That other story - mystery revealed

Finally, that other story revealed. Up until now there had to be a gag order just to make absolutely sure nothing would come of it. Our local friends and family know about this, but others following our story from a distance may not know. What made our trip to China even more challenging than usual is that we moved to a new house just two weeks before our trip. We wanted to keep it out of the public eye simply due to the ream of adoption paperwork that had our old address on it, and we did not want to risk any hiccups. It's not difficult to get a new home study and amend the documents. However, the timing left no wiggle room to get it done. Now that we are back, we will be taking care of it next week.

We had been looking for something with a little more room for a few years, and our realtor had shown us a few houses during that time. We were never really in a rush, but knew that Alex needed a bigger yard and with a second child on the way it would become even more important to be able to say "go outside and play!" Our old backyard was very small and not condusive to kids playing ball or even marbles for that matter (on a hill).

In early May, Angie drove by an open house and out of curiouisty stopped in and quietly looked around. She came home and not so quietly told me that she really liked the place and thought I needed to check it out. The following week we had our realtor take us through. Angie loved the house and she asked me to play devil's advocate and find things that were not quite right. I pulled her aside while there and said "Nothing I don't like, how can we make this happen?" So on May 9th we put in a contract and on May 10th it was accepted. Timing would be settlement at the end of July - we now had to pack! And we joked that, you know, we'll probably have to travel to China.

The joke was on us! On May 13th, just three days after buying a new house, we recieved the referral for Aidan. Trying to pack for a vacation to the Grand Canyon the following day, we had only a few hours to review the paperwork and send our acceptance back to Holt International. And of course, the travel date would be about eight weeks from date of acceptance which put us into mid-July. This would be interesting.

As the summer wore on the timing became clear - our travel date was August 7th. Coupled with bumping up our settlement by about one week we had two weeks to move in and get settled before the big trip. With the help of family we were able to get packed and moved over a weekend, and by the China trip we were somewhat unpacked and settled into a new routine. We still have our share of boxes yet to be touched, but we'll get to them.

Feel free to stop by and see the new place!

The Long Road Home

We are at the end of our first day home, and as a family of four now, we look back on this adventure in awe. Angie and I were up early having coffee this morning, because of course we were still on China time and with Aidan quietly playing and Alex still asleep we just looked at each other and said "Weren't we just in China?" As long as the trip home was, it also seemed to have gone by in a blink.

Not to bore you with details, like I haven't been doing that all along? But our trip had a couple of interesting things - mostly security checks! We arrived at Guangzhou airport and our escort from Lotus Travel, Raymond, marched us through baggage checks and up to the customs line, where he bid our intrepid band of new adoptive parents adieu. A quick stroll through customs and we were at the security checkpoint. The big red sign said "Liquids allowed on aircraft..." This after super-strict in-country travel rules with zero tolerance for liquids and only one carry-on bag allowed. Great, we thought. International flights must be different. The bottle of water in our bag should be safe. NOT! Apparently the little guy doing random checks didn't get the message. "No water" he said with a wave of his hand. And off it went. Little did we think to go to battle over it "for the baby." David and Tammy convinced their security guy to allow water through for their child. Oh well. Picture that we are carrying six carry-on items, one being a box with our beautiful souvenir tea set. I thought for sure at some point in the day I'd have to untie the string and unpack each piece. Not once did anyone even think of questioning it. I suppose the x-ray was indisputable. Besides the water hiccup, we practically had to undress. Shoes - off. Belt - off. Wait a minute - my belt buckle is plastic, which I make sure I use for airports. What's the deal? OFF! DVD player - take the case out of the carry-on bag. Take the player out of the carrying case bag. Put it all in bins. We were lugging Aidan through the line and we had literally 10 pieces going down the conveyor belt all piling up at the end. There was no where to sit to put our shoes back on and we were already worn out and hadn't even boarded our first plane. Fun times! It was so confusing I almost walked away without the tea set box. Our friend Frank completely forgot his bag and had to go back. Angie was lugging Aidan all the while, because now she was his favorite parent. I guess she got what had wished a few days before. I was carrying four of the carry-ons. She was sweating and ready to faint because she hadn't really had much for breakfast. But we made it to the wait area and finally to the plane. Four hours to Tokyo went by relatively easy. Just a few of the seven babies had fussy spells. Aidan did fine, although he never stopped squirming in his seat and on our laps.

So then we had to go through Tokyo security. Apparently they do not trust the previous airport screeners at other international airports so we had to queue up and go through another checkpoint. Not so bad except for the contraband (sippy cups that had been filled with apple juice on the previous flight) that was found and had to be dumped out. No liquids allowed. And again the DVD player had to be taken out of it's cases and put in a bin. At least I could keep my belt on. We found a spot to sit and then Aidan took over the terminal. First, he was in desperate need of a diaper change. I volunteered, knowing there was a changing room in the men's room where I could spread him out. Since he was now Mama's best buddy, and I was now chopped liver, he screamed all the way to the men's room, shrieked all through the diaper change, and cried for Mama all the way back to our seat. At this point Angie needed to talk to the gate agent about switching our seats on the 747 for the 12-hour flight to Detroit. We had only two middle seats and a single in the row behind. That spelled disaster for someone - either us trying to keep Aidan occupied, or the row-mates who would be a part of that whether they liked it or not. Since Aidan would have no separation with Angie, she carried him into the line while I manned the seats and all of our bags. She got there just in time to be stuck behind a lady who monopolized both gate agents with some obscure request. I watched as she struggled to hold Aidan, all 26 pounds, for a lengthy wait. She finally temporarily broke ranks and brought him over to me and got back to her place in line. Then Aidan made himself known to all of Narita Airport. He screamed bloody murder. I tried snacks, toys, and anything in our bags to divert attention. The lady behind us actually got up and moved because of his ear-piercing shrills, or maybe it was also because his tears and runny nose were dripping on her. Not quite sure what the big deal was. Finally, after about five minutes of that, I had to march him back to Angie in the line where he quieted down. Later, on the plane, our Steward joked that he heard and saw him in action while boarding.
Angie finally got us three good seats together and came back and collapsed. Just in time for the EARTHQUAKE! Yep, that's right, we heard a BAM! and then the building swayed and the large terminal windows rattled for a few seconds. And we're thinking, great, either this is going to be the big one, or even worse, our flight will be delayed. Nothing else came of it, and we were finally off for the big 12-hour torture session.

We were extremely lucky on the flight to Detroit. Aidan fidgeted off and on from lap to lap, mostly just trying to get comfortable. He slept about half the time and the rest was really easy to deal with. Those international flights with the on-screen flight tracker are always so maddening because it takes forever as you literally watch minutes go by. But finally we were in Detroit for friendly and easy accommodations. Yeah right. Anytime the words "Immigration" and "Customs" are used in the same sentence spells disaster.

Because Aidan is not yet a US citizen, and carries a Chinese passport and visa, we had to go through the "Visitors" line at Immigration. We did this with Alex at Dulles Airport in 2004 and it took us 1.5 hours to get through that line. In Detroit, we were third in line and things moved right along. Our Border Patrol agent in the booth was very friendly knowing our adoption situation and us being fellow citizens. He quickly and politely pointed out that we had to go to Line 37 to finish our entry. OK, line 37 had one family ahead of us and we dutifully got in line. Three other adoptive couples found themselves in line with us. And there we waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently, the party/family of six from an African or Caribbean nation were going through a full entry scrutiny with every "i" dotted and "t" crossed. We literally waited over on hour to go through what was a five minute exercise for us. Other flights arrived and those folks were easily through the regular lines, but not ol' Line 37. We waited. And chased the kids around. And ate snacks. And joked that we can't even get across our own border, but how many Mexicans sneak through every day... I will say that it was simply a bad place at a bad time and the officers working the line were very apologetic and congratulatory, knowing we were adopting. After this fun and frolic, it was off to collect our checked baggage, run through even more security at Customs, and then re-check our already checked bags. And at this point I had to hike all the way back to Immigration because the first nice officer that sent us to Line 37 forgot to rubber stamp our declaration card. I didn't offer to take out the DVD player this time - let them figure it out on the x-ray machine...

Aaahhh, Detroit to Baltimore. One hour and five sweet minutes. Aidan was so tired he fell asleep in my arms not soon after take-off. The beautiful flight path rounded north and east of Baltimore, then headed down toward Annapolis. My beloved Chesapeake Bay stretched as far as I could see, glimmering under a setting sun. I got to see the North Point and Rock Creek Wednesday night sailing races from above. The Magothy River race was on a full spinnaker run. Annapolis Wednesday night racers were on their way to a weather mark just outside of the Severn River. As we turned upriver for the usual Severn approach path, I could see Pasadena almost right below us. We were home.

This is where it gets mushy.

When we brought Alex home from Korea, our trip was full of a sense of the beautiful Korean sights, culture, and people. Such a vibrant, yet stoic country. Modern. Ancient. Polite. Respectful. As our plane left the ground, I shed a tear or two for the fact that societal circumstances led to the crossing of our paths. Alex would have a wonderful life with us, but yet it could have been just as wonderful there. Not meant to be, and yet, meant to be. Fate played such a heavy hand on our precious little guy. But as we left the ground in China, there was not the same sense of sadness for Aidan. Maybe it was our grueling two week trip. Maybe it was the dust, grime, and constant smog. Maybe it was the 130 degree heat index. Or possibly the constant parade of bikes, scooters, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, wheelchairs, and pedestrians making their way around city streets without hardly following a rule or law. Somehow they do it without even a fender bender. My apologies to any Chinese friends reading this, but you've got to admit that making one's way in life, in China, competing against one billion others for the same right turn or the same Yuan, is a hard way to go.

As we taxied to the BWI terminal it hit me hard. There were more than just a few tears this time. Aidan was still asleep in my arms. During the past 10 days we had bonded without a hitch. His angelic sleeping face looked so much like Alex. Thoughts of how much I missed Alex and our new home washed over me. Also were thoughts of a place Aidan had left 26 hours earlier, and what his life will be like in this wonderful country, with our wonderful family and friends, with a stable and beautiful home. His opportunities in life are now endless. Aidan, Alex, Asian, Adopted. Brothers in ways we will never fully comprehend. They can be anything they want in life except the President of the United States.

Our plane slowed to a stop. The seat belt sign went off. In the frenzy to hurry up and wait, others jumped up to grab their bags. I was in no rush. I grabbed a tissue. I wiped my eyes. I bent down and kissed Aidan on his sleeping forehead, whispering "WELCOME HOME AIDAN."

The grand entrance

Brothers, family

It's great to be back...

We are back, tired, ecstatic to see Alex and family, and in brief, the trip was super smooth (but long). More to catch up on soon.

HOMEWARD BOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been a long journey, with another huge leg to go, but this will be the last post from China. We leave tomorrow morning at 5:30AM for the airport. We land at BWI Wednesday, 7:10PM, Northwest flight 1144.

Today we relaxed a little with no big plans and packed up most of our gear in the morning. Aidan had an early nap and then our group piled in a bus for a trip to the U.S. Consulate. There we had to appear in person to finalize Aidan's visa and then there is a brief oath ceremony. All went well, which was good after yesterday's news that computer problems were causing the visas to be delayed. ramifications of that would have been a delay in leaving. Catherine from Holt was all over the situation and between her coaxing and I suppose some help from the computer Gods things were finally back on line.

Some random pictures from the our last day include a breakfast shot of Aidan at the window overlooking the river, a typical outdoor street market, bride and groom posing in 120 degree heat index, the hotel pool, and shots from the 23rd floor looking up and down the river.

And now for one last daily fix. If you recall yesterdays photo of Aidan squatting on the potty we must say we are having great success in that department. We haven't changed a poopy diaper in three days because he goes on the potty. He has perfected the action. today Mama was holding him in position. Right there looking at the business end and smelling the finished business. I jokingly went over and pinched her nose. Now Aidan reaches out and pinches our nose for us... That's the least he could do.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...

I found myself watching a Chinese yo-yo competition while Aidan napped. It was actually better than all the Olympic coverage and took me back to my 7th grade days with a Duncan yo-yo. But today was a good day overall and we are one day closer to getting home.

This morning we went shopping just walking around the local area near the hotel. Picked up a few things that we had our eye on. Especially a nice tea set that will go great in our china hutch. I guess if you have a china hutch you ought to have something in it actually from China.

After lunch and an Aidan nap we hustled down to the lobby for a group picture with all the other Holt International families. Trying to get everyone to look at the camera simultaneously with squirming babies is an impossibility. There was a good shot or two:

After some room service dinner, mostly just to feed Aidan, we left for a river cruise to see the neon light displays along the Pearl River. We had Papa Johns deliver pizza right to the dock before we boarded the boat. Pictures don't quite do it justice, but have a look:

Despite more of our group falling under the weather, including me, today was a good day. The trip takes its toll, that's for sure. We are all ready to go home.

And finally, your daily poopy fix. Aidan again went number two (and number one) on the potty and we have pictures to prove it. Enjoy:

PS - I haven't forgotten about that other story that has so far gone unreported. After I get back I'll post it for those that don't know. The mystery continues...

Are We There Yet?

We are seriously anxious to get home. Angie is bored and craving a Fuddrucker's cheeseburger and a "real" Diet Coke with ice. Or maybe it's a Five Guys cheeseburger. Or maybe a Cheeseburger In Paradise cheeseburger. Gee, now I'm salivating. Me, I'm just plain bored. Today was so boring - how boring was it? It was so boring that I built Legos with Aidan in the kiddie playroom. It was so boring that Angie had TWO naps. It was so boring that I watched Chinese ping pong (singles AND doubles), Chinese tennis, Chinese synchronized swimming, and Chinese equestrian events on the tube while Aidan napped. China certainly has Olympic TV coverage that the US never had. And I read the China Daily newspaper from cover to cover - actually a very nice paper with great international stories. Oh and there was Japanese baseball on the tube as well.

It was so boring that not once today did I take my camera out of the camera bag. Sorry, no new pictures.

So here are some ramblings to just set the record straight for what's happening:

1. Aidan pointed to the potty and then to his butt and then he pooped on the potty today. (just thought I'd start off with another poop story for you daily fix).
2. Aidan was an angel today. Angie, not so much.
3. Angie is under the weather and that is dragging her spirits down.
4. John from yesterday's story is back and was at breakfast with his new son and he was looking pretty good considering his ordeal. All seems well.
5. We think we finished the last of our paperwork today during a one hour group meeting.
6. Tomorrow we have one more meeting and then a dinner cruise on the Pearl River to see the neon lights that line each bank. Papa Johns pizza is on the menu.
7. We are dreading the 27 hour trip with an active toddler who wouldn't sit still for a two hour flight. And we forgot the Benadryl...
8. Tsingtao beer is good.
9. After this I'm going to the bar for a nightcap and to watch Chinese synchronized diving.

Cheers!

Back in Guangzhou!!!!!

Although it is HOT! 100 degrees today with 80% humidity. Stifling. Thank goodness for a very nice outdoor pool under the shade by the river with a breeze. But how we got back here is another story.

Yesterday we took a morning trip to a "museum"/gift shop where we browsed for awhile before deciding on a few souvenirs. The museum side really housed Ming Dynasty artifacts and boy was it fun keeping Aidan from running amok in the rows of porcelain vases. We spent time out on the front steps while Angie finished the shopping.

After lunch and an Aidan nap we quickly packed for our 6:30PM flight from Kunming back to Guangzhou. Then the fun really began. Imagine 120 people all cramming into one big tram bus to go out to the tarmac and board the plane. Standing room only on the tram, and mayhem getting off and onto the plane. No real "line etiquette", just push and shove to get where they are going. That was a treat carrying Aidan and our carry-ons. Once we were on the plane the five babies took over. One by one they all started crying and having issues as we flew for two hours. We were extremely lucky. We had one of only about three empty seats on the plane next to us. This was a blessing. Aidan in all of his 21-month-old active self would not have stayed on a lap. In fact he barely stayed in the seat. Couldn't use a seat belt. He was up and down playing peek-a-boo with the people behind us. Luckily they were into it. The other babies with our travel group each had their turn fussing and probably bothering people around them. Then it was Aidan's turn. With 30 minutes to go in the flight he got himself so worked up that he was wailing at the top of his lungs for many minutes that seemed like hours. Keep in mind that I was physically and mentally drained from chasing him around all day through Ming Dynasty vases and airports. I was done... My feeble attempts at trying to calm him down went nowhere. And remember that up until this point Angie is chopped liver to him, sort of, unless she has food. I could see her frustration while trying to console him among stares from nearby irritated passengers. I think just to show the starers that this really was a hopeless case she pulled out every stop of mothering, diversions, and tricks up her sleave to calm him down. No toy, food, trinket, or anything would make him stop wailing. The more people stared the harder she worked it. Finally, with simple stroking of his sweating head and singing songs softly into his ear she found the key. He settled down and whimpered the rest of the flight. And I think while doing so she turned the corner with him and they have been very good buddies today. So that's a two-hour flight. How are we going to make it on the 27 hour return trip????? News at eleven.

Aidan leaving his birthplace, Kunming, China

Glad to be back at the White Swan in Gunagzhou. Our room wasn't what we had last week (smaller and unworkable bathroom), so Angie marched right down to the front desk and demanded an upgrade to a suite, for which we are paying handsomely. It is really very nice.

This morning we walked a few blocks to a medical clinic to get the kids one last official check up. The doctor went over the records and performed a very brief check up. I could have done that with Alex's toy medical kit. But it is, afterall, something else for which someone gets paid. Does it sound like I'm getting tired of all the red tape here?

Aidan not happy with doctors. Lookout Dr. Srsic!

This afternoon we hung out at the pool, had dinner at a deli a half block away, and got a tired and hot Aidan his bath and early to bed. AAAHHHH! So here I am. Speaking of dinner, wow the prices at the hotel restaurant are high. We have breakfast buffets included in our room rate each day, but no other meals. Choices are limited elsewhere. We had a buffet lunch at the hotel today for $116 good ol' American dollars and I maybe liked about three of the choices. Enough of that. Half a block away is a deli with pretty good Chinese dishes of pork and rice, and for dinner tonight we paid less than $10 total. A Tsingtao beer there is $.82. I had a few. Or there is always the 7-11 across the street for some beef jerky and a Heineken ($.87, ripoff).

The Deli Shop. Cheap food and beer!

I'm so tired I don't even know what we have scheduled tomorrow and being in survival mode I'll just take it on hour at a time. I do know we'll be back at the pool.

Still rambling on I thought I'd talk about the stress and strain of making this trip and the toll it takes on everyone. Last night after an all-afternoon/evening flight with tired, hungry, and crying babies, and getting to this hotel at 10:00PM, rumor has it there was quite a bit of husband-wife dissent in the ranks just trying to keep our sanity. I can attest that the rumor is true. Practically all of our kids came to us with runny noses. So that's got them in a foul mood if they are not feeling 100%. Other friends have fallen under the weather including Angie. I guess as we continually wipe snotty noses all day the chances are pretty high we might catch something. Donna is under the weather and lost her voice. Poor little Hanna needed medical attention today. Then there is poor John. Not with our core group, we met him on the first night arriving from the airport. He is traveling alone to pick up a new son. Mother and daughter were back in the states. A brave soul he is, I thought, and couldn't imagine doing this myself. While our five families went to our province, he traveled to a far away province by himself and would meet a Holt escort there. We just found out that he became seriously ill (diarrhea, vomiting) to the point he was having trouble dealing with his new child and his illness. Holt had to fly another escort to meet him and help get him and baby back to Guangzhou. He is back now and apparently still under the weather, but he is in good hands and hopefully all will be better soon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to John and his family back in the states, who I'm sure are freaked out about the turn of events. Hopefully over the next few days we'll catch up to him and see how he's doing.

PS - Aidan has taken a liking to pooping in the tub. We avoided a major catastrophe tonight and got him onto the toilet just in the nick of time. I just thought you'd all want to know that... :-)

Bonus picture. Anyone want to hazard a guess what this doctor is wearing under his scrubs?