(The following was the introduction to my web journal of our trip to get Malia.)
I was accompanied on this trip by my fiancé, Kevin, and our wonderful friend, Evie. I appreciate all they did for me during the trip. They worried about getting fresh water, finding good restaurants and grocery stores, finding disposable diapers... All I had to worry about was bonding with Malia. Malia and I are very grateful.
In our group, there were 12 families. Eleven of the children came from the same orphanage as Malia, the QuZhou Social Welfare Institute. One child came from an orphanage in HangZhou. Because QuZhou is so far away, we were not able to visit the orphanage there. Instead, the children were brought to us by bus in HangZhou . Most of the children were extremely healthy. Malia didn't even have diaper rash---which was the least of what I expected!
Our adoption agency, Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), arranged all of our travel, tours, and meetings with government officials. In each province, we had a different representative from CCAI. Every representative was FANTASTIC--we would have been so lost without them. In addition, since they were locals, they provided insight to that particular region of China.
Honestly, I found the trip to be a hard trip. It's difficult to start a family in a little hotel room. I longed for my kitchen and the ability to run to King Soopers or call our pediatrician at a moment's notice. I hated how careful we had to be not to drink the tap water---don't sing in the shower! However, the trip was made much easier since we were all healthy. Malia was amazing. She was great about having her schedule upheaved almost every day. She was patient with the three of us as we figured out how to take care of her. Everyday she awarded us with a million smiles and that made any hardship trivial.
And so it begins...
We left Denver on Wednesday, October 9 at 5:00 p.m. We arrived in Hong Kong on Friday, October 11, 6:30 a.m.!
3.3.08
Friday, October 11, 2002
We were pooped when we arrived in Hong Kong. However, in order to get over our jet lag as quickly as possible, we tried to stay awake most of the day. We explored the mall that was attached to our hotel, visited the Hong Kong Cultural Museum,and went out for Indian food in the evening.
At the Hong Kong Cultural Museum, I really enjoyed the Chinese nature paintings and the displays of clothing by a famous Chinese opera singer. However, the best part of the museum were the groups of school children touring at the same time. They were about 12 years old and all in uniform. They kept running up to us, saying "Hello!", and running back to their friends. One kid even said to Kevin, "Come on, baby!" They were cracking us up.
At the Hong Kong Cultural Museum, I really enjoyed the Chinese nature paintings and the displays of clothing by a famous Chinese opera singer. However, the best part of the museum were the groups of school children touring at the same time. They were about 12 years old and all in uniform. They kept running up to us, saying "Hello!", and running back to their friends. One kid even said to Kevin, "Come on, baby!" They were cracking us up.
Saturday, October 12, 2002
On Saturday, our CCAI rep, Matthew, gave us a tour of Hong Kong. The first place he took us was Victoria Peak. I was VERY glad to have taken my motion sickness drugs for the bus ride! The peak is the highest point in Hong Kong. The day was fairly clear, so we had a beautiful view.
Next, Matthew took us to the Aberdeen fishing village. We took a boat ride through the village. People have lived for generations on these boats. Matthew said that when they step on land, they feel dizzy!
Matthew then took us to a place where they make jewelry. I bought a sapphire ring.
Finally, we went to the Stanley Market. There were a bunch of stalls selling silk, Chinese art and calligraphy, clothing, etc. It was pretty "touristy".
Sunday, October 13, 2002
Sunday was a beautiful day, so several of our CCAI group decided to take a walk in the park near our hotel. It was beautifully landscaped. In the amphitheater, there was a children's band giving a concert. They were probably about 10 years old but they looked so serious. Even the baton twirlers didn't break a smile!
In the afternoon, we were supposed to go to the airport to leave for HangZhou. The plan was that we'd leave Hong Kong about 6:00 p.m., get to HangZhou about 8:00 p.m., and have the rest of the evening to settle into our new hotel room before the babies came the next morning.
When we got to the airport about 3:00, we found out that the airline had cancelled our flight to HangZhou. Our representative, Matthew, was fantastic. He told us not to panic and was on the phone with the HangZhou CCAI reps and dealing with the airline employees. He finally came back to tell us that they had arranged for us to fly on another airline (China Eastern) to Shanghai. In the meantime, the HangZhou reps would take a bus to Shanghai and meet us at the airport.
So we flew to Shanghai. I had originally wanted to go to Shanghai, but since we were there in the dark, we didn't get to see anything. Our CCAI reps, Daphne and Nancy, picked us up at the airport. We were so relieved to see them! We then had a THREE hour bus ride to get to HangZhou. Luckily Daphne and Nancy had brought us bottled water and Oreos to fortify us for the trip!
We didn't get to our hotel until 1:30 a.m. or so. So much for unpacking and preparing for the babies! We just crashed!
In the afternoon, we were supposed to go to the airport to leave for HangZhou. The plan was that we'd leave Hong Kong about 6:00 p.m., get to HangZhou about 8:00 p.m., and have the rest of the evening to settle into our new hotel room before the babies came the next morning.
When we got to the airport about 3:00, we found out that the airline had cancelled our flight to HangZhou. Our representative, Matthew, was fantastic. He told us not to panic and was on the phone with the HangZhou CCAI reps and dealing with the airline employees. He finally came back to tell us that they had arranged for us to fly on another airline (China Eastern) to Shanghai. In the meantime, the HangZhou reps would take a bus to Shanghai and meet us at the airport.
So we flew to Shanghai. I had originally wanted to go to Shanghai, but since we were there in the dark, we didn't get to see anything. Our CCAI reps, Daphne and Nancy, picked us up at the airport. We were so relieved to see them! We then had a THREE hour bus ride to get to HangZhou. Luckily Daphne and Nancy had brought us bottled water and Oreos to fortify us for the trip!
We didn't get to our hotel until 1:30 a.m. or so. So much for unpacking and preparing for the babies! We just crashed!
Monday, October 14, 2002
"Gotcha Day!
Monday morning we were all a little shell shocked. After the adventure of the previous night, and knowing that our daughters would be in our arms in a few hours, our heads were spinning. Luckily, we had Daphne to lead the way.
First of all, we met Daphne in the lobby on the fourth floor of the hotel to fill in some paperwork. She also trained us on how to make the formula the same way they did it in the orphanage. As soon as she finished (about 9:00), she said, "Okay, run to your rooms and put your paperwork away. Grab your cameras and traveling companions and run back here. The babies are on their way!"
We all raced to the elevators and pushed the buttons. However, when the doors opened we couldn't get on because TWELVE PEOPLE HOLDING OUR TWELVE BABIES STEPPED OUT! We were stunned!
I saw Malia immediately. The man holding her saw me staring at her and tried to get her to look at me. She was holding the little toy bunny we had sent to her orphanage several weeks earlier. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't look away. I just wanted to cry!
But we couldn't hold our babies yet. Daphne shooed us all to our rooms. I've never run so quickly!
Finally, when everyone had returned, Daphne lined up the twelve people holding our babies. She called out the family's name one by one. Each family went up to get their baby, while everyone else looked on and took pictures. Malia was number eight in line---which is a lucky number in China!
Finally, Daphne called my name. Kevin was by my side while Evie worked all of the cameras. The man handed her to me. She just looked at me---kind of leery, kind of unsure, but she didn't cry. I was trying my best not to cry also, since I didn't want to upset her. She just sat in my arms, tense, tears in her eyes but not crying, until the last baby was joined with her family. Daphne then told us that the babies had been on a bus since 5:00 that morning. They hadn't had their diapers changed or been fed. She told us to go to our rooms and make them happy!
When we went to our room, I tried to change Malia's diaper first thing. As soon as I laid her on her back, she started SCREAMING. She was not comfortable enough with us to be on her back. We quickly changed the diaper and gave her some formula.
Next we set her on the bed and just played quietly with teething rings and stacking cups. We found out that she LOVES Cheerios. After a while, she didn't seem to think we were too bad and we even got some smiles out of her.
At 2:00 that afternoon, we had to go to register the adoption paperwork with the Chinese government. They had to take a fingerprint from me and a footprint from Malia. Next we had to go get our pictures taken. Through it all, Malia was very patient. As long as there were Cheerios nearby, everything was just fine in her world.
That night, a pediatrician in our group gave Malia a once-over. Kevin and I thought we detected a rattle in her chest. The pediatrician thought that maybe she had a little bronchitis, so we started her on some antibiotics. We only kept her on them for three days---after that, she was perfectly healthy. However, it was great to get a professional opinion that we had a healthy daughter!
That night, Kevin babysat Malia while I went to a meeting with the orphanage director and assistant director. They told us how much they tried to give our babies, but that their facilities are far from adequate. They also gave us the disposable cameras we had sent weeks earlier. They took pictures of the orphanage and of our babies' "everyday" lives. These pictures will be such an important part of Malia's history.
Monday morning we were all a little shell shocked. After the adventure of the previous night, and knowing that our daughters would be in our arms in a few hours, our heads were spinning. Luckily, we had Daphne to lead the way.
First of all, we met Daphne in the lobby on the fourth floor of the hotel to fill in some paperwork. She also trained us on how to make the formula the same way they did it in the orphanage. As soon as she finished (about 9:00), she said, "Okay, run to your rooms and put your paperwork away. Grab your cameras and traveling companions and run back here. The babies are on their way!"
We all raced to the elevators and pushed the buttons. However, when the doors opened we couldn't get on because TWELVE PEOPLE HOLDING OUR TWELVE BABIES STEPPED OUT! We were stunned!
I saw Malia immediately. The man holding her saw me staring at her and tried to get her to look at me. She was holding the little toy bunny we had sent to her orphanage several weeks earlier. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't look away. I just wanted to cry!
But we couldn't hold our babies yet. Daphne shooed us all to our rooms. I've never run so quickly!
Finally, when everyone had returned, Daphne lined up the twelve people holding our babies. She called out the family's name one by one. Each family went up to get their baby, while everyone else looked on and took pictures. Malia was number eight in line---which is a lucky number in China!
Finally, Daphne called my name. Kevin was by my side while Evie worked all of the cameras. The man handed her to me. She just looked at me---kind of leery, kind of unsure, but she didn't cry. I was trying my best not to cry also, since I didn't want to upset her. She just sat in my arms, tense, tears in her eyes but not crying, until the last baby was joined with her family. Daphne then told us that the babies had been on a bus since 5:00 that morning. They hadn't had their diapers changed or been fed. She told us to go to our rooms and make them happy!
When we went to our room, I tried to change Malia's diaper first thing. As soon as I laid her on her back, she started SCREAMING. She was not comfortable enough with us to be on her back. We quickly changed the diaper and gave her some formula.
Next we set her on the bed and just played quietly with teething rings and stacking cups. We found out that she LOVES Cheerios. After a while, she didn't seem to think we were too bad and we even got some smiles out of her.
At 2:00 that afternoon, we had to go to register the adoption paperwork with the Chinese government. They had to take a fingerprint from me and a footprint from Malia. Next we had to go get our pictures taken. Through it all, Malia was very patient. As long as there were Cheerios nearby, everything was just fine in her world.
That night, a pediatrician in our group gave Malia a once-over. Kevin and I thought we detected a rattle in her chest. The pediatrician thought that maybe she had a little bronchitis, so we started her on some antibiotics. We only kept her on them for three days---after that, she was perfectly healthy. However, it was great to get a professional opinion that we had a healthy daughter!
That night, Kevin babysat Malia while I went to a meeting with the orphanage director and assistant director. They told us how much they tried to give our babies, but that their facilities are far from adequate. They also gave us the disposable cameras we had sent weeks earlier. They took pictures of the orphanage and of our babies' "everyday" lives. These pictures will be such an important part of Malia's history.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Tuesday we just played in our room with Malia in the morning. We wanted to give her time to get used to us some more and to not over stimulate her. We were THRILLED when she had her first "poopie" diaper. See what our lives have become!
After lunch, we had to go back to the Registrar's office for some more paperwork. At this time, they gave us an official red folder--China's Adoption Decree. We were official in China's eyes!
In the evening, Nancy and Daphne arranged a pizza party for the group. They put sheets down on the floor of the 4th floor lobby and we let the babies just crawl around. Malia only lasted about 20 minutes before getting pretty fussy. I think she was exhausted from so much happening to her during the last few days. I took her back to our room and she fell asleep immediately.
After lunch, we had to go back to the Registrar's office for some more paperwork. At this time, they gave us an official red folder--China's Adoption Decree. We were official in China's eyes!
In the evening, Nancy and Daphne arranged a pizza party for the group. They put sheets down on the floor of the 4th floor lobby and we let the babies just crawl around. Malia only lasted about 20 minutes before getting pretty fussy. I think she was exhausted from so much happening to her during the last few days. I took her back to our room and she fell asleep immediately.
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
On Wednesday, I stayed in the room with Malia in the morning, while Kevin and Evie went to a department store and grocery store. I just wanted Malia to have some calm time, and stores in China are definitely not calm. Kevin and Evie bought diapers (yes, they have Pampers in China!), Kleenex, a bowl to mix formula, chocolate (YAY!), and a little silk bib. They said the stores were extremely chaotic.
In the afternoon, Kevin stayed in the room with Malia and I went on a tour of the Lily Orphan Care Facility. This is an orphanage that was started by Lily and Josh, the founders of CCAI. They are using the orphanage as a model orphanage, to be an example for other orphanages in China. They teach the nannies and foster parents about child nutrition, development, health and psychology. It was extremely clean and cheerful. The children were all outside when we walked up and seemed very happy. They are doing an outstanding job.
On the way to the orphanage, Daphne was trying to teach us Chinese nursery rhymes. She was singing one called, "Jia Yanzi"---which means little swallow. Since Malia's Chinese name is Jia Yan, I'll need to get a videotape of Daphne singing that song.
In the afternoon, Kevin stayed in the room with Malia and I went on a tour of the Lily Orphan Care Facility. This is an orphanage that was started by Lily and Josh, the founders of CCAI. They are using the orphanage as a model orphanage, to be an example for other orphanages in China. They teach the nannies and foster parents about child nutrition, development, health and psychology. It was extremely clean and cheerful. The children were all outside when we walked up and seemed very happy. They are doing an outstanding job.
On the way to the orphanage, Daphne was trying to teach us Chinese nursery rhymes. She was singing one called, "Jia Yanzi"---which means little swallow. Since Malia's Chinese name is Jia Yan, I'll need to get a videotape of Daphne singing that song.
Thursday, October 17, 2002
We saw some beautiful areas around HangZhou on Thursday. First, Nancy and Daphne took us to a garden right on the West Lake. It used to be a private garden. The gardens were like going from room to room. Each one had walls and doorways and a different atmosphere. All of the gardens used stone, rock, water and plants to create atmosphere. It was very peaceful wandering around. Sometimes they would even "frame" a view, such as of the West Lake, with a round doorway.
As always, the Chinese people were extremely friendly. They came up to us several times in the garden to touch Malia and give us smiles and "thumbs up," if they couldn't speak English.
After the garden, we went to a famous tea plantation near HangZhou. They explained the tea making process and why green tea is so healthy. If you live to be 108 years old, you are considered to be "tea age!"
Evie and Malia enjoying a good book.
Friday, October 18, 2002
While Kevin watched Malia, I had to spend the morning in the notarization office, proofreading the documents. The most exciting part was the taxi rides to and from the office. The traffic is INSANE. I've never seen anything like it. Pedestrians will walk out into 5-6 lanes of traffic---and no one even slows down. Motorcycles will veer through the tiniest spaces between cars and buses. Taxis will dart in front of huge buses. Buses will go from lane to lane with no warning. It almost seems unreal---like you are in a Hollywood movie with stunt drivers all around you. The strange thing is, there is relatively little honking and no one seems upset while they drive here. Even when someone gets cut off, they just accept it and keep on going. One person in our group saw a taxi hit a guy on a bike. The guy on the bike just got up, brushed himself off, and kept on going. No words were even exchanged!
In the afternoon, Evie, Kevin and I took a walk around the West Lake. The lake is spectacular. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful areas in China. In 1275, Marco Polo called HangZhou the most beautiful city in the world. Also, HangZhou is sometimes called the "Geneva of the East." The lake is surrounded by high, jagged mountains on three sides.
Where we walked, the parks were beautifully landscaped. Everything was very peaceful and there were tea houses along the lake. Again, many people approached us to touch Malia and give us encouragement. Even though we didn't speak the same language, it was interesting that we could still get our points across.
And finally, in the afternoon we got Malia's passport! We also got her immunization records, but of course they were in Chinese. They will be translated when we get to GuangZhou.
In the evening, Nancy and Daphne took us to a Chinese restaurant. As everywhere we've been in China, the food was GREAT. At the restaurant, a waitress grabbed Malia from Kevin's arms and took her to show her family. Malia was calm as long as she could see Kevin. I was really proud of her.
Saturday, October 19, 2002
We spent another day enjoying the beauty of HangZhou. Today we went on a boat ride around the West Lake. Nancy was able to give us a good history lesson as we toured the lake. There are three man-made islands in the lake---the largest being made in 1610 by dredging the lake! On the island, there were teahouses and gardens. The island is a popular place to celebrate the Moon Festival.
After the boat ride, we went on a tour of a silk factory. HangZhou is the start of the Silk Road. I had no idea that making silk was such a laborious task. First of all, the silk worms have to be fed every four hours. They eat only mulberry leaves, which cannot be dusty OR wet. Watching the women in the factory spin the strands from the cocoons was amazing. The strands were so thin---it takes 7 strands to make up one thread. Much of the process still has to be done by hand.
Kevin and I bought several silk outfits for Malia as keepsakes from her province. We bought them all in different sizes so that she'll be able to wear them for years. The colors are luminescent
Sunday, October 20, 2002
Sunday was a very mellow day. Kevin went on a tour to see an example of ancient architecture in HangZhou in the morning. However, since it was cold and raining, I decided to spend the morning in the hotel with Malia. She slept for hours. I think all the new happenings in her life zonked her out!
For lunch, Nancy and Daphne took us to the Marco Polo restaurant for more traditional Chinese food. Again, the food was excellent. Daphne and Nancy presented each family with a red Chinese character to hang in our homes. It is a "blessing" for each family.
This weekend was the kick-off of the HangZhou Expo. Tonight we watched the fireworks from our room. It was a terrific show. We felt that HangZhou was saying goodbye to Malia and the other children.
Monday, October 21, 2002
Malia and Evie telling secretsMonday was a hectic day. We had to be packed up and out of our hotel rooms by 11:30 a.m. However, we had to just wait around for an hour while the hotel checked our mini bars to make sure we didn't owe them more money. Waiting...
Finally we got on the bus for the airport. The ride was about 45 minutes. This was definitely the highlight of our day, since Daphne talked the entire time. She spoke of the bond between China and the U.S., now that we have adopted. How we should work to be the bridge between the two countries. She said that now that we have adopted Chinese daughters, we have Chinese relatives. (This makes me cry every time!) And she spoke of the love that we will give our daughters, and of the pride we will give our daughters of their Chinese heritage. She had the entire bus in tears.
The airport went smoothly. The plane was crowded. There is very little room between you and the seat in front of you. When you add a toddler on your lap, it is even more tight. I was nervous about flying with Malia the first time. She was terrific though. Although she was squirmy and wanted to move around, she didn't cry---not even during landing.
When we got off the plane, I was one of the first CCAI people off the plane and was carrying Malia. The plane did not pull up to the airport. Instead, you walked down to the tarmac and then rode a tram to the airport. As I started walking towards the tram, I noticed that it was getting pretty full. I was still about 50 feet away when I saw an elderly gentleman sitting on a seat and pointing at me. I started pointing at him and running to him. He saved the seat for me! I was so touched! And during the entire ride to the airport, he kept waving at Malia. What a kind man.
When we got to GuangZhou, our new CCAI reps, Alice and Maggie, were waiting for us. We got our luggage and boarded the bus. Finally, after a 40 minute bus ride, we arrived at the famous White Swan Hotel. We were about 3 hours late with Malia's bottle by this time, but she was such a trooper that she hung in there with a minimum of fuss.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
The White Swan is famous in the Chinese adoption world, since nearly everyone who adopts stays here at the end of their journey. The White Swan is very near the U.S. Consulate, so it is a convenient place to stay to do the U.S. side (and final bit) of the adoption paperwork.
The White Swan is beautiful. We felt like we were in heaven! There were fountains, ponds with koi, huge bird cages, and lush plants. The room for the breakfast buffet overlooks the Pearl River. There is even a playroom for the children, which was donated and stocked with toys by Mattel.
It was much more crowded in the White Swan than our hotel in HangZhou, however. The number of babies is amazing!
At 10:00, our CCAI group took the children for their physicals. The physicals are not in-depth. The doctors just weigh and measure the girls, listen to their hearts, and test their eyesight and hearing. Nevertheless, I found the physical very stressful. The doctors kept trying to make Malia laugh by squeezing these LOUD squeaky toys in her ears---but instead, she just started crying. It was so loud and chaotic in the clinic, I almost started crying!
Afterwards, Kevin and I took a walk in a beautiful park in GuangZhou. The White Swan is actually located on Shamin Island, so it is a world apart from the rest of GuangZhou. There is little traffic, which made walking very pleasant. After the traffic of HangZhou, this was a welcome change.
Also, the buildings were very different. The British influence from the 1800s could definitely be seen. (GuangZhou used to be called Canton.)
In the evening, the CCAI group went to the Hard Rock Cafe in GuangZhou. Evie volunteered to babysit Malia for the evening, and Kevin and I took her up on it! Evie needed some Malia-time, and I knew Malia would have a better time staying with Evie than confined in a restaurant. Kevin and I felt like we were on a date!
The White Swan is beautiful. We felt like we were in heaven! There were fountains, ponds with koi, huge bird cages, and lush plants. The room for the breakfast buffet overlooks the Pearl River. There is even a playroom for the children, which was donated and stocked with toys by Mattel.
It was much more crowded in the White Swan than our hotel in HangZhou, however. The number of babies is amazing!
At 10:00, our CCAI group took the children for their physicals. The physicals are not in-depth. The doctors just weigh and measure the girls, listen to their hearts, and test their eyesight and hearing. Nevertheless, I found the physical very stressful. The doctors kept trying to make Malia laugh by squeezing these LOUD squeaky toys in her ears---but instead, she just started crying. It was so loud and chaotic in the clinic, I almost started crying!
Afterwards, Kevin and I took a walk in a beautiful park in GuangZhou. The White Swan is actually located on Shamin Island, so it is a world apart from the rest of GuangZhou. There is little traffic, which made walking very pleasant. After the traffic of HangZhou, this was a welcome change.
Also, the buildings were very different. The British influence from the 1800s could definitely be seen. (GuangZhou used to be called Canton.)
In the evening, the CCAI group went to the Hard Rock Cafe in GuangZhou. Evie volunteered to babysit Malia for the evening, and Kevin and I took her up on it! Evie needed some Malia-time, and I knew Malia would have a better time staying with Evie than confined in a restaurant. Kevin and I felt like we were on a date!
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
With the last of our paperwork out of the way, it was finally time to shop! Kevin watched Malia while Evie and I went exploring the little stores on Shamin Island. I bought sandalwood fans, calligraphy, a silk jacket for me, a little stone teapot, and some other keepsakes from China.
In the afternoon, we decided to see how Malia would like to ride in a stroller. We rented a stroller from the White Swan for 10 Yuan a day (about $1.20!) She loved it!
Late in the afternoon, I had to take Malia to the U.S. Consulate to take an oath. Because of heightened security, Kevin and Evie were not allowed to accompany me. The CCAI group walked over to the Consulate together. We were not allowed to bring in bags or cameras. Inside the room, there were lots of other people with babies, as well. We had to wait around while everyone was called to a window to verify that they were present. Then the oath was just, "Do you swear that you filled out the documents on our daughters' behalf to the best of your knowledge?" Yup. That was it. I was at least expecting a little mention about American citizenship or an American flag displayed somewhere. Kind of disappointing.
Later that afternoon, we took the "red couch" photos. It is tradition that every adoption group takes photos of the daughters on the red couch at the White Swan. (Malia is front and center in yellow.)
In the afternoon, we decided to see how Malia would like to ride in a stroller. We rented a stroller from the White Swan for 10 Yuan a day (about $1.20!) She loved it!
Late in the afternoon, I had to take Malia to the U.S. Consulate to take an oath. Because of heightened security, Kevin and Evie were not allowed to accompany me. The CCAI group walked over to the Consulate together. We were not allowed to bring in bags or cameras. Inside the room, there were lots of other people with babies, as well. We had to wait around while everyone was called to a window to verify that they were present. Then the oath was just, "Do you swear that you filled out the documents on our daughters' behalf to the best of your knowledge?" Yup. That was it. I was at least expecting a little mention about American citizenship or an American flag displayed somewhere. Kind of disappointing.
Later that afternoon, we took the "red couch" photos. It is tradition that every adoption group takes photos of the daughters on the red couch at the White Swan. (Malia is front and center in yellow.)
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Finally, it was time to leave for home! We couldn't wait to get our daughters home and start our "real" lives.
Our travels did not start out smoothly. First of all, the bus that was supposed to take us from the hotel to the airport was late. Next, getting through GuangZhou Airport was a zoo. We had to show our passports a million times, go through a ton of security checkpoints, and push our way up to the check-in counters. (The Chinese have a different idea about waiting in lines!) We had to wait a long time in line at Immigration. Then of course we had to take a tram out to the airplane and board from the tarmac. The flight was very crowded.
In Hong Kong, we thought we had a long layover and plenty of time to get dinner. However, it took more than an hour to get ticketed for our flight. It's a good thing we had all that time, since we pretty much got ticketed and then walked on to our next flight. I was getting nervous that we were actually going to miss our flight!
The flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco seemed to last forever. The flight wasn't too crowded, so Kevin and I had an entire row to ourselves. We laid Malia down in the seats between us and she went to sleep pretty quickly. However, she is such a restless sleeper that I felt I had to watch over her all night to keep her from rolling off the seats. It was an active job! I couldn't sleep a wink---and time dragged on and on.
Finally we landed in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. I wanted to kiss the ground! The Immigration Official was SO friendly and it felt good to be able to speak English to officials again.
We caught a shuttle bus to our hotel. Malia was wide awake, so we gave her some Benedryl to get her to sleep so that we could actually catch some sleep. It was GREAT to be able to BRUSH OUR TEETH using tap water again!
Our travels did not start out smoothly. First of all, the bus that was supposed to take us from the hotel to the airport was late. Next, getting through GuangZhou Airport was a zoo. We had to show our passports a million times, go through a ton of security checkpoints, and push our way up to the check-in counters. (The Chinese have a different idea about waiting in lines!) We had to wait a long time in line at Immigration. Then of course we had to take a tram out to the airplane and board from the tarmac. The flight was very crowded.
In Hong Kong, we thought we had a long layover and plenty of time to get dinner. However, it took more than an hour to get ticketed for our flight. It's a good thing we had all that time, since we pretty much got ticketed and then walked on to our next flight. I was getting nervous that we were actually going to miss our flight!
The flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco seemed to last forever. The flight wasn't too crowded, so Kevin and I had an entire row to ourselves. We laid Malia down in the seats between us and she went to sleep pretty quickly. However, she is such a restless sleeper that I felt I had to watch over her all night to keep her from rolling off the seats. It was an active job! I couldn't sleep a wink---and time dragged on and on.
Finally we landed in San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. I wanted to kiss the ground! The Immigration Official was SO friendly and it felt good to be able to speak English to officials again.
We caught a shuttle bus to our hotel. Malia was wide awake, so we gave her some Benedryl to get her to sleep so that we could actually catch some sleep. It was GREAT to be able to BRUSH OUR TEETH using tap water again!
Friday, October 25, 2002
Welcome home!
Friday we caught a flight from San Francisco that left about 9:15. After three flights with Malia, including the 11 hour flight of the previous day, Malia finally cried on an airplane. She had HAD it. She was still on China time and couldn't figure out why we were awake at 11:00 a.m. (p.m.?) She just wailed, so Kevin walked her and within minutes she was sound asleep.
When we landed, Malia slept through everyone getting their baggage out of the overhead compartments and getting off the plane. Kevin (still holding Malia), Evie and I walked through the familiar DIA concourse--it was great. Finally we came out of the secure area and I saw my folks, Tom, Jane and Joe. I just started crying! I was so glad to be home!
When we went to the baggage claim, Joan and Becca were there. Again, I almost cried. I didn't want to let any of these people out of my sight! And although people were staring at Malia and stroking her head, she didn't even wake up.
My folks drove us home. We put Malia in the car seat and she woke up briefly---but then she was back out. She slept all the way to Fort Collins and didn't wake up until we took her out of the car seat.
When we drove up to our house, I was so touched. Our neighbors had decorated our home with a huge "Welcome Home Malia" banner and these wonderful painted boxes to look like a child's blocks. We live in the best neighborhood! When we walked in, there were balloons all over the floor, gifts on the counters, and meals in our refrigerator. Wow!
Once we were inside, Malia started to wake up. She had to show off a bit for her Grandma and Grandpa, doing raspberries, clapping hands, laughing---all of her best material. We were so glad that Grandma and Grandpa got to see some of her amazing personality shine through that day. And while we were sitting there, flowers came from another friend, welcoming us home.It was a fantastic homecoming. One of the most dear things, though, was seeing Malia sleep in her crib for the very first time. It felt like the beginning of our new life!
The beginning of the Web Journal
(Below is the first entry of our web journal chronicaling our trip to get Malia. It was probably written around October 30, 2002.)
I was accompanied on this trip by my fiancé, Kevin, and our wonderful friend, Evie. I appreciate all they did for me during the trip. They worried about getting fresh water, finding good restaurants and grocery stores, finding disposable diapers... All I had to worry about was bonding with Malia. Malia and I are very grateful.
In our group, there were 12 families. Eleven of the children came from the same orphanage as Malia, the QuZhou Social Welfare Institute. One child came from an orphanage in HangZhou. Because QuZhou is so far away, we were not able to visit the orphanage there. Instead, the children were brought to us by bus in HangZhou . Most of the children were extremely healthy. Malia didn't even have diaper rash---which was the least of what I expected!
Our adoption agency, Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), arranged all of our travel, tours, and meetings with government officials. In each province, we had a different representative from CCAI. Every representative was FANTASTIC--we would have been so lost without them. In addition, since they were locals, they provided insight to that particular region of China.
Honestly, I found the trip to be a hard trip. It's difficult to start a family in a little hotel room. I longed for my kitchen and the ability to run to King Soopers or call our pediatrician at a moment's notice. I hated how careful we had to be not to drink the tap water---don't sing in the shower! However, the trip was made much easier since we were all healthy. Malia was amazing. She was great about having her schedule upheaved almost every day. She was patient with the three of us as we figured out how to take care of her. Everyday she awarded us with a million smiles and that made any hardship trivial.
I was accompanied on this trip by my fiancé, Kevin, and our wonderful friend, Evie. I appreciate all they did for me during the trip. They worried about getting fresh water, finding good restaurants and grocery stores, finding disposable diapers... All I had to worry about was bonding with Malia. Malia and I are very grateful.
In our group, there were 12 families. Eleven of the children came from the same orphanage as Malia, the QuZhou Social Welfare Institute. One child came from an orphanage in HangZhou. Because QuZhou is so far away, we were not able to visit the orphanage there. Instead, the children were brought to us by bus in HangZhou . Most of the children were extremely healthy. Malia didn't even have diaper rash---which was the least of what I expected!
Our adoption agency, Chinese Children Adoption International (CCAI), arranged all of our travel, tours, and meetings with government officials. In each province, we had a different representative from CCAI. Every representative was FANTASTIC--we would have been so lost without them. In addition, since they were locals, they provided insight to that particular region of China.
Honestly, I found the trip to be a hard trip. It's difficult to start a family in a little hotel room. I longed for my kitchen and the ability to run to King Soopers or call our pediatrician at a moment's notice. I hated how careful we had to be not to drink the tap water---don't sing in the shower! However, the trip was made much easier since we were all healthy. Malia was amazing. She was great about having her schedule upheaved almost every day. She was patient with the three of us as we figured out how to take care of her. Everyday she awarded us with a million smiles and that made any hardship trivial.
Information About Malia
This was the first picture we ever saw of Malia. She was about 6 months old in this picture. We saw it at the end of August, 2002.
Obviously this picture was probably taken the same day... It was probably one of the first times Malia was taken out of the orphanage. She doesn't look too sure of what's going on!
They were probably taken to the doctor this same day, so it might not have been too fun!
About a month later, we saw this second picture of Malia. She's probably about 8 months old here---and looking pretty glum!
When we were matched with Malia, we sent a disposable camera to the orphanage and asked them to take pictures. 
Malia with some of the nannies at the orphanage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
