Aloha from Hawaii

Say hello to the United States' newest and cutest little citizen - we made it to the immigration office, filled out more paperwork and came away with her certificate of citizenship.

We celebrated with breakfast outside with lots of giggles...
and then went to the social security office and filed for her social security number. A very nice lady helped us, but I couldn't help but thinking that she wasn't quite all there when she asked "now, you are sure she has never had a social security number before?".

Later we celebrated more with lais (insert your own joke here), provided by Auntie Marilyn and dinner by the ocean where we watched a most disturbing hula show - it was the Christmas version with the dancers dancing to "Jingle Bells" , "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Rockin around the Christmas Tree" - it just wasn't right.
The evening ended with a fireworks display and then back to the room for more general play. Our timing is way off - I really don't even know what day or time it is at this point, so we sleep when we sleep and play when we play....all is good.....

Goodbye to China

We are off today for the final leg of the trip; two flights to Honolulu, a few appointments with U.S. government officials, some good fun with Auntie Marilyn and then home.

I would love to be articulate enough to adequately describe this experience, but no words can possible convey the sensation of this child being put in my arms and what has come since.

Yesterday was the swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate. Forty seven families gathered to finish the process before heading home. To see these forty seven children, who two weeks ago were terrified beyond words, now laughing, running and crying, not with fear, but knowing there will always be someone to answer, was just awesome.

to be continued......

Buddhist Blessing

No matter what your faith, to be blessed by a Buddhist monk is an experience not to be missed if you ever get the chance. For me, it was extra special as this is the predominant religion in China and part of my child's heritage.

We arrived at the incense filled temple, filed in and took our shoes off before entering the alter area. We all nealt and closed our eyes and the monk started to chant. We all wished for our daughters and I was transported to a place of such warmth and safety I cannot adequetly describe it here. Needless to say when it was over, my glasses were wet from the tears that fell.

Note To Self

1) While absolutely gorgeous, my daughter has some issues with personal hygiene - does not like baths. No, why be coy about it - she despises baths - starts shrieking at the sight of the water and will not stop until she is safely in the towel and out of the bathroom. Same for teeth brushing, without the screams. Just shuts her cute little mouth shut with all the strength she has.

2) Doctor visits will be an issue. While at the exam needed for the consulate, she howled, threw herself around and basically made every other parent waiting grateful she wasn't theirs. She even made me cry.

3) Never, ever, ever wake my daughter from a nap. She does not like it and will make that fact known to everyone on the very small bus we took to the Buddhist Temple.

But other that that, she is a total and complete joy.

Daddy's Little Girl

Just because baba-san isn't here doesn't mean his presence is forgotten. Ariana displayed a very intense interest in the calculator at the pearl store earlier today, practically grabbing it out of the saleswoman's grasp and it took awhile before she relinquished it:

After a sumptuous buffet breakfast on the 2nd floor of the hotel:


we all met to do the paperwork that makes up the American portion of the adoption - basically to get her into the U.S. Ariana amused herself with raisins, which she either 1) ate whole 2) took little bites of, or 3) threw down as not worthy.

We also took a walk down the streets around the White Swan, a quaint and quiet area compared to the center of town. We bought the first of many pairs of shoes - for Ariana - they are about $3-4 a pair, so there is absolutely no guilt involved.

Dinner tonight was with some of the group at a Thai restaurant where Ariana dined with her own little fork on a mango milkshake, pumpkin sticks, chicken,noodles, lamb and chocolate ice cream. Now, a good portion of all of the above ended up in places other than her mouth (her lap, the chair, the floor) but enough got into her mouth that I am sure she is not starving.

and finally, the smile.....

which came from tickling her tummy and almost made me cry...OK, so it did make me cry, I admit it...

Proud Mama

Can I just say what a smart, sweet, lovely, brilliant, adorable, well mannered and beautiful child I have? She is......now you may ask what sparked this outpouring of compliments. Well, today was our first plane ride and her first day without baba-san and big brother. We all got up very early and the guys left around 7am. I was really panicked that things would go swiftly downhill. But no. Not just no, but a resounding NO!!! She was brilliant. She ate, she let me change her diaper with not a peep and was calm, cool and collected on the plane; eating, drinking and playing with her book. She even got up to stretch her legs and played with "uncle" Jan for awhile.



She came right back to me though for the touchdown and was only slightly grouchy waiting to check in. Finally in our room, she has been sitting on the bed amusing herself for a couple of hours now and I have spent a couple of hours just staring at my beautiful, smart, cute, adorable child.



Oh and she smiled a big smile when she saw herself in the mirror in her little book and she has been babbling and saying definite words!!!

some two fisted eating action last night at dinner...notice the utencils in her cute little hands....
Today she dined on hamburger and little crackers in bed.....
This is the view from our hotel room...

to be continued....

Just a Quick Note

Tonight is our final night in Nanchang and my final night with the boys. Arny and Jed leave tomorrow for Tokyo as Jed has school and preparation for finals.

We had a group dinner at the wonderful restaurant around the corner and celebrated all of our accomplishments and joy. We leave early tomorrow for Guangzhou and the U.S. portion of the adoption. Basically, just more paperwork. Ariana has her Chinese passport and will be ready to go once she gets the visa at the U.S. consulate. I am looking forward to leaving Nanchang and getting on with the process.

But, I am terrified at the prospect of having all of the responsibility in Guangzhou. Husband-san makes a wonderful teammate in this parenting game and his presence will be sorely missed. And Jed in turning into a terrific big brother.

Our little girl is showing herself alittle each day and it is so exciting to see. She actually let us put her down in her crib tonight, on the third try. Perhaps she is feeling more secure.

Some memories of Nanchang: the rooster alarm clock, the dog meat on the menu in the hotel dining room, the women on the street who chastise us for not covering up our babies enough; people cooking their lunch in front of their stores; the people who look at us with such intense interest. Most of all, it is the place where we were united with the most amazing child, one I hope you will all meet very soon.

I will try my best to write in Nanchang, however with a two year old alone, I'm not sure just how much I'll get done..

the adventure continues.................

More Pictures...

More Pictures

She Likes Me, She Really Likes Me!!!!

She finally figured out I wasn't so bad and we are now pals; at least most of the time. Boy, does this feel good!! It's amazing how I start to go through withdrawal if I haven't held her for awhile. Well, yesterday I held her for most of the day - she cried every time I tried to put her down.

We went sightseeing and had lunch in the hotel - her first taste of pizza and she liked it!

Towards the end of the day, she wanted her daddy, so he got the feeding chores, this time some shrimp.












Between the need to be held all the time, we are starting to get a little glimpse of her personality - she is coming out of her shell and starting to investigate her toys. It is slow going, but she has been through a tremendous change and is actually doing quite well. She has a little cold, which is causing a lot of sniffles and a bloody nose because of all of the congestion and rubbing...more sucking action (causing more screaming) is in order...yuck!!