Update on Lisa's adventure getting back to our old room on Friday:
When Lisa tried to call my parent's room, the hotel would not let her speak until the call was accepted. They tried my parent's room first. The operator told my dad "his wife" was on the phone. My dad said his wife was sleeping next to him, did not accept the call and hung up. He thought this was another full service massage service visit or just a wrong number.
When Lisa tried to call our old room where I was waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and ...) for her, there was no answer. Possibly because the phone never rang! Arrghh. And the bellhop was the one who found her in the elevator and brought her to our room. The front desk never solved the problem.
Update on the new room:
I bought extra adapter plugs for HKG and China plugs since we have a bunch of electronic devices with us. I have not used any of the adapter plugs and we are in our 3rd hotel. All the rooms have 3 or more U.S. plugs.
Our current room (the executive business suite), also has a charging box for electronics devices, with a variety of adpater plugs. We brought our charging cables for the various devices, but that would be nice to have in all rooms.
The VPN keeps dropping at this hotel. I made the mistake of trying the wireless access first, which my pc keeps defaulting to. Until I catch it, the VPN lasts 5 minutes before it hangs. And there is no error message, it just hangs. ExpressVPN and GoTrusted VPN. It lasts longer with a direct connection, but still drops pretty soon. Wasting a lot of time with this new feature.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
3/19/11 - Day 10: Medical Exam and Room Confusion
It was very entertaining when April and Bennett woke up this morning in the new room.
Mommy, what happened to our beds? A - Mommy put them together last night.
Mommy, where is the bathroom? Why did it move?
We eventually made it downstairs to the buffet. The younger members of the family took turns or formed groups to meltdown and whine for most of the meal. We fouled up on entering the restaurant when we failed to trace the source of Carter's screaming to bypassing the bread roll selection without taking one on the way to the table. It went downhill from there.
After breakfast we headed off to the Medical Exam. Once again, it was very different from our experience in 2009 with April. Much fewer families, less noise, and less confusion. We were in and out of there in 30 minutes. Prior to the medical, Carter pulled his usual lack of head shot cooperation for the visa photo, but this photographer bested the one in Nanjing by at least 10 minutes in getting a usable shot.
The doctors did not test his vision so we did not have a repeat of April's smile and wave experience, "isn't she cute", and having the assistants move her hand to point the right way so she could passs the exam.
One doctor did comment on how strong he was when he tried to open Carter's fist. He gave up and appeared to skip looking at the other hand.
We got an excellent lunch of noodles, rice, eggplant and ribs from a Chinese restaurant down the street from our hotel to go with the help of our guide and had a picnic in our room.
Lisa completed the paperwork with our guide and the other family. We used our expansive suite for the paperwork process. It really is huge and the rooms are awesome. According to the room listing on one site it is only 1/3 larger then our first room, but it appears to be twice as large and has a stellar MBA, a second BA, a large office, and a dressing room / closet area. The MBA has a large walk in shower and a huge soaking tub. Lisa could not find the entrance to the shower at first.
After the paperwork we headed off to find the Trustmark, a local grocery store. 100 yards away as the crow flies but 1 mile by the circuitous route required to get under the multi lane road that has pedestrian barriers in the middle to cut down on the frogger fatalities. Then we took a long time to find our way through the maze of the store only to end up in a long line for a single register, where the scanner failed on 90% of the items and the bar code had to be typed in by hand for most items.
Lisa told Mark there was no way we could carry that much beer/soda/water/food back to the hotel so he did the logical thing. He booted Carter from the stroller and managed to hang bags off every handle.
Tomorrow we head to the Safari Park.
Mommy, what happened to our beds? A - Mommy put them together last night.
Mommy, where is the bathroom? Why did it move?
We eventually made it downstairs to the buffet. The younger members of the family took turns or formed groups to meltdown and whine for most of the meal. We fouled up on entering the restaurant when we failed to trace the source of Carter's screaming to bypassing the bread roll selection without taking one on the way to the table. It went downhill from there.
After breakfast we headed off to the Medical Exam. Once again, it was very different from our experience in 2009 with April. Much fewer families, less noise, and less confusion. We were in and out of there in 30 minutes. Prior to the medical, Carter pulled his usual lack of head shot cooperation for the visa photo, but this photographer bested the one in Nanjing by at least 10 minutes in getting a usable shot.
The doctors did not test his vision so we did not have a repeat of April's smile and wave experience, "isn't she cute", and having the assistants move her hand to point the right way so she could passs the exam.
One doctor did comment on how strong he was when he tried to open Carter's fist. He gave up and appeared to skip looking at the other hand.
We got an excellent lunch of noodles, rice, eggplant and ribs from a Chinese restaurant down the street from our hotel to go with the help of our guide and had a picnic in our room.
Lisa completed the paperwork with our guide and the other family. We used our expansive suite for the paperwork process. It really is huge and the rooms are awesome. According to the room listing on one site it is only 1/3 larger then our first room, but it appears to be twice as large and has a stellar MBA, a second BA, a large office, and a dressing room / closet area. The MBA has a large walk in shower and a huge soaking tub. Lisa could not find the entrance to the shower at first.
After the paperwork we headed off to find the Trustmark, a local grocery store. 100 yards away as the crow flies but 1 mile by the circuitous route required to get under the multi lane road that has pedestrian barriers in the middle to cut down on the frogger fatalities. Then we took a long time to find our way through the maze of the store only to end up in a long line for a single register, where the scanner failed on 90% of the items and the bar code had to be typed in by hand for most items.
Lisa told Mark there was no way we could carry that much beer/soda/water/food back to the hotel so he did the logical thing. He booted Carter from the stroller and managed to hang bags off every handle.
Tomorrow we head to the Safari Park.
3/18/11 - Day 9: Pack and Fly to Guangzhou
Friday was supposed to be a relaxing day. Get our final Chinese paperwork (Carter's passport and some more documents), pack, and fly to Guangzhou.
We thought we would be able to stick with 4 suitcases but quickly realized we would need to use the suitcase allotment for the new 5th member of our family. On the plus side Grandma and Grandma no longer had to lug diapers and snacks for us.
The large breakfast buffet throws a wrench into our lunch plans every day. The kids are ready to eat lunch and we are good to wait until dinner. We knew Friday would be difficult given our 2 pm departure from the airport to the hotel and the time of our arrival in Guangzhou (probably past bedtime and well past dinner time). [Our kids go to sleep EARLY ... well, at least the two oldest ones do].
Given this we tried to indulge the kids and get a quick lunch in the mall attached to the hotel. Lisa advocated for McDonalds given the time frame, but daddy refused on principle. This led to an aborted visit to our favorite noodle place when Bennett declared he did not want to eat there (usually would be ignored, but as I said earlier this was focused on the kids and a learning experience of not eating at the restaurant would not accomplish our initial purpose). We finally ended up back at the room with ramen noodles (not a bad choice overall given the kids favorite meal on our 2009 trip to China was the "picnic" in our Guangzhou hotel room sitting on a towel eating ramen noodles [their favorite, not ours!]).
Our plane was delayed on the previous leg, just like on our flight from Beijing to Nanjing. This led to our sitting on the tarmac for a LONG time after boarding. On the plus side they served dinner and it was pretty decent. On the glass half empty side most of the plane would have gladly ejected us without parachutes for parts of the flight between April & Carter yelling. Carter just turned two and is supposed to sit in his own seat on takeoff and landing. We had the pleasure of buying the seat for him that he WANTED NO PART OFF. Plus daddy was not happy when the princess declared she had to go Super Bad and started sobbing as the plane finally started taxiing (sp?) just 5 minutes after she had gone potty.
Mommy passed the wiggly one to daddy who managed to manhandle the extremely strong 2 year old in his lap for the takeoff and calm him down. Until takeoff and after a short time I settled for holding him standing up between my legs. Luckily the flight attendant remembered what works for ear pressure at that age and passed up a drink (bad parents - completely forgot what we used to do for Bennett in the past). The lollipop failed but the juice worked fine, except for almost spilling it before safely pouring it into the wonderful sippy cup. April had bad dreams from yesterday's events, did not sleep well, and was a tad cranky.
We finally arrived in Guangzhou, only to start having "opportunities" at the front desk of our hotel. Our guide had to leave quickly to rush back to the airport for the other family joining us from our agency for the last city, but worked with us at the front desk. Simple things such as requesting the mini bar fridge be emptied so we could put yogurt and drinks in for the kids without Carter playing toss with the bottles left on the counter top were ... just not that simple. Eventually they agreed to do this instead of using their solution - locking the mini bar.
The breakfast buffet here is only for 2 adults per room and kids are extra. I was given enough coupons for 2 kids. When I counted them and asked where the other ones where, I was told our travel agency had only arranged for 2 more and I would have to pay for the 3rd kid. Um ... let me think about this ... NO. 10 minutes later they decided Carter would be classified as a baby and would not be charged. Eventually we get to our room.
VERY LATE now.
Lisa puts the kids right in bed while I start arranging the suitcases. My dad and I rush out to get some water, beer, and soda (the necessary provisions as usual) at the 7/11 down the street. When I get back the kids are fast asleep, Carter has had a bath, and Lisa is trying to get Carter to go to sleep. My dad points out the ashtrays in our room and says he thought we had requested non-smoking rooms when I comment our room smells like smoke. It was now about 11 pm or so.
Given our experience last time in Guangzhou I had checked again and again with our travel agency that our rooms would be non smoking. Daddy not happy here. Or at himself for not double checking at check in (But hey, they might have just LIED like the White Swan Hotel did to us and our guide before at check in. But I digress).
Plus we both had missed the ashtrys in the rush to get the kids to bed and find their PJs. The rooms were very nice - separate BR and LR, fancy facilities, etc. Flat screen TVs in the BR and LR. Sliding door to close between the rooms. Except for the now very obvious smell of smoke. Great to have with kids, our love of the smell, and looking forward to our clothes and laundry soaking it up.
Back daddy goes downstairs. They offer to change both our rooms to a non smoking floor, but only K size beds are available. I arrange to do this the next day given the kids are out cold. The 2 twin beds are tiny, so the K bed for us with the crib for Carter might work out better.
After I go back to our room, Lisa and I reluctantly decide to switch rooms this night. My parents decide to stay put as they are ready for bed.
Back daddy goes downstairs. Sound familiar?
While waiting in the now long line, I recognize our Guangzhou guide (Grace) at the front desk with the other family. I join them, knowing I need Grace given the English skills at this hotel are not that good (not saying this is wrong, only that my Chinese is pretty non existent). The other family (a lady traveling with her sister-in-law and a 2 year adopted kid) finish up and head off to their room. After I say I will take them up on their offer and move now, they tell me there are no longer any non smoking rooms available. Picture a red flag waving in front of me.
I kept my cool, but was very clear this was not acceptable. But sir, the hotel is full, we can move you tomorrow, blah, blah, blah. The clerk(s) kept shuttling off to other people to discuss this situation. My standard line was this was not acceptable, they could go get the manager and he could handle it, but they were going to find a non smoking room for me NOW, as in tonight, no matter what type of room it was. They had to have one non smoking room. Period. Would not accept no. Sent them back to the manager again and again.
Oh sir, so you are willing to pay for an upgrade. We will see what we can find.
Um ... NO ... I am not paying a dime. But my LAME travel agency or the hotel is welcome to pay whatever it takes. I do not care. I just want my non smoking room that was confirmed. The rest is your problem.
More clerks, pauses, consults, etc. Eventually, I am told we have a room for you. I thank them and head off to check out the room.
Um ... I could deal with the new room ... I guess.
I do find 1 ashtray though. I go back to our room and ask Lisa to go up and check it out since she is more sensitive to smoke to make sure it smells okay to her. The bellhop comes for our luggage and I ask him to come back in 10 minutes when Lisa will be back. The maid comes to move the crib; I repeat my pantomine and plea. Over 1 hour later and numerous visits by a very patient bellhop, Lisa finally shows up with the bellhop. (Yes, we both brought our cell phones but since hers was sitting on the desk in the room that would not have worked too well.)
Picture it was sometime after midnight when Lisa went to check the new room out first, Carter has been loudly proclaiming he wants to play or eat or just yell, anything but go to sleep for hours now, we are both running on little sleep after a long day on Thursday with the orphanage visit, Carter got up early Friday morning, the kids drove us nuts on the plane and they were our kids, April has refused to walk and been very clingy most of the day, etc.
Lisa checked the new room out, loved it, and then tried to return to our old room which was ... where? She forgot our room #. Since she did not have a room key and was not with me at check in, this was understandable. After waking somebody up trying the wrong room by mistake, she gave up and headed downstairs. The front desk refused to give her our room number (did not get the full story but she had no ID), and would only connect her on the house phone. Of course they connect her to my parents room, who did not answer. Supposedly they connected her to our room, but the phone never rang. Finally, the front desk either caved or the bellhop stepped in (knowing "mama" was MIA), and the bellhop shows up at our old room with Lisa. Needless to say, I gave the bellhop a good tip.
We started the move way too late and after the battling at the front desk and Lisa's adventures it was well into the next day now. Plus I managed to get Carter to calm down and go to sleep but was unable to do much repacking (while awaiting mama's return) given I cannot put him down and the kids are sound asleep in the other room.
We pile everying on the luggage rack, Lisa takes Carter, I carry April, and Lisa convinces a delirious Bennett to stumble after us to the new room. April and Bennett get right back in bed and quickly out cold (I don't think April ever woke up). Carter decides it's time to play now and is fine until we go near the crib.
Lisa finally gets to sleep at 3 am and Mark chugs a beer and gets a few more things ready and follows at 3:45 am. We have learned that if we do not lay the kids clothes out the night before and have a backpack ready with the snacks, clothes, diapers and paperwork required for that day, that the day will quickly go downhill given the stresses of travel on the kids, not to mention Carter trying to make his own adjustments. And that is before you throw in a "Mommy, I need to go poop" or meltdown hiatus.
Carter decides he is all done sleeping sometime after 5am, but is happy to snore on daddy's chest in our bed as long as he is having his back rubbed. Eventually April and Bennett join the "all done sleeping" movement and we start the day. To be continued on Day 10 ...
Anyway, we ended up moving from a "Deluxe Room" with 64m (Eilteroom is 32m) to an Executive Suite on the Executive floor with 96m of space. "The gracious Executive Suite is designed to meet the demands of comfort and convenience for the distinguished executives. Equipped with modern mini-bar, business area and gym facility, this suite is also functional for convenient business activities, meetings and other requirements." Pretty cool. Much more livable for our expanded family for the next week.
We thought we would be able to stick with 4 suitcases but quickly realized we would need to use the suitcase allotment for the new 5th member of our family. On the plus side Grandma and Grandma no longer had to lug diapers and snacks for us.
The large breakfast buffet throws a wrench into our lunch plans every day. The kids are ready to eat lunch and we are good to wait until dinner. We knew Friday would be difficult given our 2 pm departure from the airport to the hotel and the time of our arrival in Guangzhou (probably past bedtime and well past dinner time). [Our kids go to sleep EARLY ... well, at least the two oldest ones do].
Given this we tried to indulge the kids and get a quick lunch in the mall attached to the hotel. Lisa advocated for McDonalds given the time frame, but daddy refused on principle. This led to an aborted visit to our favorite noodle place when Bennett declared he did not want to eat there (usually would be ignored, but as I said earlier this was focused on the kids and a learning experience of not eating at the restaurant would not accomplish our initial purpose). We finally ended up back at the room with ramen noodles (not a bad choice overall given the kids favorite meal on our 2009 trip to China was the "picnic" in our Guangzhou hotel room sitting on a towel eating ramen noodles [their favorite, not ours!]).
Our plane was delayed on the previous leg, just like on our flight from Beijing to Nanjing. This led to our sitting on the tarmac for a LONG time after boarding. On the plus side they served dinner and it was pretty decent. On the glass half empty side most of the plane would have gladly ejected us without parachutes for parts of the flight between April & Carter yelling. Carter just turned two and is supposed to sit in his own seat on takeoff and landing. We had the pleasure of buying the seat for him that he WANTED NO PART OFF. Plus daddy was not happy when the princess declared she had to go Super Bad and started sobbing as the plane finally started taxiing (sp?) just 5 minutes after she had gone potty.
Mommy passed the wiggly one to daddy who managed to manhandle the extremely strong 2 year old in his lap for the takeoff and calm him down. Until takeoff and after a short time I settled for holding him standing up between my legs. Luckily the flight attendant remembered what works for ear pressure at that age and passed up a drink (bad parents - completely forgot what we used to do for Bennett in the past). The lollipop failed but the juice worked fine, except for almost spilling it before safely pouring it into the wonderful sippy cup. April had bad dreams from yesterday's events, did not sleep well, and was a tad cranky.
We finally arrived in Guangzhou, only to start having "opportunities" at the front desk of our hotel. Our guide had to leave quickly to rush back to the airport for the other family joining us from our agency for the last city, but worked with us at the front desk. Simple things such as requesting the mini bar fridge be emptied so we could put yogurt and drinks in for the kids without Carter playing toss with the bottles left on the counter top were ... just not that simple. Eventually they agreed to do this instead of using their solution - locking the mini bar.
The breakfast buffet here is only for 2 adults per room and kids are extra. I was given enough coupons for 2 kids. When I counted them and asked where the other ones where, I was told our travel agency had only arranged for 2 more and I would have to pay for the 3rd kid. Um ... let me think about this ... NO. 10 minutes later they decided Carter would be classified as a baby and would not be charged. Eventually we get to our room.
VERY LATE now.
Lisa puts the kids right in bed while I start arranging the suitcases. My dad and I rush out to get some water, beer, and soda (the necessary provisions as usual) at the 7/11 down the street. When I get back the kids are fast asleep, Carter has had a bath, and Lisa is trying to get Carter to go to sleep. My dad points out the ashtrays in our room and says he thought we had requested non-smoking rooms when I comment our room smells like smoke. It was now about 11 pm or so.
Given our experience last time in Guangzhou I had checked again and again with our travel agency that our rooms would be non smoking. Daddy not happy here. Or at himself for not double checking at check in (But hey, they might have just LIED like the White Swan Hotel did to us and our guide before at check in. But I digress).
Plus we both had missed the ashtrys in the rush to get the kids to bed and find their PJs. The rooms were very nice - separate BR and LR, fancy facilities, etc. Flat screen TVs in the BR and LR. Sliding door to close between the rooms. Except for the now very obvious smell of smoke. Great to have with kids, our love of the smell, and looking forward to our clothes and laundry soaking it up.
Back daddy goes downstairs. They offer to change both our rooms to a non smoking floor, but only K size beds are available. I arrange to do this the next day given the kids are out cold. The 2 twin beds are tiny, so the K bed for us with the crib for Carter might work out better.
After I go back to our room, Lisa and I reluctantly decide to switch rooms this night. My parents decide to stay put as they are ready for bed.
Back daddy goes downstairs. Sound familiar?
While waiting in the now long line, I recognize our Guangzhou guide (Grace) at the front desk with the other family. I join them, knowing I need Grace given the English skills at this hotel are not that good (not saying this is wrong, only that my Chinese is pretty non existent). The other family (a lady traveling with her sister-in-law and a 2 year adopted kid) finish up and head off to their room. After I say I will take them up on their offer and move now, they tell me there are no longer any non smoking rooms available. Picture a red flag waving in front of me.
I kept my cool, but was very clear this was not acceptable. But sir, the hotel is full, we can move you tomorrow, blah, blah, blah. The clerk(s) kept shuttling off to other people to discuss this situation. My standard line was this was not acceptable, they could go get the manager and he could handle it, but they were going to find a non smoking room for me NOW, as in tonight, no matter what type of room it was. They had to have one non smoking room. Period. Would not accept no. Sent them back to the manager again and again.
Oh sir, so you are willing to pay for an upgrade. We will see what we can find.
Um ... NO ... I am not paying a dime. But my LAME travel agency or the hotel is welcome to pay whatever it takes. I do not care. I just want my non smoking room that was confirmed. The rest is your problem.
More clerks, pauses, consults, etc. Eventually, I am told we have a room for you. I thank them and head off to check out the room.
Um ... I could deal with the new room ... I guess.
I do find 1 ashtray though. I go back to our room and ask Lisa to go up and check it out since she is more sensitive to smoke to make sure it smells okay to her. The bellhop comes for our luggage and I ask him to come back in 10 minutes when Lisa will be back. The maid comes to move the crib; I repeat my pantomine and plea. Over 1 hour later and numerous visits by a very patient bellhop, Lisa finally shows up with the bellhop. (Yes, we both brought our cell phones but since hers was sitting on the desk in the room that would not have worked too well.)
Picture it was sometime after midnight when Lisa went to check the new room out first, Carter has been loudly proclaiming he wants to play or eat or just yell, anything but go to sleep for hours now, we are both running on little sleep after a long day on Thursday with the orphanage visit, Carter got up early Friday morning, the kids drove us nuts on the plane and they were our kids, April has refused to walk and been very clingy most of the day, etc.
Lisa checked the new room out, loved it, and then tried to return to our old room which was ... where? She forgot our room #. Since she did not have a room key and was not with me at check in, this was understandable. After waking somebody up trying the wrong room by mistake, she gave up and headed downstairs. The front desk refused to give her our room number (did not get the full story but she had no ID), and would only connect her on the house phone. Of course they connect her to my parents room, who did not answer. Supposedly they connected her to our room, but the phone never rang. Finally, the front desk either caved or the bellhop stepped in (knowing "mama" was MIA), and the bellhop shows up at our old room with Lisa. Needless to say, I gave the bellhop a good tip.
We started the move way too late and after the battling at the front desk and Lisa's adventures it was well into the next day now. Plus I managed to get Carter to calm down and go to sleep but was unable to do much repacking (while awaiting mama's return) given I cannot put him down and the kids are sound asleep in the other room.
We pile everying on the luggage rack, Lisa takes Carter, I carry April, and Lisa convinces a delirious Bennett to stumble after us to the new room. April and Bennett get right back in bed and quickly out cold (I don't think April ever woke up). Carter decides it's time to play now and is fine until we go near the crib.
Lisa finally gets to sleep at 3 am and Mark chugs a beer and gets a few more things ready and follows at 3:45 am. We have learned that if we do not lay the kids clothes out the night before and have a backpack ready with the snacks, clothes, diapers and paperwork required for that day, that the day will quickly go downhill given the stresses of travel on the kids, not to mention Carter trying to make his own adjustments. And that is before you throw in a "Mommy, I need to go poop" or meltdown hiatus.
Carter decides he is all done sleeping sometime after 5am, but is happy to snore on daddy's chest in our bed as long as he is having his back rubbed. Eventually April and Bennett join the "all done sleeping" movement and we start the day. To be continued on Day 10 ...
Anyway, we ended up moving from a "Deluxe Room" with 64m (Eilteroom is 32m) to an Executive Suite on the Executive floor with 96m of space. "The gracious Executive Suite is designed to meet the demands of comfort and convenience for the distinguished executives. Equipped with modern mini-bar, business area and gym facility, this suite is also functional for convenient business activities, meetings and other requirements." Pretty cool. Much more livable for our expanded family for the next week.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
3/17/11 - Day 8: Xuzhou Orphanage Visit
Today we visited April & Carter's orphanage. We had a fabulous multi course Chinese lunch at a local restaurant with some of the orphanage officials, visited the park where Carter was found, got a driving tour of Xuzhou, enjoyed the great Chinese high speed trains, were able to visit with some of the other waiting children at the orphanage, and toured different areas of the orphanage.
We learned Carter was the favorite of a nanny who worked there as a temporary second job. She is no longer there but still visited him. When she left she told the other nannies to give him extra attention. We also learned that our son can be naughty and that he threw this nanny's shoes in the trash, which led to her having to go home in slippers.
We asked about how much he ate at the orphanage. The nannies said they cut him off when they thought he had eaten enough and that he tried to take food from other kids.
The officials and nannies at the orphanage were very excited to see April. It was an emotional day for her but she managed to rally and spend time talking to and hugging the different people. She recognized some kids and was happy to see them again. We are very proud of her.
Carter continues to amaze us by how comfortable he is with us and the behaviors he exhibits that we did not expect to see for weeks or months. He will be a handful when we get home, but we are so happy to have him as part of our family. He is sleeping well at night (so far), which is great!
I heard a knock at the door about 10 pm while Lisa was sending some emails and pictures we took to parents who are in the process of adopting other children from Xuzhou. Thinking it was one of the kids (possibly Bennett coming back from Grandma & Grandpa's room after April pushed him out of the bed while they were sleeping again), I opened it. This pretty well dressed girl was there. I expected her to say "sorry, wrong room", only to have her gently push by me and start walking in the room. Stunned, I stopped her with "excuse me?". She replied she was there for the massage service! I told her she had the wrong room and she left. We are pretty sure this was a "full service" massage service. Just for the record, my personal masseuse (er ... wife) is already asleep now but Lisa insisted we needed to include this visit in the blog.
The pictures for today start off with Carter's two fisted food delivery service at breakfast this morning.
Tomorrow we get Carter's Chinese passport and fly to Guangzhou to start the U.S. paperwork. After breakfast and packing, we plan to wander around the Confucius Temple market again before it is time to leave.
The next two pictures are of a photo in a framed set on the wall as you walk into the orphanage. The first photo is from when we visited the orphanage in October 2009 afer adopting April. We visited the orphanage with 2 other families (Ken & Erica and Sheri & Ben) who had adopted their children from Xuzhou the same week as us. The second picture shows the framed set our picture is in.
We learned Carter was the favorite of a nanny who worked there as a temporary second job. She is no longer there but still visited him. When she left she told the other nannies to give him extra attention. We also learned that our son can be naughty and that he threw this nanny's shoes in the trash, which led to her having to go home in slippers.
We asked about how much he ate at the orphanage. The nannies said they cut him off when they thought he had eaten enough and that he tried to take food from other kids.
The officials and nannies at the orphanage were very excited to see April. It was an emotional day for her but she managed to rally and spend time talking to and hugging the different people. She recognized some kids and was happy to see them again. We are very proud of her.
Carter continues to amaze us by how comfortable he is with us and the behaviors he exhibits that we did not expect to see for weeks or months. He will be a handful when we get home, but we are so happy to have him as part of our family. He is sleeping well at night (so far), which is great!
I heard a knock at the door about 10 pm while Lisa was sending some emails and pictures we took to parents who are in the process of adopting other children from Xuzhou. Thinking it was one of the kids (possibly Bennett coming back from Grandma & Grandpa's room after April pushed him out of the bed while they were sleeping again), I opened it. This pretty well dressed girl was there. I expected her to say "sorry, wrong room", only to have her gently push by me and start walking in the room. Stunned, I stopped her with "excuse me?". She replied she was there for the massage service! I told her she had the wrong room and she left. We are pretty sure this was a "full service" massage service. Just for the record, my personal masseuse (er ... wife) is already asleep now but Lisa insisted we needed to include this visit in the blog.
The pictures for today start off with Carter's two fisted food delivery service at breakfast this morning.
Tomorrow we get Carter's Chinese passport and fly to Guangzhou to start the U.S. paperwork. After breakfast and packing, we plan to wander around the Confucius Temple market again before it is time to leave.
The next two pictures are of a photo in a framed set on the wall as you walk into the orphanage. The first photo is from when we visited the orphanage in October 2009 afer adopting April. We visited the orphanage with 2 other families (Ken & Erica and Sheri & Ben) who had adopted their children from Xuzhou the same week as us. The second picture shows the framed set our picture is in.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
3/16/11 - Day 7: Sightseeing & Shopping
Carter started getting restless about 10p last night. Lisa was out cold so I attempted a diaper change myself. Carter is very cooperative so all went well. I figured if I needed any assistance she would be woken up quickly by the vocal sounds from Carter.
Carter started moving around about 5:15 a.m. We moved him to our bed and cuddled while he gradually woke up.
Today food boy, anka [also now known as] "Sir Stinky Pants", decided to finally poop. 30 minutes later he was crouching outside the bathroom while Lisa took a shower. "Lisa, he is waiting for you." "No, he is pooping." "No, he misses you." ... 15 minutes later of holding him in my lap ... "Okay, you may have a point." ... hence the new name. We just handled the 5th time today. On the glass half full POV, we don't need to test out the laxatives we brought along.
April needed some mommy time (i.e. was not behaving) this morning so Daddy took Carter and Bennett to breakfast by himself. Carter tried to leap out of my arms as we walked past the buffet spread to our table. He calmed down a bit as I filled a bowl with honey nut cheerios and put him in a chair with a spoon. Lisa showed up in time to have a fried egg ready for him when the bowl was empty. He excitedly dug in to the 2nd course. Grandma came back to breakfast to help us so Lisa and I could eat, given the delays caused by unplanned kid constitutionals & meltdowns.
We toured the brocade museum this morning. Watching the people work on the looms and hearing how the looms work and how little they produce in 8 hours (4-5 cm if I remember) was very interesting for the adults but not so much for the kids. The items for sale in the government store were beautiful but ridiculously expensive so we passed. Our driver took us back to the hotel while our guide Michael took Grandma & Grandpa to the Nanjing Massacre museum (not a good place for kids to see), which they found to be somber but very well done.
We went back to the hotel, played, had lunch in the room (ramen noodles for the kids) and walked to the Confucious Temple shopping area to browse. Bennett promptly decided he now had to go potty and we visited our first McDonalds in China. Of course April then had to go "super bad" and joined mommy as she took Bennett inside. Daddy stayed outside with Carter asleep in the stroller (1st successful stroller placement), and proceeded to be stared at by friendly passers by for 20 minutes while waiting (long bathroom line).
Browsing the stalls and small stores made for a fun and interesting afternoon. We finally found a small stall that sold kids sweaters so we could buy Carter a clean sweater for our visit to Xuzhou tomorrow (he has totally trashed the one we brought that fits and the other one is too tight). He came with a pretty but dirty Chinese fabric winter jacket that is not as warm as the jacket we sent him, but the kids in the orphanage need it more then him, so no worries.
The enthusiastic two fisted eating approach quickly trashes anything we put on him, even with a bib (thankfully we did bring one). As soon as he starts eating he is a VERY happy camper. Unfortunately, he is hungry a lot and quickly starts crying loudly if he does not receive food NOW.
It was a lot funnier joking about the emperor syndrome before our adorable 2 year old showed he will scream when hungry and will start screaming again if cut off before he thinks he is done, or a refill is a tad slow. It is hard to get good servants ... er, help ... er, parents these days, but we would like to get a bite or a sip ourselves in between keeping the trough filled. All is good though. Even though it is rough to deal with, he quickly calms down and we would be more worried if he was not crying or screaming some during the next few weeks. We keep repeating this mantra as the napkin is thrown at the lame servants or if any morsel is slow to be provided or a dish is slow to arrive. It's not like he had unlimited food at the baby home. The kids in his play group must be loving meals now - "Wow, we get a lot more to eat now dudes, where did all of our food go before?"
The napkin was thrown constantly at us before dinner tonight whenever our pre-appetizer snacks ran out on his napkin. Before his meal arrived, he devoured part of Grandma's spring roll appetizer and some of April & Bennett's dumplings.
It is a big change for us to let Carter sit on his own and feed himself. We always put Bennett and April in our laps at first and hand fed them. They loved it and it is great for attachment and bonding. Carter wants to sit on his own and feed himself with supplemental feeding by us.
Carter did pull April's old trick of "I want to sit Daddy's lap" tonight (when she really just wanted to eat what was on your plate after she was done with her dinner). When he finished his bowl he started getting out of his high chair on his own. Luckily Grandpa spotted this and I grabbed him as he was attempting to stand on the back of his chair. Oh, how sweet, he wants to sit in my lap ... no, he just wants to eat what is left on my plate ... as pointed out by looking at me and tapping my plate with his fingers.
Carter is once again finding it hard to go to sleep. Stomach seems to be upset again. This could be due to the massive amounts of food he shoveled in for dinner. Part of it was he also did not have "Sippy", his sippy cup, aka "pacifier". He is starting to drop it so we may look into a tether like they have for regular pacifiers. We may also need to reconsider letting him eat until he reaches his food coma stage, even though he is not eating to the point of throwing up. It appears his stomach is upset shortly after his dinner repast again.
April is again sleeping with Grandma & Grandpa (you rock guys!). Bennett had some listening challenges and management opted to deny him this treat. Somehow he has managed to stay asleep throughout the screaming.
I would have Lisa edit this posting but she is now passed out on the bed with Carter sprawled on top of her. You can see her right eye starting to open as I took the picture. Also notice the magic sippy "pacifier" cup cuddled in his arms.
10 minutes after the picture, Carter snapped awake crying. Mommy went potty and Daddy determined that the sippy cup being banged on his shoulder meant "please fill my cup with more water". Once this "request" was handled, and after more guzzling, he went right into the crib without complaint and started snoring away.
Carter started moving around about 5:15 a.m. We moved him to our bed and cuddled while he gradually woke up.
Today food boy, anka [also now known as] "Sir Stinky Pants", decided to finally poop. 30 minutes later he was crouching outside the bathroom while Lisa took a shower. "Lisa, he is waiting for you." "No, he is pooping." "No, he misses you." ... 15 minutes later of holding him in my lap ... "Okay, you may have a point." ... hence the new name. We just handled the 5th time today. On the glass half full POV, we don't need to test out the laxatives we brought along.
April needed some mommy time (i.e. was not behaving) this morning so Daddy took Carter and Bennett to breakfast by himself. Carter tried to leap out of my arms as we walked past the buffet spread to our table. He calmed down a bit as I filled a bowl with honey nut cheerios and put him in a chair with a spoon. Lisa showed up in time to have a fried egg ready for him when the bowl was empty. He excitedly dug in to the 2nd course. Grandma came back to breakfast to help us so Lisa and I could eat, given the delays caused by unplanned kid constitutionals & meltdowns.
We toured the brocade museum this morning. Watching the people work on the looms and hearing how the looms work and how little they produce in 8 hours (4-5 cm if I remember) was very interesting for the adults but not so much for the kids. The items for sale in the government store were beautiful but ridiculously expensive so we passed. Our driver took us back to the hotel while our guide Michael took Grandma & Grandpa to the Nanjing Massacre museum (not a good place for kids to see), which they found to be somber but very well done.
We went back to the hotel, played, had lunch in the room (ramen noodles for the kids) and walked to the Confucious Temple shopping area to browse. Bennett promptly decided he now had to go potty and we visited our first McDonalds in China. Of course April then had to go "super bad" and joined mommy as she took Bennett inside. Daddy stayed outside with Carter asleep in the stroller (1st successful stroller placement), and proceeded to be stared at by friendly passers by for 20 minutes while waiting (long bathroom line).
Browsing the stalls and small stores made for a fun and interesting afternoon. We finally found a small stall that sold kids sweaters so we could buy Carter a clean sweater for our visit to Xuzhou tomorrow (he has totally trashed the one we brought that fits and the other one is too tight). He came with a pretty but dirty Chinese fabric winter jacket that is not as warm as the jacket we sent him, but the kids in the orphanage need it more then him, so no worries.
The enthusiastic two fisted eating approach quickly trashes anything we put on him, even with a bib (thankfully we did bring one). As soon as he starts eating he is a VERY happy camper. Unfortunately, he is hungry a lot and quickly starts crying loudly if he does not receive food NOW.
It was a lot funnier joking about the emperor syndrome before our adorable 2 year old showed he will scream when hungry and will start screaming again if cut off before he thinks he is done, or a refill is a tad slow. It is hard to get good servants ... er, help ... er, parents these days, but we would like to get a bite or a sip ourselves in between keeping the trough filled. All is good though. Even though it is rough to deal with, he quickly calms down and we would be more worried if he was not crying or screaming some during the next few weeks. We keep repeating this mantra as the napkin is thrown at the lame servants or if any morsel is slow to be provided or a dish is slow to arrive. It's not like he had unlimited food at the baby home. The kids in his play group must be loving meals now - "Wow, we get a lot more to eat now dudes, where did all of our food go before?"
The napkin was thrown constantly at us before dinner tonight whenever our pre-appetizer snacks ran out on his napkin. Before his meal arrived, he devoured part of Grandma's spring roll appetizer and some of April & Bennett's dumplings.
It is a big change for us to let Carter sit on his own and feed himself. We always put Bennett and April in our laps at first and hand fed them. They loved it and it is great for attachment and bonding. Carter wants to sit on his own and feed himself with supplemental feeding by us.
Carter did pull April's old trick of "I want to sit Daddy's lap" tonight (when she really just wanted to eat what was on your plate after she was done with her dinner). When he finished his bowl he started getting out of his high chair on his own. Luckily Grandpa spotted this and I grabbed him as he was attempting to stand on the back of his chair. Oh, how sweet, he wants to sit in my lap ... no, he just wants to eat what is left on my plate ... as pointed out by looking at me and tapping my plate with his fingers.
Carter is once again finding it hard to go to sleep. Stomach seems to be upset again. This could be due to the massive amounts of food he shoveled in for dinner. Part of it was he also did not have "Sippy", his sippy cup, aka "pacifier". He is starting to drop it so we may look into a tether like they have for regular pacifiers. We may also need to reconsider letting him eat until he reaches his food coma stage, even though he is not eating to the point of throwing up. It appears his stomach is upset shortly after his dinner repast again.
April is again sleeping with Grandma & Grandpa (you rock guys!). Bennett had some listening challenges and management opted to deny him this treat. Somehow he has managed to stay asleep throughout the screaming.
I would have Lisa edit this posting but she is now passed out on the bed with Carter sprawled on top of her. You can see her right eye starting to open as I took the picture. Also notice the magic sippy "pacifier" cup cuddled in his arms.
10 minutes after the picture, Carter snapped awake crying. Mommy went potty and Daddy determined that the sippy cup being banged on his shoulder meant "please fill my cup with more water". Once this "request" was handled, and after more guzzling, he went right into the crib without complaint and started snoring away.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
3/15/11 - Day 6: Adoption Day
Today we went to CCAA office to finalize our adoption in the eyes of the Chinese government. We will not be able to fly home with Carter until we complete the U.S. part of the process, which we will do in Guangzhou next week after we receive Carter's Chinese passport and other papers from today later this week.
Carter is really coming out of his shell and interacting with us. He slept until 6 a.m. which surprised us. We'll see if he has a repeat performance.
We started the day with a bath. Carter was fine with this until mama tried to wash his hair. He then gave the universal "All Done" sign by screaming and trying to climb out of the tub. Once dried off, all was forgiven and many "I LOVE!!!!! YOU GUYS!!!!" were heard as he blissfully chowed through the breakfast buffet. He got more excited with each plate that was put in front of him, but made it clear that slow service or ANY waiting was NOT ACCEPTABLE. Aside from this minor glitch, he could not have been happier.
On the way to breakfast Bennett & April wanted to hold his hand, sit next to him, choose his breakfast items, etc. They are really being good big brothers and sisters. Carter has apparently decided Bennett is okay but he is not sure about April. We'll work on that. April is suffering from not enough mommy time and that is not helping matters.
Carter has decided that unlimited drinks are a great change. This has led to his sippy cup replacing a stuffed animal as his companion of choice throughout the day and while sleeping.
We had an aborted nap attempt after lunch. He was great until he realized what was coming next. He quickly calmed down after being removed from his crib, but never really fell asleep for more then 10 minutes.
When daddy was doing errands and some paperwork, mommy got to play with Carter and observe his personality and behavior. Mommy enjoyed this uninterrupted alone time. Bennett and April enjoyed their Dairy Queen time with Grandma and Grandpa, who helped out again.
Even though Carter does not talk, he has been communicating his needs to us. For example, while Mark was carrying him, he raised his head and started pushing his finger in and out of his mouth and pointing to what he wants to eat. This blew us away. Mommy thinks he has said mama but there is no documented proof and the rest of us just smile at each claim.
Carter is smiling a lot now and playing with his trucks. He interacts with April and Bennett, exhibits a lot of curiosity, and pays attention to what is going on around him. He was not happy on the way to dinner, but his smile lit up the restaurant when we sat down at the table and he realized we were going to be eating again.
Daddy gets the Survivor Award today for assisting the extended poop by Bennett on the squatty potty during dinner. Enough said.
Bennett and April are having a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa again. This is great for us and a huge help. Plus Bennett, who has finally learned to love sleeping, would NOT have liked the 1st hour of sleep to the strident sounds of Carter crying.
Carter is really coming out of his shell and interacting with us. He slept until 6 a.m. which surprised us. We'll see if he has a repeat performance.
We started the day with a bath. Carter was fine with this until mama tried to wash his hair. He then gave the universal "All Done" sign by screaming and trying to climb out of the tub. Once dried off, all was forgiven and many "I LOVE!!!!! YOU GUYS!!!!" were heard as he blissfully chowed through the breakfast buffet. He got more excited with each plate that was put in front of him, but made it clear that slow service or ANY waiting was NOT ACCEPTABLE. Aside from this minor glitch, he could not have been happier.
On the way to breakfast Bennett & April wanted to hold his hand, sit next to him, choose his breakfast items, etc. They are really being good big brothers and sisters. Carter has apparently decided Bennett is okay but he is not sure about April. We'll work on that. April is suffering from not enough mommy time and that is not helping matters.
Carter has decided that unlimited drinks are a great change. This has led to his sippy cup replacing a stuffed animal as his companion of choice throughout the day and while sleeping.
We had an aborted nap attempt after lunch. He was great until he realized what was coming next. He quickly calmed down after being removed from his crib, but never really fell asleep for more then 10 minutes.
When daddy was doing errands and some paperwork, mommy got to play with Carter and observe his personality and behavior. Mommy enjoyed this uninterrupted alone time. Bennett and April enjoyed their Dairy Queen time with Grandma and Grandpa, who helped out again.
Even though Carter does not talk, he has been communicating his needs to us. For example, while Mark was carrying him, he raised his head and started pushing his finger in and out of his mouth and pointing to what he wants to eat. This blew us away. Mommy thinks he has said mama but there is no documented proof and the rest of us just smile at each claim.
Carter is smiling a lot now and playing with his trucks. He interacts with April and Bennett, exhibits a lot of curiosity, and pays attention to what is going on around him. He was not happy on the way to dinner, but his smile lit up the restaurant when we sat down at the table and he realized we were going to be eating again.
Daddy gets the Survivor Award today for assisting the extended poop by Bennett on the squatty potty during dinner. Enough said.
Bennett and April are having a sleep over with Grandma and Grandpa again. This is great for us and a huge help. Plus Bennett, who has finally learned to love sleeping, would NOT have liked the 1st hour of sleep to the strident sounds of Carter crying.
Monday, March 14, 2011
3/14/11 - Day 5: We are now a family of 5!
Whew - what a day!
We were scheduled to meet our guide, Michael, in the hotel lobby at 2pm to go to the civil affairs office to meet Carter. When we adopted April in 2009, our appointment was first thing in the morning. Not this time - hours and hours of stomach butterflies and watch checking.
We woke up @ 6:30 today, got Bennett and April showered and dressed, and headed down to the breakfast buffet. Be warned - traveling to China is not for those on a diet. This morning we dined on eggs, waffles, dumplings, noodles, spring rolls, beans (Bennett was in heaven!), sushi, donuts, croissants, steam buns, fruit, bacon, potatoes, and I'm sure I'm missing something!
To kill time, we decided to take a walk around outside. Our hotel is very close to the Confucious Temple area. It is a very large pedestrian shopping area. Vendors are mixed in with "regular" stores, though I'm wondering if you can bargain in those stores too?
The weather was a bit brisk and windy so we headed back towards our hotel. There is a very large shopping mall attached to our hotel and we walked through it. You could tell that the kids were starting to get a bit nervous. April all of a sudden began speaking in her super quiet voice (never heard at home ... okay, to be honest, we had not heard this quiet voice since the first few weeks she joined us) and Bennett just stopped listening to us and burst out into tears when corrected, when you looked at him, and at other random times.
Time to head back to the room to calm down before the big appointment. After a lunch of ramen noodles and some time with Grandma and Grandpa - we were ready to head out.
As we pulled up to the Civil Affairs office, both Mark and I wondered if we would get to see Carter arrive like we did with April.
This time was different though. We walked into the building and the meeting room where you receive your child was very empty. Only a handful of parents and children. As we walked through the room, we realized that Ms. Tang was already there. Carter was standing with a nanny (Ms. Wei), eating a cracker.
He was very content and allowed us to pick him up and hold him. That is, as soon as he realized we were not trying to take his cookies away. Bennett and April both came over to see him. Bennett wanted to hold him and was a bit disappointed that we told him "not right now".
Lisa is extremely happy that Carter is (so far) very happy with his new mama and does not exhibit a strong preference for his baba (yet).
Carter was holding two packages of cookies. One was open and he was eating them, the other still closed, but clutched in his hand. We took out a bag of puffs and he decided he liked those as well. Fistfuls of puffs went into his mouth and we had to convince him to chew!
We then made our way upstairs to have Carter's official adoption picture. I made the mistake of trying to take the bag of puffs away from him and that didn't go over very well. He is strong and would not let go of that bag!
It was almost impossible to take the picture because the photographer needed a full facial view of all 3 of us. Carter was too busy munching away to be bothered with looking at the camera. Finally another guide came over and between the photographer and with two guides making noises, calling his name and waving things, we were able to get a good picture.
Back downstairs, we were able to ask the director of adoptions from Carter's orphanage several questions. We found out that he always listens and behaves when the nannies are around, but can be a bit naughty when they turn their backs. We also found out that he likes to eat (shocking after what we had already observed!). Another kid born to be in our family.
During the Q&A, Carter stared to show his silly side. He would hold a puff in his fingers, I would lean in and open my mouth, he would pretend to put the puff in my mouth, but then quickly change and pop it into his. After he did that, he would smile and giggle.
At best we were expecting a sobbing and apprehensive toddler who would let us hold him without trying to arch his back and pull away from us. We are waiting for the other shoe to drop, or what happens when we attempt to change him, or least put a clean diaper on him.
Mark and I had to sign some official paperwork and that was it ... we were done for the day and Carter left with us.
Our driver took us over to Carrefour (France's version of WalMart) to do some shopping. Grandpa wanted some headphones for the plane and something a little stronger than beer for a nightcap for Grandma.
Last time we were in this store, we bought out the children's shoe department to bring to the orphanage. April is still recovering from the disappointment of realizing only 1 pair of the shoes was for her.
This time, we only bought 3 pairs - one for each child. Carter started getting a bit upset when we tried to take his shoe off to measure his foot and wanted nothing to do with the trying on a new pair of shoes. (We'll let Bennett teach him the excitement over shoes).
Carter started to get fussy and sleepy in the store and kept putting his head on my shoulder, then crying a bit and fussing until he found a different position and started nodding off again. He fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel and is currently sleeping in his crib behind me. Everyone else went out to grab some dinner and I'm hoping they bring something back because I am starving!
[Edit by Mark - Thank you Angela, NiFun Ramen was a good recommendation for dinner and Lisa is very happy with the takeout we brought.]
Before everyone else left to go to dinner, I went to Grandma and Grandpa's room to get something. Bennett proclaimed to mommy that he loved Carter. April interrupted to say she wanted mommy to look at the picture she had just drawn. That about sums up how they are handling this so far. April is very happy about Carter but is scared and frightened of Ms. Tang and the other lady from her baby home - she thinks they expect her to still speak Chinese. They were looking forward to seeing her and tried to talk to her, but she was not cooperative. We will attempt tommorow to get around this by asking April to use our translator to walk them through a photo album (gift for the orphanage) of April and of the reunion last summer of kids who are adopted from the Xuzhou SWI.
Carter is still in his shoes, most of his clothes and more importantly - the diaper he came in. I am hesitant to wake him up to change him and I'm a bit out of practice in the whole diaper routine. Bennett was mostly potty trained when we got him at age 2 1/2 and went straight to pullups on our watch, so any diaper advice is greatly appreciated.
And now, without further ado - introducing Carter ZhiYi:
Update:
We were able to successfully change the diaper after Carter woke up. Clothing count - 1 padded silk jacket, 1 thermal long sleeve, 1 pajama top, 1 pair of quilted silk pants, 1 pair of thermal split pants, 1 slightly damp pajama bottom, and 1 wet diaper.
We were scheduled to meet our guide, Michael, in the hotel lobby at 2pm to go to the civil affairs office to meet Carter. When we adopted April in 2009, our appointment was first thing in the morning. Not this time - hours and hours of stomach butterflies and watch checking.
We woke up @ 6:30 today, got Bennett and April showered and dressed, and headed down to the breakfast buffet. Be warned - traveling to China is not for those on a diet. This morning we dined on eggs, waffles, dumplings, noodles, spring rolls, beans (Bennett was in heaven!), sushi, donuts, croissants, steam buns, fruit, bacon, potatoes, and I'm sure I'm missing something!
To kill time, we decided to take a walk around outside. Our hotel is very close to the Confucious Temple area. It is a very large pedestrian shopping area. Vendors are mixed in with "regular" stores, though I'm wondering if you can bargain in those stores too?
The weather was a bit brisk and windy so we headed back towards our hotel. There is a very large shopping mall attached to our hotel and we walked through it. You could tell that the kids were starting to get a bit nervous. April all of a sudden began speaking in her super quiet voice (never heard at home ... okay, to be honest, we had not heard this quiet voice since the first few weeks she joined us) and Bennett just stopped listening to us and burst out into tears when corrected, when you looked at him, and at other random times.
Time to head back to the room to calm down before the big appointment. After a lunch of ramen noodles and some time with Grandma and Grandpa - we were ready to head out.
As we pulled up to the Civil Affairs office, both Mark and I wondered if we would get to see Carter arrive like we did with April.
This time was different though. We walked into the building and the meeting room where you receive your child was very empty. Only a handful of parents and children. As we walked through the room, we realized that Ms. Tang was already there. Carter was standing with a nanny (Ms. Wei), eating a cracker.
He was very content and allowed us to pick him up and hold him. That is, as soon as he realized we were not trying to take his cookies away. Bennett and April both came over to see him. Bennett wanted to hold him and was a bit disappointed that we told him "not right now".
Lisa is extremely happy that Carter is (so far) very happy with his new mama and does not exhibit a strong preference for his baba (yet).
Carter was holding two packages of cookies. One was open and he was eating them, the other still closed, but clutched in his hand. We took out a bag of puffs and he decided he liked those as well. Fistfuls of puffs went into his mouth and we had to convince him to chew!
We then made our way upstairs to have Carter's official adoption picture. I made the mistake of trying to take the bag of puffs away from him and that didn't go over very well. He is strong and would not let go of that bag!
It was almost impossible to take the picture because the photographer needed a full facial view of all 3 of us. Carter was too busy munching away to be bothered with looking at the camera. Finally another guide came over and between the photographer and with two guides making noises, calling his name and waving things, we were able to get a good picture.
Back downstairs, we were able to ask the director of adoptions from Carter's orphanage several questions. We found out that he always listens and behaves when the nannies are around, but can be a bit naughty when they turn their backs. We also found out that he likes to eat (shocking after what we had already observed!). Another kid born to be in our family.
During the Q&A, Carter stared to show his silly side. He would hold a puff in his fingers, I would lean in and open my mouth, he would pretend to put the puff in my mouth, but then quickly change and pop it into his. After he did that, he would smile and giggle.
At best we were expecting a sobbing and apprehensive toddler who would let us hold him without trying to arch his back and pull away from us. We are waiting for the other shoe to drop, or what happens when we attempt to change him, or least put a clean diaper on him.
Mark and I had to sign some official paperwork and that was it ... we were done for the day and Carter left with us.
Our driver took us over to Carrefour (France's version of WalMart) to do some shopping. Grandpa wanted some headphones for the plane and something a little stronger than beer for a nightcap for Grandma.
Last time we were in this store, we bought out the children's shoe department to bring to the orphanage. April is still recovering from the disappointment of realizing only 1 pair of the shoes was for her.
This time, we only bought 3 pairs - one for each child. Carter started getting a bit upset when we tried to take his shoe off to measure his foot and wanted nothing to do with the trying on a new pair of shoes. (We'll let Bennett teach him the excitement over shoes).
Carter started to get fussy and sleepy in the store and kept putting his head on my shoulder, then crying a bit and fussing until he found a different position and started nodding off again. He fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel and is currently sleeping in his crib behind me. Everyone else went out to grab some dinner and I'm hoping they bring something back because I am starving!
[Edit by Mark - Thank you Angela, NiFun Ramen was a good recommendation for dinner and Lisa is very happy with the takeout we brought.]
Before everyone else left to go to dinner, I went to Grandma and Grandpa's room to get something. Bennett proclaimed to mommy that he loved Carter. April interrupted to say she wanted mommy to look at the picture she had just drawn. That about sums up how they are handling this so far. April is very happy about Carter but is scared and frightened of Ms. Tang and the other lady from her baby home - she thinks they expect her to still speak Chinese. They were looking forward to seeing her and tried to talk to her, but she was not cooperative. We will attempt tommorow to get around this by asking April to use our translator to walk them through a photo album (gift for the orphanage) of April and of the reunion last summer of kids who are adopted from the Xuzhou SWI.
Carter is still in his shoes, most of his clothes and more importantly - the diaper he came in. I am hesitant to wake him up to change him and I'm a bit out of practice in the whole diaper routine. Bennett was mostly potty trained when we got him at age 2 1/2 and went straight to pullups on our watch, so any diaper advice is greatly appreciated.
And now, without further ado - introducing Carter ZhiYi:
Update:
We were able to successfully change the diaper after Carter woke up. Clothing count - 1 padded silk jacket, 1 thermal long sleeve, 1 pajama top, 1 pair of quilted silk pants, 1 pair of thermal split pants, 1 slightly damp pajama bottom, and 1 wet diaper.
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