Our Last Days in Guangzhou

Get comfortable, folks, 'cause this is a long one!

Yes, this is going to be one loooong post! First of all, I can't believe I forgot to tell you about Tuesday's big event...our LAST official appointment in Guangzhou! We went to the U.S. consulate and waited in a big room with lots of other Americans and their Chinese children (I almost said "orphans" but they are not orphans any longer!!!) One by one, they called each family up (by the child's Chinese name...you had to listen very carefully) to a window where we had to sign a paper. Once everyone was finished, someone from the consulate (an American woman) came out to talk to us about ??? (I was in the bathroom). Then the whole room stood, we raised our right hands, and we repeated an oath that everything we said in our adoption documents was true. There may have been more to the oath, I don't remember. (There are a lot of things I don't remember...I think it is "momnesia!") (I CAN tell you what I ate at every meal, however. I have an uncanny memory for food.) Anyway, after the ceremony, Angie from our group cried a little because she was so relieved that it was our last official appointment. I would have cried too, but I have been on cold medicine so I am a little out of it.

We have all been emotional lately. I am feeling a mixture of homesickness, anxiety about the coming flights, sadness about taking Zoe from her homeland, happiness about taking Zoe from her homeland, excitement about seeing the boys and dogs and cats and family and friends (and our new master bath which is coming closer to being finished...thanks Dale!), and a sense of relief about the adoption roller coaster of the past 5 years coming to an end...all tempered by a heavy dose of cold medicine.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we got up late and Skyped for awhile with the boys. I think they are getting a little tired of Skype. They don't play "tickle mommy" or "feed mommy" as much with the screen. They barely look when we say hi. Either the novelty has worn off or they are just kind of mad at us for being gone so long (not to mention appearing on the screen holding a new baby). I do love the screenshots you can take with Skype:

While I am talking about the boys, let me take this opportunity to tell you how incredibly grateful we are that so many people have helped take care of them while we are in China. It has made our time away from them bearable, knowing that they are happy, well-cared for, and that they are having fun on a daily basis! Mom, I know you must be worn out...two more days!!! Special thanks to Grandma Claire; Jamie, Jenny, and Karen; Mini and Danielle; Megan, Maya, and Langston; Kristy, Guy, Tristan, and Claire; Kelley and Steve; Judy; Emily for keeping the business running and Katie for filling my shoes; Miss Rachel; Miss Heidi for being "on call"; Polly, Sassy, Max and Josh; Christine, Roger, and Campbell; Eric and Lynn and the boys; Jen and Edwin; Jill; Dale; Lois; Patti C. for the dinner!; Keith and Patty for the lunch!; and our awesome Floraville neighborhood for their offers of support to mom and the boys; and all of you for your prayers, words of encouragement, blog comments and emails. Sure hope I didn't forget anyone. I guess this proves it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes all of Southwest Ohio (and Northern Kentucky) to take care of twin two year-olds!

Since we had no appointments, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Jeff, Melissa, and Anna Joy. Zoe was her usual playful self.

Kevin cleaned out the breakfast buffet in an attempt to put some weight back on.

We took a few pictures of the elevator Zoe enjoyed so much, and some other random photos.



Then we took a walk to explore the other big park in Guangzhou, called Yuexiu Park. We discovered many gardens, shaded paths, historical monuments, and some concrete goats that we can't quite explain.

The sun was out (finally!) and there were many scenic spots for picture-taking.

When Zoe went down for her nap, Kevin and Jeff went out in search of (more!) baby formula and a few more of these super-soft baby jammies called Yehoo, made out of bamboo. This is a picture of three helpful salesclerks trying to help Kevin find the right size!


Last night we had one last dinner in Guangzhou with most of the group. We ate at a traditional Cantonese restaurant in the hotel.


It was very good (and cheap!) but before the food even came Zoe became uncharacteristically fussy. She felt a little hot and sweaty too, so Kevin took her upstairs to nap.


I was very worried that Zoe was getting sick right before the long trip home. I ate quickly, went upstairs, and gave Kevin his Chinese take-out from the restaurant. He wanted to do some last-minute shopping for gifts on Shamian Island, so after he ate he went back downstairs to try to find someone from the group to go with. (He ended up taking a cab there by himself and riding the subway back, no problem.) Before long Zoe woke up and smiled at me as if to say "I was just kidding! See -I'm fine!" I put her in some new hand-me-down jammies from Anna Joy, and then she spent some time playing and reading her peek-a-boo books while we waited for Daddy to come home so we could Skype.

While we were playing, Zoe discovered her legs!!! At first, she was a little unsteady, but after a few tries she was standing unsupported. I took these pictures so we could surprise Daddy when he got back:


This kid has come a long way in just 10 short days. When we got her, she wouldn't put any weight on her little bowlegs, and barely even rolled over. Now she is standing and, boy, you should see how well she rolls around. But the best part is that she is happy, smiling, and enjoying every day. We think she might even like us! :)

I'm full of surprises!

Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, we met in the lobby for group photos. This was a small group for AWAA, with only 7 families. Notice the couple in the second row holding their 18-month old twin girls. They have had a bit of a rough time, but we keep telling them it goes with the territory! Luckily they still have a sense of humor.


Here are all the mommies, plus our guides Linneker and Amy in the first row.


Tuesday evening we went with Jeff and Melissa to a Mediterranean restaurant down the street for a culinary change of pace. It was called A Thousand and One Nights. There was gold everywhere... on the ceilings, the walls, the chairs...there was even a giant gilt teapot in the lobby. I was afraid if we sat there too long we would be gilded too!

I'm a giant teapot...

Our new best friends...who will we share baby supplies with when we get home?

Hmmm...what should I order?

No caption necessary.

Monday

I'm a little behind on my blogging. The internet in the hotel is painfully slow, and it takes forever to download photos. As soon as Zoe goes down, I begin downloading one picture at a time, then walk away from the computer to wash a bottle, tidy up the room, etc. then come back to the computer to download another. It is laborious, but I will be glad I did it someday. I am definitely not a scrapbooker so this is the best record Zoe will have of the last two weeks in her homeland.

So, here is what I can recall from Monday. Zoe woke up happy as usual, played on the bed as usual, chugged her bottle as usual, and did her business as usual, (have I mentioned what an easy baby she is??) then we went downstairs to the breakfast buffet and pigged out as usual. (When you type "usual" that many times it starts to look wrong!)


Amy and Linneker went to the consulate to do something with our paperwork. One of us (me) had to wait in the room from 10-12 in case they called with questions. Meanwhile, Kevin went out with Meredith to ride the subway and try to find some baby formula at a grocery store. By the way, the grocery stores here are very similar to ours except for the shopgirls hovering everywhere...these nice girls are very eager to help you find what you need (although when Kevin tried to find jelly they directed him to some sort of gelatin snacks). Before they left I warned them to be careful, "and if you wake up in a bathtub full of ice, make sure you still have both kidneys." Meredith laughed but said this was not that kind of subway...it is very clean and safe. This is his family's second trip to China to adopt, so he knows his way around Guangzhou a little better than the rest of us. Can you spot the American in this picture?


When Kevin returned from his shopping trip, we met the group for another excursion on Shamian Island. The older kids in our group also had to have their TB tests read at the notorious clinic I told you about (the tests were all negative...we cheered each time one of the kids got back on the bus). As you can see from most of our photos, it has been raining nearly every day here. Many areas of China are flooded. In fact, this year's floods are the worst since 1998, when over 3,600 people were killed and 20 million displaced. We have not seen much evidence of the flooding here, but we see video of it on the news. They say several hundred have died this year from the flooding and landslides. The water surrounding Shamian Island was very high.

We could see people filling sandbags on the streets that were closest to the water.


Shamian Island has many little shops that cater to the international adoption crowd. One of our favorites was Jordon's, where the owner did every child's name in calligraphy for free. We bought some more squeaky shoes, cheap Croc's, a doll, a panda backpack, and some cars for the boys. I don't think that Kevin really enjoys haggling, but he did get the owner to shave several yuans off the price.

Kevin and I got a bit weary of shopping so we settled in at the local Starbucks and waited for the group to finish. Zoe enjoyed jumping up and down and leaning backwards.

She also posed for us wearing her new hair bow (which must have been meant for a newborn 'cause it left divots in her skull!) One of the shopkeepers also gave us a sweet little pearl bracelet which we put on her ankle.



Finally, the group gathered together on the bus and we headed back to the hotel. I can't remember what we did for dinner so it must have been uneventful! I will blog about Tuesday right away so I don't forget everything.

Hugs and kisses? Maybe not!

Love,
Karen