Homeward Bound

We made it to Hong Kong late last night after completing the final paperwork and adoption oath in Guangzhou and a long, long bus ride through two security check points.

We leave this morning early to catch our flight home! Due to a very crowded flight we must be at the terminal gate by 7:45 a.m. Once we get checked –in we will hopefully have some time to get a bite to eat before the long journey home.

We look forward to being home soon. Thank you all for your prayers while we were traveling. Please say one final, long prayer for the 19 hour adventure on our return flight. We will arrive home this evening around 9 p.m.

Giggling and playing on the bed.

Finishing up in Guangzhou

Well, our time here in Guangzhou is coming to an end. All of our paperwork has been approved at the American Consulate, so all we have to do now is attend the ceremony tomorrow to take the oath. We will leave tomorrow morning, stop by the Consulate Office, then cross over the border into Hong Kong. This is quite a feat in itself. The border is sooooo crowded.

As you can tell by the pictures, Doodlebug is getting very comfortable with her new family. The smiles come often now with very little effort. She is keeping us very, very busy!!!! There’s never a dull moment.

Looking out over the city from our hotel room

Today we made the traditional “group picture.” Der should have them ready for us by tomorrow. We also attempted to make the famous “red couch” picture of all the little girls. I guess you can see how well that worked! LOL Desheng Darling was the only one who wasn’t crying! Doodlebug refused to even sit on the couch. At least we were able to get a few good pictures of the girls in their Chinese dresses.

Did I mention that DB’s paperwork stated that she could be obstinate??? LOL This the famous stiff backbend pose exhibited during her tantrums.

See ya soon!

More Guangzhou Pictures

I told you that my blogs were going to get shorter and shorter. This is one of those days where the pictures have to do the talking.

Getting ready for the infamous medical exam

Involuntary participation in that infamous medical examination.

Playing in the White Swan play room.

DD found ANOTHER friend in the playroom. It was amazing how well they communicated in spite of not speaking a common language. The friend was a 5 year old adoptee who spoke only Mandarin.

A paparazzi shot of the Hollywood girls on a shopping spree in Guangzhou!

Told you she was smart – already reading the newspapers with Daddy D.

Two sleeping beauties (posted by Daddy D).

Modeling our new Chinese outfits.

I’ve never seen one of these in an American restaurant. This was inconspicuously displayed in the corner of our restaurant.

We ate in the American room and enjoyed a good ole American Hamburger, French Fries and Pizza.

Getting ready to eat breakfast on Tuesday morning.

Sunday in Guangzhou

Today was a pretty slow day for us. Much of the day was spent around the hotel. There are a lot of shops and interesting things to see. We were scheduled to meet at 1:00 pm to go on an activity with our group. We chose not to go. Instead, we stayed at the hotel and let Doodlebug nap.

Doodlebug was a “hoot” today. She giggled, laughed and exhibited her independence all day! If there was a button to be pushed, she pushed it. If there was a knob to be turned, she turned it. She seemed to think that everything she did was hilarious! Most of it was,… but I’m afraid we aren’t going to find her behavior quite as humorous at home. LOL

This, however, was funny! There are several shops in the hotel lobby. As part of the advertising, some of the stores have huge posters of male models like the one in the picture below:

Every time we went by one of these posters, Doodlebug would laugh, say something and point!!! Daddy Darling says that she was saying “Daddy, Daddy,” but I don’t really think that was it. LOL

It happened every time we went by! Too funny.

While I was shopping inside the little stores, DD stayed outside on the sidewalk with Daddy D. When I came out of one store, I found DD with more NEW FRIENDS. The child makes friends everywhere she goes. The girls spoke both Chinese and English. As I got a little closer, I realized why DD was so interested in them:

One of them had just received these two baby chicks. They were quite a novelty.

People around here are so nice about offering to take our picture, without us even asking. ..no matter how we look. This picture was made near the swimming area of the hotel.

We miss you Brother and Sister Darling. We cannot wait to get home and see you.

Metamorphosis of Doodlebug

Saturday was our last morning in Hefei. I think we were all ready for a change of scenery. After breakfast we headed to the airport to board the plane to Guangzhou. Today was a major turning point for Doodlebug. I mean MAJOR. She was her quiet sweet little self on the way to airport…even took a short nap. But, when we got on the plane, a totally different Doodlebug emerged!! She began to laugh, kick the seat, jump up and down, and grab everything within her reach as she squealed and threw them. We had what appeared to be a practicing Confucianist who suggested some various acupuncture –type pressure points to calm and control her. Her behavior was so wild, that I ACTUALLY TRIED THEM! Just in case you are wondering…the Benadryl is already packed in my carry-on bag for the trip home and I’m NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!!!!!! When we landed, she became her calm, sweet self again…for the most part. She is actually quite a corker. I’m more concerned about DD’s safety than hers, because I never know when she is going to throw something and just laugh about it!

We are now at the White Swan Hotel and we are really enjoying it. Doodlebug is grinning and chuckling a lot more often now, but she still will not let Daddy D pick her up. He can feed her, touch her, and talk to her, but he’s not allowed to push the stroller or pick her up. She is quite adamant about it!

Ready for breakfast

On our way to the airport

Waiting for the plane in Hefei

Our Plane (737-300)

Doodlebug’s first airplane boarding pass

In front of the famous waterfall at the White Swan

My post will most likely get shorter and shorter because Doodlebug’s personality is beginning to shine!!! (This is Daddy Darling posting blog for Momma D and editorially, I am not sure that shine it the accurate word, unless used euphemistically).

Favorite Photo Friday

We knew she couldn't hold out for long!

Another Day in Hefei

Today we slept in….until about 4: 45. Each morning we are able to sleep a little bit longer not because of Doodlebug, but because of the time difference. Just about the time we get adjusted, it will be time to come home. LOL

This is our view early in the morning. There’s always an arm or a leg sticking out somewhere!!! This is the teddy bear that we sent to Doodlebug on her birthday. She is pretty attached to it and has to have it at night when she goes to sleep.

One computer doesn’t stretch very far when it is shared among 3 people. This is how we keep her quiet until Doodlebug decides to wake up. Her DVD player isn’t working. What a bummer. I sure hope it works on the plane ride home.

This is a picture of the girls waiting outside of the elevator ready to go to the zoo. The Hefei Wildlife Zoo was about 30 minutes from our hotel, so we were able to see a lot of the city on our way. There’s a lot of poverty and smog, but there’s a lot of new construction, too. It’s just a different way of life. I’m not sure that that I could ever adjust to the quality of air here. This picture was taken looking outside our hotel window. This is a clear at it gets….ugh.

I’m glad we went to the zoo. It gave us a chance to get out of the hotel, but it was so hot and humid!!!! My guess would be that it was about 115 degrees with 99% humidity. OK, maybe that’s a stretch, but it was HOT!! The strollers were a blessing!!! One of the families in our group had an extra one for DD. I don’t think she would have made it without the stroller. I know we wouldn’t have. It was a good walk, though. We didn’t have a dry thread on us when we got back to the bus. Needless to say, it was time to give Doodlebug her first tub bath! Amazingly, she did great! Maybe it was because DD was with her.

The only time Doodlebug really cries is when Daddy Darling tries to pick her up or hold her hand. She hides her hands and moves away from him. I really hope she gives in soon. Daddy D would love to give her a great big hug. I really feel badly for him.

After a bath and a nap we went for a walk. Doodlebug loved the stairs. This may be a big problem when we get home.

Then, we went out on the terrace to blow bubbles with our expert bubble-blower.

Doodlebug really liked the bubbles, but you would never know it by looking at her expression.

You just have to look REALLY close to see her smile. Lol

I will try to post more tomorrow.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AUNT MUH AND UNCLE BUCK! WE LOVE YOU!

THE SMILE!!!!

It took a while, but it was worth the wait! She’s a real cutie! Before I move on to today’s events, I want to mention a few things that happened yesterday. As usual, DD ended up in our bed before the end of our first night in Hefei. When I woke up and looked at her, I saw that she had her hands in a “praying” position. Then I heard her say, “Dear God, Thank you for Doodlebug. Thank you for keeping her safe until we could get here for her. We love her and promise to take good care of her. Amen”. It was so sweet.

Doodlebug went down for her nap yesterday without any problems, but when she awoke she had a terrible grieving experience. I held her in my arms as she sobbed uncontrollably. This went on for several minutes. I have heard about children who really grieve when they are separated from their caretakers, but this was something of new to experience for us. DD shut down on the first night, but she didn’t really have any major grieving incidents. Today was much better. Hopefully, she won’t have to go through that again anytime soon.

To end the day yesterday, we decided to eat at the restaurant in our hotel. Of course, Desheng Darling has already made friends with all of the ladies who work there. She has them all wrapped around her little finger. Last night one of them invited her to go up on the stage to sing with the band providing live music during dinner. Oh my! DD went up on the stage, spoke into the microphone and danced to the songs that the vocalist sang. Thank goodness, they were all slow sweet songs. She just smiled, batted her little eyes and had the audience entertained. It’s too bad that we didn’t have the camera with us!

Doodlebug is sleeping well throughout the nights. We, on the other hand, are not quite acclimated to the time difference. We wake up around 2:00 a.m. and can’t sleep for the remainder of the night. This makes for a really long day. I don’t think I mentioned this yesterday, but the one thing that we were told about Doodlebug is that she is VERY SMART! We didn’t have a chance to ask about anything else because she was crying so loudly when the orphanage director gave her to us. She seems to catch on to things pretty fast. She watches every move we make and seems to figure things out quickly. She also knows how to color in a coloring book and how to feed herself with utensils. One of the things that really impressed me was that she knew how to lace these cards with string. She doesn’t always get it perfect, but she knew what it was all about without anyone showing her.

(Taken this morning before breakfast)

She knows how to put on her own shoes and tonight she actually took a small bag of crackers, opened it up and poured the crackers into her bowl instead of just reaching her hand into the bag to grab what she wanted. It may not seem like a very big deal, but we are really seeing her come out of her shell.

(These pictures were taken this morning before going down for breakfast.)

Today we visited the Bao’s Memorial. It is located across the street from the hotel. It was soooooooo “hot!” The girls were exhausted! This is a picture of our group before we left the hotel this morning. Boy! Were we ever glad to get back to air conditioning!
After Doodlebug’s nap, we decided to take a trip to Carrefours, a “Wal-Mart “ type store. It was interesting to say the least. The cab drive alone was enough to make me think that I never needed to shop again. The girls loved it, but I am surprised that we actually made it there and back in one piece. I don’t think the English language has words to describe it, so I won’t even try! LOL

Inside the store, WE were the ENTERTAINMENT. Everybody stared!!! We couldn’t event shop because the people were crowding around us. It was a little weird. I was ready to leave after getting the few things that we needed.

Inside the taxi…no seat belts, car seats, a door that wouldn’t close properly and a transmission that was losing parts as we traveled down the road..LOL I was so glad to get back to the hotel.

There were several businesses in the same mall-type area as Carrefours, including a McDonald’s, so we decided to take Doodlebug in and let her try some ice cream. This was her response:

When we got back to the hotel, I started playing a game with Doodlebug bouncing her on my knees. That’s when we got the first real smile. We’d had a few straight-liners, but never a real smile until then. Isn’t she precious?

Tomorrow we are planning to go to the zoo. I think the girls will really love it! I’ll try to post about it later.