Ok, if you're still reading this, PLEASE TELL OTHER PEOPLE TO READ MY NEW POSTS!!! PLEASE! I will tell them when the new pics are up and stuff.
Ok, I have A LOT of pictures to add to the blog. I promise I will on the weekend or something but I don't have time right now. I promise I will!
For youtube- if you want to go on there to see 2 very old vidoes of Lexie then type in-
1. Day1LexNan
2. chinese man at temple of heaven
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
HOME AT LAST!
Ahh! I just arrived here in Atlanta. All of our family- including Mrs. Jordan...- came to meet us. Katie and my grandpa were there right when we got off the plane and everyone else was waiting for us. We were greeted with banners and posters and everything. Lexie loved all of the attention she was getting. She was blowing kisses and doing the silliest things. But she does NOT like the car seat. She screamed all the way home in it.
I am really excited to be home and I hope ya'll missed me too. I really missed everyone. I'm sorry I haven't updated the pics or anything at all but I promise I'll do that later. I'll tell you guys at school.
As for the blog, well, my trip to China is over and I think that I should end it now. Plus, I don't have time to type everyday anymore w/ school and all. If you want to keep up w/ the babies daily activities and just how cute she is PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW SMART AND CUTE SHE ACTS AND HOW FUNNY SHE IS! ALSO GO TO SEE MORE PICS!! PLEASE!! http://ForThisChildIPrayed-k.blogspot.com/ It is my mom's blog and she has all of the cute things that the baby does and stuff that I don't have. It's definetely worth reading and going to.
I missed you all and AHH! I'm sad but sooo excited be here and actually sleep in my own bed! Luv Ya! And thanks for acttually reading this!
Tori
I am really excited to be home and I hope ya'll missed me too. I really missed everyone. I'm sorry I haven't updated the pics or anything at all but I promise I'll do that later. I'll tell you guys at school.
As for the blog, well, my trip to China is over and I think that I should end it now. Plus, I don't have time to type everyday anymore w/ school and all. If you want to keep up w/ the babies daily activities and just how cute she is PLEASE GO TO THIS WEBSITE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW SMART AND CUTE SHE ACTS AND HOW FUNNY SHE IS! ALSO GO TO SEE MORE PICS!! PLEASE!! http://ForThisChildIPrayed-k.blogspot.com/ It is my mom's blog and she has all of the cute things that the baby does and stuff that I don't have. It's definetely worth reading and going to.
I missed you all and AHH! I'm sad but sooo excited be here and actually sleep in my own bed! Luv Ya! And thanks for acttually reading this!
Tori
In LA! Night time! lol!
Hey guys! I only have a couple of minutes to type before I fall asleep on the keys. I’m so tired and it’s like 11 o’ clock at night here so it’s kinda dark which makes it a lot harder to stat awake.
We had dinner downstairs in a private room thing. We all had a great time and I laughed the entire time. It was so great. I have to admit that I didn’t like the food that much though. It was nasty.
OMG! Lexie was adorable. She was walking around giving everybody chigas (kisses in Chinese) and blowing kisses. She was talking on the phone- sort of, it was more like “Ba bo ba bo ba!!” She was so cute and for some reason she really attached on to my 2nd cousin (I think she’s my second cousin…) Brianna A LOT! When it was time for them to leave Lexie started balling when she was torn away from Brianna. Brianna was crying too. It was really sad.
When we were going back to the hotel room we were running w/ Lexie in the halls. She had thankfully dismissed the separation after a while and was soon laughing again with mom. This is when the accident happened. My mom was running to Lexie , who was infront of my dad and my dad was running behind Lexie. I was leaning against the wall watching them. Mom and Dad were both completely focused on Lexie and hardly noticed eachother running towards her or behind her. I was thinking as they were running towards eachother, “Are they really going to hit? They couldn’t, could they? Why don’t they see each other?” Then BOOM! They crashed heads and they were both in loads of pain w/ Chi Chi laughing beneath them. It was awful. The accident led to a large bruise on both of my parents head. However painful, it was hilarious and I was trying so hard not to laugh.
Before Lexie went to bed, we were playing a game. I was running behind the curtains and she would chase me laughing and screaming trying to find me. She was having so much fun in the curtains and I wish we had some like that at home. It was histerical. She is so funny you guys and I love her but sometimes I want to hit her-lol!! That’s sisters for ya! I can’t wait till I see my family and my house tomorrow! I can’t wait! AH!
Goodnight everybody! I miss you!
We had dinner downstairs in a private room thing. We all had a great time and I laughed the entire time. It was so great. I have to admit that I didn’t like the food that much though. It was nasty.
OMG! Lexie was adorable. She was walking around giving everybody chigas (kisses in Chinese) and blowing kisses. She was talking on the phone- sort of, it was more like “Ba bo ba bo ba!!” She was so cute and for some reason she really attached on to my 2nd cousin (I think she’s my second cousin…) Brianna A LOT! When it was time for them to leave Lexie started balling when she was torn away from Brianna. Brianna was crying too. It was really sad.
When we were going back to the hotel room we were running w/ Lexie in the halls. She had thankfully dismissed the separation after a while and was soon laughing again with mom. This is when the accident happened. My mom was running to Lexie , who was infront of my dad and my dad was running behind Lexie. I was leaning against the wall watching them. Mom and Dad were both completely focused on Lexie and hardly noticed eachother running towards her or behind her. I was thinking as they were running towards eachother, “Are they really going to hit? They couldn’t, could they? Why don’t they see each other?” Then BOOM! They crashed heads and they were both in loads of pain w/ Chi Chi laughing beneath them. It was awful. The accident led to a large bruise on both of my parents head. However painful, it was hilarious and I was trying so hard not to laugh.
Before Lexie went to bed, we were playing a game. I was running behind the curtains and she would chase me laughing and screaming trying to find me. She was having so much fun in the curtains and I wish we had some like that at home. It was histerical. She is so funny you guys and I love her but sometimes I want to hit her-lol!! That’s sisters for ya! I can’t wait till I see my family and my house tomorrow! I can’t wait! AH!
Goodnight everybody! I miss you!
In LA! I'll be home tomorrow!
Hey everybody! We landed in LA like a couple of hours ago! The flight here wasn’t as bad as I expected. Lexie had a hard time going to sleep because usually she rolls around during the night and she couldn’t really do that on the airplane so she kept screaming and crying. Overall she did good though and she wasn’t a huge pain. I watched like 2 movies on the plane. They have tons. It was awesome in first class! The chairs turn into beds and it’s awesome! It was a good trip and I’m so glad I’m here. My Aunt Patty and Uncle Jim met us at the airport and they were so excited. It was a little over whelming!-lol! Kim and Brianna and Tiffany and Joey met us at the hotel where we’re staying at. We’re having dinner downstairs in a couple of minutes and I have to get ready. I’ll type tonight if I have time. I miss ya’ll so much and I’m flying for Atlanta tomorrow! AHHH! I get to sleep in my own bed-lol!!!
In Hong Kong- 1 step closer! Ahh!!
Hey guys! I’m in Hong Kong! It’s a 4 hour lay over here before we get on the plane to go to LA! I’m so excited. I can’t wait to show you guys the stuff I bought for you! I don’t know if everyone will like it, but you can’t loose it or anything!!! Lexie keeps pooping for some reason and we’ve changed her diaper like 4 times, it’s so nasty. Right now we’re playing on the floor and Lexie’s looking out of the window at all of the planes. It’s so cute. I can’t wait to see you guys and I miss everybody!
Hey Jennie! If you’re reading this, I wish I could see you too!!!
Hey Jennie! If you’re reading this, I wish I could see you too!!!
OMG! My last day in China! I'm so sad!!
Hey guys! It's my last night in China and I can't believe it! I'm so sad! I'll tell you all about today because it was really great and I know that Ashley will be happy after she reads this- lol! You'll see!!
Ok, today we got up bright and early to go to a Chinese school. The kids were practicing their English with us. They had the craziest names that they got to choose, Lisa, John, and even Spider. We asked him why that was his name and he said because of Spiderman. I thought of Anthony Papa! I called him Spiderman the whole way around the school. When I was in second and third grade I used to be obsessed with this cartoon show called DragonBallZ- which Spiderman liked! How crazy is that! We became friends.. lol! They had a huge school with lots of plants and even a ZOO on the top... well not a real zoo- but they did have tons of doves, a goat, an ostrich type thing, and even a monkey! It was hilarious.
When we first arrived there we had to tell the kids where we were from and stuff. Our job was to entertain them. For some reason my mom had told a lady that I could sing so Lynn blurted out," Tori should sing for us." It was awful. I had no idea that my mom had told her and I was put on the spot. I couldn't say no now. It was horrible. But I figured that I wouldn't see any of the kids ever again so I did it and it was fine. They cheered for me afterwards so I felt better about it. Then later the music teacher dragged me into her 2nd grade music classroom and I had to sing for them to. It was no big deal but it was really surprising and a weird experience.
Chi Chi loved all of the kids at the school and wouldn't sit still. She was being crazy. I figured out that Lexie thinks it's funny or something when people mess up. If I fall or if she drops something she cracks up. She also still likes to hit me. I know you're happy Ari- lol!
After the school we went back to the hotel for a nap. Lexie was being so cute! She was having lots of fun dancing and singing with me. It was very funny. She was having so much fun.
Oh! I don't know if I mentioned this but last night I was spraying Chi Chi w/ the water sprayer thing and she was cracking up. I mean, she would run away screaming and laughing after I sprayed her and then coming back for more. It was hilarious. I have to show ya'll. Ya'll are gonna love her.
After her nap we did this really important trip (although I don't know WHY it's so important) but we got her visa done. Oh!- never mind, I know why it's important. DUH! She's becoming an American citizen. Brain fart! Ah! Anyway, we had to go to the US embassy and it was a long wait before we had to take this oath thing that all of the information that we gave them was correct. They had a big play area with a sea saw thing, so Lexie was happy.
After that, we went out to dinner with 2 other families.. the 2 families that we had already gone out to dinner w/. By the way... the family that we went out to dinner w/ a while ago, their last name is Chang... I think I made that up or something, idk. Anyway, we had a really fun time and I can't wait to see them again and I hope it's soon.
Before I stop typing I just want to say that my trip in China, however stressful and uneventful as it sounds, was really a great experience. I learned so much more stuff than I could have EVER learned in 2 weeks of school. I mean, who learns anything useful out of a text book! We'll never use the information that we are given in any of the subjects again. But to experience a culture and to really get your hands dirty and to be enveloped in new customs and languages is so much different- you know!! I'm so glad that I went even if I have to do SO much homework!
I'm really not looking forward to the flight tomorrow from Hong Kong to LA. It's 11 hours and I'm scared how Chi Chi will manage sitting down that long. We have 1st class- and not business class- on the flight so it will be a lot better! I'll type on the blog when I get to Hong Kong and tomorrow morning! I miss ya'll so much and I'm so excited to get home.
Oh.. I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm staying a night in LA to have Thanksgiving with some of my family that lives there! It should be lots of fun! I can't wait to see ya'll!
Ok, today we got up bright and early to go to a Chinese school. The kids were practicing their English with us. They had the craziest names that they got to choose, Lisa, John, and even Spider. We asked him why that was his name and he said because of Spiderman. I thought of Anthony Papa! I called him Spiderman the whole way around the school. When I was in second and third grade I used to be obsessed with this cartoon show called DragonBallZ- which Spiderman liked! How crazy is that! We became friends.. lol! They had a huge school with lots of plants and even a ZOO on the top... well not a real zoo- but they did have tons of doves, a goat, an ostrich type thing, and even a monkey! It was hilarious.
When we first arrived there we had to tell the kids where we were from and stuff. Our job was to entertain them. For some reason my mom had told a lady that I could sing so Lynn blurted out," Tori should sing for us." It was awful. I had no idea that my mom had told her and I was put on the spot. I couldn't say no now. It was horrible. But I figured that I wouldn't see any of the kids ever again so I did it and it was fine. They cheered for me afterwards so I felt better about it. Then later the music teacher dragged me into her 2nd grade music classroom and I had to sing for them to. It was no big deal but it was really surprising and a weird experience.
Chi Chi loved all of the kids at the school and wouldn't sit still. She was being crazy. I figured out that Lexie thinks it's funny or something when people mess up. If I fall or if she drops something she cracks up. She also still likes to hit me. I know you're happy Ari- lol!
After the school we went back to the hotel for a nap. Lexie was being so cute! She was having lots of fun dancing and singing with me. It was very funny. She was having so much fun.
Oh! I don't know if I mentioned this but last night I was spraying Chi Chi w/ the water sprayer thing and she was cracking up. I mean, she would run away screaming and laughing after I sprayed her and then coming back for more. It was hilarious. I have to show ya'll. Ya'll are gonna love her.
After her nap we did this really important trip (although I don't know WHY it's so important) but we got her visa done. Oh!- never mind, I know why it's important. DUH! She's becoming an American citizen. Brain fart! Ah! Anyway, we had to go to the US embassy and it was a long wait before we had to take this oath thing that all of the information that we gave them was correct. They had a big play area with a sea saw thing, so Lexie was happy.
After that, we went out to dinner with 2 other families.. the 2 families that we had already gone out to dinner w/. By the way... the family that we went out to dinner w/ a while ago, their last name is Chang... I think I made that up or something, idk. Anyway, we had a really fun time and I can't wait to see them again and I hope it's soon.
Before I stop typing I just want to say that my trip in China, however stressful and uneventful as it sounds, was really a great experience. I learned so much more stuff than I could have EVER learned in 2 weeks of school. I mean, who learns anything useful out of a text book! We'll never use the information that we are given in any of the subjects again. But to experience a culture and to really get your hands dirty and to be enveloped in new customs and languages is so much different- you know!! I'm so glad that I went even if I have to do SO much homework!
I'm really not looking forward to the flight tomorrow from Hong Kong to LA. It's 11 hours and I'm scared how Chi Chi will manage sitting down that long. We have 1st class- and not business class- on the flight so it will be a lot better! I'll type on the blog when I get to Hong Kong and tomorrow morning! I miss ya'll so much and I'm so excited to get home.
Oh.. I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm staying a night in LA to have Thanksgiving with some of my family that lives there! It should be lots of fun! I can't wait to see ya'll!
M
Hey guys! It's my last night in China and I can't believe it! I'm so sad! I'll tell you all about today because it was really great and I know that Ashley will be happy after she reads this- lol! You'll see!!
Ok, today we got up bright and early to go to a Chinese school. The kids were practicing their English with us. They had the craziest names that they got to choose, Lisa, John, and even Spider. We asked him why that was his name and he said because of Spiderman. I thought of Anthony Papa! I called him Spiderman the whole way around the school. When I was in second and third grade I used to be obsessed with this cartoon show called DragonBallZ- which Spiderman liked! How crazy is that! We became friends.. lol! They had a huge school with lots of plants and even a ZOO on the top... well not a real zoo- but they did have tons of doves, a goat, an ostrich type thing, and even a monkey! It was hilarious.
When we first arrived there we had to tell the kids where we were from and stuff. Our job was to entertain them. For some reason my mom had told a lady that I could sing so Lynn blurted out," Tori should sing for us." It was awful. I had no idea that my mom had told her and I was put on the spot. I couldn't say no now. It was horrible. But I figured that I wouldn't see any of the kids ever again so I did it and it was fine. They cheered for me afterwards so I felt better about it. Then later the music teacher dragged me into her 2nd grade music classroom and I had to sing for them to. It was no big deal but it was really surprising and a weird experience.
Chi Chi loved all of the kids at the school and wouldn't sit still. She was being crazy. I figured out that Lexie thinks it's funny or something when people mess up. If I fall or if she drops something she cracks up. She also still likes to hit me. I know you're happy Ari- lol!
After the school we went back to the hotel for a nap. Lexie was being so cute! She was having lots of fun dancing and singing with me. It was very funny. She was having so much fun.
Oh! I don't know if I mentioned this but last night I was spraying Chi Chi w/ the water sprayer thing and she was cracking up. I mean, she would run away screaming and laughing after I sprayed her and then coming back for more. It was hilarious. I have to show ya'll. Ya'll are gonna love her.
After her nap we did this really important trip (although I don't know WHY it's so important) but we got her visa done. Oh!- never mind, I know why it's important. DUH! She's becoming an American citizen. Brain fart! Ah! Anyway, we had to go to the US embassy and it was a long wait before we had to take this oath thing that all of the information that we gave them was correct. They had a big play area with a sea saw thing, so Lexie was happy.
After that, we went out to dinner with 2 other families.. the 2 families that we had already gone out to dinner w/. By the way... the family that we went out to dinner w/ a while ago, their last name is Chang... I think I made that up or something, idk. Anyway, we had a really fun time and I can't wait to see them again and I hope it's soon.
Before I stop typing I just want to say that my trip in China, however stressful and uneventful as it sounds, was really a great experience. I learned so much more stuff than I could have EVER learned in 2 weeks of school. I mean, who learns anything useful out of a text book! We'll never use the information that we are given in any of the subjects again. But to experience a culture and to really get your hands dirty and to be enveloped in new customs and languages is so much different- you know!! I'm so glad that I went even if I have to do SO much homework!
I'm really not looking forward to the flight tomorrow from Hong Kong to LA. It's 11 hours and I'm scared how Chi Chi will manage sitting down that long. We have 1st class- and not business class- on the flight so it will be a lot better! I'll type on the blog when I get to Hong Kong and tomorrow morning! I miss ya'll so much and I'm so excited to get home.
Oh.. I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm staying a night in LA to have Thanksgiving with some of my family that lives there! It should be lots of fun! I can't wait to see ya'll!
Ok, today we got up bright and early to go to a Chinese school. The kids were practicing their English with us. They had the craziest names that they got to choose, Lisa, John, and even Spider. We asked him why that was his name and he said because of Spiderman. I thought of Anthony Papa! I called him Spiderman the whole way around the school. When I was in second and third grade I used to be obsessed with this cartoon show called DragonBallZ- which Spiderman liked! How crazy is that! We became friends.. lol! They had a huge school with lots of plants and even a ZOO on the top... well not a real zoo- but they did have tons of doves, a goat, an ostrich type thing, and even a monkey! It was hilarious.
When we first arrived there we had to tell the kids where we were from and stuff. Our job was to entertain them. For some reason my mom had told a lady that I could sing so Lynn blurted out," Tori should sing for us." It was awful. I had no idea that my mom had told her and I was put on the spot. I couldn't say no now. It was horrible. But I figured that I wouldn't see any of the kids ever again so I did it and it was fine. They cheered for me afterwards so I felt better about it. Then later the music teacher dragged me into her 2nd grade music classroom and I had to sing for them to. It was no big deal but it was really surprising and a weird experience.
Chi Chi loved all of the kids at the school and wouldn't sit still. She was being crazy. I figured out that Lexie thinks it's funny or something when people mess up. If I fall or if she drops something she cracks up. She also still likes to hit me. I know you're happy Ari- lol!
After the school we went back to the hotel for a nap. Lexie was being so cute! She was having lots of fun dancing and singing with me. It was very funny. She was having so much fun.
Oh! I don't know if I mentioned this but last night I was spraying Chi Chi w/ the water sprayer thing and she was cracking up. I mean, she would run away screaming and laughing after I sprayed her and then coming back for more. It was hilarious. I have to show ya'll. Ya'll are gonna love her.
After her nap we did this really important trip (although I don't know WHY it's so important) but we got her visa done. Oh!- never mind, I know why it's important. DUH! She's becoming an American citizen. Brain fart! Ah! Anyway, we had to go to the US embassy and it was a long wait before we had to take this oath thing that all of the information that we gave them was correct. They had a big play area with a sea saw thing, so Lexie was happy.
After that, we went out to dinner with 2 other families.. the 2 families that we had already gone out to dinner w/. By the way... the family that we went out to dinner w/ a while ago, their last name is Chang... I think I made that up or something, idk. Anyway, we had a really fun time and I can't wait to see them again and I hope it's soon.
Before I stop typing I just want to say that my trip in China, however stressful and uneventful as it sounds, was really a great experience. I learned so much more stuff than I could have EVER learned in 2 weeks of school. I mean, who learns anything useful out of a text book! We'll never use the information that we are given in any of the subjects again. But to experience a culture and to really get your hands dirty and to be enveloped in new customs and languages is so much different- you know!! I'm so glad that I went even if I have to do SO much homework!
I'm really not looking forward to the flight tomorrow from Hong Kong to LA. It's 11 hours and I'm scared how Chi Chi will manage sitting down that long. We have 1st class- and not business class- on the flight so it will be a lot better! I'll type on the blog when I get to Hong Kong and tomorrow morning! I miss ya'll so much and I'm so excited to get home.
Oh.. I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm staying a night in LA to have Thanksgiving with some of my family that lives there! It should be lots of fun! I can't wait to see ya'll!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Guangzhou Day 3
Hey guys! Today was a long say and I'm so tired. I'm not gonna write a lot becuase I'm so tired.
This morning we went to Chi Chi's doctor appt. It was ok except for all of the babies were screaming and it was really crowded. Chi Chi did fine and didn't cry until they took off her shoes to measure her. She was 23.8 pounds but she had a full diaper that probably added like 3 pounds.
After that we went to the park. Chi Chi had a blast. Although, it took her a while to learn that you have to climb up the stairs to get to the slide- not up the slide. The see saw was definetely her favorite though. She was having a blast on it and cracking up the whole time. It was so cute!
After her nap we took the famous red couch picture. It's when they put all of the babies in their little comonos and put them on a red couch to take a picture. It was so chaotic and the picture they took was horrible becuase the babies were screaming and crying and wouldn't sit still. Chi Chi was the only one who was just chillin out and eating her Cheerios. She was giving her Cheerios to this 8 month old baby and hanging out watching everybody go crazy.
Soon after we took a trip to the buffet for a "tea" with all of the other families. The food here is great and the desserts are AMAZING! They have chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and even chocolate icecream. I'm in HEAVEN!
Tonight we went to STARBUCKS! OMG! It was so great! I felt like I was in Atlanta again. It was cold outside so I got a hot chocolate! It was great. I think we'll be going there a lot more. yes!
Ok, I miss you guys! Tell everyone I said hi!
This morning we went to Chi Chi's doctor appt. It was ok except for all of the babies were screaming and it was really crowded. Chi Chi did fine and didn't cry until they took off her shoes to measure her. She was 23.8 pounds but she had a full diaper that probably added like 3 pounds.
After that we went to the park. Chi Chi had a blast. Although, it took her a while to learn that you have to climb up the stairs to get to the slide- not up the slide. The see saw was definetely her favorite though. She was having a blast on it and cracking up the whole time. It was so cute!
After her nap we took the famous red couch picture. It's when they put all of the babies in their little comonos and put them on a red couch to take a picture. It was so chaotic and the picture they took was horrible becuase the babies were screaming and crying and wouldn't sit still. Chi Chi was the only one who was just chillin out and eating her Cheerios. She was giving her Cheerios to this 8 month old baby and hanging out watching everybody go crazy.
Soon after we took a trip to the buffet for a "tea" with all of the other families. The food here is great and the desserts are AMAZING! They have chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and even chocolate icecream. I'm in HEAVEN!
Tonight we went to STARBUCKS! OMG! It was so great! I felt like I was in Atlanta again. It was cold outside so I got a hot chocolate! It was great. I think we'll be going there a lot more. yes!
Ok, I miss you guys! Tell everyone I said hi!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Day 4 in Guangzhou
Hey guys! Oh my gosh- I can't believe that we're leaving in 2 DAYS! I am sort of excited but I'm really sad too. I really like it here and I'm really gonna miss everything here. Could someone please tell Ms. Faraj something for me- will you tell her that I will try to study all of those words but it's just to much. I really haven't had anytime and I really am having trouble with it. Thanks! Anyway, I really miss everybody but I don't want to leave! Guangzhou is really nice and is considered the richer part of China- it's not as great as in America but it's still really nice. I am excited and sad to go...
Today we had to get up early to go to this Buddist Temple. It was really cool. They had these huge statues of the Buddah and we had this ceremony thing too (I was trying so hard not to laugh when we walked out... it was really wierd!) People burn incence to make a prayer to the Buddah. I did one but I obviosly didn't pary to the Budda- to Jesus. Everyone thanked God (or the Buddah-lol!) for their new babies and so did I. They had this big pagoda thing that used to hold the ashes of the original Buddah- although it was burned down numerous time so they were lost. It was originally built 1400 years ago but it was rebuilt once more (after it was burnt down again) around 90 years ago. It is really tall and I think it was 17 stories. I was one of the only ones in our group to climb to the top and the view was amazing. it was really cool! In and around the pagoda people are praying to the Buddah. It was a really neat.
After the temple we went SHOPPING!! Dad went to get a massage- I didn't go because I thought it'd be really awkward becuase men usually do it...yeah... We went to all different types of stores becuase you can get everything REALLY cheap here. We bought lots of things but only limited amounts becuase we don't have enough room in our suitcase. The fun thing about shopping in China is that you get to bargain. I mean, when we went to the jade and pearl market I bargained for 4 bracelets that should have cost around $28 US dollars (which is still REALLY cheap) to $12. You get everything so cheap here and I could spend all of my money if we had enough suitcase room... I wish we did. We took Lexie out to eat at this Deli shop. It was pretty good.
Ok guys- Lexie, for some reason, really like doesn't like me. I mean, she'll laugh with me and smile at me and copy everything I do... but she hits me more than everything. I don't know why and there is really nothing I can do.
For dinner we went to eat on a boat called the Blue Dolphin. We had Papa John's and it was the real thing! i was so happy. I ate a whole stupid pizza and a soda. I feel so fat! I was eating like Ari! lol! On the island, every building on the river bank has lights and lasers and all different kinds of things on it. It is beautiful! I had a lot of fun even though I'm terrified of water/ FISH!
Lexie copies everything that we do. Today she got my Dad's inhaler, shook it, and breathed on it- she didn't inhale anything. It was sooo cute!! She also knows how to brush her teeth w/ the water bottle after she saw my mom do it. Oh! And my Mom had the card key in her mouth and a second later Chi Chi had it in her mouth! It's so funny! She copies everything we do.
Tomorrow we're going to a school early in the morning- I think 9:00. I can't believe I'm leaving in 2 DAYS! It's crazy! I miss you guys!
Today we had to get up early to go to this Buddist Temple. It was really cool. They had these huge statues of the Buddah and we had this ceremony thing too (I was trying so hard not to laugh when we walked out... it was really wierd!) People burn incence to make a prayer to the Buddah. I did one but I obviosly didn't pary to the Budda- to Jesus. Everyone thanked God (or the Buddah-lol!) for their new babies and so did I. They had this big pagoda thing that used to hold the ashes of the original Buddah- although it was burned down numerous time so they were lost. It was originally built 1400 years ago but it was rebuilt once more (after it was burnt down again) around 90 years ago. It is really tall and I think it was 17 stories. I was one of the only ones in our group to climb to the top and the view was amazing. it was really cool! In and around the pagoda people are praying to the Buddah. It was a really neat.
After the temple we went SHOPPING!! Dad went to get a massage- I didn't go because I thought it'd be really awkward becuase men usually do it...yeah... We went to all different types of stores becuase you can get everything REALLY cheap here. We bought lots of things but only limited amounts becuase we don't have enough room in our suitcase. The fun thing about shopping in China is that you get to bargain. I mean, when we went to the jade and pearl market I bargained for 4 bracelets that should have cost around $28 US dollars (which is still REALLY cheap) to $12. You get everything so cheap here and I could spend all of my money if we had enough suitcase room... I wish we did. We took Lexie out to eat at this Deli shop. It was pretty good.
Ok guys- Lexie, for some reason, really like doesn't like me. I mean, she'll laugh with me and smile at me and copy everything I do... but she hits me more than everything. I don't know why and there is really nothing I can do.
For dinner we went to eat on a boat called the Blue Dolphin. We had Papa John's and it was the real thing! i was so happy. I ate a whole stupid pizza and a soda. I feel so fat! I was eating like Ari! lol! On the island, every building on the river bank has lights and lasers and all different kinds of things on it. It is beautiful! I had a lot of fun even though I'm terrified of water/ FISH!
Lexie copies everything that we do. Today she got my Dad's inhaler, shook it, and breathed on it- she didn't inhale anything. It was sooo cute!! She also knows how to brush her teeth w/ the water bottle after she saw my mom do it. Oh! And my Mom had the card key in her mouth and a second later Chi Chi had it in her mouth! It's so funny! She copies everything we do.
Tomorrow we're going to a school early in the morning- I think 9:00. I can't believe I'm leaving in 2 DAYS! It's crazy! I miss you guys!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Day 2 in Guangzhou
Hey guys! I have a lot to tell you but I gotta make it brief cuz I'm really tired. This morning we went to this Catholic Church on the island. They say that the Catholic Churchs in China are not under the Pope, but when we arrived there they had all of these pictures and calenders of him so we decided it was leginament. The Church is called St. Bernadet's. The only thing different was that it was all in chinese and we couldn't understand a word except for Amen. Oh- and that instead of shaking hands for the peace thing they bowed. They sang really loud and it was beautiful. Catholicism is a real minority here- only about 3 million people. I knowit sounds like a lot but with China's HUGE population of abour 1.4 BILLION- it's really small. It was a really nice, little, old fashion Church.
When you walk out of the Church there is this big park with lots of people- children and old people. There are lots of old people doing ti chi and playing games like haki sak. It is quite a site but it is very normal in China. I mean, if you saw people doing this in America you'de think they were crazy or something. You'de never see a group of old women laughing and playing hacki-sak but they do it all the time here- even at 9 o' clock in the morning.
After Church we went back to the hotel to eat breakfast and blah blah blah... Lexie- ok we have to start calling her that because she needs to know that's her name, not Chi Chi.
Oh! Befrore that this guy came up to my dad and asked if he could practice his english. He was really nice and he knew all about our football teams. He asked lots of questions and even took pictures of us. It was pretty cool.
Back at the hotel, Chi Chi took a nap and after we went to the zoo. On the way to the zoo I expected it to be really dirty and everything. BLAH! But it actually wasn't. They had all different kinds of animals that were really close up. They had huge tiger in individual cages, leapords, pandas, camels, these little deer type things and this HUGE monkey mountain. Lexie loved all the animals.
I noticed now- especially in the zoo- that whenever I walk by, everyone's neck seems to turn. I noticed also before at the pedestrian streetl. Everyone really respects us becuase of out little Lexie and they thank us. They give us thumb up signs and smile at the babies. They always ask how old she is and tell us how cute she is.
After the zoo we decided to go back to the park that we saw earlier in the morning. Lexie had a blast on the slide. She was soo cute!
When we arrived back at the hotel, we decided to go to the Brabeque place again with some different people. It was still great. Lexie laughed when everyone else laughed- even if she had no idea what we were laughing about. Whenever mom would go away she would yell, "Ma!" really loudly. It was adorable.
We're about to go to bed now and I am so tired- you have no idea! Anyway I really miss all of you
When you walk out of the Church there is this big park with lots of people- children and old people. There are lots of old people doing ti chi and playing games like haki sak. It is quite a site but it is very normal in China. I mean, if you saw people doing this in America you'de think they were crazy or something. You'de never see a group of old women laughing and playing hacki-sak but they do it all the time here- even at 9 o' clock in the morning.
After Church we went back to the hotel to eat breakfast and blah blah blah... Lexie- ok we have to start calling her that because she needs to know that's her name, not Chi Chi.
Oh! Befrore that this guy came up to my dad and asked if he could practice his english. He was really nice and he knew all about our football teams. He asked lots of questions and even took pictures of us. It was pretty cool.
Back at the hotel, Chi Chi took a nap and after we went to the zoo. On the way to the zoo I expected it to be really dirty and everything. BLAH! But it actually wasn't. They had all different kinds of animals that were really close up. They had huge tiger in individual cages, leapords, pandas, camels, these little deer type things and this HUGE monkey mountain. Lexie loved all the animals.
I noticed now- especially in the zoo- that whenever I walk by, everyone's neck seems to turn. I noticed also before at the pedestrian streetl. Everyone really respects us becuase of out little Lexie and they thank us. They give us thumb up signs and smile at the babies. They always ask how old she is and tell us how cute she is.
After the zoo we decided to go back to the park that we saw earlier in the morning. Lexie had a blast on the slide. She was soo cute!
When we arrived back at the hotel, we decided to go to the Brabeque place again with some different people. It was still great. Lexie laughed when everyone else laughed- even if she had no idea what we were laughing about. Whenever mom would go away she would yell, "Ma!" really loudly. It was adorable.
We're about to go to bed now and I am so tired- you have no idea! Anyway I really miss all of you
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Second Day at the White Swan Hotel
Hey guys! Today we bought so much stuff... well not really, but we went shopping at this awesome place. I'll tell you about it after I tell you about the breakfast buffet here! It's awesome!! OMG! I ate so much stuff! It was amazing. I feel 10 pounds heavier! lol! Breakfast was amazing. Chi Chi let me hold her and grabbed my hand when she wanted to walk. After we finished eating I took her to the bridge on the coy pond and she loved it! It was so cute. She loved me and was so nice to me! It was miraculous- wow, big word-lol!
After that we went back upstairs to the hotel room and hung out before Chi Chi took a nap. We had to go get her passport picture done pretty soon so we had to wake her up but we really didn't want to. So we changed her and everything and she was still sound asleep! It was so cute. She woke up though when we went downstairs with all of the noise. It was so funny... we even got her bow in w/o her making a fuss.
Oh! While we hanging out in the room Chi Chi was obsessed w/ this banana. She was stuffing her face with it! It was so funny! She was like a banana! It was adorable!
After her nap we went to this place where we got Chi Chi's picture taken for a passport. She was like the only baby that smiled and laughed. It was in a neat little store where the pics where taken. It was right next to all of these other small stores including the Ladybug Store. It's this cute little store w/ lots of different stuff... even little silk dresses for the baby. It's the neatest store. WE walked back the hotel and passed all of these stores that, for some reason, had tables set up outside. There was this one guy who was making these amazing paintings with only his fingers. It was really cool!
Then we went walking around and arrived back to the hotel and stayed there for about an hour before we went out to dinner with the Changs. They live in California and they are really nice. The food there was great! I ate 3 pieces of chicken and they had this awesome mousse thing. Chi Chi swallowed it whole! Malissa is their babies name and she had a really hard grieving time and she still kind of does but she gave me a kiss! It was so cute! It was a great dinner. We had an awesome view of the water and all of the lit up places that surround it. There is one building that had lasers or something on it so it changes colors... it's hard to explain. Anyway, we had a really fun time before Chi Chi started getting tired and we had to go back upstairs =(.
We are up in the hotel room right now and Chi Chi is crying. She does this EVERY NIGHT! It really gets on my nerves... jk! I'm really tired and we have Mass tomorrow at 8:00 and it's about a 15 minute walk. I miss all of you! Madison- if you're reading this- you have to help me decorate my room when I get back- I think we should do green and blue again! Bye!
After that we went back upstairs to the hotel room and hung out before Chi Chi took a nap. We had to go get her passport picture done pretty soon so we had to wake her up but we really didn't want to. So we changed her and everything and she was still sound asleep! It was so cute. She woke up though when we went downstairs with all of the noise. It was so funny... we even got her bow in w/o her making a fuss.
Oh! While we hanging out in the room Chi Chi was obsessed w/ this banana. She was stuffing her face with it! It was so funny! She was like a banana! It was adorable!
After her nap we went to this place where we got Chi Chi's picture taken for a passport. She was like the only baby that smiled and laughed. It was in a neat little store where the pics where taken. It was right next to all of these other small stores including the Ladybug Store. It's this cute little store w/ lots of different stuff... even little silk dresses for the baby. It's the neatest store. WE walked back the hotel and passed all of these stores that, for some reason, had tables set up outside. There was this one guy who was making these amazing paintings with only his fingers. It was really cool!
Then we went walking around and arrived back to the hotel and stayed there for about an hour before we went out to dinner with the Changs. They live in California and they are really nice. The food there was great! I ate 3 pieces of chicken and they had this awesome mousse thing. Chi Chi swallowed it whole! Malissa is their babies name and she had a really hard grieving time and she still kind of does but she gave me a kiss! It was so cute! It was a great dinner. We had an awesome view of the water and all of the lit up places that surround it. There is one building that had lasers or something on it so it changes colors... it's hard to explain. Anyway, we had a really fun time before Chi Chi started getting tired and we had to go back upstairs =(.
We are up in the hotel room right now and Chi Chi is crying. She does this EVERY NIGHT! It really gets on my nerves... jk! I'm really tired and we have Mass tomorrow at 8:00 and it's about a 15 minute walk. I miss all of you! Madison- if you're reading this- you have to help me decorate my room when I get back- I think we should do green and blue again! Bye!
Friday, November 16, 2007
We're in Guangzhou at the White Swan Hotel!
Hey ya'll! We are finally in Guangzhou and I actually had a decent meal! I'll start from the beginning of the day but I am so excited that we're finally here.
This morning we had to pack up and it took forever. There was so much stuff and Chi Chi was so hyper it was crazy. She kept doing peek-a-boo and playing with her toy phone that if you touch the center button it sings for about 5 minutes. It's abnoxious. Chi Chi loves it though. Jasmine also came in and for some reason she's obsessed with me. But I love her! She wants me to be the fun person all the time and sometimes that's easier said than done.
We finally got packed up and we were so excited to leave. We had to go on a plane though. I was thinking,"Oh, this should go well, 10 babies who have never left an orphanage crowded onto an airplane, great!" We put all of our stuff on the bus and we were off. Chi Chi wasn't mad at me today and she was being nice to me- by nice I mean not hitting me and laughing when I made funny noises! We were dragged across the airport in which case I was dragged along with Jasmine too. It was a long time before we finally got on the plane.
All of the seats on the plane were spread apart. Some families had 3 seats spread across the whole airplane- yeah right, we can put the baby in a seat by itself at the back of the airplane. My Dad had a seat near the front while my mom and I and Chi Chi were at the very back. Chi Chi wasn't one bit scared and she was chowing down on these new sweet potatoe bite things that Kelly (a mom there) gave to her. She was trying to feed another baby too and she fed me. She was being so sweet to me! Aww!!
When the plane was taking off, most of the babies were crying, but Chi Chi wasn't. I was making her laugh so she was totally distracted. She didn't even care if her ears were popping I guess.
The flight was only an hour long so it wasn't that bad. Although, they gave us these bran cookies which make Chi Chi poop so she did a huge one on the plane. It smelled SO bad. My Mom had to change her in the bathroom on the airplane. That went well-not. She was fine after that though and pretended to read her book saying, "ba bo."
Ok, this is the most exciting part! When the airplane was landing, it hurt Chi Chi's ears. She doesn't know how to pop them so it hurts. She started crying and my mom tried to pick her up but she wouldn't let her. She then cralled over to me and climed up on my lap and put her head down on my shoulder. She was grabbing onto me and crying. I was soo happy! I was comforting her and she finally closed her eyes in and tried to go to sleep. When the airplane hit the ground and finally came to a stop, my mom and I waited till most of the people had gotten off. I stood up with her and she didn't want to go to mom or start crying or even hit me. She put her head back down on my shoulder and stayed calm. I was soooo happy. I was pointing to her and all of the parents there were giving me thumbs up cuz they all knew that Chi Chi never let me hold her. When we say Dad she still was letting me hold her and didn't grab for him or anything. I was so happy and she just mad e a desicion that she liked me or something. Yes!!
I carried her through the airport and let me tell you- she is soo heavy. My arms were burning. Ah! It hurt but I wasn't complaining! I was so happy she was letting me carry her i didn't care! She pointed at a fly on a window and I went over to it. It was on the outside of the window. Chi Chi started to blow at it to make it go away but it obviosly didn't work. It was so cute though!
We then collected our bags and went onto the bus. On the drive there, Chi Chi still let me hold her and was laughing and everything! My mom decided that she wanted Chi Chi and I handed her to my mom and Chi Chi drank her bottle. Then she immedietly wanted to come back to me! I was really tired and I was half asleep so she just sat down next to me.
The only thing I remember about the drive there is that we passed beautiful feilds and it was lovely. Then we passes over this HUGE river because our hotel was on an island. Then I fell asleep until Chi Chi woke me up at the hotel.
The hotel is HUGE! It has 28 floors and a HUMINGOUS lobby. The lobby has this big waterfall- 2 stories high! And this big cod fish lake. To get to different places you get to cross a bridge over it and they even have on for the kids where they can just look over at them. The cod fish are litteratly 2 feet long. They are giant. I'll take a picture of one and put it on the blog tomorrow! When you walk in you see tons of families with adopted children. This is the last stop and I think it is required or something. We are on the 26 floor and we have a seite. It is the best. Chi Chi loved putting the card key in and out to open the door. I love it here!
When we arrived, Chi Chi was so hyper and I really don't know why. She was like bouncing off the walls and she was cracking up. We have this wierd closet in our room that has two enterences- the bathroom and the bedroom. Chi Chi and I played in it for a LONG time. I would crawl through it one way and go "Boo!" and she would die laughing. She did it to me too and it was so cute.
After our luggage came we decided that we'd go out to dinner with the little girl named Anna and her parents.It was the first decent meal I've had in a long time. I was so excited. I had pizza and cake and it was great. Chi Chi loved this fish thing there and kept trying to feed it to me but I wouldn't take it- it looked nasty.
After dinner we went back up to the room and Chi Chi was still hyper. We played the little closet game some more and then it was time for her bath. It was so funny! She would touch the running water and it would spray her face and she'd crack up! It was adorable. I think it was the most fun bath she'd ever had.
It's now time for the dreaded bedtime so I gotta go help. She's already crying so I'll write about bed time tomorrow. I miss you guys so much and tell people to reaad this stupid blog because it I'm doing this for nothing I'm gonna be real pissed-lol! Look down at the bottom of the blog for the pics!!
This morning we had to pack up and it took forever. There was so much stuff and Chi Chi was so hyper it was crazy. She kept doing peek-a-boo and playing with her toy phone that if you touch the center button it sings for about 5 minutes. It's abnoxious. Chi Chi loves it though. Jasmine also came in and for some reason she's obsessed with me. But I love her! She wants me to be the fun person all the time and sometimes that's easier said than done.
We finally got packed up and we were so excited to leave. We had to go on a plane though. I was thinking,"Oh, this should go well, 10 babies who have never left an orphanage crowded onto an airplane, great!" We put all of our stuff on the bus and we were off. Chi Chi wasn't mad at me today and she was being nice to me- by nice I mean not hitting me and laughing when I made funny noises! We were dragged across the airport in which case I was dragged along with Jasmine too. It was a long time before we finally got on the plane.
All of the seats on the plane were spread apart. Some families had 3 seats spread across the whole airplane- yeah right, we can put the baby in a seat by itself at the back of the airplane. My Dad had a seat near the front while my mom and I and Chi Chi were at the very back. Chi Chi wasn't one bit scared and she was chowing down on these new sweet potatoe bite things that Kelly (a mom there) gave to her. She was trying to feed another baby too and she fed me. She was being so sweet to me! Aww!!
When the plane was taking off, most of the babies were crying, but Chi Chi wasn't. I was making her laugh so she was totally distracted. She didn't even care if her ears were popping I guess.
The flight was only an hour long so it wasn't that bad. Although, they gave us these bran cookies which make Chi Chi poop so she did a huge one on the plane. It smelled SO bad. My Mom had to change her in the bathroom on the airplane. That went well-not. She was fine after that though and pretended to read her book saying, "ba bo."
Ok, this is the most exciting part! When the airplane was landing, it hurt Chi Chi's ears. She doesn't know how to pop them so it hurts. She started crying and my mom tried to pick her up but she wouldn't let her. She then cralled over to me and climed up on my lap and put her head down on my shoulder. She was grabbing onto me and crying. I was soo happy! I was comforting her and she finally closed her eyes in and tried to go to sleep. When the airplane hit the ground and finally came to a stop, my mom and I waited till most of the people had gotten off. I stood up with her and she didn't want to go to mom or start crying or even hit me. She put her head back down on my shoulder and stayed calm. I was soooo happy. I was pointing to her and all of the parents there were giving me thumbs up cuz they all knew that Chi Chi never let me hold her. When we say Dad she still was letting me hold her and didn't grab for him or anything. I was so happy and she just mad e a desicion that she liked me or something. Yes!!
I carried her through the airport and let me tell you- she is soo heavy. My arms were burning. Ah! It hurt but I wasn't complaining! I was so happy she was letting me carry her i didn't care! She pointed at a fly on a window and I went over to it. It was on the outside of the window. Chi Chi started to blow at it to make it go away but it obviosly didn't work. It was so cute though!
We then collected our bags and went onto the bus. On the drive there, Chi Chi still let me hold her and was laughing and everything! My mom decided that she wanted Chi Chi and I handed her to my mom and Chi Chi drank her bottle. Then she immedietly wanted to come back to me! I was really tired and I was half asleep so she just sat down next to me.
The only thing I remember about the drive there is that we passed beautiful feilds and it was lovely. Then we passes over this HUGE river because our hotel was on an island. Then I fell asleep until Chi Chi woke me up at the hotel.
The hotel is HUGE! It has 28 floors and a HUMINGOUS lobby. The lobby has this big waterfall- 2 stories high! And this big cod fish lake. To get to different places you get to cross a bridge over it and they even have on for the kids where they can just look over at them. The cod fish are litteratly 2 feet long. They are giant. I'll take a picture of one and put it on the blog tomorrow! When you walk in you see tons of families with adopted children. This is the last stop and I think it is required or something. We are on the 26 floor and we have a seite. It is the best. Chi Chi loved putting the card key in and out to open the door. I love it here!
When we arrived, Chi Chi was so hyper and I really don't know why. She was like bouncing off the walls and she was cracking up. We have this wierd closet in our room that has two enterences- the bathroom and the bedroom. Chi Chi and I played in it for a LONG time. I would crawl through it one way and go "Boo!" and she would die laughing. She did it to me too and it was so cute.
After our luggage came we decided that we'd go out to dinner with the little girl named Anna and her parents.It was the first decent meal I've had in a long time. I was so excited. I had pizza and cake and it was great. Chi Chi loved this fish thing there and kept trying to feed it to me but I wouldn't take it- it looked nasty.
After dinner we went back up to the room and Chi Chi was still hyper. We played the little closet game some more and then it was time for her bath. It was so funny! She would touch the running water and it would spray her face and she'd crack up! It was adorable. I think it was the most fun bath she'd ever had.
It's now time for the dreaded bedtime so I gotta go help. She's already crying so I'll write about bed time tomorrow. I miss you guys so much and tell people to reaad this stupid blog because it I'm doing this for nothing I'm gonna be real pissed-lol! Look down at the bottom of the blog for the pics!!
Nanchang- Orphanage!
Hey ya'll! I miss you guys sooo much. For some reason I forgot to publish a couple of posts so I'm publishing them right now. I really miss ya'll and you better miss me. Scroll down cuz there's lots of new pics! Go on the youtube thing too and I'll try to put more videos up there but it takes 4EVER!
Today we went to the Nanchang Orphanage where Chi Chi has been. Before that though we had breakfast downstairs and Chi Chi was adorable. She was blowing me kisses!! Awww! She is so cute and she just sits there stuffing her face and laughing. She loves it now when I look back and forth with just my eyes... it's hard to explain. Jasmine also came over and played with Chi Chi too! Chi Chi is the smartest baby in the whole group and I love her!
This morning I was sitting on the desk and she picked up the hair dryer and then pretended to dry her hair! It was soo cute! I turned it on and blew it in her face a little bit and she cracked up!! She is soo funny.
Then it was time to go to the orphanage. The orphanage that Chi Chi was staying at is the only one that they let you tour because our agency (Holt-adoption agency) funds it. We loaded the bus and it was a long ride there.
When we got there we could see the huge building. We were first looking for Chi Chi's abandonment spot. It was near the gates of the orphanage somewhere but Lisa told us that the mother wouldn't be able to go in that far. So she probably abandoned her by the road leading there. We didn't know the exact spot though.
We walked into the orphanage. It was very clean and it was HUGE! It's nothing like I would have expected...dirty, small, full of lice. No! It was really pretty and it had a big play ground. Chi Chi ran right towards the big sea saw. She was playing and having so much and she wouldn't leave. All I could do was video tape it because Chi Chi was angry at me again and only wanted to hit me.
Then we went upstairs to the baby unit. This is where Chi Chi probably was. There were tons of baby girls and they were so cute. There were only a couple- about 6- care takers though. All of the babies were sleeping- nap time! They were so cute.
After that we went to a place called the group homes. It is this big building with 3 floors that holds like... 24 people or so. There are 2 'parents' on each floor with 6 'kids.' This teaches them to live in a family and do family jobs and such... It is very neat. While we were in there, a lady recognized Chi Chi. She told us that the foster mother had come to the orphanage to ask how Chi Chi was doing in her new home. They told her that she was very happy and that she had 2 older sisters and young parents. Young? Ya right!-lol!! Anyway, she was an experienced foster mother (unlike the others I think) and she knew she could not see her because the transition would be even harder. We can send her pictures though and gifts which is good. She was a really good foster mother though because Chi Chi is sooo trained.. she shakes hands, walks well, runs, runs and walks upstairs, cleans up after herself, knows if she does something wrong, and is very aware of her environment. I am very thankful to her.
Then we went to the knitting group. It is where some specials needs kids are taught to knit. These people aren't kids though, they are older and they stay there if they haven't been adopted- sometimes they stay in the group homes. This way the girls with special needs can make some money. We all bought a quilt and it made their day!
As we were leaving the orphanage, Lisa came up to us and told us that she had gotten a copy of the birth note from one of the ladies there. The words on the birth note broke my heart. I cannot remember it word for word but it basically said:
My husband left us and I have no job. I really want to keep her but I cannot. This is the only way. I hope one day kindhearted people will keep her (-or something like that, I can't really remember... something about adoption.) She was born July 23 at 3:30 pm.
Isn't that sad! My parents started crying and my dad was holding Chi Chi really tightly and he was crying 2. Ok, this is the third time I have seen my dad cry over Chi Chi. To tell you the truth the whole situation was very sad, but it was very awkward because everyone was crying. I love her so much and I am so happy that her mom loved her enough to leave her at a nice orphanage and really wanted to keep her. It's so sad but I am so happy that she is with us now.
After the orpahage, we went to the hotel and ate lunch. Chi Chi was stuffing her face, as usual, and I made her giggle. After that we took a nap and played outside with the other babies for a while. Then we went out to eat at this restaurant and Chi Chi let me feed her and everything. She was nice to me there and let me walk around with her with the occasional slap in the face.
When we got home we gave Chi Chi a bath and she went to sleep with a fuss again. For some reason she keeps crying every night when we put her to bed. It is so sad. She cries Mamamam.. not just mama. It's so sad. But during the day she is fine.... weird.
Tomorrow we are leaving for "The White Swan Hotel" and I am soo excited! I am so happy to get out of here! The hotel is soo westernized and they have American restaurants and everything. I just found out that I can watch 'Alias' on the TV. Yeah Leslie, I know what you're thinking! Lol!! jk! I am so tired and I miss you guys so much. Katie- I can't wait to get back and I actually miss you-lol-jk! I know you miss my 24 hour singing right-lol! Sorry Lester, I can't send you any of those texts cuz it costs a fortune! Tell everyone I said hi ok!
Oh, by the way, Chi Chi is an amazing singer. She walks around singing ba bo ba bo. Yep, she'll fit in great! Bye!!
Today we went to the Nanchang Orphanage where Chi Chi has been. Before that though we had breakfast downstairs and Chi Chi was adorable. She was blowing me kisses!! Awww! She is so cute and she just sits there stuffing her face and laughing. She loves it now when I look back and forth with just my eyes... it's hard to explain. Jasmine also came over and played with Chi Chi too! Chi Chi is the smartest baby in the whole group and I love her!
This morning I was sitting on the desk and she picked up the hair dryer and then pretended to dry her hair! It was soo cute! I turned it on and blew it in her face a little bit and she cracked up!! She is soo funny.
Then it was time to go to the orphanage. The orphanage that Chi Chi was staying at is the only one that they let you tour because our agency (Holt-adoption agency) funds it. We loaded the bus and it was a long ride there.
When we got there we could see the huge building. We were first looking for Chi Chi's abandonment spot. It was near the gates of the orphanage somewhere but Lisa told us that the mother wouldn't be able to go in that far. So she probably abandoned her by the road leading there. We didn't know the exact spot though.
We walked into the orphanage. It was very clean and it was HUGE! It's nothing like I would have expected...dirty, small, full of lice. No! It was really pretty and it had a big play ground. Chi Chi ran right towards the big sea saw. She was playing and having so much and she wouldn't leave. All I could do was video tape it because Chi Chi was angry at me again and only wanted to hit me.
Then we went upstairs to the baby unit. This is where Chi Chi probably was. There were tons of baby girls and they were so cute. There were only a couple- about 6- care takers though. All of the babies were sleeping- nap time! They were so cute.
After that we went to a place called the group homes. It is this big building with 3 floors that holds like... 24 people or so. There are 2 'parents' on each floor with 6 'kids.' This teaches them to live in a family and do family jobs and such... It is very neat. While we were in there, a lady recognized Chi Chi. She told us that the foster mother had come to the orphanage to ask how Chi Chi was doing in her new home. They told her that she was very happy and that she had 2 older sisters and young parents. Young? Ya right!-lol!! Anyway, she was an experienced foster mother (unlike the others I think) and she knew she could not see her because the transition would be even harder. We can send her pictures though and gifts which is good. She was a really good foster mother though because Chi Chi is sooo trained.. she shakes hands, walks well, runs, runs and walks upstairs, cleans up after herself, knows if she does something wrong, and is very aware of her environment. I am very thankful to her.
Then we went to the knitting group. It is where some specials needs kids are taught to knit. These people aren't kids though, they are older and they stay there if they haven't been adopted- sometimes they stay in the group homes. This way the girls with special needs can make some money. We all bought a quilt and it made their day!
As we were leaving the orphanage, Lisa came up to us and told us that she had gotten a copy of the birth note from one of the ladies there. The words on the birth note broke my heart. I cannot remember it word for word but it basically said:
My husband left us and I have no job. I really want to keep her but I cannot. This is the only way. I hope one day kindhearted people will keep her (-or something like that, I can't really remember... something about adoption.) She was born July 23 at 3:30 pm.
Isn't that sad! My parents started crying and my dad was holding Chi Chi really tightly and he was crying 2. Ok, this is the third time I have seen my dad cry over Chi Chi. To tell you the truth the whole situation was very sad, but it was very awkward because everyone was crying. I love her so much and I am so happy that her mom loved her enough to leave her at a nice orphanage and really wanted to keep her. It's so sad but I am so happy that she is with us now.
After the orpahage, we went to the hotel and ate lunch. Chi Chi was stuffing her face, as usual, and I made her giggle. After that we took a nap and played outside with the other babies for a while. Then we went out to eat at this restaurant and Chi Chi let me feed her and everything. She was nice to me there and let me walk around with her with the occasional slap in the face.
When we got home we gave Chi Chi a bath and she went to sleep with a fuss again. For some reason she keeps crying every night when we put her to bed. It is so sad. She cries Mamamam.. not just mama. It's so sad. But during the day she is fine.... weird.
Tomorrow we are leaving for "The White Swan Hotel" and I am soo excited! I am so happy to get out of here! The hotel is soo westernized and they have American restaurants and everything. I just found out that I can watch 'Alias' on the TV. Yeah Leslie, I know what you're thinking! Lol!! jk! I am so tired and I miss you guys so much. Katie- I can't wait to get back and I actually miss you-lol-jk! I know you miss my 24 hour singing right-lol! Sorry Lester, I can't send you any of those texts cuz it costs a fortune! Tell everyone I said hi ok!
Oh, by the way, Chi Chi is an amazing singer. She walks around singing ba bo ba bo. Yep, she'll fit in great! Bye!!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Going to the Village- Day 4 w/ Chi Chi
Hey ya'll! Today we went to the Village which was probably where Chi Chi grew up. It is so poor down there. The streets are run down and full of trash. The smell is unbearable. There are dogs that are running around the streets full of ticks and flees. Babies there wear about 5 layers of clothes like Chi Chi was when we got her. In the village we also got to go inside a house which was very small and dirty. They have huge farm lands where they grow lots of crops such as cabbage. The village was very cool.At the village, Chi Chi wanted nothing to do with me. I'm used to it, but it was a lot worse there.
On the bus ride there, Lisa, our tour guide, told us why the village people prefer boys. I always thought it was because the boys would stay with the parents when they were old- like a type of security system- but there's more to it than that. In the country- where she is probably from- only boys can own the land. If the one child is a girl, they loose their land, their house, and everything. That is why they must have boys. Also, boys will stay with the parents in the old age while girls are no longer part of their family when they marry.
After the village, we went back to the hotel for a nap and we were going to go to a porclian shop. The only problem was that we had to ride a taxi which was going to be a nightmare. When we got on the taxi we were really scared. Our taxi driver was like crazy and he was yelling on his cell phone in chinese. Driving there we were knocked back and forth and it was stop and go for a long time. Chi Chi still wanted nothing to do with me =(. Then we started to feed her Cheerios because she was freaking out. She ate them and then she grabbed my mom's hand like she wanted to spit them out. The she threw up all over herself and the seat. We had to turn back around and she was laughing that she threw up. It smelled disgusting and the whole taxi thing was just a bad experience.
When we got home we took changed her into different clothes and we went to this little place across the street. It was called Tiffany's. They make little Chinese dresses and they have squeaky shoes. Squeky shoes are really popular in China. They are shoes that when you step they squek. It is so funny. At the store we bought Chi Chi some squeky shoes and a red Chinese dress with matching shoes and a matching hat. We also bought a Chinese shirt for Katie and me and the man there gave Chi Chi a pink toy for free. The lady at Tiffany's was hillarious. She was really blunt and cute and she is a perfect example of the people around here. Everyone says exactly what they think. She told us, "Oh! You're cut baby is so fat!" We laughed and she squezed her cheeks. While we were picking out dresses she pointed at one (which was totally scandalous) and said to me,"Look. This make you sexy." I started cracking up and when I did, so did Chi Chi. I liked the store though because the lady and the man were very nice and she spoke perfect english. Lea, the lady who was with us, told us that the man there said in Chinese that our baby was very cute and our family was very balanced because of the big, tall man and the small little ladies. it was very cute.
After Tiffany's we went out to dinner. We went to the same place we went to last night because all of the babies ate so much food there and we wanted to go back. At the resturant Chi Chi loved me finally. She gave me a kiss twice but on the second time she hit me- lol. For some reason she enjoys hurting me or at least hitting me and I don't know why. Anyways, they have lots of stairs there that she made me go up and down lots of times. My back was killing me! All of the other babies are so cute and there is a little baby Anna that I think is a bat because she hangs upside down a lot.
After dinner we played in the hall with all of the other babies. Chi Chi did not like Mom for some reason. She can turn on you in second. My Mom started getting upset and it really ticked me off. She does it ALL THE TIME to me so get over it! Anyway, all of the other parents were talking about how Chi Chi is so smart and she really is. She learns things really quick and she loves to imitate us.
She still is having a hard time being put to bed and stuff. I hate it when she calls "mama!" She hates me and mom at night and will only be with my dad. He loves it. It is so sad=(.
Ok, Chi Chi's foster Mom is the only foster Mom that hasn't shown up to check on the kid. It's scary for the other parents because they don't want the babies to see them and be sad. Me and my Mom are praying that Chi Chi doesn't see her if she shows up.
Ok ya'll I'm beat. I am so tired and I miss all of you. You better miss me! lol! Tell everyone to read this because I don't want to be doing this for nothing. Bye!
On the bus ride there, Lisa, our tour guide, told us why the village people prefer boys. I always thought it was because the boys would stay with the parents when they were old- like a type of security system- but there's more to it than that. In the country- where she is probably from- only boys can own the land. If the one child is a girl, they loose their land, their house, and everything. That is why they must have boys. Also, boys will stay with the parents in the old age while girls are no longer part of their family when they marry.
After the village, we went back to the hotel for a nap and we were going to go to a porclian shop. The only problem was that we had to ride a taxi which was going to be a nightmare. When we got on the taxi we were really scared. Our taxi driver was like crazy and he was yelling on his cell phone in chinese. Driving there we were knocked back and forth and it was stop and go for a long time. Chi Chi still wanted nothing to do with me =(. Then we started to feed her Cheerios because she was freaking out. She ate them and then she grabbed my mom's hand like she wanted to spit them out. The she threw up all over herself and the seat. We had to turn back around and she was laughing that she threw up. It smelled disgusting and the whole taxi thing was just a bad experience.
When we got home we took changed her into different clothes and we went to this little place across the street. It was called Tiffany's. They make little Chinese dresses and they have squeaky shoes. Squeky shoes are really popular in China. They are shoes that when you step they squek. It is so funny. At the store we bought Chi Chi some squeky shoes and a red Chinese dress with matching shoes and a matching hat. We also bought a Chinese shirt for Katie and me and the man there gave Chi Chi a pink toy for free. The lady at Tiffany's was hillarious. She was really blunt and cute and she is a perfect example of the people around here. Everyone says exactly what they think. She told us, "Oh! You're cut baby is so fat!" We laughed and she squezed her cheeks. While we were picking out dresses she pointed at one (which was totally scandalous) and said to me,"Look. This make you sexy." I started cracking up and when I did, so did Chi Chi. I liked the store though because the lady and the man were very nice and she spoke perfect english. Lea, the lady who was with us, told us that the man there said in Chinese that our baby was very cute and our family was very balanced because of the big, tall man and the small little ladies. it was very cute.
After Tiffany's we went out to dinner. We went to the same place we went to last night because all of the babies ate so much food there and we wanted to go back. At the resturant Chi Chi loved me finally. She gave me a kiss twice but on the second time she hit me- lol. For some reason she enjoys hurting me or at least hitting me and I don't know why. Anyways, they have lots of stairs there that she made me go up and down lots of times. My back was killing me! All of the other babies are so cute and there is a little baby Anna that I think is a bat because she hangs upside down a lot.
After dinner we played in the hall with all of the other babies. Chi Chi did not like Mom for some reason. She can turn on you in second. My Mom started getting upset and it really ticked me off. She does it ALL THE TIME to me so get over it! Anyway, all of the other parents were talking about how Chi Chi is so smart and she really is. She learns things really quick and she loves to imitate us.
She still is having a hard time being put to bed and stuff. I hate it when she calls "mama!" She hates me and mom at night and will only be with my dad. He loves it. It is so sad=(.
Ok, Chi Chi's foster Mom is the only foster Mom that hasn't shown up to check on the kid. It's scary for the other parents because they don't want the babies to see them and be sad. Me and my Mom are praying that Chi Chi doesn't see her if she shows up.
Ok ya'll I'm beat. I am so tired and I miss all of you. You better miss me! lol! Tell everyone to read this because I don't want to be doing this for nothing. Bye!
Day 3 w/ Chi Chi
Hey ya'll! I'm soooo sorry I didn't write again! Ahh! It's just so hard and it seems there is hardly any time at night!
Yesterday we went to a big park called People's Park. It is very cool and has lots of old buildings and these really weird shaped rocks. It is like in Mulan and it has those cool trees and the really weird bridges. Chi Chi had so much fun and met lots of new friends! lol!! She asked for my hand today-lol! I just read that sentence out loud... no we're not getting married!(that wasn't funny, sorry) Anyway, she reached up for my hand so that I would walk around with her! Ya!! I pushed her in the stroller and when we went over bumps she went "ahhhh" just like me-lol! She still is warming up to me but she treats me like a sister. She knows she can get away with things in front of me and she likes to hit me. I realized that I'm not her mom which is probably why she doesn't treat me like I am. Duh!! I'm her older sister, not her mom and I don't feel as bad when she only likes mom.
Oh! I almost forgot. This morning like 3 people went up to me with thumbs up signs and told me she was a beautiful baby when I was holding her at breakfast. She is sooooo cute and I love her..(if only she liked me-lol!)
After the People's park we went home and gave Chi Chi a nap. She hates it when she take off her clothes(especially her shoes), change her diaper, and try to put her to bed. She screamed and screamed but finally went to sleep. She sometimes calls Ma, now and it's really sad.
After nap time we walked to dinner which was about 2 minutes away. Everyone points and smiles at Chi Chi at her big cheeks! They are all so nice here, it's so much different than back home. I love it when people ask about Chi Chi.
At dinner we went it and there was this HUGE statue of a face of I think the Buddah or something. They also had these live fish that were like eels but grosser. They were swimming in these small, open tanks when you walked in. The restaurant was great though and they had REALLY spicy food! It was great.
Ok, Chi Chi was the cutest baby at the restaurant. At dinner she decided the only was she was going to eat was if she fed herself. She loved me at dinner yesterday and I was sooo excited. She wanted to drink water so I put it in the bowl and she ate it with a spoon. Then she picked up the bowl and started drinking it. They also had balloons there. SHE LOVED IT! She played forever with it and she would throw it up and it would bounce on her face and she'd crack up! It was adorable. She LOVES this conggee stuff which is rice mixed with water. At the table she fed it to me and I almost threw up. It is so nasty.
After the restaurant we went back to the hotel and played with everybody. She would run up and down the halls and then she threw a ball. We expected her to throw it soft and everything but she threw it HARD! She also shook hands with all of the babies. I'm serious! She goes up to them and grabs there hands and shakes it up and down. It's so cute.
She had a hard time going to sleep but she finally did. I was so glad. She was screaming "mama!" it broke my heart. Anyway, I'll type again tomorrow. Bye!
Oh, I forgot. All of the babies here where split pants. They don't were underwear or diapers or anything. They are like pants but they have a cut down the middle where their butt is. They squat down to pee or poop and it is soo cute. I know it's disgusting but it's what they do here and there are little butts running around China! lol!!
Yesterday we went to a big park called People's Park. It is very cool and has lots of old buildings and these really weird shaped rocks. It is like in Mulan and it has those cool trees and the really weird bridges. Chi Chi had so much fun and met lots of new friends! lol!! She asked for my hand today-lol! I just read that sentence out loud... no we're not getting married!(that wasn't funny, sorry) Anyway, she reached up for my hand so that I would walk around with her! Ya!! I pushed her in the stroller and when we went over bumps she went "ahhhh" just like me-lol! She still is warming up to me but she treats me like a sister. She knows she can get away with things in front of me and she likes to hit me. I realized that I'm not her mom which is probably why she doesn't treat me like I am. Duh!! I'm her older sister, not her mom and I don't feel as bad when she only likes mom.
Oh! I almost forgot. This morning like 3 people went up to me with thumbs up signs and told me she was a beautiful baby when I was holding her at breakfast. She is sooooo cute and I love her..(if only she liked me-lol!)
After the People's park we went home and gave Chi Chi a nap. She hates it when she take off her clothes(especially her shoes), change her diaper, and try to put her to bed. She screamed and screamed but finally went to sleep. She sometimes calls Ma, now and it's really sad.
After nap time we walked to dinner which was about 2 minutes away. Everyone points and smiles at Chi Chi at her big cheeks! They are all so nice here, it's so much different than back home. I love it when people ask about Chi Chi.
At dinner we went it and there was this HUGE statue of a face of I think the Buddah or something. They also had these live fish that were like eels but grosser. They were swimming in these small, open tanks when you walked in. The restaurant was great though and they had REALLY spicy food! It was great.
Ok, Chi Chi was the cutest baby at the restaurant. At dinner she decided the only was she was going to eat was if she fed herself. She loved me at dinner yesterday and I was sooo excited. She wanted to drink water so I put it in the bowl and she ate it with a spoon. Then she picked up the bowl and started drinking it. They also had balloons there. SHE LOVED IT! She played forever with it and she would throw it up and it would bounce on her face and she'd crack up! It was adorable. She LOVES this conggee stuff which is rice mixed with water. At the table she fed it to me and I almost threw up. It is so nasty.
After the restaurant we went back to the hotel and played with everybody. She would run up and down the halls and then she threw a ball. We expected her to throw it soft and everything but she threw it HARD! She also shook hands with all of the babies. I'm serious! She goes up to them and grabs there hands and shakes it up and down. It's so cute.
She had a hard time going to sleep but she finally did. I was so glad. She was screaming "mama!" it broke my heart. Anyway, I'll type again tomorrow. Bye!
Oh, I forgot. All of the babies here where split pants. They don't were underwear or diapers or anything. They are like pants but they have a cut down the middle where their butt is. They squat down to pee or poop and it is soo cute. I know it's disgusting but it's what they do here and there are little butts running around China! lol!!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Day 2 with Lexie She's officially ours!!
Hey ya'll! Sorry I forgot to write yesterday but we were just so busy. I kinda forgot what we did yesterday because it wasn't very interesting except for night time.
Yesterday we made Chi Chi officially ours! We had to ride in a big bus to all of the government offices and my parents had to sign lots of papers. At one of the offices, Chi Chi was playing with some of the other screaming babies and trying to make them happy. Ahh! But she is still a pistol!
After that we came back to the hotel and Chi Chi took a nap. That's when I typed on the computer to ya'll! Then there was this lady who was looking for her foster child. It was really sad. They aren't suppossed to do that and it makes it harder for the babies if they see them. She said that she knew Chi Chi's foster mom and tried to hold her but Chi Chi went right back to mom.
I met this little girl named Jasmine who is PRECIOUS!! She and I are great friends-lol! She turned 4 on the 'gotcha day' and we had a party for her that night. She had a big cake which Chi Chi gobbled right up. Also, she fed herself and everything.
We figured out that Chi Chi LOVES stairs! She goes up and down them and she laughs so hard. She sticks her tounge out and scrunches up her nose when she is happy. She still doesn't really like me though... Well, she likes Mom and Dad a lot better I love her so much and it's really hard knowing that she doesn't like me back you know. Ahh! I kept crying about it last night.
Last night was the WORST! Chi Chi cried and cried and screamed. She was soo sad and I couldn't take it. I turned on "Pride and Prejiduce" (lol! It's all we had!!) and watched that before I went to bed. She didn't want anything to do with me or mom and clung to my dad. She screamed even louder when I came in the room and it's so hard you guys. I hate being here when she doesn't like me. It's REALLY hard. I know that they always do this because it's part of the grieving process, but it's a lot harder than they say. It's really hard.
Chi Chi woke up like 5 times during the night and was screaming, "MA! Ma!" And she didn't mean my mom. It broke my heart and I can't stand it! The worst part is that there's nothing I can do.
That's all that happened yesterday and I really didn't like it except for a few times that she laughed. She really laughs a lot except before she goes to bed and after and when we change her clothes and diaper. That's when she screams. But other then that she is a really happy baby and is really active.
The people here are really nice, especially now that we have a little baby. They give you thumbs up and smile at the baby. Everyone points and waves and they treat you like one of the family. It's really great.
Well, I am really tired again and my mom wants to do her blog. I'll put updated pictures of her tonight. I miss you guys so much and I can't wait till she opens up to me (I hope! lol!!) Bye!!
Yesterday we made Chi Chi officially ours! We had to ride in a big bus to all of the government offices and my parents had to sign lots of papers. At one of the offices, Chi Chi was playing with some of the other screaming babies and trying to make them happy. Ahh! But she is still a pistol!
After that we came back to the hotel and Chi Chi took a nap. That's when I typed on the computer to ya'll! Then there was this lady who was looking for her foster child. It was really sad. They aren't suppossed to do that and it makes it harder for the babies if they see them. She said that she knew Chi Chi's foster mom and tried to hold her but Chi Chi went right back to mom.
I met this little girl named Jasmine who is PRECIOUS!! She and I are great friends-lol! She turned 4 on the 'gotcha day' and we had a party for her that night. She had a big cake which Chi Chi gobbled right up. Also, she fed herself and everything.
We figured out that Chi Chi LOVES stairs! She goes up and down them and she laughs so hard. She sticks her tounge out and scrunches up her nose when she is happy. She still doesn't really like me though... Well, she likes Mom and Dad a lot better I love her so much and it's really hard knowing that she doesn't like me back you know. Ahh! I kept crying about it last night.
Last night was the WORST! Chi Chi cried and cried and screamed. She was soo sad and I couldn't take it. I turned on "Pride and Prejiduce" (lol! It's all we had!!) and watched that before I went to bed. She didn't want anything to do with me or mom and clung to my dad. She screamed even louder when I came in the room and it's so hard you guys. I hate being here when she doesn't like me. It's REALLY hard. I know that they always do this because it's part of the grieving process, but it's a lot harder than they say. It's really hard.
Chi Chi woke up like 5 times during the night and was screaming, "MA! Ma!" And she didn't mean my mom. It broke my heart and I can't stand it! The worst part is that there's nothing I can do.
That's all that happened yesterday and I really didn't like it except for a few times that she laughed. She really laughs a lot except before she goes to bed and after and when we change her clothes and diaper. That's when she screams. But other then that she is a really happy baby and is really active.
The people here are really nice, especially now that we have a little baby. They give you thumbs up and smile at the baby. Everyone points and waves and they treat you like one of the family. It's really great.
Well, I am really tired again and my mom wants to do her blog. I'll put updated pictures of her tonight. I miss you guys so much and I can't wait till she opens up to me (I hope! lol!!) Bye!!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
LEXIE'S HERE!!
Hey ya'll! I'm soooooooooooooooo soooooooooooooooooo sorry I didn't have time to write last night. I feel really bad. It's just so crazy because Lexie's here! I'll start off from yesterday and get to well, right now (12:00 here!)
Yesterday we had to fly from Beijing to Nanchang where the babies were. Nanchang is even poorer than Beijing. The buildings are even more crowded and messy. But every body's so happy here! I love it in China because every one's just so nice! Anyway, Nanchang also smells worse. There is so much smog that I could feel it even on the plain ride here. On the airplane, you could see large fields and then crowded cities. The farms are the poorest places and everything is done by hand. Nanchang is your typical vision of China. It is poor, crowded messy buildings, farms with small houses, faded colors of red and gold, some ancient buildings, and just- oldish. I mean, you see people walking down the street holding to large cows on a rope and people with bikes with large buggies on the back of them filled with vegetables. The reason it is so smoggy here is because everything is done by hand, including the heating. There isn't electricity here (or it is too expensive) so everyone burns coal. Blah! It's so hard to breathe! -lol!
Anyway, I do like Nanchang because it is a mixture of everything- culture, cities, farms, and small people (down south the people are shorter). It is a very nice place with very nice people.
After we got off the plane,a lady named Lisa was there to meet us. We rode in a bus for about 1 1/2 hours (I think!!) She told us that Nanchang was known for 3 things- hot weather, hot food, and hot girls. When she said hot girls I just burst out laughing. I thought she was kidding but then she explained. 'Hot' girls just meant that they had a big temper and when we met Lexie we totally understood. In Nanchang it is hot all year round. Today I think it was about 80 degrees. People here love their food hot and spicy! I know I'll starve here-lol!
When we got off the bus you could feel the anticipation. The whole day I hadn't been able to wipe a smile off my face. I could feel my chest tightening. My heart was like beating in my throat-lol! We had about 2 hours (or so) to get ready. But I still couldn't stop looking out the window. I saw a car pull up and I just knew it was them. I kept saying, "Their here! The babies are hear!" But they still wouldn't let us go see them until 4:30. I was soooooooo excited! I tried to hold my excitement in but it was just a worthless effort! I just wanted to get her!
Ok, before I tell you about Gotcha Day - when you get the babies- I have to say this. Gotcha Day IS NOT FUN and they tell you this before you go. The babies will cry and cry and cry. Wouldn't you?? Sometimes they won't even speak to you and can possibly even go through a depression. Ahh! It is VERY NORMAL for them to cry. If they don't cry- that usually means that they will go through a depression or a state of denial or something... bad. Ok, that;s all I have to say.
When we arrived in the second floor, they told us that we were going to meet our babies individually. They would call our names and they would hand the babies to us. We were all soo excited and anxious!
"William, Kerri," said Lisa. We walked forward and saw her. She was TERRIFIED. She obviously didn't want anything to do with us. She was sobbing her head off. My heart was being ripped apart. She was sooo adorable and I just wanted to hold her but my parents hogged her. She was so scared and confused and she just cried and cried. We didn't really know what to do. Plus, she was terrified of me. She would start crying harder if I held her. She really liked my dad though. That doesn't mean she stopped crying she just calmed down a little bit and he wouldn't let her go (HOG!!)
Lexie smelled horrible. She stenched of urine and she wore about 4 layers of clothes. All of the babies in the room were sweating tremendously. Lexie was the loudest in the room and the smelliest in the room. She then started pointing while crying. I looked around and gave her her shoes. She grabbed them and held them as tightly as she could. She wouldn't let us touch them.
We carried her up to our room on the elevator. She was still crying hysterically. My mom said, "Ok, time for a bath." We took off her clothes (which she was very reluctant to do. She loved the bath though. She didn't smile or anything (they told us they wouldn't smile for about 3 days minimum) but she played with the bath toys and stop crying. After a while, when she was done, she didn't want to come out!
We dressed her in warm clothes and placed her down near her toys. She didn't cry when I came near her which was an improvement. We all sat down and watched her. She looked around at us carefully questioning whether to trust us or not. I then gave her a little panda bear and she grabbed it right up. She clung to it for her life and kept staring around at us.
After a while, she put her hands out and held the bear out to my dad. My dad took it and she clasped her hands together (we think in a attempted clap.) My dad held it back out to her and she took it. She did this a couple more times before we showed her the rest of the toys. She loved music and we handed her a toy that if you press a button, it sings. When the music played, I started dancing and when it would stop, I stopped. She thought this was very enjoyable but still wouldn't smile.
Lexie stopped clicking her little toy and all of a sudden plopped down into my dad's lap. It was so cute! I loved it! It was the first moment of trust (besides the bear thing but... whatever)
Then she grabbed the bear again. She held it out to me. I took it, kissed it, and gave it back. She held it out to me again and I did the same. She took it back and then she gave the bear a kiss! I laughed. Then, Lexie did the impossible, she smiled. Just a little bitty smile and only half of her mouth went up, but it was a smile. After that, smiling was no problem, she even smiled at Me!
We soon noticed that Lexie was a very hungry baby. We held Cheerios out to her and she ate them in a second. We had to hide them from her but she would point to where they use to be and go,"aaaa".
Lexie was very curious. She walked around and pointed at things. She did this for a long time. She explored for a little bit and then went back into the room where we were at. My Dad, who was in the room with us, was sort of being stupid and plopped his head down on the bed, pretending to be dead. Lexie giggled. We stopped and looked at her and she was grinning. My Dad did it again. She laughed. Again. She cracked up. It was the moment of truth! SHE LAUGHED! We were thrilled.
That's when Lexie's true personality started to come out. She was a spoiled brat!-lol!! She was also a neat freak. Whenever she stopped playing with one of the toys, she'd put it back. She also "put lots of other stuff away"-lol! She was soooooo cute! She was also a little brat. She was testing the rules and touching EVERYTHING! She pointed and grunted (not a caveman grunt just a 'aa!' grunt) and would pull things down(then try to put them back). She ran around and touched different stuff and was even bossy. But she was so adorable!!
We all played different games with her to make her laugh. In about 20 minutes she couldn't stop laughing. We were all having so much fun and we were so happy that she was happy. Her laugh was so cute, it was like a big giggle that made all of us crack up. She was so happy and was walking around and everything.
My Mom had to go sign forms and go to a meeting on the second floor (which is where we got the babies) so me and my dad had to watch over her. This was no easy task. She was handful and always getting into trouble. She kicked the door when she wanted to go outside so I walked up and down the halls with her. She was running and laughing and my heart just melted. My Dad ordered room service and we fed her rice, which she just shoved in her mouth. She also drank a bottle full of room temperature milk.
While my dad and I were playing with her she finally warmed up to me more. It took her some time but she did. She went up to me and gave me a big kiss and say "Muah!" after it. I laughed and kissed her back and she was off like a bullet running and laughing.
Then it was my Dad's turn to go downstairs. My mom and I took Lexie down stairs in the stroller that she obviously like more to push it than to ride in it. In the elevator, she started crying and fingering the doors. She hated the elevator and my mom comforted her. When we were downstairs I pushed her around in the stroller. She leaned forward when I was pushing and would scoot forward when I stopped or would look backwards and hit the seat. Brat!-lol! She was so bossy.
Me and my mom started to play peek-a-boo with her. She was cracking up!! She then started to copy us and then put her hand on my eyes and did it for me. My mom decided to call Katie and walked away. "Mama!" she called and smiled. Mama! Oh My Gosh!! No way!-I was thinking. Ok, first of all, they aren't supposed to smile nevertheless LAUGH! until like the 3rd day. Now she called her Mama! My Mom came running back and Lexie laughed. We were so excited. "Mama!" she laughed. We were all laughing. It was adorable and we were so glad that she trusted us. "Jeje," I said and pointed to my self. That means older sister in Chinese. She didn't repeat it until later, but it sounded more like,"dede." We new it wasn't dada because baba is dad in Chinese (in a different tone it can also mean poop! lol!)
When we were back in the room, Lexie picked up the remote and started to point it towards the TV. She pointed and looked around. We turned on the TV and clapped-ish. We followed her around and made sure she didn't get into trouble before it was time for bedtime.
They told us that bedtime is the hardest because they begin to remember their foster mom and everything. This was very, very true because when we tried to put her to bed she started balling. You could tell she was trying to be brave and not cry. She did this a lot and held her breathe with a big frown on. It only lasted so long before she started crying again. We finally decided that she would sleep in the bed with my mom and I. She fell asleep finally, still wiping away her silent tears. I fell asleep to but my mom didn't.
In the middle of the night, I heard crying again. My mom rocked her back and forth and turned the TV on for her to hear familiar sounds. It only made her cry harder. We finally got her back to sleep but it was really hard to watch her cry. It just breaks your heart into pieces. It is so sad it is unexplainable. She was so brave to trust us.
After a while I felt something on my face. I opened my eyes and Lexie put her feet, on my face. She was a really restless sleeper and kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable and I guess that she had. She later moved, thankfully. We finally got some rest and she slept soundly for the rest of the night. I was happy that she's got all of her tears out of her system, or I hoped.
Ok ya'll that's the first day with Lexie and I should describe today but I've been typing for an hour so I'm gonna type what happened today, tonight.
Before I go, I keep forgetting to mention this. We call her ChiChi- ya, it means boob in spanish. But her name is Yun Chi and she doesn't respond to Lexie yet. Also, if you go on You-Tube, I put some videos on there, check them out ok! Day1LexNan (ok, I have a really really weird laugh here and I don't know why, she also didn't like my her either) and- chinese man at temple of heaven (this was when the guys was throwing the ring and I had to catch them on my head). There is another video on the way so I'll tell you later! Bye!
Ok, nevermind, the vidoe that I was going to upload just shut off soo... I'll tyr again but check the other ones! Bye!
Yesterday we had to fly from Beijing to Nanchang where the babies were. Nanchang is even poorer than Beijing. The buildings are even more crowded and messy. But every body's so happy here! I love it in China because every one's just so nice! Anyway, Nanchang also smells worse. There is so much smog that I could feel it even on the plain ride here. On the airplane, you could see large fields and then crowded cities. The farms are the poorest places and everything is done by hand. Nanchang is your typical vision of China. It is poor, crowded messy buildings, farms with small houses, faded colors of red and gold, some ancient buildings, and just- oldish. I mean, you see people walking down the street holding to large cows on a rope and people with bikes with large buggies on the back of them filled with vegetables. The reason it is so smoggy here is because everything is done by hand, including the heating. There isn't electricity here (or it is too expensive) so everyone burns coal. Blah! It's so hard to breathe! -lol!
Anyway, I do like Nanchang because it is a mixture of everything- culture, cities, farms, and small people (down south the people are shorter). It is a very nice place with very nice people.
After we got off the plane,a lady named Lisa was there to meet us. We rode in a bus for about 1 1/2 hours (I think!!) She told us that Nanchang was known for 3 things- hot weather, hot food, and hot girls. When she said hot girls I just burst out laughing. I thought she was kidding but then she explained. 'Hot' girls just meant that they had a big temper and when we met Lexie we totally understood. In Nanchang it is hot all year round. Today I think it was about 80 degrees. People here love their food hot and spicy! I know I'll starve here-lol!
When we got off the bus you could feel the anticipation. The whole day I hadn't been able to wipe a smile off my face. I could feel my chest tightening. My heart was like beating in my throat-lol! We had about 2 hours (or so) to get ready. But I still couldn't stop looking out the window. I saw a car pull up and I just knew it was them. I kept saying, "Their here! The babies are hear!" But they still wouldn't let us go see them until 4:30. I was soooooooo excited! I tried to hold my excitement in but it was just a worthless effort! I just wanted to get her!
Ok, before I tell you about Gotcha Day - when you get the babies- I have to say this. Gotcha Day IS NOT FUN and they tell you this before you go. The babies will cry and cry and cry. Wouldn't you?? Sometimes they won't even speak to you and can possibly even go through a depression. Ahh! It is VERY NORMAL for them to cry. If they don't cry- that usually means that they will go through a depression or a state of denial or something... bad. Ok, that;s all I have to say.
When we arrived in the second floor, they told us that we were going to meet our babies individually. They would call our names and they would hand the babies to us. We were all soo excited and anxious!
"William, Kerri," said Lisa. We walked forward and saw her. She was TERRIFIED. She obviously didn't want anything to do with us. She was sobbing her head off. My heart was being ripped apart. She was sooo adorable and I just wanted to hold her but my parents hogged her. She was so scared and confused and she just cried and cried. We didn't really know what to do. Plus, she was terrified of me. She would start crying harder if I held her. She really liked my dad though. That doesn't mean she stopped crying she just calmed down a little bit and he wouldn't let her go (HOG!!)
Lexie smelled horrible. She stenched of urine and she wore about 4 layers of clothes. All of the babies in the room were sweating tremendously. Lexie was the loudest in the room and the smelliest in the room. She then started pointing while crying. I looked around and gave her her shoes. She grabbed them and held them as tightly as she could. She wouldn't let us touch them.
We carried her up to our room on the elevator. She was still crying hysterically. My mom said, "Ok, time for a bath." We took off her clothes (which she was very reluctant to do. She loved the bath though. She didn't smile or anything (they told us they wouldn't smile for about 3 days minimum) but she played with the bath toys and stop crying. After a while, when she was done, she didn't want to come out!
We dressed her in warm clothes and placed her down near her toys. She didn't cry when I came near her which was an improvement. We all sat down and watched her. She looked around at us carefully questioning whether to trust us or not. I then gave her a little panda bear and she grabbed it right up. She clung to it for her life and kept staring around at us.
After a while, she put her hands out and held the bear out to my dad. My dad took it and she clasped her hands together (we think in a attempted clap.) My dad held it back out to her and she took it. She did this a couple more times before we showed her the rest of the toys. She loved music and we handed her a toy that if you press a button, it sings. When the music played, I started dancing and when it would stop, I stopped. She thought this was very enjoyable but still wouldn't smile.
Lexie stopped clicking her little toy and all of a sudden plopped down into my dad's lap. It was so cute! I loved it! It was the first moment of trust (besides the bear thing but... whatever)
Then she grabbed the bear again. She held it out to me. I took it, kissed it, and gave it back. She held it out to me again and I did the same. She took it back and then she gave the bear a kiss! I laughed. Then, Lexie did the impossible, she smiled. Just a little bitty smile and only half of her mouth went up, but it was a smile. After that, smiling was no problem, she even smiled at Me!
We soon noticed that Lexie was a very hungry baby. We held Cheerios out to her and she ate them in a second. We had to hide them from her but she would point to where they use to be and go,"aaaa".
Lexie was very curious. She walked around and pointed at things. She did this for a long time. She explored for a little bit and then went back into the room where we were at. My Dad, who was in the room with us, was sort of being stupid and plopped his head down on the bed, pretending to be dead. Lexie giggled. We stopped and looked at her and she was grinning. My Dad did it again. She laughed. Again. She cracked up. It was the moment of truth! SHE LAUGHED! We were thrilled.
That's when Lexie's true personality started to come out. She was a spoiled brat!-lol!! She was also a neat freak. Whenever she stopped playing with one of the toys, she'd put it back. She also "put lots of other stuff away"-lol! She was soooooo cute! She was also a little brat. She was testing the rules and touching EVERYTHING! She pointed and grunted (not a caveman grunt just a 'aa!' grunt) and would pull things down(then try to put them back). She ran around and touched different stuff and was even bossy. But she was so adorable!!
We all played different games with her to make her laugh. In about 20 minutes she couldn't stop laughing. We were all having so much fun and we were so happy that she was happy. Her laugh was so cute, it was like a big giggle that made all of us crack up. She was so happy and was walking around and everything.
My Mom had to go sign forms and go to a meeting on the second floor (which is where we got the babies) so me and my dad had to watch over her. This was no easy task. She was handful and always getting into trouble. She kicked the door when she wanted to go outside so I walked up and down the halls with her. She was running and laughing and my heart just melted. My Dad ordered room service and we fed her rice, which she just shoved in her mouth. She also drank a bottle full of room temperature milk.
While my dad and I were playing with her she finally warmed up to me more. It took her some time but she did. She went up to me and gave me a big kiss and say "Muah!" after it. I laughed and kissed her back and she was off like a bullet running and laughing.
Then it was my Dad's turn to go downstairs. My mom and I took Lexie down stairs in the stroller that she obviously like more to push it than to ride in it. In the elevator, she started crying and fingering the doors. She hated the elevator and my mom comforted her. When we were downstairs I pushed her around in the stroller. She leaned forward when I was pushing and would scoot forward when I stopped or would look backwards and hit the seat. Brat!-lol! She was so bossy.
Me and my mom started to play peek-a-boo with her. She was cracking up!! She then started to copy us and then put her hand on my eyes and did it for me. My mom decided to call Katie and walked away. "Mama!" she called and smiled. Mama! Oh My Gosh!! No way!-I was thinking. Ok, first of all, they aren't supposed to smile nevertheless LAUGH! until like the 3rd day. Now she called her Mama! My Mom came running back and Lexie laughed. We were so excited. "Mama!" she laughed. We were all laughing. It was adorable and we were so glad that she trusted us. "Jeje," I said and pointed to my self. That means older sister in Chinese. She didn't repeat it until later, but it sounded more like,"dede." We new it wasn't dada because baba is dad in Chinese (in a different tone it can also mean poop! lol!)
When we were back in the room, Lexie picked up the remote and started to point it towards the TV. She pointed and looked around. We turned on the TV and clapped-ish. We followed her around and made sure she didn't get into trouble before it was time for bedtime.
They told us that bedtime is the hardest because they begin to remember their foster mom and everything. This was very, very true because when we tried to put her to bed she started balling. You could tell she was trying to be brave and not cry. She did this a lot and held her breathe with a big frown on. It only lasted so long before she started crying again. We finally decided that she would sleep in the bed with my mom and I. She fell asleep finally, still wiping away her silent tears. I fell asleep to but my mom didn't.
In the middle of the night, I heard crying again. My mom rocked her back and forth and turned the TV on for her to hear familiar sounds. It only made her cry harder. We finally got her back to sleep but it was really hard to watch her cry. It just breaks your heart into pieces. It is so sad it is unexplainable. She was so brave to trust us.
After a while I felt something on my face. I opened my eyes and Lexie put her feet, on my face. She was a really restless sleeper and kept tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable and I guess that she had. She later moved, thankfully. We finally got some rest and she slept soundly for the rest of the night. I was happy that she's got all of her tears out of her system, or I hoped.
Ok ya'll that's the first day with Lexie and I should describe today but I've been typing for an hour so I'm gonna type what happened today, tonight.
Before I go, I keep forgetting to mention this. We call her ChiChi- ya, it means boob in spanish. But her name is Yun Chi and she doesn't respond to Lexie yet. Also, if you go on You-Tube, I put some videos on there, check them out ok! Day1LexNan (ok, I have a really really weird laugh here and I don't know why, she also didn't like my her either) and- chinese man at temple of heaven (this was when the guys was throwing the ring and I had to catch them on my head). There is another video on the way so I'll tell you later! Bye!
Ok, nevermind, the vidoe that I was going to upload just shut off soo... I'll tyr again but check the other ones! Bye!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
End of Today- day before we get Lexie!! Ahh!!
Hey ya'll. We visited Tiananmen(idk how to spell it) Square and the Temple of Heaven and this corridor place. We visited the temple of Heaven first. It is a temple that an emperor made to ask the gods for good health, harvest, and to thank them. The emperor would come 3 times a year. The temples are made with cedar wood and they don't use any nails, only glue. The temples are really beautiful. 9, back then, was a lucky number so all of the stairs have 9 and everything is in 9s or multiples of 9s. While we were at the temple, some people came up to me and asked to have their picture with me. The tour guide, Pam, told me that they did that because I had blond hair. In the south of China (where we are going tomorrow!) the people are even shorter and we will really stand out.
The Chinese people are soooo friendly. They act like you are just like family. The corridor place is like a huge park. People go there to just have fun sing, dance, play poker, and all different kinds of games. There was this old man, who had these small ring tipe things. He threw one to me and I caught it to throw it back. We played catch and people started gathering around us. He motioned to me to try to catch the rings around my neck. He threw the first one high in the air and I caught it around my neck. People cheered. He then did the same for the rest of the 5 rings but her gradually got harder and the last one I had to run and then like squat. When we were done he asked to take pictures with us and he was very friendly. There were also people who played music and just started to sing in the middle of no where. People would gather around and join in. They would also dance and make it up as they went and it was very elegant. Old women were also crowded around small tables and were playing cards and gambling. The people were very united and they treat you like family. I really like everyone here.
After that, we went to Tiananmen square. There is a big monument for Chairman Mou who is the one that made communism in China (I think-lol!) and created the one child policy. We were FREEZING!! Tiananmen square is actually HUGE! I'd seen pictures of it and I thought it was big but when you get there it is unbelievably huge. It is as large as 60 football fields. They have these cool statues of people and the buildings there are amazing. There was a small little Asian girl there who was probably 1 1/2 years old. I pointed her out excitedly because that's how big Lexies going to be! We got our picture with her because she was just sooo cute!
We've had a really long day and tomorrow will be even longer! We have to wake up at like 6:30 and have our bags out by our doors at 7:30 for the bell boys. Then we leave for the airport at around 8:30ish. We will be going to Nanchang which is down south. The weather will be like it is in Atlanta and not as freezing as it is here.
I am so excited that WE'RE GETTING LEXIE TOMORROW!!!!! I know that she'll probably be scared of us but I am still very excited. She is sooo cute and I want to get her NOW!! I wish I could talk to ya'll and I really miss you. Ahh! I don't know how I'll sleep tonight!
...I'll put pictures of today on tomorrows post because I have to wait till my Mom wakes up and I don't feel like doing that... lol!
The Chinese people are soooo friendly. They act like you are just like family. The corridor place is like a huge park. People go there to just have fun sing, dance, play poker, and all different kinds of games. There was this old man, who had these small ring tipe things. He threw one to me and I caught it to throw it back. We played catch and people started gathering around us. He motioned to me to try to catch the rings around my neck. He threw the first one high in the air and I caught it around my neck. People cheered. He then did the same for the rest of the 5 rings but her gradually got harder and the last one I had to run and then like squat. When we were done he asked to take pictures with us and he was very friendly. There were also people who played music and just started to sing in the middle of no where. People would gather around and join in. They would also dance and make it up as they went and it was very elegant. Old women were also crowded around small tables and were playing cards and gambling. The people were very united and they treat you like family. I really like everyone here.
After that, we went to Tiananmen square. There is a big monument for Chairman Mou who is the one that made communism in China (I think-lol!) and created the one child policy. We were FREEZING!! Tiananmen square is actually HUGE! I'd seen pictures of it and I thought it was big but when you get there it is unbelievably huge. It is as large as 60 football fields. They have these cool statues of people and the buildings there are amazing. There was a small little Asian girl there who was probably 1 1/2 years old. I pointed her out excitedly because that's how big Lexies going to be! We got our picture with her because she was just sooo cute!
We've had a really long day and tomorrow will be even longer! We have to wake up at like 6:30 and have our bags out by our doors at 7:30 for the bell boys. Then we leave for the airport at around 8:30ish. We will be going to Nanchang which is down south. The weather will be like it is in Atlanta and not as freezing as it is here.
I am so excited that WE'RE GETTING LEXIE TOMORROW!!!!! I know that she'll probably be scared of us but I am still very excited. She is sooo cute and I want to get her NOW!! I wish I could talk to ya'll and I really miss you. Ahh! I don't know how I'll sleep tonight!
...I'll put pictures of today on tomorrows post because I have to wait till my Mom wakes up and I don't feel like doing that... lol!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Information about Lexie- Read below post first!
Info we received about Lexie today… She is about 33 inches tall and about 20 pounds. Hong Yun Qi is living with a foster family. Her foster mother is Chen Huo Mei (age 59) who stays at home; her foster father is called Lu You Gen, who is retired. They have 2 biological sons and one biological daughter. (We didn’t know this – we thought she was in an orphanage…)
Yun Qi takes different types of food each day. At about 6am she has 200ml of cow milk and then has a small bowl of noodles, a steamed bun, and then an egg at 8am. At noon she has a bowl of rice with meat and vege soup; at 3pm she has a steamed egg. One hour later she has a steamed bun and for dinner has a small bowl of rice with meat and vegetables. She goes to bed at 8pm and gets up at 5:30 am the next morning. During the day she sleeps from 1:30 to 3pm. She sleeps alone at night in a quiet environment.
She has some potty training but still wears diapers.
Her foster mother usually gives her a bath once a day in the afternoon. She likes bathing. She doesn’t want to leave the basin after her bath. She can say a few words, such as mama and baba, which mean mom and dad. She sucks her thumb or finger when falling asleep at night. She dances by waving her hands when hearing the music. She can drink cow milk from the bottle by herself. She reaches for the spoon when being fed. She is social; when she is crying, her foster mother takes her to see her peers, and then she stops crying. She kicks the door open if she wants to play outdoors. She can climb up and down the stairs with one hand being held. She is a little bit shy in front of strangers and gets upset in a strange environment.
She likes being taken out by her foster mother. She likes playing with the neighborhood children. She likes playing with the table telephone. When she gets upset, her foster mother soothes her by giving her a candy. Cow milk is her favorite food.
Her foster mother says she seldom gets sick except for some coughs and colds. Up to now, her foster mother hasn’t found any medicine or food that she is allergic to.
Yun Qi takes different types of food each day. At about 6am she has 200ml of cow milk and then has a small bowl of noodles, a steamed bun, and then an egg at 8am. At noon she has a bowl of rice with meat and vege soup; at 3pm she has a steamed egg. One hour later she has a steamed bun and for dinner has a small bowl of rice with meat and vegetables. She goes to bed at 8pm and gets up at 5:30 am the next morning. During the day she sleeps from 1:30 to 3pm. She sleeps alone at night in a quiet environment.
She has some potty training but still wears diapers.
Her foster mother usually gives her a bath once a day in the afternoon. She likes bathing. She doesn’t want to leave the basin after her bath. She can say a few words, such as mama and baba, which mean mom and dad. She sucks her thumb or finger when falling asleep at night. She dances by waving her hands when hearing the music. She can drink cow milk from the bottle by herself. She reaches for the spoon when being fed. She is social; when she is crying, her foster mother takes her to see her peers, and then she stops crying. She kicks the door open if she wants to play outdoors. She can climb up and down the stairs with one hand being held. She is a little bit shy in front of strangers and gets upset in a strange environment.
She likes being taken out by her foster mother. She likes playing with the neighborhood children. She likes playing with the table telephone. When she gets upset, her foster mother soothes her by giving her a candy. Cow milk is her favorite food.
Her foster mother says she seldom gets sick except for some coughs and colds. Up to now, her foster mother hasn’t found any medicine or food that she is allergic to.
Saturday- in the middle of the day READ BEFORE ABOVE POST!!!
Hey ya'll! It's like 1:00 during the day right now and we just ate lunch. Before that though we had to go to this conference early in the morning. Ugh! They just told us things that we already knew and just prepared us for our babies reactions to us. I'm kinda scared now. After that though we got all of these updated pictures of Lexie and a whole new summary! Ahh! She's so cute. I'll put her profile above with her pictures. We got like 20 or something-idk. She's adorable. The measurements say that she has a HUGE head but in the pictures she looks like she's normal. Everyone keeps joking that she's gonna fall over beacuse her head is so huge. She has these cute little dimples like underneath her eyes, sort of like you Kelly Belly! She has a perfect little frown and little button nose. I think she's the cutest of all of the other babies!!!! WE GET BABY LEXIE TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm like spazzing out. Ahhh!!! Right now we're going to Tinamin square and a temple thing. I'm really excited. I really miss everyone and ya'll better pray for our plane trip tomorrow on the anouncements. Somebody better tell Mrs. Sotamier or whoever's there to pray for us because we're getting LEXIE!
Ok, before I stop typing I have to tell you that the plugs here DO NOT WORK! They have twice the amount of voltage as the plugs in America do. We've already blown out our hair straightener (NOO!!!!) and the sound screen thing. We almost blew out the cell phone charger. We now have to use this big plug that changes the voltage from 280 to 140. I also can't eat anything and I'm living off of power bars. I think I'm gonna loose like 10 pounds- lol! I'm having fun though but I still have loads of homework to do. I miss you all so much and I'll write more when I come back! See ya!!
Ok, before I stop typing I have to tell you that the plugs here DO NOT WORK! They have twice the amount of voltage as the plugs in America do. We've already blown out our hair straightener (NOO!!!!) and the sound screen thing. We almost blew out the cell phone charger. We now have to use this big plug that changes the voltage from 280 to 140. I also can't eat anything and I'm living off of power bars. I think I'm gonna loose like 10 pounds- lol! I'm having fun though but I still have loads of homework to do. I miss you all so much and I'll write more when I come back! See ya!!
Emails UPDATED
Alright this is the updated email comment. I just figured out that my email adress doesn't work here and I don't know why. Nothing shows up. I also can't eamil you guys. I'm really really sad. It makes me so angry though that I can't alk to you guys! I'm really sorry about that. I miss you all so much and I really can't wait to tell you guys about the things I can't write on the internet- communist countries track everything I do and type. Hi Chinese government!! Anyway, I'm keeping a journal for history and I'll share it with ya'll when I get back! I miss you!!
lol- I hope your still beating up Ari like I said!
I also can't read ya'lls comments because I can't view my blog, I can only type on it soo... Bye!!
lol- I hope your still beating up Ari like I said!
I also can't read ya'lls comments because I can't view my blog, I can only type on it soo... Bye!!
The First Day in China!
Hey Guys! Today was such a busy day. First, we had to wake up at 7:30 in the morning to get ready. We were going to the Great Wall of China. The ride there took about 2 hours but was easily passed with the talking of our tour guide Pam. They have wierd looking birds and trees here. Also, I have to say one thing. The pollution here is awful. I think that everyone smokes or something. Ah! It's awful. My throut is burning and my lungs are on fire! Other than that it's been great. Everyone's really nice and they don't mind that we're American. They sometimes stare at us but that's just out of curiousity because we're so tall to them. Anyway, back to the Great Wall. We had to take a cable car up the Himalayas to the Great Wall. It was an amazing view. They mountains were astounding. The Great Wall has really steep hills and stairs. It is FREEZING up there! Everyone would smile at us and was really nice. I loved going to the Great Wall.
But... before you get on the cable cars, you have to pass through a market place or something like that. The people there follow you holding their items saying,"One Dollar! Only one Dollar! I remember you, one dollar!" For some reason they seem to always come to me and my parents were laughing that a swarm of people were trying to sell me things. I felt so bad turning them down. I did make one friend named Li who sold me post cards and I also bought a T-shirt. The total was around 11 dollars for both. It was really scary when the people followed you yelling at you like shadows. Sometimes they would even grab you.
I saw my first squat pot there. It is GROSS!! Instead of a toliet you squat and pee in a hole in the ground. You can smell it before you even walk in because everybody misses. I had to hold it the whole day.
After the Great Wall of China, we went out to eat. It was in a poorer area. It looks kind of dead out there with the dead crops and the sparadic colors of worn neon blue, red, and gold. The only thing alive is the lively people and the culture. At the resturant, they gave us traditional Chinese food which I abviously DID NOT eat. I think on this trip I'm gonna loose 10 pounds because I'm starving!
After that we went to a factory where they make beautiful pots with wires and this cool type of paint stuff. The living spaces are really small and they do the work all by hand. The outcome of the hard long work is beautiful. I would never have that much patience to do what they're doing.
Then we went to a place called Hu Tong. It is a city( I think) that is owned by the government. The living spaces are EXTREMELY SMALL. One family live is the amount of space as two of my laudry rooms. They drove us around on these wierd bycycle things with covers on they. There are many street benders that also come up to you and try to sell you things. The area is really messy and it is really really poor. However, the people are extrememly happy with their lives, even if they do manual labor for everything including farming (no machines-carry on their back) and use coal to heat their houses. They all know eachother and are always happy. It's very strange. If I was living there I'd be miserable but they are all so happy with their simple lives.
Then, still in Hu Tong, we went to a women's house to show us normal chinese living quarters so we could look inside. It is VERY VERY small and to the chinese she's living the suite life-lol! anyway, it is very messy and very homey. It is nothing like America. they hang their clothes out to dry and you see clothes hanging just out on the main road. How the chinese live is much more simplier than us.
In China, traffic is horrendous. It is sort of like Atlanta except no one stays in their lane. Car are everywhere and they're aren't very good traffic regulations. On top of all this, people walk on the streets. Yeah, I know they're crazy. But, when we drive, people just walk in front of cars and don't care. But nobody gets hurt! It's amazing. And nobody has road rage and there is hardly any honking. Everyone just goes with the flow.
In China, people ride bikes. Riding your bike everywhere is very popular. There are almost more bikes than cars, (maybe not but there are A TON!) They also ride in the streets and infront of cars. People ride bikes EVERYWHERE!!
Here you can see the vast difference in the number of men and women. Men are EVERYWHERE! You see women but men are just everywhere and it's crazy. The streets are so crowded and 8:00 here is as busy as 12:00 in Atlanta. At 8:00 in the morning people are already up and working doing construction, cleaning, and farming. Everyone is up and about while I was exausted.
Although the pollution makes it difficult to breathe, I really like China. It's really cool and the buildings are old. There is so much culture here and I really like it. Plus, I'm so psyched about getting Lexie! AHHH!!! I'm so excited. All of the other families here are really friendly and nice. We made friends instantly. Their babies are about the same age as Lexie and there is a girl whose name is Lexie Marie here too. She's real nice and she's 15. She also has a sister named Tori. WIERD!! Anyway, I really miss all of you but I'm having so much fun in China!!
Bye!!
But... before you get on the cable cars, you have to pass through a market place or something like that. The people there follow you holding their items saying,"One Dollar! Only one Dollar! I remember you, one dollar!" For some reason they seem to always come to me and my parents were laughing that a swarm of people were trying to sell me things. I felt so bad turning them down. I did make one friend named Li who sold me post cards and I also bought a T-shirt. The total was around 11 dollars for both. It was really scary when the people followed you yelling at you like shadows. Sometimes they would even grab you.
I saw my first squat pot there. It is GROSS!! Instead of a toliet you squat and pee in a hole in the ground. You can smell it before you even walk in because everybody misses. I had to hold it the whole day.
After the Great Wall of China, we went out to eat. It was in a poorer area. It looks kind of dead out there with the dead crops and the sparadic colors of worn neon blue, red, and gold. The only thing alive is the lively people and the culture. At the resturant, they gave us traditional Chinese food which I abviously DID NOT eat. I think on this trip I'm gonna loose 10 pounds because I'm starving!
After that we went to a factory where they make beautiful pots with wires and this cool type of paint stuff. The living spaces are really small and they do the work all by hand. The outcome of the hard long work is beautiful. I would never have that much patience to do what they're doing.
Then we went to a place called Hu Tong. It is a city( I think) that is owned by the government. The living spaces are EXTREMELY SMALL. One family live is the amount of space as two of my laudry rooms. They drove us around on these wierd bycycle things with covers on they. There are many street benders that also come up to you and try to sell you things. The area is really messy and it is really really poor. However, the people are extrememly happy with their lives, even if they do manual labor for everything including farming (no machines-carry on their back) and use coal to heat their houses. They all know eachother and are always happy. It's very strange. If I was living there I'd be miserable but they are all so happy with their simple lives.
Then, still in Hu Tong, we went to a women's house to show us normal chinese living quarters so we could look inside. It is VERY VERY small and to the chinese she's living the suite life-lol! anyway, it is very messy and very homey. It is nothing like America. they hang their clothes out to dry and you see clothes hanging just out on the main road. How the chinese live is much more simplier than us.
In China, traffic is horrendous. It is sort of like Atlanta except no one stays in their lane. Car are everywhere and they're aren't very good traffic regulations. On top of all this, people walk on the streets. Yeah, I know they're crazy. But, when we drive, people just walk in front of cars and don't care. But nobody gets hurt! It's amazing. And nobody has road rage and there is hardly any honking. Everyone just goes with the flow.
In China, people ride bikes. Riding your bike everywhere is very popular. There are almost more bikes than cars, (maybe not but there are A TON!) They also ride in the streets and infront of cars. People ride bikes EVERYWHERE!!
Here you can see the vast difference in the number of men and women. Men are EVERYWHERE! You see women but men are just everywhere and it's crazy. The streets are so crowded and 8:00 here is as busy as 12:00 in Atlanta. At 8:00 in the morning people are already up and working doing construction, cleaning, and farming. Everyone is up and about while I was exausted.
Although the pollution makes it difficult to breathe, I really like China. It's really cool and the buildings are old. There is so much culture here and I really like it. Plus, I'm so psyched about getting Lexie! AHHH!!! I'm so excited. All of the other families here are really friendly and nice. We made friends instantly. Their babies are about the same age as Lexie and there is a girl whose name is Lexie Marie here too. She's real nice and she's 15. She also has a sister named Tori. WIERD!! Anyway, I really miss all of you but I'm having so much fun in China!!
Bye!!
We're in Beijing!!
Hey ya'll we're in Beijing. The trip took about 4 hours and we arrived here at about 9:20 Beijing time. I'm so excited that we're finally here but I'm exasted. I think it's called jet lag. Anyway, I'll check my emails tomorrow, sorry I haven't had anytime.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I'm in Tokyo
Hey Guys! I'm typing this at 3:37 your time. It's 5:35 pm in Tokyo. We just got back from our 13 hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo. I thought it was going to be horrible but it actually wasn't that bad. My Dad got us into 1st class for FREE! I watched the office, ugly betty, and high school musical 2 about 8 times while doing homework. I got ya'lls posts and I'm glad that you all are beating up Ari for me! lol!! I really miss you guys and I'm about to leave for Bejing. I'll email you guys when I get there! xoxo-lol!!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
We're going to the airport
Hey Guys! It's 4:00 in the morning and I'm typing on my blog B4 we leave to the airport. Ok, first we go to Chicago. Then we go to Japan from there. Then we go to Bejing from there. It's a super long flight but I'm really excited I'm going to China even if it means sitting on a plane for 27 hours! Blah! I'll write on the blog (if I'm not exausted) when I get there. Luv Ya!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
डे बेफोरे वी leave
Hey ya'll! I'm soo excited but I'm so nervous! Tomorrow we leave for China and I'm totalyy extatic! Just to let you guys know, when you wake up for school I'll be writing on this blog so when you check it after school, I will have just finished the day. Guess what! The flight there is like 27 hours long! That's insane. I'll tell you guys how horrible it is tomorrow or whenever I get to China. I'll email you guys everyday and I'm writing a journal that I'll share everyday. Remember to email me at live4laughs@bellsouth.net!! I'm gonna miss all of you guys so much! Ahh! I'm so happy. Well, I'll see all of you in 2 and a half weeks! You better have no fun while I'm there and everyone beat up Ari for me- I trust you! lol jk!(I love you Ari!-lol!) Come on here everyday after school or so! I'm so excited!
Taylor-I'll tap somebody for you-lol! And I'll take pictures of your fellow Chinese people! And Kaitlyn I'll try to learn your name in Chinese and I think it was 27 words in Chinese?!?! idk
I'll miss you all!! Luv Ya!
Taylor-I'll tap somebody for you-lol! And I'll take pictures of your fellow Chinese people! And Kaitlyn I'll try to learn your name in Chinese and I think it was 27 words in Chinese?!?! idk
I'll miss you all!! Luv Ya!
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