Ni hao from Beijing

Thanks to coming a day early to Beijing, we were able to get in a full day of touring today. The day, however, started WAY too early...at 3 AM, when we were all awake from the jet lag. We spent some time organizing our backpack for the day and then went to breakfast around 7:30. It was a buffet at the hotel that was very good.

Next we were off to the Summer Palace, the retreat for the royal family. It was a beautiful day - but a little hot, maybe 90? But there was a nice breeze at the lake, so it didn't seem so bad.

We then enjoyed some authentic Chinese food (not what you get at your local takeout!) and made our way to the zoo. We toured the panda exhibit first and got to see 3 or 4 pandas. They were much bigger than the ones I remembered seeing at Busch Gardens in the early 90s. They were all sitting in the shade near their lodging and munching on bamboo.

EJ had a good time hanging out with some of the other kids on the trip. They enjoyed ice cream and popsicles at the zoo (although EJ picked out a really bright lime green one that had a very strong peach flavor and was kind of jello-like?) And she shared some of her extra American Girl Grin Pins from her collection with a little boy (maybe 5 years old) at the zoo. It is interesting because we had heard that western kids, particularly those with lighter hair attract a lot of attention. I reminded her of that this morning, and luckily I did. A group of three middle-aged Chinese men and one woman came and asked if they could have her in their picture, so she obliged. Then, the little boy that she shared the pin with was practically stopped in his tracks by his mother to look at and chat with us. He was very sweet and practiced his English by saying Thank You to us.

Then we came back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. It wasn't incredibly relaxing, as we were fighting with our USB to USB transfer device to backup our photos. It looks as though we figured it out, but now we just have to make sure we can repeat the process. I'm having trouble uploading photos because they're so big in size. I'll try to get them up there soon.

We made it!

As Dad H reported yesterday, we made it. It was a LONG flight, but at least smooth and safe, so we're thankful for that. We didn't get too much sleep last night again, maybe 5-6 hours total, spread between 6pm and 2:30am China time, but are feeling a little rested. We just had a delicious breakfast - waffles and pastries. EJ had cocoa puffs and reported they tasted exactly the same. We are going to take a quick walk this morning before meeting our group for the tour to the Summer Palace and the zoo.

I hope to get back online this evening and upload a few photos. I'll try that. I am on the 2nd (newest) computer in the business center at the hotel. I was told I'm the first client on it.

To Mr. R. M., EJ's computer teacher, she would like to report that the keyboards look exactly the same in English. However, the interface on this blogger site is all in Chinese, so her mom is lucky to remember where all of the buttons are!!! So, she wants an "A" on her assignment! And Internet use costs $1 for 10 minutes. Not bad. Better than lugging around a laptop.

ARRIVAL!

Phone cards work! This AM CDT we got word that all arrived in Beijing as scheduled. EJ got little sleep on the flight and "just wanted to get off the plane" after about 10 hours. L did not report that she and K had the same thoughts but I'm thinking that could be the case. L did report that it was clearly not a stroll in the park.

After the two hours to clear customs they went to their hotel and checked in. That would be about 4:00 PM. (Incidentally for those trying to frame the time--it's 12 hours later than US EDT.) L made a short trip with their small group and the guide to buy some bottled water while the other two "crashed" for a few hours. EJ was exhausted.

Later they got some take-out, Chinese take-out (Even if it was a big Mac I think it would still be considered Chinese take-out.), and had a late dinner and are preparing for bed. Tomorrow includes a visit to the Summer Palace and a trip to see the Pandas at the zoo. L had no time to find the business center to make a posting so this is the guest poster.

Twas' the night before China...

...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. HA!!! I wish I weren't stirring. I'm exhausted. Finished packing, cleaned the house (well, most of it), and am just generally ready to GET TO MY SOPHIE!!!

The airport van arrives at 3:45 AM, so I am off to bed as soon as I pay a few bills that I should have dealt with earlier this week. Oh well. I was busy then, too. The suitcases are finally zipped and locked. All weighed in with pounds to spare and lots of room to pack purchases (especially after we eat all those snacks out of there).

EJ wrapped up school today, and Mrs. D gave her some worksheets to keep her busy on the plane and a journal that she can then read back to the class when she returns. I made some up for her too, so she'll stay busy.

Pray for us to have a safe flight and for us all to be healthy. You won't see any posts from me before Thursday at noon east coast time, and at that, it will only be to let you all know that we've arrived. If you don't see that post, don't worry, I'm probably just jet-lagged and too tired to go to the business center. Check back soon!

T minus 2: Welcome to the USA!

Every year, we decorate the house in red, white, and blue from Memorial Day through the 4th of July. This year, we have an extra-special reason to decorate it - to welcome Sophie to the good ol' USA.

Today was my last day in the office before the big trip. It was filled with trying to wrap up a bunch of little things on my To Do list. My colleagues on the Development management team "popped" by my office after lunch (no, they didn't look suspicious at all lurking around the hallways...) and gave me a very generous gift card to Toys R Us, which EJ is already trying to claim as her own! They gave me a gift for her, a very nice travel journal. She was thrilled!

Also, many thanks to my co-worker/friend BZ, who took a few minutes today to translate a bunch of phrases from English to Chinese for me. If I get stuck and need to know where the ladies' room is, for example, I can just whip out my handy-dandy cheat sheet and point to the appropriate characters. Thanks!

I have a lot to do tomorrow - finish packing, clean the house, deliver cupcakes to EJ's class for her birthday, etc. I'll make one more post tomorrow night before we leave. Then, I'm not sure when you'll hear from me again. Hopefully, I'll have a few minutes on Thursday night or Friday morning (Beijing time - that'll be Thursday morning or Thursday night for you east coast folk) to at least let you know that we've arrived. Again, I'm not sure how easy it will be to post, but we'll give it a try!

T minus 4: Diapers? Who needs diapers?

This photo is from another adoption blog called To Mia With Love (click here to link to this blog). Mia's soon-to-be new mom (Christy) and dad have discovered that they are international adoption superstars right now. They arrived in Beijing a few days ago and will get their precious Mia on Monday.

But before I explain why Christy and her husband are adoption superstars, let's talk about this photo. In China, the use of diapers doesn't seem to be a popular idea. Many babies are potty-trained by the time they are 12 months old. Babies are sat on little potties until they do their thing, then parents or caregivers blow a whistle. Pretty soon, the child can "do their thing" on command, whenever the whistle blows! In the meantime, they use these clothes, affectionately called split pants. Christy talked to these folks and they just explained that when the baby had to go, they just found "something to catch it in". Okay. Sure. Whatever. I'll stick with the Pampers to catch it all, thank you very much!

Christy and her husband are superstars because their LID (login date) in China was 10/18, which meant they should have received a match in the early March group. They were so excited to find out they were included within the range of dates, but they never got their call. So, after their agency did some reserach, it was discovered that their paperwork was sitting on a shelf somewhere in the review rooom, going completely unnoticed, while everyone else's paperwork with that agency and those dates moved on to the matching room. It took several weeks for them to get it all straightened out, but Christy was, deservingly so, one of the first people to get the call in early April. She posted updates on her story and the ongoing saga surrounding it on an incredibly popular adoption site, and she is now being recognized by other adoptive groups all over Beijing! Anyway, her blog has some really great photos thus far - The Great Wall, Forbidden City, a silk factory, etc. You might want to check out the photos (click on the different days of her trip on the left side of the blog). Fun to follow them...

As for us, we spent several hours today going through everything on the packing list (again) and sorting items into one of three suitcases or three backpacks. So far, we're doing really good - the weights of the suitcases are 35, 35, and 29 pounds, and the limit is 44 pounds each. Yes, we still have a few things to add, but we're feeling pretty good about it all, especially considering that two of the suitcases weight 15 pounds empty! Let's just say that y'all would be incredibly proud at the restraint I've shown on clothing and shoes (only two pair for the entire trip)!

T minus 5: One week from now...

One week from now (8 PM on Friday night), it will be 8 AM on Saturday morning in China. We'll be getting ready to visit the Great Wall. Hard to believe. And only 10 more days until we meet little Sophie!!!

The day started with more wildlife in the backyard. After I finished drying my hair, I glanced out the window in the powder room and saw something moving in the backyard. It was brown and rather large and, for a moment, I thought the deer from a few weeks ago had returned. Once I focused my eyes a little better, I realized it was a REALLY LARGE turkey! Now, this is a new one for us--we haven't seen any turkeys in the 11 years since we've been here. EJ thought it was cool and we tried to get pictures, but they didn't come out too well.

I had lunch today with a former co-worker, my friend BF. If you know B, you know that she is a fanatical (aren't we all?) Boston Red Sox fan. She said the gift was a little self-serving, in that she feels it's her responsibility to help groom new members of Red Sox Nation. Check it out:

Finally, how many kids do you know who do their homework, which isn't due until Thursday of the following week, on FRIDAY NIGHT?!?! That's how EJ's spending her time (while she's watching America's Funniest Home Videos, of course). Yeah, she's still wearing her dance clothes: