Last Day in China

Well the girls are asleep so I thought I'd pop down to the business center to make a blog entry for our last day in China....

Yesterday we all went to the American Consulate where we got Hannah's visa. Once we get into the US and get the passport stamped, she's officially a US citizen... Yay!!!!!!!!

We took a flight yesterday from Guangzhou. We were supposed to leave at 7:20pm but wound up leaving closer to 10pm. We sat on the runway and waited for the weather to clear up in Beijing. Hannah was a trooper... though most of the children in our group fell asleep, Hannah just kept playing. She was laughing and smiling the entire time. Once we took off she fell asleep on her mom. We got to bed in Beijing around 3am.

We decided to let Hannah sleep through the morning. We went with the other half of our group here on the Hutong Tour. The Hutong's are the areas in Beijing where many of the people here live. These homes were built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was very interesting and the best part was the rickshaw (pedicab) ride through the alleyways.

It's our last night in China and we get on a plane for home tomorrow. What an adventure this has been. What we have seen of this country has truly been incredible. The people, the landscape, the sights and sounds are something we will never forget! Maybe when Hannah is older we'll come back here. (Though Donna wants to come back for another child already!!!) :)
This truly has been an amazing journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last day in Guangzhou

Yesterday we went to another Buddhist Temple which was not in use anymore. The temple was used more as a museum. There were many rooms with lots of sculptures and art on display. There was one display in particular of embroidery which was incredible. The embroidered pieces looked like photographs.

In the evening we went with a few folks in our group to dinner. Then we strolled along the waterfront. When we got back to the hotel, we gave Hannah a bath and she didn't seem to mind too much... she's really getting used to things but it will be much better when we're home. She had her bottle after her bath and went down in her crib. For about 15 minutes all we heard were sounds of her laughing and making baby sounds. Donna and I just sat there across the room and smiled.

Buddhist Temple, Pearl River Cruise & The Red Couch

Yesterday we went to a Buddhist Temple. The smell of incense was everywhere. Lots of folks were standing in front of the various Buddha's to pray and offer fruits. We went to a particular room in front of a Buddha and one of the monks blessed all the children.

In the evening we all went on a river cruise. The Pearl River runs through Guangzhou and we had a buffet dinner on the boat. Hannah had fun on her first boat trip. She really wants to walk so she was very squirmy. She was able to stand at the back of the boat and hold on to the rail. She likes trying to walk between Donna and I. In the evening the banks of the river light up like Times Square (ok.. a smaller version) with neon everywhere.

Today we had the red couch picture where all the children in our group get photographed on the red couch in the White Swan... it's kindof a tradition to do this. Hannah was extremely tired and fell asleep briefly in her stroller on the way down to the picture so when we got there she wasn't too happy to sit and smile with the other children. She really wanted her nap and unfortunately between the picture, bus ride, lunch etc.. she didn't actually fall asleep until after lunch... but she got her second wind on the bus to lunch and was her happy self again.

Tomorrow we go to the consulate then pack and we leave for Beijing tomorrow night. We all can't wait to get home!!!! It will be nice to settle into a more stable routine... :) (and have different types of restaurants) :) :)

The streets of Guangzhou

I got up early and took our laundry to Jennifer's place, which is a store outside the hotel. All the stores seem to be named Sharon's place, Wendy's place, Susan's place, etc... While at Jennifer's I also got a stroller for about $12. After breakfast, our group met at 10am in the lobby of the hotel. We walked across the street and had the children take pictures for their Visa. Then we walked to the doctor's office. We had to go to three stations in the doctor's office. One for a general checkup, one for weight and measurements, and one for ears, nose, throat and eyes. Hannah was a trooper, she fussed at the toungue depressor and getting weighed but other than that she was great. She got a good report too. She weighs 17.6 pounds.

After the doctor's we did some shopping. Clothes are very inexpensive. We picked up some nice chinese style silk outfits for about $6. We also got some shoes for around $5. Then we went to a place called Lucy's for lunch. Then we picked up our laundry and went back to the hotel. We had a pizza party for dinner. Now I know what winning a reward challenge on Survivor must feel like. After all chinese food all the time to have pizza was great!! :)

After dinner we went down to the pool. Hannah fussed a bit initially then sat there and put her hands in the water. We're trying to get her used to this so maybe she'll enjoy the water more.

The shops here are great and we'll have fun walking around the hotel area.

In Guangzhou!!!

Yesterday was a whirlwind day... We had a meeting early in the day to fill out all the paperwork we will need to finalize the adoption in Guangzhou. We have our appointment at the American Consulate on June 6th. Once all the forms were filled out, our guide Helen took the paperwork to the government office and met us later in the day with Hannah's passport!!!

We checked out of the hotel at 4pm and left for the airport around 4:30. The airport in Chongqing is quite modern and very nice. We waited to board the plane. It was a bit late taking off so we just played in the waiting area. Once we took off Hannah fell asleep in my arms. It was at that moment, looking at her adorable face and rubbing her back, that Donna and I completely lost it. It was an emotional feeling when we left Chongqing. I realized that she was leaving her birthplace with her mommy and daddy and she would be home soon. I told her that I didn't know if she ever dreamed of being a princess but she was one now.

We landed and got to the White Swan Hotel at around 11pm. We put her in her crib but she just laid ther and maid baby sounds... it was so cute... We looked over at the crib and she had pulled herself up and was standing and holding onto the rail and smiling. Donna and I just started laughing because she was so cute. Eventually we all fell asleep from our long day.

Visit to Chongqing Children's Home

Today was a very special day.

Hannah is doing great!!!!! She played at the dinner table with her stacking cups and linking rings. What smiles she had!!

Today we went to the Children's Home where Hannah spent her first 14 1/2 months. It was extremely emotional for everyone. We got to see where the children slept and played. We also got to ask the caretakers questions that we had. The children's home is very clean and the people take very good care of the children!!!

Hannah's caretaker also presented Donna with the blanket that was in Hannah's crib. This was unexpected and very special....

On the way back... we stopped at the location where Hannah was found... it was extremely touching for both Donna and I.

Children's Day

It's Children's Day in China, and that means that children get a day off from school and the parents sometimes get a day off from work too. Lots of children's activities are happening in the streets.

Today we went to the Chongqing People's Hall. A beautiful building used for public forums, shows etc... Outside of this is a big plaza and today there were lots of families there. Everywhere we go people stop around us and look at all the adopted children. Everyone has smiles on their faces. Donna brought some stickers to hand out to children that we saw and she had a blast doing that. Lots of kids were huddled around getting stickers and putting them on their foreheads.

Hannah enjoyed the bus ride and walking around in the carrier Iwore. She's taking her nap so I came to the business center to upload some photos and put in this entry.

We also stopped to see where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. It was really something to see. The Yangtze is very brown from all the mud from where it flows from.

More tomorrow!!