Bao Gets Jin

Guangzhou to Beijing to Seoul to Atlanta to Tallahassee. I shudder at just the thought. 24 hours door to door best case possible, meaning no delays. Delta in the mix, as the last flight on the 9:41 p.m. to Tallahassee, which means definite delays. About three hours worth, as it turned out, first due to mechanical problems, then weather, then mechanical problems, then weather again (no just kidding about the last one). Two toddler boys. Do the math. Crazy antics on the flights and on the ground. Boys were actually pretty good on the long flight from Seoul to Atlanta, although, I suppose, it had to do with that they were pretty much sleeping except for the time spent eating. Bao did take a short break from these activities to watch the movie "Cars" without headset ... read more

I just got back from the last meeting with my group. When we arrived here, we were delivered from the Beijing airport to the White Swan Hotel and then were given a ride to our hotel. Now riding back in a taxi from the White Swan to our hotel, it felt like it was all in reverse. Coming back in the taxi, it is just about dusk. I see things that I would see anywhere in the world. People leaving work, suddenly come to iife, chatting enthusiastically on cell phones. Children laughing and playing on the sidewalk. Children crying on the sidewalk. A man with a protective arm about a young girl's shoulders, who is in a frilly pink dress and Mary Jane shoes . Middle-aged women just leaving the market, carrying plastic bags with small ... read more

Yesterday we took a bus to the U.S.Consulate here in Guangzhou. There they called us up individually by our child's Chinese name. It was so noisy in the waiting room, with 33 families all together, that we barely heard it when they called Jin's name. We were the first ones! We walked up and signed a form, and then they continued calling up the other families. Then the consulate official gave about a 10 minute speech about adoptions in China, which she said continue to be the highest number of international adoptions. Also, she said that regarding special needs adoptions, two years ago they represented 45 percent, then last year 54 percent, and this year are projected to be 66 percent of all adoptions from China. Could not bring our camera in so no pictures. While ... read more

Scrambling to pack and I have two meetings with our agency guide today so have to get over to the island both times. Allen will stay here with the boys. Yesterday was great, quiet-ish breakfast a first with no screaming, only moderate mess. Coming back from dinner Bao stuck his hand in the elevator door and Allen had to, literally, push the door back to get it out. It made the elevator inoperable and they had to work on it for two hours to get it working again. Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. Terrifying for all to say the least. I carried Bao downstairs to the restaurant and asked for a bag of ice. While the manager was giving it to me, he said "We have a saying in Chinese. If children do not ... read more

Okay am starting to fall behind in entries. Yesterday we took the boys to an amazing 1500 year old temple where they received a blessing from a Buddhist monk. Then we visited the Chen Clan House, which is about 200 years old and all constructed of wood (possibly teak - don't know how it is still intact). We do not have any photos of the temple as we had left our camera in the van. Today we wandered around the area that we are staying in. And then poor Jin Jin had to get the 6 shots! Allen said he was a trooper and only cried during the exact time that they were administered. Bao and I walked around Shamian Island while we waited for them. I got Bao the same little wood tea accessories in ... read more

But that is not the news of the day. Bao reinjured himself. Yes Bao somehow hit the injury above his eye again and once again, so much blood. We no longer have illusions of no scarring. Somehow, it stopped bleeding pretty quickly so we are thankful for that. Still, I wish I could literally keep him strapped in the stroller for the next 4 days. Hmm...could I? As I write this, he has placed his head and much of his torso in the better part of the rattan hamper in our room. And this, just after the safety first talk. Aarggh....Have I told you that we love our hotel? We finally were here when they had happy hour. Had the place just about to ourselves, which was fortunate as these guys were playing house under the ... read more

This is the nicest hotel - the Holiday Inn Shifu. Beijing Holiday Inn Downtown was quite nice but Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou was really aging. Every time the boys were face down in the carpet (which oddly seemed to be often) I just cringed, but here everything is nice and new. The photos I have attached don't do it justice but the room is seriously huge (I don't remember what I booked, don't think it is a suite but a deluxe executive for families soon to visit), even with two cribs, and we also have a small hallway in the room. I know the White Swan is the traditional hotel for adoptive families, but we had heard from some that the rooms are getting old, and we just wanted something really comfortable for the last part of ... read more

Very close to our hotel, just a few blocks really, is a wonderful community park, a world away from the traffic and noise in the rest of the city. We have gone there both mornings that we have had free time, cannot seem to get there early enough to see elderly men and women doing the slow graceful movements of tai chi, but still get there in time to see other activities, such as musicians playing primitive music with ancient instruments, children riding scooter cars, and men engrossed in lengthy games of chinese checkers. Parks are the epicenter of all leisure life, and you cannot truly see another culture until you spend time in one. This park reminds us so of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, where we would see tai chi at dawn, children ... read more