Flashback February: Day 13, Part 2

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen EIGHTEEN days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

While we were still in Guangzhou, waiting for our Alien to be released, we took a walk in the Yue Xiu Park, which was just a short distance from our hotel.

We paid an entrance fee to tour the park. (Their magnificent statues don't maintain themselves, ya know.)

Here's Pa and the Suz as we entered the park, which was all gussied up for the New Year. Look how natural those paper-thingies look as they hang from the trees:

And if I look a bit parched? Winded?

It's because it was hot--hot I tell ya--in February. (Remember us freezing in Beijing? Not the case in the South.) And I was wearing jeans and one of my four long sleeve shirts and carrying 87 pounds on my back, all the while doing this insane activity that some like to call "exercise."

That sign beside me?


Really cleared things up, thanks.

And this is how we saw much of China while we were there--lots of people prepping for the big New Year celebration. Notice the naked pig in the background:

Speaking of naked...check out the boy in the split pants*:

That right there was worth the price of admission to the park.

*What are split pants, you ask? Pants with a big open seam at the bottom--to make for quick and easy potty stops. Watch where you step, I say.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 16, Part 2

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen TWENTY-THREE days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

After our swearing party, our bus driver dropped us off lunch, fortunately no grubs this time.

Time for some Mall Food, at the very busy Banana Leaf Restaurant:

Which was some of theeee taste-ee-ist food (Thai) we had while traveling. I still think back with fondness of the spicy green beans. Perhaps I was just glad to see a green vegetable other than bok choy.

(Those Chinese?)

(They LOVE them some bok choy. Stems nice and crunchy; leaves good and slimy.)

(Never did figure out how to eat an 8" vegetable with a pair of chopsticks.)

But see that satay--glory!

And even though Sister's shirt says "My Heart Belongs To Daddy," her dirty diapers belonged to me.

Right in the middle of my fantastic feast, Sister needed a change. Desperately.

Remember the little story about no changing tables??

Sigh...

Here's a snippet from my journal about what could have been a quick and easy change:

I headed off to the "Toilet" with the Squawker in tow. The restaurant was packed, so I knew I could not get through the diaper change unscathed.

First I did the Horrible Thing of placing my child on the bathroom floor (I laid something down first, but that didn't matter.) The Hens came out in full force--at least six ladies gathered around to see The Show.

"White Lady Changing Chinese Baby In Toilet."

I was quickly told (via dramatic sign language and Chinese chirping) that my child had too few clothes on. One lady started rubbing her hands together, and then placed her warm hands on Susie's tummy to calm her down. Then another rubbed her hands down Susie's arms to keep them warm.

The whole time there was also the Chinese Chatter to keep the baby from crying – an interesting mixture of sing-songing and yapping.

And then The Interview. “Whey you from?” “Your baby grill oh boy?” “China Baby?” “How old?” “First baby?” “Two boys!!! You ha' two boys already?!?! [Chatter chatter chatter] How old they??” And on it went.

Then the Crowd had to help me get Susie dressed, get everything all packed up. I did happen to notice that not a one of them grabbed the poo-poo diaper. Where's a Hen when you need one?

After that lengthy ordeal, we finished up our meal and walked back through the mall--only to see this:

"Marry Christmas and Happy News Year."

(Did I mention it was February?)

I love Chinglish.

And I especially love Thai food, in a mall in South China.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 3, Part 2

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

Shortly after our plane landed on the blessed Chinese soil (because a 13-hour plane trip, no matter how fabulous the movies--which ours weren't--is about 11 hours too long), we downed some strong coffee and headed out with our tour group. I could hardly recite my name at this point, but no matter. We had the perfect touristy accoutrement: name tags.

Pffftt. As if a massive group of mostly PALE-FACED CAUCASIANS doesn't shout "tourist" anyway, but I digress.

So we stuffed ourselves onto a couple of buses and went to see "some things." (Or as they say in Chinglish, "sum sings.")

First there was this "square:"

And then some city that was "forbidden." As you can see, all sorts of folks are heading into the city, and yet! I stood against the flow, doing my best to stop the throngs of people from entering this "city"--which by the very nature of its name--should not have been entered:

(Hello, people!! Is anybody listening to me??!?!?)

(Apparently not.)

So I entered. And kept entering and entering and entering this eternal "city." I had walked so far and for so long that I eventually thought I saw the shores of the good ol' USA.

But being a bit jet lagged does funny things to a mind.

Oh, but where was I.

I am certain that our very-intelligent guide was saying highly-interesting things throughout this little (ha!) jaunt, but I was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G. There ain't no trees in that thare faincy wide-open city, and the February winds were a whippin'.

It's hard to listen to speeches about "emperors" and "the color yellow" when my frostbit mind kept asking myself, "How am I supposed to care for a small child if both my arms fall off from this cold?"

See, here I am. (The burgundy bundle.) Attempting to keep my limbs intact.

[You know? I do remember one thing that our guide said to us that day. She said that the previous group she had led through the "city" had RAN through the place, just to be done being out in the cold. Well! I wish she would have mentioned that before the end of our trip through the "city," as I was experienced in running (through airports) and had a clean shirt on.]

And with that little anecdote, folks, I will close out the morning of that day.

More fun to come.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 16, Part 3

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen TWENTY-FOUR days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

It was time for: The Last Supper. This "last hurrah" at a restaurant in the hotel was enjoyed by many of those in our travel group. I'd include their pictures too, but thought I'd save them the embarrassment of looking like a chipmunk:

(Note the impressive feat of feeding Susie a bottle, and feeding myself an 8" hunk of bok choy--with chopsticks. A learned skill, for sure.)

And that phrase, "worn-out?" A bit of an understatement.

But as we sat around the table, we were simply in shock that we had done it. We had filled out the paperwork and had flown all over China for one purpose and one purpose only:

To Bring Our Babies Home.

And, the next day--that's where we were going to be.

Unbelievable.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 16, Part 6

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen TWENTY-EIGHT days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

I really like this picture. Oh, sure...it looks like I have a hand growing out my right side:

But besides that, it makes me glad that we took a moment to say "goodbye" to China and all that it meant to us.

We mourned and celebrated many of our "finals:"

The final flights to not miss

The final bags to be packed

The final night in a hotel

The final hours of being a minority

The final paperwork to be signed

The final clowning around at group meals

The final view of the soil and the beauty of China

The final goofball-inducing sightseeing

The final sightings of pigs

The final moments as a group

The final meals eaten with meals eaten with chopsticks

The final diaper changing routines

The final squatty potty adventures

It was good to say "goodbye" then; it is good to say "goodbye" now.

(But we're still not home yet.)

(More to come.)

(And for those who wish I would just hurry up and get this China reminiscing over with--never fear. The end is near.)


(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 9, Part 2

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

Time to lighten things up. I need to share a little of "this and that" kinds of thoughts.

This man is eatin' his beans and greens, ridin' a bike.

What an inspiration.

(Now--pardon me while I inhale a snack, sitting on my duff.)

Here's a "wedding car," decorated with fresh flowers:

Our guide told us that many Chinese couples choose to rent a BMW to drive around for their wedding "parade." Why? Because "BMW" stands for "Be My Wife."

Hmmmphf. Clever folks, that they are.

And speaking of happy celebrations, we were in China right before the start of the New Year Celebration, which made for some awesome decorations and "holiday" kinds of moods:

Speaking of acting like goof balls, here is one of our travel mates, the brother to one of the newly adopted girls:

At this particular restaurant (where we were displaying our classiest American behavior), the mom of this young man asked the waitresses taking our order, "What is your specialty?"

[We stumped them. First there was a big pause. Then--lots of conferring going on in the corner. Soon, they came back with an answer.]

"Our Special Teas are ..." and they went on to tell us all about the different kinds of tea that we could order to drink.

Pa, the Linguist, was the first to figure it out.

And then, we laughed and laughed at the "specialties."

Fun With Foreign Languages, 101.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 3, Part 3

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

After a grueling morning of seeing Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City through frostbit eyes, our group was herded off to lunch. "Herded" is not an exaggeration, as there were roughly 100 of us (mostly) white-faced folks.

The best part? We had assigned seats at the restaurant and we didn't have to order the food ourselves. That rite thar is a wonderful thang, especially for a group of jet lagged folks who caint read a lick of Chinese to save their rice-loving souls.

And the food! It kept coming and kept coming and we kept eating and kept eating, as Pa is clearly demonstrating:

But long before we had mastered our skills with the chopsticks, we were schlepped off to the next sightseeing adventure.

This one was indoors, at least. First came the lesson on pearls, and then the "opportunity to look around."

We parted with some cash that day. The Pa was in town, and he was in no mood to deprive his beloved daughter-to-be of China's finest frippery:

But, we did make it out of the store relatively unharmed, and headed back outside to the...

(Oh dear. I am going to have to look this one up. "Buff" I might be, but "history buff?" Not so much.)

Summer Palace!!!

(Thank you, Pa, for hollering the answer to me from across the house, while I sat in the uncomfy chair and typed.)

And I've proven to myself, time and time again, that it is virtually impossible for me to take a "normal" picture:

(Where do my kids learn these things??)

You might imagine, that in a land filled with Meek and Mild type of folk, that people like the Pa and I stand out.

Just a bit.

We tried to be good, we really did.

But back to the whirlwind.

We're still on the first real day, folks!!

Next stop: Silk Factory.

Here we learned how worms magically transform themselves into cute little outfits that must be bought for our babies.

It's all a part of the journey.

Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 11, Part 1

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

Most of our time in Guangzhou was spent Waiting On Paperwork To Be Cleared So That We Could Take Our Babe And Go Home.

So, we saw the sights, mostly to keep from going mad by staying in a hotel room with a small infant.

Because going out and about with a small infant is so much more enjoyable.

So Guangzhou (gwan-joe) has a folk art museum, that is...how do I say...

Folkartsy?

Truly, it was lovely to soak up some beauty and culture. But then the Bozo Bug took over, and the Pa and I ended up doing things like this:

Mind you, this was all before we had been approved to leave the country.

With one of their own.

It's a good thing that "meekness" and "normalcy" are not part of the requirements for adoptive parents.

Because we'd never have made it to China.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 7, Part 3

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

A person can look at only so many rocks growing out of the ground before it's time for a change of scenery.

Speaking of needing a change, as we sat down for our meal, little Sister Susie did a little business in her diaper. No problem, I thought. I'd just head to the "changing table" in the restaurant's restroom.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Okay, sometimes I forgot that we had entered Another World.

Don't get me wrong. I loved China. Still do.

But the concept of a "changing table" hasn't exactly caught on in the rural regions. (Or in the city for that matter.)

No problem. I was an Old Pro at changing diapers--after all--I'd been doing this very task non-stop for the past five years or so. But that there restroom had no table and no counter top and certainly no clean floor.

And it wasn't like I could take my girl and release her Diaper Bomb right out in the middle of the restaurant.

Then I thought--but of course! The bus!

Bus was locked.

So I changed my girl outside in the wide-open gravel lot, with dirt blowing in our eyes and traffic zipping by.

It was a moment worth blogging about.

Or not.

And here's the Pa, looking delighted because he had not just spent 20 minutes wandering all over creation looking for a place to "change:"

Oh, but then we moved on. To an embroidery shop, to see some local artists at work:

And to be fawned over by a group of kids, who were Absolutely Enthralled at the sight of a bus load of English-Speaking Americans:

After a while, they started singing the ABC song to us. Took us much longer than you might think for us to figure out what words they were singing.

Oh, yes! The alphabet! Our alphabet!

(We're natural linguists like that.)

And thus ended our time in the countryside.

It was good to see China. Real China.

Lack of changing tables and all.


(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 11, Part 3

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

In case you are part of the camp that thinks that All Asians Look Alike, let me tell you--this is not our Suz:

But it's a very funny picture--one of my favorites.

(Some parents take the White Supremacy Thing a bit too far.)

(I do hope y'all know how to joke.)

So.

The cute babe in the pink "hat" is one of Susie's friends, who happens to be a twin. OK, so maybe some Asians do look alike. Here's the match (because I knew you were wondering):

And here are some of our travel-mates, standing next to a Pompous Pig:

I'm not sure what they're laughing at, but it might be related to this:

It was The Year Of The Pig, folks.

Gotta celebrate in style.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 15, Part 1

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen TWENTY days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

In one room...on one day...eight families "gave birth" together.

That isn't something that happens every day. Every year for that matter. For most--it was a once in a lifetime experience.

And then it had to come to an end. It was time to go home.

"Home" is a strange word in this case. We had "birthed" our babies in China. Their "home" was China. Yet our home was Ohio.

But only for us. "Home" to the other seven families was the East Coast and the West Coast, and a few states in between. It was hard to take my babe from her "sisters"--other girls who had shared not just a room with her--but a history as well.

So our travel group gathered for pictures, which marked The Beginning Of The End of this crazy adoption journey. It was a special group for sure--people we laughed with and cried with...ate with and talked with.

Let's take a look at the gang, shall we?

Starting with the zany folks from (then) Ohio, and now the Pacific Northwest (maybe you recognize these two):


To the parents of the twins, currently in Alabama:


To their neighbors in Mississippi:


The Midwesterners in Illinois:


And Pennsylvania:


Hailing from Maryland:


And New Jersey:


And all the way back to the West Coast, in California:


And here's the full group, all of us who adopted babies from the same orphanage at the same time through the same agency:


And to any of our travel mates who are following the snippets and sagas once again--I send a hearty hello, and big bear hug.

Because if there is one thing I do well - It's be a Big Bear.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 5, Part 5

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

Most of the four hours in the meat closet, aka The Civil Affairs Building, were spent filling out paperwork and doing other kinds of things, like shivering. Oh, I guess we got an official "family picture" taken, which became part of our daughter's adoption decree.

And then there was the foot printing party:

If you can't see our girl, it's because she was half asleep at this point. Never the mind, all they needed were the feet. Wasn't like she had to count to 100 in Chinese or anything.

And speaking of counting, here is the Fee Collector, inspecting and being very meticulous with our group's stash of cash:

And while *I* was getting a cramp in my hand from writing my name and passport number and age when I had my first pimple sixteen hundred times, Pa was busy feeding the babe:

And look! He had walked out to the bus to get his coat.

Didn't help much.

And then, without having had lunch OR dinner, we headed to the hotel for the night.

And before we could say "figure out" and "how to fix a bottle" and "in a hotel room," Sister Susie had drifted off to sleep:

It was a big day.

For us all.

(Read the whole China story.)

Flashback February: Day 7, Part 2

(One year ago this month, Pa and I made the trek to China to adopt our sweet Sister Susie. I am going to take the first seventeen days of February 2008 to revisit that trip. Hop in for the ride!)

Our little drive through the countryside took us to a rather popular destination, Stone Forest:

Where--in case you need help with the translation--there was a "forest" of "stones:"

Suz was enthralled:

And lest you think the weary parents walked through the forest, think again. We traveled in style, enjoying much of the "beauty" (because there is something extra precious about big hunks of rock) from our seats in the tram:

(I'm in the front holding the blob of pink blanket, in case you are looking in vain.)

Oh, but some of the camera buffs got out to capture the "beauty:"

Notice, they had to dredge up some of their Inner Rebellion in order to do so.

(Pa thinks that picture is endlessly funny.)

And here's most of our travel group--which suddenly got a lot crazier and noisier and stinkier and messier once those babes came along:

Speaking of getting crazier, some of us haven't quite learned the meaning of "acting our age:"

(How handy! A pay phone! Smack dab in the middle of the beautiful Stone Forest!)

And I blame this pose on the Pa, whose dorkiness was obviously having a negative effect on me:

And in case you need help with your Mandarin Chinese, these characters--so naturally etched into the stones--say: "It's Just A Big Hunk Of Rocks, You Ninnies."

And y'all? You want to see more stones? I'd be happy to show you the 50 gazillion pics that didn't appear here.

Just in case you like them rocks.

(Read the whole China story.)