Hi Everyone,
We are so sorry for the lack and slack of posts! Throughout the trip, we have had a lot of trouble with connections to the internet, etc. I won't go into all the details, but it seems we have a different set of issues in each city. The posts you are getting are coming via email to my sister back home and she is posting for us (Thanks Sara!). That has been working quite well as we cannot see or access the blog from China (it is blocked). Here in Guangzhou, we are experiencing the problem of getting kicked out of our email multiple times while trying to send emails. It sometimes takes twenty or more tries before we can get one to go through! This has been a trip of a lifetime, simply amazing for a million and one reasons. Thank you all for your support and we promise to eventually get all of our awesome photos and stories posted.
Love,
Joelle, Chandler, Seneca and Mira Fu Xi
10 May 2011
08 May 2011
Day 15 - mother's day
May 8, 2011
Today, we finally felt like we could participate in the sightseeing activity for the day with our adoption group. Mira Fu Xi is doing much better each day. She has been eating a little bit more and is starting to show us some of her personality.
Our adoption coordinater in Guangzhou, Michael, took us to see the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. This is a very old temple in Guangzhou, built over 1400 years ago. It is still a working temple, bustling with monks and people visiting and praying. It was a lovely experience and a perfect setting for this special day.
The highlight of our visit was a blessing ceremony performed by one of the monks for peace and happiness to our newly adopted children. (We are travelling with another family from Northern California that is also with our adoption agency - I will write more about them later). Chandler took a video of the ceremony which I will have to figure out how to post later... For now, here are some wonderful photos from our visit.
It was a beautiful Mother's Day!
Today, we finally felt like we could participate in the sightseeing activity for the day with our adoption group. Mira Fu Xi is doing much better each day. She has been eating a little bit more and is starting to show us some of her personality.
Our adoption coordinater in Guangzhou, Michael, took us to see the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. This is a very old temple in Guangzhou, built over 1400 years ago. It is still a working temple, bustling with monks and people visiting and praying. It was a lovely experience and a perfect setting for this special day.
The highlight of our visit was a blessing ceremony performed by one of the monks for peace and happiness to our newly adopted children. (We are travelling with another family from Northern California that is also with our adoption agency - I will write more about them later). Chandler took a video of the ceremony which I will have to figure out how to post later... For now, here are some wonderful photos from our visit.
It was a beautiful Mother's Day!
05 May 2011
Day 12 - cry, sleep, drink water, repeat
May 5, 2011
To sum up today in one word: inconsolable. We are in the thick of it now. You can visibly and audibly tell that Mira Fu Xi is grieving. She woke up crying and except for the 2 oz of milk/cereal she chugged first thing, she pretty much just cried, slept and had little sips of water for most of the day.
It is hard to watch. Really hard. We were prepared for this by our adoption agency, but it all seems so abstract until you are standing there with a baby who is miserable and there isn't a whole lot you can do to fix it.
And so, we went along through the day, taking turns walking and swaying with her (there would be no sitting - she made that clear). But, at least she wanted to be held.
In total, she made it through @ 8 oz of water plus the 2 oz of milk/ cereal from early morning. Not enough, but something.
There were some bright spots in the latter part of the day - she had her first poop, we finally gave her a sponge bath, and she was pretty calm by the end of the day.
Seneca is doing great with her! At one point, when Mira was crying, Seneca came over and pulled her pacifier out of her own mouth and offered it to Mira!
It is early morning on may 6 now. We will leave today to fly to Guangzhou. (I will talk more about Nanchang later) the girls slept through the night and are still asleep so that is good. All is calm.
In this photo: a moment of sleep between bouts of crying.
In this photo: Seneca at a museum with Daddy and the other family traveling with us - mommy and Mira stayed at the hotel so Mira could cry and sleep.
In this photo: a little happier, discovering some ring toys... ( more on her development later)
To sum up today in one word: inconsolable. We are in the thick of it now. You can visibly and audibly tell that Mira Fu Xi is grieving. She woke up crying and except for the 2 oz of milk/cereal she chugged first thing, she pretty much just cried, slept and had little sips of water for most of the day.
It is hard to watch. Really hard. We were prepared for this by our adoption agency, but it all seems so abstract until you are standing there with a baby who is miserable and there isn't a whole lot you can do to fix it.
And so, we went along through the day, taking turns walking and swaying with her (there would be no sitting - she made that clear). But, at least she wanted to be held.
In total, she made it through @ 8 oz of water plus the 2 oz of milk/ cereal from early morning. Not enough, but something.
There were some bright spots in the latter part of the day - she had her first poop, we finally gave her a sponge bath, and she was pretty calm by the end of the day.
Seneca is doing great with her! At one point, when Mira was crying, Seneca came over and pulled her pacifier out of her own mouth and offered it to Mira!
It is early morning on may 6 now. We will leave today to fly to Guangzhou. (I will talk more about Nanchang later) the girls slept through the night and are still asleep so that is good. All is calm.
In this photo: a moment of sleep between bouts of crying.
In this photo: Seneca at a museum with Daddy and the other family traveling with us - mommy and Mira stayed at the hotel so Mira could cry and sleep.
In this photo: a little happier, discovering some ring toys... ( more on her development later)
04 May 2011
Day 11 - first full day with Mira Fu Xi
May 4, 2011
We didn't take many photos today, just hung around and tried to get to know each other, figure things out and get some rest.
After a fitful night for Mira Fu Xi, the girls woke up and spent some time in the morning together. The first thing Seneca asked when she woke up in the morning was "where baby go?". Seneca has been amazing, curious, gentle and fairly cooperative. Of course, she is having difficulties here and there, but, overall she is handling things much better than we would have expected.
On the other hand, Mira Fu Xi is a bit scared of Seneca and doesn't like her to get too close. We need to give her time.
Mira is responding well to everyone, but is clearly in distress and grieving for her previous life. She has moments of calm where we get a glimpse of a smile or some curiosity as she looks deeply at you. Then, in the next moment, she is quivering and she wrings her little hands together and puts her finger to her pouty bottom lip. She hasn't really had a good cry yet, just some soft whimpering and almost silent sobbing. It is heartbreaking to watch her go through this, but over time, things will get better as she gets more comfortable with us.
Again, photos from iPhone. I promise we have more and better ones, but this is what we could handle for today!
We didn't take many photos today, just hung around and tried to get to know each other, figure things out and get some rest.
After a fitful night for Mira Fu Xi, the girls woke up and spent some time in the morning together. The first thing Seneca asked when she woke up in the morning was "where baby go?". Seneca has been amazing, curious, gentle and fairly cooperative. Of course, she is having difficulties here and there, but, overall she is handling things much better than we would have expected.
On the other hand, Mira Fu Xi is a bit scared of Seneca and doesn't like her to get too close. We need to give her time.
Mira is responding well to everyone, but is clearly in distress and grieving for her previous life. She has moments of calm where we get a glimpse of a smile or some curiosity as she looks deeply at you. Then, in the next moment, she is quivering and she wrings her little hands together and puts her finger to her pouty bottom lip. She hasn't really had a good cry yet, just some soft whimpering and almost silent sobbing. It is heartbreaking to watch her go through this, but over time, things will get better as she gets more comfortable with us.
Again, photos from iPhone. I promise we have more and better ones, but this is what we could handle for today!
03 May 2011
More Trouble Posting
We have been having a lot of trouble posting to the blog in China due to spotty internet connections. We travelled all day yesterday to get to Nanchang. We have also had a few mishaps during our trip that have caused us to be short on time. My sister Amy broke her leg and my dad had his wallet stolen. Today (Tuesday May 3rd) we get Fu Xi and hope to post photos as soon as possible!!
Mira Fu Xi
Please Bear with us....We are still having major issues trying to get Internet service. Here is an update and some photos of our first day with Mira Fu Xi. These are all from Chandler's phone (the only thing we can get service on in the room). We have a lot more photos on the camera to download!
This Photo is from lunch maybe an hour or two after we got Mira Fu Xi. She was eating some noodles and we got a tiny smile and coo from her during this time.
I planned on posting last night but fell asleep while trying to get the girls to sleep.
This photo is of us signing the adoption certificate. At least that is what I think we were doing...
The overnight has been rough. It is currently 5:39am - she has been up a lot tossing and turning and crying softly. We couldn't get her to take her milk/rice cereal yesterday - only the few noodles and a little fried rice at dinner. So, she was probably hungry. We finally got her to take water before bed and she had an ounce or two periodically through the night. Finally at 3:30am she took half the milk/rice cereal bottle. The orphanage gave us the milk and cereal so she is familiar with it, but we are not sure if we are mixing it right since their instructions were a little confusing. We will try more noodles and some congee today to see if things will be better.
She is totally cute and crosses her little fingers and puts her ring finger on her bottom quivering pouty lip when she is nervous. She is little peanut, I think smaller than they told us. She tucks her legs up under her when you hold her.
Seneca is doing well with her. She just says, "mommy, my turn" when she wants to sit with me or wants me to hold her. She was a bit cranky yesterday, but was handling it all much better than we thought. More to come later!?!
This Photo is from lunch maybe an hour or two after we got Mira Fu Xi. She was eating some noodles and we got a tiny smile and coo from her during this time.
I planned on posting last night but fell asleep while trying to get the girls to sleep.
This photo is of us signing the adoption certificate. At least that is what I think we were doing...
The overnight has been rough. It is currently 5:39am - she has been up a lot tossing and turning and crying softly. We couldn't get her to take her milk/rice cereal yesterday - only the few noodles and a little fried rice at dinner. So, she was probably hungry. We finally got her to take water before bed and she had an ounce or two periodically through the night. Finally at 3:30am she took half the milk/rice cereal bottle. The orphanage gave us the milk and cereal so she is familiar with it, but we are not sure if we are mixing it right since their instructions were a little confusing. We will try more noodles and some congee today to see if things will be better.
She is totally cute and crosses her little fingers and puts her ring finger on her bottom quivering pouty lip when she is nervous. She is little peanut, I think smaller than they told us. She tucks her legs up under her when you hold her.
Seneca is doing well with her. She just says, "mommy, my turn" when she wants to sit with me or wants me to hold her. She was a bit cranky yesterday, but was handling it all much better than we thought. More to come later!?!
Day 10 - Meeting Mira Fu Xi
May 3, 2011
Finally, some long awaited photos of our "Forever Family Day!"
Finally, some long awaited photos of our "Forever Family Day!"
27 April 2011
Technical Difficulties...
We are having technical difficulties updating and posting to the blog in China hopefully we will be up and running soon??? If not we will have to go to Plan B.
Stay Tuned...
Stay Tuned...
26 April 2011
Day 3 - Tiananmen Square
April 26, 2011
I think we can some up our activities on day 3 as: overwhelming, vast, amazing, and constant "paparazzi". Even though Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were extremely crowded, we still stood out in the crowd. We try to oblige as much as possible, as the Chinese curiosity is well intentioned, but at one point, when Seneca fell asleep in the sling, we needed to cover her so she could sleep in peace. Ironically, none of these photos accurately illustrate the hoards of people in the square!
I think we can some up our activities on day 3 as: overwhelming, vast, amazing, and constant "paparazzi". Even though Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were extremely crowded, we still stood out in the crowd. We try to oblige as much as possible, as the Chinese curiosity is well intentioned, but at one point, when Seneca fell asleep in the sling, we needed to cover her so she could sleep in peace. Ironically, none of these photos accurately illustrate the hoards of people in the square!
25 April 2011
Day 2 - first encounter with the "papparazzi"
April 25, 2011
It turns out that Seneca is a celebrity here in China. Who knew? The very first place we visited on the morning of our arrival, the Temple of Heaven, we encountered our first mob of curious Chinese people. They are utterly fascinated by her. We haven't really seen many other western kids her age here, but I think her hair is attracting the most attention. They are all nice, but maybe a bit intrusive. Everyone asks for a photo with her and wants to touch and hold her. She has been handling it as well as she can - but clearly gets nervous when people get too close. Now we know what it is like to be followed by the papparazzi.
It turns out that Seneca is a celebrity here in China. Who knew? The very first place we visited on the morning of our arrival, the Temple of Heaven, we encountered our first mob of curious Chinese people. They are utterly fascinated by her. We haven't really seen many other western kids her age here, but I think her hair is attracting the most attention. They are all nice, but maybe a bit intrusive. Everyone asks for a photo with her and wants to touch and hold her. She has been handling it as well as she can - but clearly gets nervous when people get too close. Now we know what it is like to be followed by the papparazzi.
Day 2 - the park at the Temple of Heaven
April 25, 2011
The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by some beautiful grounds that are open to the public. During the week, this area is heavily used by retired locals. In China, people are required to retire at age 50. With the huge population in china, this ensures that the younger people have some opportunities at jobs as well. Obviously, this means that there are a lot of retired Chinese people that still have a lot time and energy.
Most retired Chinese help raise their grandchildren. However, with the one child policy, there are definitely fewer children to care for. Many people spend their days in the parks participating in activities such as Tai Chi, badminton, dance and other forms of exercise. There are also groups that meet regularly to play cards and mah jongg and these games can get very animated! We were impressed by the number of people in the park and how many were participating in activities, especially the physical activities. This is something we don't see as often in the US.
In this photo: I think they are doing some form of Tai Chi
In this photo: between each pillar, there is a vigorous card or mah jongg game going on!
In this photo: Seneca joins the ladies during their "scarf" dancing. She was a big hit and had several of the ladies giggling (and then getting distracted and missing their steps)
The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by some beautiful grounds that are open to the public. During the week, this area is heavily used by retired locals. In China, people are required to retire at age 50. With the huge population in china, this ensures that the younger people have some opportunities at jobs as well. Obviously, this means that there are a lot of retired Chinese people that still have a lot time and energy.
Most retired Chinese help raise their grandchildren. However, with the one child policy, there are definitely fewer children to care for. Many people spend their days in the parks participating in activities such as Tai Chi, badminton, dance and other forms of exercise. There are also groups that meet regularly to play cards and mah jongg and these games can get very animated! We were impressed by the number of people in the park and how many were participating in activities, especially the physical activities. This is something we don't see as often in the US.
In this photo: I think they are doing some form of Tai Chi
In this photo: between each pillar, there is a vigorous card or mah jongg game going on!
In this photo: Seneca joins the ladies during their "scarf" dancing. She was a big hit and had several of the ladies giggling (and then getting distracted and missing their steps)
Day 2 - the Temple of Heaven
April 25, 2011
Our first stop on the Beijing tour was the Temple of Heaven, built by one of the chinese emperors whose name and dynasty escape me right now. We did not bring a guidebook and I did not take notes, so please forgive my lack of facts and information on occasion... (I will come back and fill in some gaps when I get back to the US).
You will see a photo below of Seneca with our guide, Christina.
Our first stop on the Beijing tour was the Temple of Heaven, built by one of the chinese emperors whose name and dynasty escape me right now. We did not bring a guidebook and I did not take notes, so please forgive my lack of facts and information on occasion... (I will come back and fill in some gaps when I get back to the US).
You will see a photo below of Seneca with our guide, Christina.
24 April 2011
Day 1 - fly to Beijing
April 24, 2011
Our flight to Beijing left LAX at 1:40am early Sunday morning. We had been keeping Seneca awake late for the last three nights in the hopes that it would help her with the transition to china time (15 hr difference). She did well staying up until 1am the first night, midnight the second, and @1:30am on the night of the flight. She was a trooper.
The flight was good. It arrived early. Everyone got a chance to sleep on the 12+ hour flight - Seneca probably slept 8-9 hrs of the flight.
We had arranged for a guide in Beijing, and she met us at the airport @ 5:30am. Her name is Christina - she picked this name herself because she likes christina aguilera. It is common in china for people to adopt a western style name. Christina is wonderful, full of information, and extremely helpful and friendly. Seneca took to her very quickly and they walked hand in hand several times during the day.
We were able to check into our hotel immediately. We had a chance to freshen up after the long flight and eat some breakfast before meeting up with Christina and our driver, Mr. Huang for a visit to the Temple of Heaven.
Our flight to Beijing left LAX at 1:40am early Sunday morning. We had been keeping Seneca awake late for the last three nights in the hopes that it would help her with the transition to china time (15 hr difference). She did well staying up until 1am the first night, midnight the second, and @1:30am on the night of the flight. She was a trooper.
The flight was good. It arrived early. Everyone got a chance to sleep on the 12+ hour flight - Seneca probably slept 8-9 hrs of the flight.
We had arranged for a guide in Beijing, and she met us at the airport @ 5:30am. Her name is Christina - she picked this name herself because she likes christina aguilera. It is common in china for people to adopt a western style name. Christina is wonderful, full of information, and extremely helpful and friendly. Seneca took to her very quickly and they walked hand in hand several times during the day.
We were able to check into our hotel immediately. We had a chance to freshen up after the long flight and eat some breakfast before meeting up with Christina and our driver, Mr. Huang for a visit to the Temple of Heaven.
23 April 2011
24 February 2011
Referral Day
24 February, 2011
If I think back, I am pretty sure we started this journey on November 5, 2005. I would have to check the date, but this is the one that sticks out in my brain. That is the day we went to our first adoption conference to pick an agency and get things underway. (I am really going to check - I would be thrilled if my memory serves me that well!)
That was 5 years and almost 4 months ago.
Today, made it all worth the wait.
If I think back, I am pretty sure we started this journey on November 5, 2005. I would have to check the date, but this is the one that sticks out in my brain. That is the day we went to our first adoption conference to pick an agency and get things underway. (I am really going to check - I would be thrilled if my memory serves me that well!)
That was 5 years and almost 4 months ago.
Today, made it all worth the wait.
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