the last two days preparing for our departure. Everyone is anxious to head home. Aside from just being away too long, a number of us have battled stomach bugs and sinus infections during this last week. Today, there is packing to be done, last minute souviners to pick up and photos to snap. Along with the excitement about heading home, there is a sense of nostalgia for our time spent in China with our new friends.

We met yesterday for our final organized group activity at The White Swan Hotel, our “Red Couch Photo”. The red couch is a rite of passage for internationally adopted children, a way to memoralize and celebrate the important connection these kids share. Dressed in traditional Chinese attire, the kids are photographed together on the couch. Ours may not have been the most picture perfect red couch photo, since many of the kids including Liam wouldn’t stay on the couch, but it may be the cutest.

We’re packed and spent most of today strolling Shaiman Island and taking in the sites and sounds of this area one last time. We started out in The People’s Park on the Pearl River. As I mentioned before the Chinese gather in public spaces to hang out with friends, exercise, dance, and play games. On our walk we see more games of hacky sack than you can count. In China hacky sack is game played by all ages. There are lots of other folks ballroom dancing but to Chinese sounding music. Some are quite good and seem pleased we are photographing them. Additionally there are the typical groups of singers, mahjong enthusiasts, tai chi practitioners and variations of what looks like tai chi done with swords and badminton rackets.

As I mentioned before Shaiman Island, is like a little oasis, full of British Colonial architecture, tropical foliage, shady narrow streets and parks. Perhaps I should say it was an oasis before it began undergoing major construction. The Pan Asian Games will be held here in November and in what I imagine was 2008 Olympic style, the government has decided to give the city a complete and total facelift. In a quest for perfection they are resurfacing or refacing every street, sidewalk, and building, whether they need it or not. This wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, except unlike us, safety obsessed litigious Americans, the Chinese do things a bit differently. Instead of ripping up a street and say leaving a sidewalk for pedestrians, they do the whole thing at once. Where we would close off the street and create a detour, the Chinese pedestrians walk right through the construction zone. Backhoes zip inches from your head, unknown objects fall from the bamboo scaffolding above. Chinese women in heels walk gingerly through minefields of ankle snapping holes. In their favor, their methods seem rather efficient. Unlike certain US highways, which seem to perennially be under construction, the Chinese actually seem to get stuff done.

Anyway, after the park, we make our way through the construction and cross the bridge to Guangzhou City. We walk through Qing Ping Market which covers a number of city blocks and is one of China’s largest and most famous markets. This is the China you might imagine. Stall after stall of dried everything including herbs, meats, fish and live animals. The highlight is probably the baskets of live scorpions that are being picked up with chopsticks, deposited into plastic bags and taken home by patrons for dinner. We also decide to stop in the pet section of the market for Liam. Today we made the unfortunate discovery that he is afraid of dogs. Yikes! All through the trip he loved saying, “hello doggie”, so who knew? Well today at Starbucks, yeah I said Starbucks, a cute itty-bitty dog stopped by to say hi and he lost it. So back at the Pet Market, we stop and look at the puppies. He won’t touch them, but he doesn’t cry and seems interested when we play with them. Baby steps!

We are headed out tonight for a final dinner of traditional Cantonese food, which promises to be interesting.

We leave tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM. Liam is still under the weather so, keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a safe and uneventful trip home.

Hi, it's me again. Liam, on my way to Catonsville.

Up the down or down the up or ...

Restoring Our Harmonious Yin & Yang


So yesterday things were looking pretty bad. Liam was VISA-less and would be stuck in China unless we could get his US immigration VISA approval to the US Consulate here b difficult, especially once you know that they share the same computer system in real time, not to mention they both work for the same boss, Uncle Sam. However if you take in to consideration that we’ve been through this twice before unsuccessfully and that they again both work for Uncle Sam, you’ll understand why we were less than optimistic. To compound our worries, Liam’s bronchitis was not getting any better.

During our last appointment the hotel doctor pointed menacingly at her arm, which our translator explained meant, if he did not get better by tomorrow we would need an IV at the hospital. Here in China, “the drip” seems to be the preferred course of treatment for a wide variety of ailments. Our uncertainty about the proposed treatment and the disturbing description of the hospital by our Chinese translator made us decide a visit to the western doctor was in order. We’d have to forgo the next day’s trip to the zoo, which in retrospect was good for Liam’s health in more ways than one. Apparently the bars on the animal enclosures at the Guangzhou Zoo are unusually wide and one of the little boys in our group was quite skilled at slipping inside them. It was reported that there were more than a few tense moments, but everyone returned safe and sound.

We scheduled our appointment and then waited, and waited and waited to go head to head with our friends in immigration. Due to the time difference our call-a-thon could not begin until 9:00 PM. And a call-a-thon it was. We spoke to various representatives, their supervisors and their supervisor’s supervisors. What made this all the more ludicrous is that everyone agrees he is approved and has been for months but they refuse to deliver the information to the consulate in any way other than the electronic system that does not work. We suggest phone, e-mail, or even a call to the Consulate rep to help him properly use the system. No one is sure if they can do any of the above and will call us back. It’s 2:00 AM and we move to plan B, calling our Senator, Ben Cardin’s office. This call proves to be equally frustrating, but by the end Cardin’s aid agrees to send an e-mail on our behalf to the Consulate and Immigration. At 4:00 AM we get the call we’ve been waiting for. Immigration will send the approval via e-mail. We sleep for a few hours and then call to confirm. Yes, the Consulate has it!

Our spirits buoyed but exhausted, we head off to the Western doctor, who if I didn’t explain, is Chinese but was trained in the US. Again things look like they are turning around. He has us throw away the meds Liam was taking and gives us antibiotics we’ve actually heard off. Things are still written in Chinese, but instead of zip lock baggies and powders wrapped in little pieces of wax paper, our new meds come bearing the Novartis logo. Who knew it could be so comforting?

The rest of the day is big. We take a bus to the US Consulate and take our oath. We promise to be good parents etc. Typically this would be worth writing about but we are dead on our feet after today’s marathon. All we can think about is bed and that we’ll be on our way home in two short days.

Pearls of ...

Seawater and Freshwater Pearls of Wisdom


China really is the land of contradictions. The juxtaposition of old and new is again fully visible her in Guangzhou. We sit on tiny Shaiman Island, which feels as though you’ve been transported back in time to a colonial outpost of yesteryear, but look out our hotel window across the canal to Guangzhou City and you are confronted with skyscrapers so brilliantly lit in neon, they rival Las Vegas casinos. Another skyscraper in full view of our window, doubles as a giant TV screen at night playing what looks to be Olympic footage, on it’s 20 plus stories.

On Monday we ventured across the canal to the Pearl Market in downtown Guangzhou. The Pearl Market is really a misnomer; it’s actually a six-story mall full of wholesale jewelers, but best known for pearls. It sits in what looks like a mini Times Square, full of shops, billboards and tons of activity. There are also lots of open-air stalls selling Chinese fast food, which as far as I can tell is anything they can cram on a stick. As you may have guessed counterfeit products of all kinds is a problem throughout China. This makes Jerry’s unsuccessful quest for knock off sunglasses seem all the more odd, unless of course you take a moment to reflect on the last time we saw sun during this trip. The answer is never!

Our guide is able to point us in the direction of a few Pearl dealers with good reputations, meaning other families from our agency have been buying from them without issue. The shop is filled with bags upon bags of pearls. We receive a lesson on the differences between fresh and saltwater pearls and also coloring. We’ve been told that the pearls run about a third off what they are in the US and then we go to work, along with another family of intrepid shoppers, and bargain.

With the exception of department stores and the Walmart, you have to bargain almost everywhere in China. I have to admit there is a sense of accomplishment involved, but it is a bit exhausting. Our pearl bargaining dance consists of a repeated explanation of what the word wholesale means, lots of headshaking and unconvincing attempts at walking away and even the formation of a cooperative with the other family. Finally we hit our magic number and pearls in hand we head home to rest and psych ourselves up for the next trip to the store.

Into each life some ...

When It Rains It Pours Here On Shaiman Island


After only about a day of enjoying the summery temperatures and afro-inducing humidity I mentioned earlier, it seems that the weather along with our luck has taken a turn for the worse.

Liam’s daily nebulizer treatments and medication have not seemed to improve his bronchitis and the doctor wants to try some additional medication. Aside from the typical concerns any parent has over a sick child, Jerry and I are experiencing a few new ones. First our doctor is the Hotel doctor. We’re not exactly sure what to make of this? What are her credentials? And if you are a doctor, why the hell are you working in a hotel? To be fair we know nothing about doctors who choose to make their living in the hospitality industry. The more we thought about it, the only point of reference we could come up with was Doc from The Love Boat and he wasn’t a very convincing doctor and an even less convincing lady’s man. You’re probably wondering why all the silliness, just ask what her credentials are? Well, we did, and even translated into English we have no idea what any of it means. Getting serious we decide she is our best option and likely a perfectly good one. After all the White Swan is the hotel that 90% of adoptive families stay at before returning to the US. We are assured she has treated thousands of children and many with much more serious illnesses. Our goal for now needs to be getting him healthy enough for travel back to the US on Saturday and if need be, direct to our pediatrician.

Our second new area of concern is trying to decipher what these Chinese drugs are all about? In addition to what he has been taking orally, our translator tells us that the doctor wishes to give him antibiotic injections twice a day. When we question the type of antibiotic they will use, she shows us the box. It is nothing we are familiar with and their attempts to compare it to other drugs we might know fail miserably. We also start throwing around names of random antibiotics that we do know, but to no avail. After several more rounds of “name that antibiotic” we take a new approach and come away with a reasonable understanding of why this is necessary.

They also decide on another medication to add to the regimen and we have no objections. However our sense of nervousness returns when the nurse whips out her pestle and mortar adds a little of this and a dash of that and then delivers us a zip lock of very neatly folded wax paper packets of powder. Yes, we are very far from home!

All jokes aside, while Liam’s bronchitis sounds terrible, his appetite and activity level are great, so we are hopeful with a little TLC and good care he will shake this off quickly.

Our other bit of bad news came in the form of some critical paperwork that is MIA. We’ve had an ongoing challenge with getting a document called a VISA 37 to its final destination here to the US Consulate in Guangzhou. This document is required for Liam to be issued his VISA and leave the country. According to US immigration, the issuer, the document has been sent here twice. We knew this already, as we had to beg them to resend it before we left. As of yesterday our agency could not get confirmation of receipt and asked us to call the consulate. We did and received the bad news that they still don’t have it. All is not lost as we have three more days to get this situation fixed. A Consulate employee named Roy says he’s on it and has put in an emergency request to US Immigration. When we followed up today, Roy said he still didn’t have it and when we asked what we should do, he said “keep your fingers crossed”. Not exactly confidence building. Our translator has suggested a call to our Congressperson, which we will do as soon as things open for business tomorrow in the US. The thought of extending our stay here with our neighbors the peacocks, the monkey and the ostrich is freaking me out to put it mildly.
 

Families

We Are In This Together


There have been many wonderful experiences on this trip, but one of my favorites has been the opportunity to really get to know our travel group. We started out in Beijing as jet lagged strangers and have become fast friends. We began as a group of five families in Beijing from across the United States: two from Colorado, one from Wisconsin, one from Atlanta and us. Each with a unique story and set of experiences that has led them to their child in China.

In our group we have two first time parents. One of these couples has endured the excruciating loss of a Vietnamese baby following a VISA filing mix up. Before finding their son in China, they had fought an unsuccessful yearlong battle for this little girl. Another family is returning to China with their lovely daughter for their second adoption trip, six years after their first. We also have a family traveling with their three young children and grandparents, who felt called to adopt a one year old with a serious yet repairable heart condition. Open-heart surgery available in the US will give this little guy a life he would not have had in China.

They say traveling together is the true test of friendship and if so, we’ve passed with flying colors. Jerry and I are amazed that in this group of very different people we have been lucky enough to be paired with families that are kind, funny and adventurous. We’ve all had our ups and downs, be it yearning for home, sick, scared and sleepless babies, or just trying to learn how to navigate life in China, but having the support of these other families has made things so much easier.

We’ve known each other such a short time but I can’t imagine not having shared this experience with them. Crying tears of happiness as we watched our friends meet their children for the first time is an experience I would not trade for the world. We’ve been able to watch these kids blossom, experiencing the care and love only a mom and dad can give, for the first time.

Although we couldn’t be more anxious to get home, I will be sorry to say goodbye and hopeful that our promises of future reunions will come to pass.

Pictures

Shop till they drop

Getting To Know Guangzhou


We wake up this morning and find some unexpected neighbors living next door. Outside our bedroom window is a narrow courtyard and then another building about 4 stories high. We are on the fifth floor and with the exception of a few hotels most buildings are only a few stories high and we have a” birds eye” view of the roof top gardens and small living spaces people have created atop their buildings. Most interesting of all is the roof next door, which has a screened in aviary. Looking out our window we are eye level with an ostrich, two peacocks, assorted pigeons, doves and at least one monkey. This part of the trip really has been full of surprises.

Liam is doing well and each day we see a bit more of his personality. We’ve had one nightmare free night and are hoping for more. His ability to pick up English words is nothing short of amazing. We’ve been working on some table manners and are guessing his frenzied eating style comes from the competitive environment of the orphanage. On second thought, some of those orphanage skills might serve him well once he has his first meal with Otter and Jack lurking about.

Today is Sunday and our first site seeing day here in Guangzhou. We cross the canal and leave Shaiman Island behind. Guangzhou city is modern and affluent by Chinese standards. People look much more contemporary and western than in the North. While Mandarin is the official language of Mainland China, people from this province also speak Cantonese, their native dialect. It is interesting to listen to and bares no similarities to Mandarin.

Our first stop is the Buddhist Temple Lui Rong Si, which translates to the Six Banyan Temple. Established in AD 537 to house the Buddha’s ashes it is something to behold. The centerpiece is the Flower Pagoda, which is an ornately carved and painted octagonal pagoda that stands nine stories high but apparently has 17 stories on the interior. As we tour the various temples, monks smile kindly at us and people bow their heads in prayer and light incense. We are invited into one of the temples where a monk performs a blessing ceremony for us, and the new babies.

Our next stop is Chen Jia Ci or the Chen House. It was built by members of the Chen family, one of the largest in China, as a temple for ancestor worship and a school. It has since been taken over by the government and is now a museum. The buildings, courtyards, exhibits and gardens are beautiful. What makes it truly unique is its roofs, which are decorated with brightly colored porcelain figurines.

Our last stop is a traditional Chinese Craft Market where we shop, shop and shop some more.

Before heading back to our hotel we ask our translator to take us to see a doctor. Liam has had a chest cold since he joined us and it seems to be worsening. The doctor believes it is serious bronchitis and gives us bottles of liquid and powder, which we are told are antibiotics and cough medicine. She is also prescribing nebulizer treatments for the next four days. He completes his first one like a champ and we head back tomorrow morning. Let’s hope the monks blessing comes in handy.

I Spy

Housekeeping You Shouldn’t Have

So, it’s Saturday night here on Shaiman Island and we have our first group dinner at a Thai restaurant. Yes, that’s right I said Thai. I haven’t written much about food yet, but let’s just say finding a good alternative to Chinese at this point is always a welcome prospect. Our dinner is really good and it is nice to meet the two new families who had traveled to other Provinces and our now joining our original group of five for the last leg of the journey.

At the end of dinner Jerry decides to invite two of the couples over to share some Chinese wine at our place. Since our original group is now split between two different hotels there has been some curiosity over which hotel is the better deal. Normally I would be happy to have these new friends over for a visit, but in this case, our hotel room is a mess and I have yet to unpack our bags. We’ve had the unfortunate luck of being assigned a suite with an intense mildew smell. So far my requests to relocate have fallen on deaf ears, but I keep hoping they will soon take mercy on us and move us to someplace more desirable, like a FEMA trailer.

Anyway our friends and their kids join us for drinks and some laughs. They don’t mind the mess and everyone agrees the room smells. Today also happens to be my birthday. Jerry’s idea for an impromptu party actually turns out to be a good distraction for me. Spending my birthday in China and away from Emmett has made me even more homesick, if that’s possible. Mid party a beautifully decorated cake in a beautiful box replete with candles and matches is delivered. I open the card and as it turns out, it is not from any of the people we spent the last five minutes guessing it might be from. The card reads:

Dear Pit Patrick Christine Carr

Happy Birthday

Love Housekeeping Department

Everyone loves the cake, especially the babies, who are likely having their first ever birthday cake. Now we are really having a party and I am actually finally enjoying myself thanks to, well my friends in Housekeeping. The low point of the party comes when someone mentions that while fun and delicious the cake is also a bit creepy. We debate how they new it was my birthday, but decide the delicious cake was well worth any monitoring device we may have eaten. After all most honorable American tourist has nothing to hide.

Last Leg of the Trip

Paging Doctor Welby


We climbed on to our bus on Friday afternoon and headed to the airport. Snow had begun to fall late morning and soon blanketed the streets of Zhengzhou. Our hopes for a timely departure looked even less likely with each falling snowflake. As our bus made it’s way around the even slower moving motorized rickshaws and pedestrians on the highway, our translator periodically sponged off the fogged up front window for the driver. Note to Toyota; potential Chinese recall issue, vehicles missing heat and dehumidifiers! We arrived at the airport and not surprisingly were delayed but did manage to make it out and on to Guangdong Province before midnight. Cranky but none the worse for wear.

Guangdong Province is located at the Southern most tip of China, near to Hong Kong. Stepping out of the terminal you are struck by the heat and almost 100% humidity. Our bus travels through the affluent modern port city of Guangzhou, previously known as Canton. About 50 minutes later we reach the place we will call home for the next week, Shamian Island. Shamian Island is just South of the city and not really an island at all, but a sandbank under a mile long with a narrow canal separating it from the city. Here our group splits up with most of the group staying at the White Swan Hotel, nicknamed the “baby hotel” because of its long history with the international adoption set. We’ve opted for another hotel, which means we must switch to a small van since our bus is unable to negotiate the narrow streets surrounding it. Two rooms later we put our check in challenges behind us and hit the sack.

Our first full day on Shaiman Island is business first. We must get the babies medical exams before they can be cleared for their VISA’s later this week. Our group reunites at our hotel and walks to the medical clinic. I don’t think I mentioned before that Shaiman Island was leased to the French and the British after the Second Opium War and is distinctly European. As we walk along, the pastel colored colonial style buildings and tropical foliage are somewhat reminiscent of the city of Nassua in the Bahamas. Who would have thought?

We’ve been warned that our visit to the clinic could take up to three hours so we are pleasantly surprised when it takes under an hour. The clinic reminds me of the set from a 1960’s hospital show with nurses decked out in vintage looking nursing attire and doctors writing things down on metal clipboards. Even the equipment has a retro vibe. Exclusively dials! Caucasian parents move their Chinese children from one station to the next for basic exams. For instance at the ENT station, a doc shines a light in Liam’s eyes and then squeezes a squeaky toy in each ear, says something in Chinese then we move on. Liam is a trooper and comes through these rigorous exams with a clean bill of health.

We spend the rest of the day strolling the island and enjoying the humid, yet wonderfully warm weather. We meet lots of other adoptive families from the US and abroad as we make our way across the island. Guangzhou is the final destination of all adoptive families before they can leave the country. Adoptive families are a large presence here and the locals are very much use to Westerners, especially those with little Chinese kids in tow.

We are hoping for an uneventful remaining 8 days on Shaiman Island. It’s not home, but the weather is warm the skies are a bit less gray, and there is an air of familiarity to it.

Changing Places

Say Goodbye to Henan


Today we leave Henan Province for the last and final leg of our adventure, Guangzhou. Everyone in our group is excited to leave behind the bone chilling temperatures of the North for the warmer climate in the South and looking forward to a much more relaxed pace. Although I am terribly homesick and anxious to get home to Emmett, our time here in Henan has been memorable and this place will continue to play a big role in our lives as we take a little piece of it with us, named Liam.

The little guy continues to surprise us more and more each day. He charms those he meets with his perfectly English sounding Hello and spontaneous bursts of song (usually ee-i-ee-i-oo from Old McDonald). We are noticing a mischievous side and he is running and jumping and acting more like the care free 2 year old boy he is. He also dislikes walking and has Jerry carrying him most places. So far we've only seen touches of the grief he must feel, at night in the form of nightmares the last two nights.

Our visit to Henan Province has been the China I envisioned in my minds eye. A total mixture of contemporary bustling metropolis with vintage surprises at every turn. As you walk through the streets a sparkling new Audi might be parked next to a man dressed in traditional Chinese garb selling baby chicks out of baskets hanging on a bamboo pole that sits atop his shoulders. You may find a McMcDonald's next door to an open air food stall displaying fried chicken feet, duck head, scorpion and other Chinese fast food favorites. We are often given side ways looks by people and the non Chinese kids in our group still have rock star status, but overall people are respectful, friendly and wish us the best with the newest members of our families. They often approach us to practice English and take pride in sharing information about their country. Chinese grandmother types won't hesitate to stop you and reprimand you if a little hand is missing a mitten or a head is without a hat. They are stern but good natured.

Here in Zhengzhou City we've also gotten a sense of the Chinese importance of shared community and family. Walking through parks you see friends sharing games of marjong at every turn, gathering for jam sessions of traditional Chinese music, and practicing tai chi. School buses are far and few between and instead Chinese grandparents ride their grandkids to and from school on bicycle.

In addition to strolling about town and filling out endless amounts of paperwork, we did do some more traditional sight seeing. We visited the Henan Provincial Museum which houses some amazing collections. Henan Province was the cradle of Chinese civilization as early as 6000 BC. It is home to some of the holiest Daoist and Buddhist temples, including Shaolin Temple known for it's warrior monks who began the practice of Kung Fu. Tsingtao beer also comes from this province and is a beverage we now have new appreciation for. Without potable water the occassional beer is refreshing after your 20th coca cola of the day.

We are headed out for one last stroll about town before our 3:00 departure for the airport.

Zaijian Henan
 

More news from China

How Many Chinese Does It Take to Change A Tire?


It's been three days now and every day Liam seems to be more at ease with us and hints of his true personality are showing through. Initially he would play with us and smile if he found something really amusing, but he still seemed reserved. Slowly he has begun to laugh more freely, initiate games with us and constantly be looking for us to acknowledge his accomplishments. He seems to be bonding with us equally at this point and comes to us easily and likes to hold our hands and sit on our laps. He does not seem to want to talk to other Chinese which I think is another good sign that he is bonding well. We are still trying to figure out all the in's and out's of this bonding process. He also has a lot more to say. He has about 6 English words so far and is a great imitator. Today he took great pride in saying, "hello doggie" to every dog we saw.

Since our last post, everyone in our group finalized their adoptions. I think I mentioned earlier that there is a 24 hour "return policy", so the finalizing actually happens the day after you receive your child. That was followed by a notarization of the documents for everyone but us. According to our guide Jiaozuo the city Liam is from still does it the old way, so the next day we boarded a van for the hour and a half ride to Jiaozuo City.

About 10 minutes into our journey our van shook as we hit something and then we heard that tell tale hiss of a tire going flat. What happened from that point forward was a series of events better suited to a comedy routine. The driver tried in vain to change the tire but the jack was too short. Jerry also gave it a shot when the driver disappeared, by propping it up with the concrete drain we had run into, but it was still too short. Keep in mind during all this we are stopped in a lane of traffic in a busy intersection and in typical Chinese fashion, there is no heat in the car. A few minutes later the driver comes down the road with a mechanic and a large jack. Viola, they change the tire in record speed! Just as we think we are on our way, they take the new tire off and replace it with the old flat one. Ughh! Our translator informs us that the mechanic mentioned to the driver that perhaps his insurance coverage would pay for it, so the driver does not want to change the tire but instead call his insurance agent. A cell phone call and then another 5 minutes and five men in stylish black suits pull up and jump out of a small car. They are the agents. They take photos, walk around and around the car and then speak to the driver. The driver is clearly unhappy. They hop back in their little car and leave. Finally our translator informs us that the agents will not cover his tire, but suggest he contact the city, since it was a drain in the street that he hit. The driver decides that instead of taking us he will pursue his tire reimbursement with the police. Our translator tells us not to worry, that she has secured as a new driver who will be here shortly. The new driver shows up as promised, finally we are on our way again. But wait, something is wrong, our new driver is driving no more than 20 kilometers per hour on a highway with a speed limit of 100 plus. To make matters worse she is clearly driving in the wrong gear. We question our translator and she tells us that this in not actually the driver but his wife. The driver was not at home and she is driving us to him. We pull over on the side of the highway and after about 10 minutes the driver shows up on foot, hops in, leaves his wife on the side of the road and off we go.

Three and a half hours after we began our journey we arrive in Jiaozuo. Our journey took us over the Yellow River and through the typical Chinese landscape of modern buildings and those that appear to be occupied ruins. Roads filled with a mixture of modern cars, bicycles, and motorized rickshaws. Jiaozuo is an even larger but less modern city than Zhenghou, our home base. Traffic is frenetic and mopeds and bicycles careen past us at a dizzying rate. Henan province is the birthplace of Kung Fu and Jiaozuo is the epicenter. Westerners travel here for training.

Our first stop is the Notary Office, where we complete our paperwork in typical Chinese style. Five corrections later and following the notary's percise gluing of all 20 pages into a booklet we are ready to go. Inventing Kung Fu is cool and all, but how about the stapler? Liam looks relieved when we leave, as the orphanage representative who originally brought him to us is present. She tries to speak with him to no avail. Back in the van and on to his finding spot (where Liam was abandoned) at Southern Gate #1 in the Peoples Park. It is an urban park along what appears to be a dried up river bed. We take photographs and oddly enough there is a statue nearby of a western looking family. Mother, Father and child happily holding hands! Our last stop is the Social Welfare Institute, where Liam lived before joining us. The government denied our request for access, so we stand out front and take photos. It is enormous and Liam is none the worse for wear as he had probably never been outside, so it is unfamiliar to him. The SWI consists of an orphanage, old folks home and hospital.

Our ride home is uneventful but not for the faint of heart. Driving at night in China makes driving during the day appear relaxing. About 30 percent of the vehicles don't turn on their lights and those same mopeds, motorized rickshaws and bicycles I mentioned earlier, soldier on at greater peril in the darkness. Throw in pedestrians on highways and you've got a video game not a drive home!

Tomorrow we have our first free day and we can't wait.

Liam is with Mom and Dad

Daring to Begin


Our day began like most of others here in China, with a leisurely breakfast with our group. The only difference was that today, Monday, is Gotcha Day. I think everyone was nervous but excited. After a short bus ride to the government registration office, we were told that some of our children might be late due to yesterdays bad weather. When we arrived, there were only two babies in the play area, so two families would need to wait a bit longer for their kids. Of course that included us! We busied ourselves with photographing the families who were uniting with their children and anxiously waited for another 10 minutes before Liam and the last baby showed up. Liam was scared and hide his head in the orphanage workers shoulder and cried when he was handed over to us. It was only after we bribed him with some crackers did he stop. A Dora the Explorer car even elicited some smiles.

About 30 minutes later we piled back into the bus, babies in hand and headed back to the hotel. By this time, tears by both parents and children had ceased and everyone was able to take a deep breathe for the moment. On the way we were told that we would have to allow three babies to be taken to another government office for some formality that wasn't done on their way into town this morning. Unfortunately Liam was in the group so we handed him over again and waited with the other parents anxiously in the lobby for their return. As promised they showed up 15 minutes later none the worse for wear even though we were all terribly worried about it.

W spent the rest of the day slowly getting to know him. He started to warm up to us and smile more freely and seemed to enjoy playing games with us. He seems to be a gentle little boy with a good appetite and is very good at imitating. He also loves to dance and has a great head bob. We managed lunch, a nap, and even a trip out to dinner with some of our group. After nap he seemed a little shell shocked again, but ate a big dinner and even allowed me to give him a bath, brush his teeth and clip his nails. Then off to bed.

Tomorrow is another big day for us. Today was our "get to know you" period and tomorrow Liam becomes ours and our period to legally relinquish him back to the government ends.