Bella's Journey

Monday, April 16, 2007

Thanks for the updates...

Thanks for the posts......! Surprise that a Kenyan won yet another marathon....thanks for the update, Andy; and surprise to hear sox got the game in; as thought it was a wash out there.......good to see........Weather, once again, is gorgeous here.......they had a laser light show going on last night that Zach and i watched.....as it is a free day today, going to breakfast, gonna grab a Starbucks coffee afterwards (no Dunkins', but will definitely take a Starbucks....), then walking around this little island/penninsula.......hang out at the pool for a bit.......big dinner tonight at the hotel....this hotel has hosted many famous dignataries, and many many American families adopting........Appreciate the feedback on the blog.....we can definitely keep it going when we get back, especially to post some comments on how Bella is adjusting to 'American' life and food.....dont think she will have problem in the food department.....Plus, need to let everyone know how a 13 hour flight with a 11 month old goes.....can you say Childrens Bendadryl 'cocktail' for all kids???? Saw some neat things in Guangzho to buy....course, Zach wants everything; Tina did order some special things for the kids.....Can get a nice wall hanging done with Zach and Bella's name in English and in Chinese, that looks great......oh well....off to Breakfast and walking around....post more later...

If its Monday, must be Guangzho....!!

Another day, another Chinese city...!!! Today, Bella took her first plane ride....us, and the 3 families we were travelling with departed Nanning for Guangzho....It is about an hour plane ride......We left around 10 30, got in around 11 15.....meet other families at the airport, and departed for the world famous White Swan Hotel in Guangzho......it is located on a little man made island, right on the Pearl River.....it is a 5 star, luxurious hotel.....VERY Amercianized....and beautiful....Zach was thrilled to see all of his little buddies here......Bella did fantastic on the plane ride (as long as she had food in her.....if anyone is noticing a trend, yes, Bella loves to eat, and yes, she is eating her way through China...and our bank account....!!!).....We checked into the hotel, grabbed a sandwich, and then had to take Bella with a few other families to get her Visa photo, and then to a Examination office nearby...they give a quick exam to make sure everything is okay, weigh her (19.4 right now, but growing fast..!!!)...clean bill of health...has a little rash on her face, but our doctor travelling with us states it is mostly due to the heat/humidity, and advised to use an ointment on it.....back to the hotel, where one parent had to do some paperwork....Tina did that with some of the other wives...I took Zach, Bella and Jianna (our friend Carmen is travelling alone, and asked if i could watch her 21 month old with Bella...told her fine), down to the pool......pool is great......right on the river.....winding pool, with a water fall...Zach swam with his buddies he met....I watched Bella and Jianna in the kids pool, with another dad and his daughter.....then, pizza party to celebrate the end of the paperwork....!!!! Tomorrow, the guides take all of the paperwork over to the Consulate for us....we have a free day......which is nice, as 1) we could use it; 2) the hotel is gorgeous.....3).tons of shopping in the area (have not bought much keepsakes; except for 'junk' for Zach........Normally, families spend about 3 nights at this hotel; we are only here for 2 as huge trade show coming into town, and the hotel rates skyrocket.........so, want to get us in and out before the show......its fine with us, as we had a great time in Nanning...this hotel IS a little more expensive than the others......and we just want to get home with our babies......Our room over looks the Pearl River, and at night, you can see dinner/cocktail type boats crusing up the river, all light up....Across the river, is the hotel and nightclub area, so they are light up......Looks fantastic, with all colored lights....We heard music, and there was a laser light show going on from one of the bridges...Zach loved it.....It is nice to just relax a bit....recharge........There are 27 families travelling altogether in China 137 (which is our group)....When we were in Beijing, we mostly split up into 2 groups.....then, when we went to get our babies, split up in multiple groups, with ours being one of the smallest (at 4 families...)....its cool to see everyone back in one place..meet their babies.......find out about their adventures....it sounds like we went to one of the nicest areas of all of the families..most families went to large cities (4 million to 10 million people); some in poor areas.....one groups hotel had NO a/c...no pool......we were lucky....City we went to was about 1 million......hotel was nice...pool and ac, which is needed, as very very humid.........Hard to believe this part of the journey is coming to an end, but our adventure with Bella is just beginning.....She turns 1 on May 1oth.....right now, she has 6 teeth....4 up top, 2 on the bottom...Eats everything you put in front of her.....Sleeps great....has a wonderful temperament...goes to everyone......CAN get loud; loves to 'squeal'.....is saying da da......trying real hard to say Zach....loves, loves watching big brother, as he makes her laugh....always looking for him.....stands on her own, no problem....walks pretty darn good for quite a few steps, then plops down.....should be walking regularly when we get home........can't be more pleased with the entire process......Everyone we have spoken with who has received kids on this journey seem to be doing well....some kids had difficult times adjusting, others no problem whatsoever.......All and all, this blog does not do justice to the entire trip....adoption process........everything.......it is over whelming.....tiring.....wonderful.......exhilirating......and not half as stressful or tiresome as i thought it would be......and......there IS a Starbucks down the street from the hotel....FINALLY a strong hot large cup of coffee tomorrow......this area CATERS to Amercians who adopt....EVERY store knows when we got in....how long we are here for, etc....good news is there a tons of 'baby' shops, and souvenir type shops, so negotiating is encouraged.......Letting Tina out on the streets tomorrow could prove to be very very costly....!!!! We have internet access til 9 45 tomorrow evening, and then may not be able to sign on again until we are home....will post more during day/night tomorrow.....thanks for all who have followed our journey, and who have shared their well wishes....it means a lot to us, as we are homesick.......love to all......

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Moving on again

Will post today's blog entry later on tonight....time for dinner....just wanted to say that NOW we can read the comments........caught up on them; thanks everyone....!!! today is our last night in Nanning...has been INCREDIBLE....last dinner here......then 10 30 flight to Guangzho......about hour flight from here.......we get the babies checked out medically (think its a basic quick exam), and get their visas at the Consulate......most families spend more time in Guangzho, but due to a large trade show, we are only there Monday, Tuesday, and fly out Wed night.......we actually have preferred remaining in Nanning....lot to do and see...and absolutely gorgeous here...weather mid 70s..today was 80!!

It is now 9 Pm......we depart for the airport tomorrow at 8:30 to catch a 10 3o shuttle to Guangzho......It has been an incredible stay in Nanning...people have been great....area is beautiful.....lot to see and do....today, went to a famous Mountain outside of the city......It overlooks the city and offers an incredible view.......they have a tower, Elephant and Dragon Tower, that you can climb up.....they name the tower to protect them from the largest and most powerful animal on Land (Elephant) and from the largest and most powerful animal from the Sea (Dragon).........Park was very nice....we walked with the babies, took photos with some of the elderly ladies, who got a huge kick out of the babies....then, on to lunch...one of the 'go alongs' (a travel companion that is not adopting, but is assisting a family, 'dared' to eat some local delicacies, which equated to a bumble bee....some worms....a small scorpion...and a beetle......straight out of fear factor.....When then went onto a Flea Market.......very big...noisy....congested, but fun........LOT of live animals for sale...chickens.....fish....turtles...bunnies...then lot of local fare....Zach continued his whirlwind shopping spree (talked him out of his billionth Transformer-like toy), and got a cool leather/rope Chinese bracelet.....some 'gem stones'..........was very very warm today...close to 80....we can back and took Bella and Zach to the pool........Bella is ALL set for "Mimi's" pool this summer.....LOVED the water, and had a blast.........!!! we had a great stay in Nanning....very relaxing......right now, finishing up packing.......onto Guanzho......should be nice there as well....hoping to have internet access to continue our journey.....tomorrow is Monday....hard to believe we are almost coming home........as great as the trip has been, miss our home....our bed........can't wait to introduce Bella to all.......best wishes from Nanning...next post, Guangzho