An "Amazing" Day

What a day we've had! It's Tuesday here in China. We opted out of going to the Guangzhou zoo and decided to go to Shamian Island near here instead.  So glad we did!  We got a taxi, it was about a 15 minute ride from our hotel. We met another family there from our group and spend a good chunk of the day there. It's the coolest place!  It's an island that used to be owned by the British and French, so the buildings have a very European feel. It's much less crowded, less cars.  It's very scenic, lots of gardens and greenery and so very beautiful. I loved it there!  It's known for it's bronze statues that are around the island. There are a ton of little shops, too, and we got a bunch of things for our family.  I'm not sure how we're going to get everything home!  We also enjoyed a fun "American" lunch at an outdoor restaurant on the island.  It was a very neat experience, I'd love to go back.

The island experience itself is wonderful, but we happened upon something "amazing" while we were there!  We were walking along when I saw a white guy that I thought looked familiar. At first I couldn't figure out if I knew him from my life or TV.... I flagged Jeremy down and asked if he recognized him... and it's the host from The Amazing Race TV show!  They were filming on the island today and we happened to be there at the same time. There was a big camera crew there and they were prepping to shoot.  We watched for a bit, then went off to shop and eat.  We went back by later hoping to see some action... and we did!!! Right as we were standing there, within 20 feet of the host, 2 teams came flying up in a foot race for first place of that leg of the show.  We got to watch them film it as he told them they were team #1 and 2, then several more teams came running up.  One of the teams was 2 guys from the Harlem Globetrotters, and they literally ran right past Jeremy.  We're so anxious to watch the show to see if he's in the shot! They said it won't be aired on TV for months, but what an experience.  They asked us not to post pictures and video until the show airs... so for now we'll hold onto those little gems, but we have proof that we saw it happen live!

The island is also known for brides getting their wedding photos taken there; we saw countless brides in their gowns being photographed. It was really cool, they were beautiful.  We also saw a few models being photographed as well.  It's a beautiful place, really unique and very peaceful.

Through all the excitement, shopping, eating our Maggie Fei was amazing herself.  She was totally content even though she only napped about 10 minutes on me.  She just loves to be out and about as long as she's with us. She rode in the stroller a bit, but she's happiest in my arms and in her Ergo carrier.    The weather continues to be absolute perfection, in the 70s and so comfortable. The air was cleaner on the island, too, so it was just a perfect day.

Words cannot express how much she has changed in 8 days.  She is SO happy.  She giggles and plays and does silly things to get our attention all day.  We are just enjoying her so much and it is so delightful to see how content she is.  We keep telling her that her world isn't always going to be just us and her... that life at home will be crazy with her siblings!!  I just know she's going to love them once she gets over the initial shock of the noise and craziness. :)  I absolutely can't wait to see them all together.

Tomorrow we go for our Consulate appointment, where we'll take an oath.  Thursday we get her Visa and Friday we leave for home!!!!!!

Cobblestone sidewalks on the island.

The buildings are from the early 1900s.

 We saw a class of school children walking by, they shouted hello to us.

We were photo bombed by a woman and her child watching us get our picture taken.  The locals are fascinated by us.

Medical Exam & River Cruise

Sunday night sleep was rough. She was struggling to stay asleep for some reason. She was up from 4am on... we finally went to an early breakfast and came back to try a morning nap, with no luck.  She gets really upset in her crib, but is happy as can be when we pick her up.  However, last night was awesome. She slept until almost 8am!!!!  Perfect timing, too, because we have no obligations this morning, so we were able to sleep in too. However, we completely missed our Skype call home! We usually call them at 7am our time, which is 6pm the night before for them.  I woke up suddenly and couldn't believe it was almost 8am and we missed it!  Thankfully they were still around the computer and we were able to call anyway. Gotta get my Skype fix of my babies at home!

We went with our group for their Visa pictures and medical exams Monday morning.  It was an interesting experience. They each had to be seen by 3 different "stations":  an ear/nose/throat nurse, weight/temperature, and wellness check.  According to the hotel scale, she weighed 16.5 lb when we got her.  Today she was 17.3 lb... hopefully that's accurate that she's already putting on  some weight!  The nurse was able to get a good look in her mouth, which we haven't been able to do yet.  But with the language barrier she couldn't tell us anything.  The doctor thought the scratch on her nose was an infection... ugh! What terrible timing for that.  She didn't seem worried though, and everything seemed to go off without a hitch. The kids over 2 had to have blood drawn for a TB test, which thankfully she didn't have to do.  She fell asleep hard in the baby carrier after that.  Made us think about how  many doctor's appts she'll have coming up over the next months and years.  Anyway, so now we wait for her Visa to be processed-we'll get that hopefully on Thursday.

Last night we went on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It was a big boat with most of us from our group with a lot of locals.  The river goes thru downtown and all the buildings have lights on them. It's really beautiful.  We had dinner on the boat, which wasn't great, but it was so wonderful to be out on the deck enjoying the warm night air and the lights.  It was so relaxing and Maggie loved it.

She's been playing hard. She even got on the floor and crawled around for a bit!  And she's not crying as much at diaper changes... overall doing so much better.  She's so happy!  She loves to play and interact and be silly.  She's a completely different kid from a week ago.

She is such a sweetheart.  She's so lovey and so observant.  She has changed so much in the week we've had her.  Makes me so happy for her and we feel so blessed that she's ours.  Also makes me think of all the little ones still sitting in orphanages waiting for their potentials to be unlocked by the love of a family. 

It's Tuesday morning here, and we're going to enjoy our free day by doing some shopping.  Tomorrow is our Consulate appointment!

Playtime!

We're having a lot of internet trouble here, so this is a little late, but here's how our Sunday the 17th went.:

 

Maggie is doing great!  For some reason she has not been sleeping well the past 24 hours or so. Thinking she's starting a cold and is a little congested.  Naps have been a little sporadic too, but she is definitely coming out of her shell!  She’s starting to do more age-appropriate things like grabbing my glasses and playing more.  I’m so happy to see that now when I feed her or put her down somewhere she doesn’t always stay right in the position. She’s starting to move around more, kick her feet, move her body, wiggle, dance and be silly.   She’s crawling all around on our bed, although she’s not brave enough yet to crawl around on the floor much.  She also managed to scratch herself pretty good on the nose, just in time for her Visa picture tomorrow. :)

It’s amazing to see that she’ll now let us set her down on our bed with a toy and she’ll play with is, as long as we’re close.  She’s even had a few diaper changes without screaming!  She still doesn’t like being on the floor at all, so for right now we’re camped out on our bed with her at playtime.

She is relaxing and not so tense and afraid. I think she’s starting to realize that we’re not going anywhere.  She physically takes great comfort in us; she still loves to snuggle and be right on us.  As hard as this trip is, it has been so good for us to bond with her and her with us before the craziness of home life starts.  We didn’t have that with Allie, and it’s something I wish we had had with her.  

Today (Sunday) we did a little touring of Guangzhou.  We went to a Buddhist temple and to a folk art museum.  Both were outside and the weather is perfect here, in the 70s. Love it! It was so nice to just walk around outside.  Then we went to a craft market and got to do some shopping. We bought her a tradition Chinese silk outfit, a fan, and a few other things. We ordered her a Chinese name chop, which is a stamp that is customized with her English and Chinese names on it, along with her zodiac sign, the dragon.

We hung out the rest of the day. Jeremy went to a paperwork meeting, finalizing some of our last pieces of paperwork for her adoption!!  Whoo-hoooo!!!!!  Tomorrow is her medical exam.  We’ve heard it’s not an easy day for the kiddos to be examined by strangers.  Hopefully it will be quick and painless for them!

She is still 100% on bottles for food, but she’s starting to be very curious about our food. She tries to grab what we’re eating. We’re giving her little pieces of food, but she just holds onto it and plays with it, so far doesn’t put anything in her mouth.  I’m sure watching her siblings eat will be a big motivator for her.

We’re in such a better frame of mind here.  New city, new food options, great weather… and best of all, only 5 days left until we can come home!!!!!  Until then, we’re enjoying our time with our yummy little sweetheart.

 

Buddhist temple

 

Her sweet spot.

 

Snuggled in for a snooze.

 

Back to the hotel for playtime.  Happy girl!!

 

 Watching TV.

 

Silly face!

Grabbing for Daddy's Big Mac.

 

No longer the baby who is afraid to move. She can't hold still now!

 

 

 

Last Stop!

We've arrived at our last stop!  We're in Guangzhou, in southern China.  It was a little over a 2 hour flight, but it was delayed (once we were on the plane we sat for an hour before takeoff-all w/our new babies!) but it took nearly the entire day to get here with getting to the airport, waiting, flying, meeting our new guide, getting to new hotel, etc.  Maggie was a trooper!  She was more alive today, played more and was more silly and interactive with us.  She did scream on the plane for a while (so not fun to be that parent with that baby, but that's okay) but she finally settled in to sleep.

Our new/final hotel is awesome.  There's a McDonald's nearby, Subway, KFC and Papa Johns! whoo-hoo!!  We had burgers and fries tonight, a taste of home did us good.

We are re-energized with the change of scenery.  Only 6 days left!!!  We're doing some tours this week, but most importantly will have her Visa exam on Monday and her Consulate Appointment on Wednesday.  Fly home on Friday!

Saying goodbye to our sweet guides in Zhengzhou.

 Hanging at the airport.

Maggie's first flight!

 Snoozing on the plane.

Happy Baby!

What Day is It?

Oh my heavens, surely we have been here at least a month already. We barely know what day it is, they are all blurring together.

Most of my posts have been centered around Maggie, of course, and our time here. But I have to give major kuddos to Ben, Sam and Allie at home.  They are used to me being at home 24/7 with them.  This is a major upheaval to their little lives and I'm so proud of them for rolling with it.  And we're so thankful to our parents and siblings for being surrogate parents to them until we get home.  We're Skyping every day, but it just doesn't replace being able to have them in my lap and smell their skin.  I find myself daydreaming of just smelling their necks!

Today was our last day in Zhengzhou, the capitol of the Henan Province where she's from.  We basically had to be here today to wait for her passport to come in, which it did this evening.  We took a walk this morning to a nearby park we had heard about, it was a little piece of heaven in the middle of this chaotic city.  It was warm enough to not have jackets on and it was so nice to be outside. We also stopped at a jade shop and bought her a keepsake piece of jade (made locally) with a dragon on it, the zodiac sign for her birth year.  Funny to bargain with the shopkeeper with just a calculator!

We went to the pool for a few minutes tonight, but other than that we just hung out again.  I won't be sad to say goodbye to this hotel room tomorrow!

Maggie is full of ups and downs.  She overall had a pretty cranky, tired day.  But she sure does love being in her baby carrier on me.  She leans her head back to inspect my face and sometimes gives me a smile or lets me tickle her neck. I love those moments when she's just relaxed and being silly.  When we get back, though, it's like someone pushed a switch, because the moment we set her down she screams. Loud. Until we pick her back up. I'm starting to wonder if Allie somehow prepped her on how to act, because this is EXACTLY how Allie was. For about the first year. Ugh.

She hates:
diaper changes
getting dressed
getting a bath (because it means she's not being held)
going to bed
being in the stroller

She loves:
her bottles of hot formula
her mom
her dad
being held.
being held.
being held.
oh and she had her first sucker today which was a big hit.

Oh and she seems to only poop when she's supposed to be sleeping, thus once again instigating the screaming while being changed then screaming to go back to sleep routine.

I'm not exaggerating when I say she has literally been down on the ground playing no more than 3 times total since we've had her. She just won't do it.  Whenever we try, even if we're sitting right NEXT to her, she screams.  I feel like I'm going to leave this hotel with my head hanging in shame, surely everyone has heard how much she has cried and thinks we're neglecting or hurting her! No folks, I just set her down so I could pee. Or I'm just changing her diaper.

Another thing we've noticed is that she's not used to having the freedom to do what she wants with her body.  She'll often just stay in whatever position I put her in. When I learn her back for her bottle, her legs just stick straight out instead of relaxing against me.  She doesn't know how to be held on my hip and curve into my body.  She doesn't feel free to get up from a sitting position and crawl around-even though she is capable.  These are all signs that she spent a lot of time in her crib and not out being mobile and getting attention.  We're really lucky that she is responding so well to us and is bonding so well despite not being used to this kind of care.

She really does remind me of a much younger baby. She wakes up and wants a bottle.  Will hang out on our laps /being carried for 1.5 to 2 hours, then gets fussy for a nap.  Wake and repeat.  She doesn't have much stamina at all and needs to sleep a lot so far.  Which is great except getting her to sleep is a long process that involves a lot of butt patting.

If it sounds like we're getting weary it's because we are.  We left home 10 days ago!  7 more to go.

Yet in the midst of feeling weary, she continues to crack out of her shell a little bit more each day.  Tonight she didn't cry as much at bedtime and for the first time explored her crib. She normally just flops down to scream until she passes out, but tonight she traveled around the perimeter, played with a toy we have attached (so good to see her actually play) and then she starting cackling out loud!! It was so precious.  Big, giant huge cackles.  Something was really funny about the wall next to her crib, I don't know what it was but we sure loved hearing that sound.

And the smiles and interacting with us are coming more freely than before.  This morning while Skyping the kids, she was babbling so they could hear her, which was so awesome.  Up until now she just sat and stared at them.

She's still pretty reserved, quiet and scared. I can't imagine what all she's been through, and tomorrow she'll take her first flight and has to readjust to a new hotel room, crib, etc.  But her eyes are SO bright and lively, they don't miss a thing.  I can't wait to see her really let go and be free!

There is a little boy at a group foster home here in China named Christopher.  I fell in love with him when he first arrived at the home over a year ago (maybe longer?). I follow their blog and Facebook page and he is just precious. He has a very serious heart condition and had a big heart surgery today that did not go well.  He is very unstable and very sick.  Please send prayers and good thoughts his way. He is a precious little boy and I pray he recovers and goes on to find his forever family.

Her favorite place to be.

The sucker helped her forget she was in the stroller. Will have to remember this trick.

Her poor little body just stays in whatever position I put her in.

First time in a bathing suit! Look at those chunky legs.

Giggles

Today was a much better day!  She slept in her crib last night, thankfully.  She still screams every time we put her in it, but we've found if we pat her bottom through the crib bars, she'll eventually calm down and sleep.  She kept crying in the night but Jeremy slept right by her crib so he could just put his arm in and pat her back to sleep.  She slept a good 12 hours, then a 1 hour nap, then a 2.5 afternoon nap. Thankfully Daddy is a very patient patter.  :)

We could have gone to the zoo today, but we needed some down time. We walked to Walmart this morning, which is an adventure in and of itself.  It's about a 15 minute walk and we're in a very big, urban city.  There are no words to describe the mobs of people, cars and scooters.  You have to be very alert even on the sidewalks, they just drive right up on there!  She loves being in her front carrier, it makes me feel better to have her close when we're on the streets.  I'm definitely not a city girl, it's crazy out there!  

We spent most of the rest of the day relaxing in our room, watching movies and relaxing while she slept.

We went out to dinner tonight with our group.  For some reason, she loves to be at restaurants and on my lap. That is when she is most alive.  She giggled and babbled and interacted with us more than ever tonight and it was just the best thing to see. She does this cute thing when she's playing where she puts her thumb in her ear, wiggles her hand and says "rah-rah".  So cute!  I love to see her coming more alive!!

She still is content in our arms/lap and not so happy when we put her down.  Here's what happens when we put her down for a second:

Snug as a bug in her carrier.  When she falls asleep in there she sinks way down and you can barely see her.

Conked out after our big outing to Walmart.

All dressed up today in a bow her big sister picked out.

Pretty profile.

 Sleeping hard.

All smiles and giggles at the restaurant!

Loving this time with our girl.  She is the best and we're so lucky to be her parents!

A Tough Day

Well, the honeymoon is over.  :)  Yu Fei is having a hard time.  She has decided that unless we are holding her and preferably swaying or patting her then she is going to cry.  She didn't sleep much last night at all. She absolutely does not want to be in her crib and is sometimes upset regardless of what we do. She finally slept in Jeremy's bed after hours of trying to console her.  Then of course we had to wake her this morning so we could make our big trip.

We traveled 2.5 hours by van with our agency rep and a driver to Anyang, the city of her birth.  New law here in the Henan province requires we travel to her birth city to apply for her passport.  So the 6 of us families here together had to separate out to 5 different cities... seems a little silly to me considering it took us 10 minutes and 2 signatures.  Her province is the only one that requires this.  Anyway, she slept on the way there in Jeremy's arms.

After we applied for her passport, we drove to her orphanage.  We were told it was 15 minutes away, so we thought we had plenty of time to feed her a bottle and prepare ourselves.  I wanted her strapped to me in her carrier so she got the message that she stayed with us even though we were going back to the place she has called home for the past 3 months.  But it was less than 5 minutes away and suddenly we were being ushered in while she was still eating.  It threw me off, but we tried to roll with it.  Her orphanage is a part of a big complex of buildings, some I think house senior citizens.  There are some older kiddos at her orphanage that will probably never be adopted.  They were excited to see visitors and I felt terrible walking past them.

They showed us 2 of the baby rooms, one where Maggie was.  I know 5 mommies through an online group whose little ones are currently at that orphanage waiting for paperwork to go through so they can go get them.  We were able to find those 5 babies, take pictures for their mommys, and tell them they are loved and their moms are coming as fast as they can. I also tried to give some attention to the other kids too, not knowing if they have families waiting.

 It was such a tough place to visit.  It had an institutional feel.  Very old building, dark and chilly.    The rooms are packed with cribs with only 1-2 nannies per room. They said they have trouble finding staff.  Many of the kids had the same look that Maggie had when I saw pictures of her in there.  Just bored and lonely.  It's heart breaking and very bittersweet.  I'm so glad that she's out of there, but every one of those kids deserve a family.  They all deserve a process that moves quicker to get kiddos home where they belong.  

We noticed that she showed no recognition or connection to the orphanage or the caregivers there.  She was only there 3 months, but it doesn't appear that she formed an attachment with anyone in particular.

On the long ride home, it struck me that she is losing that orphanage look.  Her skin is brighter, has more of a glow to it. Her eyes are brighter.  She took more of her bottle in my lap and just adored me with those eyes of hers while she drank.  She cried for a while and then slept most of the way home on her daddy's lap.    

She's not a special needs kid. She's just a kid. And all kids deserve a family. Praying all those little ones find their way home.

Eating continues to be a source of frustration. Solid food and baby food are not happening. She is 100% dependent on a bottle.  Which makes it hard since we can't give her a snack when she's getting fussy, etc.  

We've also noticed that she doesn't reach her arms up to us when she wants to be picked up. I don't think that they are responded to when they're at the orphanage, so they don't give cues like raising their arms because they've learned it doesn't do any good.  I can't wait for her to learn that I'll respond when she raises her little arms.  

We went out to dinner tonight and she sat in my lap and just talked to me. She's jabbering on my lap now.  She has a lot to say and is becoming more free about saying it. She likes to mimic what I do, she likes to be tickled under her neck.  As long as she has our undivided attention she is completely happy.   I'm not sure what all the crying is about. I'm guessing she has discovered what it's like to be held and loved on and has decided she wants that every second. I can't blame her, that's just what we want her to learn!  Hoping we can find a  happy medium where we can put her down some and have her trust we're not going to leave her.  She's reminding me very much of her big sister and her fears of being left. Praying we find a way to get some sleep tonight and that her little heart is filled with peace and contentment that we're not going anywhere.  

In other news, she has a really cool trick. She can put her finger in her nose and reach down into her mouth, thus choking herself. Bet you can't do that.

Our next 2 days are free as we wait for paperwork to be processed.  Another point of frustration for us.  Surely there's an adoption official who can make this part of the process quicker for those of us who are tired, trying to bond with a baby in a foreign country and have kiddos at home waiting for us.  But it is what it is and so we wait.

We're so in love with our tiny little girl and are so thankful she's in our arms.

Maggie's former room at the orphanage. Her crib was the empty one up front.

Orphan no more.

The older kids were eating lunch outside on a chilly November day.

 Walking away from the orphanage for the last time.