Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Day 2 Update
Another great day! Marin YangMei continues to amaze us with her care-free spirit. To all of you who have said how much she resembles Kyle, well, guess what? She acts like him too! They are super silly together, laughing and chasing each other non-stop.
This morning, we all slept in too late. We were suppose to be up to meet our guide to head over to the registration office. We must be catching up on sleep because we were all sound asleep until Kyle got up at 8:45 am. We had to call our guide and beg for an extra 15 minutes, and he graciously gave it to us. So, as I pulled out clothes for Marin to wear, she was getting into the shower. I tried to explain, no shower right now....and before I knew it she was in the shower area naked waiting for me to get the water right for her. I guess she really wanted a shower! Everyone else got dressed, and we rushed down to breakfast. The girl can eat! She does not like rice, but loves noodles and fruit. It was a mad rush to finish up and get to our guide. We were still 5 minutes late, but that's not bad for us :)
We headed over to the registration office, where we finalized our adoption. This is actually a big step, because this is the point in the process that Marin was allowed to confirm that she wanted to be with us. Thankfully, she did. I do think she thinks I am a bit crazy...haha. Wait till we get home and I start talking to her in weird accents and singing opera in the kitchen :)
She does seem very, very happy. She lets me hold her hand and kiss her and hug her as much as I want. She doesn't talk much, but laughs a lot! Our guide talks to her quite a bit when he is with us and it is during that time that we get to ask her questions and tell her things about us.
When we got back to the hotel, we went through all of the things she brought with her. Most of the items were things I had sent to her while we were waiting, none of it touched. She also had been given a journal with letters from her aunties, teacher, and friends. Our guide translated it for us. It was touching to hear them all saying good bye and wishing her well in her new life. I am sure she will be missing them once all of this newness wears off.
We then went walking around the hotel grounds. There are hundreds of huge koi in the water throughout the garden area, and we fed them for about an hour (with bread we took from the breakfast buffet :)). They were all swimming on top of each other, and the kids were able to pet them. Kyle and Marin were even putting the food directly into their mouths. They had a blast!
By then, it was late afternoon and we decided to go into another shopping area to let Marin look around. She really just takes it in, without much of a reaction. It is all so new to her. She has never been anywhere like this and it must be so much to digest at one time.
Have a great day everyone! It is almost our night time! Love to all from Guangzhou. Pictures to follow in a separate post.
Landon, Kara, and Paige, Mommy loves you so much! I got you some fun little things today! I can't wait to be able to talk to you. I miss you so, so, so much! Kara, I hope you are doing well in school. We are going to bring back some Chinese candy for you to share with your class. I am taking lots of pictures so you can see what we did the whole time we were here. You guys are awesome! And I am so very proud of you! I am so lucky to be your mommy! You will love Marin. She is so much fun! xoxoxoxoxo
This morning, we all slept in too late. We were suppose to be up to meet our guide to head over to the registration office. We must be catching up on sleep because we were all sound asleep until Kyle got up at 8:45 am. We had to call our guide and beg for an extra 15 minutes, and he graciously gave it to us. So, as I pulled out clothes for Marin to wear, she was getting into the shower. I tried to explain, no shower right now....and before I knew it she was in the shower area naked waiting for me to get the water right for her. I guess she really wanted a shower! Everyone else got dressed, and we rushed down to breakfast. The girl can eat! She does not like rice, but loves noodles and fruit. It was a mad rush to finish up and get to our guide. We were still 5 minutes late, but that's not bad for us :)
We headed over to the registration office, where we finalized our adoption. This is actually a big step, because this is the point in the process that Marin was allowed to confirm that she wanted to be with us. Thankfully, she did. I do think she thinks I am a bit crazy...haha. Wait till we get home and I start talking to her in weird accents and singing opera in the kitchen :)
She does seem very, very happy. She lets me hold her hand and kiss her and hug her as much as I want. She doesn't talk much, but laughs a lot! Our guide talks to her quite a bit when he is with us and it is during that time that we get to ask her questions and tell her things about us.
When we got back to the hotel, we went through all of the things she brought with her. Most of the items were things I had sent to her while we were waiting, none of it touched. She also had been given a journal with letters from her aunties, teacher, and friends. Our guide translated it for us. It was touching to hear them all saying good bye and wishing her well in her new life. I am sure she will be missing them once all of this newness wears off.
We then went walking around the hotel grounds. There are hundreds of huge koi in the water throughout the garden area, and we fed them for about an hour (with bread we took from the breakfast buffet :)). They were all swimming on top of each other, and the kids were able to pet them. Kyle and Marin were even putting the food directly into their mouths. They had a blast!
By then, it was late afternoon and we decided to go into another shopping area to let Marin look around. She really just takes it in, without much of a reaction. It is all so new to her. She has never been anywhere like this and it must be so much to digest at one time.
Have a great day everyone! It is almost our night time! Love to all from Guangzhou. Pictures to follow in a separate post.
Landon, Kara, and Paige, Mommy loves you so much! I got you some fun little things today! I can't wait to be able to talk to you. I miss you so, so, so much! Kara, I hope you are doing well in school. We are going to bring back some Chinese candy for you to share with your class. I am taking lots of pictures so you can see what we did the whole time we were here. You guys are awesome! And I am so very proud of you! I am so lucky to be your mommy! You will love Marin. She is so much fun! xoxoxoxoxo
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sweet girl...orphan no more
Today was a wonderful day! After breakfast, where the kids were not very willing to try new things, we headed across the street into a huge marketplace. We were the only American people anywhere to be seen! It was great to be in 'real China' again. There were hundreds of different vendors, selling everything you can imagine. The kids did not like some of the meat in the food area....haha....There were some great shops, and so much to see and take in. Of course, Corinne made friends with every dog and cat that crossed our paths.
We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 2:00 to head over to the registration office. When we got there, the large room was filled with families who had just received their children. There were a couple of babies, many toddlers, a couple of 6-7 year olds, and one boy who was 12-13. The families are required to stay in this room for a small period of time, which is called the harmonious period. It was wonderful to watch these families unite with the children they have waited for for so long. Once the room was almost cleared out, I saw Mei walk in. She made eye contact right away and bee-lined it right for me. She let me hug and kiss her, and the whole time, she had a big smile on her beautiful face.
The Asst. Director of the Orphanage then took her to the bathroom to get washed up, as she had been 'violently vomitting' during the 5 hour bus ride to us. You would never known it though! She was smiling and appeared very happy to be with us.
When she came back out, our guide was speaking to her, and she was telling him she was very happy to be with us. She is just as sweet and adorable as we knew she would be. We took the 15 minute ride back to the hotel, keeping her very engaged to keep her mind off of the motion of the vehicle. She did great, although did look a little queasy at times. I am pretty sure she was simply amazed at the beauty of this place. To call it extravagant is putting it mildly. She just took it all in. She is so unbelievably precious.
When we came back to our room, she went in and flopped down on the bed and then started bouncing on it! Corinne and Kyle quickly followed, and within seconds, all you could hear was squealing and laughing. then I threw in some large balloons.....They played for hours on that bed. Lots of pouncing and tickling and ballooon throwing. Play is certainly a universal language :) She is, dare I say, a perfect fit for our family. She is funny, sassy, loves to laugh, can pack a good punch, and plays hard! And she can also settle down quickly and is content to be alone. Her resilience amazes me. It has from the first day we read her file, and saw that beautiful smile. She is going to do great things, you watch :) And I get to be her momma. Really? Just amazed.
For all of you at home wondering, she is exactly Kyle's size. Probably wears a size 8. She is adorable...have I mentioned that?
We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner, ate lots of fabulous authentic Chinese food, and then came back to the room. We are on the 13th floor overlooking a really nice part of the city. After we got back, the kids all played games for 2 hours, got ready for bed, and were sound asleep within 5 minutes. Now, I get to be the lucky one, and go sleep next to her :) Have I mentioned how incredible and precious she is???
Tomorrow, we head back to the registration office to meet with officials and complete paperwork. Then we will let her decide what we do. Maybe head to Shamian Island, or go back to the market place for a few hours. We also want to get her to a book store and stock up for after we return to the US.
Have a great day everyone! Love you!
We met our guide in the hotel lobby at 2:00 to head over to the registration office. When we got there, the large room was filled with families who had just received their children. There were a couple of babies, many toddlers, a couple of 6-7 year olds, and one boy who was 12-13. The families are required to stay in this room for a small period of time, which is called the harmonious period. It was wonderful to watch these families unite with the children they have waited for for so long. Once the room was almost cleared out, I saw Mei walk in. She made eye contact right away and bee-lined it right for me. She let me hug and kiss her, and the whole time, she had a big smile on her beautiful face.
The Asst. Director of the Orphanage then took her to the bathroom to get washed up, as she had been 'violently vomitting' during the 5 hour bus ride to us. You would never known it though! She was smiling and appeared very happy to be with us.
When she came back out, our guide was speaking to her, and she was telling him she was very happy to be with us. She is just as sweet and adorable as we knew she would be. We took the 15 minute ride back to the hotel, keeping her very engaged to keep her mind off of the motion of the vehicle. She did great, although did look a little queasy at times. I am pretty sure she was simply amazed at the beauty of this place. To call it extravagant is putting it mildly. She just took it all in. She is so unbelievably precious.
When we came back to our room, she went in and flopped down on the bed and then started bouncing on it! Corinne and Kyle quickly followed, and within seconds, all you could hear was squealing and laughing. then I threw in some large balloons.....They played for hours on that bed. Lots of pouncing and tickling and ballooon throwing. Play is certainly a universal language :) She is, dare I say, a perfect fit for our family. She is funny, sassy, loves to laugh, can pack a good punch, and plays hard! And she can also settle down quickly and is content to be alone. Her resilience amazes me. It has from the first day we read her file, and saw that beautiful smile. She is going to do great things, you watch :) And I get to be her momma. Really? Just amazed.
For all of you at home wondering, she is exactly Kyle's size. Probably wears a size 8. She is adorable...have I mentioned that?
We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner, ate lots of fabulous authentic Chinese food, and then came back to the room. We are on the 13th floor overlooking a really nice part of the city. After we got back, the kids all played games for 2 hours, got ready for bed, and were sound asleep within 5 minutes. Now, I get to be the lucky one, and go sleep next to her :) Have I mentioned how incredible and precious she is???
Tomorrow, we head back to the registration office to meet with officials and complete paperwork. Then we will let her decide what we do. Maybe head to Shamian Island, or go back to the market place for a few hours. We also want to get her to a book store and stock up for after we return to the US.
Have a great day everyone! Love you!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Hello from Guangzhou
Well, after 33 hours of traveling, we made it to Guangzhou! We left the house at 4 am, so we were all really tired by the end of the trek here. Some of us more tired and irritable than others, although I won't mention any names ;)
The flights went really well. Since I am so busy at home, I enjoyed being able to sit for a while without anyone needing anything. It was like sitting in a movie theatre for about 8 hours of the long flight over. I never get to watch movies, and I really enjoyed it! The kids did really well and slept for about 5 hours. They were so exhausted by the time we landed in Hong Kong.
We were met by our guide, Elvin, at the airport, and then we drove to The Garden Hotel. Oh my word. It is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen! On our previous adoption trip, we stayed at the White Swan, and I must say, this place is 110% nicer. Blogger is not being very nice right now, so my dear friend Mike is posting this update. I will email him pictures later, so you guys can see just how beautiful it is. The Chinese take great pride in their work and surroundings, and everything is just amazing.
Since the Chinese New Year celebrations go through mid February, it is decked out everywhere. It is hard to describe, or even show with pictures, just how beautiful it is. Paper lanterns, light displays, water fountains.....This is their biggest holiday, so you can imagine it is one big party over here.
The kids and I woke up at 5:30. I know we will be paying for it later...haha! But we could not sleep, so now I am going to take them around the hotel, which is really more like a mall....a big, fancy mall with beautiful wood carvings....haha! Hopefully they will be willing to try some new authentic Chinese foods down at breakfast.
Big news of the day is that we get to meet Marin in 7 hours. My sweet girl. This almost year long process culminates into this amazing day of finally getting to hold her in my arms. I know she must be so anxious right now. Scared, happy, nervous, excited...anticipating what lies ahead, but having no idea how her life is about to change. I am so proud of her for making the choice to be adopted!
The sun is now rising over Guangzhou, so we are going to go find some things to do. I will report back later after Marin is with us. Please pray for her transition. I can't even imagine what she will think when we bring her back to this amazing hotel. She is going to be blown away by the extravagance. Let's hope that she doesn't expect our home to look like this :)
My sweet babies at home, Kara, Landon, and Paige, I love you all so much. I keep seeing things that you would love. Landon, they have little bushes everywhere with thousands of tiny oranges all over them! I know you would be picking them! And Kara, you would love the beauty here. I will be taking lots of pictures to share with you. I hope you are all being good for Mom Mom. xoxoxoxo
The flights went really well. Since I am so busy at home, I enjoyed being able to sit for a while without anyone needing anything. It was like sitting in a movie theatre for about 8 hours of the long flight over. I never get to watch movies, and I really enjoyed it! The kids did really well and slept for about 5 hours. They were so exhausted by the time we landed in Hong Kong.
We were met by our guide, Elvin, at the airport, and then we drove to The Garden Hotel. Oh my word. It is the most beautiful hotel I have ever seen! On our previous adoption trip, we stayed at the White Swan, and I must say, this place is 110% nicer. Blogger is not being very nice right now, so my dear friend Mike is posting this update. I will email him pictures later, so you guys can see just how beautiful it is. The Chinese take great pride in their work and surroundings, and everything is just amazing.
Since the Chinese New Year celebrations go through mid February, it is decked out everywhere. It is hard to describe, or even show with pictures, just how beautiful it is. Paper lanterns, light displays, water fountains.....This is their biggest holiday, so you can imagine it is one big party over here.
The kids and I woke up at 5:30. I know we will be paying for it later...haha! But we could not sleep, so now I am going to take them around the hotel, which is really more like a mall....a big, fancy mall with beautiful wood carvings....haha! Hopefully they will be willing to try some new authentic Chinese foods down at breakfast.
Big news of the day is that we get to meet Marin in 7 hours. My sweet girl. This almost year long process culminates into this amazing day of finally getting to hold her in my arms. I know she must be so anxious right now. Scared, happy, nervous, excited...anticipating what lies ahead, but having no idea how her life is about to change. I am so proud of her for making the choice to be adopted!
The sun is now rising over Guangzhou, so we are going to go find some things to do. I will report back later after Marin is with us. Please pray for her transition. I can't even imagine what she will think when we bring her back to this amazing hotel. She is going to be blown away by the extravagance. Let's hope that she doesn't expect our home to look like this :)
My sweet babies at home, Kara, Landon, and Paige, I love you all so much. I keep seeing things that you would love. Landon, they have little bushes everywhere with thousands of tiny oranges all over them! I know you would be picking them! And Kara, you would love the beauty here. I will be taking lots of pictures to share with you. I hope you are all being good for Mom Mom. xoxoxoxo
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Itinerary
Our original plan was to travel to Guangzhou, get Marin, stay in her province for 10 days, then travel to Beijing. But after looking into flights, decided to go a different route and take a train into Hong Kong, where we will be staying on the Disneyland property for 3 nights before we head home to the US. Ok, so here it is:
January 28- Depart from BWI at 7am. Layovers in Chicago and Hong Kong before arriving in Guangzhou on January 29 at 10 pm.
January 30 - Meet Marin!
January 31-February 8 - Lots of paperwork and sight seeing around Guangzhou.
February 8 - Take a train to Hong Kong and check into one of the Disney Resorts. Stay 3 nights.
And hope Marin doesn't puke from any of the rides. That might ruin my day....lol
February 11- Fly home, to arrive in Baltimore 4 pm.
February 12 - Collapse :)
January 28- Depart from BWI at 7am. Layovers in Chicago and Hong Kong before arriving in Guangzhou on January 29 at 10 pm.
January 30 - Meet Marin!
January 31-February 8 - Lots of paperwork and sight seeing around Guangzhou.
February 8 - Take a train to Hong Kong and check into one of the Disney Resorts. Stay 3 nights.
And hope Marin doesn't puke from any of the rides. That might ruin my day....lol
February 11- Fly home, to arrive in Baltimore 4 pm.
February 12 - Collapse :)
9 days till departure
Packing is nearly done. Still need to get some meds from the pharmacy. I have tons of paperwork to copy. Jef has been to the bank and wired over the money for the orphanage fee and also to our travel agency, CWTS. I don't feel stresed or anxious at all. Just happy that Mei (soon Marin Yang Mei) will be in my arms in just 10 days. That beautiful smile, those kissable cheeks, her giggly laugh (I know from a pretty reliable source that it is the best laugh EVER ;) ) Other than that there are a few people I will miss horribly, I am over the moon excited to be leaving next week! Exact itinerary to follow in next post.
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