Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Photos and P.S.
A few last updates with these photos.
Jon Wiley has cried less and less with each bath. Last night, he willingly stripped and climbed in the tub of his own volition. Huzzah! There was no special trick that I can reveal; we just made every bath as fun as possible. Toys, bath foam or bubbles, reassuring words, and our firm belief that baths are necessary; the process, repeated daily or nearly daily, finally broke through to him. He likes to have his own washcloth and to be in charge of it. He really uses the washcloth appropriately. It makes me think that he had sponge baths his whole life until now.
Jon Wiley started half days at preschool yesterday, the same day I went back to work. He is doing well there, and it helps him that Devyn goes to the same preschool.
His English vocabulary continues to increase rapidly. Currently we are working on parts of the face.
Yes, I can carry those on my bike. Why not?
Crucified, winged lizards at Qing Ping Market.
Mia got a hair cut in China!
Guangzhou's Chicken Man -- I had heard of him and was really hoping to get a shot of him!
Pretty good pizza, actually
It is very common for children to just drop trou and potty on the sidewalk
I love this sign.
Mia and Audrey at Lucy's, the last night in Guangzhou.
How confusing.
Jon Wiley's finding ad, which ran for 3 months after he was found at the orphanage gates.
Clowning around at Lucy's.
Car seats aren't so bad after all!
Wonder Woman
Superman
Preschool Halloween party -- fun but baffling.
The train ride at the school carnival. One of my friends pointed out that my two youngest kids stand out from the crowd. Hmmm, I just don't see it. ;-)
The moonwalk/bouncy castle thing at the school carnival.
Jon Wiley has cried less and less with each bath. Last night, he willingly stripped and climbed in the tub of his own volition. Huzzah! There was no special trick that I can reveal; we just made every bath as fun as possible. Toys, bath foam or bubbles, reassuring words, and our firm belief that baths are necessary; the process, repeated daily or nearly daily, finally broke through to him. He likes to have his own washcloth and to be in charge of it. He really uses the washcloth appropriately. It makes me think that he had sponge baths his whole life until now.
Jon Wiley started half days at preschool yesterday, the same day I went back to work. He is doing well there, and it helps him that Devyn goes to the same preschool.
His English vocabulary continues to increase rapidly. Currently we are working on parts of the face.
Yes, I can carry those on my bike. Why not?
Crucified, winged lizards at Qing Ping Market.
Mia got a hair cut in China!
Guangzhou's Chicken Man -- I had heard of him and was really hoping to get a shot of him!
Pretty good pizza, actually
It is very common for children to just drop trou and potty on the sidewalk
I love this sign.
Mia and Audrey at Lucy's, the last night in Guangzhou.
How confusing.
Jon Wiley's finding ad, which ran for 3 months after he was found at the orphanage gates.
Clowning around at Lucy's.
Car seats aren't so bad after all!
Wonder Woman
Superman
Preschool Halloween party -- fun but baffling.
The train ride at the school carnival. One of my friends pointed out that my two youngest kids stand out from the crowd. Hmmm, I just don't see it. ;-)
The moonwalk/bouncy castle thing at the school carnival.Sunday, November 2, 2008
Final entry
This is the last written entry I'll post. I will, however, put some more pictures on later today.
We are all adjusting well. We closed on the new house and moved within 36 hours of arriving in the US. I cannot recommend the experience.
The girls have gone back to school without missing a beat. JW has visits his preschool (same as Devyn's) every morning for increasing lengths of time. Halloween was a smash hit with the boy, who was dressed as Superman. Devyn was Wonder Woman, and Mia was Violet Parr from The Incredibles. Eiley is finally too old to dress up this year. But that didn't stop Scott, who went as "Jim Dirt," Joe Dirt's cousin. Yes, he wore a mullet wig.
We also attended our local school carnival, and discovered (no surprise) that Jon Wiley loved the moonwalk, the tractor train, the ball pit, the ring toss, the cotton candy, and the general mayhem.
Jon Jon says many English words now, like:
Mi Mi for Mia ("Meh-Meh")
High Five ("Ha Fa")
NO!
All gone ("Ah-Gaaaahn")
Bye
Hello ("A-Yo")
Hi
Stella {our dog} ("Ella!")
Phebe { " } ("Feh-Beh")
Pee pee
Keiko {our cat} ("Ah-ko")
Go
Mom
A note on the use of Mom. Why is it that each successive child learns "Mom" and gives up "Mommy" or "Mama" earlier than the preceding child? Such a cruel joke!
I start back to work on Wednesday, so our lives are slowly returning to normal. It has been a wonderful experience adding this little guy to our family, and I highly recommend adoption, international or domestic, to anyone considering it.
We are all adjusting well. We closed on the new house and moved within 36 hours of arriving in the US. I cannot recommend the experience.
The girls have gone back to school without missing a beat. JW has visits his preschool (same as Devyn's) every morning for increasing lengths of time. Halloween was a smash hit with the boy, who was dressed as Superman. Devyn was Wonder Woman, and Mia was Violet Parr from The Incredibles. Eiley is finally too old to dress up this year. But that didn't stop Scott, who went as "Jim Dirt," Joe Dirt's cousin. Yes, he wore a mullet wig.
We also attended our local school carnival, and discovered (no surprise) that Jon Wiley loved the moonwalk, the tractor train, the ball pit, the ring toss, the cotton candy, and the general mayhem.
Jon Jon says many English words now, like:
Mi Mi for Mia ("Meh-Meh")
High Five ("Ha Fa")
NO!
All gone ("Ah-Gaaaahn")
Bye
Hello ("A-Yo")
Hi
Stella {our dog} ("Ella!")
Phebe { " } ("Feh-Beh")
Pee pee
Keiko {our cat} ("Ah-ko")
Go
Mom
A note on the use of Mom. Why is it that each successive child learns "Mom" and gives up "Mommy" or "Mama" earlier than the preceding child? Such a cruel joke!
I start back to work on Wednesday, so our lives are slowly returning to normal. It has been a wonderful experience adding this little guy to our family, and I highly recommend adoption, international or domestic, to anyone considering it.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Home
Yesssss. We are home. We didn't even have to run through any airports. The jet lag is still rearing its ugly head, but it is a little better every day. The first night home (Thursday), all 4 kids were watching Sponge Bob at midnight -- sort of the epitome of jet lag.
They all did amazingly well on the flights. We did learn, however, that the boy must have dramamine if there is turbulence.
I wish there were some way the American Consulate could let the adoptive families video tape the little speech and oath. It was so nice both times. This time they told us there were 30 families from 21 different states on this particular day, and several families were adopting for the 2nd or 3rd time (mentioned us by name as one of the examples). Some of the parents' professions were listed: law enforcement, naval commander, art director, doctor. The Consulate representative was very charismatic and friendly. He actually spoke quite a bit like my friend Bob Li, for those of you who know him. He said he loved this part of his job, because he loved to process "the cutest immigrant visas."
We had a little pre-Consulate stress when our safe's battery died, causing it to refuse to open. Unfortunately, the girls' passports were in the safe, and there is no entry to the American Consulate without them. The White Swan had two suits and a maintenance man up to our room in 6 minutes. They checked Scott's ID and room key, and then they had us personally empty the safe after they opened it. Lastly, we had to sign a paper agreeing that they had taken nothing from it. Wow.
I'll keep the blog up for a few more days as we settle in.
They all did amazingly well on the flights. We did learn, however, that the boy must have dramamine if there is turbulence.
I wish there were some way the American Consulate could let the adoptive families video tape the little speech and oath. It was so nice both times. This time they told us there were 30 families from 21 different states on this particular day, and several families were adopting for the 2nd or 3rd time (mentioned us by name as one of the examples). Some of the parents' professions were listed: law enforcement, naval commander, art director, doctor. The Consulate representative was very charismatic and friendly. He actually spoke quite a bit like my friend Bob Li, for those of you who know him. He said he loved this part of his job, because he loved to process "the cutest immigrant visas."
We had a little pre-Consulate stress when our safe's battery died, causing it to refuse to open. Unfortunately, the girls' passports were in the safe, and there is no entry to the American Consulate without them. The White Swan had two suits and a maintenance man up to our room in 6 minutes. They checked Scott's ID and room key, and then they had us personally empty the safe after they opened it. Lastly, we had to sign a paper agreeing that they had taken nothing from it. Wow.
I'll keep the blog up for a few more days as we settle in.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The American Consulate appointment went well. Jon Wiley will officially be an American once we pass through immigration in Minneapolis. Our bags are packed. Our wake up call is scheduled for 4:30 AM. Ouch. Because of the time zones, we will have the interesting experience of taking off from Tokyo at 3:25 PM and landing in Minneapolis at 12:15 PM. Time travel!
We are all ready to be home. We had our last dinner in China, and JW did some serious clowning around. It was a lot of fun.
I sure wish we could be beamed home, though.
We are all ready to be home. We had our last dinner in China, and JW did some serious clowning around. It was a lot of fun.
I sure wish we could be beamed home, though.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Free Day
Today we did group pictures at 11:30, but we were otherwise free. We had a long, lazy breakfast, then went to the playroom
Breakfast at the White Swan
.
About 11:00 we went up to the room so that Mia, JW, and Devyn could change into their group photo clothing. I was sure JW would cry during the photo session, but he was fine.
The little emperor surveys the koi pond.
Family photo
Eiley and JW
Cassie and Devyn
Ready for the group photo!
The kids in our half of the Guangzhou travel group.
Yay! Ice cream!
On the way back to the hotel from Lucy's, we bought the kids the feathered shuttlecock/hackey sack things that are used for Jianzi. Here in Guangzhou and at E Ling park in Chongqing, lots of people are practicing this game.
After lunch we went swimming in the hotel pool, and JW actually got in the baby pool of his own volition. Alert the media.
Following the swim, some of us took naps while others of us watched Myth Busters -- the attack dog one.
Now we are trying to decide what to do for dinner. Noodle bowls from 7 Eleven? Room service? Lucy's? Thai Zen? La Dolce Vita? I think my bathroom scale will go into shock when I get home. But it won't suffer long before being crushed.
Breakfast at the White Swan.
About 11:00 we went up to the room so that Mia, JW, and Devyn could change into their group photo clothing. I was sure JW would cry during the photo session, but he was fine.
The little emperor surveys the koi pond.
Family photo
Eiley and JW
Cassie and Devyn
Ready for the group photo!
I am as surprised as you are that he didn't take off the hat.
The kids in our half of the Guangzhou travel group.After the photos, we strolled around Guangzhou and went to Lucy's for lunch.
We ordered ice cream for dessert, and it was actually good!
We ordered ice cream for dessert, and it was actually good!
Yay! Ice cream!
After lunch we went swimming in the hotel pool, and JW actually got in the baby pool of his own volition. Alert the media.
Following the swim, some of us took naps while others of us watched Myth Busters -- the attack dog one.
Now we are trying to decide what to do for dinner. Noodle bowls from 7 Eleven? Room service? Lucy's? Thai Zen? La Dolce Vita? I think my bathroom scale will go into shock when I get home. But it won't suffer long before being crushed.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Blossoming Boy
Every day I am more impressed with Jon Wiley. What a tough, smart, intrepid little guy.
Yesterday, he and Devyn accidentally crashed into each other in the playroom. His toy nicked her leg. He stopped immediately and came over to her, gently touching her leg, patting her head, and cooing at her. Good. We can check off empathy, a great sign.
Until yesterday, he has tolerated Scott but not much more than that. Every time the hotel delivered a paper under the door, Jon Jon would bring it to Scott and then walk away. We wonder if he simply didn't have much interaction with his foster father. Yesterday he ran up to Scott with outstretched arms, "asking" to be launched into the air and caught. Check off trust of father figure (also recognition of him as safe amusement park ride).
Last night we stayed up a little later than usual, as I went on a mini-medical call to the room of one of our traveling families. When I got back, everyone was amazed that Jon Jon had climbed into his crib himself. He was looking at us like, "People! Have you checked the time?" Check off adaptation of routine and listening to body signals.
He has learned that when he is finished with a wrapper, banana peel, or kleenex, it is not acceptable to throw it on the ground or floor. He will scan for a trash can and whisper "Tash, tash." Check off acquisition of new social norms.
He is really doing so well. He has absorbed the "no hitting" message to the point that his high fives have become a little lame. He understands and speaks more English every day. Several times a day he says something in Mandarin that I don't understand --or maybe it is in Chongqing dialect; he speaks a mixture of the two. His solution to this is to gently hold my face and repeat it veeeery slooooowly, as if maybe my hearing aids aren't turned up all the way or the Chinese part of my brain is broken. I'm so glad I learned a teeny bit of Mandarin over the last 10 months, but what I wouldn't give for a babelfish.
He tolerated his medical exam. It was much more thorough than Devyn's; probably more Hague Convention nonsense. He weighed 11kg with shoes on, and he was 81.5 cm tall. This puts him at just less than the 5th percentile for height and right at 5th percentile for weight, on the American chart.
Yesterday, he and Devyn accidentally crashed into each other in the playroom. His toy nicked her leg. He stopped immediately and came over to her, gently touching her leg, patting her head, and cooing at her. Good. We can check off empathy, a great sign.
Until yesterday, he has tolerated Scott but not much more than that. Every time the hotel delivered a paper under the door, Jon Jon would bring it to Scott and then walk away. We wonder if he simply didn't have much interaction with his foster father. Yesterday he ran up to Scott with outstretched arms, "asking" to be launched into the air and caught. Check off trust of father figure (also recognition of him as safe amusement park ride).
Last night we stayed up a little later than usual, as I went on a mini-medical call to the room of one of our traveling families. When I got back, everyone was amazed that Jon Jon had climbed into his crib himself. He was looking at us like, "People! Have you checked the time?" Check off adaptation of routine and listening to body signals.
He has learned that when he is finished with a wrapper, banana peel, or kleenex, it is not acceptable to throw it on the ground or floor. He will scan for a trash can and whisper "Tash, tash." Check off acquisition of new social norms.
He is really doing so well. He has absorbed the "no hitting" message to the point that his high fives have become a little lame. He understands and speaks more English every day. Several times a day he says something in Mandarin that I don't understand --or maybe it is in Chongqing dialect; he speaks a mixture of the two. His solution to this is to gently hold my face and repeat it veeeery slooooowly, as if maybe my hearing aids aren't turned up all the way or the Chinese part of my brain is broken. I'm so glad I learned a teeny bit of Mandarin over the last 10 months, but what I wouldn't give for a babelfish.
He tolerated his medical exam. It was much more thorough than Devyn's; probably more Hague Convention nonsense. He weighed 11kg with shoes on, and he was 81.5 cm tall. This puts him at just less than the 5th percentile for height and right at 5th percentile for weight, on the American chart.
Guangzhou photos
I like this picture not only for the dapper gentleman but also for the example of the enormous volume which can be carried on a bike.
A fashion photo shoot on the streets of Guangzhou
Lest one forget one is in China.....
A school. Doesn't look all that different from the previous photo.
The awesome neighborhood playground
The neighborhood playground again
The reason for the playground, spelled out in pebbles.
The koi pond at the White Swan
Self-explanatory.
I wonder if they will put the second one just across the street.
I think they are filming a movie or a commercial. I am enamored with the combination of mad scientist's white jacket plus grim reaper's scythe, plus a nail through the head. One or two of those wouldn't convey the full message.
Walking to La Dolce Vita, the Italian restaurant
One of many sculptures in Guangzhou
I'm taking a picture of a sculpture of a guy taking a picture. How clever.
Asleep on take-off
The wing of our plane from Chongqing to Guangzhou
The Air China snack. I wish I had taken a better picture. "Wrapped peanuts, Strange favor bean, and Deep fried legume." They were rather tasty and a touch spicy.
Kelly viewing her memory book of our 2005 group.
Arrival at the White Swan HotelHow did you get a boy?
My response: it is becoming more common. Really, it is. Look at these pictures.
At the White Swan's koi ponds. Yes, that is my son on the right, being restrained by Eiley.
Waiting for the medical exam: 3 boys (the one on the right is in our travel group)
Cassie's little brother, Christian.
Another boy in our group, being adopted by Americans of Chinese heritage.
At the neighborhood playground.
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