Bringing Catherine Home 2009

Home at Last

2009-12-05T22:09:00.000+08:00

Paging Mr. Chu

2009-12-05T21:41:00.001+08:00

We had to wake up EARLY in order to eat breakfast before going to the airport. I am not sure if I have mentioned it before but C just HATES to wake up... I mean HATES. She was still carrying a grudge at breakfast and decided to punish us by not eating anything. This did not give us good feelings for how the day was going to go.

We got checked into the flight okay and then we had some time to kill so we hit the playground in the terminal. Catherine had a wild time and we had to pull her away crying to board the plane... again, not a good sign.

Much to our surprise (since it was only 10:00am when we left Hong Kong) Catherine slept the ENTIRE flight to Tokyo (a little over 4 hours). She never made a peep. We only had about an hour layover in Tokyo (so strange to be back in the old land after 8 years... I even broke out with my Japanese to the store clerk at the airport! Still got it baby!) so it went by really fast. We did have one strange incident though... as I was shopping and Jay was waiting for the call to board he hears this announcement: "Mr. Chu. Mr. Lian Chu. Please come to the counter." He thought to himself, "No, it couldn't be." But, then he heard it again. So, he cautiously went up to the counter and told the man that he had just been paged. The conversation went like this...

Gate Agent: You are Mr. Chu? (with a surprised look on his face)
Jay: No, she is. (whipping the baby backpack around and pointing at Catherine)
(Gate Agent looks stunned...)
Gate Agent: What is his address in America? (Mind you she has a big pink bow in her hair!)
(Jay writes our address on the provided paper)
Gate Agent: Is he going to be staying with you in America?
Jay: Um, yeah (I think that is how it works!)
Gate Agent: Okay, thank you (still looking really quite stunned but apparently satisfied)

We were anticipating a LONG, difficult flight (especially since Catherine had already slept almost 4 hours that morning) but she was a DREAM on the entire flight to Dulles. I mean, a dream! She slept almost the entire way (and when she was not sleeping she was sitting contently in my lap or munching on a snack) and rarely fussed. Because she was so good we both got alot of rest so we did not totally feel like death when we landed (we just partially felt like death!

We landed at Dulles and got a good look at the 5 inches of snow that had fallen that morning... FIVE. The pilots came on the loudspeaker to assure us that we had arrived in Virginia and not Buffalo :) Catherine's first view of her new homeland was that of a white wintery wonderland... she looked confused yet fascinated!

We waited FOREVER for a tram to the terminal, flew through customs and immigration (where Catherine officially became an American citizen!!!!!!), waited an eternity for our bags, and went through the doors where our family was waiting to welcome us home...

Goodbye Guangzhou / Hello Hong Kong

2009-12-04T22:05:00.000+08:00

The morning was spent packing (still can't believe that we got all that in there!), eating, more shopping, obviously more packing, and finally more eating. It was good. We took our final trip to the Guangzhou Starbucks... the best spot on the island.

For some reason the construction noise died down during our break time and we peacefully sat there and watched life walk by... FINALLY! Catherine finished her fancy lemon cake and decided that she wanted to continue walking. Problem was that Mommy and Daddy were still working on their coffees. This is the truly pathetic situation that unfolded...

Hell hath no fury like a 2 year old scorned!

We accompanied our guide to the consulate for our visa so that we could head directly over to the train station to catch an earlier train to Hong Kong (which we caught... yeah). We had to go through immigration at the train station because Hong Kong is considered a separate country (separate from China) as far as travel is concerned. Now, the consulate has a new policy that they staple the child's Chinese passport to the immigration packet when they give it back to family (they made a huge big deal at the consulate that you cannot separate the passport and the packet). I mean, can you imagine someone entering the US with their US passport stapled to something? They would get an earful from the Customs and Border Patrol officer when they enter, right? Well, that is just what happened to Jay when he handed the guy Catherine's passport that was stapled to the brown envelope. He totally went off on him about disrespecting the Chinese passport right before he angrily ripped it off the packet. Hey there, thanks a bunch US Consulate! REALLY appreciated that one!

The train to from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was easy and relatively fast. We did have one MAJOR problem though. No, not Catherine... she slept nearly the whole trip. It was ME! You see, when you get on the train they hand you a bottle of water. You think, "Hey, thanks! I am SO thirsty!" and you drink it all down. Then, about an hour later, right when you need to pee, they make an announcement over the loud speaker telling you that the bathrooms on the train are now closed until the train reaches Hong Kong. Then you think, "Wait a minute, we won't get to Hong Kong for another hour!" Then you cry. Then you wait. Then the 2 year old on your lap adjusts her sleeping position. Then you cry some more. I have NEVER had to go to the bathroom that bad in my ENTIRE life. I almost died... seriously! Jay could see the anguish in my face so he kept telling me that we were almost there. We were most certainly NOT almost there. In my mind I starting coming up with alternative options of relieving myself... I was desperate and in pain. Mercifully we pulled into the station in Hong Kong. I gathered myself together, unloaded the bags with Jay onto the platform, hauled them up the escalator, and ran like an Olympic sprinter into the little girl's room. And, yes, I do believe I am scarred for life.

We are happy checked in to the beautiful Marriott at the Hong Kong airport and we are enjoying our complimentary cocktails in the executive lounge (no problem... there is a very nice bathroom right here in the lounge!). Tomorrow we make the long journey home.

Especially For Your Cursing Convenience

2009-12-03T21:35:00.008+08:00

Before I start this evening I thought I would show you a little bit
of what is normally going on in my room as I post each night. Kinda pathetic huh????

For our last full day in Guangzhou our guide took us to the silk market and then on to the electronics market. I will have to say that I was not very impressed with the silk market. I was hoping to see some things made out of silk but instead all I saw was...um...silk. As my sewing machine broke about 6 years ago there was really nothing I needed a bunch of silk for. Pretty though :)

The electronics area was not very exciting to me either but Jay was like a kid in a candy store! He could walk around there and look at all of the cameras, ipods, phones, GPS units, mini tv's, and video game consoles all day long. Since I was still trying to make him feel better about yesterday's pedicure incident I played along :) The family we are with bought tons of stuff but we only came home with a little laser beam thingy. I think Catherine likes it (check out the VIDEO).

After the markets we had a little bit of time so we grabbed a cup of coffee at the hotel. Catherine was being super cute but, as always, as soon as she saw me break out the camera she refused to show her face. I have never seen a child who hates having their picture taken so much. It is not so much that she is shy... she just hates looking at the camera. This is the view that I got when I called her name to look up for the picture (can she crawl further into the safety of Daddy's lap?????)...

We finished our coffee, changed our clothes, and headed to the US Consulate for our Swearing Ceremony. I personally believe that during this process there are much better times for ceremonial swearing but they make us save it all up for this moment :) Actually, it is when we got to the Consulate and swear that everything we wrote on Catherine's immigration forms is the truth. We have actually had to do this with all 4 our kids since none of them were born in the US (even though Jack and Annie were US citizens). I am NOT HAPPY with the consulate and the way that they have handled our case but I managed to maintain my cool and go with the flow (Jay was relieved!). It took much longer than necessary because each family was called up individually to sign their own immigration form. But, the families were called up by a Chinese employee of the consulate announcing the child's Chinese name over a loud speaker that reminded me of the one at a bad drive through window. None of us could understand so either no one went up to the window or like 4 families went because they each thought their name was called. It was chaos. Luckily Catherine's Chinese name is easily recognizable and we only had to fight off one family who mistakenly got to our window first :)

On the way into the Consulate (best shot we could get of her... NOT of me!)

Leaving the Consulate as a US visa holder (well, as soon as we can pick up her visa tomorrow...)

Sporting her very special red, white, and blue dress made especially for her by Sallee

We ate our last dinner in Guangzhou at the only place we ever eat dinner in Guangzhou (hey, your favorite is your favorite for a reason!). We went all out with a whole steamed sea bass with spicy red chilis, fantastic Malaysian curry, chicken satay, grilled eggplant covered in garlic, and some Singapore-style fried rice with seafood (C's fave). YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY! The worst part of leaving China is that I grieve for all this fantastic food (and for the people who prepare and clean it up for me... wink!). It is going to be a rude awakening on Monday morning when all 4 kids expect ME to prepare breakfast... oh, perish the thought!

Tomorrow we get Catherine's visa and then we train it to Hong Kong for the night before our flight on Saturday morning. We will be back home at about 3pm on Saturday afternoon... getting closer :)

A Free Day...

2009-12-02T23:05:00.000+08:00

Today was our highly anticipated appointment at the US Consulate here in Guangzhou. It might surprise those of you who are not China adoption savvy that though this is the most important date of our trip because it is the one that determines when you travel (your China travel dates and Gotcha date are all determined by counting backwards from your consulate appointment date), we (the adoptive family) do not even attend. Strange, huh?

While our guide was at the consulate doing the paperwork on our behalf we had the day OFF! Miss C slept in until 9:00 (guess we can no longer use her as our breakfast alarm clock!) and we went downstairs to have an extended breakfast (Catherine's favorite meal of the day by far).

We really wanted to head back to the area of the pearl market to do a little more gift shopping so after we ate we set out on foot. It takes about 25-30 minutes to walk there and the route takes you through some pretty awesome streets that show you some "real" life here in Guangzhou. We just love walking through this kind of stuff and getting a glimpse into the daily lives of our hosts.

We got to the area of the pearl market which is a huge shopping street (that surprisingly reminds us of Glasgow in Scotland!) and we had a look around the place while the locals got a good look around us :)

I will admidt that Chicken Guy did NOT remind us of Scotland :)

They have incredible deals here and it would have been a great time to do some Christmas shopping if I had been feeling "shoppy". I know... bad timing! We did the shopping that we came for (and, of course, just a few things that we had not come for... wink!) and after a few hours we headed back.

On the way back we stopped at a local foot massage place. It was 15 yuan for 45 minutes (this is about $2.20) and I think we just might have been the only foreigners who have ever used their services. The place was packed and they all thought it was hilarious that we were there (especially with our Chinese baby). No one spoke a word of English but we managed to get by. That is until we came to the realization after they started that the 45 minutes included a back massage, a foot massage, and a pedicure. Jay nearly freaked out... change that... Jay freaked out! They kept making fun of the sad state of Jay's toenails while my guy kept pushing in the skin on my lower leg so he could show everyone how much water I have been retaining. Hey... come on! We are pretty sure that we are going to die of some awful, painful disease from the tools they used to scrape off our calluses. But, if we die, we will at least die with beautifully soft feet :) The massage was good (albeit a bit painful at times) and it was definitely a memorable experience and well worth the $5 we spent!

(this is Jay after his massage... I still cannot believe I got him to do it)

By the time we got back to the island we had totally blown Catherine's nap time (we paid for that later!) so we took her to the playground. I think she could have done the slide over and over all day but she was getting way overstimulated so we had to get her out of there (and thus our payment began!).

We ate outside at our favorite restaurant under a full moon... beautiful.

(more pictures at www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

Pictures=Bad But Park=Fun!

2009-12-01T15:17:00.006+08:00

I am posting a little bit early today because we have the afternoon free and we thought that Miss C deserved a proper nap after a few days of go, go, go. She is currently crashed out in the murder outline position and snoring :) So ladylike!

We had to rush through breakfast this morning because we wanted to get at least 1 red couch photo with the Nanjing girls before we left for today's siteseeing adventure. Catherine HATES being the center of attention (a good thing for a 4th child) so posing with a bunch of people with cameras calling her name was not her idea of fun. We made her sit for a few photos and then we got her out of there. It really stressed her out and it took a while to calm her down. But, once we did she was good to go for our next adventure.

(Mama and Papa-razzi!)

Our outing for today was to Liuhuahu Park. It has a big lake and is a little oasis in the city. It is also where the elderly hang out and do whatever it is that they do... be it ballroom dancing, open-mic opera singing (BAD opera singing!), working out on exercise machines, badminton, ping-pong, or playing with grandkids. It was funny to walk through all the activity... we kept joking to our guide that he will have to hang out here in a few years :)

Catherine's most favorite part of the park was the playground. She used to go to the playground nearly every day with her ayi so she totally knew what to do... she literally pulled us from activity to activity. She likes the slides alot but her true love is the swings. I think she could have sat there all day. We had her try climbing up different pieces of equipment to test her climbing abilities. She handled them all with no problem whatsover... amazing for a child who has only been walking on her own since September. There is a little amusement park for kids attached to the park and she rode the merry-go-round. She did not cry but there was a panicked look on her face and she had a death grip on the horse the whole time :) I rescued her from the horse at the end so she just transferred the death grip onto me!

We ended our outing with a trip to Starbucks (aka Catherine's new hangout... such a posh little girl!) and a walkaround/shoparound here on the island. The weather was nice and sunny today and there was not nearly as much construction noise as there as been during the past few days. It was actually quite pleasant. Catherine was walking around in her squeaky shoes and laughing while Jay chased her. And, I think she might have been turned upside down by Daddy once or twice! She has been so wonderful today and it has been a joy to see her play and have fun. She has changed so much in just a week and Jay and I both noticed that she was acting like such a big girl today... sniff, sniff!

(more pictures on our photo album)

Um, Jay... I'm gonna need your wallet..

2009-11-30T21:20:00.010+08:00

Today started off with a big sleep-in and an even bigger breakfast. It was just what we needed :) Lots of playing, book reading, tickling, and overall goofing around! We had a walk around the island and did the purchasing of necessities (you know... necessities like silk outfits for the red couch photos!).

Our guide picked us up at 1:30 and we headed out to the medical clinic to get Catherine's TB test read. It was .1mm too big (ugh!) so she had to get 2 x-rays done. The doctor declared her to be TB free before he even read the films (just looked at the digital image on the computer while he was taking the pictures) and we were outta there quickly. From what I heard almost all of the kids who were there for their exams on Saturday were positive and needed x-rays. All of them were given the all-clear to come to get their visas to come home. No pictures from this... Catherine clearly remembered the scene of the crime from Saturday and freaked out... I think rightfully so!

After the clinic we visited the Six Banyan Temple. It is a working temple (so there are many monks around) and it has a very tall and beautiful pagoda. This is something we did with Ben and it was really the only thing in Guangzhou that we really wanted to do this time around. We did not spend alot of time looking around (even though it is beautiful we had been there before 2 years ago) so we went straight to the monks for a blessing. There, underneath the Buddha statues representing the past, present, and future, Catherine was giving a blessing of good wishes by a Buddhist monk. Jay and I both feel like it is a proper and important send-off from one culture to another... Catherine's way (though she obviously does not understand it right now) of saying goodbye to China.

After we left the Banyan Temple we headed over to a shopping street with a special mall just for jewelry. When I say mall, I mean mall... it is just hundreds of stores selling the same things. Think of your local mall with 100 Gap stores and nothing else :) We had a pearl necklace made for Catherine from pearls harvested from her province. We picked out the string that we wanted and then watched them hand tie the pearls into place... cool! The clasp of the necklace is the Chinese symbol for longevity and happiness. We wanted her to have an heirloom piece that she could hand down to her daughter someday. We are so excited to give it to her... when she is older :)

These are the Jiangsu freshwater pearls we were choosing from

She is stringing the pearls that we chose

She is hand knotting the pearls into place... she doesn't even look down because her hands know what to do

After we shopped we grabbed some ice cream for Catherine. As far as we know this was her first time to try it. She tried a bite and had a huge look of pain on her face. I thought at first that she was going to cry (like Ben did) but instead she grabbed my wrist to shove the spoon back into her mouth... it was so cute! She downed the whole cup and then whined when it was all gone :) That's my girl!

We were able to come back to the hotel for about an hour before we headed out to our dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It was actually pretty nice (though Gluten Free Girl could only eat the squid dish which I normally like but it was a little much for a whole dinner!) and exceeded my expectations. I do not have such a high opinion of the beauty of Guangzhou (in case you have not noticed... wink!) but I will say that from the perspective of the boat at night the city really is quite beautiful. They light up all the buildings along the river and it is a spectacular scene. I was not really looking forward to the cruise but I am so glad that I went.

Catherine just loved it... can you tell????

Catherine had another excellent day. She is highly opinionated (especially when it comes to food or walking... she either wants it or she DOESN'T!) and not afraid to share her views but she is also so sweet and loveable... you just want to eat her up. She reveals more and more to us everyday and while there are definite delays, she is also very smart and tries to figure things out by herself. She still hates being indoors (especially in the elevator which we have nicknamed "The Tiny Room") and having her picture taken (she is so stubborn she will NOT turn her head around if she sees a camera... we have had to get really good at snapping the pic right when she looks up to see what is going on). She loves to play and she will go up to Jay and try to egg him on in the hopes that she will be picked up and tickled. She is still eating like a horse (I cannot keep up... she is an animal!). Before we came to China we were afraid that we would have to cut back our touring schedule because of her delays and dislike of crowds. Much to our delight and surprise she LOVES to tour around, see new things, and experience new people. She just soaks it all in. She is so adaptable and easy going that she just goes with the flow. We have thoroughly enjoyed touring China with her (if only we could get her to turn around for the pictures!).

(more photos on www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

Happy in Guangzhou (say what??????)

2009-11-29T21:02:00.006+08:00

Okay... I had a good day. Well, actually, I had a great day. It did involve a little escape to about 60 miles south of here but it definitely pleased me. We met the other family from our agency and our guide after breakfast and we headed off to Lotus Mountain. I will have to give all the credit to the other family as it was totally their idea to go. I had never even heard of it before and I don't think many other Americans know it is there either (we were the only foreigners there). It was EXACTLY what I needed :)

Lotus Mountain has 2 main attractions. The first is an ancient rock quarry from which the King (who was actually the general that the emperor ordered to rule this part of the country) ordered rocks cut and sent downriver to Guangzhou to built his tomb. It was so interesting because you could see exactly where the rocks had been cut by hand centuries ago. There were sheer cliffs that just dropped down where the mountain used to stand. We walked around the very high part along the top (while I tried not to wet myself- Jay still can't believe I went up there!) and then we walked along the bottom where the rainwater has gathered over time to form beautiful ponds. It was very relaxing (except for the climb back up!) and beautiful.

The second big attraction on Lotus Mountain is the giant, golden female Buddha. It was really SO cool. Like I said before, we were the only foreigners around. The rest of the people were there to worship and it was so interesting to watch them pray, young and old. The air was full of incense and there was loud but peaceful music playing (think yoga class) which created a magical atmosphere. The whole area where the Buddha stands is huge and it sits on top of giant stairs to the bottom of the mountain. Off to the side is a giant building which houses another fairly large Buddha statue (a very early example in a form I would usually identify as Indian rather than of the Far East). It was a serene, surreal, beautiful experience and I am SOOOOO glad we did it!

Catherine had a nap in the van on the way back (I love it when she gets all snuggly on me!) so before dinner we decided to check out the playroom here at the hotel. She was a little shy and nervous about it at first but then she got into the groove of things. It was funny to see her next to the toys because you can really see how hugely tall she is. She was playing with age appropriate toys but she had to stoop down to play. Nobody believes us when we say she is only 2! She was having fun pushing the buttons on the little tables but nothing compared to having Daddy pull us up over the big red ball. She was all giggles!

Catherine was still testing us but she has been listening and responding to our "no's" alot better than yesterday. We are able to read her so much better than we could a few days ago so that is easing alot of her communication frustration and helping her relax. She was really very playful today and she was very smiley. She loves to explore things with her eyes and hands and she had a great time looking around and touching things on Lotus Mountain. She had a very contented look on her face the whole time... she was just soaking it all in. I cannot wait until she starts talking so we can hear about all the things going on in that pretty head of hers.

We will be headed back to the medical clinic tomorrow for chest x-rays (just a formality since her TB test came back positive... we know that it is a false positive since she just had a negative TB test in Shanghai a few weeks ago) and then we are off to sitesee, shop, and a dinner cruise tomorrow. I better rest up.

(more pictures on our photo album)

Today Totally Sucked and I Am Cranky :(

2009-11-28T22:01:00.006+08:00

I hate Guangzhou. There, I said it... I just cannot stand it here. I get on the plane in province kicking and screaming. There is nothing China about this place... it is all so fake. The only thing I really enjoy about is is the lovely architecture and the peacefulness. Well, ALL of the buildings are covered in scaffolding and green netting and the place is full of construction noise and they are trying to spruce the place up for the Asian Games next year. No beauty or peacefulness for me. Furthermore, the White Swan is a total zoo and there are like a zillion people here because they are hosting some kind of car show. There are booths and crowded hallways everywhere and you cannot get an elevator to save your life. I heard that the show is over tomorrow... I hope so! I told you I was cranky...

This morning was the dreaded medical exam. We were late getting over there so we were really far back in line (this ended up being a nearly 3 hour mistake!). It was hot, stinky, and miserable. Catherine totally freaked out during her examination... not pleasant. I thought she was all caught up on her vaccinations but I was informed that she needed 4... I went through the roof. Because of some stupid US law (that they are going to fix but not in time for us) the adopted children must be fully vaccinated before their visa's are issued... FULLY. They even have to get a flu shot. No one else in America has mandatory vaccinations... just adopted children. I am NOT okay with this policy... it is heartbreaking that our rights as parents have been stripped by our own government. This is not China's policy, this is ours. Catherine got off easy because she only had 4 shots. The 2 year old we are here with had 7. Yes... SEVEN vaccinations in one day for a 2 year old or she cannot go home to America, unreal! Again, I am cranky! Catherine did pretty well during her shots (I don't know who cried harder... baby or mommy????). She also had a mandatory TB test. This is currently red and huge... GREAT! We know that she does not have TB because she just had a negative test about a month ago. This is false positive but it doesn't matter... we will be headed to get mandatory x-rays in the next few days. Yeah!

The line in front of us at the clinic

Not happy about this at all

Mommy and baby cry together... so sad

She recovered quickly... Mommy still working on it

To make matters even FUNNER, Catherine has started to test our authority big time. On one hand it is great that she is so comfortable with us. On the other hand... UGH! She was one naughty little rascal this afternoon and she knew it too! She was really testing her boundaries and our resolve to stop her from doing things she shouldn't be doing. We had to stand our ground and not let her win which of course enraged her more. I have not encountered enraged 2 year old girl in a couple of years but it is all coming back to me now :) By the end of a long day of fighting (and after a long snuggle nap- that was the bright spot of my day!) she finally started responding to our no's. Is the war over... FAR FROM IT! Did we win a small battle... YOU BETCHA!

I HAD to post this... kinda sums up our day!

I could not end today's depressing post without mentioning that after her nap Catherine was pure joy. We had the best dinner that we have had with her (ate like a champion!) and then she put some serious miles on her pink sparkly tennies. She was all over the place and exploring everything. For the first time ever she actually fought us when we tried to pick her up... she wanted walk by herself. There was music playing outside by the river and she was dancing up a storm (forgot the video camera... will bring it next time). She met some other kids and followed them around for a while. She had an absolute ball and it was so funny watching her be a "big kid"! It was a perfect end to an otherwise awful day. I don't have any pictures though... we were too busy playing to stop and snap!

(more pictures on our photo album)

Last Day in Nanjing

2009-11-27T23:25:00.000+08:00

Today we had to say goodbye to Nanjing. We have really grown to love this city and it was very hard to say goodbye. It was a cold, rainy, foggy day but we could not stay inside (little Missy cannot take being inside for long... she will grab your hand and pull you towards the door with a heartbreaking, pitiful look that you just cannot say no to!) so we ventured out anyway. We were on our way to the old gate of the city when we were distracted by an old neighborhood that was just so cool. It reminded me of the Nanjing equivalent to a Beijing Hutong (if you have been to Beijing you will know what I am talking about) and as this was off the beaten path and definitely away from tourists we were looked at like we had grown second heads! The wind was blowing rain into our faces and Catherine was making all of these strange sounds. We thought at first that she was upset about it so we were trying to cover her up. Suddenly a huge burst of wind blew into her face and she laughed and laughed :) She LOVED it! It was hilarious!

We headed back to the hotel, packed up all of our many pounds of STUFF, and our guide picked us up at 2:00. Our flight was not until 7:00 so we did a little touring at the Nanjing Brocade Institute. If you are going to Nanjing I HIGHLY recommend going to see this. It is like the university of weaving in the ancient way and it is absolutely incredible. The training that you have to go through to do this is unreal and the way they do it is like a dance... synchronized and choreographed. It takes 2 people to work each loom (they are HUGE) with one person holding the big long lines at the top and one person doing the individual knots at the bottom. They do not talk to eachother at all... they both know exactly what they need to do and they work in perfect harmony. If they are really good the can do 5cm in a day... yes FIVE! It can take 10-13 years to make one garment... CRAZY! We really enjoyed watching this, especially since it is the only place in the world where you can see this kind of intricate weaving (it is a World Heritage Site).

The weaver making his knots from memory (he actually does this on the back of the fabric)

The underside as he is weaving(which is actually the top of the fabric)

A whole room of working looms (you can kind of make out the 2nd weaver on top of the loom)

The ride to the airport was long (why so far out of the city???) but the airport is "nice" by Chinese standards and our flight was uneventful (none of this like last time thank goodness!). Catherine got really excited on takeoff and she watched out the window saying, "Oh!". I was afraid her ears might bother her but she did okay. She held it together pretty well for most of the flight (2 year old on cramped plane is HARD!) and just like ALL of our children have she fell asleep about 5 minutes before landing :(

Catherine's first flight

This is what traveling can do to a 2 year old...

We are all settled in at the White Swan now and we are looking forward to a good night's sleep.

(you can see more pictures from today at www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T23:43:00.000+08:00

(I will post today's activities below)

My Feet Hurt!

2009-11-26T23:08:00.000+08:00

Today was a very busy touring day. Our guide had to pick up our official documents so we had the morning free. We decided to follow the canal towards the old wall of the city. It was a beautiful walk through some neighborhoods where people were going about their daily life. We got more than a few stares (white guy + Chinese girl in a backpack = traffic accidents from rubber necking). The canal area was very peaceful and the wall was really cool. Each and every brick is engraved with the name of the maker... a requirement by the emperor who ordered the wall built so that he knew who to blame if the construction was not up to par.

Our guide picked us up at 2:00 and we headed to Sun Yet-sen's Mausoleum which is on the purple mountain... a beautiful oasis in the city. There are 392 steps up to the actual memorial where he is buried. It was a foggy day so it gave the illusion of actually ascending into the clouds. Breathtaking!

The Purple Mountain is also home to tomb of the Ming Emperor who ruled China from Nanjing (about 600 years ago). He is actually the builder of the first Forbidden City and his city was twice as big as the one in Beijing (which his son built). Unfortunately, most of the city is gone now. The Emperor actually had his own tomb and memorial built and he made it very nice for himself :) The path up to the tomb is lined with giant carved stone animals and soldiers. The path is shaped like a curve (unlike "normal" historic buildings which all have very straight lines) because they discovered another more ancient tomb of an emperor from another family while they were building it. The Ming Emperor "allowed" this other emperor to remain and be a guard for his tomb... how generous! This again was so beautiful and peaceful... a must see!

Our final stop was Thanksgiving dinner! I have been dreaming about roast duck since the last time I was in China so that is what we had to celebrate... I would take that over turkey anyway. Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Could have used some pumpkin pie though :)

We walked about 90 miles today and we are exhausted. But, we really enjoyed what we saw and we have come to love Nanjing. It is with heavy hearts that we leave tomorrow. Catherine had a little bit of an off day. She has not had alot of movement (if you know what I mean... wink!) and I think she is not feeling great. She got through it like a trooper though and we are enjoying watching her get stronger and more comfortable with us everyday. She is just such a joy.

Never in a Million Years...

2009-11-25T23:21:00.000+08:00

... did I think we were going to have a day like today!

We left our hotel at 6:30am for the 4 hour trip to the orphanage. We left Nanjing via the Yangtze River Bridge which is very famous as the first bridge of its kind completely designed and constructed by the Chinese people. Little Miss Thing was tired and hungry but she quickly snuggled down on me and dozed off for pretty much the whole ride. She has learned that Daddy=fun+snacks while Mommy=comfort+meals. She definitely picks her parent by the need at the time! The drive to Xuzhou was very scenic and we saw lots of farmed ducks and freshwater pearl farmers. I was having a hard time deciding which one I was going to jump in and steal (hunger or beauty... hmmm)!

When we got to the orphanage we had a HUGE lunch (I will never understand why they make food for 90 if only 5 are eating but boy am I glad they did!) and then we were off to see the kids. The orphanage director (Ms. Tang) gave us a wonderful tour. We were able to play with the babies (SO CUTE!) and see Catherine's crib. We were there for almost 2 hours past our departure time (oops!).

Now, it gets good... Our next stop in Xuzhou was where Catherine was found. We were suprised when Ms. Tang and a few other people at the orphanage decided to join us on a trip to Catherine's finding spot but we just went with it. The next thing we knew we were being taken to a police station where we got to meet the police officer who actually found her! Wait... it gets better... there was all kinds of media there and we were interviewed for tv and the newspaper. They got video of the police officer holding her and of the female officer who took care of her after she was brought to the police station. All of the officers were outside in their dress uniforms to recieve us... it was an EVENT!

Feeling very overwhelmed, we said our goodbyes and headed out to visit the actual spot where she was found. What we didn't know is that the orphanage staff and the police officers (yes... three vans packed with people) were coming too. We were taken to the exact spot by the police officer and he told us (through our guide) exactly what happened that morning. What a gift! I have never heard of this happening to ANYONE. Now we can share that story with Catherine and show her the pictures of the actual people who were there... priceless.

We expected everyone to go about their business after that but they DIDN'T! They actually stayed with us for the rest of the afternoon and they gave us a tour of the historic sites around Xuzhou (like the terra cotta warriers... awesome!). I learned quickly that having a rather substantial police escort can get you in anywhere for free! These were such priceless memories and we cannot wait to tell Catherine how she was the most famous girl in Xuzhou... if only for 1 day!

We are tired... T-I-R-E-D but very happy after our wonderful day. Catherine had another great day and we are so enjoying getting to know her. She has quite a little personality and she loves to be silly and be tickled. We just could not be more blessed!

(more pictures at bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

What a Difference a Day Makes

2009-11-24T20:38:00.004+08:00

***before I start you have to check out the videos of her playing with Jay at www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com (scroll to the bottom and look in the video's section). She and Jay played like this for hours until they were both sweaty and completely exhausted!***

So, as I said in my post this morning we all woke up in much better moods this morning. I am very pleased to report that this continued throughout the day. After we left the Civil Affairs office we went to a store to buy some snacks and juice for her and then we headed to the Nanjing Library (BEAUTIFUL building) and then on to the former presidential palace (where Sun Yat-sen took power). It sits on the ground of the former Imperial Palace (the seat of the Ming Dynasty when the capital was in Nanjing... this was really the first Forbidden City) but the only thing left of the emperor's residence is the gardens. Catherine rode around in her backpack and had a great time seeing the sights. She was very content and humming to herself. She LOVES the outdoors and new things to see so this was perfect for her. She is so funny when she is trying to study something... she purses her lips together, opens her eyes really wide, and scans it with her eyes (up and down, side to side). There was ALOT of that going on in the gardens (especially with the fish in the pond)!

After touring we grabbed a little Starbucks (I know, I know...) and went back to the room so she could take a nap (i.e. so mommy could blog!). She had a great nap and she woke up in a super mood. This is when all the playing started. She was running around the room chasing Jay. She knew that if she found him that he would tickle her. So, she would start to laugh as she was looking because she knew what was about to happen. I feel bad because her loud giggling woke up the precious little boy who is in the room next door... sorry :)

After a few hours of this (literally) she got bored of being in the room so she wanted to go outside. We were not quite ready to go yet (no shoes on, had to potty, etc.) and this made her so mad. She kept grabbing our hands and pulling us to the door. This escalated into a tantrum on the floor complete with big tears, kicking, and pounding fists. Jay and I stood over her with gigantic smiles on our faces... this was such a NORMAL 2 year old girl temper tantrum!!!!! It had nothing to do with us. It had nothing to do with adoption. It had nothing to do with her delays. It had everything to do with her being 2 and not getting her way. It was priceless :)

She calmed down as soon as we went outside and walked around. We stopped in at a local restaurant and had one of the best meals in China that I have ever had. Catherine was completely opposite from last night... she was engaged, relaxed, and ready to chow on her noodles. Yes, she is a noodle girl and not a rice girl. This is NOT good because she is 2 weeks away from going gluten free and we eat ALOT of rice at our house. We had better keep working on that!

Tomorrow we are off EARLY to her hometown (a 4 hour drive one way) to visit the orphanage and some of the local landmarks. I will try to post when we get back from a very long day. Wish us luck!

Roof of the Nanjing Library (3rd biggest in China)

Presidential Palace Gardens

Finally get to stretch our legs!

And she was out... O-U-T!

Trying to get her to pose... notice what she is staring at (my girl!)

(more photos on our photo album)

It's Final!

2009-11-24T14:42:00.003+08:00

EVERYONE woke up this morning in a much better mood (thank goodness!!!!!). A Good nights sleep helped us put things into perspective and helped her get more comfortable. In fact, Catherine has been GREAT all day. She smiled and reached for me from her crib, she ate a big breakfast, and she has not seemed stressed at all.

Our guide picked us up at 8:00 and drove us to the Civil Affairs Office to sign the paperwork to make the adoption official. Jay is especially fond of our guide because she arranged this time to meet so that we could book it over to the office and beat all of the other families. It worked and we FLEW through the paperwork in about 10 minutes. In fact, we went to the store and out sightseeing and on the way back we drove past the Civil Affairs building and families were still there (it had been HOURS!). Thank you Jin!

We got to the office to do the paperwork and our guide said, "Well, you can give her back to the orphanage now or you can promise to chase her around for the rest of your life!" I guess we chose to chase because we signed on the dotted line (complete with fingerprint) and Catherine's handprint sealed the deal. We handed over wads of cash (Jay is so relieved to not have to carry all of that around anymore!) and it was all over...

she is officially Catherine Lian forever and ever

And, yes, we are already tired of chasing!

First Afternoon/Night Together

2009-11-23T23:57:00.000+08:00

Let's just say that the first night did not go as well as planned. Catherine did end up falling asleep but we had to wake her up for dinner and she did NOT like that one bit. Guess you can't really blame her... I didn't like it either :)

We put her back in the baby backpack and we toured around the town a bit. Our hotel is very near the canal area by the Confucius temple and it is a hot spot to say the least. It is full of shops and restaurants and it is absolutely crawling with people. Catherine L-O-V-E-D being in the backpack and taking it all in. She just sat in there and watched the people and all of the lights while she giggled to herself. It was very cute!

Our problems came when we stopped for dinner... there was still all of the lights and people but now she was out of the backpack. This led her to get WAY overstimulated and things got a little out of control. We simply could not communicate with her and she just kept getting more and more upset... it was like everything was just spilling out all over the table. At other moments of the day she seemed just fine but we can see that her delays/sensory issues are much more apparent when she is stressed, hungry, or tired. She was all 3 of these at the same time and we finally gave up and just got her out of there. It was a very exhausting and emotionally challenging event for all 3 of us.

We took her back to the room, gave her a nice bubble bath, and settled her down. After we got her pajamas on (which she was fascinated by because they has short sleeves!) she saw her milk sippy cup she ran right over, grabbed it, and started sucking it down. I probably should have stopped her because it was old rice milk (from earlier in the day) but it was making her so calm. Jay and I just looked at eachother and laughed... THAT is what she wanted at the restaurant! I had brought her other sippy cup (with juice) because we had heard that the milk was not very important to her (and we do not have access to rice milk here in Nanjing). Obviously, not true! So, we learned then and there that there is going to be a very steep learning curve with her.

She bounced around in her bed until about 10pm and then she fell deep asleep. To say that it has been a LONG day for everyone would be a HUGE understatement. Hopefully tomorrow we can build on her good moments, learn from the bad ones, and work on our communication with her.

It's hard to wake up!

Catherine's Happy Place

Nanjing at Night

"Meeting" her brothers and sisters for the first time via Skype!

(see more photos at www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

Gotcha!!!!!

2009-11-23T14:55:00.006+08:00

I woke up this morning feeling pretty okay. I knew that we would be heading to the Civil Affairs office after breakfast and then I would get a text letting me know that Catherine and the orphanage director had left their hotel to walk over to where we were. I was okay with the plan and I was pretty calm. That is... until I got the text! My stomach was in knots, my pulse was racing, and my hands were shaking!

We were watching through the window and we saw them walking into the parking lot. Ms. Tang was holding her when they came in through the door and after they came over to me I reached out for Catherine and she came right to me... no tears at all. I think Ms. Tang was relieved. She seemed a little stunned at first and just looked around. I don't blame her... with as much as her world has been turned upside down in the last few days I think a few skeptical moments are understandable! All of the other kids being adopted today were very quiet and passive but not our girl... once she got over all of the "newness" she was EVERYWHERE. She wanted to walk everywhere and touch everything. We fed her way to many M&M's (which she loves, of course!) and she was not upset at all... she just busied herself exploring the room.

The only time that she got upset (and I use that as a relative term as it was more stubborn than upset) was when they were trying to take our picture for the adoption paperwork. There was a red background hanging from the wall and she wanted desperately to touch/pull on it. We would not allow her to do that so she would not allow us to take her picture (2 year old girl anyone??????). We were the very first family at the office this morning and we were the very last family to leave... if that gives you any idea as to how long it took to get her to look at the camera!

When we left the office we had to change money at the bank so Jay went inside with our guide and Catherine and I stayed in the van. This is when it got really difficult for her. She was bored and hot and she wanted badly to go outside. She kept grabbing my hand and pressing it against the window. I knew exactly what she wanted and how to make her happy but we were parked in a construction zone and I simply could not do it. Big tears and a quivering lip that just broke your heart!

We got back to the hotel and quickly put her in the baby backpack to go for some fresh air. You should have seen the GIANT smile on her face when Jay lifted her up onto his back... it was spectacular. She loves the bouncing around and she LOVES being up so high that she can see everything that is going on. We walked around for a while, grabbed some Starbucks (hey, the girl has got to know where she is going to be hanging out once she gets home!), and now we are trying to give her a nap because she is completely exhausted. She has a little bit of a different plan though as she is currently bouncing and laughing in her bed (trying to get my attention!).

First observations of Catherine...

She likies food! She would much rather have an M&M or a yogurt bite than a toy.
When she meets a new person or enters a new environment she gets very quiet and scans (up and down, side to side), taking it all in
She hates being indoors... does not bode well for the 4 hour van ride to the orphanage on Wednesday or the hundred hour flight home next week
She is SO TALL! She was not the oldest child in the room but she was definitely the tallest. Her size 7 shoes fit perfectly... yes, I said 7!
First thing she does when you sit her on the bed or couch... shoes and socks OFF!
She does not talk but she makes a moaning/humming noise to communicate. No noise means she is fine. Low noise means she wants something. Higher pitch noise means that something is wrong.

I am going to lay down now so hopefully she will get some rest in the quiet! It was a long but wonderful morning/afternoon :)

(more pictures and video at www.bringingcatherinehome.shutterfly.com)

The Day

2009-11-23T08:15:00.001+08:00

sunrise over Nanjing, China
November 23, 2009

The Dreaded Train

2009-11-22T23:41:00.002+08:00

I had heard alot of "stuff" about the train from Shanghai to Nanjing. Let's just say that "stuff" was not complimentary and I was getting a little nervous. I will admit right now that we had no problems on the train or at the station (except I think that people kept staring at me... wink!) and it does not even make my top 10 worst train experiences (the London tube in the deadly heat of summer is FAR worse!). The only thing that made it even remotely horrible was the very cute 5 year old boy next to us who was given a huge entire bottle of caffeinated tea by his grandfather very early in the trip... I am sure you can imagine! For the record... grandfather was not happy either!

I will say that I am sick and tired of traveling and I was dying the last half hour on the train. I am looking forward to 2 days without a "trip" and trying to gear myself up for the van ride to Xuzhou (Catherine's hometown) on Wednesday.

10 hours until Catherine... YEAH!

(see more photos on the photo album link below)

My Happy Place

2009-11-22T12:53:00.002+08:00

After a good night sleep and a wonderful breakfast (going to miss the 5 star treatment when we get to Nanjing!) we headed out the door to enjoy our last morning in Shanghai. We walked along the square, saw the people doing Tai Chi, and just took it all in. It is amazing to us how many Chinese tourists there are. And, we are surprised by the number of people who are DYING to practice their English. We had people coming up to us all day (friendly but very forward) telling us all about how they just watched Forest Gump or about how they want to visit America. We had a bunch of lively conversations. Just like last time we were here most of the people we met think that Jay is Chinese. It just makes us laugh so hard because there is not a drop of Asian blood in his body! But, they all swear that he is Chinese except for his nose! When we got Ben the people on the street would stop us and tell our guide how lucky we were that Ben looked just like Jay. Jay always said that he would "be" Chinese for the day if we could get the local discount on the adoption :)

After walking around the square for a bit we headed to the Shanghai Museum. If you are passing through here I highly recommend it. There are 3 things that I truly love to collect... asian pottery, asian paintings, and asian furniture. Anyone who has been to my house knows that I have a "problem" with these things! This museum features all of my favorite things and it was amazing. I just walked around with my mouth hanging open uttering, "Oh my goodness... look at that!" Spectacular! I kept asking Jay if we were allowed to purchase something but apparently the museum pieces are not for sale... bummer!

Next stop... the train of doom!!!!!!!

(for more photos please visit our photo album link at the bottom of the page!)

Cherished Memories

2009-11-21T23:18:00.004+08:00

This afternoon we were picked up by a very special friend and after touring around the old part of Shanghai and Yuyuan Gardens (which were FANTASTIC and much more what I like about China rather than the big city/cosmopolitan thing that the rest of Shanghai seems to have) we were taken to where Catherine had her surgery in April. Every bed was full in that wing of the hospital and it was so sad to be around all of those sick babies. The hospital was very crowded and there was alot of hustle and bustle... in other words, mass chaos! We were able to see the room and bed that she stayed in though we could not go into the actual room because it was occupied. We are grateful to have been there and to have learned more about that part of Catherine's journey.

After visiting the hospital we got to meet with many of the people who have been so important to Catherine in the last few months. It was a wonderful yet very emotional experience for me. I woke up this morning feeling very weepy and out of sorts anyway and then to try to find the words to express my gratitude to these amazing people was quite overwhelming. Though it was an important experience that I will never forget and one that I will tell Catherine about often as she gets older, I will admit that I am completely spent and in need of a good night's sleep before continuing on to the next stop on our journey.

Tomorrow we head to Nanjing. Not long now...

For more photos of our day in Shanghai, visit the link to our travel photos at the bottom of this page...

Shanghai Walkabout

2009-11-21T13:02:00.000+08:00

Hey, does anyone know where I can buy a watch in Shanghai? You will be able to tell if you have ever been to Shanghai by whether or not you just laughed out loud at that :)

We had some "free time" this morning so after jay ate an entire octopus for breakfast (no joke... SO sad I did not have my camera with me!) we took a long walk around Shanghai. When we first found out that we were coming here Jay got really excited to see the Bund area of Shanghai (beautiful old area along the river). So, of course, this is where we headed first. As you can see in the pictures below... it did not go well. The entire Bund (we are talking blocks and blocks) is closed and under construction (as is the rest of Shanghai) for the 2010 expo. He was brokenhearted. We finally found a bridge where we could see the river but only after walking for miles and miles and inhaling half of Shanghai.

Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan city and if it were not for the Chinese signage on the buildings you could really be anywhere in Europe or even any big American city. There seems to be alot of tourists here (though there are alot more Chinese tourists here than there are foreigners) and it was a little weird to be in China and not stick out like a sore thumb.

We Have Arrived!

2009-11-20T18:34:00.003+08:00

We are here... FINALLY! After 24 hours of travel we are all checked in to our hotel in Shanghai. And, not just any room... we got upgraded to a junior suite on the 57th floor! Jay is hanging out over by the window right now... I have not quite gotten the courage to go that far yet!

It was a fairly uneventful day. Here are the highlights... We needed to be ready by about 3am so that we could get to the airport in time. So, I figured I would just stay up because going to sleep for a few hours would completely wreck me. We finished packing and doing our odds and ends and headed out in the dark to go to the airport. We went up to the check-in counter and saw this...

Yep... that is me (looking LOVELY at 4am!) pointing at the cancelled sign next to our flight number. We were re-booked on the 8am flight but that was pretty bad news to someone who had not slept yet. We entertained ourselves for the next 4 hours...

and finally got to Chicago with about 20 minutes to spare for our connection. We made it on the plane (and so did our bags!!!!) and slept most of the 14 hours to Shanghai. Needed that!!!!!!

The plane ride was pretty uneventful. I got to enjoy a delicious gluten free meal of succulent chicken breast with wild rice while I made serious fun of at Jay's very unappealing whatever-it-was that he was eating. Then it was time for snack. Jay enjoyed a lovely bowl of delicious Chinese noodles while I was served chilled rice with raisens and onions... yuck! Gluten free girl was no longer laughing :)

We are headed out to grab a bite and then it is off to bed. Tomorrow we tour the hospital where Catherine had her surgery and we get to meet some wonderful people who have been so kind to her over the past few months.

Just over 2 days until we finally have her... excitement is growing by the minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Itinerary

2009-11-17T10:42:00.000+08:00

We just heard from our agency and all of our travel plans have been confirmed. Finally, after wishing, loving, wanting, and missing for what seems like forever, in about 56 hours we will be on a plane to China to bring Catherine home!

11/19: Flight leaves at 6:00am :(
11/20: Arrive in Shanghai in late afternoon
11/21: Tour Shanghai, visit the kids at the Baobei Foundation hospital
11/22: Take the train to Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province
11/23: Gotcha Day! We get to meet Catherine... FINALLY!
11/24: Do the paperwork to make the adoption official
11/25: Take a van to Xuzhou, Catherine's hometown (visit orphanage, finding spot, & terracotta warriors)
11/26: Visit the former President Mansion and Dr. Sun Yet Sun's Mausoleum
11/27: Sightsee, pick up Catherine's passport, and fly from Nanjing to Guangzhou
11/28: The dreaded medical examination (TB test & mandatory vaccinations)
11/29: Sightsee
11/30: Sightsee
12/01: Sightsee
12/02: Consulate Appointment
12/03: Swearing-in ceremonies at the consulate
12/04: Pick up Catherine's visa, take train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong
12/05: Fly home! We get home at 2:15pm after a very LONG day!