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Are You Kidding Me?

Well, no more French toast for me....the new breakfast buffet is not as fabulous as the one at the Dolton, or at least it wasn't today : ) Still fine, though...was excited to go over to Starbucks to complete my breakfast. Well, I ordered my caramel frappucino, pointing to the item on the menu...the barista points to a different photo of "frappucino with jelly". No jelly, thanks, I replied. Still, it came with jelly anyway. It was not tapioca, like bubble tea...it was like having a slightly less firm jello product of an unidentifiable flavor at the bottom of my drink. I thought I could move the straw up higher in the cup to avoid said jelly, but I was foiled again as the jelly came up with each swallow. Strike out. I'll try again tomorrow.

Then, we met up with two other WACAP families to head over to the island for visa photos and medical "exams" and shots. Visa photos were uneventful, with June managing to keep her tongue in her mouth! Off to the medical where there was a very cursory exam - height, weight, a quick peek in the ears, nose, throat - unremarkable. The waiting room was a hot, crying mess of kids and babies. My poor baby started to cry after the exams while waiting for shots - our guide Sarah explained to her what would happen. 5 freaking shots, one TB test...one very unhappy Junie, and one sad mama! Her brief silent tears were replaced with loud sobs - really heartbreaking. She recovered after a trip to 7 Eleven for an orange juice. We did a little walking around the island, which is beautiful and a mix of English and French architecture. We'll go back later in the week to explore the island (read: shop and eat at Lucy's).

In the final, are you kidding me, note: I seem to have developed a horrendous sinus infection where I feel the dizziness and pressure from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. May be dipping into the stash of antibiotics. Headed off to do some paperwork for the consulate. Tomorrow is sightseeing...haven't yet agreed on an activity with the group.

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New Day, New Province
Our focus today was on getting from Changsha to Guangzhou...funny how a 90 minute flight consumes your whole day! After a breakfast of sweet potatoes, French toast and beans, Junie was ready to pack up and say goodbye to her home province for the forseeable future; hopefully we'll be able to bring her back to visit someday. We left our hotel at about 12:30 for the Changsha airport...the airport there is not super big...a small waiting area, no info in English really in our terminal, so we did our combination of pantomime and broken English/Chinese conversations to make sure that we got on the right bus - crammed in with the rest of humanity - and then off the right plane. We got a nice thumbs up from a Chinese lady who apparently approved of the adoption : ) Our flight was a bit delayed - it was Junie's first flight ( a test run for the 14 1/2 hours home ), but she did just fine, enjoying the view, the peanuts, the tray tables, the turbulence.
We arrived safely in Guangzhou and endured a nauseating ride to the hotel - our guide had to pick up another family, so it was just us and the driver who apparently didn't want to KEEP his foot on the gas pedal - better to just tap it every 15 seconds or so and lurch along through the always-busy traffic until we arrived at what can only be described as an oasis - just as we prepared to enter the hotel driveway, we spotted it, our salvation, STARBUCKS! There will be a trip there tomorrow morning, for sure! To say the new hotel is awesome, would be an understatement. There are a variety of restaurants, a huge lobby full of shops, etc. If you didn't want to experience China, you could easily spend the day in the hotel, at the gym, the spa, the salon, pool, etc! Didn't think Junie would enjoy another night at a restaurant, so we did room service - best mediocre pesto pasta I have every had, after a week of faithfully experimenting with and (mostly) enjoying Chinese cuisine! Sarah was delighted with her cheeseburger and fries. Considering a McDonalds lunch tomorrow...then switch back to Chinese for dinner!
Our new room is great - we have a separate living room/bedroom...the bathroom is all marble and has separate doors for the toilet/rainshower/bath. We have some room to spread out! The beds are hard as boards, as usual, and actually are a bit smaller than at the last hotel. Pushed mine up against the wall so that Junie won't fall out - with the amount of room she takes up, though, I may have to cram myself into the little crib they provided for her. As always, we have already needed to request toilet paper. I am planning to hide whatever remains of the new roll when we go out in the morning, so that we'll be provided with a WHOLE fresh roll for the day!
We are headed for the dreaded medical exam tomorrow, along with getting June's visa photos taken...her immunization records look pretty well updated, so I am hoping that she does not have to endure too many shots. She'll also have the TB test, which will be read on Monday...we should meet a couple of other families tomorrow. One is adopting two older kids, and one with a little one. Will be nice to meet some other parents!

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Toilet Paper Optional

Just a note, should you ever travel to China, remember to carry your own tissue at all times. Whatever potty you find - be it a "four star toilet", a squatty, or a "western" toilet at a tourist attraction, store, public venue...toilet paper will be in short supply or nonexistent. Even at the hotel, we have had to call and request more toilet paper, a request which is met with suspicion. After being accused of breaking the sink in our room today, we are afraid to request any more and will be down to facial tissue by morning. Fortunately, I had the foresight to buy a multipack of Hello Kitty tissues at the last hotel, and that has been working out just fine!
Today we visited the embroidery museum in Changsha. Hunan is known for its beautiful embroidery in a variety of styles. This is the first place where we were not followed around and hounded to buy things. The people there were super-friendly, and I took the opportunity to get a nice piece of embroidery on silk in pink and green to hang in Junie's room. Maybe a few little things for her sisters, to represent the place where Ying Ying was born! The ladies working there really liked Junie - who wouldn't. Some of the pieces there are so large that up to 20 women have been working on a single piece for over a year - imagine looking at a piece of blue thread for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week!
After that, we took a quick shopping trip and got some great carryout for a late lunch. Imagine the game "Frogger"....take a moment to imagine the peril faced by the poor little frog as he hopped his way across multiple lanes of high-speed traffic. Now, picture Frogger led by his slender Chinese guide, a stroller, carrying a small child who has never been in such traffic, and some shopping bags. Add in several motorscooters traveling at high speeds and a few angry Chinese who have also been waiting 15 minutes in the heat for a cab, and you have us this afternoon. We made it home to the hotel to be met by the world's happiest bellman and took refuge in the cool safety of our hotel room. We've been to the playroom, had some leftovers for dinner and ordered up some ice cream. Tomorrow we have nothing much in the morning - so we'll hang out, have breakfast, get packed and head to the airport for our 2:30 flight to Guangzhou!!!
Junie continues to do really well - she is becoming more mischevious and testing her little boundaries...but continues to be very smiley, loving, and cuddly. Also, it appears that she believes every white, brown haired man on the computer, or in magazines and ads to be her "baba"! Tom Lyons, you have some time to make up here ; ) We have learned that she: is very messy with popsicles, good with chopsticks, scared of strangers, happy in the bath, silly above all, really sweet, particular about her belongings, and happy with almost all treats!

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My Husband, the Hugo Boss Model

With that title, we'll have to start backwards with the day! We just finished dinner in the hotel restaurant, Food Street...there are many "avenues" I hope never to explore there, and I am going to leave it at that. We cobbled together a meal of cucumbers (picked up and eaten whole), steamed corn bread, some excellent shrimp and cilantro dumplings, fried rice and some low-quality French onion soup. Junie kind of gave up on the table manners after a bit, so she and I went for a walk. There are some high-end shops here in the hotel, and right at the bottom of the stairs, June spotted her "baba", Tom, starring in the giant Hugo Boss ad. He did look good! One more for your modeling resume, Tom Lyons. We had a low key afternoon of hanging out in the playroom, going for a walk down the main street here...to say it is hot is an understatement. To say we sweated like pigs is also an understatement. Couldn't take the smell of myself! After enjoying some popsicles, getting ripped off for a pair of kids' sunglasses, and buying some tea we headed back to the hotel. The little miss is starting to display her stubborn personality, which was evident at our morning stop - Martyrs Park. It is basically a large public park - people hanging out playing chess, mahjong, dancing, tai chi...There is also an amusement park, part for little kids. June enjoyed the rides - a merry go round, fishing for ducks, feeding some ginormous carp (took some photos, Dad), and a few low-key rides. She did not want to get off the rides! In an effort to fight off heat exhaustion, we took a quick boat ride, minus our guide who "doesn't like boats". The breeze was awesome, drying us off in no time! Junie liked being out on the water and has had another good day all around. We have had no tears today at all : ) Probably they'll be coming around bedtime. Fat, silent tears when she doesn't quite know what to do with herself. Last night, she fell asleep on my lap, so we'll try that again tonight, along with some Xanax for myself to enjoy a second night in a row of sleep. That should be enough to power me through to Guangzhou where there are not one, not two, but THREE Starbucks - one just down the block from our hotel!!! Enjoy the photos!

It's Official!After our 24 hour harmonious period, it is offical with my signature and thumbprint and Junie's handprint - she has been adopted and is offically a Lyons! We had a really good day yesterday - a little sad after her nap and a lot sad at bathtime. Took quite a while to settle in after the bath, but even when she was crying, Ying Ying stayed on my lap and let me hold her and comfort her! After that she slept for 10 hours. I enjoyed the peaceful sound of her snoring to the left of me and the hibernating bear in a cave snoring of Sarah to my right. (Excuse me, Sarah has interrupted to say that she has a delicate harmony of a snore). Another awesome night of sleep for me here in Changsha!!!!So, today we returned to the Civil Affairs office to finalize the adoption - checked paperwork, signed, thumb and hand-printed and notarized. After shelling out two more gifts, the process was finished! Junie had no desire to see the director from her SWI again - she was definitely worried about what might be changing again - she just hugged against me the whole time and kept her face turned away from everything. Back to the hotel in what may have been an illegal taxi driven by a lady of the night, to enjoy some leftover lunch, naps, and swimming.She is showing off her playful, funny side and I have no doubt that she will fit in well with the Lyons girls! We have skyped with them, and although the girls are disappointed that she won't talk for them, she is talking up a storm for me - a fraction of which I am actually understanding ; ) She did call me "mama" today - not just repeating, but really saying it!!! Today she is wearing a stylish coral tutu and white t-shirt, an outfit she selected.Tomorrow, we'll be headed to an amusement park type place, that our guide Wendy says is suitable for young kids. Have had some interesting conversations and encounters with people asking about the adoption, what LP's can do in the US as they can't really find employment here in China and are mainly part of tourist attractions...On the whole it seems to be a positive response with a few angry/ disapproving looks in between. Whatever, peeps!

GOTCHA DAY!!!

I can only say, that so far, this day could not be any better! After a very anxious morning, we headed to the Civil Affairs office and waited about an hour for Miss Junie to arrive with one of the staff from the orphanage - she was brought by the director of children's services; he said that she is very popular! They had a big party for her leaving, and 2 of her friends cried this morning as she left : ( One of the kids crying was her friend Lin Lin who you have all seen in photos here before!

I can't believe how cute she is - she had on a little floral print and lace dress and her hair was done up in the usual crazy style. She walked in holding one of the dolls we had sent. She looked around for a second while the director and our guide told her who I was, and then I offered her the doll I told her I would send! We played with it together right away - taking off its shoes and socks again and again. We played for quite a while while the guide asked the director the questions I had brought with me. She is adorable, beautiful, funny, and so smart!!! She examined everything we brought with - photos, toys, paper, crayons. She teased me a bit by not sharing her snack with me - and we got some great smiles that way. It was so hard not to cry in front of her, but I held it off! After a little while she let me pick her up and we continued to play, while Sarah took about a hundred photos for me! I signed some paperwork showing that I have temporary guardianship of her until tomorrow when we will return to the office and make things official. In the cab she busied herself taking photos of me and Sarah while we drove back to the hotel. Sarah and our guide Wendy went out to pick up some food while we stayed in the room to play - we shared a banana; a Chinese word I actually know! We played with the Nintendo DS, listening to phrases and words outloud. She has repeated Mama for me, but not really called me that, and repeated the word "bed" after we said the Chinese word. She is just amazing me! She has let me carry her around and asked to be picked up to get a better look at the computer.

She is a bit taller than Quinn, but sleeps with the same little noisy breathing : ) She immediately said jie jie (big sister) when we looked through photos of the girls. She has used the bathroom with my help, stuffed herself full of food with no help at all, and is now sleeping in my bed for her naptime! We are headed out to Walmart when she wakes up so that we can pick up a few things - apparently she drinks a bottle of milk at bedtime, and I did not have a bottle with me! I think a new pair of shoes is in order, too!
WOW!!! Photos to follow.

Hi everyone! We have arrived in Changsha and are settled into the posh Dolton Hotel - I'll try to get some pictures together, but I can't seem to get them posted directly. It was another packed day of activity - the Cloisonne Factory, lunch there and shopping followed by a brutally hot climb of the Great Wall...we didn't make it past the first tower, but in photos you can see how steep of a climb it is. It was very crowded, to the point where you couldn't really stop to rest due to the great wall of bodies surrounding you! Swallow Cliff has nothing on the Great Wall of China! I think we were dangerously close to heat stroke when we finished the climb - even though we drank a ton of water. Also, sunscreen seems fairly useless as it sweats right off; now I know why everyone carries umbrellas or wears long pants! We had a relatively uneventful trip to the airport and a flight that was only delayed by about 20 minutes. We actually found our guide, Wendy, with no problems and she whisked us over to the hotel.

So, tomorrow is the big day! I will meet the guide at 10 tomorrow morning (overnight for you readers) and see Junie for the first time. It is sure to be a crazy, emotional day. Our guide here seems very nice and has everything organized for tomorrow, so as long as Junie doesn't "slap me and run away" as Tom joked she might, I guess we'll be okay ; ) Stay tuned!

Forbidden City, Hutong Tour, and Duck Fat, Oh My...

Today was an interesting, busy day. I begin by asking, "Where is the Starbucks that I know exists in Beijing"? Apparently nowhere that our guide knows about. Hoping for a fix before tomorrow's flight! My caffeine intake has been severely limited...did drink over 2.5 liters of water today, but I may have sweated out 3. We began our day w/ the buffet breakfast - a really odd mix of Chinese and western food. I steered clear of the breakfast congee (pumpkin flavor) but did enjoy some pancakes! We met our guide Devan, and headed out to Tiananmen Square - very cool to see in person just how big it is...we did not wait in line to see Chairman Mao's tomb, as that really was not on my list of China must-sees. There we did have our first celebrity experience...who did we see???? Nope, we were the celebs! Beijing is a big tourist destination for Chinese who don't live here; and those from smaller villages, etc., don't see a lot of foreigners - probably not in combination of a short redhead and her nearly six foot tall sister-in-law. Our photo was taken many times, mostly in the Forbidden City by a large group of school kids all wearing matching yellow unicorn t-shirts. It was super funny and they really enjoyed the experience. The Forbidden City is enormous, and we were amazed by the detail in wood carving, marble carvings, etc. We continued to walk and sweat through the city until it was time for a quick trip to the Silk Market - lots of cool stuff there. Lunch brought us the quote of the day: "Give me just a minute while I wipe the duck fat from my lips with your napkin". There was only one napkin provided to us, in which Sarah had already hidden a questionable piece of meat. Neither of us eats duck, but I thought I'd try the veggies included on the plate...really poor choice. We never should have said we didn't like pork. After lunch we took the Hutong Tour - a rickshaw ride through narrow, alley-like streets which don't look wide enought to accomodate a car - they really aren't and riding in the rickshaw, with the overworked, really sweaty man in dress pants talking on a cell phone driving us, was quite the experience. This particular neighborhood is slated to be demolished for parking, according to one of the residents - the wife of a Kung Fu master whose home we visited. Jeff Waldrom, I know you are totally jealous that we met him. We wanted to squeeze all we could into the day, so we went next to a very large Buddhist temple. Again it was crowded, hot, lots of incense...but certainly beautiful and interesting. Sarah was covered in purple incense before we left. Dinner at the hotel, showers again (this is absolutely a 2 shower a day minimum place to visit). That's about it for the short version of today...Great Wall tomorrow and then flying to Hunan!! Junie is so close : )

We have made it to China!! We are exhausted, hot, disheveled...but really no worse for the wear! The airplane was really not too horrid, although the last few hours were not super fun :) It is almost five o'clock and the plan is to get something to eat and get to bed early!

The hotel room is nice, except for the lingering smell/residue of cigarette smoke. Sarah and I journaled all of the funny events of our journey to look back on later...

Most importantly I am just 3 days from meeting Junie! Agh! And I miss my Lyons girls already :)

Tomorrow we go the the center of Beijing, with our guide Devan. We'll tour the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and the Hutong tour, where I am improbably excited to ride in a rickshaw - there will be photos. If I can figure out how to post a photo, I will post one of us at the airport in Chicago - most exciting event there was watching the Chinese scramble to buy all the duty-free cigarettes they could carry. I suspect this may be contributing to the general haze - the sky is basically white, it is 99 degrees and very, very humid :)

The faces I will miss....well, and maybe Tom Lyons, too : )

Leaving tomorrow!

At 12:20 tomorrow (if our flight is on time, hah), I will be taking off for Beijing! We'll be tourists for a few days, seeing the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China! Can't wait : ) From there, we'll be off to Hunan on the 25th, meeting Junie sometime the next day; I hope Sarah is ready to take LOTS of pictures. We'll spend a few days exploring Hunan, getting to know each other, and completing some official adoption paperwork. Then, we are on to Guangzhou for medicals - including shots, thank you U.S. government - more adoption formalities, sight-seeing, etc. Finally, we will drive to Hong Kong on the morning of the 7th and fly home direct to Chicago! We'll be home in the mid afternoon. I want to say thank you to our awesome friends, and the family who have helped with upgrading our flights - Sarah will appreciate the leg room, I am sure ; 0

When Junie gets home, we'll probably take it slow in introducing her to family and friends...try to remember that she is 4 years old and has had 4 years of experiences in China; first with a birth family who made the decision, or felt forced to make the decision, that they could not keep her, abandoning her in a safe place at the age of 5 months. Since then, she has lived with other kids - some of whom she has seen leave to be adopted, some of whom have been sick, or maybe even died. It certainly seems like she has been well cared for, but her life there is not the same as living with a family. Her caregivers have almost certainly changed over time. There will be adjustments; she will be grieving the people and experiences she leaves behind; she will be introduced to all new food, new sisters, new extended family, and a new routine. She may never have been to a store, or ridden in a car much - certainly not in a car seat, or had a choice of what to eat, or when to eat. She has never slept in a room alone, or been on an airplane; she'll be learning a new language! People here sound different, smell different, look different...it will take her some time to process all of these changes. So please be patient as she gets accustomed to her new life! We can't wait for her to meet all of you!!

Tick tock! Time to check my bags and lists for the 445th time!

Check here while I am in China - I won't be able to read comments here, but you can email me at amylyons1@comcast.net.

Can't wait to get our girl!

2 more days!

And I will be on a plane to China! Hooray!

Pssst!

Hey, I am going to China in 8 more days!!! 11 days until I meet Junie. Our plane tickets arrived today, Sarah's passport and visa came through, and our agency is working on our itinerary for our time in China!! Woo hoo : )


Almost there!

Info on China Adoption

Here is some great information about adoption in China...for those of you who don't know, people in the non special needs program are waiting more than 4 years to adopt from China, which is a big change from the previous, much shorter waiting time. This helps explain more about adoption in China in general, and explains the conditions for those children waiting in special needs programs...we are fortunate in that June has been with ICC as she waits.

This is from another blogger...attached at the bottom, comments from the speaker, Amy Eldridge.


www.chinaadoptiontalk.blogspot.com/2010/07/amy-eldridge-of-lwb-speaks.html

Consulate Confirmed

Our CA date has been confirmed for 8/4 - meaning we can leave on 7/22, spend 2 days in Beijing...on to Hunan on the 25th to meet Junie on 7/26!!!! We will leave via Hong Kong on 8/7 to bring Junie home to her family : ) Buying the tickets tonight! I hope she is ready for the Lyons family because the Lyons family is ready for her!

I am going to China!!!!!

Wow, got the TA call!!! Was punishing self on treadmill when the call came. This was the same thing I was doing when I got the LOA call! Clearly, God wants me to work out more : )

We are requesting the first available consulate date, 8/3, and I am hoping to leave on 7/21.

I am going to get my baby girl!

Junie's Bedroom and getting closer!

Here are some photos of Junie's pretty room! Thanks to Grandma Kay and Uncle John for helping to get it ready! The paint is a really pretty green and all of the owls are so cute! Tom says he hopes Junie isn't freaked out by owls ; ) We just need to figure out some curtains, and maybe a few more accessories. Quinn is hoping to have a tea party at the little table, and all of the girls are looking forward to slumber parties on the trundle bed!

Still hoping to hear about travel - come on Tuesday!!!! My fabulous sister-in-law Sarah will be traveling with me, while Tom stays home to hang with the girls - getting help from the fam on the days he is working. Sarah and I are getting really excited about the trip, trying to get some of the details ready. It is hard to get organized about what to pack when I don't quite know when I am leaving : ) Again, I say, bring on the TA; we are ready.