Going Home

This was it. The day we left to take Ali home to her brothers! Our flight didn't leave until 5:30 PM... dumb mistake on our part as we had the whole day to wait around but not really able to go anywhere. We checked out of the hotel and the bell guys kept our luggage so we could just walk around one last time... and yep we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe... they were getting sick of us. But this is how we found out that the pepsis were so dang expensive. We sat in the restaurant and had a soda and the baby had some mashed potatos and just waited until it was time to head to the bus.

The bus ride to the airport took us past all the beauty that Hong Kong has to offer and made us wish we had a few more days to adventure this beautiful country, but we were glad to be headed home.

Through customs, checking the bags, pain in the butt and on the plane. We were seated two, two and two. JoAnn and Mallory were sitting at the window and middle seat with a man on the isle. The attendent asked the man next to me to move to another seat to give us the extra space for the baby. That was so nice of her... until we realized that Mallory was sitting next to the human from Hell! He was sloshing down alcohol and popping perscription pills in the first hour. Then he went to sleep at which time JoAnn asked me to hand her the baby... the man started to cuss and slam his book. He was cussing at the Chinese mom in front of him that had a baby that cried. I got up to complain to the other attendent who did NOTHING... that was United Airlines...so avoid flying with them if you want a safe trip! She said it was a full plane and there was nothing she could do!... I told her if he yelled one more time I was going to get Nasty... but she never even went over to him. Poor Mallory had to sit next to him.

Then we landed in Chicago. The nice flight attendent announced over the speaker "it is now 6:35 PM Central time and we would like to welcome our three new American Citizens to the United States!" She became legal!! It was so great!
We did the good old customs thing... going through all the bags...what a headache... I did lose my temper about now. I said I could tell we were back in the USA with the rude people but I can't say I wasn't glad to be home!

One more flight and we were there. Our flight left Chicago at 9:15 PM and landed in Orlando at 12:30! My brother was there to get us. He snuck up behind us as we were headed down to the luggage. Ali went right to him. She isn't afraid of anyone!! YOu should have seen the truck with all our bags. We left with Six bags and came home with nine suitcases and two carry-ons each! I didn't think we would fit!

Our homecoming was GREAT! My dad and his wife, Brenda were here at the house with Chris and Chase. They had it all decorated for the new baby along with gifts!!

We both ran right into see Chase. HE LOOKED SO GROWN UP!! We had only been away for 16 days but my baby boy got HUGE!!

Touring Hong Kong

Okay...the two ladies put up with us dragging them everywhere and all they wanted to do was shop.. so we decided when we got to Hong Kong and got rid of the group we would let them have a day... and a day we did.

We loaded onto a city double decker and headed off to Stanley Market. Stanley Market is the topic of todays blog.. but the double decker has to be talked about. We didn't just get on this bus we got on the upstairs part of this bus and away we went for our hours ride to the market high up in the air! It was so crazy. The bus driver did not slow down even around corners that we running on the side of the mountain! It was so scary! We would look down and there would be no side...no road to go off on, NOT even a guard rail! I had to close my eyes and make prayers to the Lord to get us there safely! I guess the road crews in Hong Kong knew how high these busses were as all the trees were trimmed to just miss the bus!!

Anyways we get to Stanley Market...it looks like one of our Outlet Malls....five stories and half the stores closed down! So we kept trucking through the area and finally we find what we are looking for... an outdoor market full of things only tourists would buy!! Heaven!!

I think we spent about five hours here. It was a bunch of fun. Hong Kong people don't wheel and deal with you the way the rest of China did but we found a few good bargins! I have to say the art work is just beautiful. We spoke to a few different people that explained that some of the artist go to school for four years just to master a certain type of art. Amanda bought an oil painting that I wish I had purchased. I just kept worrying that my suitcases were going over the weight limit!... I spent most of my money on squeeky shoes for Ali along with clothes for her! Mallory spent most of her money on her teachers, friends from school and her dad's family, JoAnn bought for everyone!! she had the most fun and mom had a few people in mind, mostly family and a room she is decorating in a Asian theme but all in all we had a great time shopping. I said if I had it to do over again I would have bought way more... I am home now and I can think of twenty things I wish I had bought myself along with gifts for others!

The bus ride back from Stanley Market, Jay and I sat on the bottom of the bus... we felt safer...but you could see more of what the crazy bus driver was doing... so I rode with my eyes closed!

Later that evening Mom, Amanda and the baby stayed in while Jo, Jay, Mallory and I adventured out into the town to see what else we could find! It was truely amazing. There were people and stores everywhere. I don't know if I had ever said this in the prior days but to shop in China if you had a project to do, say a bathroom, would take days just to get the supplies. Each store is very small, in a mountain or under a stairwell and they specialize in one thing. You would buy a toilet in one store, the plumbing in another, the sink in another, the light fixture in another and so on! Not like hitting Home Depot! We found another outside market in the middle of town and picked up two more suitcases to get us home

Flying to Hong Kong

The image you have in your mind of what you will see when you get to Hong Kong is wrong... it is nothing like I expected. It is one of the most beautiful places I have even seen.
We caught a bus from the airport to our hotel. It was about a 45 minute drive with mountains and the ocean on all sides. Absolutly breathtaking!

We stayed in a five star hotel in a mall... we didn't really discover where we were until the day we went to leave. If you visit Hong Kong you need to say at least five days... the two we were there were not enought. The hotel room itself was just wonderful. We commented on how we should have had this room in the last two places we stayed... this hotel out did the famous White Swan by at least five stars!!!

The first night there we didn't get to see a whole lot as most of the day was taking by the traveling to Hong Kong and getting to the hotel... but across the stree we found a Hard Rock Cafe!! Amanda was in Heaven!! We did go there for dinner that night and they actually had soda in the fountain and we were given refills! On the last day in Hong Kong we sat at the Hard Rock killing time waiting for our bus to the airport...this is when we found out the reason they give refills is they charge $5.00 per soda!! This is not what we paid in China!

That is another thing... China and Hong Kong are not the same... they even have different money! We had to cash in our yens for Hong Kong dollars when we arrived at the air port... pretty much the same exchange rate! but a pain anyways! It was a trip trying to figure out what we were paying for things.

She is Ours!!

Some of this entire adoption thing is a crazy waste of time. Like today. We boarded the bus to the American Consulate and the woman looked at our passports and at the baby's passport...put a stamp on it and then a man came out to give a bit of a speech and then made us raise our right hand and promise to take care of her or some hooky government bs and then they said she was adopted!
She is a duel citizen.... she will become an official US citizen the minute we cross customes in the United States... that will be about 8:00 PM on the day of the 16th of March!!!

We are leaving for Hong Kong in the morning early and I am not sure if I will have internet at the hotel we are going to. We are done with our group tour and on our own once we get to Hong Kong!

We love everyone and can't wait to get home with our little angel!!!

Waiting for Final Visa

Sorry everyone about the pictures. I am having a horrible time getting them downloaded. I will finish the story and the pictures after I get home.

We are sitting here waiting to go get Ali's Visa. This is our final step in making her OURS! Tomorrow we leave for Hong Kong. I really wish I would have booked our flight out tonight but I didn't know any better. I really feel like I didn't get all the right information when making a lot of the decisions on this trip.

If I could do over again.... I would fly to Beijing a day earlier and have a good look around, I would leave Guangzhou as soon as I had the visa in hand, I would not have ordered the cot in Beijing or Chongqing for Mallory as the beds were big enought for Jay and I together but here in the White Swan the beds were built for midgets and we had to upgrade to a king size bed with the cot and I would have packed better clothes! At least warmer clothes!!

We can't wait to get home to Chase!! We really miss him! Melissa if you are reading this you better be giving him 100 hugs a day for us! Ali is excited about coming home to her two brothers and her dog! We are having a laugh as to where everyone is going to sleep...she is a daddy's girl and wants the whole bed...JUST LIKE CHASE!

Yes Chris we miss you also! You are going to melt when you see this kid! She is so funny. She loves to look at herself in the mirror. Everytime we are on the elevator she is in stitches! Jay straps her into the baby carrier so that she is looking out into the world and she takes EVERYTHING in!!

Famous Red Couch Picture Day

Today we had to stay in our room until 12:30 because Michael was at the American Consulate finalizing our babies’ visas. It was very boring. About 12:15 we got a call and found out everything was ok and for us to meet on the 2nd floor for the infamous “red couch” photos here at the hotel. We dressed Ali in a pink silk Chinese dress, she’s so adorable! We took photos with all the moms and babies and then a group photo in front of the waterfall in the hotel, then back to the red couch for a shot with just the babies. It was chaotic and hilarious. Of course, our camera was acting up and we didn’t get any pictures, but we’ll get some copies from the other parents. We met up with Amanda and Grandma and got into taxis and went to the other side of the city to go to a Mexican restaurant. It was really good. After eating, we ventured around the area and went into a few shops and found a few street vendors selling beautiful flowers, it was another great experience. Amanda and Grandma had enough and we hailed a taxi to send them back to the hotel. Mallory, Ginnie, me and Ali stayed and ventured some more. We really enjoy exploring, we just don’t seem to have enough time. We finally decided to go back to the hotel. On our way back, we passed another beautiful temple/memorial building. It would have been nice to visit, but we didn’t have the time. This taxi ride was fun, the driver understood some English and we almost killed a guy on a bicycle. There are a ton of bikes in this town, a little closer to the hotel, we saw a bicyclist transporting a table! Ginnie pulled out the camera and took a picture, this had the driver laughing hysterically, it was a great moment we will never forget. Went and picked up our laundry and visited a few of the local stores and then back to the room. Tomorrow we go to the consulate and Ali becomes ours officially, forever. It can’t happen soon enough.

Temple and Shopping

Today we toured as a group in the morning and early afternoon. We went to the Chen Ancestral Hall, built over 400 years ago. It was really beautiful and what you think of when you think of historic Chinese buildings. We spent 1 ½ hours there, which was 1 hour too much, but what can you do. Next we went to a mini mall with a store selling tons of jade and pearl jewelry. There also was a store filled with porcelain and silk items. The stores were not what we were lead to believe, but we still had fun. Remember, I’m with Judy, Jo-Ann, and Ginnie, all of whom have officially changed their middle names to shopper! Amanda and I picked up something really different, you will have to wait and see what it is. I just hope we make it through customs with it! After shopping with the group we had lunch at McDonald’s (this has become very popular with us, it’s so inexpensive here, Ginnie, Mallory, me, and Ali’s meal cost us roughly $9 U.S.) and then had the rest of the day to do as we pleased. We heard about a toy mart, so we asked Michael for directions and into the taxi we went. We had another family with us, the Fords, they like exploring with us. They went out with us in Chongqing as well. After another crazy taxi ride we arrived. We got there first and when Stacy, Randy, James, and Mia got out of their cab, the moment was priceless. Stacy looked as if she had seen a ghost, this was their first cab ride on the whole trip! We had a blast! It was Ginnie,myself, Mallory, Ali, JoAnn, and the Fords. We were in the middle of wholesale heaven, store after store of everything made in China. We went block after block into stores and flea market type buildings. The girls bought a lot of things for the babies hair, it was sooooooo cheap. Once we had enough, we went back to the hotel and met up with Grandma and Amanda and all went to dinner at the buffet. Ali was congested and running a little fever again, so we took her to the hotel clinic. The doctor said she had the onset of bronchitis and prescribed her medicine. The doctors visit and getting the prescription took all of ½ hour and only cost $23 U.S., if only the doctors and pharmacies back home were this quick. Went back to the room and got everyone off to sleep.

Leaving Chongqing

We finally left Chongqing!!!

Michael took us to a neat place in the morning. It was the older section of Chongqing that over looks one of the rivers. There were street vendors up and down that we got to look, shop and bargain with. Michael said if we paid asking price we were wasting our money! I got ripped off a few times. When a beautiful silk scarf that I would pay $45.00 American dollars is marked $12.00RMB…that is $1.50 in US… how can I want to bargain? But then two stores later I see the same scarf marked $10.00 RMB… so I was ripped off twenty-five cents!!! I bought an outfit for Chase and Mom bought the same one for someone at home… I paid $130.00 RMB and mom paid $60.00 RMB! Boy that made me feel foolish for not dealing a bit better… then mom comes to the room and asks if she can buy my outfit…she wanted to deal… she offered me $60 but I told her $70…. So she is going to buy the outfit I paid $130.00 for, for $70.00 I am even getting ripped off by my own family!! Lots of neat things there, one vendor was selling snacks, grasshoppers, beetles, and some other large bugs on sticks, smoked pig heads, and chicken’s feet. DELICIOUS!!!!!! After shopping we had a traditional Chinese lunch. It was ok, once again not things you would find at any restaurant back home and it ended up costing 40 RMB per person, which is about $5.
Packed the bags, set them out for the bellhops and had 2 hours to kill, so Mallory, Ginnie, and I decided to make one last walk to McDonald’s, lunch just didn’t do it for us. Walking through Chongqing city, will be one of the most memorable things we did on this trip. The people were so intrigued by Americans. It was really incredible!
We flew to Guangzhou, landed @ 8:30, left for the hotel, got checked in and settled @ midnight.
The White Swan is a gorgeous hotel! The rooms are a bit small, but everything is very elegant.
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!! HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS! FROM YOUR FAMILY IN CHINA!)

Medical Exam

Today was Ali’s medical exam and visa photos. Our group walked about 5 blocks to the photo place. It was quick and Ali’s picture was cute as could be, she is such a little ham! Next we went to the Medical center, which was next door. They checked all the babies out, like a 10 minute oil change. Ali is 27 inches and 17.7 pounds. I think we put 2 pounds on her since we’ve had her! The rest of the day was ours so we spent it exploring all the little shops surrounding the hotel. We are actually on an island, it’s really neat because our room faces the river and the view is great. Across the river at night, it’s like a Disney resort, lights and lasers, boat tours, it’s really quite a site. The hotels look like huge movie screens, lighting up with designs and advertisements. Tomorrow we are going to a place notorious for inexpensive pearls and jade, should be fun. Ali is cutting another tooth, so tonight she’s running a little fever, but still has got her little clown personality in full swing. She and I have a new game that she loves, playing airplane, she kicks and screams and laughs hysterically, she is such a great baby and has really bonded well with all of us. Jo-Ann wants to take home a baby or two, watch out Jerry! This town is great for shopping so all the ladies of the group are in heaven. Tomorrow we will have pics, we haven’t really taken any here yet.

Seeing Pandas

We had a very nice day today. We went to a park in Chongqing called Eling. Today was Women’s Day in China. Something like Mother’s Day but they have no equivalent to Father’s Day as every day in China is Men’s Day! There were woman everywhere singing and dancing. It was really a neat thing to experience.
As soon as we all got out of the bus we were over taken by the older women. They come up and grab the baby’s hands and yell at us, in a nice caring way, if the kids are not covered and bundled properly. The Chinese people believe that you should wrap your kids like it is 20 below even in higher temperatures. It keeps the baby from catching cold and other things.
Michael gave us each a tag with our baby’s name, birth date, his name and phone number and a message on the back of the card that reads something like: I am an American that has come to China to adopt a baby from the Chongqing SWI and take her back to America to give her a good life. She is one year old and her birthday is February 21, 2006. I will give her a good education and tell her all about China. Someday I will bring her back to her country.
When we are approached and the people try to talk to us we just show them this badge. Usually they read it and then give us the thumbs up. That is a good approval. Ali soaks up this attention and is more than willing to break a smile to anyone looking her way!

We really feel like movie stars here. Everyone wants to come up to us. They look at us in the busses on the street and especially when we are walking. It is a bit of a blast! Jay carries Ali in the body carrier and she loves it! I mean the first time we put her in it she was smiles from ear to ear, now when she sees where she is headed she gets so excited! We face her out to the world and she is taking in every minute of it! I can’t wait to get her home to Chase and our dog, Maddie!

After we left Eling Park we went to the zoo to see the Pandas and the pandas we did see! Big ones, little ones and a baby one! It was so awesome!!

We then went on to a tea house where we were given a presentation on how to drink tea the Kung Fu way. It was a great experience. The woman showed us different teas and smells of the teas. Then we were allowed to buy anything in the place. I can’t say what we bought as some of you are getting gifts…but it was really funny!

Then our last stop was to an art gallery were we seen the most beautiful art work ever. If I had $1400 American dollars just laying around I would have grabbed these paintings made on rice paper and finished on a scroll. The scrolls represented Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall!! Just Beautiful colors and pictures!

Then back to the hotel to do the last of the paperwork. We get Ali’s passport tomorrow and then tomorrow night we leave for our next stop. I might not get to post until Saturday as we fly around 6 PM tomorrow night!

There are a few things that I should tell about the babies. One of the older babies, she is about 15 months old, yesterday, took toilet tissue and went to the toilet to wipe the seat then bent down and wiped the floor and then put the tissue in the trash. Her mom said she was acting funny so she set her on the toilet and she went. The other older one who is about 18 months maybe a bit older runs around like there is no tomorrow. After observing her for awhile it is apparent she was never given any direction in not doing something. She just ran wild at the orphanage. Ali’s quirk is holding on to her bottle. Do not try to take it away from her. The bottles have handles on them and the babies hold the handle. Yesterday when I gave her a bottle in bed she threw her free arm up across her chest and laid the bottle on her arm for support. I tried to pull her arm away but she instantly put it back!

Visit to Dianjiang SWI- Ali's Orphanage

Written by Jay
Today we visited the orphanage that Ali came from. Another early start after a short night. The little princess woke up @ 4 and wanted to play, just like last night and of course, Mommy and Daddy were happy to oblige. We all got up and did the morning ritual of breakfast and met in the lobby for the 2 ½ hour bus ride. One of the families decided not to go, their child is almost 2, and they felt it might be more traumatic on her in comparison to the younger kids. Grandma, Jo-Ann, and Amanda also decided to stay behind and try to find more shopping.

Our bus ride took us into the outer, more rural areas of Chongqing, the highway went into the mountains and across the countryside. We saw villagers farming the rice fields, using oxen to till the land, and even saw 2 weddings on the side of the road. We finally made it to Dianjang county and it was everything you’d imagine third world living would be. There were high rise buildings, but many were abondonedand once again tons of people everywhere you turned. The bus parked and we all had to get out and walk a few blocks to the orphanage. A few people were already shedding tears, but the rest of us felt like movie stars due to the overwhelming amount of locals following us as we made our way through the alleyways towards the orphanage.

The first thing we all saw was the playground and then we were greeted by the director. We all made our way into a pseudo meeting area and the director told us how grateful they were for us to adopt and how this orphanage was the best in China. After exchanging pleasantries and leaving any gifts we had for the children, we began our climb up the stairs to the 5th and 6th level to see the facilities. I was upset because the orphanage looks a lot nicer and bigger in pictures online than it actually is, and my new little girl had to spend the first year of her life here. There were only @ 10 kids left but they were all bundled up and laying in the play room (they were all under 2). I forgot to mention there isn’t any heat either!

After our tour we made our way to the ground level for lunch, no one had any idea what to expect. It was extremely good! One of the better Chinese meals we’ve had in our week here. After lunch we took a group photo outside the orphanage and then took individual photos at the outside gate. A few of the babies in our group were found at the gates, so this moment was special to them. We all went through the crowd of curious locals and boarded the bus. We were shown around the town and we all got to see the place that our babies were abandoned. Ali was left in flowers and bushes in a roundabout in the middle of town and we took some video and photos of it. Both Ginnie and I shed a few tears to the thought of someone leaving such a helpless, beautiful child there, but then came to the realization of Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers and the fact that if she wasn’t left there, she would never have been a part of our family. On the ride back, Ali passed out in my arms and slept the whole way.



We met up with Amanda, Grandma, and Jo and Ginne, Mallory, Amanda, Ali, and me decided to take a taxi and explore. We left our roomand out in the hallway by the elevator, the majority of the parents and kids had gotten together and were having a little party. We let Ali play for a bit then headed to the lobby for a taxi. We went to the other side of the river, the official downtown Chongqing, and ate Dinner at Pizza Hut. It was familiar, but yet so different. They had pizza with crab, squid and other seafood, and a few other non American toppings. We got a Pepperoni and a super supreme, it wasn’t like home, but it wasn’t terrible either. The cheese was a little different and they hardly use tomato sauce, but like I said, it could have been worse. Pizza Hut was attached to a mall, so we shopped after dinner, Mallory picked up some souveniers and Ginnie and I got some sweatshirts since it’s been so damn cold and we packed for warmer weather! By the way, I’m a 2XL in Chinese size, there doesn’t seem to be too many Chinese that are 6 feet tall and 200 lbs.!!!!!!!! We finished shopping, caught a taxi and went back to the hotel. Ali fussed for the whole ride and as soon as we got to the room, she got a bottle and zonked out. Mal wasn’t to far behind and Ginnie shortly after Mal. Tomorrow we go to the zoo and the historic part of Chongqing.

Wal-Mart Day

WRITTEN BY JAY

What a night! We (Ali, Mom, and Dad) went to bed last night @ 8:30, we were very tired from the big day. The little, and I mean little, girl woke up @ 4, so we got up and played for an hour or so and took a nap for our big day of shopping( and first full day together) .

After breakfast, we all boarded the bus and headed to Wal-Mart. We were supposed to go to the zoo as well, but the weather put a stop to that. The only time it hasn’t rained or snowed has been when we get off an airplane. Wal-Mart was interesting to say the least, it was two stories and very much the same as back home, yet very different. The “roll back prices” signs were everywhere, but the merchandise was more of Dollar General quality.

We all (the group) received many stares, since we were a bunch of fair-skinned people now holding Chinese babies, all 11 of them as beautiful as we all hoped for and you can imagine. A few of us dads, myself included, had video camera in hand recording the store and the kids. We were asked not to video shortly after we made our way into the store, but we just found more creative ways to get footage. I was particually intrigued with the “ meat department” and “deli”. Notice the quotations, because these descriptions need to be used loosely. The “meat department” consisted of various meats, packed on ice, for all to grab. The people pick their own cuts and pieces and put them on the scale to be weighed, then it gets put into a bag, very different then what we are used to. The “deli” had all kinds of finger foods and premade foods. Popcorn in bags, chicken wings, chicken feet, blackened pigs head ( the whole head!!!), cooked duck hanging on a rack all available for your culinary pleasure. The sight and smell will be imbedded in my memory forever. We all picked up a few outfits and toys and groceries and checked out. This particular Wal-Mart had over 40 check out stands and only about 15 open! I felt like I was back home! Also inside this particular Wal-Mart, there was a store that sold the infamous squeaky shoes, Grandma bought 3 pair for Ali. The bus got back to the hotel at 11 and the rest of the day was ours.

Grandma and Amanda scheduled massages, 100 RMB for an hour or @ $12 U.S.! JoAnn took a snooze and we (Ginnie, Mallory, Ali, and myself) didn’t feel like staying couped up in our room, so we walked back over to the market we first went to here, and ventured further into the downtown shopping area.

The Fords (Randy, Stacy, little James, and baby Mia) went with us. I don’t think they were comfortable at first, but got into the adventurous spirit shortly after the 4 block hike through the poorer area. We went into a few 7 level department stores and had lunch at a downtown McDonalds. James really liked that! We took a few pictures here and there and all decided to make our way back to the hotel for a group meeting we had at 5.

After the meeting, Mal, Gin, Ali and me went and ate dinner at the Chinese retaraunt here in the hotel. We tried a “hot pot”, which Chongqing is known for, a spicy, spicy noodle dish. Well, it was spicy!!!!! The rest of the meal was interesting, not quite the same as what you’d get in a Chinese place home, but we ate and were glad we tried it, although we won’t be eating there again. Everyone is sleeping, it’s 10 or so and we have to get up early because we go to the orphanage tomorrow to see where our babies came from. I’m off to bed as well! Love you all and miss you all! Chase, Daddy got you a really cool action man!! Love you so much buddy!!!!!!!! Talk to everyone tomorrow night, or morning, depending on what side of the globe you’re on…

Gotcha Day

Well the day finally came. It was the most emotional day that I could ever imagined. We had dad’s crying, mom’s crying and LOTS OF BABIES crying!!!
The day started out that all the families met in a meeting room to fill out paperwork and give our babies their official American name. Our baby was named Alexis Aishi (Ai shay) Elliott. We are going to call her Ali for short. Michael kept calling me all morning for Jay’s and my social security number. This bothered me and I finally asked him what was going on. I guess they have lost our fingerprints. The only good thing is that I did bring all the paperwork from home as back up and I do have a paper that says our fingerprints are valid until December 2007. They had better give me my baby!
After the meeting we had about two hours to kill. Jay and I ran to the area of town that you can shop in just to kill time. Mom, JoAnn, Amanda and Mallory were on their way back from the market and we passed in the street. We told them that we would be back in an hour.
Jay and I actually went into a mall. It was six stories high. Very strange shopping. I wanted to buy something (I can’t write what as it is a gift for Sami!) so the lady standing in that area took it from my hands and ushered me towards what looked like a fitting room. This was not an article of clothes so I don’t know what I was suppose to do in the fitting room but I just kept telling her I wanted to pay for the item. She finally took a receipt and wrote down the amount. Then you take the receipt to a cashier somewhere else in the store and pay; then return to the sales associate to get your purchase. It is really strange. Jay was in the toy department and just barely picked up a toy and the lady was there taking it out of his hand to write it up,
But back to the babies because that is what this is all about!!
We all met back at one of the rooms of one of the new parents and had a quick prayer, we thanked God for letting us be the lucky families to take these babies to a better life and each family could say something nice. It was very nice and calm until one of the single moms had to talk. She broke out in tears and the rest of the group broke out in tears! We all knew mascara was not something we should be wearing!
Then we boarded the bus. I don’t think a ride could ever have taken longer. I think it was about fifteen minutes but seemed like an hour. My stomach was in knots and my hands were shaking! We went up to fourteenth floor and got out in the hallway. There were other families from Spain leaving with their new daughters and we knew we were close! As soon as all the families were up the elevators we headed into this room. There were a bunch of men in sports jackets and two ladies standing around this group of babies. Some were standing, some were being held, some were walking around that is when we all figured out these were OUR babies! It was such a cluster from that point on. Michael kept saying we would be called one at a time to be handed the babies but the crowed was on top of the kids to the point it was a hectic commotion! They did call the names of each family and the director of the orphanage handed the babies to us one at a time. We got it all on video!
She is so small! I don’t think she has gained a pound since they did her medical back in August 2006. And the hair! She has so much hair! We are so in love! I have to brag- all the babies cried and cried when the moms took them; Ali didn’t do anything but smile and laugh! She is so wonderful! We were able to pass her around and around to all our family and she would look in the mirror and make faces at herself! We were all laughing at her.
Then we went into a room to get a “family” photo taken. This was to go on our legal documents so that they had Jay, Ali and I all on one photo so we can take her out of the country. Then we went and put our thumb prints on the document for which they gave us along with a gift of thanks to remember Chongqing. It was great!
Then we all got to talk to the nannies and ask questions about our daughters, we met the director of the orphanage and the assistant director. It was GREAT! They gave us an email address so that we can always send photos of Ali back to them while she grows!
After all this we headed out to the bus. We got the babies on the bus and then one family member went over to the McDonalds to get us some food. It tasted WONDERFUL!
We got back to the hotel and I stripped her naked and made Jay jump into the tub so that I could give her a bath and put her into clean clothes. She HATED the water, at first, but Jay was using her feet to make the water splash and all of a sudden this was a lot of fun! Then the hands, she kept trying to grab the water.
We fed her goldfish and Pepsi for her first official meal! She loves us!
She did cry around bedtime. She was tired and scared but she finally fell asleep. And yep she slept right between Jay and I –at first…then I ended on the other bed as she wanted to put her head on daddy and kick mommy…. But she was as happy as could be.
We woke up around 4 AM and started to play. She loves Cheerios, water from a cup, bananas and attention. She hates her bottle and that gross formula!
And she is SOOOO tiny!

Flying to Chongqing

Today we had to get up at 4 a.m. and be ready to leave the hotel by 6 a.m., for the airport and our flight to Chongqing. I took a look out the window to find out if it was still raining, so we could dress appropriately. It wasn’t raining, it was snowing! We all got dressed as warmly as we could and headed to the lobby. We loaded on the bus and headed for the airport; the snow kept falling and falling. Got to the airport, unloaded at the Air China terminal, which was 3 times busier than Orlando International at its busiest times, not too mention we all felt like fish in a tank being the only fair haired, fair skinned people in an ocean of Chinese people. Our group, which is 30 people, made our way through security and headed to the gate. We then boarded a bus and headed out on the runway to our plane which we had to walk through the snow and up some stairs to get on the plane, there are a limited amount of gates and a ton of planes here so you board ON the runways. Due to the weather, we had to wait for our plane to be de-iced, which delayed us by 2 ½ hours, it was so uncomfortable, the plane was hot and we were all anxious to get to Chongqing.
We landed in Chongqing 2 hours later and got out to 60 degree, sunny weather. I almost felt like I was back home, except for the fact that I was surrounded by mountains. Chongqing is huge! 14 million people live here, and we saw all of them walking the streets, it’s so crowded, people walking, riding bikes, motorcycles, buses and taxis. We and finally got to settle in a bit, we’ve been on the go since we arrived. Looked out our 12th floor window, our view is the city skyline just across the Yangtze River, it’s really nice. We all met up with Michael, our tour guide, to go get some groceries, what an adventure that was! We walked over 4 blocks through the ghetto, although all the housing seems to be what we would consider ghetto, people peddling pineapple, chicken’s feet, hot pots, men playing a form of cards, kids peeing on the street, all part of daily living here. Once again, so many people! We got to the grocery store, which was underground and worse than any Wal-Mart in regards to how busy it was, the only good thing was all the registers were open, unlike our stores back home!

We picked up bottled water, soda, and chips. You have to pay attention to the chips because the bags are similar looking, but the flavors are not even close. A bag that looked like sour cream was actually shrimp chips! Our grocery total was 100 Chinese, which is about $12 U.S. We ventured back to the room, back through the ghetto and unpacked our luggage. We decided to be adventurous and go into the city for dinner.

We were recommended to go to the J.W. Marriott for some much needed western food, so we got 2 cabs, which are the tiniest cars I’ve ever been in, and headed out on our 10 minute thrill ride. The drivers here are CRAZY, that’s all I can say, they don’t yield to anyone, pedestrians, buses, or other cars! Eyes forward and weaving in and out until they get you to your destination. The good thing is, it’s cheap. Three people in a cab, to our destination @ 6 miles away was 8.60, or $1.25 U.S.

We all had a nice dinner in a beautiful hotel, we wish we were staying there, and made our way back, risking life in another taxi ride. On our way back, people were lining the streets for the last day of Chinese New Year and the fireworks celebration over the river. The fireworks started @ 8 p.m. while we were still in the cab and didn’t end until after 10 p.m.! And the show wasn’t 1 firework at a time, it was equal to a finale’ at a Disney firework show, nonstop for over two hours and in two places down the river. We had a great view from our room and we were all amazed. We all went to bed to get ready for today, WE GET ALI TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

I’m going to go take a shower and get ready, it’s 6:30 a.m. / 5:30 p.m. yesterday back home. We miss and love you all! Blog you again tonight, with pictures of the baby!!!!!!

Touring Beijing

Beijing is a beautiful city. We had to be up and to breakfast by seven so that we can be out to the sights by eight. The “western” food as they call it is so funny. Sausages, rice, brown eggs, etc but we made it. The locals drive like crazy people. It is a, hold on and hope you make it to the end, ride. We headed out to the sights. Michael, our guide, brought us to Tian an men Square, gave us a bit of history and then let us walk around for about half an hour on our own. It was FREEZING outside and Amanda was dressed for the Bahama’s. The street vendors came up to us selling Olympic hats which was our first experience in bartering. JoAnn bought a hat for $30.00 Chinese dollars…that is about $3.75. So then mom bought one for the same price. A few minutes later they approach us again and ask if we want to buy a hat. We told them no we had one. Just $50.00 for two hats… Amanda said no she didn’t want one, so the lady says $20.00 and again Amanda says no. So the lady says $10.00 and Amanda buys a hat. That is about $1.25. Later as we are listening to Michael talk the street people come up to another member in our group and sell her a hat for $5.00 Chinese money!! It was a riot! Jay got suckered into buying this watch. He paid $100 and we found out a bit later that one of the other fathers paid $50.00! He is going to have to write about this watch! It is a man and in the watch the man’s hand waves back and forth!
After this we went into the Forbidden City. It was amazing. I especially loved the garden in the back. This was also our first experience in the potties... they stalls have hole in the floor that you are to empty yourself into. NO WAY! Jay said the men's room was the same with a hole in the floor!
Then we boarded the bus to a place to eat some Chinese food and on to the Great Wall! Jay, Amanda and Mallory climbed to the area that said they were Heroes! Mom and JoAnn went to the shops and I went back to the bus. I know I was being no fun but it was so cold and we were not dressed for this weather. I just know that I would be the one to get sick so I didn’t want to stay in the weather. Michael, our guide, said it isn’t usually this cold at this time of the year and no one packed for this type of weather where we only had a small limit of weight we were allowed to pack.
After this we went back to the hotel for the evening. We wanted to go to get some dinner but it was raining and cold. So we stayed at the hotel. That was the worse food ever!
Tomorrow morning we leave for Chongqing.

We Made It

I want to let all of you at home know that we are safe and sound in Beijing! What a trip. It was about six hours from Orlando to San Francisco and then what felt like a life time to Beijing, China. Our pilot took the scenic route, you know that one that you don’t head straight west to the destination but go north, through Alaska and then over the tip of Asia and then back south for hours; we did see beautiful mountains, snow everywhere and big ice burgs out in the ocean but if you could feel what our bodies feel like those beautiful scenes could have been missed. The temperature outside the plane registered around 46 degrees BELOW Celsius for awhile!
We left our home at 4:00 AM the morning of March1, 2007 and landed in Beijing, China at 4:00 PM the day of March 2, 2007. It doesn’t make sense but we lost a day in there and went over the actual timeline somewhere after Alaska. The weird thing is that for all the hours we were on the plane it never got dark outside. We were in sunlight for at least 36 hours!
Our tour guides were waiting for us at the airport with their green flags. After getting our bags and going through customs we met up with the Great Wall China Adoption tour guides and we were directed to a bus with about six other families and driven about 30 minutes to the hotel. It is different seeing all signs in another language. Now we know what the tourist in Florida think when they come over.
I can’t give you a whole lot about anything right now as we checked into the hotel, exchanged our money and then walked around the corner to the market to buy our bottled water for our tours tomorrow, or today, I am so confused! BUT at the market place we found a Subway, a KFC and a Baskin Robbins! We had to take photos!
(Jay and his picky eating habits are forever saved- he will not starve to death while we are here!!!)
When they exchanged our money I collected $100.00 US dollars from everyone so I had six hundred dollars in my hand. The lady gave our tour guide a bit of grief as she didn’t want to exchange so much money until he told her I was with six people. She gave me back about $5700.00, in Chinese money, or something like that.
At the market we grabbed eight bottles of water and the bill came to $21.00. The lady looked at me like I was crazy giving her a $100.00 bill. Then we stopped for ice cream. Mallory and I got a pint and it was $56.00! It is so funny!
We got back to the room and I got the laptop all hooked up and told Amanda she could check her myspace; my head didn’t even hit the pillow and I was out cold. So now it is the middle of the night here in China and my same bad habits from home have already taken over- I am up and on the computer in the middle of the night!
(By the way, THANKS CORKY for this computer, as the TV stations are only in Chinese and I won’t let Amanda use her cell phone she can now keep in contact with her friends back home so I don’t have to listen to any complaining during the trip!)
Just a couple more days and we will be with Ali!!! This is so exciting!