Visit with Grandma

Grandma Scott, Aunt Patty and John came down for a visit on Sunday.
Margaret took to them pretty much right away, grandma was very happy:)
We are having sleep problems which are to be expected but are still
very difficult. Margaret cries frequently in the night and it wakes
Lillian. Debating whether to move Lillian back down to her old room
until Margaret gets better adjusted. Just worried about Lillian's
sleep, she has school and I don't want her too tired. I'm getting
about 4 hours a night and the rest is disrupted or not at all. I have
a problem, when I wake up, my brain kicks in to overdrive and I can't
get back to sleep. Well, off to bed. Big day tomorrow, Margaret's
going to Children's for her overall check-up at the International
Adoption Clinic. It's a four hour appt and she really doesn't like
doctors. Anyone want to trade places? LOL

Clocks turned

The clocks have turned and they slept until 7am this morning. YEAH! Lillian is off to school, Joe to work, and me to the home routine. Margaret finally went down for a nap and I'm going to take one, too:)

We're home

We made it home in great shape. We were lucky and the kids slept some
on the flights, no one was sick or had blocked ears. We were a little
late getting home last night but it wasn't too bad. Got the kids down
at 1AM and they were up at 5AM, that hurt! Made breakfast, started the
mountains of laundry, went grocery shopping, and had a walk all before
11am. Made lunch and went back down at 1230. Woke them up at 4, it
wasn't pretty. Gave baths, which was fun and stopped the crying, got
dinner going and now they are down again at 9:30. Let's hope it's for
the night. Thanks to all that kept in touch the long time we were
gone, we are soooooo happy to be home.

Last blog until we are home

Ok, this is the last blog home. We have a 7am pick-up tomorrow
morning. We fly to Beijing, sit for 3 hours, fly to Chicago(12hr
flight), sit for 2.5hrs, and then finally a flight home to Cincinnati.
We leave at 7pm Thursday night Cincinnati time and land 9pm Friday
night. Just pray that it goes as planned, no one has blocked ears and
no one is throwing up,

Oath today

Today we take our oath at the American Consulate for our children. I
can't remember exactly what we are swearing to but they will remind us
once we get there:) Hit the bottom yesterday but we are back up again
today. Think the weather helps, it was pouring yesterday and we were
cooped up inside. We did go to the White Swan Hotel(we stayed there
with Lillian) and swam with some friends. They have a very beautiful
pool with a waterfall in it. Yes, it was pouring but you're wet
anyway, right?! Today is sunny and nice and we all feel better. Some
of our group are going home tomorrow, lucky dogs, and the rest of us
on Friday. One person doesn't get to leave until Saturday! It's all
about consulate appt and when they can be scheduled. It's been a good
trip with the people we have met and our experiences here in China.
I'll be ready to bring them back in 5 years for their Heritage tour.
By then the 'pain' of 'labor' will be a distant memory. LOL

Bad Mood

Ok, we're hitting bottom, we are so over being here and living in this
hotel room. The sibling rivalry is up and running. A 5yr old is
regressing to a 2yr old and a 2yr old is doing alot of testing. I need
a pitcher of Cancun's margarita's!! Joe is so bored that he's checking
on work stuff and I'm wondering how I can run away. LOL:) Joe said one
family is leaving on Thur and I want to know how that happened! I'm
ready to pay the extra fees to get the Hell out of here a day early.
Lillian is going to swim later today with Callie, the friend she met
in Beijing. At least one of us will be happy for a while:) Maybe some
pics later.

Temple and Arts and Craft Museum

This morning we went to a Buddhist temple and an Arts and Crafts
museum. We have been to the temple before with Lillian and had her
blessed, we did the same with Margaret today. The temple is 1400 years
old and is a very interesting place. Afterward, we stopped by another
temple that was only a 100 yrs old and attached to it was an Arts and
Craft museum. The museum was also very interesting because it showed
the daily life of the local people, had many old items from homes that
had been destroyed to build apartment buildings. It's hard to explain
just how many people live in the Eastern part of China without
actually seeing it in person. So many old, beautiful homes are torn
down to

pool

We went to the pool yesterday and Lillian had a blast. She loves the
water and is a good swimmer. Maybe another potential scholarship?:)
Margaret didn't want anything to do with it! But we played beside it
while Daddy and Lillian played. Saw the rest of our group last night
for dinner, everyone is doing well. Babies are all very cute and the
older kids are doing well, too. Thanks to all that have written to our
email, we can't read any messages posted on the blog if you can get
through to it. We love hearing through our email, we are very homesick.

We're ready

Ok, Joe and I were counting the days until we can go home last night.
We're ready to go but still have many days yet before that long, long
day of flying. As one person put it, starting your family in a hotel
room is hard, adding to your family is just as hard! The rest of our
travel group arrived yesterday but we haven't seen any of them. We are
excited to see how everyone else is doing and to see all the new
family members. We went to a shopping mall last night, wow! If you
think Kenwood is busy at Christmas you should see the place we went to
on a regular Friday night. We also ate at McDonald's and Lily's
friend, Zoe had ice for the first time. It was fun to watch, she loved
the ice:) We had our first bath in the tub last night and it went
great. I know some of you are thinking 'how could we wait that long?'
but it's about trust. She had plenty of washings with a cloth but
putting a kid in a tub that might have never seen one is scary for
them. She played and played with the old yogurt containers, pouring
them over and over. She even turned the water on to fill up her
containers. So we think this wasn't the first bath tub experience. A
free day today so we think we will be trying the pool later this
afternoon. Here's a pic of the mall.

Temper Tantrums

We had a doosie of a temper tantrum last night from Margaret. We are
doing our nightly routine, washing-up, brushing teeth, putting on
jammies and then finally reading a book. Well, Margaret doesn't like
to sit in between us, she likes to sit at the end of our bed. So last
night Lillian decides that we should lay down on either side of her to
read. Look out, Margaret threw a fit. We tried to calm her down by
going back to the top of the bed and giving her space but it didn't
work. We gave her 'her' book to read but she threw it away. So mom
decided that Margaret was too tired and should go to bed. Daddy put
Margaret to bed and that's when it got REALLY loud:) That kid can
throw a good one!! Well, Lillian and mommie kept reading, Margaret
could hear, and when we finished our book reading we went to bed. By
this time, she had calmed down. But little sister wasn't through, yet.
Today we went to a park with the Jones' again and Lillian and Zoe rode
kiddie rides. Well, Margaret doesn't like to share Lillian anymore
either! The screaming was impressive. Margaret was so mad that Lillian
was riding that the only thing to calm her down was M&M's. Helen, our
guide, explained to Margaret that Lillian was having fun and was that
ok? Margaret shook her head NO! She was quite adamant that it was not
ok. She might not speak alot but she totally understands Chinese. We
then went to a noodle shop that was great. I got the silent treatment
when I wouldn't let Margaret throw her bowl around. By that I mean,
she was able to turn her body in the highchair so that her back was to
me. One of the serving girls then let Margaret feed her. I tell you,
this one has a temper! We are down for a nap and then off later to a
shopping street on the mainland.

Random thoughts

I have a little free time while the girls are down for a nap, so no
little 'helpers', Joe is reading about the Bearcat game for tomorrow,
and I'm not so tired. On an earlier blog I wrote about the hotels we
are staying at in both Beijing and Guangzhou. In Guangzhou, we are on
an island called Shamian Island. The British built here years ago and
the architectural is very beautiful and there are lots of plants and
trees. When people get married here, they take their wedding pictures
before the wedding. Since it is so beautiful here on the island, the
couples are everywhere, everyday. Lillian really gets a kick out of
watching the picture taking and the beautiful brides. Today we walked
across the bridge to the mainland and did some market shopping. You
are stepping back in time some 1000 yrs if you ignore the t-shirts. I
find this a fascinating part of China, how the distant past and the
present collide in today's modern world. A book I brought with me but
reading for a second time, is 'China Road; A Journey into the Future
of a Rising Power' by Rob Gifford. He was the NPR correspondent in
China for six years and is fluent in Mandarin. If you are interested
in what China was, what it is, and what it might become, this is an
interesting read. Since he is a reporter, the book reads easily and
not stuffy like a text book. I really enjoy these older countries, you
can feel the past of thousands of years of humanity.

Ok, more personal stuff. Margaret has taken to Joe pretty well. She
lets him touch her and hold her, maybe not all the time, but most. She
is cute as a button and weighs about as much as a peanut. Joe called
the girls peanut and pumpkin today but not to Lillian's face:) Lillian
is getting accustomed to Margaret crying before she goes down to bed
so that's not bothering her much. We did have a crash into the table
corner today and Lillian was very worried about Margaret, of course we
were fine. The doctor's visit really let us know that Margaret DOES
NOT like doctors, female or male, had some bad experiences in the past
I guess. Just some basic measurements today and no shots or tests.
Margaret loves to play with Lillian and the giggles are hilarious from
both girls. Margaret was definitely a little helper at the orphanage,
she cleans up her mess and puts it in the garbage can! She folds her
clothes and wipes her own mouth and hands. As for Joe and I, we are
doing well. Both of us are very happy with our little family and
already can't imagine not having Margaret. She has moved into our
hearts so fast it's amazing and I thank God(or fate, however you want
to see it) for bringing her into our lives. We are so blessed. But
someone remind me of that when they are teenagers and I'm banging my
head against the wall:) Ok, here are pics of the day. The little girl
with Lillian is the Jone's six year old Zoe that I mentioned earlier.

Park on Shamian Island

We had a good day yesterday, got out and about in the morning. Did
passport stuff yesterday afternoon. Went to dinner with another family
last night who adopted a 6yr old. Lillian and Zoe hit it off and
although they don't speak the same language, everyone knows about the
princesses (Disney). Sticker books are great communicators:) Off to
get Margaret's physical, no TB test for us or shots. Yeah!!

Second Day

We had a good night without too much crying before bed, including
mommie:) We slept until 5am for Lillian when she had to get me up to
potty. I hope we grow out of that soon. Three of us were up by 7 but
Margaret slept until 7:30. We all just got back from breakfast and we
are playing ball that we purchased yesterday. Lots of laughing and
smiling already this morning, she is very funny! We have a free
morning and then we go to get Margaret's passport. We are off to a
children's playground on the island.

First night

Well, it went great!!! Went to bed at 9pm and didn't wake up until
5am. We were soaked and cold so need to work on that. Started changing
her before we went to bed but we're exhausted and didn't stay up as
late as usual so too long in the diaper. Two good poos and ate
everything we gave her at dinner last night which included french
fries, fried rice, vegies, pasta and chicken. Took the formula we
brought with us without a problem, yeah! Brushed teeth like a pro,I
think she got great care at orphanage. They had a little Cheerios this
morning and we are now going down to breakfast. They have been
coloring while we wait for the buffet to open. We have more paperwork
to do this morning and then some shopping for a few things we need.
She is very busy!! The phone in the bedroom is a big hit. This was
pretty much a mom blog but I'm sure you all understand.

Margaret

Well, it wasn't too bad:) We did have alot of crying and not wanting
anything to do with any of us. But by the time we left the Civil
Affairs building the crying had stopped and just a few sniffles were
left. That took about an hour and we weren't the only ones with crying
children. I have to say, Cheerios are the greatest thing ever
invented. She loved them and it really helped to calm her down. She
has taken well to Lillian and I but Joe, not so much. He's ok to play
with across the dinner table but she doesn't want him to touch her.
This is all very normal, they will take to one but not the other
parent. We had another melt down tonight at bedtime, she wouldn't take
a bottle from him. Made Lillian very upset, Margaret can really wail!
I took over and she was ok, Lillian took a little longer to calm
down:) Everyone is very tired, it's been a long day and even longer
wait for Margaret to finally appear in our lives. But everyone went to
bed quietly so we can only hope it stays that way thru the night! I
heard the pics of the Great Wall didn't make it through. I can't get
to our blog until we get home so I can fix it then. Here's one of
today and I hope it makes it.

The Great Wall

We had a wonderful climb up the Great Wall. We did the opposite side from the last time we were there. Lillian wanted to go higher but you have to come back down and it's harder to come down than go up! We get Margaret today at 2pm, it's now 7am. We are all very excited and can't wait to see her. I'm sure that's why we were all up by 5am!! We are all doing well with just a few sniffels and some dark circles. We will talk to you all later today.

This is a correction to a post while we were there. Can't figure out how to put it back in time.

Tiananman Square

Well, we had a great time yesterday. did alot of sight seeing and met
everyone in our group. One other family has brought their 4.5 yr
daughter and Lillian and Callie are great friends! Did Tiananman
Square, Forbidden City and an acrobat show. Joe really noticed a
difference in the dress of the Chinese people compared to the last
time we were here. Lots more wearing jeans. The income of many Chinese
has really benefited from their changing status as a world power. If
you ever get the chance to see a Chinese Acrobat Show, do it! It is
absolutely amazing. I think one comes to Cincy every year or so, we
will be going! Most of us were exhausted yesterday and both kids fell
asleep while at the show. We had a good night's sleep last night and I
think our clocks have switched to China time. Off to the Great Wall
today, can't wait to see it again! Here's a couple pics of our day.

We have arrived!

We had a wonderful trip! Lillian was a super trooper the entire way.
We met five other families and all are very excited to be here. I'm
having a great time in China. (Lillian wrote) We are going Tiananmen
Square today followed by the Forbidden City and a acrobat show. Hope
we all don't fall asleep during it! It's now 3am here and we are all
up because we are starving:) Will try to go back to sleep before pick
up at 12 noon.

We're off!

We're off to China! We are at the Cincy airport waiting for our
flight. We should be in Beijing about 2am tonight. We'll write more
when we get there and have some sleep.)

test

Trying to get around China's blocking of blogs, so following
instructions on how to do this so we can post from China. Otherwise,
we are getting anxious to go. The packing is making me a little crazy
and I can't seem to get rid of a respiratory problem but we are ready
to move into a new chapter of our lives. I think!:)#