Day 9 - Trip to the Zoo (Dong Wu Yuan)

Today our guide Jack took our family along with the other family from Gladney to the zoo. This was MeiLin's first trip to a zoo and likely her first time to see live animals. It was difficult to tell if she liked it but the rest of us had a great time. We saw monkeys, giraffes, tigers, pigs, goats and bears (including panda bears of course!) They even had raccoons at the zoo. The zoo was located near the hotel in the heart of Guangzhou. So, it was interesting to be in such a lush zoo environment and be surrounded by skyscrapers. Not 5 minutes after entering the zoo, MeiLin was wet. Sure enough...another diaper leak. Glad that it was just pee, but still it was up her shirt, down her pants, and into her sock. We just changed her clothes really quick on a bench with a bunch of Chinese people standing around trying to communicate to us that she was cold. Hello we know, but we can't leave her sitting in wet clothes!

After the zoo, we walked to the local Subway for a healthier, cheaper lunch. (Prices in the hotel are outrageous! The one kids meal option for room service was $36!). Then it was time for MeiLin to take a nap while Mommy went for a quick shopping trip. Clothing prices at the mall were just as pricey. The weather is so warm here that I was looking for a cooler top. Of course all the clothes in the stores are winter clothes. So tons of sweaters and sweatshirts but not a short-sleeve shirt to be found. I ended up finding a Yoga section and buying a shirt from there. I knew sizes would be different, but at home I am a size small and had to settle for the XL today - it is still a bit snug. :)

For dinner, our guide, Jack, took us to a traditional restaurant. He did all of the ordering too. Anyone who knows me knows that I am super picky, but the food was amazing! And then at the end (with Jacks' coupon!), our meal was only $55. Mind you this fed Brandon, myself, MeiLin, Jack, and our other Gladney family of 6! Talk about a good deal! But it took a LONG time for them to serve the various courses so all of the kids were getting tired and restless. Last but not least...a big "Thank you" shout out to the other Gladney family as they picked up the dinner bill for everyone. They have been such a blessing this trip!

Until tomorrow...

Photos of the zoo this morning (including the baby whisperer, Renee) and the munchkin!

Day 8 - The Medical Exam

Our morning started out with MeiLin's medical exam at a US Authorized clinic. We met in the lobby of the hotel where there were at least 40 other families all waiting to go to the clinic for their adopted kiddos. This was quite a site! Young kids, older kids, kids in wheelchairs, and some kids with major disabilities. How amazing that they are all being blessed with a loving home and in turn will bless the lives of their new families. Once we arrived at the clinic, I can only describe the proceedings as organized chaos. I couldn't tell where lines started or ended and there were mobs of families. Thank goodness our guide Jack was a pro! He would squeeze us in and out of lines. This normally takes 2-3 hours but he had us out in an hour!

The rest of the day was nice and relaxing. (We are still really tired today from the events of yesterday!). We found a Pizza Hut for lunch - where they serve steak! Then back to the room for a nap so Mommy and Daddy could watch the Australian Open! We ventured out for an Italian dinner but got stuck in the rain and had to race home for the evening. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some time (time flies so quickly with a little one!) to do a little shopping for myself and MeiLin - it is hot and tropical here! High of 70 for the rest of the trip!

Photos of the hotel, our laundry from yesterday, and of course, the adorable peanut!

Day 7 - Travel to Guangzhou!

Wow! Not going to lie; today was a VERY trying day for all. We ate breakfast and packed in the morning for our 11:30 departure to the airport. Keeping MeiLin entertained within one room for that duration required a wild use of the imagination! Thankfully, "it" happened in the room vs out on the go...we had our first "blow out". I bent down to pick her up and change her diaper and I said, "Brandon, it feels like she is wet." Ugh! #2 had come out of the leg portion of the diaper and rolled down her pant leg. Fun times.

Needless to say a change of clothes was in order. That was when I realized the size 18 month pants I brought were WAY too big. They just fell off at the waist. So the washing of those size 12 clothes were definitely in order once we arrive in Guangzhou . Thus, I am now down to the dirty pants, the ones I put on her, and the change of clothes in the carry on. While at the airport waiting for the plane, her pants became wet again. This time we left them on her since it was just pee (I know - rather disgusting) but that would leave us with only one pair of pants!

Take off for the plane ride was beyond horrible. MeiLin has had fluid in her lungs since we picked her up on Mon. We have been giving her medicine but it hasn't cleared up yet. (I know experienced Mom's out there know where this is heading...). Yep, she ended up having HORRIBLE pressure in her ears and started wailing. This was a cry we hadn't heard before - sheer agony. We tried to give her a sucker to suck, she wouldn't take it. Then we tried to get her to suck from the sippy cup - nope. By this time, we had 4 concerned Moms and a flight attendant standing around trying to help us. They kept saying to give her milk (one of them spoke English!) but we checked the formula in the checked luggage and they didn't have any on the plane. So we put water in the bottle - she wouldn't suck it. We tried Gatorade in her bottle - she would suck it. This is when she began the head thrashing. My poor baby was just throwing around her head. Into Brandon, into the seat ahead, into the armrest. Brandon had to bear hug her to keep her from hurting herself, but it was all he could do to hold her. This is when I just lost it and start bawling. I was out of ideas and had no way to help alleviate her pain! Finally, Brandon got up and took her to the bathroom. Our co-traveling family from Gladney was amazing - the Mom, Renee, came back and sat with me. (The person in the third seat in our row found a new seat :). ). Renee told me about how her first born was colicky and how sometimes there is nothing you can do once it has reached a certain point. Boy did I need that, I was feeling like the worst parent in the world. After 20 minutes Brandon wasn't back and one of the daughters reported that she could still hear her crying in the restroom. So Renee offered to take a shift of holding MeiLin. Brandon was relieved to hand her off in the bathroom but said that he was still having to bear hug her - that she was still thrashing. :( After about 10 minutes I was feeling bad and went to relieve Renee. She is a baby whisperer! By the time I got back there, she had calmed her down and MeiLin wasn't crying anymore! I can't begin to explain the relief to see the pain gone from her eyes! She was good for the rest of the trip at the high altitude. Before we started to descend, I went to the stewardess area and asked for juice for the bottle. The guy was great! He had me sit with him in his seat (there was major turbulence) and he filled the bottle to the top. So much so that when I put the straw in the bottle it split down my leg and even into my shoes. All of the flight attendants including myself had a good laugh. And that did the trick! During the descent, we alternated between the bottle and the sippy cup so that she was constantly sucking. The poor baby must have had 14 ounces of liquid within a 25 minute span. (Once again, experienced Mom's will see where this is going!). I tried to tip the stewardess guy when we left, but he refused saying it was his pleasure. So a "Thank You" shout out to Eastern Airlines is in order! Yep - last one off the plane and as I am approaching the front of the plane, MeiLin throws up. On her shirt, sweater, and jeans and down my arm and hand, but luckily none on my clothes! (Good thing I didn't changed her pants earlier at the airport or the baby would be naked tomorrow!). I cleaned her up as best as I could and kept trucking for the luggage area.

Thankfully, the rest of our trip to the hotel was uneventful, but MeiLin never got her nap and Mommy and Daddy are physically and mentally exhausted. Boy, this sure wasn't in the adoption brochure! ;). There were quite a few times today where I had to stop and take a deep breathe...but I am happy to say that we made it - and are now at a beautiful hotel in what looks like an amazing location. It totally looks like Vegas!

I am sure I will crash after publishing this...so Good Night (or should I say Good Morning) to all!

Day 6 - Our Last Full Day in Shanghai

Today was our visit to the Shanghai Children's Home, which is MeiLin's orphanage. We saw the two rooms and bathroom that she was raised in, met the 18 children left behind (some we recognized from the photos), and even viewed the very crib she slept in. It was surreal seeing the actual room from the photos we have stared at in anticipation over the past 7 months. As a new Mom, I was apprehensive about seeing her care givers again. She was so upset when we left initially. Though it was reassuring to see all of the nannies cooing and passing her around, I was selfishly terrified that she would have another melt down and wouldn't want to come home with us. When it was time to leave, I put out my arms and MeiLin put out her arms for me, too! My heart skipped with joy!

The orphanage itself was a HUGE campus. The landscaping was very nice and pretty and the buildings were grand, but I just can't imagine how many kiddos are in there. The ones we visited seemed very happy - they don't realize what they are missing out on. But it is heartbreaking to see the children full of life with so much love to give. You can't help but want to take a few more with you!

The other Gladney family we are traveling with is so much fun and so thoughtful. Their eldest daughter is a member of a jump rope squad. She decided to donate 100 jump ropes (or close to it!) to the orphanage. They lugged a large bag all of the way from the US. At the orphanage, she demonstrated to the kiddos how to use a jump rope. Boy is she a pro...she can jump rope while sitting on the floor bouncing on her booty! The kids just loved it! Afterwards, the family passed out the jump ropes and let them try to use them. So adorable! Most just flopped it over their heads onto the ground and them jumped over it, but one of the little boys picked it up quickly. What a great gift idea...not only is it good exercise but it is a great way to wear out those rambunctious kiddos! ;)

This family adopted a 6 year old from the same orphanage as MeiLin. She is just precious and takes every opportunity to "show off" her new family - especially her Daddy! They have 3 biological children and adopted their fourth. You should see the Chinese people stare at the large family! Though their little girl was with a foster family for 3 years, they take all of the kids to the orphanage for 2 weeks before the adoption as a transition period. We visited her room and bed, as well. Their little girl is officially the 1,000th Chinese adoption for Gladney - how amazing is that! And Gladney overall celebrated it's 30,000th adoption in Dec 2012 - so many lives forever blessed!

Once we were back at the hotel, it was nap time. She went down without a fuss the day before, but today she was unconsolable; much like the first day we brought her home. I can't help but think it was another mourning period after seeing her nannies. So I know people say to let them cry it out, but I stayed by her side rubbing her back and stomach until she finally calmed down. After a few minutes of being out of the bedroom, my Mom ears perked up - I heard a plastic bag. Sure enough, somehow she reached a plastic bag from the crib that I had thought was out of the way. (Parent of the year - but Brandon thought there was a maid outside the door with a bag, so at least I knew it was her!). Taking away her new toy made her upset again and this time Brandon stayed by her side. I want to somehow show her that when she cries we will be there for her! It breaks my heart to hear her not just cry but wail...I end up crying right along with her.

We had our first fall - just for the record, Brandon was on duty! :( She tripped backwards onto the floor and hit her head into the dresser on the way down. It sounded terrible! She cried for just a bit and then went back to playing. So sad! I want her to cry so I can console her, but no one has ever done that for her before! She has hit herself two other times by evidence of the whelps on her face, but she didn't make a peep - so not sure when those occurred. :(

Tomorrow we take our first flight with MeiLin and head to Guangzhou for the last leg of our trip - today marks the halfway mark of our journey! In closing, I will include the letters MeiLin typed while I worked on the blog - heart! As typed by MeiLin... "Oil,I h" (she didn't really type oil; spell checked corrected it for her!). :)

And everyone's favorite...more photos!

Day 5 - Laughs, Giggles, and Hugs!

Laughs, giggles, and hugs...all of which we experienced with MeiLin for the first time today! I can't believe the progress she has made in such a short period of time...she really started coming out of her shell today! It started this morning when we met down stairs for sightseeing. There were a lot of people standing around and she got scared...so she backed up and snuggled into my legs - heart! Even our guide, Ming Ming said, "Wow, she already trusts you!"

I am sad to announce that Brandon's 35-year and my 33-year streak of never changing a poopy diaper has finally come to an end. It was best captured by Brandon's proclamation, "UGH! It's on my finger!" I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard!

She was a patient little angel as always. Instead of words today...sending tons of photos!!