Home Sweet Home

We made it home. We left our hotel in Guangzhou at about 5:30 A.M. We left on the airplane at about 8:30. We landed in Hong Kong then waited about 1.5 hours then left for San Fransisco. We arrived in SF at 8:30 A.M. this morning, the same day/time we left Guangzhou. It is weird. We lost a day going to China and we gained a day coming back. We then had an 8 hour lay-over in SF (Yawn) and they had "supposedly" left one of our bags in Hong Kong we we were worried about it but it showed up at our final destignation. Grandma and family met us at the Airport is was good to see them. We are all exhausted except Meili and Zach who slept the most on the flights and breaks. Meili did pretty good on the planes and is so happy to not be in a hotel, bus, plane or anything like it. Thank you everyone who followed along. We will continue to post as able.

Shoes you cannot buy

Yesterday was our Consulate appointment. We did not have to go. Our guide goes to the appointment and presents all the paperwork, ours was all fine and today we will go at 3:00 P.M. to finalize everything and be done so we can go home tomorrow. Bittersweet! Although I am extremely excited to get home I am sad to leave Meili's birth country. There is so much here to see and learn. I just hope we can bring her back someday. We plan on it for sure.

So during our consulate appointment, we ventured out in Guangzhou. Lets just call it another one of Burt's great adventures. We had the concierge recommend a shopping area outside of our hotel area and took a taxi. The taxi driver stopped in horrible traffic at a public WC (toilet) in route. When we finally arrived it was just a big modern shopping mall with all the overpriced stores like we have in the US. So we kind of wandered around and passed things like amazing lighting stores and beautiful flower shops and bakeries. Then found some really promising looking shoe shops with loads of shoes and styles. We thought wow, we can load up on cool shoes for everyone. Not so, we asked for a shoe size and were told cannot buy 1 pair, only many. What? We then realized we were in the Wholesale market for shoes where buyers come and place orders. Weird. Okay strike out for that. So after about 2 hours we were all sweaty and tired and got a cab back to the hotel.

The boys all went swimming on our rooftop pool that goes to the edge of our high rise. It is very scenic but a little scary.

Later in the evening we went with our guide on a dinner cruise on the Pearl river. It was nice and relaxing and the boys really enjoyed being on the boat and taking pictures. The food was traditional Chinese and we ate as best as we could considering some strange to us food.

Today we are going shopping at an electronics market and other places and then going to the consulate.

We are very excited to head home tomorrow. See you all soon.

3 days later

We are still alive. Sorry for not posting sooner. We had a free day on Monday in Wuhan and we were all kind of worn out and still a bit sick so we just vegged and did not do much but pack and get ready to leave and venture out around the hotel a bit.

On Tuesday we checked out and then visited the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. It is a very famous tower that has been burned down and rebuilt several times but was originally built in the 200 BC era. It was a tower to scope for enemies but is now just a tourist place to view the Yangtze river. It was very hot and humid and we climbed a million stairs. ARGGGG. We then stopped at a local shop to buy some turquoise carvings for gifts for Meili later on. This is the local stone mined in the area.

We then headed for the airport and took a dinner time flight to Guangzhou. We arrived around 8 P.M. and met our guide then went to the hotel. We are staying at the Victory on Shamian Island. It is nicer here than in Wuhan and more peaceful but also much more humid. We are all feeling much better.

After a much better nights sleep than in awhile (softer beds) we ate breakfast then went to the local Buddhist Temple to visit. Then we went to the Chen family Museum that contains local artist works such as old ivory carvings, embroidery, puppets and calligraphy. So many beautiful things. We had lunch at the famous Lucy's cafe the fries are great. We then went for Meili's Medical exam. This went well and she is marked as healthy. We then got our paperwork ready for the consulate. We are ready to get the visa or Meili, do so shopping and get home.

Children's Hospital, Table Tennis and the Museum

Yesterday we took Meili to the Wuhan Children's Hospital to check and see if she had an ear or other type infection as she is miserable and has a runny nose and picking at her ears. Just me Meili and the guide went in. The boys stayed out in the van. What an experience. The hospital was packed with locals. I was nervous to even breathe the air in there. They do the best they can but it appears the equipment is not new or sanitized for each patient and you have to see a different doctor for each ailment. We saw one doctor to look in her throat which she said was infected and gave us a prescription then we had to re-register and wait for a second doctor to look in her ears. Fortunately her ears were fine. The medicine is traditional Chinese and is herbs or something that we add to her milk. I hope it works. So far she seems okay and we hope getting better. We will go to a western style doctor in Guangzhou if she is still sick on Tuesday.

While we were in the Hospital the boys ventured out a little into the neighborhood where they found a group of boys and men playing table tennis on a built in cement table with a net across it. Table tennis is one of the main sports in China and they have a national team that is very good and popular with Chinese people. They watched the group play for awhile and then were invited to join in. The locals were amazed that Dad, Zach and Andrew could even compete. Andrew even scored some points to the disappointment of the boys his age. They had fun but did not have the camera for photos.

After the Hospital we went to the Hubei Museum which is here in Wuhan as it is the capital city. The museum houses mostly artifacts that have been recovered from ancient emperors tombs. They were interesting to see. The most interesting part was a room that contained sections of actual ground with exposed artifacts. The artifacts were chariots with the skeletal remains of the horses still attached. The Emperor was buried with a whole fleet of horses and chariots. This is similar to what was found in Xian where the terracotta soldiers are. I guess the belief is that they will need their army and soldiers in the next life to assist and protect them. I took a picture in this room and was immediately told no flash pictures. OOOPS

Well Burt, Meili and I are all sick but doing okay. She is the most miserable but still in good spirits most of the time. We hope to all be well and that the boys are spared. Our love to everyone. Can't wait to get home.

Our kids, the with social elite in Wuhan

Today we visited East Lake in Wuhan. Wuhan has many lakes but this is the biggest. It is more like a lake with a park and many amusements along the lake. It was beautiful and relaxing. We started by riding in an electric car around the lake and making a few stops. The boys had fun trying their skills to stand and walk inside plastic blow-up balls on the water. Zach wins the prize for being able to do it the longest.

We rented a pedal boat and went out on the lake. It was fun to be out on the water to see fish, ducks and the lotus flower pads and flowers.

This week most Chinese are off work leading up to the big Chinese holiday on October 1st. The Moon Festival. At the lake we saw no less than 6 Chinese Wedding couples. Our guide told us it is popular to get married at this time of year because of the time off for honeymoon and for the guests to be able to come. The brides were very beautiful.

We had lunch at Pizza Hut which here is an upscale restaurant and more expensive. They have a full menu. Dad and the boys thought they had ordered some onion rings and ended up with fried calamari I thought it was funny. They have a salad bar where you can buy a one trip bowl for a certain amount. The people then take the bowl and create art so that they can fit as much as possible into the one bowl. One man was at the salad bar almost the entire time we were there creating his master piece. Most Americans would not have the patience to do this just to save a buck or two.

After lunch our guide Linda took the boys to the swimming pool. After they had been gone for an hour I went to check on them. In the lobby outside the pool there was a group of young ladies gathered. I watched and saw that the boys were in the pool playing with some young Chinese men. They were throwing Zach in the pool and splashing around with the boys. I went in to watch them and tell them time to get out. I wondered about the group of girls out in the lobby. One of them came in after awhile with a paper and pen and talked to one of the boys. He tried to grab her and pull her in so she left. I finally realized what was going on. Remember I mentioned the Pop star staying here and all the girls out front last night, well he and his group were in the pool playing with our boys. Our guide Linda does not follow the latest trends and did not realize who they were. Anyway our boys were hanging out with the elite of China and did not know it. They seemed like nice guys, but who knows. The girls out in the lobby told Linda they were jealous of her because she was swimming with them. (Linda is young and attractive) so I am sure they were jealous. Too funny. Too bad I did not have my camera. The pop stars name is Quan Chin or something. Linda said she would look it up so we would know.

Meili continues to blossom. She loves her Ma Ma and says Ma Ma, she says bye bye and waves when we leave places. She adores her Da Da and Andrew and Zach and gives them all big smiles and loves. We are having such an adventure, but can't wait to get home as well.

Newest Exhibit at the Wuhan Zoo: Andrew

Today we visited the Zoo in Wuhan. It is surrounded by a beautiful lake. The lake has lotus flowers growing in it. They are beautiful and the roots and the seeds are eaten by the local people and used in many dishes. Zachary found a really cool rock by the lake so we took a picture of him by it.

At the zoo we saw orangutans, lions, tigers, Asian bears, and Asian deer, and we were supposed to see Pandas but one of them was out on loan to another zoo and the other one was sick and had been taken to the vet. We were disappointed not to see the pandas.

A large group of Chinese middle school children were at the Zoo and they were so curious to see foreigners. Many of the people here do not see people from other places very often so we get a lot of stares. The school children crowded around us and many of them spoke some English as they study it in school. They loved Andrew and asked him questions. Andrew was a bit embarrassed especially by all the girls asking him questions. They wanted to know where he was from and did he want to live in China? He told them Arizona and no. They thought he was funny. At the end of our visit Andrew and Zach got to drive a small boat around in the lake and shoot at buoys that would spray water. They had fun.

After the zoo we had a nice lunch of rice noodles, Chinese cabbage, beef and potato soup, and a dish made with tofu and beans.

Then we relaxed for the evening and had a big bowl of "cup of noodles" type soup made with boiling water in our room.

We went to a small shop outside the hotel to buy the soup and snacks and everyone was curious about us.

There is a Chinese pop star staying at our hotel so there is a large group of young girls camped out in front of the hotel trying to get a glimpse of him. It was strange to walk out in front of them all staring.

Meili is doing great. She has come so far in just a few days. She is blossoming and is so happy. We are thrilled to have her in our family now.

Bumpy bus (van) ride to discovery

Yesterday we went to Tuan Feng area which is where the orphanage is where Meili was found. It was a 2 hour very bumpy ride mostly through suburban areas. The roads are pretty bad. We saw more of what China is really like. The area where Meili was born is a little more rural and has cotton farms and is known for cotton and sesame products. The visit to the orphanage was nothing like what we expected. It was a little meeting with the Director and Vice Director, they showed us a video about their facility which is an orphanage, retirement home and care center for disabled children. They then fed us a typical lunch which was con gee with peanuts and a few beans in it, a pork tofu, and lotus flower root dish and some steamed buns with sugar and sesame in the middle. It was pretty good minus the con gee which is very bland. The orphanage side was empty of children while we were there because all of the younger ones are in foster homes and the school age children were off at school. There may have been a few disabled children there but we did not see them.


We were told that Meili was in her foster home up until 1 week before we received her. So we wonder a little how many kids that foster mom had because Meili is a bit behind and was obviously in a crib a lot. She is improving greatly already, has been drinking US formula and is able to sit up and push her self up and even crawl a little now. We think she will catch up fast and boy watch out because she is smart, curious and a busy body.

We took a lot of pictures at the orphanage and then went into the town and took some pictures. We went to the Post office and bought postcards with pictures of the town and had them stamp the local cancellation stamp on them. We got a lot of stares. So far most people are just curious but our guide got the third degree from a lady in the Carrefore 2 days ago who asked things like why so many children and aren't we happy with our boys and so on. She was nosey.


It was interesting and important to go and see where Meili was born and found. Someday she may wish to return and see this place.

Two more bumpy hours back to our hotel where we then rested and then ventured out on our own to McDonalds and shopping. We are feeling the extra kid blues right now when it comes to getting ready to go anywhere and getting all the baby stuff ready. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


Meili had a rough time going to bed last night as she slept most of the bumpy rides and was not tired yet. She did sleep all night once she fell asleep though so that was good.


Today we are off to a local Zoo. We hope to see some exciting animals. Have a good evening everyone.

















Pictures are of the square and a building at the Orphanage, One of the main buildings in the town, Meili and I in the town center, a man working on the street near the town center.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone for all your comments and messages. We appreciate your love and support. We don't have time to write back to everyone so just know that we have read your comments and emails and that we feel you buoying us up. Thank you

24 hours later

Today was the official adoption day. We went back to the Civil Affairs office where we filled out a few things and then had a short interview to tell that we will care for Meili and they asked us if after spending the night with her we still wanted her. It almost seems cruel that they even ask that. The picture above is Meili with me and The orphanage director who she clearly wanted nothing to do with. We were there for a few hours waiting for our money to be paid and then we went shopping at the Carrefour (sp) to buy diapers, snacks and water. Then we went back to the hotel to swim and relax. For dinner we went to a beautiful restaurant. The food was fabulous and the ambiance (minus the smoking) was nice. The boys are finally hitting melt down. Andrew has been waking up every morning between 3:00 A.M. to 5:00. It finally hit him last night and he did not even eat dinner. He zonked out on the nice couch bench at our table and slept through dinner. You have to know this means he was really tired because Andrew does not miss a meal for almost anything. Zach made it through most of dinner and then passed out near the end. They went to sleep early last night and are still asleep right now at 6:30 A.M. (look close, that is Andrew and Zach asleep on the bench.)

Wuhan is an interesting city. A lot of shops around us and there are a lot of universities here. It has been fun to watch the Elementary school behind our hotel as we have a 16th floor view down into their school yard. The kids start school at about 8:00 A.M. but don't get out until after 5 P.M.

What a difference a day makes. Meili has come out of her shell so much. She is blossoming. She is very attached to Mommy which is good but hard. It is so obvious that she suffered a loss. We will find out for sure today what exactly her life was like as we are visiting the orphanage. I am pretty sure now that although she was in a Foster home for most of her short little life, she has been in the orphanage since May 2007. Her development is off a little and she is very weak in her arms and legs from lack of floor play time. She has already improved in just 24 hours. She has a few little habits to comfort herself which I am guessing we will see less and less of as she knows we are not going away. I am anxious to visit the orphanage but nervous for her. I am going to keep her strapped to me the whole time. She had a harder time going to sleep last night because she did not want to be put down in the crib. So she slept by me for awhile and then I moved her to the crib a few minutes later. She slept through the night again. YEAH!!!! We are so in love with this cute sweet little girl and can't believe we are so fortunate to have her. I keep mentally pinching myself that we are actually here and that this is happening. Meili is actually about right length wise as the 9-12 month clothes are only a little bit too long, but she is so skinny and slender they a big all around. We will fatten her up quick.

Wish us luck for our journey to the orphanage (which is also where Meili was found). It is a 2 hour each way trip in a not so great minivan. It will be a long emotional day.