From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sat Dec 11, 2004  4:51 pm
Subject:  Welcome!

Our passports/visa's arrived today. We have our plane tickets. We are ready to leave! Thursday won't get here quick enough!

We set this site up for our friends and family that want to read about our journey while we are picking up Alia. We are scheduled to be gone December 16-31. We will have the laptop with us - and internet in our hotel room so we hope to be able to keep everyone updated and to add some pictures - if we can figure our our new digital camera that is!

I had a lady that lives in China try to pull up our Tripod site for this adoption and she was unable to. She informs me that many sites are blocked. Many others have said that if you set up a Yahoo group you will be able to get to it - so that's what this site is all about.

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Mon Dec 13, 2004  7:19 am
Subject:  3 days to go!

3 days and a wake-up and we are gone!

It seems so unreal after being in this process for almost a solid year now. We started this process the last week in December 2003.  We will actually have Alia before the one year mark - that is pretty good for adoption.

We have a lot of loose ends to tie up the next couple of days. Little things - but it will keep us fairly busy. Add to that a plumbing problem that took the plumber 4 hours to fix and the truck breaking down on Saturday - well, as Dion says, its only money, they'll make more.

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Wed Dec 15, 2004  2:18 pm
Subject:  Leaving in the morning

We take off bright and early tomorrow morning for China! Monday we will have Alia!

Many little details to finish up today - but the important stuff is done!

I dont know if all the invitations that I sent out for the Yahoo group made it to their destination - so if you know of someone who didnt get one could you please let me know?

Next post from China!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Fri Dec 17, 2004  4:19 pm
Subject:  We have arrived

What a long day! We left the house just after 6 am on Thursday the 16th. From Omaha we flew to St. Paul/Minn. We had a little bit of a layover - our travel mates joined us there. Then we flew from there to Tokyo. That flight was a little delayed but not too much.

From:  <autumnfrymark@cox.net>
Date:  Tue Dec 21, 2004  8:37 pm
Subject:  Re: Re: [bringingaliahome] We are officially a family of 5

Amy!

Sorry for the delay in posting on gottcha day! It was so emotional I ended up getting physically ill (its a thing with me) and crashed and burned by the time we got back to the room.

I recommend everyone bring some instant soup or oatmeal if they can. We love the food but being so different I end up with an upset tummy in the middle of the night alot of times. We bought digestive buiscuits at the Beatrice Market - they have been a lifesaver.

And guys - you can get so much stuff here. I've seen alot of things that people put on their packing lists. You dont need more than a handful of the food bars. You can get any kind of snack you can imagine (and alot you cant) here.

One think I do recommend is the Crystal Light singles for waterbottles. I love these and am glad I brought them. YOu just open your water bottle and dump it in and shake it up - instant lemonaide or tea or whatever. Water all the time is too boring for me.

Well - we are off to shop!


From:  <autumnfrymark@cox.net>
Date:  Tue Dec 21, 2004  8:42 pm
Subject:  Re: Re: [bringingaliahome] We are officially a family of 5

Robin -

We brought the hip hammock. But Alia is so small that we switch it to the front to carry her close to our chest. If you have a small baby I recommend the snugli - that is what Betty is using with Emma and it seems perfect.

The thing I like best about the hip hammock is the ease of getting her in and out.

Ask all questions you want guys! Baby naps alot so we have free time in the room where we just sit and stare at her or post! We want to help as many of you as we can that will be traveling! Please ask away!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Wed Dec 22, 2004  2:26 pm
Subject:  Dec. 22

Here I am up at 3 am again. Looks like Alia will sleep through the night. We just had to figure out the rice cereal in the bottle thing!

Alia seemed much more comfortable with us today. We had talking and smiling and were even able to tickle a little laugh out of her.

Stayed pretty close to the hotel today. We are itching to get out and do some stuff, but dont want to overload the baby and delay her relaxing in our company.

The orphanage took all the pictures on the disposable that we sent. Looks like the pictures were taken over about a 5 day span judging by outfits. They took a couple of pictures of the buildings also. I was just very disapointed that there were no pictures of anyone other than Alia - no nannies. But what we do have are priceless.

Ran into Larry and Betty - Emma is looking and sounding wonderful. The poor kid can at least breath now. I love watching her - she always has a leg moving! The kid is a gymnist already! She can do amazing things with those legs!!!

Tomorrow we meet Peter downstairs at 9am and go to the orphanage. It is about an hour away. This will be our first real outting with baby - and bottles and diapers, etc. Will be fun to see how it works out as Alia likes those bottles HOT.

We had Danny's Bagels deliver dinner tonight as Alia was playing and talking and seeming so comfortable in the room. Good food - I recommend them if you are traveling out this way. The portions were big (as seems to be the way of things here)and the food tasty. It was nice to have some western food for a break - even though we are loving the food here.

We hope to set up a sight seeing tour with our guide when we are out tomorrow. It would be nice to have a guided tour of the city. If that doesnt work out its off we go on foot. Also still want to make it out to the jade market.

Hope to take lots of pictures on our orphanage trip. There are not a whole lot of neat things to photograph here on the island. And Im disapointed that the city doesnt seem to have alot of the old style buildings with all the roof work, etc.

Random thoughts:

Those traveling after us - I think the plaxtex bag bottles are too big of a hassel. We dumped ours at the donation shelf in one of the stores. Not only were they a pain, Alia really didnt like them as the babies here use regular bottles. To cut down on packing you can just bring one and then buy more here. They are inexpensive and what the girls are already used to. - And we were not given bottles
by the people that brought the baby's. We were handed the girls and that is it. Well - we were given the book of information which is priceless.


They have nice scales in our bathroom here. But since they only go up to 130 pounds they arent much more than a decoration!!!! Geessshhh! I need to go on a diet!

Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but buy your baby her own seat on the way home! Our flights over were so very uncomfortable - and we have traveled overseas several times - it was never this bad. Plus, the flights tend to be overbooked and slammed packed. It can be a challenge to get your carry on stowed - and some people even had to check thiers because there was just no room. I think the thousand bucks you'll end up spending will be well worth it in
the end if it is at all possible. I hope our theory of "I can survive 14 hours- its only one day - in order to save some money" isnt going to bust our tails. I thought the flight over was bad - I cant imagine the flight home. And we know the flights home are booked solid so there is no way to change that now.

There are two English channels to watch for those of you traveling next. News or movies. We like to put on the Chinese music channel for Alia - she likes music. The tv is fascinating to her - obviously a new thing.

Dion says I should have colored my hair black before we came. People stop and stare when they see me coming and just stand there until well after we pass. Its pretty strange but I'm getting used to it. Or maybe I should say I'm getting good at ignoring it.

Good night!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Thu Dec 23, 2004  7:34 pm
Subject:  Dec 23

I spent about 2 hours typing out todays journal - and then lost it when I went to post it. Think I'll break it down into several posts this time in order to keep that from happening again.

I posted pictures again today.

It was a very exhausting day - not physically, but emotionally.

We met downstairs at 9 and Peter picked us up.

We had the information on both girl's finding sites so Peter asked us if we wanted to see them also. Of course we were very excited to be able to do so and said yes. This made for a longer outing as we then spent the day making one big circle as the finding sites were completely on the opposite sides of the orphanage.

Some discriptions here will be vague as some of this information belongs to the girls - it is theirs to share with those they chose to share with and we want to honor that.

Our first stop was at Alia's finding spot. It was hard to find, and when we got there we had to get out of the van and walk to get to it. We are so thankful to Peter for taking us to this place. It's not much info, but it is so much more than many people get.

Then it was on to the orphanage. This is an amazing complex that was built in 2002. It not only houses the orphanage, but a special needs unit and is a home for the elderly. We were especially pleased to learn that in the morning that babies were taken outside to play with the older people in a very nice courtyard/garden. These people really love the babies.

When we first arrived upstairs the doctors showed up to immediatley check on Emma. They are the ones that sent the medicine. Emma is still congested to they checked her out and then got some more medicine for her and had our guide Peter translate the directions. Betty was very relieved to have this as they were down to one day's medicine and Emma is still not well. The doctors also scolded them and had them dress her more - and she was dressed plenty warm by our standards. They really bundle up these babies. You wouldnt believe how much these two girls heads sweat!

In the directors office we were introducted to Director Tang, whom we had heard so much about. She is a wonderful director and encourages continued communication by letter and email. She proudly showed us the walls decorated with many of the children that have been adopted all over - many of them at a younger age than Alia and Emma.

Here we left the orphanage donations. Between the two families and Larry's mom we left them a lot of things. It was nice and they were very appreciative. It was here that they also brought us all a glass of water to drink - which was hot. Luckily I had already read that they drink the water hot as they have to boil it, but Dion was rather perplexed.

From here we were taken on a tour of the floor the girls lived on. There is a hospital ward for the sick, an observation room for those that have just arrived, an infant room for the little babies, a play room for the older babies and a crib room for the older babies. We
spent most of our time in the play room.

When we arrived in the play room there were several babies and nannies/nurses there. It became very loud and chaotic very quick. It was overwhelming! So much so that I really didnt ask many questions with the exception of having Peter ask what they called Alia. Many of them immediatley responded with Ya Ya. It sounds so muscial when they say it. I love the Chinese language as it is so muscial. Alia perks right up when she hears a woman speaking Chinese, so I try to turn on a Chinese tv program sometimes in the
room.

One nanny came up and told me that Alia's name means elegant and pretty. She is a very pretty baby that would grow up to be very elegant. And they love her soft skin.

Emma was very obviously a favorit of the staff. It made your heart sing to see the love and excitment in the room. These babies are well loved and cared for.

The babies in the room were Emma and Alias age- but appeared bigger. This was probably due to all the clothes they had on. The windows were open and a cold breeze was coming through. But they all had bare feet. That is strange to me!

We then took a tour of the rest of the complex. It is a wonderful place. At one point Alia sneezed - which brought everyone to a dead halt and attracted alot of attention. Betty quickly told the director that she thought it was hard on the babies going in and out of the air condition to draw a little attention off of us (thank you Betty).

About this time an elder gentlemen came out and really began scolding us and wanted us to get a hat on Alia. Thank goodness I had one! He gave us what-for! So we got her head covered up!

Then it was time to go!

I'll finish in another post!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Fri Dec 24, 2004  2:20 am
Subject:  Dec 23 part 2

After leaving the orphanage we went to Emma's finding spot. The Vortherms were able to take video and pictures.

Then it was time to head home. It was past lunch time at this point and Peter asked us if we wanted to stop or just go back to the island. We had passed a resturant that he pointed out that was made to look like the Monkey King's Cave on the way out of Guangzhou. He had said he hadn't tried it yet but was going to some time. Remembering this Betty suggested we eat there and we all agreed.

When we arrived we were asked if we wanted to eat in the main hall or in a private room. Having the babies with us we opted for the private room. We were taken down a hallway (reminded me of a hotel) and shown into a room with a large round table in it. There is a lazy susan looking thing in the middle of the table. The foods are all family style. They place them on the lazy susan and you spin it around to get to what you want.

Peter ordered for us (we invited the driver to join us also). He ordered goose, beef, stuffed eggplant, bitter melon, bean curd, marinated tomatoes, broccoli, vegetables, melon with mussels, fish soup, barbequed pork, dim sum and steamed rice.

I didnt try the soup or the bitter melon, but everything else was really good. The stuffed eggplant was wonderful and was the melon (like cucumber) with mussels. The dim sum was almost like an airy buiscut. The bean curd was very bland. The tomatoes were good. The vegetables look like a thick flower stalk with little yellow flowers. We have been eating this alot since arriving here (it tastes like broccoli) so we asked Peter what it is. They know it as
Chinese cabbage.

We had 3 servers with us constantly. They started by putting one dish on the table and then they would bring in another every few minutes. We wondered when it was going to stop!

As soon as the first dish arrived one of the servers took the opportunity to take Alia from Dion. During the whole rest of the meal they were always fighting to hold her - and different girls kept coming in to have their turn. It was wild. The manager even showed up to check on us at one point. Even in a private room we attracted alot of attention.

Betty was able to hang onto Emma until about the end of the meal. Then the girls got her also. It is strange to just let strangers take them - but Jen had told me that they really love the babies so I was able to just sit on my hands and go with it.

When the check came we all got a big shock. For this fancy place, a private room, 7 adults eating, three servers with us constantly and so much food - it cost about 3.50 per person! As Larry said, every time they brought in another dish I could hear "chi-ching"! Boy were we wrong! Even with paying for the driver and guide it was less than our one dinner from Danny's Bagels! (Okay so we had breakfast in
that order also - but that is still only food for 2).

We decided to take a bathroom break on the way out (by the way, I had my first squatty potty experience at the orphanage...and dont know what the big fuss is about, its not hard). The guys all started off in that direction, but the girls with the babies took off towards the front of the place. So the mommies fell in behind the babies! Having them out of sight was too much for us. Other servers were trying to get the babies away from the girls that had
them - they werent sharing very well! At the entrance the hostesses got their turns. When I was ready to get in the van I tried to take Alia but the hostess would not give her up! So I just stepped back and smiled and she then gave her to me after a couple of minutes. It was hard- but they were having such a good time and making such a fuss over the babies that it was also enjoyable at the same time.

On the way back to the island Betty asked Peter what he thought of the food and he said it was only so-so but the price was good. I cant imagine how good a great place would be to him.

We asked Peter about a sight seeing tour of the city and are going to set something up for Sunday.

Back at the hotel it was past time for the babies naps so we all went down for one. It had been an exhausting time with the finding sites and the orphanage.

Then later in the afternoon/evening Dion and I went out and did some shopping. But then Alia started to shut down whenever one of the ladies would talk to her (the people here are all over the babies making a fuss over them) and she reverted to the expressionless look. We decided she had had too much for one day and went right back to the room and just spent the rest of the night in. Alia perked right up when we got her back in the room and put her down to
play. She was babbling and playing again in no time and we were glad we brought her back in.

Dinner in tonight - and Alia and I crashed early.

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Fri Dec 24, 2004  3:03 pm
Subject:  Dec. 24

Today was rather laid back and unexciting. We had no appointments today. Peter did have to go pick up our girl's passports from the security office - but we werent required to be there.

Our first order of business was to find Alia a winter hat as it has become rather cold. Too cold to walk around much with her.

We dropped off some film and went shopping a little. We have this list of things we want to pick up but havent worked on it much. We also found some clothes for Alia.

The shop owners were very festive and made sure to tell everyone Merry Christmas today. They do celebrate here. As a matter of fact the shop owners closed early tonight so they could all celebrate Christmas eve. One shop owner told us it would be very busy and crowded on the island tonight - and they were not kidding! The Chinese obviously love their little island.

Alia is coming down with a cold. She is coughing now. I had hoped we were going to get away with not having a sick baby - but I guess that is just too much to hope for. She's been through so much change its inevitable.

I do believe our little peanut is already putting on wieght. I must admit that I am not sticking to the orphanages schedule of feedings- this baby is too small- I feed her! And now she realizes this. When we first got her she would attack the bottle and drink it as fast as she could (they probably only had so much time to eat on
their schedule in the orphanage). Now she realizes that she doesnt have to hurry and some times drives me crazy as tries to see just how long she can drag it out! LOL! But I dare you to take it away from her!

Still no luck with any foods. Emma appears to only go for the mashed potatoes at Lucy's so they eat there alot. Poor Emma had a little bit of a rough day today. She spits up alot - and the new medicine didnt sit well at first.

Betty and I were talking and we are both amazed at how quickly the girls have adjusted to the individual attention...and how they have figured out that they want to be held most of the time now!

Alia loves to be outside - unless its cold or the wind hits her. She's in for a nasty shock in Nebraska!

Tomorrow we have the babies medical exams for the consulate and then have to go get their visa pictures. After that we are free for the day. Probably wont do much as it is going to be cold again.

Didnt take pictures today so there arent any new ones this time.

From:  <autumnfrymark@cox.net>
Date:  Fri Dec 24, 2004  11:19 pm
Subject:  Re: [bringingaliahome] Just caught up

Hello Mary!

Glad you are enjoying Christmas with family. We sure miss our kids and the rest of our family. It's a strange Christmas for us.

I'm not much for journaling - that is one of the reasons we are trying so hard to write all this down on the group. If I waited there would be no way it would get done. Plus, this gives our family a chance to keep up with us and know
exactly what is going on and that things are going just fine.

That is horrible that your stuff wasnt with the others from INS. I hated that wait. It's like nothing really begins until you can get past them. I sure hope they change the system like they say they are going to one day and make it so much easier for adoptive parents. I really hope all works out so that you can travel in the summer (boy is it going to be hot here) so you guys can start back to school no problem.

The bathrooms really are no problem - just remember to bring your own paper. The travel Kleenex are great.

We flew NWA and there is NO WAY I would go stand-by. These planes book every seat and beyond. Every flight they ask for volunteers to fly later due to overbook situations. Then add a delay in Tokyo and you risk showing up with no
guide. They literally would not tell our guide when our flight would be in when we were delayed. The new airport (which is very nice) is now a long way from the hotels. And the taxi drivers here are very aggressive at the airport. They try to grab your passport out of your hand to get you into their cab even - we were completely surounded by them and so thankful to have Helen and her brother-in-law come to our rescue and beat them off!

Merry Christmas to you and Matt!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sat Dec 25, 2004  5:44 pm
Subject:  Dec 25

Christmas in China!

This one will be hard to top on the unique scale!

We are missing Lance and Cierra very much so it is a little sad also. At least we know if they cant be with us, they are in the best hands possible. I am sure they are having a wonderful time with their grandparents and their aunt, uncle and cousin.

We called the kids and talked to them for a little while. For those of you traveling after us, the Panda phone is easy to use and very clear - better than my cell at home even. If you are going to be calling back to the states and want a phone on you, this is a good option. I just set it up to give me a new card if I go over on my minutes.

Christmas day started with us eating the breakfast buffet
downstairs. I love the breakfast fried rice they make - it has corn, fresh shredded lettuce and ham in it. I can also get a fresh salad - not normal breakfast food but we are dying for fresh vegetables after a week. I could have sat down there and eaten the whole salad bowl!

We were all ready when Peter came to take us to our appointments at 9. First we stopped and got the babies pictures from their visa's. Dion's hands are in the picture as Alia does not sit up yet. (We are working on this and it seems like she is getting a little stronger each day.)

Next it was to the medical clinic for the exit exams required by the American Consulate. Peter was brilliant in getting us there right when they opened - we were pretty much first at both places.

The medical exam consists of three stations. In the first we undressed the baby and they just pretty much looked at her appearance - hands, feet, front, back, etc.

The second station they weighted her (5.85 kg = 12.9 lbs - we are going up!) and measured her length. They weighted Alia in her clothes but Emma got weighted in her snowsuit and everything so they didnt see the true wieght.

Last station was ENT. They shake a top on either side of the head to see if they look, look in the nose, listen to the chest, etc.

All this was done in maybe 15 minutes - but the families started pouring in right after us and the waiting started.

We talked to one family here that has an amazing story. They got a referral two years ago and came to China. Then it was discovered that the baby had a heart problem so China would not adopt her out and gave the couple another baby instead. The couple still wanted the first child so somehow after the first baby's surgery they were able to adopt her as a special needs child.

This baby drew our attention because of all the screaming. She did not like being examined and that is when the family explained to us that she had heart surgery and does not like doctors. So now this couple has 2 two year olds! It's an amazing story.

After these appointments we were sent back to our rooms. Now came the paperwork for the American Consulate - an hour and a half worth of paperwork! So, the guys got volunteered to do the paperwork and Alia and I went upstairs to play with Emma and Betty.

It was nice to just sit and visit in Betty's room. Emma is looking pretty good today and seemed to have an easier time drinking her bottle today. She is so congested that it is very difficult for her to drink and she chokes alot and cant breath. Poor baby. But the doctors at the clinic said she is on the right medicine. They did check her over pretty good - kept calling other doctors in to look
at her.

Once the paperwork was done (took 2 hours) it was lunch time and Alia's nap time. So I stayed in the room and Dion ran out and picked up lunch. What was on the menu today? McDonalds. And it was good (dont tell my kids I said that).

We stayed in most of the afternoon - Alia took a very long nap. Later we went for a walk and to drop off some laundry. We are using China Doll and have no complaints. Fair warning - dont bring anything you dont want to fade. They use very hot water and most of my shirts are faded from being washed.

Bought my jade braclet today. I have wanted one for years. Also found mom a necklace that is to die for. I supplimented mom - Merry Christmas! Also found the silver braclet with bells that is traditional and I had read about and wanted for Alia. For these purchases I decided not to go to one of the street stores or the jade market and went with a shop in the White Swan. I might have paid more than I would have otherwise, but I'm not worried that I got something other than jade.

Tonight the island is very crowded. They celebrate Christmas here like we celebrate New Years. Everyone is out walking around (the streets are very crowded) and going out to dinner. Lots of street vendors are out selling shiny glowing flourescent thingies.

We decided to try a new place and went to The Golden Bowl. It is always crowded so we thought we would give it a try.
We do not recommend The Golden Bowl as it is pricey and very authentic. If you want stuffed fish intestines (regular or country style- theres apparently a difference:)and the like - well then this is the place to be. I was finally able to find a dish of fried noodles with Chinese mushrooms buried on a back page. Dion ordered the shrimp curry. The shrimp were HUGE! And so was their heads,
tails, shells, etc. They brought Dion a bowl of water to keep washing his hands when he would peel one. This experience was a little too real for me. But the noodles were very good! And for the price they had better be! (For perspective, at 167 RBM we ate for a little over $20 instead of less than $10 - not expensive by American standards.)

Alia fell out early so we had to eat in shifts. We should have paid more attention to the time. Have to relearn to watch these things. But so far she has not made it to the 9:30 bedtime we were told she had. We were afraid she would wake up in the middle of the night (we were also out of cereal for her bottle) but once again she slept all night and was up at 6:30.

Today brings a tour of Guangzhou.

More later!

From:  <autumnfrymark@cox.net>
Date:  Sat Dec 25, 2004  8:25 pm
Subject:  Re: Re: [bringingaliahome] Dec. 24

Hey Jen!

We sure are enjoying the time here! The people really are so incredibly friendly and caring. Nothing like life in the states. Its funny because so many people try to talk to us or just smile - but pass by another caucasion and they pretend you arent there.

We created quite a stir in the underground passageways with some young people (maybe highschool or college age). They kept looking at us and giggling. I finally said hello - and they said hello back and just laughed and laughed and
ran off. Its fun to watch them as they all hold hands and have their arms around each others shoulders - both sexes - you dont see that with westerners!

Missing home and cant wait to come show off the peanut!

See you soon friend!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sun Dec 26, 2004  4:28 pm
Subject:  Dec 26th

We are one day closer to going home now. After passing the week mark we were ready to start thinking about home. Dion's back has been bothering him - he will go downstairs for one of the 2 hour massages in the morning (about $30). Carrying a baby isnt helping him out any so I am trying to carry her more (now that he will give her up!).

The morning we spent just taking our time and laying around. Alia slept through the night and then took another nap after being fed. We let her since we knew we would be dragging her around on the tour in the afternoon.

At lunch we ran into a guy we met on the plane rides. He is from OK City. We thought he was here on business but he is actually here to see his wife and 4 year old daughter. I guess he's been trying for a long time to get them into the states and still hasnt gotten past immigration. What a shame. It would be interesting to know how they met - she doesnt speak much English. But, we didnt want to be rude
and ask such personal questions so we just enjoyed the conversation and watching his little girl mess with him.

Picked up some film before the tours. Tip for those traveling after us - dont worry about hauling film out here and the effects of the xrays at the airport. Just buy it here. Its about the same price as in the states. Then have it developed here. The lead bags are heavy and I forgot to take the film out of the carry on before it was xrayed so it went through and I didnt even think of it (I had it
in a clear plastic bag to be hand checked).

Also - the bank by the White Swan is open every day - including Sunday for a limited time. I had read to stock up on money on Friday so you dont run out - not necessary in Guangzhou.

Also - you know those scented plastic bags they tell you to bring for the diapers?? They are worthless. Bring a box of GOOD heavy ziplocks (freezer wieght)and put the toxic diapers in there. Contains the smell so much better - and believe me, you will fill up these little trash cans fast.

As far as toys- anything with a face is a favorite for Alia. She likes the photo album with the kids photos and this Baby Einstien bell that has a bug on it with a big smile face. And the babies are given rattle type toys in almost every shop you buy from in Gaunghou.

Alia is up and ready to play - will finish later!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sun Dec 26, 2004  7:05 pm
Subject:  Dec 26 part 2

Alia is really active this morning - we've been having fun playing. She is finally to a point where she lets us play with and handle her. She didnt seem to like the sensation of being touched much, so we have been rubbing her arms and legs and tummy a little to get her used to it. Now she is enjoying it and likes having lotion rubbed on.

We tried a bath- and were treated to a full blast crying fit - and some spectacular gymnastics to try and get out! Boy was she mad at me! Its a good thing she is so small and light or I might not have been able to hold her. We made it a quick bath. The good thing about Alia is that after the insult, she allows herself to be comforted very quickly. This is good because I keep using the saline solution up her nose and she gets plenty mad at that!

We met downstairs at 1:30 to go our our half day tour. We were running a little late as Alia wanted a bottle and surprised us with a dirty diaper right when it was time to go. Of course. So everyone was waiting for us in the van when we got downstairs.

First we went to the Six Banyan Tree Temple. I took lots of
pictures but I had my camera on a wrong setting (by accident) so I have the sick feeling those pictures are not going to turn out.

The pagoda is 9 stories high. There were many different temples with different Budda's and a Kwan Ye (spelling horribly mutalated). We saw monks walking around.

When we first arrived and stepped out of the van we were swarmed by beggars with terrible disfigurments. Some had no hands, or were missing other limbs. They see the Americans coming and overwhelm you. We thought one was going to climb into the van with us when we were leaving.

We asked Peter about all the beggars. Begging is not legal. These people are put into institutions like the one that Alia came from to be taken care of by the government, but they dont like to stay. So they leave and take to the streets and beg rather than stay somewhere and be taken care of. They must make a decent living I supose to prefer that.

Next we went to the Guangzhou Museum (Five Storey Tower). This is in the Yue Xiu Park which also has the Five Rams Sculpture. We visited the museum first and then the sculpture. This park was very beautiful and was almost like being in a rainforest it was so green. And the weather was perfect so it made for a wonderful walk outside. We drug our feet a little bit on this part just enjoying the fresh air.

Next we visited the Porcelain Workshop. I could have spent hundreds of dollars in this place easy - but I was good and kept it to one hundred. I checked their jade and feel quite satisfied that I not only got a really good piece, but at a reasonable cost.

For those that might do this same tour at a later date - those things at the porcelain shop that you can find on island - buy on island! The prices are better after bargaining right on the island. Unfortunatley we found a couple things that you cant find on the island so I know our price wasnt that great - but the peices are unique and I love what we found.

Last we stopped Xiajiu Lu Pediestrian Street - which turned out to be one of the areas we walked down that first Sunday we were here. It was just as crowded. We did get to see a "Change Face" dance from a performer from another province who is famous. It was fun because he changes the mask so fast you dont see it.

Will have to finish this again later!


From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Mon Dec 27, 2004  3:49 pm
Subject:  Dec 27th

I guess I didnt ever finish the 26th but there wasnt much else to tell anyways. We decided we wanted some more westernized food so we ate dinner at Lucy's. Dion has the Great American Hamburger - which was more the size of a White Castle snack burger, and I had the chicken basket which tasted alot like Long John Silver's chicken.
Not bad, but not great. We haven't really enjoyed Lucy's very much.

Of course it didnt help much that this was the first time that Alia decided to really exercise her lungs in public. She was sleeping when another American group came in - I dont know if they bumped the stroller or if they were just loud - but Alia came up screaming and it took us awhile to calm her down. I was ready to take her back to the room and just have Dion bring me my food, but about that time
she settled back down.

Alia is coming down good and sick with a cold now. She has yucky nose and cant breath good. This will not be a fun plane ride home.

Monday morning Peter came and picked up our paperwork for the American Consulate. One of us had to wait in the room while he was there in case he needed to call with any questions. It was nice not having to go to that and just being able to hang out in the room. The consulate is so small.

While Alia and I hung out, Dion went downstairs and had a massage, manicure and pedicure. Not sure if it helped his back much.

We tried to go out a little in the afternoon but it is just too cold and Alia's nose is nasty. I didnt bring anything warm enough for this. Just travel day clothes - which I'm getting tired of wearing. I'm about to the point where I will go into one of these high dollar places and pay whatever for a couple of sweaters.

We did do a little shopping and got Alia a few different silk outfits in different sizes for the years to come. Dion picked up a couple of silk table runners that he liked.

Peter told us everything went fine and to be downstairs tomorrow morning at 10:30 to go to the consulate and do the swearing-in or whatever it is called. We cant take anything in with us - not even diapers - but since its just around the corner from the hotel that isnt a problem.

Then we are officially done. We will set up a van pick-up for Friday with the agency (for peace of mind and ease - it would be cheaper to get a taxi). Then we just wait until Friday morning to fly out of here. Betty and Larry will be leaving Wednesday morning.

The Vortherms took us out for an anniversary dinner tonight. We ate downstairs in the hotel. The food was good. Alia had been very cranky and crying just prior to going down so I didnt know how it was going to work. To our suprise she perked right up and spent most of the dinner talking and singing and hamming it up for the older Chinese couple behind us. Must have been the Tylenol Cold I
hit her with - drugs are a wonderful thing.

I still have a bunch of stuff on my shopping list - hopefully it will be warm enough to go shopping tomorrow. I havent found a reverse painting that I like for myself yet.

Alia has been putting weight on her legs more and more. I can get her to stand while holding her in my lap. I think she likes the vantage point for looking around. She sits in my lap also - but no such luck on her own on the blanket yet. But her cheeks are starting to fill in and she is getting stronger every day. The changes they go through just in the first week are exciting.

Well - looks like Miss Restless is back to sleep now so I can go back to bed. Good night all!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Tue Dec 28, 2004  7:21 pm
Subject:  Dec 28

It is done! No more appoitments or paperwork. Whew. At least until we get home and have to start all the follow-up homestudy visits and the readoption for the State of Nebraska.

We all met downstairs at 10:30 for our march over to the consulate. Good thing it is close because along with the cold it was also drizzling.

We went through all the metal detectors and showed our passports a million times and finally made it into a very hot room full of Americans with their new babies. It was so hot we all started peeling clothes off of ourselves and the babies. We looked around at all these girls and were amazed at how different they all looked. Many were very big and fat and healthy looking. I think I only saw one more about Emma and Alia's size. It was also amazing to see how many of these families already had at least one older child adopted from China at an earlier date.

Luckily we werent there more than 10 minutes before someone came in and congratulated us in getting to this point. We then had to raise our right hands and swear all our paperwork was true and correct. Then we were done. At this point a rather loud cheer filled the room as we were officially done.

Peter grabbed us and had us out of the room pretty much first. He's definately been doing this awhile. He then told us he would be to our rooms between 3:00 and 3:30 to give us the sealed envelope for immigration and the passport for the babies. And then we were cut loose for the day.

The Vortherms spent the day packing and preparing to leave. We didnt see much of them. Betty did bring me some baby cold medicine for Alia and passed on extra diapers. The car will be coming for them at 5:30 tomorrow morning.

We gave Peter his tip and set it up and paid Peter to have one of the agency cars come pick us up Friday morning to take us to the airport. It will be the same driver we have had all along so we will be able to give him a tip that morning also.

I dont know if Adopt International uses the exact same guide every time - but Peter and our driver were great. They went through considerable trouble to find Alia's finding spot for us - there is no way we could have found it on our own. Peter was very thorough and was always telling us little bits of information about the areas
we were driving through. We really enjoyed him.

The rest of the day was naps and just a little shopping. Once again it was too cold to do much. Alia's cold just keeps getting worse. The Pediacare Betty brought me seems to be working well though.

Besides the cold Alia seems to be doing rather well. She is
laughing and talking alot and rolling all over the room. She loves to stand or sit in our laps and looks all around to see what is going on.

Peter brought us all the paperwork as expected. Now all we do is wait to go home. We will have enough money to pay the hotel cash and made sure they will take American dollars so we dont have to go exchange it.

There seems to be conflicting information on whether or not we need to still pay the airport tax on the way out so we will carry the Chinese money with us and if we dont need it I figure there are enough couples coming after us that we can exchange American dollars for the RMB's with one of them before they come.

And there ends another day.

Another tip: If you dont want to eat the hotel breakfast every day make sure and check out either the deli next to the White Swan or just go to the Beatrice and get their fresh deli breads. Some of these have meat and some have fruit - kind of like our donuts but not as sweet. These are cheap and good if you dont want the breakfast buffet every day. We ate these in our room more than we went downstairs for breakfast. But then I'm not much of a breakfast
eater.

Most useful things we brought to date:

rubbermaid pint bottle to mix(shake) the formula in and store extra in the fridge

disposable chopsticks used to stir up coffee or tea or whatever (By the way - we have only seen forks out downstairs at the breakfast buffet. Our travel mates asked for forks and got them everywhere we were together eating so all you have to do is ask and they will tell you if they dont have them. We had no problem using the chopsticks while here - I just practiced a little before we
came.)


Nalgene (sp?) measuring cup with a screw on lid (found in a sporting goods store) to sterilize nipples and rings in. A Nalgene botte with a wide mouth would do the same thing.

Laptop computer, camera's

disposable clothing that we threw away instead of washing (by the way - take your laundry somewhere other than the hotel if you want better prices)

Transformer kit - the adaptors for the prongs helped even with the things that had their own transformers. The actual prongs are different.

instant soups

Travel book on Guangzhou (also, Dion liked the cd that taught him some Chinese words)

Clothes pins- for closing the formula bags and for the laundry we did in our room (remember, ring that stuff out good or it will take days to dry)

Ziplock bags for formula after opened and for dirty diapers.

Wish I had brough more of:

Warm clothing

3 baby blankets instead of just 2

Nicer clothing - the Chinese look nice when they go out to eat. We brought alot of disposable clothing that we could just throw away and not pay to have cleaned. That means most of them were not in the best shape and I regret that now.

baby cold medicine

Regular bottles - not the bag kind

sandwhich size ziplock bags


Things that were overkill:

Way too much adult meds

food bars

plums for baby or any other baby food other than the single packet rice cereal (which is a must) - this is all available

powdered creamer - buy milk at the store (which is dated by
production date, not expiration - I kept wondering why everything was expired)

If you arent shooting much video dont worry about the extra
batteries or tapes. We only really recorded gottcha day - the rest was digital and 35mm camera. BUT - we did not go to anyplace other than Guangzhou so we missed so much history and cool sights.

Dont go overboard on the baby toys. In Guangzhou you will be given them in almost every store. Yesterday Alia was even given a stuffed animal. Those toys you do bring - think quiet for the plane ride - most of the toys you are given have loud bells in them and the other plane passengers probably would kill us if we took them on the plane.

And that's all for today.

We'll be home before you know it!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Wed Dec 29, 2004  5:57 pm
Subject:  Dec 29th

We had a smiley, laughing, drooling, wild baby today. Even the cold medicine hasn't slowed her down much.

Today we went off island and took a walk along the Pearl River. They have a very nice walkway all along the river with many benches - its a very nice stroll. If you are traveling behind us, take a walk out this way one day. Its a nice break from the island.

Our destination was the Haizhu Wholesale Market. It was fun to walk around there. Everything is so crowded and busy. And you see it all - from those eating to the little kids peeing right in the middle of the walkway (aiming for the drains along the edge.

Its not a place you would buy much at. Dion bought some fancy lighters (for about 1.50) that he thought were neat. I got a couple of the big tea cups like you see on the island - but only becuase they had designs like I hadnt seen on the island. The price wasnt any better than the best price I've seen on island. But you know as an American you pay the highest price - they arent ever going to see
you again so there is no reason to give us a really good deal.

The market is about a mile from the island if you want to take a walk. I think I enjoyed the actual walk more than anything. I just cant get over how much they can load down a bike or many of the other things you see. But I must admit it does start to get old with all the attention we generate.

Many women wanted to know if Alia was Chinese. Here I am thinking its completely obvious - she doesnt look a thing like me! One young lady wanted to know why. They seem confused as to why people come from so many countries to adopt their babies. Its not really something you can explain to them either - our world viewpoints are
too different - and the language barrier too large. But all in all everyone is very friendly and call the babies "lucky".

When we got back we did a little more shopping to chip away at our shopping list. A lot of shops were already closed so we didnt do much. We did get a set of suitcases and will be ditching the ones we brought - they have been to Iceland and back a few times and now to China so are beat beyond recognition.

Read an email from Kelly and her family - they now have McKenzie. They have a crazy gottcha day story - were taken staight from the plane (which was hours late). All the baby stuff was in luggage so everyone was unprepared and it sounds very chaotic. Kelly says the baby is chunky and healthy and although she cried she is adjusting well. I cant wait to hear Laurie's story also.

I cant believe tomorrow is our last day. The last days are flying by. Before you know it we will be on the long plane ride home.

Everybody pray for our travel- I really am not looking forward to a 24 hour day traveling with a baby.

We ordered from Danny's Bagels again tonight. The Chicken
Parmagania is very good. And their bagels are great guys - we ordered a couple for the morning we leave.

Well - thats about all our excitement for the day.

Be seeing everyone soon!

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sat Jan 1, 2005  4:31 am
Subject:  Dec. 30

Not much to tell about Thursday. We spent the day doing the last minute shopping and packing.

We did manage to get the "18 gifts" for Alia. We wont be using them on birthdays - we will do them on our family "Gottcha Day" or adoption day or whatever we decide to call it.

We were sad at the thought of leaving - and excited about getting back to the kids. We sure have loved our stay here. No wonder so many come back for number two and three.

Tomorrow we go home.

Dreading the flights.

From:  autumnfrymark@cox.net
Date:  Sat Jan 1, 2005  5:25 am
Subject:  Dec 31 -the New Year's Eve that never ends...

Up at 4:00 - to be downstairs by 5:00 to check out. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to check out. They go and check the room while you are standing there (so you both have to be done in there).

By the time we finished this our driver showed up right on time at 5:30. We went ahead and had Peter set this up with the agency instead of taking a taxi. The taxi is cheaper but this way it was all arranged and already paid before prior to the trip - with no language barrier to deal with. This way we were also given the opportunity to tip the guy who had been driving us around the whole trip.

We got to the airport about 6:10 I think. Its a long ride to the airport. When we arrived it was mass chaos in the international section. We had no clue what to do - nothing was moving. So a very nice man that spoke English came over and told us that they hadn't opened up customs yet and we could all go through to our ticket counters when they did. So we waited.

When that finally opened up the people poured in to that little space - was like being at a rock concert or something. Crazy. So we found the NWA counter and got into the very long and ugly line - and checked our watches nervously. We ended up next to another American couple and thier new daughter.

We werent there very long and a NWA lady came and pulled us out of line (both families) and took us over to buisness class check in. We were checked in there so the babies could get through. And we were stuck there for awhile as there were computer problems. But in the end the flight was so full that our seats were changed to business class. That was great!

We barely made it to our plane - there was only one other person behind us. Oh - and all our flights today (except the one in the States) took off earlier than scheduled. Keep this in mind. I personally would recommend the evening flight out of Guangzhou over this early morning one as you have more time to get to the airport and be prepared.

So they slammed the doors behind us and we settled into first class seats - and enjoyed every minute of it. If you buy first class tickets you dont need an extra seat for baby. This flight was very pleasant and a nice change from the way over. I now understand why this is such a big deal to some people. Alia did just great.

Our flight into Tokyo arrived early - and our flight out left early. We had enough time to be bussed into the terminal from the plane, go back through security and get to gate. We still had time to freshen up and prep more bottles and do the changing, etc. No rush but no long wait either.

When we checked in we asked if we could have a seat with a
bassenette. They were able to put us in the back bulkhead in the middle isle. And to make matters even better - there wasnt anyone in the other 2 seats so we had all 4 seats and the crib. Talk about making the trip painless. God was really smiling on our return journey.

We didnt get much use out of the crib - Alia didnt like the
turbuelence so slept on me more than in the crib. Made an excellent diaper changing area though (for just the wet ones). I didnt get much sleep myself but did get a little.

Clearing customs and immigration in St. Paul was a breeze. I highly recommend this route over the California routes.

Our hardest flight was the last one - which was only an hour. The only reason it was hard was because there was a baby in the seat in front of us that cried alot. Alia was so tired all she wanted to do was sleep so when this other poor baby kept waking her up she got really really mad. Then we had tag-team crying babies. Thank goodness that didnt last long.

Dad, Ciera and Lance picked us up at the airport. Alia had no problems going into the car seat - and even had immediate smiles for Cierra.

Back at home everything went rather well. Mom and dad thought they might have to leave the next morning with the way Alia handled meeting us - but Alia took to everyone like a champ. Cierra is a definate favorite person to smile at - another little person. She was very curious with Nano and Poppy and spent a good amount of time on brother's lap before the day was through. We were all more than just a little amazed. Not to mention we let her take a 2 hour nap
and then got her back up until about 8 pm - and then put her to bed on our time here. She did just great.

ALia did get up I think 2 times during the night - for a change and a feeding and went back to bed. She was up at 3:30 this morning and I end up giving her another half bottle beyond her usual - she was so hungry! She didnt eat much on the flights because we didnt have the bottles hot enough for her liking. Now she is making up for lost
time. But she was only up for about an hour and is now back in bed - which is where I am going now!

Do need to run to the store tomorrow for a bunch of things. Need 3- 6 month clothing because the 6-9 is just too big. Also need a few more bottles and nipples.

All is well friends. Not only did Alia travel like a champ - she is doing well on her first day in her new home and doing well with new family members. Everyone is trying not to overwhelm her and let her take the lead - and she draws them right in! But she knows who mom and dad are and looks for us when she's had enough and wants to be comforted. I'm still amazed.

We are home!!

___________

Will continue this on a new page.