Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it home safe and sound. Not to say that it was the easiest trip we've ever made. The flight started out ok, and Samantha was really good for take-off. She and I had gotten comfortable and everything was going great. No problems during the ascent. Then things changed. Not sure what happened, but she did a Jeckyl and Hyde. She started an unconsoleable scream. I wasn't able to get her to settle down, so I handed her off to Shirley. Even her touch wasn't working, and Samantha got more and more agitated, to the point that she decided to share her last feeding with Shirley. This was at about the 1 hour mark, and didn't get much better for the next 3 hours. She had missed her afternoon nap, and it was past her normal bed time, so she was really over tired. Screaming, walking up and down the aisle, trying to get her to eat, nothing was working. I've got to say that the other passengers on the flight were very accommodating, even the poor guy that was stuck beside us and trying to sleep. We finally got her settled down, got some food in her, and she was actually playing real nice in my lap. Then, another unknown trigger and she was off to the races again. This time we walked her to the back of the plane where one of the flight attendants volunteered to try to console her. She was able to get her to the point where once again she would take some food and settle down. This time she went down and slept for 5 solid hours. We actually had to wake her to get off the plane.
Customs and Immigration were a breeze. We actually got a civil servant at immigration that wanted to help. One of the challenges is that she is traveling on a Chinese passport and Visa based on her Chinese name. This would have her immigration processed in her Chinese name. Our immigration agent asked if we had anything that indicated that we had renamed her in China. Fortunately we have a document that states that we have renamed her to Samantha Helena Penner. He accepted this and processed her under her Canadian name, which means that we do not have to go through an officical name change process.
We then had a wonderful surprise as we exited the secure area and saw signs saying "Welcome Home Samantha" from some of our friends that had shown up to greet us. We had expected Donna and Wayne, Cliff and Theresa, but Joanne and Kaitlyn and Bev and Peter were there to greet us as well. Kaitlyn is another Chinese adoptee who is now about 3.5 years old and very inquisitive. Once she found out we were bringing home a baby from China she wanted to be there to greet us.
Donna, Wayne, Theresa and Cliff had a great gift waiting for us when we got home - steak, baked potato and caesar salad. Just what the doctor ordered after 2 weeks of rice, noodles, etc. Even though we had been fed 3 times on the plane, this dinner was great. We can't say enough about how comforting it was to have someone pick us up, drive us home, and wait on us once we got there. We are truly blessed to have such great friends, and we don't know what we would do without them.
Now we just need to get our clocks flipped around and figure out what our new schedule will be. Samantha went down about midnight last night and slept until about 4:00. We then played for a couple of hours and we have just put her back down to sleep. Not sure who's going to have a harder time with time, but we're in this together and couldn't be happier.
June 30, 2007
June 28, 2007
Going Home
Ok, we’re starting to wind down, and looking forward to our trip home. As much as we enjoy China, we’re pretty beat and not really into doing a lot of sight-seeing.
Yesterday was a bit of fun. We walked down to the Silk Market, which is about ½ an hour walk from here. The plan was to meet two of the other couples there, and then go next door to the Pizza Hut for lunch – yes, we’re getting a little tired of rice and noodles. Now the Silk Market is 5 floors, crammed full of small retailers and tourists. We walked around all the floors and weren’t able to find the other couples, so left and went to the Pizza Hut. Just as we got there it started to pour, so we figured we’d wait it out and have lunch, and then either take a cab or continue to walk. As it turns out, we missed the other couples at the Silk Market and they were still there when it started to rain. They just caught cabs back to the hotel. Anyway, by the time we were done eating the rain had stopped so we started walking back. Wasn’t long and it started back up again so we found shelter under an overpass. One of the nice crossing guards covered up Samantha in the stroller with his jacket and flagged down a cab for us.
Dinner last night was Peking Duck, or actually Beijing Duck since the city has been renamed. This was organized by our guide, and was absolutely wonderful. Besides the duck she ordered way too much North American style Chinese food which was more than any of us could eat. It was nice to have dinner with the entire group, and we have made an awful lot of good friends. We are looking forward to getting together with many of them back in Canada.
We’re also starting to pick up on Samantha’s cues, and can tell when she’s hungry, thirsty, tired, or just has gas. She is also going down much easier now, and is fighting it far less. It’s nice to not have to struggle to get her to sleep, and have her wake up with a smile on her face.
Today was travel day for most of our group. We went down at 2:00pm to say goodbye to them. We have all gone through a lot together, and our children provide us a common thread – maybe a red one. Most people are a bit anxious about the trip, 13 hours non-stop. We’re part of a group of 4 couples that are traveling tomorrow. The rest of the day is going to be very quiet, just getting our bags packed and trying to get rested. Who knows what tomorrow’s flight will be like.
So with that, we end the postings from China. The next posting will be after we get back to Toronto, and we look forward to getting back to a regular routine. We’ll let you know how the travel went at that time.
Yesterday was a bit of fun. We walked down to the Silk Market, which is about ½ an hour walk from here. The plan was to meet two of the other couples there, and then go next door to the Pizza Hut for lunch – yes, we’re getting a little tired of rice and noodles. Now the Silk Market is 5 floors, crammed full of small retailers and tourists. We walked around all the floors and weren’t able to find the other couples, so left and went to the Pizza Hut. Just as we got there it started to pour, so we figured we’d wait it out and have lunch, and then either take a cab or continue to walk. As it turns out, we missed the other couples at the Silk Market and they were still there when it started to rain. They just caught cabs back to the hotel. Anyway, by the time we were done eating the rain had stopped so we started walking back. Wasn’t long and it started back up again so we found shelter under an overpass. One of the nice crossing guards covered up Samantha in the stroller with his jacket and flagged down a cab for us.
Dinner last night was Peking Duck, or actually Beijing Duck since the city has been renamed. This was organized by our guide, and was absolutely wonderful. Besides the duck she ordered way too much North American style Chinese food which was more than any of us could eat. It was nice to have dinner with the entire group, and we have made an awful lot of good friends. We are looking forward to getting together with many of them back in Canada.
We’re also starting to pick up on Samantha’s cues, and can tell when she’s hungry, thirsty, tired, or just has gas. She is also going down much easier now, and is fighting it far less. It’s nice to not have to struggle to get her to sleep, and have her wake up with a smile on her face.
Today was travel day for most of our group. We went down at 2:00pm to say goodbye to them. We have all gone through a lot together, and our children provide us a common thread – maybe a red one. Most people are a bit anxious about the trip, 13 hours non-stop. We’re part of a group of 4 couples that are traveling tomorrow. The rest of the day is going to be very quiet, just getting our bags packed and trying to get rested. Who knows what tomorrow’s flight will be like.
So with that, we end the postings from China. The next posting will be after we get back to Toronto, and we look forward to getting back to a regular routine. We’ll let you know how the travel went at that time.
June 26, 2007
June 26
Today’s outing, which we did not partake in, was Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City. With temperatures nearing 40˚ again and everything being outdoors, we decided it was much better to spend a little less time outside. So what did we do? Shopping!
Back to the Silk Factory. Just as we were leaving there last Sunday Shirley noticed a few items that she would like to get, but time didn’t allow. So back we went today. They really do have a beautiful selection of a large variety of products made from silk, with very reasonable prices. This includes everything from sheets, shirts, jackets, pajamas and scarves to shoes, purses, pillows and quilts. Fortunately our limited wallet prevailed and we left there without having to take out a 2nd mortgage.
In the afternoon we ventured out into the heat for a short walk. About 15 minutes from the hotel is the Oriental Plaza, a very large, high-end shopping mall. This was a great place to just walk around in an air-conditioned environment. We’re also trying to get Samantha used to the stroller. She doesn’t like sitting in one spot, and has a limited patience as to how long we can leave her in there. We were told by colleagues that recently lived in China that the girls from Chongqing were hot-beautiful, and hot-tempered. She is so far proving both of those to be correct.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; although we find that every day Samantha is becoming more and more familiar with us and is opening up a lot. She is more comfortable sitting and playing by herself, as well as rewarding us with that beautiful smile merely for the fact that we look at her.
One of the things that I don’t think that I’ve covered yet is the traffic here. I have a lot of respect for these drivers, and as comfortable as I normally am behind the wheel I would never consider driving here. They live by a totally different set of rules, which are governed more by individual respect rather than mandated laws. Traffic lights are reserved for only the most heavily congested intersections, and the rest is by mutual agreement. Traffic merges, separates and generally flows as people make room for vehicles entering their lanes, using horns where required to advise drivers of their intents. Nobody seems to get upset, and traffic generally flows fairly well, although slow.
The other thing is that you need to be an extremely cautious pedestrian. In the pecking order on the streets, you’re at the bottom. Crosswalks really only indicate to drivers that they may suddenly encounter a new speed bump. Buses have priority, with cars, motorcycles and bicycles fending for their share. To give you an example of how low pedestrians are, if you are crossing with the light, traffic turning across the crosswalk has the right of way. To make matters worse, red lights seem to only impact left turn and straight through traffic. Traffic making a right on red in reality has a green light with higher priority than the pedestrian crossing with the light. This traffic basically merges with the flow of the traffic that has a green light. It is very difficult as a Canadian where the pedestrian always has the right of way, whether they are in the right or not. There have been many times that we have been crossing a street only to have a car cut us off.
As much as we are enjoying this experience, we're ready to come home. We've started the countdown.
Back to the Silk Factory. Just as we were leaving there last Sunday Shirley noticed a few items that she would like to get, but time didn’t allow. So back we went today. They really do have a beautiful selection of a large variety of products made from silk, with very reasonable prices. This includes everything from sheets, shirts, jackets, pajamas and scarves to shoes, purses, pillows and quilts. Fortunately our limited wallet prevailed and we left there without having to take out a 2nd mortgage.
In the afternoon we ventured out into the heat for a short walk. About 15 minutes from the hotel is the Oriental Plaza, a very large, high-end shopping mall. This was a great place to just walk around in an air-conditioned environment. We’re also trying to get Samantha used to the stroller. She doesn’t like sitting in one spot, and has a limited patience as to how long we can leave her in there. We were told by colleagues that recently lived in China that the girls from Chongqing were hot-beautiful, and hot-tempered. She is so far proving both of those to be correct.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful; although we find that every day Samantha is becoming more and more familiar with us and is opening up a lot. She is more comfortable sitting and playing by herself, as well as rewarding us with that beautiful smile merely for the fact that we look at her.
One of the things that I don’t think that I’ve covered yet is the traffic here. I have a lot of respect for these drivers, and as comfortable as I normally am behind the wheel I would never consider driving here. They live by a totally different set of rules, which are governed more by individual respect rather than mandated laws. Traffic lights are reserved for only the most heavily congested intersections, and the rest is by mutual agreement. Traffic merges, separates and generally flows as people make room for vehicles entering their lanes, using horns where required to advise drivers of their intents. Nobody seems to get upset, and traffic generally flows fairly well, although slow.The other thing is that you need to be an extremely cautious pedestrian. In the pecking order on the streets, you’re at the bottom. Crosswalks really only indicate to drivers that they may suddenly encounter a new speed bump. Buses have priority, with cars, motorcycles and bicycles fending for their share. To give you an example of how low pedestrians are, if you are crossing with the light, traffic turning across the crosswalk has the right of way. To make matters worse, red lights seem to only impact left turn and straight through traffic. Traffic making a right on red in reality has a green light with higher priority than the pedestrian crossing with the light. This traffic basically merges with the flow of the traffic that has a green light. It is very difficult as a Canadian where the pedestrian always has the right of way, whether they are in the right or not. There have been many times that we have been crossing a street only to have a car cut us off.
As much as we are enjoying this experience, we're ready to come home. We've started the countdown.
June 25, 2007
June 25
Today was doctor’s day, part of the requirement for Immigration Canada to approve her entry, and part of the requirement for our peace of mind. For this we went to SOS which is an International Clinic staffed by doctors from around the world – one of which was from Montreal. We had a few things that we wanted the doctor to check along with the normal routine.
As we had mentioned earlier, Samantha has a cold, and the doctor confirmed that it is just a cold and nothing else. We’ve also noticed that she’s been pulling on her ears. The doctor checked and said that there is some wax buildup, but she can see past it. She gave us some hydrogen peroxide drops to help clear that up. Along with the expected Mongolian spots, she also has a red patch on the back of her neck which the doctor confirmed was just a birth mark and will most likely fade. For those of you unfamiliar with Mongolian spots, these are grayish patches on the skin that normally fade as the child ages. They can easily be mistaken for bruises, so it’s important that our doctor document these when we get back so that we don’t get suspected of child abuse. These are very common among Asian children and are absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
The rest of the medical was relatively normal with no concerns:
As we had mentioned earlier, Samantha has a cold, and the doctor confirmed that it is just a cold and nothing else. We’ve also noticed that she’s been pulling on her ears. The doctor checked and said that there is some wax buildup, but she can see past it. She gave us some hydrogen peroxide drops to help clear that up. Along with the expected Mongolian spots, she also has a red patch on the back of her neck which the doctor confirmed was just a birth mark and will most likely fade. For those of you unfamiliar with Mongolian spots, these are grayish patches on the skin that normally fade as the child ages. They can easily be mistaken for bruises, so it’s important that our doctor document these when we get back so that we don’t get suspected of child abuse. These are very common among Asian children and are absolutely nothing to be concerned about.
The rest of the medical was relatively normal with no concerns:
- Length – 70.5 cm (~25 percentile)
- Weight – 8 kg (~20 percentile)
- Head circumference – 42.7 cm
These are pretty consistent with what we expected, if not actually a bit better.
We have now signed off to the Canadian government that we accept Samantha, and that we wish to proceed. The documents were delivered to the Embassy in the afternoon, with the expectation that her Visa will be completed and ready for us on Thursday.
The remainder of the day was open, so we went back to the room and had a bit of a rest, then put Samantha into the stroller for a little walk – in the 38˚ weather. Just a quick walk down to the grocery store and back. Samantha was good in the stroller for about three quarters of the trip, but then I had to carry her the rest of the way back. Not bad for her first time.
After that we just had a quiet afternoon getting to know each other better. Some of the others in the group were heading out to Pizza Hut for dinner, but Samantha had already gone down so we passed, although we did ask them to bring us one back – needed a break from the steady diet of Chinese food, and it sure was good.
Samantha’s smiles and laughs are coming a bit more freely, but she does have a number of other faces that she is more than willing to share with us as well.
June 24
Last night Samantha was a real treat. She is doing real well going to sleep, our typical routine being that we get her ready for bed, play with her a bit and then quietly lie her down. She then falls asleep with very little fuss. Last night this routine went great as usual, that is until I crawled into bed shortly after 11:00 only to find her laying there wide awake. She had a huge smile on her face and was ready to play. Needless to say daddy wasn’t, and mommy was already fast asleep on the other side of the bed. I thought if I just ignored her and went to sleep everything would be fine and she’d go back to sleep …right! Anyway, eventually got up and played a bit with her, then walked her until she seemed tired enough to go to sleep. We then both went to bed and slept the rest of the night. Can’t wait to have to get her to change her internal clock 12 hours when we get home.
Today is the day that we see the great wall. It’s slightly less than 2 hours from our hotel, but we’ll break the trip in ½ by stopping at a Jade Factory on the way. Here we were able to see how raw jade is taken through the process and how it is carved. Some of the work is absolutely incredible. What we learned is that there are basically 3 grades of jade, “A” which is the best quality and most expensive, “B” is the more common grade that many people purchase, and “C” is the grade that you buy for your friends. They brought out bracelets of each grade to show us how to tell the difference. When you strike them they have a very distinct and different tone – “C” sounded like clinking a glass, “B” sounded like fine crystal, and “A” had a very pure, crisp, high pitched ‘ting’.
They had some very beautiful pieces there, but we opted not to purchase anything at this time – not even from the “for friends” category.
Next we visited the Great Wall. Let me start by saying that we got to there at about 11:30, and the temperature was starting to creep past the 36˚ mark. Samantha was still asleep and we decided that we would hang back and let her continue to sleep, and head out once she woke up. By that time people were starting to come back, totally drenched and exhausted from the heat. Shirley decided then that she’d stay in the bus with Samantha while I ventured off far enough to take some pictures and say that I’ve climbed parts of the Great Wall. Mission accomplished, but not without getting my own shirt drenched.
We stopped on the way home for a group lunch. Our guide selected about 8 different dishes from the menu and the food was similar to what we would find in Canada – minus the sweet and sour.
The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly in the room, letting Samantha play a little longer in the bathtub to cool off. Hopefully she’ll love the pool as well as the tub. After that there was playtime, more feeding, more diapers, more bottles, then finally bed. All in all a good day.
One of the things that we have realized is that these tours in this weather take a huge toll on everyone. Samantha still naps in the morning, which is always difficult during a tour and never comes at a convenient time. We seem to be constantly waking her shortly after she’s fallen asleep, then not being able to get her back to sleep. So, along with her cold, Samantha can be a bit of a cranky baby – and understandably so. Add the fact that Samantha really doesn’t like the bus and we’ve decided that we’re done taking any more tours. We’ve seen the major things that we wanted to see anyway.
Today is the day that we see the great wall. It’s slightly less than 2 hours from our hotel, but we’ll break the trip in ½ by stopping at a Jade Factory on the way. Here we were able to see how raw jade is taken through the process and how it is carved. Some of the work is absolutely incredible. What we learned is that there are basically 3 grades of jade, “A” which is the best quality and most expensive, “B” is the more common grade that many people purchase, and “C” is the grade that you buy for your friends. They brought out bracelets of each grade to show us how to tell the difference. When you strike them they have a very distinct and different tone – “C” sounded like clinking a glass, “B” sounded like fine crystal, and “A” had a very pure, crisp, high pitched ‘ting’.
They had some very beautiful pieces there, but we opted not to purchase anything at this time – not even from the “for friends” category.
Next we visited the Great Wall. Let me start by saying that we got to there at about 11:30, and the temperature was starting to creep past the 36˚ mark. Samantha was still asleep and we decided that we would hang back and let her continue to sleep, and head out once she woke up. By that time people were starting to come back, totally drenched and exhausted from the heat. Shirley decided then that she’d stay in the bus with Samantha while I ventured off far enough to take some pictures and say that I’ve climbed parts of the Great Wall. Mission accomplished, but not without getting my own shirt drenched.
The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly in the room, letting Samantha play a little longer in the bathtub to cool off. Hopefully she’ll love the pool as well as the tub. After that there was playtime, more feeding, more diapers, more bottles, then finally bed. All in all a good day.
One of the things that we have realized is that these tours in this weather take a huge toll on everyone. Samantha still naps in the morning, which is always difficult during a tour and never comes at a convenient time. We seem to be constantly waking her shortly after she’s fallen asleep, then not being able to get her back to sleep. So, along with her cold, Samantha can be a bit of a cranky baby – and understandably so. Add the fact that Samantha really doesn’t like the bus and we’ve decided that we’re done taking any more tours. We’ve seen the major things that we wanted to see anyway.
June 23, 2007
June 21-23
Well, we had said that we would play it by ear in terms of what activities we would and would not participate in. Thursday was one of those days. I wasn’t exactly feeling up to snuff so we decided we would have a quiet day and just rest up. The rest of the group did take in the Panda Zoo and a trip to an Ink Painting shop. The group was kind enough to pick up a small stuffed panda and an ink painting for us. The ink painting is actually painted on the veins of big-leaf Banyan tree leaves, which are the city tree of Chongqing.Friday was the day that we finalized our Chinese paperwork. Samantha is now officially and forever ours. Then it was off to the airport and Samantha’s first plane ride. This was another basically uneventful flight with excellent service from our local guides. The only thing that we would have preferred would have been to have an earlier flight, but given the paperwork that had to be finalized I don’t think that we could have done any better. Our flight didn’t arrive back into Beijing until 7:00 pm and it was almost 8:30 by the time we got to the hotel and checked in. It was another hour before our luggage, along with the bags that we had stored here, made it to our room. We decided not to bath Samantha and just got her settled and asleep, which at that took until almost 11:00. We then got our luggage unpacked and sorted and finally made it to bed ourselves.
I’ve included a few shots that we took while in Chongqing to give you a flavour of what the city was like.
Today has been pretty good. Samantha woke up once early in the night and we gave her a small drink of water (thanks Joanne and Sandra for your words of advice) and she went promptly back to sleep. She then slept until 6:00 when she started to fuss. Shirley made a small bottle of formula and fed her while she slept and she was good until 8:30. Of course Shirley and I were now awake and took advantage of this time to get showered and take care of some things. I took off in search of more water – something you get used to here since none of the tap water is drinkable, although the tap in the bathroom in this hotel says drinking water. What I hadn’t taken into consideration as I left the room is that today is Saturday, and shopping would have a different time schedule. Starbucks doesn’t open until 8:30, the grocery store doesn’t open until 10:00, nor does the other mall across the street. I did find a small grocery store which was no bigger than our typical corner store, so did manage to find some water. What I also found along the way was a KFC and Dairy Queen – we already know where the McDonald’s is.
The only appointment that we really had today was with a photographer to get Samantha’s picture taken for a Canadian visa which she’ll need since she will be traveling on a Chinese passport. Our guide had also arranged to have a couple of tailors to come in with some fabrics. One tailor came in with silk so we have ordered a couple of dresses for Samantha. The other had some wool fabrics so I felt compelled to order a suit. Shirley passed on both.
One of the things that we hadn’t gotten yet, but will need tomorrow is a stroller. Shirley and some of the other girls entrusted the babies with their fathers and went shopping. We had originally thought we would just buy a cheap one and worse case throw it away at the end of the trip. She didn’t find an appropriate selection that she liked, but found a nice little stroller that, although probably more that we had originally wanted, is quite nice and we plan to take it home. Life back in the room was quite uneventful – basic dirty diaper, couple of bottles of formula, cereal, some play time, walks around the hotel, etc. Lots of smiles and only a few tears. All indications are that Samantha is adjusting quite well to her new family – not going into the bonding discussion since it will be quite some time before we are able to tell whether bonding has occurred, not occurred, or really ever was an issue.
For now we’ll just give you a glimpse of what our darling daughter looks like when she smiles. It took a while for it to come out, but we're seeing it more and more often as the days go by.
Then again ... there are times when she's just had enough of daddy and his camera.
June 20, 2007
June 20
Today was adoption and finance day. As always, we started with breakfast. The buffet has a great selection, and Samantha just loves the congee. We actually have substituted some of here cereal with congee. She has a great appetite, if she could only keep it down. During the day she has absolutely no problems. It’s at night when we put her down that the cough causes her to choke, and ultimately throw up. Our evening routine is cereal around 6:00 with a Robitussen chaser, followed shortly thereafter by her bath, and then a bottle and bed. Tonight she fell asleep around 6:45 while she was drinking her bottle. We held her upright for about 15 minutes patting her back hoping that she would get rid of some gas. Nothing happened so we laid her down. Shortly thereafter she started to cough, and you guessed it – all over the bed. She woke up as we were cleaning up and it took another 45 minutes to get her to settle down. Any thoughts from the family geniuses as to what we could adjust?
Anyway, as we said, today was adoption and finance day. We met in the lobby at 10:00 and were taken to the Civil Affairs office. This actually went quite well since we had completed most of the paperwork earlier in the week. What was left was a family picture, signature on the official adoption paperwork which included a fingerprint, and then the Red Book which contains our formal paper. Samantha also received a beautiful little plaque of the government building in a nice wooden box with the words “Mountain city – Chongqing lies in my heart forever”
This was fairly quick and we get back to the hotel well before 12:00. Next on the agenda was the bank at 2:00 so that we could exchange our traveler’s cheques into Chinese RMB, and then transfer the funds to the orphanage. This was the first time that this process was used – previously we would have had to bring pristine $100 USD bills. Any bills that looked the least bit questionable, writing on it, folded corner, worn, would be rejected and we would be forced to provide a substitute. Fortunately we have gotten past that, and there’s still some kinks in it, but certainly it will be a lot better once it gets perfected. Fortunately I went alone and Shirley stayed back in the room with Samantha. The rest of the families brought their babies and I think they somewhat regretted it. After the bank the plan was to stop buy a local supermarket and pick up a few things. I was going to go back to the room and get Shirley but thought better and just did the shopping myself but as it was the group didn’t get back to our rooms until almost 6:00. Shirley was thankful when I finally got back as Samantha had been fussing and wanted to be held and would not let Shirley set her down. We haven’t weighed her yet, but she is certainly a hand full and our, ok my, old muscles aren’t what they used to be. Somehow I’m thinking Samantha’s going to be my training regiment.
So, another night of room service and quite honestly, shortly to bed even though it’s only 8:30.
ps…yes, there are more pictures to post. Unfortunately the Internet access is in the bedroom so I only want to go so far as cutting and pasting the text. I’ll try to post pictures in the morning before tomorrow’s excursion – the Panda Zoo.
Anyway, as we said, today was adoption and finance day. We met in the lobby at 10:00 and were taken to the Civil Affairs office. This actually went quite well since we had completed most of the paperwork earlier in the week. What was left was a family picture, signature on the official adoption paperwork which included a fingerprint, and then the Red Book which contains our formal paper. Samantha also received a beautiful little plaque of the government building in a nice wooden box with the words “Mountain city – Chongqing lies in my heart forever”
This was fairly quick and we get back to the hotel well before 12:00. Next on the agenda was the bank at 2:00 so that we could exchange our traveler’s cheques into Chinese RMB, and then transfer the funds to the orphanage. This was the first time that this process was used – previously we would have had to bring pristine $100 USD bills. Any bills that looked the least bit questionable, writing on it, folded corner, worn, would be rejected and we would be forced to provide a substitute. Fortunately we have gotten past that, and there’s still some kinks in it, but certainly it will be a lot better once it gets perfected. Fortunately I went alone and Shirley stayed back in the room with Samantha. The rest of the families brought their babies and I think they somewhat regretted it. After the bank the plan was to stop buy a local supermarket and pick up a few things. I was going to go back to the room and get Shirley but thought better and just did the shopping myself but as it was the group didn’t get back to our rooms until almost 6:00. Shirley was thankful when I finally got back as Samantha had been fussing and wanted to be held and would not let Shirley set her down. We haven’t weighed her yet, but she is certainly a hand full and our, ok my, old muscles aren’t what they used to be. Somehow I’m thinking Samantha’s going to be my training regiment.
So, another night of room service and quite honestly, shortly to bed even though it’s only 8:30.
ps…yes, there are more pictures to post. Unfortunately the Internet access is in the bedroom so I only want to go so far as cutting and pasting the text. I’ll try to post pictures in the morning before tomorrow’s excursion – the Panda Zoo.
June 19
Well, we’ve now gone through 2 sleeps with Samantha. The first night was surprisingly good. She took her bottle at 7:00pm, which is a bit later than her usual schedule, but it wasn’t until almost 9:00 that she actually fell asleep. She woke up around 3:00am and we gave her a bottle and she went right back to sleep. Outside of the fact that she has a bit of a cold – runny nose and cough – she seems to be doing remarkably well.
She has a good appetite and we haven’t had any problems getting her to eat. When we went down for breakfast we tried to feed her a bit of congee (rice porridge), which she absolute loves. We almost couldn’t shovel it fast enough – not sure if that’s her eating fast or us as new parents being a bit challenged.
Then back into the bus for our trip back to Chongqing. The weather is a bit nicer today, but still overcast and foggy. Same bumpy roads and still a very long trip. Samantha seemed to be doing very well, eating on schedule, bowel movement, everything normal. That was until we were about ½ hour away from Chongqing when the bus hit a huge bump. Samantha was in a deep sleep at that time and woke up screaming, not crying. She was absolutely inconsolable, and continued to scream until she fell asleep again just before we pulled into the hotel. We waited for everyone to get off the bus before we got up hoping that Samantha would keep sleeping and we could quietly get up to our room. To our surprise, after only 5 minutes of sleep, Samantha woke up just as we got off the bus and was happy and smiling again. I guess she had had enough of the bus.
Once we got to the room Shirley did a bit of unpacking while I played with Samantha on the floor with her stacking cups. She seemed quite content sitting there and playing, but did start to cry if she saw Shirley or I leave the room. Hopefully that’s a good sign. We then fed her cereal, gave her a bath – which again she seems to love and sat there splashing and playing with her cups in the water – then gave her a bottle and put her to bed. Although there’s a crib in the room, while we’re in China we’ve chosen to have her sleep in our bed as she would have with her foster parents, even though she’s like a little propeller, spinning all night. The only challenge we have is that her cough causes her to vomit, which was great after we gave her the bottle in the middle of the night. We were ok with the midnight feeding, but the midnight bed change and pseudo shower we can say we’re going to have to get used to. We know, all you experienced parents are sitting laughing, thinking “they’ve got a lot of learning to do”, and you’re right. We don’t deny it, but for the time being we’re reveling in the experience. We would say though that the round trip to Qianjiang is nice for the parents, but puts a huge strain on the children traveling with a bunch of strangers. This is something that we would not recommend for the future.
So, another day down and one day closer to getting back to Canada, and back to our friends and family. Even though we are thrilled to spend time learning more about Samantha’s heritage and the area where she was born, the trip itself takes it’s toll on our emotions.
We hope everyone is doing well, and don’t stop dropping us short notes. It’s nice to get a few words from home.
June 18, 2007
June 18
Our apologies for the lack of postings for the last couple of days. We had some problems at the Holiday Inn getting connected, so the only thing we were able to complete was the new posting of Samantha’s picture. We are also having problems posting to PhotoShow. But then again none of this appears to be much of a problem since we're not getting any emails or comments - guess that part must be broken as well ;-).
The new picture of Samantha is actually 1-2 months old and was taken for her travel documents. There are new pictures from today further down in this posting.
Ok, on with today’s adventures. We both got a fairly good sleep, which is probably a good thing. Breakfast at 7:00, on the bus at 8:00 and on the road to Qianjiang. Everyone’s really excited, but then again this is at the beginning of our 360km trip.
Now here’s where everyone gets confused – 360km, should only take 3-4 hours. Well, that’s not what the locals say. The first 100km is on what we would consider fairly good highway. After that, construction and falling rocks take a big toll, as well as the small towns and cities that we go through. To say that these are secondary roads would be generous. It is also a rainy, foggy day which doesn’t really slow us down, but does make the scenery a bit less vibrant – and the scenery is very beautiful with lots of lush green and waterfalls created by the recent rains. This also turns the Yangtzee River into churned mud.
So, including a 1 hour stop for lunch, the whole trip took us about 8.5 hours and ended up at the orphanage.
The orphanage director actually drove out to the edge of the city to guide us in to the orphanage. When we got there all the babies were waiting for us in the lobby. One by one our baby's Chinese name was called out and we were finally introduced to our new daughter. She is absolutely gorgeous, and no matter how much the nannies in the orphanage wanted to give her one last hug, they weren't getting her. She's ours now, and she already seems to know it. Once in our arms she had no desire to leave them. We are both over the moon and are already deeply in love with her.
We had a couple of pieces of paper to sign, and then to our hotel. This is the best hotel in Qianjiang, and the lobby would lead you to believe it. Once in the rooms you see the age of the hotel, but outside of the normal stains and wear and tear it seems to be very nice. Plus, it's only for one night.
Samantha has been extremely good, and she seems to be a very inquisitive girl. Her head keeps spinning back and forth as she makes sure she doesn't miss anything. She also seems to be checking out all the cute guys working in the hotel - a habit we're going to have to break her of quickly. She had a bit of a crying spell just as we got here, probably noticing that things aren't what they were supposed to be. It only took a couple of minutes to calm her down and all has been well since. It's extremely warm here and the hotel has no airconditioning. Tonight is going to be pretty uncomfortable for us, but Samantha probably won't even notice. We gave her her normal 7:00 bottle and expected her to go right to sleep, which is her normal routine. Unfortunately that wasn't her plan, and she now wanted to play. Of course we were more than willing to spend more time with her and we soon had her giggling. Probably not the best thing to be doing, but who cares. We'll have lots of time to enforce rules in the future - or not. She finally went down about 8:50 and is now out like a light.
We're putting together what we need for her midnight feeding, which we're told she gets every night. Everybody else in the group seems to have gotten their kids to sleep and the halls are quiet.
Just when the peace and quiet was settling in the fireworks began. As we mentioned in previous postings the Civil Affairs office is closed today and tomorrow for the 10 year anniversary. This is the 10th year that Chongqing has become an independent province. At that time it incorporated the surrounding area, approximately the size of Austria with a population of 30 million people. The city of Chongqing itself has a population of 6 million. So, after 10 years, they are doing it up right, with an extremely loud fireworks display which we can't see from our room. Whatever, Samantha is sleeping through it and that's all that matters to us right now.
Hopefully we'll survive the night and give you an update tomorrow about our return trip to Chongqing.
The new picture of Samantha is actually 1-2 months old and was taken for her travel documents. There are new pictures from today further down in this posting.
Ok, on with today’s adventures. We both got a fairly good sleep, which is probably a good thing. Breakfast at 7:00, on the bus at 8:00 and on the road to Qianjiang. Everyone’s really excited, but then again this is at the beginning of our 360km trip.
Now here’s where everyone gets confused – 360km, should only take 3-4 hours. Well, that’s not what the locals say. The first 100km is on what we would consider fairly good highway. After that, construction and falling rocks take a big toll, as well as the small towns and cities that we go through. To say that these are secondary roads would be generous. It is also a rainy, foggy day which doesn’t really slow us down, but does make the scenery a bit less vibrant – and the scenery is very beautiful with lots of lush green and waterfalls created by the recent rains. This also turns the Yangtzee River into churned mud.
So, including a 1 hour stop for lunch, the whole trip took us about 8.5 hours and ended up at the orphanage.
The orphanage director actually drove out to the edge of the city to guide us in to the orphanage. When we got there all the babies were waiting for us in the lobby. One by one our baby's Chinese name was called out and we were finally introduced to our new daughter. She is absolutely gorgeous, and no matter how much the nannies in the orphanage wanted to give her one last hug, they weren't getting her. She's ours now, and she already seems to know it. Once in our arms she had no desire to leave them. We are both over the moon and are already deeply in love with her.
We had a couple of pieces of paper to sign, and then to our hotel. This is the best hotel in Qianjiang, and the lobby would lead you to believe it. Once in the rooms you see the age of the hotel, but outside of the normal stains and wear and tear it seems to be very nice. Plus, it's only for one night.
Samantha has been extremely good, and she seems to be a very inquisitive girl. Her head keeps spinning back and forth as she makes sure she doesn't miss anything. She also seems to be checking out all the cute guys working in the hotel - a habit we're going to have to break her of quickly. She had a bit of a crying spell just as we got here, probably noticing that things aren't what they were supposed to be. It only took a couple of minutes to calm her down and all has been well since. It's extremely warm here and the hotel has no airconditioning. Tonight is going to be pretty uncomfortable for us, but Samantha probably won't even notice. We gave her her normal 7:00 bottle and expected her to go right to sleep, which is her normal routine. Unfortunately that wasn't her plan, and she now wanted to play. Of course we were more than willing to spend more time with her and we soon had her giggling. Probably not the best thing to be doing, but who cares. We'll have lots of time to enforce rules in the future - or not. She finally went down about 8:50 and is now out like a light.
We're putting together what we need for her midnight feeding, which we're told she gets every night. Everybody else in the group seems to have gotten their kids to sleep and the halls are quiet.
Just when the peace and quiet was settling in the fireworks began. As we mentioned in previous postings the Civil Affairs office is closed today and tomorrow for the 10 year anniversary. This is the 10th year that Chongqing has become an independent province. At that time it incorporated the surrounding area, approximately the size of Austria with a population of 30 million people. The city of Chongqing itself has a population of 6 million. So, after 10 years, they are doing it up right, with an extremely loud fireworks display which we can't see from our room. Whatever, Samantha is sleeping through it and that's all that matters to us right now.
Hopefully we'll survive the night and give you an update tomorrow about our return trip to Chongqing.
June 17
Another busy day. We started off the morning as usual, meeting up with the rest of our traveling companions for breakfast. That is, after the porters picked up the luggage that we will be taking with us to Qianjiang. During breakfast the group surprised Shirley by bringing out a birthday cake and singing happy birthday to her. Even though emotions are running high at this time, Shirley was very happy and enjoyed her cake for breakfast.
After breakfast and on the way to the airport we made a stop at the Silk Factory - not to be confused with the Silk Market. This is where they actually make silk, and the products made from it. They showed us the cocoons, which are actually produce by the worm as a single thread. They then locate the beginning of the thread and unravel the cocoon. From here the threads go on to produce fabric, duvets, pillows, etc.. Lots of great things to buy here, and we made sure that we helped to support the local economy. Our guide also has an arrangement here that they will deliver our purchases to our hotel when we return from Chongqing.
Next, on to the airport for our flight, once again an uneventful trip. We have to give a lot of credit to our agency for the great service and coordination. We very rarely need to touch our luggage. They pick it up at our door and checked in at the airport through to our destination. We identify it when it comes off the plane at which time they handle it through to the room in the hotel. This is a part of the travel we could really get used to.
Chongqing turns out to be cooler than we had expected, about 24˚C and raining. This is the rainy
season so we shouldn’t be surprised. Chongqing actually covers an area the size of Austria, with a total population of 30 million. The core area itself houses 6 million, with most of them living in high rise building. Our hotel is the Holiday Inn, which is very nice and ranked as one of the top hotels here. Our room and the hotel’s amenities certainly live up to the ranking. We quickly dropped our things in our rooms and met for dinner then got together to go over the paperwork that we are going to have to submit on Wednesday. Everything seems fairly straight-forward, but we’re sure it would be far more confusing with Samantha screaming in our ears. As much as we’re looking forward to it, that’s something we’re going to have to get used to.
After the paperwork was finished we returned to our room to repack bags again – this time for what we’ll need for out trip to Qianjiang and what we want to leave behind. Again, porters at the door at 9:30 for the bag we’re leaving.
Then to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.
Note 1: Lana, please wish Dad a happy father’s day from us.
Note 2: In case you didn’t notice, we updated the picture of Samantha at the top left. This is her passport picture, which we’ve been told is probably 1-2 months old.
After breakfast and on the way to the airport we made a stop at the Silk Factory - not to be confused with the Silk Market. This is where they actually make silk, and the products made from it. They showed us the cocoons, which are actually produce by the worm as a single thread. They then locate the beginning of the thread and unravel the cocoon. From here the threads go on to produce fabric, duvets, pillows, etc.. Lots of great things to buy here, and we made sure that we helped to support the local economy. Our guide also has an arrangement here that they will deliver our purchases to our hotel when we return from Chongqing.Next, on to the airport for our flight, once again an uneventful trip. We have to give a lot of credit to our agency for the great service and coordination. We very rarely need to touch our luggage. They pick it up at our door and checked in at the airport through to our destination. We identify it when it comes off the plane at which time they handle it through to the room in the hotel. This is a part of the travel we could really get used to.
Chongqing turns out to be cooler than we had expected, about 24˚C and raining. This is the rainy
season so we shouldn’t be surprised. Chongqing actually covers an area the size of Austria, with a total population of 30 million. The core area itself houses 6 million, with most of them living in high rise building. Our hotel is the Holiday Inn, which is very nice and ranked as one of the top hotels here. Our room and the hotel’s amenities certainly live up to the ranking. We quickly dropped our things in our rooms and met for dinner then got together to go over the paperwork that we are going to have to submit on Wednesday. Everything seems fairly straight-forward, but we’re sure it would be far more confusing with Samantha screaming in our ears. As much as we’re looking forward to it, that’s something we’re going to have to get used to.After the paperwork was finished we returned to our room to repack bags again – this time for what we’ll need for out trip to Qianjiang and what we want to leave behind. Again, porters at the door at 9:30 for the bag we’re leaving.
Then to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.
Note 1: Lana, please wish Dad a happy father’s day from us.
Note 2: In case you didn’t notice, we updated the picture of Samantha at the top left. This is her passport picture, which we’ve been told is probably 1-2 months old.
June 16, 2007
June 16
Well, the temperature isn't any better today than yesterday, but we are starting to adjust to the time change. Got to bed at a somewhat normal hour and, except for a brief 1/2 hour around 4:00 when we were both wide awake, we had a pretty good sleep.
Today started with breakfast at 8:00 with the rest of our traveling crew. We were then picked up at 9:30 and taken to the Summer Palace. What a beautiful place, but then again what would you expect for an Emperor. Set on 290 hectares, the Summer Palace has a number of distict areas based on function - business, social and private.
After the Summer Palace we were taken to the Silk Market. This is your basic flea market set over 7 floors. Basic knock-offs of clothes, watches, jewelry, purses, luggage, etc. Lots of bargaining for everything, and very agressive sales people - every vendor is in your face trying to get your attention, and most of them will grab your arm to try to physically drag you in. The term 'personal space' means nothing to these people. The good thing is that the bartering is in good nature, and everyone seems to enjoy the game except for the fact that no matter how good you are, you know that you're paying too much. Still, given the exchange, the prices are really good.
After the Silk Market we came back to our rooms for about 2 hours. This gave us a chance to start to get things ready for our travel tomorrow. We are able to leave luggage at our hotel here, since we'll be back in 6 days. So, we're leaving 2 bags here and taking 2 bags with us. Porters will be around at 9:30 tonight to pick up the ones we're leaving here, and they'll be back again at 8:00 tomorrow morning to pick up the remaining bags.
Our last main activity for the day was a show of Chinese Acrobats. These are your basic kids, both boys and girls, who have trained since infants and are extremely strong, agile and flexible. It never ceases to amaze us how much the body is capable of.
Finally back in our room around 7:00, we ordered noodles for take-out from the restaurant downstairs and finished packing our bags. It's now 9:30, our bags have just been picked up and we're beat. Response time is pretty bad so adding the photo show is creating a challenge, so I'll just post one show of the Summer Palace for now and get the show up later.
Next time we update this we'll be in Chongqing, after a 2.5 hour flight which leaves tomorrow at 1:30pm. Before that, it's breakfast at 8:00 and the Silk Factory at 9:30 where we'll see how silk is made - from the cocoon to final product. Resting doesn't seem to be an option.
We hope everything is well with everyone.
Today started with breakfast at 8:00 with the rest of our traveling crew. We were then picked up at 9:30 and taken to the Summer Palace. What a beautiful place, but then again what would you expect for an Emperor. Set on 290 hectares, the Summer Palace has a number of distict areas based on function - business, social and private.After the Summer Palace we were taken to the Silk Market. This is your basic flea market set over 7 floors. Basic knock-offs of clothes, watches, jewelry, purses, luggage, etc. Lots of bargaining for everything, and very agressive sales people - every vendor is in your face trying to get your attention, and most of them will grab your arm to try to physically drag you in. The term 'personal space' means nothing to these people. The good thing is that the bartering is in good nature, and everyone seems to enjoy the game except for the fact that no matter how good you are, you know that you're paying too much. Still, given the exchange, the prices are really good.
After the Silk Market we came back to our rooms for about 2 hours. This gave us a chance to start to get things ready for our travel tomorrow. We are able to leave luggage at our hotel here, since we'll be back in 6 days. So, we're leaving 2 bags here and taking 2 bags with us. Porters will be around at 9:30 tonight to pick up the ones we're leaving here, and they'll be back again at 8:00 tomorrow morning to pick up the remaining bags.
Our last main activity for the day was a show of Chinese Acrobats. These are your basic kids, both boys and girls, who have trained since infants and are extremely strong, agile and flexible. It never ceases to amaze us how much the body is capable of.
Finally back in our room around 7:00, we ordered noodles for take-out from the restaurant downstairs and finished packing our bags. It's now 9:30, our bags have just been picked up and we're beat. Response time is pretty bad so adding the photo show is creating a challenge, so I'll just post one show of the Summer Palace for now and get the show up later.
Next time we update this we'll be in Chongqing, after a 2.5 hour flight which leaves tomorrow at 1:30pm. Before that, it's breakfast at 8:00 and the Silk Factory at 9:30 where we'll see how silk is made - from the cocoon to final product. Resting doesn't seem to be an option.
We hope everything is well with everyone.
June 15, 2007
We're Here
We finally made it. Not that we had any difficulties in our travel, but from door to door it was 23 hours in transit. Add a 12 hour time change and very little sleep on the plane you can imagine that we were pretty well wiped out by the time we got here, which was about 9:30pm Thursday. Our guide met us a the airport. Her name is Ma Rei, but she said we can call her Mary, she answers to both. She said that she was going to plan an outing for us for Saturday - the Summer Palace in the morning, perhaps the Silk Factory after that if we feel up to it, and the an evening Acrobatic show. The Summer Palace was something we were hoping to get a chance to visit, so this is perfect. Once we got to the hotel we did a quick unpack and toured the hotel, then called it a night.
Considering we've hardly had any sleep, neither one of us slept in. Shirley was awake around 3:30, tossed and turned for a couple of hours then finally got up around 5:30. Ron on the other hand, the normally early riser, slept until almost 6:30 before getting up. We then walked over to a local grocery store to pick up a few supplies before meeting some of the other families for breakfast at 9:00.
After breakfast we walked to Tiannamen Square, about 1.5km from our hotel, took a few pictures, bought a couple of bottles of water, then walked back to the hotel. Considering it's about 30 degrees and humid, there was a nice breeze that kept it feeling somewhat comfortable.
So right now it's about 2:00 pm on Friday and we're thinking it's time for a nap - only fitting since most of you are sleeping right now. Don't really have much else planned until 7:00 when we're getting together with the rest of the group for dinner. Most of the other families that came in yesterday have had about the same amount of sleep as us so it's probably going to be another early night tonight, but then again, if we get together and start talking about our children we could be up all night.
We'll post more later, and probably some pictures, but for right now the bed is calling.
Considering we've hardly had any sleep, neither one of us slept in. Shirley was awake around 3:30, tossed and turned for a couple of hours then finally got up around 5:30. Ron on the other hand, the normally early riser, slept until almost 6:30 before getting up. We then walked over to a local grocery store to pick up a few supplies before meeting some of the other families for breakfast at 9:00.
After breakfast we walked to Tiannamen Square, about 1.5km from our hotel, took a few pictures, bought a couple of bottles of water, then walked back to the hotel. Considering it's about 30 degrees and humid, there was a nice breeze that kept it feeling somewhat comfortable.
So right now it's about 2:00 pm on Friday and we're thinking it's time for a nap - only fitting since most of you are sleeping right now. Don't really have much else planned until 7:00 when we're getting together with the rest of the group for dinner. Most of the other families that came in yesterday have had about the same amount of sleep as us so it's probably going to be another early night tonight, but then again, if we get together and start talking about our children we could be up all night.
We'll post more later, and probably some pictures, but for right now the bed is calling.
June 12, 2007
We're On Our Way
It is so hard to believe that this day is finally here. The waiting is over, our bags are packed, everything seems to finally be aligned. But, as we've said numerous times before, we'll believe it when we finally have Samantha in our arms.
With only 15 hours left until our flight, we are looking around the house thinking the next time we're here so much is going to have changed. Our lives will have changed forever, and we couldn't be happier.
Our plans are to continue to update this blog throughout our journey, but if something should happen that we can't make updates we look forward to seeing everyone when we return on June 29 - AC 032 arriving in Toronto at 18:45.
Thanks to everyone for all your support and kind words.
With only 15 hours left until our flight, we are looking around the house thinking the next time we're here so much is going to have changed. Our lives will have changed forever, and we couldn't be happier.
Our plans are to continue to update this blog throughout our journey, but if something should happen that we can't make updates we look forward to seeing everyone when we return on June 29 - AC 032 arriving in Toronto at 18:45.
Thanks to everyone for all your support and kind words.
June 08, 2007
Getting Closer - but not easier
Well, just when you think you have everything set, the Chongqing Civil Affairs office decides they want to throw us a curve. Like we've said to many of you, we're not going to believe that Samantha is actually ours until we have her in our arms.
So, at the last minute, the Civil Affairs office decides that they are going to close their office on June 18 and June 19 for their 10 year anniversary. This just happens to be the days that we are scheduled to receive Samantha and complete our paperwork. Instead, they were rescheduling us to June 20. Not being too pleased with the last minute change, Children's Bridge pushed back and requested that they come up with an alternative that would be more agreeable to the families. To everyone's surprise, the Civil Affairs office has approved our visit to the SWI in Qianjiang where Samantha has been living. Although this means a 4.5 hour drive from Chongqing to Qianjiang, this means that we will actually get to visit the orphanage and meet the care givers there. An added bonus we are now hoping for is the opportunity to meet the people from her foster home. We'll then spend the night in Qianjiang and return to Chongqing on June 19. We will still need to go into the Civil Affairs office on June 20 to finalize the paperwork. The only other change to our itinerary is that we no longer tour the city and E Ling Park - we think it's a good trade.
June 13 - Depart for Beijing
June 14 - Arrive in Beijing
June 15 - Acclimation Day
June 16 - Acclimation Day (ok...so there may be some shopping)
June 17 - Travel to Chongqing
June 18 - Travel to Qianjiang - visit orphanage and receive Samantha
June 19 - Travel to Chongqing
June 20 - Civil Affairs Office - adoption registration, notarization, passport
June 21 - Off day - tours: Chongqing Zoo (pandas) and shopping
June 22 - Pick up passport, travel back to Beijing
June 23 - Off day - have Samantha's visa photo taken
June 24 - Off day - tours: Great Wall
June 25 - Samantha medical, Canadian Embassy (visa appointment)
June 26 - Off day - tours: Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City
June 27 - Off day - tours: Hutong, group Beijing Duck dinner
June 28 - Pick up Samantha's visa
June 29 - Travel home
One last thing, due to a mix-up in China our final piece of paperwork - the Notice of Coming - was not couriered out in time. As a result one of the other families traveling at a later date will bring it to us in China.
This will be over when it's over, and no sooner.
So, at the last minute, the Civil Affairs office decides that they are going to close their office on June 18 and June 19 for their 10 year anniversary. This just happens to be the days that we are scheduled to receive Samantha and complete our paperwork. Instead, they were rescheduling us to June 20. Not being too pleased with the last minute change, Children's Bridge pushed back and requested that they come up with an alternative that would be more agreeable to the families. To everyone's surprise, the Civil Affairs office has approved our visit to the SWI in Qianjiang where Samantha has been living. Although this means a 4.5 hour drive from Chongqing to Qianjiang, this means that we will actually get to visit the orphanage and meet the care givers there. An added bonus we are now hoping for is the opportunity to meet the people from her foster home. We'll then spend the night in Qianjiang and return to Chongqing on June 19. We will still need to go into the Civil Affairs office on June 20 to finalize the paperwork. The only other change to our itinerary is that we no longer tour the city and E Ling Park - we think it's a good trade.
June 13 - Depart for Beijing
June 14 - Arrive in Beijing
June 15 - Acclimation Day
June 16 - Acclimation Day (ok...so there may be some shopping)
June 17 - Travel to Chongqing
June 18 - Travel to Qianjiang - visit orphanage and receive Samantha
June 19 - Travel to Chongqing
June 20 - Civil Affairs Office - adoption registration, notarization, passport
June 21 - Off day - tours: Chongqing Zoo (pandas) and shopping
June 22 - Pick up passport, travel back to Beijing
June 23 - Off day - have Samantha's visa photo taken
June 24 - Off day - tours: Great Wall
June 25 - Samantha medical, Canadian Embassy (visa appointment)
June 26 - Off day - tours: Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City
June 27 - Off day - tours: Hutong, group Beijing Duck dinner
June 28 - Pick up Samantha's visa
June 29 - Travel home
One last thing, due to a mix-up in China our final piece of paperwork - the Notice of Coming - was not couriered out in time. As a result one of the other families traveling at a later date will bring it to us in China.
This will be over when it's over, and no sooner.
June 04, 2007
8 Days and Counting
...and the countdown continues.
Another fabulous weekend, and they're just going to keep getting better, or at least different for sure. This weekend we have to thank Donna Hui and Theresa Lang for putting together a wonderful baby shower for us. Held at Brix, a great bar and restaurant in Richmond Hill, Donna and Theresa were able to bring together about 40 of our closest friends to celebrate our imminent trip to China to finally meet our daughter.
As always, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who attended, and we want to thank you all for taking the time to
help us celebrate and for the wonderful gifts you brought for Samantha. We can't wait to dress her in the cute little outfits, watch her play with the interesting toys, and read her the books that she has received. The gifts cards are also going to come in so handy for picking up some of the things we haven't gotten yet, and all those extra necessities that we have no idea that we need. Now the two Winnie the Pooh piñata's are a different story. We can't imagine beating that poor defenseless animal, but we're sure the kids won't have a problem - especially when there's candy involved. We are truly blessed to have such great friends, and you can rest assured that we trust each and every one of you so much that we will have no problem leaving Samantha in your competent hands - often.
Another fabulous weekend, and they're just going to keep getting better, or at least different for sure. This weekend we have to thank Donna Hui and Theresa Lang for putting together a wonderful baby shower for us. Held at Brix, a great bar and restaurant in Richmond Hill, Donna and Theresa were able to bring together about 40 of our closest friends to celebrate our imminent trip to China to finally meet our daughter.
As always, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who attended, and we want to thank you all for taking the time to
help us celebrate and for the wonderful gifts you brought for Samantha. We can't wait to dress her in the cute little outfits, watch her play with the interesting toys, and read her the books that she has received. The gifts cards are also going to come in so handy for picking up some of the things we haven't gotten yet, and all those extra necessities that we have no idea that we need. Now the two Winnie the Pooh piñata's are a different story. We can't imagine beating that poor defenseless animal, but we're sure the kids won't have a problem - especially when there's candy involved. We are truly blessed to have such great friends, and you can rest assured that we trust each and every one of you so much that we will have no problem leaving Samantha in your competent hands - often.
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