Home Stretch

Today was a long, busy day.  We had to get up early for our appointment at the US Consulate here to apply for Tallulah's immigrant visa.  They will put this visa in her Chinese passport and when she touches down on American soil with it, she will automatically become a US citizen.  This appointment is also now done in a brand new, nice facility.  I may have forgotten to pack green for yesterday, but I did not forget to pack red, white and blue for the girls today.  Tallulah did not forget to poop all over her red, white and blue outfit before we left, so she wore red, white and...black.

 

Daddies and Daughters before the appointment

 

 

Afterwards, we went to ShaMian Island for more shopping and lunch. 

 

 

 

We passed up the "Scoop Your Own Lunch" place, as well as the "Fried Pigeon" place and ended up at Lucy's where it became clear that Tallulah likes French fries.

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight, we went on the Pearl River Cruise with our travel group and of course, my aunt and uncle.  It was the perfect night for it...clear(ish), balmy and warm.  Guangzhou turns into a whole new place at night with all the lights.  The girls loved it, especially Tallulah!

 

 

G is still not feeling well, but rallied with the help of Motrin

 

 

The CCTV Tower (4th tallest free standing structure in the world)

 

This pic cracks me up.  It looks like Evie is wearing the coolest hat ever.

 

The boat was beautiful, with lanterns hung everywhere and this lady playing what apparently what is one of Tallulah's favorite beats.

 

 (I look a little nuts right here.)

 

It was lights out at the orphanage at least an hour ago.  Who knew life went on outside?!?!

 

Riverdancing.  Literally.

 

 

When we got back to the room, we said goodbye to my aunt and uncle who are heading home tomorrow.  We've obviously read all the research on attachment and bonding and know that it is recommended to not let anyone else hold, touch or feed your new baby for weeks or even better, months.  Normally, we follow the recommendations pretty closely because, well, these kids' beginnings have too many challenges already.  But we broke the rule tonight to let my aunt hold Tallulah before she left.  Below is probably one of the greatest spontaneous pictures of all time.  Do you think they have been waiting for this all their lives or what?  ;) 

 

 

 

Uncle Frank got to hold her a few days ago when she saddled herself up onto his lap, but I was busy running late, er, getting ready for an appointment so I didn't get it with my camera.  I know my aunt did get it with theirs though, so I'll have to post that when we share SD cards. 

 

The rest of our travel group also heads home tomorrow.  (We still have 2 more days here.)  We really have been so blessed to meet and share this amazing experience with these families and their sweet new daughters.  And I'm so grateful that our girls have had each other's familiar faces around to help ease their transitions. 

 

 

 

So what did you have for breakfast today?



 

 

 

 





Happy St. Patrick's Day...

...from the loser Mom who failed to pack green clothes so her Kazakh/Chinese/American children could celebrate an Irish Catholic holiday in Communist Buddhist China.  The kids are also wondering if leprechauns visit China.  I'd like to say, "Oh well, next time", but well, it's obvious I really blew this once in a lifetime chance. 

Today, our group was going to Shamian Island and the Pearl Market, but Gianna is now pretty sick again.  Poor kid has been sick almost this whole trip, but today she looked worse and had a fever, so I took one for the team and stayed in the hotel room with her.  I kept Tallulah here too since the outing would last well into her naptime and we are learning that this girl NEEDS her naps.  (By the way, if anyone wants to know any of the latest developments on either Crimea or the missing plane, after watching an entire day of the BBC, I'm your girl.)  After some Tylenol this afternoon, Gianna felt a little better, so we walked around the beautiful grounds of our hotel to get some fresh air.

Tallulah used to be terrified of the elevator, but she learned pretty quickly that getting on the elevator = going somewhere = amazing time!  She LOVES getting out and about.  In that book, "Room", I mentioned before, the little boy has difficulty distinguishing between what's real and not real.  I think she's going through some of the same thing.  She points to EVERYTHING and says, "Eh?" and looks at me, like, "What is that?"  I tell her the name and she wants to touch it.  She absolutely loves exploring and seeing new things.  She was deeply offended this morning when Nathan and the other girls got in the elevator and left her behind.  But we had a great time walking around looking at waterfalls and koi ponds once G was feeling up to it. 

When we first got her referral, we were scared by her measurements, which are so far off any growth chart.  I have a go-to doctor that I call who specializes in reviewing medical files of these kids.  Her name is Jeri Jenista and she is known for giving the worst case scenario based on the info she's given.  I appreciate this because I think it's best to know what the worst possible outcome could be.  With Tallulah, she was most concerned about her tiny head circumference and indicated that this in conjunction with her cleft could indicate a syndrome at play.  The biggest challenge we discovered any of these syndromes could hold would be low IQ/learning disabilities.  But we decided that we could handle that if it were to be and have the resources to support a child who may need extra support in that way.

But as of right now, I see NO signs of low IQ or other issues that Dr. Jenista informed us could be present.  She makes very quick associations between things (TV and remote, pack of Wet Wipes and hand cleaning, which lids go on which bottles or drinks, elevators and good times, smacking herself on the head and everyone around her laughing--on second thought, maybe I should have her IQ checked...?).   She has a very healthy sense off curiousity and you can literally see on her face when she finally "gets" how something works or what something means.  She is beginning to understand some words and sometimes tries to imitate them.  I'm still going to have her tested when we get home to see if she needs any therapy or other support, but I'd say she is probably right on par with any other 20 month old in most motor and cognitive skills.  Emotionally, she is also surprisingly typical, which is AMAZING given where she's come from.  She is incredibly motor driven and busy, which leads to her great need for sleep.  She can nap like nobody's business and slept 12 hours straight last night. 

Our biggest challenge that I can see so far will be speech.  Of course, we can't really begin to work on this until her lip and palate are repaired, but it's very encouraging to see her already trying.  Knowing how motivated she is, I can already tell she will work her buns off in speech therapy and will be fighting with her sisters in no time.  Some have asked when her first surgery will be.  We are meeting with her surgeon again in the first week or two after we get home.  They usually schedule the surgery about 6-8 weeks after that.  It will be the biggest and most painful one, so I think the timing will be good.  She'll be home long enough to get to know us well and vice versa, and to understand that we'll be there to comfort her.

Post nap photos:

 

 

Regretfully, I sampled some food tonight from a "Mexican" food place across the street called Mr. Pancho's.  I'm beginning to feel not so hot.  I have a feeling I'll be hanging out in the bathroom pretty soon.  I just hope it goes away before I have to be coherent at the consulate tomorrow.  Goodnight from our little gangsta.  (These PJs are size 18 months by the way!)

 



 

 

 

One week down, forever to go

It's Sunday here and it has been a full week since Tallulah joined our family!  I'm going to officially make the call that we have turned the corner and are only going up from here.  She's doing so well and has changed so much this past week.  She went from scared and withdrawn to happy and bubbly.  She's gone from 4 oz of formula per day to 24 oz per day and she has a newly sprouted double chin and Buddha belly to prove it.  Her rattly cough sounds much better and her nonstop boogers are gone.  She used to cry when we put her in the bath, now she cries when we take her out.  When she wakes up in the morning or from a nap, she has traded in last week's furrowed brow and teary eyes for automatic smiles and laughs.  The sores and bruises on her legs are healing and she has color in her cheeks now.  She's let her little personality and sense of humor out too.  She is absolutely hilarious and she knows it.  I'll have to write more about her antics next time.  I can't wait for everyone to meet her.

Today, we went to the Banyan Tree Park and the Chen Clan Family Temple.


                                                        ALL four smiling at the same time!  

 

 

It was a perfect day for sightseeing outside, 70s and a little misty and overcast.  We went to the Banyan Park first, named for its many Banyan trees.  Because most people here live in small apartments, they do not have yards to go outside and relax or play sports, so parks are very popular gathering places for everyone in the city.  This park was beautiful.

 

 

I love this picture I took of the tree's branches and a high rise building reflected in the still lake. 

 

 

Since it was Sunday, the park was very busy with lots of people.  We got to see how the locals spend their time.  Here is a sampling:

 

 

Singing:  This was adorable.  There was a huge crowd here and one guy up front who was leading them in song.  He had the lyrics posted so everyone could follow along.  Helen, our guide here, said the local people do this as good exercise for their lungs.  (Maybe it helps clear all the cigarette smoke?)  If I can figure out how to post my video, I will do it later. 

 

 

Dancing:  This was also so cute.  The people have music playing on a small radio and have all their moves synchronized.  The lady in the orange sweater and heels was really into this jam.

 

 

Exercising:  This equipment is mainly used by retired people who like to come here not only to exercise but to make new friends.  Some of the equipment is bewildering, like the giant round things they just spin in circles.  Nathan thinks they are training to be bus drivers.  (Oh speaking of buses, our mini-bus got hit today in traffic...minor, but still just one more funny story from our trip.)  Just like Lanzhou, there is an amazing sense of community here given how large this city is.

 

 

These two ladies were walking along with us talking to Helen.  Helen started in on the usual, "They say you have big hearts for adopting Chinese children with disabilities.  They say 'thank you'."  As usual, I was thinking to myself, "Yeah, sure!"  But then the woman in the orange coat came up to me and pointed to Evie and Tallulah and gave me a thumbs up.  Her friend joined in the party.  Then the women wanted a picture with us.  The one in the orange coat got teary eyed and started hugging me.  Helen translated, "I am so touched.  Now these children can have happy lives.  I have tears for their new happiness.  Thank you, thank you!"  I decided to stop being a skeptical American jerk right then and there.

 

 

More scenes from the park:

 

 

Food vendors outside of the park:

 

 

 

Next we went to the Chen Clan Academy or Chen Clan Temple.  It was built over 100 years ago for the Chen Clan family as a place to worship, study, and gather together.  It was very impressive, with stone, brick and wood carvings. 

 

 

Tallulah and Lily Grace from our travel group

 

 

This lady wanted a picture with "beautiful girl"

 

 

 

Of course, it was also full of vendors selling local crafts who also conveniently accepted credit cards.  This guy did these paintings with his fingers and hands only.

 

 

This guy must have nightmares about paper cuts.

 

 

The girls got hand painted scrolls with their names written in Chinese characters.

 

 

 

Tomorrow we go to Shamian Island and the Pearl Market for more shopping and sightseeing.  Goodnight from Guangzhou.