Happy Half Birthday MeiMei...

MeiMei turned 18 months old today. Instead of celebrating with cupcakes as I had intended, this is how she celebrated her big day...If she could speak English I'm fairly certain she would like to tell you...

Jet Lag Stinks!!!!

I'm pretty sure she has a lot she would like to say right now but since I do not speak Cantonese I'll keep the speculation to a minimum. Happy Half Birthday MeiMei. We'll celebrate as soon as we all figure out which time zone we're on.

Dear Newk...

I'm sure you are wondering why we haven't stopped by in a while. We've been in China and unfortunately we discovered you weren't there. By the end of our trip we spoke of you often. Truthfully, we daydreamed about you on more than one occassion. We even described you in great detail to our Northern friends who have never had the oppportunity to meet you. Don't worry--we promise to introduce you someday when they fly south for the winter. We arrived home late last night and couldn't wait to see you. We had no idea what we were going to eat during our time in Guangzhou BUT we've known for the past 10 days EXACTLY what we were eating today...

Thank you for welcoming home the Chief with open arms. Next time we see you, we may need to make a few changes in our seating arrangements but I'm sure you won't mind. As always, we look forward to seeing you soon.

P.S. If you're interested, I know of an interesting little island in Guangzhou, China that could REALLY use your culinary assistance.
__________________________________________________

L & A...we satisifed our craving within 12 hours of being home. The taco came within 18. Wish the three of you had been here to enjoy it with us.

Day 16: Some Babies Come by Plane

Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting to use that title?

The flight from Newark was only a few hours but it felt about as long as the one from Hong Kong. We were hoping for the "beam me up Scottie" approach but apparently that only happens in the movies. One minute on that plane was too long for us. We landed on time around 7 pm. Coming from Newark that was a miracle in itself. Thank you Lord!

On approach, as we began to recognize the familiar below, I could not contain the Charlie Brown tears. It was (and still is) so hard to believe we went all the way to China, met our daughter and came HOME with her in our arms. HOME-- there truly is no place like HOME. We cursed kissed that plane goodbye as fast as we could and started the sprint to our babies. If we don't see the inside of an airplane for a while it will be OK with us.

Coming down those stairs, I have never been filled with more JOY--exhausted and emotional joy--but pure JOY nonetheless. I had promised myself (since I had a lot of time to think during my 15.5 hours of misery) that I was not going to turn into a weeping mess at the airport. I didn't want to scare the begeebeez out of MeiMei. She had just decided I wasn't the devil so I certainly wasn't going to mess that up with the scary-ugly cry. I'll be the first to admit it took every ounce of emotional energy to keep the flood gates locked up tight.

First, at our request, we were greeted by our two FAV-O-RITE blond haired little people who were about to explode. They were waving cute little MeiMei signs and jumping up and down with excitement.We squeezed each other until it hurt. Then we switched little people and did it again. And again...and again... It IS possible to miss someone so much it hurts. Make that TWO someones...
This one makes me teary every time I look at it...
How did they react? After a few hugs and "I MISSED YOU SOOOOO MUCH" sentiments, they were all about MeiMei. Wild Man proceeded to wave his sign 2 inches from her face while whispering "Hello MeiMei. I'm your big brother" in her ear. It was so precious I could have melted right there. Little Miss squeezed and smothered her with kisses. Then went straight to playing "beauty shop". She had her brand new Happy Meal "powder puff" ready for big sister action.
After traveling FOR.EEEE.VER to get home, we all needed more than a powder puff to freshen up. :-)

As for MeiMei, I think she was in shock but she did SO well. She took it all in and never shed a single tear. Her pal Mrs. Kim knew how to win her over from the very beginning. Did you know the power of a DumDum sucker crosses all language barriers?What a blessing it was to be greeted by family and friends. The sea of familiar faces at the end of those stairs was one of the most BEAUTIFUL sights we have ever seen. Ever. For as long as we live, we both agree, we will never forget it. Ever. To each of you who took the time to hang out at an airport on a Thursday night to welcome home our daughter with open arms...THANK YOU! That seems so inadequate considering both of us could have squeezed the life right out of you with each and every hug. We were THAT happy to see you. :-) You have stood beside us through this long and stressful journey and your presence meant more to us than you will ever know.

(We're missing a few people in the photos but these were the only group shots captured)

I love this picture of Laura and Rachel, two of my besties in the whole wide world. Inside the sling is Rachel's new baby Eli. He was born seven days earlier while we were in China. Yes, that's right. She had her 4th c-section the week before and still made it to the airport to meet MeiMei. Anyway, we joked our entire "pregnancies" (hers physical--mine on paper) that she would have "Baby Noname" while we were in China. Much to our dismay we were right. Instead of meeting our babies at a hospital, as we have the other five times, we met them on the same day in an airport. One newborn. One 18 month old. Both equally as miraculous as the five who came before them.

Funny story (well, not really funny but)...
We were a few steps from the baggage claim escalator when we were greeted by a couple who recognized the Chief. What I didn't know was it was one of his pals from Men's Fraternity (and his wife) who came to the airport to greet us. What I didn't know was they were being so thoughtful by coming up to help us with our carry-ons so we could greet everyone downstairs. The most important thing I didn't know was the Chief stopped briefly to talk to them when I thought he was two steps behind me. About the time I turned around to talk to him I heard clapping and a gleefully familiar scream from this little one...I glanced down the stairs to find Wild Man and Little Miss below and there was no stoppin' this Momma after that. I immediately darted down the stairs...with MeiMei on my hip...without my better half at my side. Oops! According to the camera time stamp he was about a minute behind me on the escalator. Luckily the paparazzi was there to record one of my finest moments. SOOOO sorry honey. I promise I'll wait patiently next time we have a large group of people waiting for us at the bottom of an escalator. I have no idea if that opportunity will ever present itself again but IF it does I promise to let you go first. ;-)

Today, Thursday September 24th, 2009 was MeiMei's introduction to her new world. A world full of people who have loved her and prayed for her before they laid eyes upon her precious face. A world with a big sister who'll share her toys, her kisses and teach her how to be a girly girl. A world with a big brother who'll tickle her tummy until her sides hurt, share silly jokes and show her how to play Wii. A world with a Daddy, a FOREVER Daddy, who will protect her from the boogey man (and the boys who are sure to ring our doorbell someday). One who will teach her how to praise God, drive a car and understand the rules of football. A Father who will walk beside her on the first day of school from Kindergarten to college. And someday, if she meets that special someone, he'll walk beside her down the aisle on her wedding day. He'll give her away to a man who will promise to love her forever (but not nearly as much as he does). What a lucky girl she is to have a Father like him. And last, but certainly not least, a world with a Mommy. Not a first Mommy. Not a temporary foster Mommy. A FOREVER Mommy. One who will kiss her boo-boo's, help her with homework and take her for pedicures. A Mother who will smother her with hugs, kisses and a mountain of prayer. A Mommy who will cuddle when she's sweet and forgive her when she's sassy. A Mommy who will teach her the importance of loving God and loving people above all else. A Mommy who will attempt to answer hard questions about her beginning and wipe away her tears when she doesn't understand. A FOREVER Mommy who will love her unconditionally every minute of every day forever and always. Welcome home MeiMei! With time we pray you will grow to love us as much as we love you. In the meantime, we promise to meet you where you are until that day arrives.

Day 16: The Never Ending Thursday

We awoke to a BEAUTIFUL view from our Hong Kong hotel window--blue skies and happy clouds to begin what was to be the longest, most stressful day of our 16 day trip. We were up at 6 am to prepare for our departure and Skype with Wild Man and Little Miss before we took to the friendly skies. On CST, we started our day Wednesday at 5 pm though technically we began on Thursday morning Hong Kong time. Thus the title...26 hours of travel time from HK airport to home airport...40 hours of travel time from Guangzhou to home airport. Any way you look at it, it equates to the Never Ending Thursday.

We had no problems at the airport and breezed through the health inspection area without a second glance at MeiMei's rash. Woohooooo a second time! The airport itself and the views outside the terminal were amazing. I wish I had taken more photographs while we were there but I was so anxious I forgot all about the camera. Once we found our departure gate, we spent $117 HK dollars on drinks and breakfast at Starbucks. Before you have a stroke that's only about $15 USD but $117 looks ridiculous on a receipt from Starbucks. If only they had told us the 5 drinks we bought for the plane were not allowed past the jetway. Ugh--NOW you tell us!!

We boarded our chariot for the next 15.5 hours and took off at 10:25 am as scheduled. Homeward BOUND!!!! We were all less than thrilled to be on A plane but ECSTATIC to be on THE plane that would take us home to the US.See what I mean? Look at the Chief in this picture (he's going to kill me BTW). Ready or not... here we go. We've been asked several times, "How was the flight?" and I'm not sure how to answer it. It was about as MISERABLE as you would imagine a 15.5 hour flight with a toddler. :-) I know the people around us wished they had chosen a different cabin. Honestly, I wish I could have chosen a different cabin as well but the screaming baby belonged to me. No flames--just keepin' it real. I'm pretty sure she would have gone to an Asian ax murderer if he had reached out his arms. She was crying out for "Mama" and "Baba" to every Asian face in sight (and there were A LOT of Asian people on the flight). There were a few times I wanted to pull out our adoption papers just to prove she was our baby. No one thinks a thing about BLATANTLY STARING at you FOR MINUTES, not seconds, in China and there was A LOT of that to go around. It could have been worse. It could have been better. I won't be making that flight again any time soon.

I can't tell you how many times we looked at each other and said, "Oh no, they seated us in the wrong cabin. Our seats are in the front of the bus?" "Where's the warm nuts? The grapes and fancy cheese? The ice cream sundaes?" "What? No linen napkins? No Continental china? No fresh rolls? No butter patted in little shapes?" LOL! We had to find some kind of humor to keep us sane. I had mediocre hopes for the food but we drew the short straw this go round. For lunch...steamed sole or black bean chicken anyone? For snack...chicken fajita wrap with WARM gooey lettuce? For breakfast...egg omelet or noodles? I would like to note that the omelet was called an omelet but there was nothing inside. Soooo...doesn't that make it a scrambled egg? Maybe omelet sounds more gourmet? Either way, the Chief and I ate a roll and a few bites of vanilla ice cream over the 15 hour flight. The best part of the menu was the fact they had Mr. Pibb on the drink cart. You can keep your nasty black bean chicken. Just hook me up with a Mr. Pibb. Now it was not the real deal but it came close to giving me the Dr. Pepper fix I NEEDED.

The good news for the day was somewhere between Russia and the North Pole MeiMei decided I wasn't Satan reincarnate. Actually, it wasn't the greatest timing considering I was on the verge of throwing up most of the flight but I guess beggars can't be choosers. It's scenarios like this that confirm to me that the Lord has a strange sense of humor. MeiMei has nothing to do with me for 11 days but decides to like me in the midst of my least favorite activity. Just when I was dangling from the end of my rope she decides to mall all over me for the last eight hours of the flight? Perfect timing MeiMei. Perfect timing. :-)

She slept a total of two hours and the Chief and I slept less than that. Apparently no one in the Womble family can sleep on an airplane. I would look at the screen and it would say something like "7869 miles to your destination". In what felt like an hour later, I would look again and it would say "7861 miles to your destination". At one point, in my delirium, I said "I think I can DRIVE HOME faster than this". Believe me, I would have attempted if there wasn't that thing called an ocean between us. I did not think we would EVER get over Russia--do you know how stinkin' big Russia is? It's huge! HUGE I tell ya!

We landed in Newark on Thursday at 1:30 pm, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Wooohoooo! We handed over the INFAMOUS brown envelope to the immigration officer and breathed a huge sigh of relief. I wanted to know what was inside but the Consulate made it very clear it was NOT to be opened by anyone except immigration. Once we relinquished it to the immigration officer, he said, "You know, they act like this is such a top secret document. It's really not that big of a deal. You already have copies of almost everything in here anyway." We had been guarding that thing with our lives since our Swearing In Ceremony thinking the world might stop if we cracked a corner. LOL!

MeiMei automatically became a United States citizen the second her feet hit the ground in Newark. I purposely made sure her feet did not touch until I had camera in hand. This is the official moment MeiMei Womble became an All American girl. She wasn't going for the "waving the American flag while smiling sweetly" pose I've been hoping for all these years. Instead we have the "expression-less non-waving feeble attempt to pacify me while Daddy bribed her with fruit snacks" photo opportunity. After 15 hours of misery, I didn't make many attempts before I threw in the towel. This one will have to do...

Welcome to the USA MeiMei!

Day 15: Our Final Day

We enjoyed one final breakfast with the Guarino's before the packing marathon began. There are several things I am going to miss about China and they are #1 on the list. What an amazing experience the four of us have shared over the past 11 days. Lori and I became friends during the wait to travel and our DH's hit it off right away in China. I am going to miss sweet Lily and the infamous blue backpack, her sweet smile and her happy dance. We can't wait to travel "up north" for a visit so the Chief and "Tony" can show off their matching North Fakes Face jackets. Hopefully by the time I agree to get on a plane again, Lily will agree to wear her traditional Chinese dress and MeiMei will agree to wear her dress without screaming. Lori--you need to find Cape Cod's version of the red couch? We spent most of the morning packing. We did a lot a little shopping while we were in China so we had to be creative to get it all home. Truthfully we needed to purchase another suitcase but decided to risk it with what we had. With only one international flight, our limit was bumped up to 50 pounds per checked bag which was a huge help. The real problem was the 8 pieces of luggage, a stroller and a baby to wrangle through two train stations, three taxi rides, five baggage check/claims, four security stations, three customs, three immigrations and finally the mini van on the way home. That realization made my arms hurt before we ever left. Considering I wasn't even allowed to PUSH the stroller without MeiMei screaming her head off I knew who was going to be dragging most of that luggage (and I am not the one with the muscles in this marriage).

Our driver picked us up from the Victory at 2:40 pm, drove us to the US Consulate and dropped us out on the curb where we waited for our facilitator. There is nothing like watching all of your personal belongings speed down a busy street in China without you. As he drove away we both looked at each other and said, "Uhhhhhhhhh...I sure hope he comes back!" Right before we went in I finally met my agency pal Joan, her new daughter Mary and the rest of her family. We had missed each other thus far because they spent their first week in the province of Mary's birth. We have corresponded by email off and on for months so I'm glad we got to meet even if it was for a short time. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. It was a pleasure to finally meet you.

All three of our agency families attended the Swearing In Ceremony together. You can not enter the building with anything but your passport so I do not have any photos from the ceremony. The oath was short and a little anticlimactic but we were all teary by the end. We clapped, cried and hugged our babies in celebration. After all this time, this is FINALLY over. No more stalking Rumor Queen. No more frantic calls to our agency. No more deep discussions with the FedEx guy about the importance of our packages. It's over. Our girls are finally OUR GIRLS and we can move on with our lives. I wish Wild Man and Little Miss could have been there with us but I made sure they were there in spirit.After the swearing, Lori and I kept looking at each other and saying "no tears"--"no tears" because we knew what was coming. Goodbyes. Ugh! We were leaving immediately from the Consulate to go to the Guangzhou train station. They were returning to the hotel for a morning flight out of Guangzhou. The 4 of us hugged and cried (even the guys were a tad bit misty) and then it was time for their shuttle to leave. It was like one of those sappy movies where someone is standing on the sidewalk waving and the person in the car are car is pressed to the window waving goodbye until everyone is out of sight. That was the toughest part of the day. Their friendship has been a blessing to us and we can't wait to see them again. Soon Lori, very soon.

It was at this point our whirlwind 40 hour travel marathon began. Immediately after saying our goodbyes, Gracie took us to the train station. We took the 6:15 from Guangzhou to Hong Kong which was about a 2 hour ride on the bullet train. I was concerned about the medical check before we boarded with MeiMei's crazy rash still running wild. I could see ahead they were randomly screening people as they came out of security. Would you believe both the person in front of us and the couple behind us were waived through the medical check lane and we were waved directly to the boarding area? Woooohooooooo! Thank you Lord! Once we found our seats and a place to stow all of our stinkin' luggage, the train ride was uneventful. Gracie purchased first class tickets which I found rather hard to believe. If that was the first class car I would hate to have seen economy. Those little white papers on the headrest totally grossed me out. Let's just say I don't think they are changed with each train ride. I think I rode the entire train ride with my head slumped forward. We were hungry before we left Guangzhou but we were so tired of Chinese food we just couldn't eat. Well, I doubt MeiMei was tired of Chinese food but her Mom and Dad were. Once in Hong Kong, we breezed through customs, immigration and medical inspection (PTL!), claimed our luggage and exited the secure area. It was at this point we saw the most glorious sight. Glorious I tell ya. I'm pretty sure the sky parted, the angels sang and a bright light shined upon the golden "M". That's right...I have NEVER been so thrilled to see a McDonald's (which I normally despise) in my life. There was only one tiny problem...Hong Kong uses a different currency and we did not convert any money before we left the mainland. Ahhhh!!!! Even more frustrating was it was after 8 pm so there was only one money exchange open in the entire train station. Ahhhhh!!!! After searching frantically for the money exchange we finally got our hands on the correct currency. I guarded the luggage and MeiMei while the Chief ran upstairs to find the holy grail.Even MeiMei was excited about our dinner plans which made us wonder if she already recognized the golden "M". Or maybe she was feeding off of our ridiculously giddy excitement? Who knows but within minutes MeiMei was chowin' on her first McDonald's french fries. I committed a great travesty by not capturing the moment but honestly I forgot. We were too busy stuffing our faces with the BEST cheeseburgers and fries we have EVER eaten to whip out the camera. Well, that and holding on for dear life. We ended our time in China with the craziest taxi ride to date (and we experienced MANY crazy ones while we were there). The taxi driver zoomed past 100 mph on the expressway and he was just keeping up with traffic. :-0 We were so tired and hungry, all we could do was laugh. I was thinking if this is THE BIG ONE, at least our last meal was Wild Man and Little Miss' fav-o-rite.

Hong Kong was BEAUTIFUL at night and felt even more modern than Beijing. It did not even resemble Guangzhou by any stretch of the imagination. I wish we could have spent some time there but 16 days is too long to be away from home. Maybe next time. ;-) We made it to our hotel, the beautiful Novotel Citygate, around 9 pm. It was along way from the train station but about 5 minutes from the airport which was perfect for our morning departure.A quick bath for MeiMei and we all collapsed into bed for our last night in China. Our weary heads were looking forward to the comfort of our favorite Egyptian cotton sheets. That night I went to bed wishing my name was Dorothy...

there's no place like home...there's no place like home...there's no place like home...

Day 15: Goodbye China

Today is a bittersweet day as we prepare to leave the country of MeiMei's birth. This afternoon we will attend the Swearing In Ceremony at the United States Consulate. We will raise our right hands and swear that all information we have provided has been true and accurate. It is hard to believe all of the paperwork, signatures, notaries and logistics over the past 18 months culminates into one five minute ceremony. Soon after we will receive MeiMei's VISA and board a train bound for Hong Kong to begin our long journey home.

There is part of me that is overjoyed by the mere thought of going home but the other part of me is overwhelmingly burdened. Yes, we love MeiMei. Yes, we are her parents in every way that truly matters. Yes, we believe she was chosen to be our daughter before He spoke the world into motion but we recognize the realities of adoption. We are bringing her home to a sea of unfamiliar territory. Everything will be different to her. Everything. Sights, sounds, smells, faces...all of it...unfamiliar.

MeiMei continues to mourn the loss of her foster family and she has every right to continue for as long as need be. She has been taken from all she has ever known and I will not make light of that fact nor will I pretend that I am content with the situation. Quite frankly, this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. I am heartbroken but this isn't about me. It is about HER and that's just part of being a Mommy--putting your child's needs above your own even when it hurts. I have reminded myself many times over the past week how heartbroken Wild Man or Little Miss would be if they were taken from us. The situation is different--her foster family was temporary--but she didn't know that. To her they were her family which makes me wonder if our arms...no, make that MY arms...will ever be enough. I will pray for the rest of my days that despite significant loss and many unanswered questions that somehow our love, and more importantly His love, will be enough.

As a Mother, I can't say I completely understand how so many of China's children are abandoned but after being here, after seeing all we have seen over the past 15 days, I understand now more than ever. We are forever changed by what our eyes have seen. The children we have met. The conditions people live. The policies that make it nearly impossible to parent more than one child. The glares and attitudes toward children with visible special needs. The obvious difference between the "new China" in Beijing and the "old China" in Guangzhou. How can anyone see this and NOT be forever changed?

As we leave today I can't help but think about her birth mother. I will never know the woman who made the unfathomable decision which in turn gave us our daughter. Did she love her? Does she think about her? Does she wonder if she was found? Does she wonder if she someone was able to help her? Does she think she is still in the orphanage? These are all questions I contemplate knowing someday MeiMei will wonder the same. I wish there was some way I could tell her of our love and commitment to MeiMei but that opportunity is not ours.

I have so many thoughts running through my head but not enough time to put it all into words. The past 15 days has been amazing, overwhelming, humbling and unbelievable in so many ways. This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to receive a gift like no other--a blessing orchestrated straight from the hands of God. A seed planted within my heart years ago and the culmination of answered prayer for a little girl He chose for us to love for the rest of our days. Someday we will return to China. How soon and for what reason I am unsure but I know in my heart we will return. Goodbye for now China. Thank you for the gift you have entrusted to us. We will love, adore and cherish her always.

Day 14: CA day and the famous Red Couch

~sent 12:49 PM China / 11:49 AM CST

This morning we went to the White Swan Hotel before our Consulate Appointment at 10:30 am. It is China adoption tradition to have your travel group photo made on one of the many red couches at this hotel. I have followed so many families to China through their adoptions so it was surreal that it was finally our turn to sit on this couch. There is always at least one baby in the photo who is screaming her head off while all the other babies stare. Guess who happened to have that baby?

Notice how she isn't crying when Daddy comes to her rescue?

Our Consulate Appointment went well for our facilitator. We did not have to attend the appointment but had to remain in our room until we got the OK. One final step tomorrow afternoon and then we are outta here. We are soooooo ready to go home. Don't get me wrong. We love China but we are so ready to see our children at home and they are SOOO ready to meet their sister.

For one last hoorah, we shopped a little more and had dinner at La Dolce Vita with our travel group. Technically we only share an agency with the Guarino's but all four families share the same facilitators here in China so we consider ourselves a travel group. Also, the Eckert's daughter LiLi was a TCH baby so there is an extra connection for us with their family. Our agency has one more family that came in over the weekend but we haven't caught up with them yet. Hopefully we'll see them tomorrow at the swearing in.

It is bittersweet to say goodbye to our friends, especially the Guarino's, but we are all anxious to get home. We have spent most of our time in Guangzhou together, our girls have become buds and so have we in the process. All of us live states away which makes our goodbye even more bittersweet. We all shared such an amazing experience together and who knows when our paths will cross again. I hope some day we can have a red couch retake with smiley happy girls across the board. Specifically to my friend Lori--you have been such a blessing to me both before China and during. It has been an emotional rollercoaster all the way through, especially the past 11 days, and I'm so glad we were able to share this experience together.

Now for what you really want to know...
MeiMei sat in her highchair tonight which made Daddy's arms and legs very very happy. She is doing very well with her signs for "more" and "please" especially when it comes to food. She let me feed her a little at dinner and even offered to share her half eaten slobbery pasta but I politely declined. She is very independent, much like her big sister, and likes to call the shots on her terms. She is crying for "Mama" less and less and pointing to her brother and sister's photos more and more. MeiMei seems more comfortable with me in the room but still doesn't seem to trust me in public. That should make for an interesting flight home. I know it will come and I'll be waiting when it does. Her rash continues to come and go which is making us nervous about traveling home. If we end up detained and miss our connections I might need to use those drugs I chose to forego on the way over.

We have a few last minute things to accomplish tomorrow before we leave for the Consulate at 2:40 pm. I will try to post from Hong Kong when we arrive and settle in but I make no promises. Please continue to pray for safe travel, happy baby, patient parents and for us to arrive on time Thursday night at 7:05 pm. I have never wanted to see the faces of two blond haired little people more than I do right now. Only two more sleeps until we come home.

Love from China...
Mommy, the Chief and MeiMei

Day 13: Sorrow may last for a night...

but JOY comes in the morning...

I won't pretend that everything is sunshine and lollipops but guess who's coming around a little more? Today MeiMei walked a little bit outside the hotel which she hasn't done so far. She shared and played with Lily without Daddy in the same room. She gave me a kiss on the cheek after I gave one to her. She smiled when we tickled her tummy (as opposed to what I lovingly refer to as "the stink eye"). She talked a little today both inside and outside our room. These are all baby steps but they are steps nonetheless. It is hard to believe we have only known her for one week today. It feels as if we have been here forever and then again it feels like we met her yesterday.

We had no official appointments today so we, along with the Guarino's, walked over to QingPing herb market. Ummmm...interesting. That's all I really know to say about it. It was a cultural experience. Rows upon rows of huge bags of Chinese herbs. Do not ask me what they are or why they are used. I have no idea. Snakes, turtles, scorpions, eels. All waiting to be purchased for tonight's dinner. Scorpion on a stick anyone? On the way out of the market, the Chief was stopped by someone who wanted to practice his English. Apparently that happens a lot around here but this was our first experience.



MeiMei's rash has not gone away and the heat seems to exacerbate it. Since it was a lovely 97 degrees outside we laid low in the hotel during the midday. We are dosing her with Benadryl every six hours until we make it home at the very least (per our Pediatrician). It never goes away completely and comes back in full force about an hour before she is due for Benadryl again. We are a little concerned about making it through the medical inspection at both the train station on Wednesday and airport on Thursday. Due to H1N1, China has implemented strict health guidelines for those going in and out of the country. That is the last thing we need is to get held up in China because of a vaccination rash. We do not have a lot of time in either place so we can not afford to be delayed for further examination. Thank you US government for requiring internationally adopted children to be up to date on all vaccinations before they can come home. There are children who are receiving as many as 7 vaccinations on the same day because of the Hague implementation. MeiMei had to have five but thankfully they were split up on Thursday and Saturday. I would hate to see her right now if she had received all five on one day.

Only a few more days until we begin our long journey home. We will leave mainland China Wednesday evening and arrive home Thursday night at 7:05 pm. Considering the 13 hour time difference, that is a total of 39 hours of travel with a 12 hour layover in Hong Kong and a 3.5 hour layover in Newark. I shutter just thinking about it. I have received several emails about coming to the airport to greet us. Yes, you are all welcome to meet us at baggage claim (all 12 people that read our blog--haha). All we ask is for two things: 1) Please allow us a few minutes with Wild Man and Little Miss when we arrive and 2) Please do not attempt to take MeiMei from our arms. If you plan to come please email my friend Sonja at nursebroker1@bellsouth.net . She will email you our flight information so you can check Continental's website before you leave for the airport. I will be in touch with her when we land in Newark so she will know if we are on time or delayed.

Love to all from China...

Day 12: Change in Plans

This morning we were scheduled for a half day tour of the Folk Art Museum, jade shopping and to visit a local park. Apparently MeiMei didn't like the idea of sightseeing in 114 degree heat so she decided to change our plans. We made it through half of the Folk Art Museum before we noticed little red dots on MeiMei's face. What started as tiny pinpoint red dots morphed into full blown hives all over her face, arms and legs in less than half an hour. :-l Our guide wanted to take her to the doctor but I was not on board with that suggestion. It's not like you can run to the Pediatrician around here, ya know? Obviously we cut the morning short and came back to the hotel for a little Benadryl. Within an hour the hives were almost gone. After lunch I did a little shopping while the Chief and MeiMei napped. Then we shopped and ate dinner with the Guarino's. While we were eating, guess what decided to show up again? Right on time--7 hours after Benadryl--hello hives. Ugh! She has no symptoms other than an itchy rash but it has made for an interesting day (as if we needed this trip to be any more interesting). It's not a heat rash--it's something else.

As for MeiMei, this morning she walked a little bit in the hotel lobby. We can count on one hand how many times her feet have touched the ground outside our room so this is an improvement. The Chief is hot and tired since she wants him most of the time. She thinks I'm OK in the hotel room but wants nothing to do with me in public. By OK I mean she will wave to me from across the room, let me change her diaper without screaming and occassionally let me hold her. Today that works for me. I'll take what I can get right now. Until tomorrow...

P.S. I am up to date now. Just sent Fri/Sat/Sun post. Almost time to come home. HOORAY! Wild Man and Little Miss...have fun with Mrs. Robin today. Be on your best behavior and we'll see you in a few days.

Day 11: Shoots and Shopping

This morning we had breakfast with the Guarino's as we have most days in Guangzhou. MeiMei was happy to see her friend Lily and even flashed a tiny smirk at her a few times. We know those smiles are in there because we saw them yesterday at lunch. I'm not sure if you can read her shirt in these pics but it is sooooo appropriate. If only I had known how true this statement would be when I found it I might have bought several in different colors. :-) Her Daddy is wound tightly around her tiny little finger (and Mommy is still waving from across the room).

We returned to the Medial Clinic to complete MeiMei's immunizations this morning. Since she had to have five injections we talked them into splitting them up on two different days. We were so glad we had the exam completed earlier in the week because it was packed out and CRAZY! We waited outside until our guide came to get us because there was no where to stand inside.

Many adoptive families fly in on Friday night so they can squeeze in the medical exam on Saturday morning. We moved through fairly quickly since we only needed a few more "shoots" as our guide calls them. :-) While we waited to see if the girls reacted, Lily gave MeiMei her first DumDum sucker to distract her from the booboo's and she knew exactly what to do with it. If you read our blog you know how many times I have found hidden DumDum wrappers and sticks all over our house. She'll fit right in with her brother and sister.

Funny story: Baby Madison (Denise and Dale's baby--another travel mate from another agency) was chowing on biscuits while we waited after the medical. Do you remember in MeiMei's referral it said she liked biscuits? Now before you start thinking about Cracker Barrel breakfast let me stop you. These biscuits are not our kind of biscuits--think small thin Ritz crackers. We'll have to teach her the true definition of a biscuit but when she gets home. Anyway, MeiMei wanted Madison's biscuits and she let us know she wanted them NOW! Madison shared a few and then it was time to leave. Afterward we ran in the 7-11 by the hotel to pick up a few necessities (AKA chocolate) and looked around for a sleeve of biscuits like Madison's. We didn't find any but MeiMei was going nuts over this big bag of sugar cookie looking things with sesame seeds on top. We had no idea what she wanted--we still don't--but guess who came home with that bag?

The cashiers at the 7-11 thought I was a looney snapping pics but I couldn't resist. Seaweed or Shrimp Pringles anyone? Vacuum sealed chicken? Eggs? Slugs in a bag (that's what Lori and I decided it was)? Wild Man and Little Miss...look what we found all the way in China...

Can you believe they have your favorite Oreo Straws all the way in China? We shopped a little more around the island and then came back to the room for a nap.

At 4 pm, Gracy took us to the Pearl Market located within a HUGE shopping plaza. Store after store after store of anything you could ever want or need. The Pearl market was an entire floor within a 7 story mall type building in the middle of the plaza. We were amazed--they don't have 7 story malls in our neck of the woods. At the pearl market, we selected two beautiful pearl necklaces, bracelets and earrings for MeiMei and Little Miss. They were hand knotted right in front of us while we waited.

We plan to give the pearls to them on their wedding day. That makes me want to cry just typing it.

Unfortunately we took a step backward tonight with MeiMei. The Chief made the mistake of allowing Gracy to hold MeiMei while we were buying pearls. She started talking and singing to her in Cantonese which I think reminded her of her foster family. When it was time to come back to her Daddy she lost it. She wanted to stay with Gracy and kept screaming for "sister". It is so heartbreaking to see her mourn them in such a deep way. They loved her so much and she loved them so much in return. Poor Gracy ate dinner with her face covered to keep MeiMei from crying for her.

After dinner, we waded through an enormous sea of people to get to the taxi street. There were people EVERYWHERE! We discovered the population of the city of Guangzhou (12 million) is double the size of the population of our home state in the US (6 million). One CITY is double the size of our entire STATE in number? Crazy! Apparently all 12 million Guangzhouians had somewhere to be tonight because it took us FOREVER to nab an empty taxi. Gracy tried for a while and then MeiMei gave it a whirl

but her cute factor did not prevail. Gracy finally chased one down and hacked off two girls in the process to get us back to the hotel. By that point I had lost my Southern generosity and there was no way we were giving up that cab to those girls. Ya snooze ya lose.

When we returned to the hotel MeiMei came over to me while she was crying and put her arms up. She let me snuggle her and after her bath she let me feed her a bottle. Baby steps...baby steps...baby steps... I hate to say it for fear I might jinx myself but maybe, just maybe, she's coming around?