Leaving Guanzhou and the trip home

Hi, Everyone,
I attempted to post the first portion before we left, but it didn’t go, so I added on to it here. We’re home, now, back to the land of unblocked internet sites (like blogspot.com) and potable water. We love to travel, but always love coming home. Here’s how it went….
Our last morning in Guangzhou started like the others – get the kids up and ready, ask Kira to put her shoes on, check on the day’s schedule, remind Kira to put her shoes on, change Max, make sure we have our room keys, remind Kira again to put her shoes on, make sure everything is put away that should be put away in case the maid comes, move out the door and wait for Kira to put her shoes on.
Breakfast at the White Swan is always very good. Service is excellent and there is a tremendous variety for Asian, American and Europeans to be happy – as though pumpkin pie, noodles and coffee could be combined in one thing.
We made one last run for diapers and a couple other things, then began our packing. It didn’t go well with 2 small kids in a small room, so Michelle took them to the playroom and I finished the packing in plenty of time. Molly and the van met us at checkout and we were off to the airport. There were no problems with boarding passes or security. In Guangzhou, for many flights, busses transport passengers to the airplanes. Our bus was pretty crowded and hot. It was close to 100 degrees and the AC on the bus couldn’t keep up. We eventually got to the airplane where the queue to board had the usual chaos of almost any queue in China. The plane was soon in the air, and Guangzhou faded into the mist as it became another good memory.
We got back to Shanghai with minimal breakage and bickering and went right to the Shanghai Airport Hotel. It was extremely convenient and modern. The hotel was connected to the terminal and parking ramps via a large enclosed walkway. It was a relatively small, but beautiful building. They did not have our reservations, but no matter. There was still room. The two beds were an odd size and the room seemed to be designed more as an erotic escape than an overnight room for an early morning flight. There were reflective tiles on the ceiling and the bathroom had a large glass see-through door (seemed to defeat the purpose of a door, but who are we to judge?) with a large, round shower also surrounded in see-through glass. The doorways were particularly narrow such that a loaded luggage cart would not fit through. Still, the room was nice and only about $90 for the four of us. The bellman talked about basketball. There’s a big following of the NBA in China. Several people struck up a conversation about it with us over the last few weeks.
The hotel had a buffet for 38 yuan (about $6.00) which was small, but had plenty of variety for the price – whole prawns and whole yellow fish, regular and spicy noodles, vegetables, soup, rice and several other things. And onion rings. It seemed a bit unusual to see onion rings – definitely a candidate for Sesame Street’s “One of these things is not like the others”. Michelle and I had two large beers while we all munched away. It was a good reward for completing the first leg of the journey home.
We got up about 4am to get ourselves and the kids ready to get to security by 5:45. It seemed only the international travelers needed to be so early. While we waited, we grabbed our last breakfast in China at the Burger King in the Shanghai airport. The breakfast choices were limited, but the setting was very nice, on a veranda overlooking the gates and facing a glass wall that looked out onto the runways and past them to the ocean with a large number of freighters waiting to get into port. It was quite beautiful in its own way. It was better than TV for the kids. Though the fare was not what we’d become accustom to, our breakfast conversation, however, was like most others – plenty of ‘why’ questions. For a sample of the variety of questions, Kira asked, “Why did we ride 3 airplanes to get here, but we only ride 2 to get home?” After being impressed by the intelligence of that question, not 5 minutes later came the contrasting question, “If I squeeze you, will you go potty?”
In any case, boarding was on-schedule and we were off. The flight from Shanghai to Detroit seemed longer than it was. The plane was a middle-aged 747, so quarters were a little cramped and the kids were antsy and loud (not just our kids, but the kids around us as well). As the flight drew on, our kids were less and less interested in being content. There were numerous little tantrums, potty trips and fights, but there were some good experiences as well – showing the kids the view of Canada, watching them interact with other kids and meeting some other pleasant passengers. Still, going on long flights with two small kids is not something one does for fun or relaxation. To say it was “hell” is much too strong, but to say it was “unpleasant” seems insufficient, so it was somewhere inbetween. We had both been secretly dreading the flight back, but fortunately, it is a limited time.
We’d never been through customs or immigration in Detroit. It was a bit of a wait but not nearly as problematic as we had suspected it might be. Our layover was two hours and we still made it in plenty of time, even after a couple potty stops. The immigration agent was a pleasant, young guy who dealt with Kira’s questions very well, questions about all of the items on his gun belt, why the policemen were in cages, why they needed to look at us, etc. A customs assistant helped us get our bags to the re-check-in area and we picked-up some lunch to go on the hike to our gate. The lunch gave the kids something to do for awhile on the flight to Rochester, where my mom was waiting for us with our car. It was great to be able to arrive in Rochester. The airport was easy, the outside landscape was clean and green and the signs on the way home were all in English. We were home in almost no time.
It didn’t take long for Kira and Max to find her toys. In a very short time, Max found sunglasses, a backpack and a toy vacuum cleaner. Mom thoughtfully dropped by some groceries, we got some supper ready. The kids, however, were falling asleep at the table, so we checked them in to bed. It wasn’t an altogether easy night as the kids woke and needed attention a couple times, but those things are much easier to deal with at home.
All our best,
Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max

Hi, Everyone,
We had a good and slow start to the day today. We got to breakfast in plenty of time and then ran some errands before having to be back to the hotel to prepare for our consulate appointment.
Our new little Mr. Poopipants set a personal record this morning with 3 diaper changes within about 45 minutes – all quite necessary, and likely a direct result of the pork meatballs he couldn’t get enough of last night. The incident forced us to recalculate the number of diapers we need to get home. Fortunately, we found a source close by for XL diapers. The large couldn’t cut it. XL diapers in China are not all that easy to find. In all this, Max has learned to powder himself by watching us. Our theory is that a kid who can learn to powder himself is likely ready for potty training.
We were on-time for the consulate appointment. The consulate is in a large office building across the city. We learned today that it’s the largest consulate office in the world, processing some 25,000 immigrant VISAs last year. The appointment went without a hitch. There were some toys in the back that kept the kids engaged. The Fischer-Price accounting office was very popular, complete with abacus and sun roof. They were right under the video screen repeating the instructions for the interview: when to approach, fingerprinting, and finally “just relax and tell the truth”. When the time came, we relaxed, took the oath for Max and received his VISA. With that, we have everything we need to come home, now, and when we enter the US, he will automatically become a citizen.
Traffic was pretty bad when we left the consulate. There were a number of families there from the hotel, so the hotel sent their bus to bring us back. There were too many exciting close calls to count with people pulling in front of buses and vehicles jockeying for position against bicycles carrying LP tanks and little cars that looked like you could crumble them with your bare hands. It took a long time to get back to the hotel. A few kids tried to start a mutiny, but it was quickly put down with granola bars, fruit chews and some bubble gum. Our kids didn’t get a nap with today’s schedule. We were hoping they would sleep on the bus, but there was too much excitement in the air. Unfortunately, this would come back to haunt us.
We didn’t have to wait long for the haunting. We went down the block to a Cantonese place we had been to before. A lot of Chinese people go there. Before we could even order, Max blew his first gasket and Kira soon after. Max was reaching critical mass so Michelle took him out to the street. Kira was rebelling, too, insisting on performing one of the bigger no-no’s. I told her I’d be taking her out for a spanking when Michelle returned. There were two mood changes by the time Michelle got back, but even then, Kira reminded me of the threat (which was not an idle one, as she found out.). Unfortunately, the crabby defiance rose and fell through the rest of the evening, like so many tides. Max, on the other hand, was fine once there was food. Service was excellent – may be a little too excellent. Being the only Caucasians in the place, we garnered some attention. The waitresses insisted on Max eating with a spoon rather than a fork. That freaked him out a little, but there was still food, so he was OK. They also seemed impressed with his capacity for eating, both in terms of quantity and efficiency. “Stand back”, we had to warn. “He’s more stomach than boy.”. Things were pretty level until the steamed egg was whisked from the table (we don’t know why). Max was upset by this and turned to where his mom had been, but she was gone on a toilet trip with Kira. The combination proved too much and he went over the deep end. In no time, there were 4 waitresses and 2 hostesses all around him and the table, trying to figure out in Cantonese what might quiet him. Fearing, a full-blown meltdown by the little citizen, I pulled-out a chocolate chip protein bar from the backpack. Critical mass was averted, and we earned several respectful nods from the wait staff.
Despite the unruly American kids, the food and tea were excellent. One of the items (the eel dish) didn’t arrive with the rest of the meal. When I asked about it, I understood when they said it was late, but didn’t realize they were preparing it fresh – really fresh. It was easily the best I ever had. Max liked it, too.
We tried to finish some errands, but the kids were melting too fast. Three tantrums later, they’re in bed and everyone is asleep.
Missing naps was a gross, but unavoidable error, as it turned out. In the end, we felt lucky to have the appointment done and everything work out so well. Our agency and reps did a good job for us. There were 4 families with other agencies who had issues with their paperwork and were delayed in-country for an additional week or maybe even longer.
Tomorrow we leave Guangzhou for Shanghai again so we can catch our flight for home the next morning. We’re anxious to get home and into a routine with the kids. We’re also a bit sad to leave Guangzhou because it will be a long time before we’re back again. We’ve had many good experiences here. We'll miss it.
As before, we hope that all is well with you and you’re having good adventures, too!
Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max

Guangzhou - Day 3 & 4

Hi, Everyone,
We had to finish-up our medical checks and VISA on Monday morning. We decided just Max and I would go with Molly to make it easier on Kira if we got stuck waiting somewhere. That was a good idea. It was hot. There were many umbrellas outside – not to protect from rain, but from the sun.
If you recall, we thought Max hated photographers. This is possibly not true. It may actually be getting out of the stroller when it’s hot and there is no food involved. It’s a complicated combination, but seems accurate. He likes to lounge when it’s hot, and the stroller is a prime place to do it. Of course, if the food comes too late and critical mass has been reached, the effort is lost and the mission must be scrapped. After some deft work with a rubber ball by a middle-aged Chinese lady and a new toy cell phone, we got a picture without wailing. They edited the picture to remove some of the angry red from his face and my hands holding him in the chair. He actually looked compliant after they were done.
Next, we ran to the medical clinic where his TB test was read amid the chaos (and was negative), so we wandered back to the hotel where Michelle and Kira were waiting in the play room. There’s a garrison of soldiers near the island and they were practicing hand-to-hand fighting in the park. We stopped to watch them a little while on our way back. Max was uninterested. Apparently, he’s already had enough of that with his sister.
The only hurdle remaining now is the US Consulate’s process, which will require the remaining time to complete. Our Consulate appointment is tomorrow afternoon, and we should get Max’s VISA by Thursday morning at the latest – if all goes well. We understand the need for protocol, but it seems a little ridiculous that after the literally months of forms and paperwork, fingerprinting, FBI checks, and USCIS checks and processes that our own government would still need three more days to get their stuff done while we wait in-country. The identity of the child has been known for many weeks, now. We don’t have a problem with the cost of the process. The time it takes just seems excessive. The fact that we want to adopt a kid is not exactly a surprise at this point.
I was mixed-up about the river cruise being Monday. It’s actually Tuesday, so instead, we went to the pool at the hotel. It’s a beautiful pool. We didn’t use it at all last time we were here, but we’ve been a couple times, now. Both kids love it. The grounds around the pools are extremely well-kept, with a couple stone walkways that meander through a tropical garden. On one side is a walk that follows along the river. For some added excitement, there’s a waterfall that ends in one of the pools. It’s been a challenge for the kids’ bravery to get close to it. Max has done very well. He’s taken a couple stumbles face-first in the water, but never cried. We played for some time, talking with other families as well. When the kids seemed to be getting tired, we ran back to the room, cleaned them up and went down the street to the Cow & Bridge Thai place (one of our favorites). Max was so tired when we got back, he went down with barely a whimper. So did we.
Throughout our trip, we’ve remained remarkably well. Max has a little cough and runny-nose, but hasn’t slowed-down a bit. The possibly-cat-based antibiotics are working well for me. I’m already feeling much better than I had been.
After a good night, we went to breakfast and had to get back to the room in case Molly called with any questions. She was at the Consulate this morning for us to be sure there was no problem with the last of the documentation. By 11:15, she called to tell us all was well, so we took the kids to the pool for a quick visit. Today is a hot, gray, smoggy day – very good for the pool. We ran back to the room for a light lunch and naps. Max was tired, but had a big problem with napping. Eventually, he gave up, covered himself up and went to sleep.
The kids had good naps, so were well-rested for an escape if the buffet crowd became too aggressive with the tongs and serving spoons, but that did not happen. Instead, it was very enjoyable. It was not crowded and there was no apparent accidental cannibalism. Molly got us one of the best tables on the boat with Julie and her daughter Jose. After dinner, we all went to the top deck to watch the lights as we cruised by. Max was pretty excited by the other boats and the pork meatballs. The rest of us enjoyed a broader spectrum.

Once we got back to the hotel, we were on our way back to our room when we heard a string quintet playing in the fancy bar. There was hardly anyone in there so we stopped in to listen and had a drink. They had peanuts for the kids. The quintet was quite good and we were happy share a civilized moment without anything getting broken or improvised tantrums exploding. Unfortunately, we didn't quite make it. Max worked out something that was bothering him and needed his diaper changed. As we were getting ready to leave, he decided to dart for one of the table lights and broke it. They weren't very tough. No one got hurt, but it cost us 30 yuan for the light. We found it strange that the manager knew immediately off the top of his head how much they were. Either he had a great head for numbers or this was not an unusual occurence. In any case, it was still cheaper to break a light there than to have a drink. We were not banished from civilization as they made money whether we drank or our kids broke stuff, but we left, anyway, having failed at a civilized interaction. We'll try again around 2018.

Back at base camp, bedtime is getting a bit easier each time. The tantrums are becoming a little shorter, but devolving into chants in baby talk and Shanghai dialect. We don't understand them, but it's clear he is sure there has been an injustice. He should get used to that soon.
Thank you again for your comments, emails and prayers. We really do appreciate them!
Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max

Guangzhou - Day 2

Hi, Everyone,
Well, it’s another horrific bedtime ... and just when we thought things were getting better, but then many things are that way – the stock market, Pabst Blue Ribbon, the script writing on General Hospital – there is some kind of underlying rule to which all of these things are subject.

Interaction and mood couldn’t have been better until it was time to settle down and transition to lights-out. We made a sign “Quiet, Please”, but it didn’t work today, either. We can hardly wait until Max learns to read. We can hear in another room another family having similar trouble. Or maybe Max slipped out of his crib and is trying his luck with someone else... better check. No, he’s still there and finally quiet. Tomorrow we’ll see if the other family wants to borrow our sign.

Today was a pretty good, low-key day. No touring; got up late (about 7:15) and gradually got everyone ready to go to breakfast which was also quite leisurely. We wandered around the huge hotel for awhile and then parted company. Michelle and the kids went to the playroom and I went to the Guest Clinic. I’ve been dealing with a sinus infection for several days and it became apparent it wasn’t going away by itself. The clinic is actually two regular hotel rooms with a door between them. The waiting room and pharmacy are the first room and the exam room is in the second. There’s also a very small exam room off the waiting room that looks like it’s used for the doctor to sleep. It was about 10am by this time and the doctor answered the door. She was an older Chinese lady who spoke only Chinese and herself didn’t look all that well. She called to her assistant who magically appeared after some plumbing noises and inquired about my problem. She spoke very broken English, and between her English and my very beginner Chinese, we all got around to the same page. I wanted Erythromycin, which has worked well in the past. They didn’t have an American version, but the doctor found an equivalent Chinese formulation they did have. It may be made out of cats for all I know, but if it works I don’t have a problem with it. The antibiotics, doctor visit and adventure all came to 80 yuan (about $12 US). We regrouped in the playroom where the kids played (actually together for awhile!). We played a bit and talked with other parents. It’s mostly western parents who use the playroom. There must be a good anthropological reason for this – or maybe the eastern families simply bring better toys with them.

After a light lunch in the room, Michelle dealt with naptime, which was inevitably successful, and I met with Molly to complete a bunch of paperwork which looks like it also will inevitably be successful. Later, we decided to go to the Cantonese restaurant in the hotel, which was fantastic when we were here last time. It is still fantastic. It’s quite a formal place. We were substantially under-dressed, but they understood our situation and it wasn’t very busy at that time, anyway. Max was a big flirt as usual and Kira couldn’t sit still as usual. Fortunately, there was an unoccupied private room that was right next to us. She could dance and sing in there while we kept an eye on her and Max finished her supper and part of ours. It's a good thing that the Chinese people love kids. We'd have been barred from several establishments by now, otherwise.

We did some shopping after that. We called it quits when the kids started to wilt and had some playtime back in the room, which eventually brings us full-circle to bedtime. All’s quiet on our front, now, and it sounds like the neighbor’s kid has called it quits, too. Time for me as well.
Tomorrow, Molly and I will take Max to another photographer for his VISA picture. It’s got to be done one way or another. Screaming or not, we have to have a picture tomorrow. After that, we need to finish his medical screening and that will be the extent of the official itinerary tomorrow. Michelle will entertain Kira back at base camp. It’s a good plan because there’s a better chance that one of us will have some nerves left by lunch time. Tomorrow night, Molly is taking another family and us to a buffet cruise on the Pearl river in Guangzhou. There is a beautiful light show along the shore incorporating the large buildings. There is an element of danger because last time, 3 people were accidentally eaten when the local folks on the cruise mobbed the buffet. Molly said that she has avoided weekend cruises since then.

Anyway, three of us pray for everyone back home each night that you’re healthy and happy. Max is usually just screaming by that time.

I'll have some pictures for tomorrow.

Kim, Michelle, Kira & “Screamin’ Max”

Arrived in Guangzhou

Hi, Everyone,
We arrived in Guangzhou last night. The flight was a little delayed, but not too bad. Kira always seems to do well on airplanes and Max did fine on his first flight. We had food, so the minimum requirements were met for him. Plus, there were several pretty, girls for him to flirt with, which is a big bonus. Molly, our rep here, met us at the airport. She was also our rep when we got Kira a few years ago. We had a lot of catching-up to do.
It felt good to get here and back to the White Swan. The hotel is on Shamian Island, a small area of town that was reclaimed from the river during the Qing dynasty. There are many old, grand buildings from China’s republic period, from the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s. The buildings were built for international banks, consulates, international companies and the like. Each of them is unique and interesting. Today, most have other uses, but the buildings are still impressive. Together with the narrow, tree-lined streets, they give the small island a stately feel with a more relaxed pace, relative to the large city as far as the eye can see around it. It all feels familiar, now, and like home in a way.
The hotel had some baby cribs available, so we took one. Kira opened it and Max couldn’t wait to crawl in. We thought “Sweet Lord in heaven, this is great!” It was, pretty-much. The joy was tempered, though, as both kids had troubles during the night – one in particular requiring extensive cleanup, so sleep wasn’t terribly abundant.
On our previous visit, there were dozens of adopting families and the breakfast buffet at the hotel was full and noisy. It wasn’t that way at all this morning. There were people coming through, but only a handful of adopting families. We tended to be seated in the same general section. Much of the rest of the hotel has remained the same, as has the surrounding community with some notable exceptions. Several of the shops we frequented in the old buildings are now closed and empty. Seeing the changes made us a little sad because these changes meant that the conditions that were part of our very good experience the first time might soon not exist anymore. Of course, a major part of our first experience was the friends in our travel group and we miss them this time. We have encountered a handful of other families, but since we’re all special-needs adoptions, everyone is on their own schedule, so the associations are fleeting.
We started with business right after breakfast. We had to get Max’s VISA picture taken and medical check done. Max is generally good-natured, but unfortunately, none of that came with us to the photographer. He had several fits, almost indistinguishable from each other – inconsolable, enraged, screaming, sweaty fits – a sort of megafit. He was even beyond the reach of food. Our secret weapon, fruit chews, had absolutely no effect. He really hated something about the photographer or something else hit him wrong. We removed him from the building 3 times before giving up and going to the medical check.
I’m not sure why we thought the medical check would go any better. There was no obvious reason for him to hate photographers, but since he’s had major surgery, there is probably an understandable reason from him to be uncomfortable with doctors – or at least adults in white lab coats, which were visible from the point we entered the clinic. Max was furious and let everyone know. There was a sign “Please Keep Quiet” at the front desk, which might have helped, but since our kid can’t read, yet, he screamed all the way to the back and through the first two checks. He was so mad, he filled his pants as one of the physicians was checking his lower abdomen. This doctor was growing impatient with the wailing and was becoming terse with us, but we thought, “You’re a male and he’s not even crying in English, what do you expect us to do?” It got better when a more senior female doctor came in to listen to his heart. He calmed down for her so she could listen between the sobs. Then, when the pretty ENT doc brought her little electronic piano to check his hearing, he was willing to put up with most anything. He also didn’t make a sound when the two young nurses had to give him a shot for the TB test. Yes, we see the pattern, too.
After that, Molly took us with another family to tour a Buddhist temple. It was the same temple we toured with Kira 3 years earlier. One of the monks did a blessing for us. We’re not Buddhist, but it seemed silly to turn down a perfectly good blessing. Kira enjoyed seeing where, when she was a baby, she had a tug-of-war with one of the monks over his prayer beads. A few of the workers there were commenting on Max’s “Buddha ears” and “Buddha belly”. It’s supposedly a sign of good luck – or it’s one of those things one thinks of to say to people who are struggling and there’s not much other positive input to share. We eventually made it back to the hotel and the kids had a good nap.
During nap time, I took a load of laundry to one of the shops and walked around a few blocks. There was a group of elementary students that stalked me for awhile until their teacher could catch-up. She explained that the kids wanted to practice their English. It was fun. We shared a few phrases and they went off to stalk another foreigner. I continued my walk past the Polish consulate – the last consulate left on Shamian. (There used to be many located here, including the US consulate.) There were two Chinese guards outside. We exchanged hello’s and they seemed vigilant, but not terribly uptight. It wasn’t exactly a hotbed of actvitity. The biggest news from the walk – I scored some xtra-large diapers for Max. Bonus!
We ended the night after going out to an Italian place for supper. It was just OK, but Max seemed to think that an Italian restaurant in China was a good place to say his first distinguishable English word – Hello. It must have been a southern Italian restaurant because it was very hot inside. Once back and ready for bed, we got our nighttime tantrum out of the way and everyone has faded out.
We’ll take another shot tomorrow.

Kim, Michelle, Kira (no longer in timeout) and Max

Visit to the Found Place

Hi, Everyone,
We really appreciate your comments and emails! It's been encouraging to know that transitions do lead to new normals.
We had imagined that "kid magnetism" would kick-in and Kira and Max would play and form attachments early. Indeed, there was such a honeymoon period, but it lasted about 3 hours. We prefer to think of it as 180 minutes. It makes it sound longer. If anything, their relationship reached their new normal pretty quickly, a stage fully recognizable by international standards.
Yesterday, Lilly took us to Max's "Found Place". It was in a very nice Children's hospital in the Pudong District of Shanghai. Cardiac care is one of their specialties. She relentlessly hunted and inquired until we found the exact doorway where he was found. It turned out to be a lab in a hallway off the main drag, but still a fairly busy place where he would be found very soon. Lilly explained that this hospital is well-known and people come here from a large radius, so we cannot be certain exactly where Max came from, but she said just from the shape of his eyes and face, she was confident he was from Shanghai or very closeby.
We left the hospital and went to the police station where Max was first taken. It's quite typical for 'found' babies. We walked in and Lilly was again gently persistent with the officers there until she got more information. It was apparent that it was very difficult to say 'no' to her. She did an excellent job. One of the officers told us the babies are taken to a particular Civil Affairs office down the street. It was very hot that day. The kids started to wilt, so Michelle took them back to the police station to wait out of the sun. Lilly and I continued and found a complex at the location we were told. People there new of a couple different places that could match the description, but were quite vague. In China, that usually means they don't know.
Also in China, zoning is not clearly defined by American standards. Commercial, light industrial, residential and government office uses can be highly mingled and aren't always well-defined. That was the case here. We figured that they would not have any more information than the police did, and we had that, now, so we abandoned the search and returned to the police station, caught a cab and returned to the hotel, where we spent the afternoon, struggling with naps and sharing.
When the kids went down, I ran out to the Dongtai Road antique market. It's a permanent flea market in the Old Shanghai area of town, where all sorts of things could be found -- everything from statues made to look old to large ivory pieces to Mao watches. There was only time enough for a breif run through there, but it was alot of fun. The way back was much easier via the metro.
We went back to the Japenese place for supper - before rush hour and before things became active. It was much better timing for the kids, too. It gave us time to hit the swimming pool one more time and off to bed where another struggle was waiting -- kindof like a landmine, only less predictable and more delicate.
Today, we fly to Guangzhou, so are hanging-out at the hotel. I have to meet Lilly soon to pick-up Max's passport and other papers so we can complete the process with the Consulate. Kira is motivated to go because of the playroom at the White Swan, where we'll be staying. Max is motivated by food, a box with a removeable lid and diaper changes.
Gotta run!

Kim, Michelle, Kira (presently in timeout) and Max

Our visit to the orphanage

Hi, Everyone,
First of all, thank you for the encouraging comments and emails. It makes us feel close to home!
We met Lilly this morning and she took us to the orphanage where Max lived. It was built in 2000, and is gated, beautiful and spacious – very resort-like. It replaced a smaller facility from 1911. There are separate buildings for administration, living quarters, rehab and a school. The facility is setup as a residence for kids as long as they are wards of the state – even if they enter the university. We were without our camera much of the time because Miss Guo, the same lady that brought Max to meet us, took it to Max’s room to take pictures for us. We weren’t allowed to go there ourselves due to concerns over H1N1. The visit was brief, but pleasant.

Foreign adoptions from Shanghai are unusual now because Chinese families are allowed to adopt also, and so many can afford it here. We were told that we’re the only ones from Minnesota to adopt from here this year so far.

We had the chance to ask more questions about Max during our visit. We asked about his experience with other kids and what they did about his temper. She said that the nurses loved him and basically couldn’t say ‘no’ to him. When he wanted something, he got it. That’s in-line with what we have seen. It will take some time to work into the new rules. I must admit to using ear plugs once already during an especially challenging outburst.

We have reminder notes for Lilly to teach us how to say some things in Shanghai dialect – things like “Do not throw that.” , “Do not hit.” and "Gentle".

The transition has its challenges, but we know we’ve been blessed again. It’s clear Max is a very clever, determined, active and healthy kid. The most worthwhile blessings always come with challenges. (If that’s not true, please keep it to yourselves.)

We have our plane tickets for Guangzhou on Friday. Lilly got us a very good deal. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here almost two weeks, already. Tomorrow, she’ll take us to Max’s “found place”, where he was found abandoned.

After another relatively unsuccessful nap time we went to supper. There's an IKEA store nearby we walked to during rush hour. It seemed like the whole population of the city was a the same intersections we were. The numbers of people and vehicles was astonishing. Apparently, busses do not have to observe stoplights in Shanghai. We heard something like that from one of our guides and we observed it several times. Ambulances must obey the stoplights, but busses do not. Go figure.

The IKEA store was amazing in a less-than-positive way. There was a big cafeteria-style restaurant that looked pretty good, only it also must have looked good to the remaining population that weren't at the intersections with us because it was packed. In China, it's not considered rude to stand at the table over those who are finishing eating -- just as it's not considered rude to barge infront of a lady pushing a baby stroller to get into a building. These are just things that one needs to do in a city of 20 million people. We were not yet willing to drool on other people as they ate, so we left there and wandered our area of town for awhile, finally ending-up at a very unusual building with several floors.

There were young ladies on the sidewalk outside of this building, competeing in trying to get people interested in going inside. We asked for a menu and it looked pretty good, so we consented. We were ushered to one of the upper floors where there was a very nice Japanese restaurant. Service was excellent and the food was very good. Max had fallen asleep on the walk and remained in a stroller. He woke up to the smell of food. A couple of the waitresses really liked him and brought special steamed eggs to both of the kids. One of them spent alot of time feeding Max for us. After eating two helpings of rice with chicken, 1.5 steamed egg servings, two pieces of steamed squid tentacles and half a large orange juice, he was slowing down. It was getting late and we had to go, but since we were leaving with food still visible, there was a tantrum. It took 3 pretty Asian waitresses fussing over him for 10 minutes to calm him down. There's no way we can compete with that, and we couldn't afford to maintain it, anyway, but was nice while it lasted.

When walked past the building at first, and Michelle mentioned a suspicion that it looked like an unsavory place, but we were hungry and the kids were tired. We were glad we took the chance. However, on the way back down, the elevator opened on a floor we had not seen before which gave some credence to Michelle's suspicions and offered another answer to why there was an elevator operator in a very small elevator, but at that point we didn't care. No one bothered us and we and one of the kids was full.

Back at the room, we all had some fun settling in for the evening, but it's been another harrowing bedtime. Kira doesn't understand why her new brother is so loud, Max doesn't understand why we do not help him have or do anything he wants and we are looking forward to the part of being home where all the tools (i.e. crib, doors and baby chairs) are available to help enforce the rules of the new regime.

We hope things are well with you all.

Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max

Hi, Everyone,
Sorry we haven’t taken the time to post anything yesterday. We’ve been a little busy. I’ll start from the top.

Yesterday, we met our rep at 0900 to go to the Civil Affairs office in Shanghai, where we would meet our son and get complete our initial paperwork. We figured this time would be different from our previous experience, but didn’t realize it would be different than anyone – including the orphanage or Civil Affairs officials thought it would be. The day was full of lessons. When we arrived at the office, we went to the elevator, we ran into the nurse from the orphanage who was bringing Bao Tong, so we met right there off the lobby of the office building. It took everyone by surprise. By the time we got off the elevator, Kira and Michelle were walking hand-in-hand on either side of Bao Tong when we met the officials. The boy was quite reserved and seemed to be rolling with all that was going on. So ends the first lesson: things don’t always know there’s an order in which they’re supposed to happen.

We were ushered into a meeting room and in the commotion of everyone finding chairs and getting kids and bags arranged, I managed to drop or camera on the floor. Indeed, the new camera was broken. There were many potential lessons in that event. The one I chose was, “When conditions are complicated, strive for simplicity.” It sounds heady, but is more useful than “Don’t drop the damn camera on the cement floor.” In any case, the end result is the same – only a few pictures of the first meeting. We did have the video camera running, but we were both kept busy with paperwork, so the camera was usually left on, pointed vaguely in the kids’ direction. It was tough not being distracted by him. When we were, we were promptly reminded by our rep, “You have a job!” (the paperwork).

Fortunately, the officer was quite efficient and the process was pretty smooth and quick. Our rep, Lilly, also made the process smooth, not only for her coordination, but also because she brought a bag of Chinese cereal like Sugar Smacks, except grape flavored. This kept both kids occupied the entire time. Due to the unorthodox meeting, some of the process steps were anticlimactic, such as the medical check on us that was intended to be prior to the meeting, but all the “i’s” got dotted and we left there with our probationary son. Though we had possession, the adoption technically doesn’t occur until the next day. Even so, we had to decide on a name for him before we left the office, and so we did. We’ve named him Max (not short for anything – just ‘Max’). His full name is Max Baotong Nelson.

Once we got back to the hotel, we got the kids and Michelle settled in the room and Lilly took me to a find a place to fix the camera and to buy another stroller. One advantage of breaking your camera in China is that, since many gadgets are made there, repairs are much cheaper than in the states. Lilly has the stereotypical Shanghai business sense, and we visited just two shops to find a very reasonable estimate to do the repair. We then ran to a nearby department store (It was huge, very modern and quite busy.) and in about 20 minutes were leaving with a new stroller. Back in the hotel room, we learned the next lesson: our new, two-year-old boy eats a lot. In fact, since that time, we learned that he will eat until food is no longer visible. We’re told this is not unusual for male adoptees, and a very temporary phase, but by Max’s build, we’re not at all sure this pattern is a recent development.

We were going to try out the new stroller, but found that one of the axles was bent, so I took it back to the store. Had to exchange for a pink one. He’s young enough – hopefully that won’t hurt him too bad. There was no problem except language. Language has been a challenge because Shanghai has its own dialect that is quite different from Mandarin, the national language. All younger folks learn Mandarin in school and many know English to some extent (usually better then the extent I know Mandarin), but Mandarin is obviously not the first language for anyone raised here. Unfortunately, this is true of Max as well. They only spoke Shanghai dialect at the orphanage, so we’re not able to communicate very directly. He’s at the age where he understands much more than he verbalizes, so Lilly can get him to do some things.
We needed to do something else with the kids and we wanted to reward Kira for her behavior, so we took the kids to the swimming pool in the hotel. Both kids had a great time, but we learned the next lesson. Max does not like having bare feet. We knew this was not unusual for kids in orphanages, so it wasn’t a big surprise. Perhaps a bigger surprise is his struggle with sharing. We thought that might be a necessity in the orphanage. One might also think that being born in a Communist country might make sharing second nature, but sadly, neither is true.

We wanted to keep things simple, so we got room service for supper. Max ate easily 3 times what Kira does. We all had a long day and went to bed a little early. He didn’t go down without a fight – more literally than not, I’m afraid.

We had a good wake-up and breakfast today. Max loves ham, rice, waffles, crepes and watermelon and almost anything else that’s place in front of him. He refused a few surprising things like congi (what he ate at the orphanage), potatoes and cantaloupe. We learned the next lesson when I took him away from the table so we could meet our rep on-time. He has a formidable temper. Because there was still food visible on the table (our theory), he threw a fit the size of which has not been seen in China in decades.

We finally got underway and got to the registrar’s office. After a very long wait in a very warm office with two very squirrely kids, the process was done and we received our adoption papers. There was another 45 minute taxi ride to get to the Notary’s office, where the adoption became final. Finally back at the hotel, he wouldn’t nap and there were more displays of temper.
We had to leave to let housekeeping clean the room, so we went to the department store and got a few things and walked to an ex-patriot area for supper. We thought we’d try pizza in Shanghai. It wasn’t bad. Max ate more than two pieces, which was even more than Michelle could eat. We started to hide the leftovers so we could get him to leave without getting cited for disorderly conduct. It worked.

We walked back to the hotel. Fortunately, Kira has claimed his pink one and Max likes Kira’s old one. He enjoys watching the world go by. We still garner a lot of attention from people, but know there’s no rude intention – they’re just curious. People have been generally kind to us. Housekeeping at the hotel has been especially attentive and helpful.

Michelle and the kids have all been asleep for awhile. I think I’ll head-off, too. Tomorrow, Lilly has arranged a visit to the orphanage in the morning. That should be fascinating!

Best wishes to you all.
Kim, Michelle, Kira & Max

Hi, Everyone,
Well, tomorrow is the big day. We meet our rep at 9:00am in the hotel lobby to take the trip to the Orphanage Service Center, where we’ll meet our son. If it’s anything like when we got Kira, the transition is quick and unceremonious. However, since we’re traveling on our own, we might have more of an opportunity for Q&A with a couple of those who took care of Bao Tong in the orphanage.
We met the rep this morning for a last review of the paperwork, schedule and funds. She is a high-energy, grandmotherly-like person who lives in Shanghai, so she knows many of the people we’ll need to deal with over the next few days. She’s going to try and get us in for a visit to the orphanage and to the place where Bao Tong was abandoned.
Naturally, we’re excited and a bit anxious about the meeting. The business side, while important, is easy and of little concern. There are many other things that occupy our minds, though. It doesn’t really matter, of course, what we might conjure in our minds; it doesn’t change the fact that the wheels have been in motion for a long time and there’s a convergence tomorrow morning at 9am.
We’ve been priming Kira for the big sister role for some time. She’s into it, and already has a list in her mind of the things she’ll need to teach him.
After meeting with our rep this morning, we took the subway to the Pudong district, where many of the big new buildings are. We went to the top of the SWFC (Shanghai World Financial Center). The elevator took only about 1 minute. I guess it’s technically a bit shorter than the new skyscraper in Dubai, but has the highest observation deck in the world. I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Once above a few hundred meters, anything is scary-tall when you’re on top of it. The building looks like it has a handle on top. The handle is one of the observation floors and has clear glass tiles in parts of the floor. Kira was especially interested in those, standing on them and squealing as she looked down.
We caught the subway again to People’s Square where we went to Nanjing Road to find a place to eat. We took some side streets to find something less commercial. We found a place where there weren’t any tourists (except for us). Amid the stares, we had some soup, a pork dish with lots of mushrooms and some sticky rice balls for desert. They're really not as funny as they sound. We dodged the scooters, walked to the next metro station and caught the subway back home. There was a whale of a trantrum in the subway station again today, but there are so many people and it's so loud there, no one noticed accept the people staring at us. Not to worry, though - from first-hand experience, tantrums are not unique to kids in the US.
On the anthropological front, it’s obvious that the Chinese are “westernizing” quickly. It’s tempting to walk around a place like Nanjing Road, with all of the big, name-brand stores and extravagant boutiques, or see the dependence on smart phones and think that other aspects of society will evolve as it has in the US or other modern western country, but that’s not the case. China’s experience will continue to be unique to them.
That’s it for now. Tonight’s post is a short one – need to get some rest for tomorrow’s big adventure! We’ll let you know how it goes. Until then, our thoughts and prayers are with you, too.

Kim, Michelle & Kira

P.S. We still are considering between the two names for the new kid. We need to decide tomorrow after we meet him.

Hi, Everyone,
We’ve had a full couple of days since our last entry. Yesterday, we started early and traveled a couple of hours with a family from Maryland to tour a town called Tong Li. Tong Li is over 1000 years old and is one of a few “water towns” built around a series of canals near the shores of a very large lake. We visited a couple of historic houses there we would probably more aptly referred to as villas. They were quite opulent, with receiving halls and small courtyards. Their buildings were all connected behind the scenes by dim, tall, very narrow hallways. It was easy to let one’s imagination run there.

We shared a boat ride on a Chinese gondola around a few of the major canals and under ancient bridges, clearing a couple of them by literally a few inches. Right afterward, we wound our way through some side streets to a tea house where we had a traditional lunch. Like most of the food here, it was very good. There was a variety of things on the table – large prawns, a couple different pork dishes, rice and tea (of course), a couple kinds of vegetables, local flatbread and beer (but not for the kids).

The drive gave us time to learn a number of things from our guide, ranging from details on healthcare in China to property reforms and taxation. It was very enlightening. The drive also took us through a variety of rural, lakeside and industrial areas as well. Through them, we saw almost every kind of conveyance we could think of. Countless bikes, trikes, scooters, 3-wheeled vans, trucks, tractors – you name it. The only thing we didn’t see were animal-driven vehicles – perhaps because the intensive agriculture appeared to be for human food. It didn’t seem like there was enough room to produce food for livestock that wasn’t itself intended for food.

We ended the day at a smoky restaurant a couple of blocks from the hotel. We had some soup that Kira could eat and a sea bass. Fish is often served whole. Eating prawns was good practice for eating food that is able to stare at you. We didn’t even feel like we had to apologize this time.

Today, we had a late start, but spent our 4th of July like any American would in Shanghai - at a couple of tea houses. We caught a cab to a place called “Wu Tea City” a few miles NW of us. It’s like a flea market for tea and tea paraphernalia. The tea sampling has a bit of a ritual to it so it takes a little time. The area was pretty devoid of tourists. We walked part of the way back to our hotel, but caught another cab for the way back.

Traffic here is heavy and aggressive, to say the least. We’ve seen a few fender-benders, but wondered why there weren’t serious accidents all over the place. We got an answer of sorts when we got back to our hotel. An accident with a bicycle had just happened nearby and a man was laying at the edge of the bike lane in the street, but there was no other vehicle apparently involved. When we got there, the man was conscious and sitting up. The police finally came but it took the ambulance over 45 minutes to arrive – well after the tow truck. We felt helpless. There wasn’t anything we could do for him. Finally, an ambulance came, but the police waved it off. They had commandeered a taxi to take the man away, with a family member who had since arrived at the scene. We puzzled about this for awhile, but remembered some of the things our guide had told us about healthcare the day before. It may very well have been the man’s request to avoid the ambulance purely for financial reasons.

Our touring is drawing to an end for this trip. After tomorrow, it’s time to get down to business. We meet our son on Monday morning. Kira is still pulling for us to name him “Diego”, but we’ve got it narrowed down between two other ones.

We hope you all had a safe and traditional 4th of July without us.

Kim, Michelle & Kira

Hello, everyone,
We had another couple of good adventures and we’re only a few days away from meeting Sun Bao Tong. We’ve got the list of potential names down to 5, now.

Yesterday, we decided to have a light day. We’ve been getting up between 5 & 6am to get ready and start touring, but instead had a leisurely breakfast (those at the hotel have a tremendous variety), and just hung around our room. Took Kira swimming in the afternoon and let her nap. I went shopping for a few necessities and found a grocery store a few blocks away. There doesn’t seem to be a high emphasis on zoning, as shops seem to be located almost anywhere. Living and commercial space is extremely compact in Shanghai. Our guide today told us that in Shanghai there are over 2000 buildings more than 10 stories in height!

Last night, we went on a tour and had supper at a very posh place ontop of a building not far from People’s Square. The view and the food were spectacular. After that, we went to a show by Chinese acrobats. It was simply amazing. There was a lion dance, juggling, lots of flipping and unusual human pyramids, chair balancing, contortionists and incredibly strong people. The finale came when 5 motorbikes rode around in a sphere perhaps 25 ft. in diameter, racing every which-way. Since the show, we’ve had to play “acrobat” with Kira in our hotel room and explain why it’s not OK to do that in the restaurant for breakfast.

Today, we got an early start and visited a city called Suzhou. It’s an ancient city, starting well before to Christ’s time. The thing to see there is the gardens. There are around 60 old gardens still intact. Most were built in the Ming dynasty, though some are from an earlier period. These are no run-of-the-mill vegetable gardens. These are walled areas that were originally part of private residences and took years to construct, with hills, walkways, ponds and bridges, buildings and all sorts of trees and other plants. The Chinese philosophy on gardens is to try and mimic nature. There are few straight lines when it comes to the walkways and bridges. Often, stones and earthen hills are constructed to look like mountains from other parts of the country. One we visited has its 500th birthday this year. It was several hectares in size. The second was much smaller and older. Much of it was an incredibly intricate maze of stones arranged in tight, winding passages with small caves built-in occasionally. The incredible part was that it was 3-D. The maze would constantly loop-back on itself at 2 or even 3 different levels. The planning required for such a thing would be a serious challenge today, let-alone hundreds of years ago. No matter how much planning went into the original design, it was still hot today. We had to find a toilet a number of times today. She's getting used to the strange arrangements, as most restrooms are really just holes in the floor. Stools are found in only the places that tend to cater to westerners. We got back to Shanghai in time to take Kira swimming again and then go for supper.

Thunderstorms had moved-in, so we ate at a Szechuan restaurant in the hotel. It’s a fancy place and we tried 4 or 5 different things, but the meal still came to less than $50. Among other things, we had giant prawns and chicken served on a mixture of hot chilies and peanuts, then we had lotus root for desert. Kira couldn’t make it through supper. She was completely out of gas – so much so that as I carried her back to our room, she couldn’t wake up enough and peed on me before we got there. As we cleaned her up, I thought, “There’s something honest about this. I’m sure there will be many times when she pees on me metaphorically that will be much less direct.”

Anyway, we hope all of you are doing well and having dry adventures of your own.

Kim

Hi, everyone!
It’s been a couple of busy days since our last posting, so this one turned out to be a little long. We’ve been having a great time, in spite of the heat. On Sunday, we learned about the subway and took it to People’s Square, where the government center is. From there, we walked down Nanjing Road on our way to the Bund. Nanjing Road is a retail walking street full of all the name-brand stores. There is definitely affluence in the big cities, as well as the lack of it. It was quite hot and humid that day, so we took some refuge in a Haagendas store, had some ice cream and went on our way. Except for the signage, we really couldn’t tell we weren’t in a retail section of New York, Montreal, London or some other large city.

We saw a McDonalds and thought we’d try it to see if it was any different than in the States. It was mostly the same except for the stares we got, something called a “McPuff” and the employees using a plastic broom handle to harass a deaf beggar into leaving, but not until after he put up somewhat of a defensive counter strike of his own.

We finally made it to the Bund. Did I mention it was hot that day? The Bund is a sightseeing tunnel under the Hanpu river and a large walkway on its bank. Much of the west bank was under construction, giving it a strange, post-apocalyptic sense about it. The east bank, however, where the walkway lies is quite developed with expensive hotels. Anywhere people might congregate, vendors will pop-up selling all sorts of things. We took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a well-spent 50 yuan. Michelle wasn’t feeling well, so Kira and I went to supper at a local place down the street, but Kira didn’t last, either. She was sound asleep before our food came. Shanghai is a city of 20 million people and I can’t comprehend that number. When walking back to the hotel, I understood what it means, though in that there is never a time when there is no traffic noise and never a time when there is no one else nearby.

Yesterday, we went to the Yu Garden with one of our hosts. It’s a 400-year-old walled garden within the city, and was very beautiful. There were walkways, bridges and ponds – all man-made. We also saw the Old City God’s Temple, a very old Taoist temple. We had a typical Shanghai lunch of different types of steamed buns and dumplings. Quite good!

Today, we took the subway to the train to Hangzhou. The train station as a study in barely-controlled chaos. The train itself was a very nice high-speed one, running about 170 Km/hr. It seemed like a cross between a bus and an airplane, with stewardesses and food available. (As much as I would not want one in my yard, one of these would be great between Rochester and Minneapolis.) Hangzhou is an old, big city of about 8 million people, but with its own personality. Our main goal was to see a famous lake called “West Lake” (Xi Hu), which is listed in the book “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. It’s sobering to know we’re down to the triple-digits, now.

In any case, our host, Cathy, met us at the train station and took us to lunch at a very popular restaurant serving local foods. That was a fun experience! Hangzhou’s personality is usually of a leisurely nature, but not at the restaurant. The ordering and service counter was much more like the trading floor of the stock market than a place to eat, with people physically jostling for positions and yelling at the people behind the counter while trying to shove tickets at their faces. We tried unusual foods and fruits that were native to the area and dishes like eel soup, shrimp dumplings and salty duck. It was all very good -- and filling.

Cathy took us on a boat ride past pagodas and other structures that were many centuries old to get to a large, man-made island. On the island was a beautiful park, with large ponds, walkways, zig-zag bridges and several old Ming-style buildings. It was obviously a popular place for the Chinese tourists and local people. We caught a boat back to the city and walked around the edge of the lake until a water spray show started. Waiting for the show, it was evident we were an ‘attraction’ in our own way. This isn’t unusual in China when Caucasian parents are seen with Chinese kids. It was just a little pronounced today, with some people taking pictures of us. It’s not meant to be hostile or disapproving – just the opposite, in fact. Most people think adoption is a warm-hearted thing to do. For Chinese, it’s not taboo to stare at someone they feel is unusual.

Finding a cab to get back to the train station was a bit of a challenge after the water show. Cathy worked hard to find one, finally running across a busy intersection and commandeering a taxi from someone else. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to them, but it worked, whatever it was. The cab ride was itself an experience something like an aggressive carnival ride with an ample use of the horn. Back through the Station of Chaos, we ended up in a large waiting area for the train back to Shanghai. Kira is definitely losing her shyness about interacting with others here, as she began flirting with a boy her age near us. His mom offered Kira a type of cookie and when she saw Kira liked it, offered hands-full more with a canned milk drink – all things obviously brought for her son. Personal generosity like this is not uncommon here.

The train ride back was pleasant and quick under a light rain. The day was a little long for Kira, though, who threw a Biggie-sized tantrum in the train station, but that was easily lost in the chaos of the crowd. After a brief subway ride and walk back to the hotel, and we ended our day’s adventure with a little mac & cheese mixed-up in the hot pot.

Hi, everyone,

Here is the better of the two pictures we have of our new son. It's over a year old, so we're not really sure what he looks like, now, but he's talking and knows his name, so we'll have some assurance we've got the right kid! :^)

We had a light day today - walked around the city near the hotel and went to the bank (which is a bit more involved than it might sound).

The part of Shanghai we're staying in is quite modern, and many people know English which is good because even though I've learned alot in Chinese class, people still speak very fast for me. I get maybe 10% of what they say. That's fine for listening to a soap opera or a person who stutters, but is not optimal when getting directions or instructions from a bank teller.

Tomorrow morning we'll go for a tour of Old Shanghai. That should be very interesting. Kira has been doing well with all the new sights, smells, etc. There's plenty for her to observe!

We’ve arrived in Shanghai and got quickly unpacked. Michelle and Kira are already in bed and I’m close behind. The trip was long, but went very well. Kira travelled well also, aside from an intense mode she developed during supper. A long nap did wonders for that.
When we arrived in Shanghai, health department officials entered the plane in light hazmat suites and took everyone’s temperature with an infrared scanner. Those that were deemed too warm were checked with an oral thermometer. One couple aroused a great deal of suspicion and some additional tests were done. Everyone had to remain seated the entire time, so there was applause when the couple was cleared, which meant we could all go on our way.
We received our luggage, which was a significant departure from time. Clearing customs was very quick (They have a fast-track for people traveling with children.), and we met our hosts right away. After a minivan ride reminiscent of the Dukes of Hazzard, we got to the hotel, which is a very classy place.
Tomorrow is a fairly light day. It will be at least a week before we get our son, so we thought we may as well get some touring in. It's been a long couple of days. Time for bed. Tomorrow, I'll post one of the only pictues we have of Bao Tong.

The journey begins...

Hi, everyone! After another saga of paperwork, waiting and red tape stuck to more paperwork, we're finally here! We're leaving very soon for China to meet our new son.

His name is Sun Bao Tong. He's two-and-a-half years old and waiting in Shanghai. Of course, it's actually us who are waiting for him. He's probably perfectly happy to remain where he is at the moment, with the surroundings and faces that he knows. Like the beginning of any good thriller, the subject is totally unsuspecting of that which is to befall him. He's going to be gently wrenched from his environment and joined with a few other people who are laden with their own flavor of neurosis and all four of them will change each other forever.

The information we have of Bao Tong is sparse. The only photos are over a year old, so we're not really sure ourselves what he looks like, and it doesn't matter. Meeting him, the travel, the sites, the sounds, the unexpected -- it's all part of the adventure. It's our second time to make this trip. We adopted our daughter, Kira, 3 years ago. That was a fantastic adventure, and she's along for this one. We're glad to have you along as well.