Christmas Season

With Thanksgiving just over, the holiday season is truly starting. I have begun making many lists of what I need to do. One of my favorite traditions is sending Christmas cards.

Fortunately, I have kept a document on the computer of all the families we send cards out to each year. This is complete with addresses. Now the biggest decision is what kind of cards to send.

In the past I have ordered holiday cards from Shutterfly. They offer a large selection of cards and make it super easy to just insert your selected picture and choose your text.

Well maybe it is not so easy. I just checked out the selection of cards and you can too.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

But wait there is more, check these out:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

And if you are like so many people and just too darn busy to send cards out before the holiday you can always choose one of these:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards

Back to Normal

I came home from the hospital last week. I am doing fine and everything is healing nicely. More importantly, Sasha is doing great. She has adjusted to her new family and new home and it feels like she has always been with us. Thank you to everyone for all your good wishes and prayers over the past few weeks. It has meant so much to me and I truly appreciate it.

Adjusting to Home

The plane ride home was, of course, long, but Sasha handled it quite well. She got a little cranky about 3 hours in and we were immediately surrounded by a herd of elderly Chinese women offering advice. This succeeded in us making sure that Sasha did not cry again. She has adjusted well to life here at home and is warming up to her siblings.

On the other hand, and much more concerning, Joanne had experienced severe foot pain in China. We went to the hospital the morning after arriving home (that's today) and it turned out that she needed emergency surgery for several clots in her right leg. She's out of the woods now but will be spending the next couple of days in the ICU as there is still a risk of hemorrhaging. Please keep her in your prayers. She plans on updating as soon as she is able.

More Photos

red couch photos-- take two

I wasn't happy with the way our red couch pictures came out. Mark pointed out that I labeled one photo "eleven babies" when there were only nine in the picture. Who knows what happened there? We brought Sasha back to the red couch. She was still wearing her fancy ladybug dress that she had on for the consulate appointment, so we figured the timing was right. She was not a very placid model, however. She much preferred to wriggle and squirm and to ultimately get off the couch to do a little running. I did manage to get a few decent photos though.

another swimming shot

Sasha goes Swimming

The White Swan has two outdoor swimming pools. We went to one yesterday. It was a perfect day for swimming; about 90 degrees and sticky. The pool that we visited had lap lanes and a more shallow end. There was no one else there and we were able to cool off. Today we went to the other pool which was more family friendly. It had a shallow wading area for little ones and had a beautiful waterfall that flowed right into the pool. Initially skeptical, Sasha cautiously dipped her feet in and little by little gained some courage. She enjoyed splashing and frolicking and was even a bit reluctant to leave when it was time to go.

Final Day in China

We spent the morning trying to buy some souvenirs and items we will use for holiday gifts. Bargaining is an intense activity on Shamian Island. Store keepers hail you in the street and try to convince you to come into their store. If you show even a passing interest in something, they put on the heavy hitting sales talk Some folks really enjoy the negotiating and hard bargaining but I am ill equipped to do it well or even at all. The man in this picture makes incredible landscape art work using charcoal and his fingers, palms and fist. It was really impressive and hard to choose just one. He originally quoted a price for four and when I hesitated to make my decisions over which to buy, he threw in a fifth. I guess that's the passive method of bargaining.

Last Breakfast at the White Swan

Breakfasts at the White Swan Hotel were a treat!

Countdown to Coming Home

I think everyone in our travel group is looking forward to coming home. Lots of moms, dads and babies have had little bouts of illness and everyone is pining away for their favorite American foods. I have been hearing about fried chicken, meatloaf, pizza, mashed potatos, "good coffee" and a nice glass of wine, to name a few.

Some Shots of Sasha

Sasha is continuing to blossom. She is showing more of her personality with each passing day. Girls from her province are called "Spicy Hunan Girls" and are known for their stubborness and determination. I am calling her our "Hunan Honey" because she also has a lot of sweetness.

Elvin the Singing Tour Guide

Elvin, our Guangzhou tour guide, is multi talented. In addition to speaking perfect English with a British accent, having a wealth of information about the history and culture of China and being unflappable in the midst of any crisis, he sings, too! Here is a shot of him crooning to us on the bus.

Guangzhou

The entry that I entitled "Streets of Guangzhou" should really have been called "Streets of Shamian Island". Last night we drove off Shamian Island into the city of Guangzhou. Here are some photos of this bustling city.

Streets of Guangzhou

Sasha looking pensive

Sasha is definitely blossoming! Her spirits are generally good; she is lively and curious. She toddles all over; quickly too. She makes joyous babbling sounds, likes to clap her hands and to play with toys. She also likes grabbing anything she can get her hands on like paper the phone, shoes, etc. She has a good appetite and squeals merrily when she gets her bib put on. Lucky for us, she is a good sleeper, too. She has been going to bed by nine pm each night and we haven't heard a peep out of her until about eight the next morning. I can't say that this will continue once we are back home but for right now, we are enjoying it.

Group Shot

Here is a photo of the whole travel group taken by our guide, Elvin. Unfortunately, he did not zoom in more so it is difficult to get a good view of individual faces. Mark, Sasha and I are kind of center left. Jane, the China program director, is at the far right. Early this morning she left by train for Hunan with one other couple and their new daughter. This little girl did not come from either of the two orphanages that the other ten girls came from, and their particular orphanage was allowing the couple and their baby, along with Jane to go for a tour.

a couple of Chinese weddings

Both yesterday and today we saw couples posing for their wedding pictures (even though it was Monday and Tuesday!). Each couple seemed to get a kick out of a bunch of American tourists also taking their pictures.

better shots from the red couch

Here are a couple of better pictures on the red couch. These are the six Hunan girls. From left to right: Anna, Kylie, Lydia, Claire, Mimi and Sasha. Mimi and Sasha are only ten days apart. They were crib-mates back at the orphanage. When we first met the babies, each of the parents were given a packet of five pictures and Mimi's parents received a picture of the two girls standing in their crib.

Mark, Joanne and Sasha by the Waterfall

This is a waterfall located on the first floor of the hotel.

The Six Hunan Beauties

Red Couch-- Eleven Babies

Red Couch-- Dads with Babies

Red Couch Pictures

When adoptive families stay at the White Swan Hotel one of the things they definitely want to do is take pictures of the babies on "The Red Couch". We have a pretty large group consisting of eleven babies so for us this was a bit of a challenge. This first picture is of the moms and the babies.

More Photos of the Physical Examination

Visa Picture and Physical Examination

This morning all of the babies had their photos taken for their Visas and then we went to have their physical examinations done. Both places were within walking distance of the hotel. It only took a couple of minutes to get photos of all eleven babies. The office where the physical exams were done was a madhouse. So many babies, parents and guides! The exam wasn't too comprehensive; just weights, lengths, head circumferences, temperatures, throat check, brief genitalia check and I think that was it. Sasha needed to be roused from a sound sleep so was a bit crabby.

The Swan Room

Yesterday afternoon while Mark and some of the others met with our guide, Elvin, to review consulate paperwork, Sasha and I went to the Swan Room which is a large playroom filled with Mattel toys. While she played with toys I chatted with some of the other folks who were there and heard some very interesting stories. One man, who was a chiropractor in the United States adopted a little girl from China about nine years ago. He and his wife, who was originally from England, had two older sons. A couple of years ago they opened a store here on Shamian Island with all the profits going to orphanages. They now live year round in Hong Kong but come to Guangzhou regularly to oversee the store. Another woman, a divorcee from Florida, just adopted a three and a half year old. She is in her early fifties and has three grown children. Her daughter is in Iraq and this lady has been caring for her two young grandchildren. The little girl she just adopted, Kate, is having a difficult time adjusting and had been on a "three day hunger strike". She just recently agreed to eat rice. The new mother is taking it all calmly. Even the thought of about twenty hours of air travel from Guangzhou to Beijing to Newark to Florida didn't seem to faze her. Talking with her put some of my own anxieties into perspective!

Going Home Barbie

This morning when we came back to the hotel room from breakfast, we found a nice surprise waiting for us. It was a "Going Home Barbie". On the box it read, "This souvenir is presented by Mattel (HK) Ltd. to adopting parents of Chinese orphan children staying at the White Swan Hotel, Guangzhou, China." Inside the box was the usual blonde haired Barbie wearing a snazzy blue skirt, jacket and hat. She is holding a smiling little Chinese baby who is dressed in a striped skirt. We will keep this souvenir safe for Sasha and give it to her when she is older and able to understand that it is indeed a special treasure from China.

Sunday Lunch

Our next stop was to a restaurant not far from the park. Most of these meals have been organized in the same manner: one large lazy loaded with a variety of dishes is placed in the center of a table. Everyone helps themselves to what they want. The offerings usually include bean curd, vegetables, pork, beef or chicken (usually sweet and sour) and rice. Just before we left, Sasha made a grab for a small bowl of hot soup and it landed right on my lap!

more photos from the Five Goat Park

Here are a few more shots from our morning excursion.