HOME

We made it after 27 hours door-to-door.  The travel was long but we didn't have any troubles or issues so were thankful for that.  We are not anxious to get back on  a plane for a while after all the flying we've done in the past 3 weeks.

Dad Blain picked us up at the airport and we headed home where Grammy Blain was waiting to meet Esme.  Esme was very happy to meet her grandparents and was her outgoing self.  After storytelling and souvenier sharing we were off to bed.  Over the next 4 days we did a lot of sleeping and some of it at crazy hours.  Reed has put in two nights of more than 15 hours of sleep.  Kaia on the other hand is up by 3:30 and can't sleep well.  We are hoping that with routine and return to school that their bodies get back into a regular rhythm.

We've been busy since we returned, beyond sleeping.  Esme met her Babci on Friday and enjoyed showing off her sweet little self.  We also went to the annual Harvest Moon Festival one of the CAWLI mom organizes each year.  Esme had a blast dancing the night away.  She was so comfortable with the music and people - everyone was so surprised she had only come home 3 days earlier!  We also tackled church and the grocery store on Sunday along with meeting a whole bunch of new family and friends.  We are just amazed at how well she has taken to every new experience.  Truly a special little girl.

It feels good to be home and getting resettled.  The autumn weather is gorgeous and the foliage is beginning to turn.  It is such a wonderful season.  We will be starting with Esme's doctor appointments this week and looking into swimming lessons.  There is much more of our story to tell.  Stay tuned.......

Day 15 - Our Last Day. "Shamian Island Shopping, Pt. II"

We headed back to Shamian Island for our final day of shopping today.  Due to the rain yesterday we couldn't get out to shop by the first half of the day was a perfect opportunity for us to return.  Boy did we shop hard - shop'till you drop.  We have plenty of extra space in our luggage since we unloaded about 5 bags full of orphanage donations, all the gifts we brought for our guides, drivers, and orphanage workers, and the 18 days worth of food we had packed for Reed.  It was amazing how much stuff we could by as momentos and gifts of our 2012 vacation in China.  We got back to the hotel for 4:00 and our guide Connie came back from the US Consulate with Esme's Visa.  She now has her Chinese passport and US travel Visa just in time for our return flights to the US tomorrow.  We headed to the Italian restaurant for our farewell dinner as a family of 6 in China.  Poor Esme was so tired she fell asleep in her baby chair at the table.  We will be up at 5:30 to finish packing and get everyone ready for our 7:00 hotel departure.  We will miss this amazing counrty but are anxious to share our new family with all our family and friends.  Next blog will be back in the USA:-)

Day 14 - Pearl River Cruise

We started out the day today with our appointment at the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  This is the appointment that was made weeks ago to apply for Esme's Visa to travel to the United States.  Only 24 families a day are able to apply.  After returning to the hotel we grabbed lunch an headed to the hotel playground.  After about 20 min of running around the kids were so hot and sweaty they asked to go back to the room.  Not long after we returned to the room it started to pour rain with lots of thunder and lightening - really our first rain storm while in china except for a brief shower on our first day in Beijing.  In the early evening we took a cab back to Shamian Island where we took a boat down the Pearl River - in the thunder and lightening.  We had a wonderful dinner and entertainment despite the "colorful" weather.  We had taken the dinner cruise boat 8 years ago and really wanted to do it again while in Guangzhou.  The rain slowed enough to allow us to venture out onto the deck of the boat to take some photos and video and to see the beautiful city line and lights from the river.  The kids enjoyed themselves and Esme like her first taste of strawberry ice cream!

Day 13 - White Cloud Mountain

Today we visited White Cloud Mountain here in Guanzhou.  First we toured the beautiful gardens at the base of the mountain.  The gardens were gorgeous and the Autumn Moon decorations added to the beauty.  After touring the gardens we took a cable car up to the top of the mountain where we could see out over the city of Guanzhou and even managed to find our hotel through the haze.  The weather was so humid today that you just started to sweat by simply standing outside never mind walking up and down dozens of steps while carrying a baby.  We were all pretty gross by the time we got back down the mountain and headed out to eat for Dim Sum.  The Dim Sum restaurant was yummy and the kids enjoyed themselves.  Reed made friends with a few other children at a nearby table and they played with each others toys while the adults ate.  Back at the hotel we took naps and showers- boy did the shower feel extra good after being so hot and sweaty.  We are enjoying our last few days in China.  Before we know we'll be on the airplane headed back to the States.  Esme will be excited to meet her extended family!

Day - 12 Shamian Island

Today was a relaxing day.  After filling out some paperwork in the morning in preparation for our consulate appointment on Monday, we headed to the pearl market for some more shopping.  The pearl market is like a 5 story mall with store after store of jewelry, mostly pearls but also jade, crystal and other beautiful things.  We did our best to support the Chinese economy:-)
After the pearl market we headed over to Shamian Island.  Shamian Island is a beautiful part of Guangzhou and is where the US consulate used to be located.  When we adopted Kaia we stayed here in the White Swan hotel.  The hotel has been closed for two years for renovations and is scheduled to be closed for another year at least.  We ate lunch at Lucy's restaurant and it brought back good memories of 2004!  After lunch we shopped for about an hour hitting a few of the street shops and buying some local trinkets.  Since the consulate moved this area has had far less business than when thousands of adoptive families came through here each month.  Then the hotel closed and the tourists disappeared too.  The shop owners are eager for business so we were able to bargain some good deals.  Bargaining is standard when shopping in China, an important skill for every traveller.

Back at The Garden Hotel after dinner we enjoyed a nice walk through the beautiful garden grounds lit up at night.  China is getting ready for the Harvest Moon Festival on Sept 30 and their National Holiday on Oct 1 so the decorations and lanterns are going up everywhere.  They are very pretty to see.  The country will be closed down for 8 days due to the back to back holidays.  This was one of the reasons we had to get here when we did or we wouldn't be able to get a consulate appointment.  We'd like to be here to experience the festivities but will also enjoy being at home sleeping in our own beds.  The beds here are small, like twin size and hard as boards.  Try sleeping in one with a child who is kicking or hogging space.......  We will miss being in China but will truly enjoy a comfy and cozy night sleep in our big king sized bed!

Day 11 - Safari Park

Today we had an opportunity to visit the Guangzhou Safari Park.  We went on a fabulous Safari tour where we saw animals of so many species they are too numerous to list.  It was really fantastic and the kids enjoyed it very much.  After the Safari ride we were able to see the white tiger show, feed the giraffes, visit the 12 pandas, and see exhibits of chimps, koalas, meerkats, lemurs, owls, parrots, hippos, and many more.  It would have taken the entire day to see all the exhibits but we only had a half day to spend at the park.After Esme's afternoon nap we went for another swim in the pool, this time Esme sat and played on the first step of the pool unafraid of the water.  Mel is happy to think Esme will enjoy her swim lessons when we return home.  Our little girl continues to adapt to her new family.  The kids were singing songs to her today in the car and she was very happy to "sing" along.  It was very adorable.  She likes to babble, especially when it comes to food she sees and wants to eat.  She loves to venture out and is the first at the door when we are ready to leave.  She has a cute little smile with a sweet freckle in the corner of her mouth.  Her head bobs and nods communicate much of what she is thinking and wants.  Although we don't speak the same language using words we understand each other very well.

Day 10 - Dong Guan City

Today we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Esme's orphanage in Dong Guan City - about 90 minutes from our hotel.  The orphanage is very large and in excellent condition.  There are about 900 children at the orphanage most of which are special needs.  About 200 of the 900 children are in foster care.  We saw the school building where the older children go to school and their rest rooms where they nap everyday.  Chinese children go to school until about 5:00 pm but are given a 2 hour afternoon break for lunch and a nap.  We were also shown one of the several houses on property that are simulative homes for some of the children.  The children in the home we visited ranged in age from babies to about 2 years old.  Several of the older kids had club feet.  They were such happy kids and couldn't get enough of us picking them and "tossing" them in the air- their laughs were infectious.  We also got to visit the playground and our three kiddos had a blast burning off some energy playing, climbing, and running.  It was an awesome visit.

In the late afternoon we ventured out to the surrounding streets for some shopping.  We found some cute pants and a dress for Esme and some little toys too.  The streets in China are crazy because the pedestrians do not have the right of way.  The cars honestly won't stop for you so it gets dangerous.  Also the cars bounce from lane to lane constantly and lane lines mean nothing.  Not a place a foreigner would ever attempt to drive!  After shopping we headed to Pizza Hut for a nice sit down meal- yes Pizza Hut in China is much more elegant than at home.  Everyone enjoyed some familiar tastes and Kaia loved her waffle fries.  Another great day in China seeing the culture of our girls' birth!