Family picture at dinner tonight
Saturday, December 3, 2005
Warning! This post contains no pictures!!
Let me start off by telling everyone that we totally appreciate the comments. Wayne and I are both getting a little homesick and we miss Cameron and Anna tremendously. There have been days when we wished that we could have brought Cam and Anna with us, but I (Melissa) am still struggling with jet lag. I can’t imagine putting the kids through this crazy time difference. Julia will probably struggle with it when we get back the Michigan was well.
One of the reasons I think we’re home sick is the fact that it’s the Christmas season and we are so far away. Right now I’m listening to traditional Christmas music (Andy Williams, Brenda Lee, Frank Sinatra, Jose Feliciano just to name a few...) through my Yahoo messenger. It’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit when we see no snow and palm trees lining the streets. The Chinese have taken Christmas on a "fashionable" holiday. It’s become something more en vouge for the younger crowd. The stores are all decorated for the season. I’ve been looking for good deals here for gifts, just not sure how I would get some items home!
Enough about that...what about Julia you ask? Well, last night was a little rough again. When she gets tired she seems to get very cranky and cries quite a bit. I made Wayne take a walk so I could have some time alone. She continued to cry for a while, until like a light switch she saw her bottle and wanted to drink it. Once she got a hold of that it was off to dreamworld for her. She laid awake for just a little while after the bottle, but soon was asleep. Wayne and I decided to have a Yahtzee tournament. It only went 2 rounds...My first game was a 308. A record high game for me! Wayne countered that game with 420. My next game was a 167, he had a 280-something. I quit. Forget getting smoked by my husband! Wayne and both were asleep short after that.
Julia awoke about 7:15am. It was nice to see her get up on her own. She was in a better mood this morning. Still not sure of us, but she seems to be getting used to us. She tends to be a Daddy’s girl in the morning, but by afternoon, loves playing with Mommy. Here are a few fun facts about Julia that we have learned so far:
1. She apparently was pampered at her former home. She knows all about bubble gum, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and cell phones.
2. She has not wet or pooped her pull-ups since we got her. Dry all day, dry all night and lets us know when she has to use the toilet.
3. She can now say her name!! Sounds a bit like "OO-Lee-Ah", but she’s responding to it more. We rarely call her Yin Gui. Wayne and I like Yin Gui, but she does need to learn her American name. :-)
4. Watermelon, Watermelon and Eggs. She loves melon and these eggs boiled in a soy sauce mixture. Something that she doesn’t seem to like? M&M’s! She’s not a big chocolate fan.
5. Her first words were, "MORE PLEASE". I used the sign for more and she signed it back to me and said it clear as a bell. I wish I knew more sign language!
6. She’s INDEPENDENT! Much like her sister Anna. She loves to do everything on her OWN. No help from Mom or Dad!! She also is very bright. She knows her body parts (in Chinese of course!), animals, and I think colors. She says a lot of words in Chinese, we just don’t understand. You can see her look at us like, "Duh! If you knew Chinese you would know what I want!"
7. When she’s happy, she’s just a riot. When she’s sad, there’s no consoling her. Again, much like Anna.
8. She likes to run around and act goofy. She loves the tickle game! Cameron, you are going to have so much fun with Julia. She's a good tickler!
Again today we met Roselind in lobby at 9:30. We went to the Ting Tao Scenery on the East Lake as well as one of Mao’s summer villas. We forgot to put the memory stick back in the camera, so I will need to get pictures from Liz and Brion. We were not allowed to take pictures at Mao’s villa. It needs reconstruction, but they refuse, thinking that original is better. We did do a bit of shopping in a store that carried many Hubei items. We bought a hand-painted scroll that has 2 birds and plum blossoms on it. It signifies spring and youth. We figured that was a good sign, seeing how we found Julia on AAI’s list in the early spring. The Brooks family ended up with a scroll with a Tiger on it. The found Isaac’s chinese name on it. How cool is that???
We will be headed to a western restaurant tonight. I will try to have more pictures then, Sorry about that! I asked Theresa about measuring Anna’s foot. Can someone do that for me and email me the size? I need the measurement in centimeters. Thanks! :-) Please give Cameron and Anna many hugs for us. We miss them so much!!
One of the reasons I think we’re home sick is the fact that it’s the Christmas season and we are so far away. Right now I’m listening to traditional Christmas music (Andy Williams, Brenda Lee, Frank Sinatra, Jose Feliciano just to name a few...) through my Yahoo messenger. It’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit when we see no snow and palm trees lining the streets. The Chinese have taken Christmas on a "fashionable" holiday. It’s become something more en vouge for the younger crowd. The stores are all decorated for the season. I’ve been looking for good deals here for gifts, just not sure how I would get some items home!
Enough about that...what about Julia you ask? Well, last night was a little rough again. When she gets tired she seems to get very cranky and cries quite a bit. I made Wayne take a walk so I could have some time alone. She continued to cry for a while, until like a light switch she saw her bottle and wanted to drink it. Once she got a hold of that it was off to dreamworld for her. She laid awake for just a little while after the bottle, but soon was asleep. Wayne and I decided to have a Yahtzee tournament. It only went 2 rounds...My first game was a 308. A record high game for me! Wayne countered that game with 420. My next game was a 167, he had a 280-something. I quit. Forget getting smoked by my husband! Wayne and both were asleep short after that.
Julia awoke about 7:15am. It was nice to see her get up on her own. She was in a better mood this morning. Still not sure of us, but she seems to be getting used to us. She tends to be a Daddy’s girl in the morning, but by afternoon, loves playing with Mommy. Here are a few fun facts about Julia that we have learned so far:
1. She apparently was pampered at her former home. She knows all about bubble gum, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and cell phones.
2. She has not wet or pooped her pull-ups since we got her. Dry all day, dry all night and lets us know when she has to use the toilet.
3. She can now say her name!! Sounds a bit like "OO-Lee-Ah", but she’s responding to it more. We rarely call her Yin Gui. Wayne and I like Yin Gui, but she does need to learn her American name. :-)
4. Watermelon, Watermelon and Eggs. She loves melon and these eggs boiled in a soy sauce mixture. Something that she doesn’t seem to like? M&M’s! She’s not a big chocolate fan.
5. Her first words were, "MORE PLEASE". I used the sign for more and she signed it back to me and said it clear as a bell. I wish I knew more sign language!
6. She’s INDEPENDENT! Much like her sister Anna. She loves to do everything on her OWN. No help from Mom or Dad!! She also is very bright. She knows her body parts (in Chinese of course!), animals, and I think colors. She says a lot of words in Chinese, we just don’t understand. You can see her look at us like, "Duh! If you knew Chinese you would know what I want!"
7. When she’s happy, she’s just a riot. When she’s sad, there’s no consoling her. Again, much like Anna.
8. She likes to run around and act goofy. She loves the tickle game! Cameron, you are going to have so much fun with Julia. She's a good tickler!
Again today we met Roselind in lobby at 9:30. We went to the Ting Tao Scenery on the East Lake as well as one of Mao’s summer villas. We forgot to put the memory stick back in the camera, so I will need to get pictures from Liz and Brion. We were not allowed to take pictures at Mao’s villa. It needs reconstruction, but they refuse, thinking that original is better. We did do a bit of shopping in a store that carried many Hubei items. We bought a hand-painted scroll that has 2 birds and plum blossoms on it. It signifies spring and youth. We figured that was a good sign, seeing how we found Julia on AAI’s list in the early spring. The Brooks family ended up with a scroll with a Tiger on it. The found Isaac’s chinese name on it. How cool is that???
We will be headed to a western restaurant tonight. I will try to have more pictures then, Sorry about that! I asked Theresa about measuring Anna’s foot. Can someone do that for me and email me the size? I need the measurement in centimeters. Thanks! :-) Please give Cameron and Anna many hugs for us. We miss them so much!!
Friday, December 2, 2005
Day #2
Getting our little China doll up this morning was not easy. She was tired and wanted nothing to do with either me or Wayne. She apparently is NOT a morning person...just like her Momma. :-) After a little persuasion, she decided that she would like to visit Isaac and go for a walk. We headed to breakfast around 8:00am. Julia was not the happiest little one. She ate so-so and just wanted to be held by Wayne. I won't sugar coat this...but it hasn't easy. We are struggling a bit to make sure that she knows that both of us are here for her. She tends to cry easy and seeing other Chinese women is hard for her. We wish that we could just come home now.
We were meeting Roselind in the front lobby again at 9:30 for a trip to the Hubei museum. It was very interesting. All of the artifacts came from one tomb. The largest set of chime bells. They call it the 8th wonder of the world. :-) They are in the process of expanding their buildings, so there is construction everywhere. Julia wanted to be carried again by Wayne, but we decided that she needed to get used to depending on Mommy as well. I'm sure there are therapists that are going to scold be but, OH WELL! That scolding can't be worse than getting scolded by older men and women because Julia's legs were exposed. Her little pants were riding up as I was carrying her and well, an older man came over and said something, then tried pulling down her cuffs. It wasn't too much later that I bought some heavier cordouroy pants to wear over her regular pants.
Rosalind took us to some small children’s clothing stores. Liz needed to pick up some more pants for Isaac. I had brought enough clothes for Julia seeing how we had clothes left over from Anna. We did purchase a stroller. Julia seemed to enjoy riding in that. We then went to a "grocery" store of sorts. I wanted to get some small bowls for cereal/soup for us and some other snacks for Julia. We bought a small pack of 9 Chips O’Hoy cookies, 3 20oz Cokes, 2 packages of these cookies/cracker things that Julia likes, 4 packs of gum, a 2 liter bottle of water, 12 bottles of this Wahaha milk stuff for Julia, a bag of M&M’s and the plastic bowls all for 40 Yuan...which is $5.00 USD.
After shopping, we went to McDonald’s for lunch. Julia LOVES McDonald’s. We think she defiantly went there with her foster mom. I will post some pictures of that. Right now Julia is taking a nap and sleeping rather well.
I need to give my fingers a break, so I will go post the pictures. Cameron and Anna, I love you both and miss you very much. So far we haven’t shopped for a whole lot of stuff for you. I will make sure that we have some really cool things by the time we come home! Please be good for Gramma and Poppa. ~hugs and kisses~
We were meeting Roselind in the front lobby again at 9:30 for a trip to the Hubei museum. It was very interesting. All of the artifacts came from one tomb. The largest set of chime bells. They call it the 8th wonder of the world. :-) They are in the process of expanding their buildings, so there is construction everywhere. Julia wanted to be carried again by Wayne, but we decided that she needed to get used to depending on Mommy as well. I'm sure there are therapists that are going to scold be but, OH WELL! That scolding can't be worse than getting scolded by older men and women because Julia's legs were exposed. Her little pants were riding up as I was carrying her and well, an older man came over and said something, then tried pulling down her cuffs. It wasn't too much later that I bought some heavier cordouroy pants to wear over her regular pants.
Rosalind took us to some small children’s clothing stores. Liz needed to pick up some more pants for Isaac. I had brought enough clothes for Julia seeing how we had clothes left over from Anna. We did purchase a stroller. Julia seemed to enjoy riding in that. We then went to a "grocery" store of sorts. I wanted to get some small bowls for cereal/soup for us and some other snacks for Julia. We bought a small pack of 9 Chips O’Hoy cookies, 3 20oz Cokes, 2 packages of these cookies/cracker things that Julia likes, 4 packs of gum, a 2 liter bottle of water, 12 bottles of this Wahaha milk stuff for Julia, a bag of M&M’s and the plastic bowls all for 40 Yuan...which is $5.00 USD.
After shopping, we went to McDonald’s for lunch. Julia LOVES McDonald’s. We think she defiantly went there with her foster mom. I will post some pictures of that. Right now Julia is taking a nap and sleeping rather well.
I need to give my fingers a break, so I will go post the pictures. Cameron and Anna, I love you both and miss you very much. So far we haven’t shopped for a whole lot of stuff for you. I will make sure that we have some really cool things by the time we come home! Please be good for Gramma and Poppa. ~hugs and kisses~
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Our little walk
We had went for a walk earlier today (yesterday for us here in China). We took a small street right next to the hotel that has many street venders. This is also a street that leads into at least 2 schools. The kids seem to be upper elementary to maybe even junior high kids. Lots of great food on this street! Spicy noodles (Hey, Mark and Ann K.! We were told that we have a SPICY Hubei baby girl! Can't wait for our little spice girls to meet!!), all types of fruits, some pizza dough bread that was spicy flavored, doughnut rings (much like an elephant ear, but a ring covered in powered sugar...Aunt Theresa does that sound good?) and I saw a few big woks willed with fried rice. We know that Julia loves watermelon and grapes. These grapes are HUGE! She likes to peel the skin off with her teeth and then eat the flesh part. She also is very proficient in spitting the skin and seeds out.
The Brooks family and us had a great time checking out the shops along our street. We do get many looks as we are American couples with Chinese babies. Most of the kids just smile, some try out their english skills. Our walk then lead us up the main street that hotel is on. The sidewalk in under repair so we took a small side street and risk being hit by cars, bikes and scooters. We ended up at a 8 story shopping mall. 7th floor were kids clothes and toys. We made our way to shoes and Julia was right at home. Anna, Julia loves shoes as much as you!! Speaking of shoes...can someone measure Anna's feet for me and email me the size? I need the measurement in centimeters. Thanks! I posted a picture of Julia's new shoes. They squeek like a dog toy when she walks. She loves them!!
Well, it's nearly 6:00am here and I need to get moving. We are headed to the Hubei Provincial Museum today with Roselind. We have decided not to visit the orphanage. We feel (both us and the Brooks family) that the visit would be too hard on the kids. Director Lu is currently very busy with moving from the old SWI to the new one and we just think it's best not to go.
Have a great day/night! We miss you all and can't wait to get home!!
The Brooks family and us had a great time checking out the shops along our street. We do get many looks as we are American couples with Chinese babies. Most of the kids just smile, some try out their english skills. Our walk then lead us up the main street that hotel is on. The sidewalk in under repair so we took a small side street and risk being hit by cars, bikes and scooters. We ended up at a 8 story shopping mall. 7th floor were kids clothes and toys. We made our way to shoes and Julia was right at home. Anna, Julia loves shoes as much as you!! Speaking of shoes...can someone measure Anna's feet for me and email me the size? I need the measurement in centimeters. Thanks! I posted a picture of Julia's new shoes. They squeek like a dog toy when she walks. She loves them!!
Well, it's nearly 6:00am here and I need to get moving. We are headed to the Hubei Provincial Museum today with Roselind. We have decided not to visit the orphanage. We feel (both us and the Brooks family) that the visit would be too hard on the kids. Director Lu is currently very busy with moving from the old SWI to the new one and we just think it's best not to go.
Have a great day/night! We miss you all and can't wait to get home!!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
So far this morning...
I wanted to post more pictures...Just for Auntie Cheryl. Here are a few from our morning so far. We had breakfast with the Brooks family before heading to the Civil Affairs building to do more paperwork. Julia became upset when seeing the assistant director, Mrs. Wong leave. We think that Julia knew her very well.
After paperwork at CA, we went to a notary office. We plan on doing some small shopping this afternoon. We need to get a stroller.
Well, there is not a whole lot more to write about. Julia did sleep from 8:30 last night till after 8:00 this morning. She never wet the bed and seems to let us know when she needs to use the toilet. Once awake, she pottied and a small while later, let me know that she had use the toilet again. This time, it was a giant poop. Sorry about that for all you that are reading this over breakfast. I was totally surprised that she seems to be trained! WOW!
Ok...have a good night/day and I will post more later! Love you all!
After paperwork at CA, we went to a notary office. We plan on doing some small shopping this afternoon. We need to get a stroller.
Well, there is not a whole lot more to write about. Julia did sleep from 8:30 last night till after 8:00 this morning. She never wet the bed and seems to let us know when she needs to use the toilet. Once awake, she pottied and a small while later, let me know that she had use the toilet again. This time, it was a giant poop. Sorry about that for all you that are reading this over breakfast. I was totally surprised that she seems to be trained! WOW!
Ok...have a good night/day and I will post more later! Love you all!
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