Train to Hong Kong

We are all packed and ready to get on the train.
In a half hour they will come and get our bags and then in an hour we will go down and check out. We will get on the bus about 4:30 to go to the train station.
Another cool, cloudy, rainy day today so no outside time for us.
We had a very low key day today. We went went down to breakfast about 9 and chatted with some of the other families and then came back to the room, played for a bit and Robbie and I took a nap.
Once nap time was over I started to pack everything up. Not an easy task but I think we have it all in and the stuff that we need tonight on the top of one of the suitcases so that we don't have to unpack too much when we get to Hong Kong.
Robbie has had about 4 messy diapers today. His pour little butt is red. I was glad I brought the Butt Paste. I hope he is done with this before we get on the train and then the plane. I think we have given him more fruit this week than he has ever had. He is not sick, no temp, and he is not acting sick in any way.

Next stop Hong Kong!

FYI

Just an FYI for those of you who will be around us when we get home.

One of Robbie's favorite things to say is "da"
We have learned that in Chinese this means "hit"
We do not want to encourage this word so if he says this to you please do not repeat it to him. As we made the mistake of doing this early in the week. And be aware that is word may come with a swinging arm, especially if he is upset or not liking what is going on. If that is the case please just grab his hand and firmly tell him "No!"
We have been working on this all week and it is getting better. But we wanted to give everyone a fair warning and try not to encourage this from him.
We have found that a lot of these children have some aggression to work out.
Thank you very much for your cooperation in this matter.

Consulate Appointment

Group Photo from today: Missing one family


Today we had our Consulate Appointment (CA) to get Robbie's Visa.
We boarded the bus with 9 other families and headed to the USA Consulate. We had to go to the 4th floor of the building and go through security. I forgot I had my blackberry in the backpack and they found it and took it from me. They gave me a number so that I could pick it up when we came back out. I have not turned it on since we left the states and forgot it was tucked away in a pocket. Sorry there are no photo's from today as they do not allow camera's in the consulate.
We waited in a room, they had some toys for the kids, and then when there were 12 families there we all stood, raised our right hand and took and oath for our kids. We then got called one family at a time to the window and handed them the packet with all our child's info and passport. Once we were all done we headed back to the bus and that is it. They will pick up his passport, with his visa, tomorrow afternoon. They will also give us a brown envelope with all his info that we will turn in to immigration when we land in Chicago. Robbie will officially be a US Citizen when we hit US soil!
When we got back to the hotel we had a group photo. For some reason one of the families was not there and one family only the Dad came as the little girl was ill.
We have a wonderful group of families and it was really awesome to go on this journey with them!
It rained all day today. It was a bit warmer but very cloudy and it got foggy as the day went on. I can hardly see the buildings across the street right now. We were hoping to go the park today but that didn't happen. Still better than all the snow I hear you are all getting at home! Derek is happy for that as it's coming up on the full moon and he is ready to do some coyote hunting.
This afternoon was really low key. We took a family nap and then went and found some supper: once again McDonald's. Derek and Robbie are in the tub as I write this and we are going to meet our friends from CA in the lounge for one last night of drinks and snacks.
Tomorrow we have most of the day free. We have to have our luggage packed and outside our door by 4:30 pm tomorrow afternoon and then they will take us to the train station. Our train leaves at 6:15 pm and it's a 2 hour train ride to Hong Kong. We will stay overnight at the airport hotel and then our flight to Chicago leaves at 11am on Friday. We will "time travel" back to the USA as we land in Chicago at 11:16 am on Friday. We have a long layover in Chicago but this is due to the fact that we have to go through customs and immigration. Our flight to CWA leaves at 5:30 pm and we should land at CWA at 6:30 pm on Friday March 2nd! Hopeing the snow stops by then!
It's going to be so nice to be back home!!! As one of the Dad's said today "It's going to be nice to get in my car and drive where I want, when I want and get what I want" I couldn't of said it better!
Please pray for safe travels for us and that Robbie tolerates the long plane ride ok!!
This may be my last post from China and I am not sure what tomorrow night will bring for us.

Free Day

Cruise on the Pearl River

Papa John's Pizza


First Chicken Nugget from McDonald's.

Today was pretty low key.

We slept in a bit and went down for breakfast.
The sun peaked out for a little bit this morning and it actually hit 60 today. We played in the room and then it was nap time. Robbie took a 2 hour nap. Derek just ran down to McDonald's for lunch. Robbie had his first chicken nuggets and ice cream today! We didn't have a lot of time for lunch as Derek had to attend the exit meeting at 3pm.
Once Derek got back from the meeting it was bath time. Then it was time to get ready to go on the boat tour.
We took a boat on the pearl river. It was a nice night out. They ordered Papa Johns Pizza's and we ate it on the boat. We were on the first deck so out of the wind. We were able to go up on the top deck and see all the lights of the city and the boats. I took some video as well. It was a bit chilly and windy for the babies so we took them back downstairs and Robbie and Karmen played for a bit. It decided to rain while we were about half way through the cruise and it quit before it was time to get back on the bus.
Of course Robbie fell asleep on the way to the boat for a short nap and then he didn't want to go down for us tonight. He finished his bottle and then wanted to play on the bed. He finally let me hold him and he went to sleep. Derek fell asleep too and I will be joining them shortly. I didn't sleep well last night again.
A few families had their consulate appointments today. Ours is tomorrow with the rest of the families. We have to get on the bus at 9am to head to the consulate for the oath taking ceremony. In the afternoon we plan to go and check out the large park that is across the street. It's supposed to be in the upper 60's. We can pick up Robbie's Visa on Thursday at 4:30 pm and then we will take the train to Hong Kong.
We tried to call the airline today to upgrade to the economy plus seats so we would have more room for the trip home with a baby on our laps for 14 hours but no such luck. They said all they had left are middle seats and nothing together but we can ask again at the airport. It may be a very long flight home.

Pictures from today...

Gotta love the "Chinglish"


Robbie & Karmen!!!

Scroll down to see today's post...

Happy Birthday Robbie!

Happy Birthday Little Man!




Today Robbie turned 1!!
Robbie fell asleep at 7:30 pm last night and made it till 5:30 before he started to fuss. I put him in bed with us and he slept till almost 7:30 am. I guess we wore him out. Lots of fresh air yesterday.
After breakfast we met many of the families here in the lobby to head out to the Safari Park.
It was cold, about 50, and raining on and off all day. But this was not bad as we had most of the park to ourselves. Robbie fell asleep as we drove into the parking lot of the zoo. We put him in the carrier and he slept for about an hour. We walked through the first part of the park and then took a Safari Ride on a tram through another part of the park. The tram ride was about an hour and we saw a lot of animals up close. When we stopped at the bears, tigers and lions they threw meat at them and they all ran for it. The lions were the most aggressive and they were fighting over the food. One lion was even bleeding after the fact. Not what we are used to seeing at home.

We took a ton of pictures and some video so Makenna you don't have to worry about missing any animals and we picked out a stuffed animal just for you!!!

When we got back to the hotel, Robbie had a bottle while Dad went to pick up the cake. It was had to find a regular Birthday Cake here so we had to order a cheese cake. It was really good. We invited the other families down to celebrate Robbie's First Birthday. It was short and sweet but he liked the cake. We sang Happy Birthday and he tried to blow out the candles. He loved the cake, but he also seems to like whatever we put into his mouth!

His girlfriend Karmen gave him a spiky orange ball and he loves it! They had a good time together and it was so nice that all the families and most of the kids could come and celebrate with us.

Once the party was done we headed to the lounge for some dinner and drinks with our friends from CA. They boys played better tonight.

Tomorrow is a free day for us. Some of the other families have their consulate appointments but ours in not till Wednesday. We have an exit meeting at 3 and then a river boat cruise in the evening. We will see what the weather is going to do before we head out. They say that Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be around 70. It will be nice to see the sun again as it has been overcast, cool and raining the entire time we have been in Guangzhou. Better than the snow at home but it would be nicer if it were warmer. We will do something with our new friends tomorrow even just if it's just to pass the time.

First Kiss

Love all the strange signs we see all over
Trying on a new hat
Adoptive Family Statue

Not sure why it is but all the statues on Shamian Island are rather fat.
Kiss KissLots of people having their photo's taken because the island is so beautiful



Robbie had his first kiss today! Little Miss Karmen walked right over and planted one on him!
Today was a good day. It was rather cool with some wind and rain but it was nice to be outside.
After breakfast we were able to Skype with my Mom and Makenna then Dad and Robbie had bath time and then it was time for a nap. We had to wake him just before 1 as we were meeting 3 other families in the lobby to go over to Shamian Island to pick up our laundry and do some shopping. We bought a chop for Robbie and some traditional Chinese outfits for Robbie and Makenna. I also found a "Made in China" shirt for Robbie. It will be a bit before he can wear it as they didn't have any real small sizes.
It was nice to explore the Island. As we were walking around a man came up to us and started to ask about the babies. Turns out it was Jordan from Jordan's shop. I had heard about this shop from many people who have been here. He told us some history of the island, that the French had one half and the English had the other and they had an electric fence down the middle. You can see this in the architecture of both sides. He asked the kids names and made a page with there name in English and then in Chinese with the meaning of their names. It was really nice. He also had the coveted "Going Home Barbie" that you used to get at the White Swan when you stayed there for your adoption trip. It's a regular blonde barbie with an Asian baby. So miss Makenna will have that when we get home.
We ate at Lucy's and it was nice to have some "regular" food. Robbie once again finished a whole bowl of chicken congee and had many of our french fries and half a bowl of mashed potatoes. He ate the whole time we sat at the table!!! Derek has many nick names for him: cake, stay puff, big baby (from toy story 3). This kid is going to have a complex by the time we get home!
We are now back at the hotel and are planning a trip to the lounge for some drinks with the family from CA.
Tomorrow it's off to the Safari Park! Makenna has told me I need to take a photo of every animal so she doesn't miss anything!

Shamian Island

Here are some more photo's of Shamian Island. It is nice to see green!!
The basket was in our room when we arrived.

First Day in Guanzhou

Palm
Tree's!!!




Robbie didn't sleep good last night.
Since we got in late he slept till about 2:30 then started to fuss so I put him in bed with us. We had the alarm set for 7 and so we got up and made our way to breakfast. Here we saw more families that were with us in Beijing. We all boarded the bus shortly after 9 and headed to Shamian Island. We got in line to have the kids photo's taken for their visa's. Derek was so happy to find Mt. Dew at the 7-11!!! After that we stopped at Micheal's to have our laundry done. Then we walked to the medical clinic. Robbie did very good and didn't cry at any of the checks. He did however pee all 0ver when he was at the main medical check.
Once we were done at the clinic we made our way back to the photo shop. On the way we saw a little boy doing his business in the street. This is one of the many things that we see daily that is s0 not how we do things in the USA. There seems to be NO manners here in China!!
We took a walk tonight to see what was around our hotel and made a stop at the 7-11 to stock up on Mt Dew!!!
Derek attended the paperwork meeting this afternoon and they offered tours to us. The only one we signed up for was the Safari Park on Monday.
Tomorrow is a free day for us . So we will go to Shamian Island and pick up our laundry and do some shopping.
We had a nice night in the lounge with a couple from CA and their son. We are ready to head home but have a few more days here.

From Harbin to Guangzhou

We have arrived at the China Marriott Hotel in Guangzhou and it is like traveling to another world. It was so nice to get back and see some the families that we were with in Beijing and meet all their beautiful children!!
Derek upgraded our room after the not so nice accommodations we had in Harbin. We are spoiled here! We are on the 17th floor and it was dark when our plane landed and it's raining so I haven't seen any of the city yet. It sure feels nice to be in warmer weather!
Echo arrived at our hotel to help us check out this morning and she brought along Robbie's passport. She also had a wonderful photo album from the Civil Affairs office. They took pictures on Gotcha Day and the day after when we completed the adoption. They also gave us Robbie's "finding ad" This is an ad they place in the local paper after a baby is found stating that they found a child and where, asking for the parents to come forward. It has a photo of him but the quality is very bad. All wonderful keepsakes!!
We drove to the airport and Robbie napped for about a half hour or so. They we got checked in and Echo waited with us till we boarded the plane. Her flight left a couple hours after ours.
We were prepared for the worst on the plane but Robbie did wonderfully! He so loves to be around people that he never even cried. He ate for the entire 4 hour flight as everyone was bringing him food. He was a trooper and for that I am very very thankful!!
We found our ride from the airport and had one other family with us that was with us in Beijing. Robbie fell asleep on the ride over to the hotel.
This hotel is really nice and we met a few of the other families in our group in the lobby. There seems to be many adoptive families staying here, not just from our agency. We got checked in and I got Robbie a bottle and got him to sleep and unpacked our stuff. It sure was nice to pack the winter cloths back in the suitcase till later! We have a pile of laundry to take with us tomorrow to Shamian Island.
We have to meet our group in the lobby at 9:30 am to get on the bus to go to Shamian Island. First all the kids will have their photo's taken for their visa's and then we will go to the medical clinic for their examinations.
It is now almost 11pm and Derek went to hunt down some food for us and then it's off to bed as we have to get up and get ready early tomorrow.
Sunday - Tuesday are free days for us here as Robbie is under 2 so he will not get a TB test. Our consulate appointment is not until Wednesday. We are going to make plans to have a Birthday Party for Robbie on Monday with the families in our group!
Sorry no photo's from today but there was nothing worth taking a photo of and most of our day was spent on an airplane!

PS Derek brought me ice cream!!!

Snow and Ice Sculptures

We were able to see some the snow and ice sculptures today. These were in the park along the river where the main festival was held.

Since there were so many photo's from today that I wanted to share...today's post is actually in 3 parts so be sure to see them all!

Last full day in Harbin

This photo was over the tank with the Sturgeons.

Today was a good day for the most part.
Robbie slept good last night and only work up at 2:30, had a bottle and went back to bed. After breakfast we were able to Skype with Katy, Grandma Diane & Dave, Grandma Mary and Makenna!!!
After some play time and only an hour nap it was time to feed Robbie and get ready to meet Echo for some touring today.
First we went to Polar Land. (photo's are above) It was a neat, kind of like a mini Sea World. We saw lots of fish and Polar Bears, Arctic Fox, Arctic Wolves, Beluga Whales, a Sea Lion show and sharks. This building is in a park on the other side of the river from where we are staying. They also had a bunch of snow sculptures left so we did get to see some of them. We were told that Harbin had very little snow this year so man made snow to sculpt with. They were not in the best shape but still were really neat to see. We also got to see the main area of the ice sculptures as were drove out. It is only open at night so the driver just pulled over so that we could take a picture. As I said before all the ice sculptures that they had in the parks in town are smashed and hauled back to the river. They take the ice from the river to make the sculptures with. They are shooting fireworks off across the river in that direction as I write this now.
After Polar Land we went to visit St. Sofia Church. There are photo's below.
We then had dinner with Echo and our driver at a local dumpling restaurant. She ordered 5 kinds of dumplings for us to try. They eat a lot of dumplings and noodles in northern China and more rice in the southern parts. They were each good, some better than others. They had an awesome garlic sauce to put on them however, Derek and I can still taste it how many hours later!
As soon as we got back to our room tonight Robbie started whining. He likes to be in this room as much as we do, NOT! Anyway he worked himself up and neither one of us could comfort him. We got him ready for bed and I made a bottle. He screamed hard for quite a while. When I finally got him to drink his bottle he drank about 2/3 of it and proceeded to throw it up all over me and my bed! This was one of my worst fears about him because Makenna was never a puker and I was worried that he would be. Derek and I don't do puke very well! I guess that may be something we have to get used to.
So after getting him and me cleaned up we had to call Echo so she could call housekeeping and get my bed changed. I then had to do some laundry in the tub! Hope it's all dry by morning so we can pack up! Please pray that he does not puke on the plane tomorrow!!

In the morning we will get things packed up and Echo will come for us by noon and help us get checked out and then we will head to the airport. I guess our driver works at the civil affairs office as well so he is going to pick up Robbie's passport in the morning for us. We have a 4 hour flight to Guangzhou, Robbie does not like for us to sit still and since we won't be able to get up and walk around our whole flight it could be interesting.
It's going to be nice to get back together with all the families we have met and be in warmer weather!

Good night from Harbin!

Photo's from today

Today we visited Saint Sofia Church




It was built in 1907 as a Catholic Church. It's no longer a church today. It's is now the Harbin Construction Art Museum. It was very beautiful.