Summer Palace, Beijing Zoo & Temple of Heaven

We slept great last night! Asleep by 9:30 last night...woke up around 5:45 but was able to doze off again for a bit...got up around 6:30 (almost overslept actually!). Our tour was leaving at 8:00 so we had just enough time to get ready, grab breakfast and meet the group for the tour. First stop was The Summer Palace (the bottom pic is us with John & Rina from Jax).... Next was the Beijing Zoo. We were only there for about 15 minutes...just long enough to see the Pandas and a couple of raccoons (no one was complaining about the short stop because we were all starving!)... Next was lunch at a traditional Chinese restaurant. Everything was good...served family style so everyone could get a taste of all the different dishes. We had chicken, pork, beef, fish, white rice, steamed vegetables...all good. Next stop was the Temple of Heaven... There was a group of high school students from Korea at The Temple of Heaven...had to snap their picture...typical teenage girls... Action packed day!...8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Everyone was exhausted! Veronica was at the hotel when we arrived...she wanted to be sure we all had a good time on the tour (the tour today was hosted by Delight Travel...not the agency) and to tell us about tomorrow's schedule. We're meeting in the lobby at 8:00 and should be back to the hotel around 5:00...tomorrow is our last day in Beijing...Tuesday morning we fly to Nanchang to get the babies!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!.......

Another day of shopping

Today was our last free day...tomorrow & Monday are group tours...then off to get Livie on Tuesday!! We were once again awake at 5:00 a.m. this morning. We both hit the sack around 9:30 last night so we got over 7 hours of sleep. We went to the gym at 6:30...nice to get a little excercise...we both felt better afterwards. We then met John & Rina and had breakfast around 9:30. After breakfast we all grabbed a taxi and headed back to the Pearl Market. There were a few other gifts we wanted to buy...and better to get it out of the way now in case we don't have similar shopping opportunities later. We went back to some of the same booths as yesterday, so I snapped a few pics of the friends we'd made. We talked to one lady quite a bit and told her we're in China to adopt babies. She was so excited!! Rina & I both pulled out pictures of the girls and we were suddenly the center of attention. People walking by who just happened to overhear us even stopped to see the pictures. Attached is a picture of the beaming mommies-to-be talking about our babies... We bought our pearls from her...it was amazing to watch her quickly string the pearls, tying a knot between each one... Rina & me with another new friend at the Pearl Market... Talking about the babies!!...

We got back to the hotel around 3:00...rested for a bit...walked around the neighborhood (felt like we were on the set of a movie!...so much activity and totally new sights & sounds to us)...stopped by the grocery store to buy our daily supply of soft drinks...then had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel ("Chopsticks"). Steve had a fried rice dish with shrimp & ham...I had crispy chicken with spicy salt. Both were very good....the entire dinner cost about $13 (bottled waters & tip included). Meeting the group for our tour in the morning at 8:00 (it's an early tour we booked through Delight Travel...the adoption agency tour is Monday)....

Shopping, fish markets & traffic jams

We slept a little better last night but still not great…went to sleep around 11:00 last night and woke up around 5:00 this morning. We both took about a 2 hour nap yesterday afternoon, so I’m sure that didn’t help…we both just hit a wall around 2:00 in the afternoon. We’ll try to stay awake all day today so we can get a full night’s sleep tonight. Breakfast was better for me today…no runny omelet. We both had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns…looks like this will be the routine breakfast. There were several new families in the restaurant this morning…some with their babies and some who were just arriving to start the process like us (but haven’t seen anyone from our specific group yet). We weren’t sure why there were families in Beijing who already had their babies…normally, Beijing is the first stop then families travel to the baby’s Province, then to Guangzhou, and then home from there. Veronica later told us those families were probably from Canada or Australia…those Consulates are in Beijing (the Consulate is the last stop in the process….applying for the baby’s visa). The American Consulate is in Guangzhou, so that’s our last stop. After breakfast, we went to the Pearl Market. There are 2 Pearl Markets in China…1 in Beijing and 1 in Guangzhou. The one in Beijing sells lots of things in addition to pearls…it seemed a bit like a flea market to me; the one in Guangzhou only sells pearls. We got great bargains today…souvenirs for friends & family. You ALWAYS negotiate at the Pearl Market…seems that they always came down at least 50%. They’re very aggressive, too….they’ll grab you as you walk by their booth…”Lady, you need a scarf! Come look…shop!” You just have to walk away and even sometimes pull your arm away from them…they’re reluctant to let you go. It was actually lots of fun…quite an experience. They’re your best friend when you buy something…”I’ll give you this additional item for x discount…because now we’re friends.” There’s also an open fish market downstairs…you can smell the fish from the street and from every floor of the market (4 floors). We walked into the fish market just to see what it was like…we made a very quick pass and then hit the exit. We only saw fish, crabs, shrimp…not too gross or exotic…but the smell was so strong we just couldn’t stay very long. Yummy...pick your snake!... Not sure what this is!.... Again, don't have a clue!... There was a huge traffic jam on the way back to the hotel. The shuttle was 30 minutes late picking us up and then it took over an hour to get back to the hotel (it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour…depending on traffic). Shortly after we got on the highway, cars piled up and drivers started getting out of their cars…not a good sign. Our van driver put the vehicle in neutral and pulled the brake…not a good sign. A few minutes later he killed the engine….DEFINITELY not a good sign. We were so tired and so anxious to get back to the hotel…and here we were stuck on the highway. As bad as it sounds, we only sat for about 15 minutes…traffic started moving. We arrived back at the hotel around 5:30…crashed for about an hour…then just ordered room service for dinner. Rina called around 8:00 pm…they arrived a few hours ago and are just getting settled. We’ll touch base with them tomorrow morning and will definitely meet up with them at some point during the day. It was great to hear a voice from home. Only 3 more days to Livie! More updates tomorrow….

Day 1 in Beijing

We both woke up early this morning….slept about 6 hours. We’re both still very tired but just couldn’t sleep any longer. We woke up around 6:00 a.m…5:00 p.m. at home. We went downstairs for the breakfast buffet…pretty good. Steve had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns…the usual. I had an omelet…not great….still pretty runny…kinda grossed me out for some reason. (There was an egg station…the guy cooked them immediately…scrambled, over easy, omelet, whatever.) Normally this wouldn’t have bothered me...there’s not much that grosses me out…I think I was just a little queasy feeling because I’m so tired. Everything else was great…definitely got plenty to eat. (Tomorrow I’ll have the scrambled eggs…no more omelets for me.) We then walked across the street to a local convenience store…they have everything: clothes, electronics, cleaning products, groceries, etc. We bought 2 large bottles of water, 2 Diet Cokes, 2 Cokes, 2 cans of Pringles, 2 packs of M&Ms…..it all cost about $6….it’s crazy how cheap things are here. The hotel has a complementary shuttle that makes 3 stops downtown. We hopped on the 10:00 shuttle to the China World Trade Center. There’s lots of shopping there…great stores. We didn’t buy anything (no great deals…same prices as in the US…didn’t spot anything unique that we couldn’t live without)….we just walked around and had lunch. We scoped out several traditional Chinese restaurants but were too tired & hungry to be adventurous….so we hit the Pizza Hut. Interesting menu…some very exotic toping options…squid and such. We settled on the small thin crust pizza with ground beef, pepperoni & ham….I think they called this the “wimpy American”. Small pizza, 1 coke, 1 bottle of Evian…. $12 with tip. The salad bar at the Pizza Hut was a very popular option (of course, we opted out….won’t eat anything that has been rinsed in the water…i.e. lettuce). If I’d only seen one person do this, I might not think too much of it…but I saw at least 5 people do it. The salad bar was a “1 trip” kinda deal…so most shared 1 salad between 2 people….and boy do they take full advantage of that little bowl. I kinda started thinking there must be a food art class on a field trip or something. People would build these elaborate salads…so tall that they had to be very careful and keep perfect balance as they walked back to their table. There were 3 girls in particular sharing a salad….they were at the salad bar AT LEAST 20 minutes. They were so careful about how they placed everything in the bowl…and I mean “placed”. They didn’t pile stuff in the bowl the way we do. They carefully placed each morsel and were very strategic in deciding the next layer. Around the edge of the bowl, the long vegetable slices were perfectly color-coordinated and alternated….I think it was pepper slices….green, red, green, red, etc. They separated each level of their “salad tower” with a flat layer of lettuce…iceberg. I tried to take a picture but I couldn’t zoom in close enough. We were so amazed….and again, there were several people who really took time to build & decorate their salad. Very fun to watch!! We were back in the room by 2:00…napped for a few hours and ordered room service for dinner. Still very, very tired. Veronica called around 5:00 and asked if we’d be interesting in going to the pearl market tomorrow. There are 2 pearl markets in China…Beijing & Guangzhou. The one in Guangzhou only sells pearls; the one in Beijing sells pearls, silks, art, etc. We’re definitely going tomorrow. We’ll hop on the 10:00 a.m. shuttle and meet her downtown…then we’ll all take a taxi to the market. Our first chance to really do some shopping! (The mall today really didn’t count…nothing unique!)

The shuttle ride downtown

Our hotel is in a residential area of Beijing so the ride from the hotel to the main highway was interesting. The road is narrow and there’s not much of a shoulder….lots of trees on either side of the road…there’s one stretch where the trees on both sides of the road grow toward each other, creating a canopy overhead. There was a lot of road construction going away. The interesting part of that is we never saw a major piece of equipment….just men with shovels. One group of about 5 men had dug a hole about 12x12…probably 6 feet deep….and they were still digging….with only shovels. It’s truly a different world. With everything we see, we think about Livie’s life….what it would have been, what we’re taking her away from (good & bad), what it will be. It can be overwhelming…this is only day 1….

No American left behind!

The Delta flight attendants in Tokyo were incredible. There was NO room for error on our part. The attendants stopped every passenger to check on your connecting flight, gave you printed instructions on how to catch the shuttle & where to get off for your gate, and pointed you in the right direction. As we all stood around waiting for the shuttle, the attendants came around again and took a headcount. They then double checked the number of passengers on their list, took another headcount….and another headcount….and another headcount. They were so nice and helpful…and were absolutely determined that NO American would be left behind! HAG ALERT!! Here we are after the 14 hour flight...4 more to go! We arrived in Beijing around 9:30 p.m. We completed forms on the plane and made it through all the arrival checkpoints with no problems. Our luggage was already coming through by the time we arrived at baggage claim…and our guide from the agency was waiting for us. Everything went so smoothly…incredible. Veronica (our guide) helped us check in at the hotel, explained the exchange rate and where to change currency, gave us some ideas of things to do over the next few days and then even escorted us to our room…..oh, she also had 2 extra large bottles of water for us because the store across the street from the hotel was already closed….she thought of everything!! She’ll check on us over the next few days and we have her cell phone number in case we need anything or have questions, but we won’t see her on a regular basis until our entire group arrives and we begin the official adoption-related activities (Monday, 11/7)…she’ll then be with us every day.

Test blog

This is just a test blog....supposed to be able to post to the blog via email. We'll see if I did it right... Sent from my Blackberry wireless handheld. ___________________________________________

The long flight to Tokyo

Our flight from Atlanta to Tokyo left at 10:00 a.m. We arrived at the airport around 7:00….super early so there was no risk in case there were delays getting through security. We had plenty of time to have a good breakfast and just relax before the long flight. When we originally booked our flights, Steve asked the Delta rep to leave an empty seat between us….hopefully no one would want a middle seat on a 14 hour flight…so we’d end up with a little more room to spread out. Luckily it worked…the empty seat was great. The flight wasn’t completely full so there were actually several empty seats. It also wasn’t as miserable as we expected…maybe we were just mentally prepared for it. We watched several movies and had lots of naps. We were just so excited to finally be on our way!

We left today!!...On our way to baby!!...

We finally left today! (That pic is us at the Jax airport...waiting for our flight to Atlanta.) I was up until around midnight last night organizing and reorganizing the bags. Yes, I packed all of Livie's stuff about 3 weeks ago!...But I just loaded all our things yesterday (Steve's been traveling a lot so I couldn't pack until he was finished traveling....needed the small suitcase he uses). We have 1 medium suitcase, 2 small suitcases (the 1-2 night size), 1 duffle bag (you can cram LOTS of soft, non-breakable items in all the corners) and 2 backpacks. I thought this would give us plenty of space, but it's been a bit chilly in Beijing so we decided to pack a few extra warm clothes...obviously takes up more packing space! Our suitcases are PACKED...but lots of things that will be used in China (diapers, wipes & such) so we'll have plenty of room for things we buy when we head home. I've weighted the medium bag several times and have been shifting things to try and get it to under 44 lbs (that's the weight limit for intra-China flights...of course, the weight limit for US flights it 50 lbs...so we're fine for those flights). Oh well, after everything else we've gone through to get to her, it's certainly no great tragedy if we have to pay a few bucks for heavy luggage in China! (I'm not cheap and retentive/compulsive....I'm frugal and efficient!!!) We woke up this morning around 6:00. Wiped out last minute chores around the house, walked Putter, gave him a bath, loved on him a little extra, and waited for Teresa to pick us up. Teresa is our neighbor...she's taking care of Putter while we're gone...and getting our mail...and watering the plants...and driving us to the airport...and picking us up from the airport...and.... THE BEST NEIGHBOR EVER!!! Teresa & Robbie are also adopting from China...a few months behind us...so we'll definitely be able to return the favor! We left the house at noon...stopped and had lunch...then got to the airport about 2 hours early. We were definitely earlier than necessary, but it was worth it just to avoid any anxiety. We're in Atlanta now...spending the night here. We're staying near the airport so we're just a short shuttle ride away. We had dinner tonight at Ruby Tuesday's...a short walk up the street...and are planning to hit the sack soon. Our flight to Tokyo tomorrow is around 10:00...we plan to get to the airport between 7:00 & 7:30...again to avoid any anxiety over being rushed! We'll arrive in Tokyo 14.5 hours later....then head to Beijing after a 4 hour layover....arriving in Beijing at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night. Kinda hard to wrap our head around that long flight now...Ambien, here we come!! We're really missing little Putter...we've talked to Teresa twice already! :-) But we're so excited to finally be on our way to get Olivia!!!

Another Shower!

Yep, another shower. The neighborhood gals organized an informal lunch/shower...at a very cute girly spot in downtown St. Augustine. (Special shout out to BB Anderson for coordinating everything!...THANKS!!!) Great food, great company, great gifts! Livie received more cool gifts...overwhelmed with the generosity of so many new friends since moving to FL only a year ago. We feel really lucky & blessed! (That's me at the head of the table in the red sweater.)

Heading to China in a couple of days!!

We're so close!!...but we still have several things on the to-do list. A few last minute items to buy...get a prescription refilled, buy Deep Woods off (malaria?...no thanks!), drop clothes at the cleaners, call the credit card companies, get a bit more cash, clean the house (we had the carpets cleaned yesterday!), etc... I think I'm definitely nesting. I've had rediculous things on the list. Get teeth cleaned, go to eye doctor, wash car, clean off patio, wash outside windows, etc. Why do I think these things have to be done before we leave? Do I think there won't be even a spare second to sling a dust-rag after we get home?? Good grief! Maybe I've just been trying to stay super busy so the time will pass quickly. It really has....so I guess it's worked!! One more day and we're off!....

Care Package - DELIVERED!!!

Olivia's care package was delivered today! FINALLY!!! We're so relieved that it finally made it to the orphanage. She'll have her little pink blanket, rattle, pictures of her family in the US...and the orphanage will have the disposable camera to take pics of her during the last few days before we get her. Yea!!

Baby Shower

The folks at work threw a little surprise shower for me today...very unexpected!! Steve & I went for our final vaccination shots today (round 3 of hepatitis and a flu shot). I had just gotten back to the office and was about to head downstairs to grab a shower in the cafeteria...then Krista (gal at work) directed me to the conference room. HELLO! Lots of grinning, cheesy faces in there waiting for me. It was so nice...gifts, cake, diaper game (diapers smudged with chocolate candy bars...looks like poop...you pick the "flavor" of candy bar). Fun for all!! :-) It was great and Livie got some much needed items and some very cool toys. I've also been receiving gifts every day from other friends in the office. They all coordinated it so I'd receive a gift every day for a week. It's been very fun to come home to a gift every day!! Sheets, towels, blankets, Diaper Genie, thermometer, Leap Frog stuff, Hip Hugger, stroller, high chair, etc.... It's just gone on & on. I'm very lucky to work with so many wonderful people! It's really been overwhelming (in the best way!). Now, all we're missing is baby...

Olivia's Care Package -- Update

The care package we sent has STILL NOT BEEN DELIVERED! Great Wall sent us the phone number for Livie's orphanage last week. We gave the number to UPS. They contacted the orphanage. But the package has still not been delivered. We're not sure what to do at this point...I guess all we can do is to keep calling. There was an update on the UPS site a couple of days ago saying the recipient had made contact with UPS and they would pick up the package within 5 days. But today there was another update...generic/standard info...and was posted from Kentucky, NOT FROM CHINA. Steve is going to call UPS AGAIN tomorrow. We're losing hope that it'll ever be delivered....

Trying out the Snugli

Gotta figure out how this thing works....

Lots of toys!!!...

Our neighbors brought over a truck load of toys tonight! They have a 4 year old and a 15 month old...so they had lots of toys that had been "retired". Steve has been so worried that Livie won't have any toys...we've just been buying boring necessity items...NO FUN! Well the Anderson's (neighbors) fixed that little issue for us. Here's a special shout out to BB & Big Andy!! :-) Tomorrow we're shopping for a toy box!...

Visit to Olivia's orphanage

We found out today that we have the option to visit the Yihuang SWI (Social Welfare Institute). Not all families have this option...the Chinese gov't much grant approval for an orphanage to host visitors and this doesn't happen regularly. We fell very lucky!! This visit will be scheduled after we get Olivia, so only one of us will go...we won't take her back to the orphanage. Just based on immediate reaction, Steve is not very interested in visiting the SWI so we're planning that I will be the one to go. Of course, this could all change...depending on how she's doing...how she'd bonding...the stress/anxiety at the time of the visit... etc. So, we're definitely planning for one of us to visit the orphanage...but know that we'll have to be flexible. We'll see....

We have our Visas!!

We received our Visas today! Finally something comes early than we expected! We're packed...we have our Visas...we have our plane tickets....we're just READY TO GO!!!

Steve's poem for Livie

This is something I should have posted long ago...but thought Steve might be disown me if I publicly displayed his soft, mushy center. I'm taking my chances. On August 1, Steve couldn't sleep and got up around 2:00 a.m. He wrote a poem for Olivia. This is what he was thinking and feeling during his hours of insomnia...I melted when I read it. I think she'll be so proud of it when she's older. She's definitely going to have him wrapped around her finger...absolutely no doubt!! I think I'm in trouble. After 11 years of being the princess...the writing is on the wall....I'm about to be demoted. Here's Daddy's poem for Livie... OLIVIA Although I did not know you the night you were born, I have known you my entire life. Although your pretty face is blurred in my mind, I have seen your beautiful smile a million times. Although I have never heard your voice, I can hear you laugh and cry. Although I have never held you, I can feel your touch. Although I do not know the exact day that we will meet, I count the hours that remain. Although I do not know what the future holds, I know you will be loved.

TRAVEL DATES!!

We finally received our travel dates for China!! We’re traveling a bit later than expected but the silver lining…this timeline allows us plenty of notice to book travel and use our Delta miles. Steve booked everything last night – we’re responsible for booking the travel to and from China; the agency will book all intra-country travel…so our group is always on the same schedule. We’ll get to Beijing about 3 days early (had to do that to use our miles) but that will give us a bit more time to get settled, rested & take advantage of more touring. Here’s our general itinerary…. Oct 31 – Fly to Atlanta; spend the night (I know…Yuk!...had to do this to use our miles.) Nov 1 – Fly to Beijing (10 am) Nov 2 – Arrive Beijing (10 pm) Nov 3-6 – Rest and sightseeing on our own. Nov 6 – Our group arrives in Beijing Nov 7 – Group cultural tour (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square) Nov 8 – Travel to Olivia’s Province (Nanchang, Jiangxi). THIS IS OUR GOTCHA DAY!!! 3:00 PM Nov 8–14 – In the Province doing paperwork, getting her passport, etc. Nov 14-18 – In Guangzhou to finalize everything at the American Consulate; get her visa. Nov 18 – Fly home!!! (Arrive 5:20 pm) Even though it’s a bit later than expected, at least we do finally have a timeline! I’ve already started packing. The bag with ALL the meds we’re advised to take for her is packed, zipped, and ready to load in the car. Can you tell I’m just ready to GO??!!!