More Shopping and the Consulate Appointment

Today we took a taxi back to Shamian Island to do a little more shopping. We're been back and forth between our hotel and the island a few times now and using the taxi is pretty easy and only cost around 3 dollars. We managed to blow through the money we had exchanged in a couple of hours.

Before going back to our hotel we sneaked into the White Swan's play room. You need a hotel pass key to get in but there was someone in there so we just knocked and they let us in. We spent time in this room with Gabby and found that a few of the toys were still there. Lydia's favorite were the musical toys

At 2:30 we had out appointment at the American Consulate, this is when Lydia's visa paperwork is processed and we have to take an oath. The oath is part of the immigrant visa process and for adoptions the parents take it on behalf of the children. The oath basically says that all of the information provided by us is true and accurate. This time around was a little different from Gabby's adoption in that we had to go up to a window in the consulate and present our passports as a final check that we are the correct people and match the copies included with the submitted forms. It wasn't easy sitting in a big room with dozens of babies trying to pick out your child's name, especially when the first thing heard was a muffled 'Wa Wa Wa'... 'Wa Wa Wa'... turned out they were just testing the speakers and not calling for anyone but eventually they called Huai Xin Chun and we got the final 'okay' on our papers. A short time later everyone stood, repeated the oath and it was all over.

Tonight we also had the option of going on a Pearl River Dinner Cruise, and it was the perfect evening for the event. Our guide had already given us the heads up on the deal 'out of ten, the cruise would be a 10, the food around an 8' and that was a fairly accurate description. Lydia tried her best to eat all the noodles she could, and I tried my best not to end up wearing them. I pitied the people at the next table and Lydia was quite intent at staring at them with a face covered in noodles!

After dinner we went outside onto the third floor of the boat to view the scenery and enjoy the night. The whole thing lasted about 90 minutes and was just the right length to keep the little ones entertained before it was time to get back on the bus for our hotel.

Another busy day and Lydia was great through everything. As we get close to the end of our journey our thoughts turn to the long flight home - we're hoping that Lydia keeps up the great behaviour for the long day ahead.

In the taxi on the way to the Shamian Island.

Playing in the Swan room.

This place is fun!

Dinner cruise.

Enjoying an after-dinner cracker.

Lazy Day

We had a lazy day on Tuesday. Our CHI coordinator, Elsie, went to the American Consulate to submit our paperwork. While she was at the consulate from 10:30 until 11:30 we had to stay in the room in case there were any questions about the information we had submitted. 11:30 came and went without any calls so our paperwork was good. By that time we were ready for lunch and a nap so the day went by quietly and I think we all appreciated a lazy day to rest up.

At 5 pm though we met our whole group in the lobby for a group photo. Trying to get so many families together and co-ordinated though is no small feat but we managed to get a couple of good photos.

For dinner we went back to "Food Street" in the hotel and ordered some noodles for Lydia. I think she had been missing the flavors of China and she inhaled the noodles and managed to wolf down three bowls.

Checking out her pretty dress in the mirror.

All the moms... and two dads too.

The whole group.

Just us... but I think Lydia had tired of the photo shoot.

Finally coming up for air while eating noodles.

Jade and Pearl Shopping

Today we went to back to the island that the White Swan hotel is located for a little more shopping while other families had to take their children (who are older than 2 years old) back to the medical office to get their TB shots read.

Then we all went to the Jade and Pearl market for more shopping. It was the exact same stores that we went to before with Gabby, but again, lots of construction going on. We found the same earrings and necklaces for Lydia that we purchased for Gabby for them to have when they graduate high school and get married. Dinner was just a quick sandwich in the room with of course Lydia's favorite fruit.....bananas.

She was so good today while Mommy went shopping, she strolled along with Daddy. She is excited to get into her stroller when we open it up in the room because she knows we are going someplace....preferable to eat. Many people in our group commented on what a patient baby she was, she was content in her stroller and on the bus...but Rob was quick to tell them that the secret to a happy Lydia is a BIG bag of Cheerios!

Picking out some pearls.

Lydia's happy so long as the cheerios and crackers keep coming.

Finding a piece of jade.

The Jade Shop.

Embroidery Shop.

At the Mall

Waiting for the bus to take us back to the hotel.

A Walk in the Park

Yesterday we went to a park nearby the hotel. It was a short walk via an underpass to get across the busy streets. The park was beautiful, the weather steamy and the mosquitoes biting! Half way through the park was a playground for adults, lots of exercise equipment busily being used by Chinese people. There were traditional exercise bikes, parallel bars, rowing machines and the like but there's something odd about seeing a grown man trying to use the monkey bars!

In the afternoon we had paperwork to complete for the U.S. side of the adoption, then we splurged on the dinner buffet at the hotel. The salad was great and Rob enjoyed having lamb, beef curry and quail wrapped in bacon. Although the quail was mostly bones and far too much effort for the meager amount of meat. While the amount of fresh seafood, meats and fruits was great the number of desserts was amazing. The chocolate tarts were the best but there were lots of different 'shooters' - sweet concoctions in shot glasses. The desserts alone were worth the price.

Lydia meanwhile found a new favorite - cold potato salad and couldn't get enough of it. So much so that she picked up the spoon and started feeding herself. It's amazing how fast she is learning new tricks.

The entrance to the park, our hotel is the distance...The China Hotel-Marriott.

Enjoying a steamy day in the park. Notice the fogged up glasses. :)

Lydia and Daddy among the palm trees.

Mmmmm...a big girl eating a big helping of potato salad with a big spoon!

Playing in the room

We have found that Lydia loves to sing and march. Whenever Kara sings a song to her, she tries to sing along and dances. Tonight she put on a performance of her own while waving her new Chinese flag that one of the shop owners gave her for free! Enjoy!

Medical and Shopping on Shamian Island

The U.S. immigration requires a medical as part of the adoption process, so we found ourselves back on Shamian Island to get Lydia's photo taken for her visa, and to complete her medical. When we adopted Gabby in 2005 we stayed on Shamian Island at the White Swan hotel and this is where our bus driver dropped everyone off today for the medical. Many memories of our time with Gabby came back seeing the familiar places on the island.

Just across the street is the photo shop for the visa, and they were also selling strollers which was the first thing on our list to buy. After the all of the photos were taken it was time to walk to the medical building. The short walk showed us the many changes that are taking place on the island. We had read that there was lots of construction going on and the reports were correct. Many of the sidewalks were torn up or flooded and we had to backtrack a few times picking the stroller up and carrying Lydia across some of the less stroller-friendly sections.

The medical building was crowded with lots of families. There didn't seem to be any order to the process, the instructions were that there are three stations for ENT, height/weight and surgical and you can go in any order. The rooms and the process were familiar and we were done quickly with no problems, the height/weight station told us that Lydia is 19.8 pounds. Lydia of course didn't find the process quite to easy and she screamed through most of it.

Once done with the medical we had some free time to go shopping. This is when we really saw how much had changed. Many of the shops we remembered have gone. Jennifer's place was where we purchased the most from with Gabby, but the shop looked gutted and empty. We were sad to not find the places we remembered but there are still a few shops around. Since the adoption traffic is down many of the shops have stepped up the hard-selling tactics and have people out trying to draw you into their shops. We were led into one shop where they closed the door behind us - quite off-putting and we didn't spend much. Other's like Jordan's place are very nice, the owner was great and now that we've looked around we're planning on going back there before we leave. Seeing all the construction and the change in the atmosphere of the island we're very happy to be staying off the island at the China Hotel.

Before meeting back up at the bus we went inside the White Swan hotel to look around and remember our time with Gabby. We found the 'red couch' and where we took our group photo - fond memories of our time with Gabby five years ago.

Back on the bus and Lydia soon few asleep. On the way back to the hotel we could stop and go to a grocery store so many of the families split up, Kara went to the grocery store and I stayed on the bus to go back to the hotel. Getting off the bus made Lydia wake up and she just played in her crib rather than take her regular nap. Kara came back with a new toy for Lydia - a cellphone. It's very loud and says the same couple of lines in Chinese over and over... but Lydia loved it and played very hard that night.

After such a busy day and a couple of days off-schedule though Lydia didn't want to go to bed last night. I think she's having too much fun in the room and does not want to stop playing. We had screams for around 30 minutes before she finally dropped off.

Waiting in the rain outside the photo shop.

Lydia in her new stroller.

Medical Room

Inside the White Swan Hotel

Arrived in Guangzhou

Arrived in Guangzhou late last night. Got into the room after 11:00 pm. Lydia did great on the plane, it's amazing what a big bag of cheerios can do! She didn't sleep on the plane but was out after being on the bus for about 30 seconds.

We have the medical this morning so we're expecting lots of screams from all the babies. Thankfully our paperwork was filed before recent rule changes and Lydia will not have to get a load of shots today.

Taking a stroll in Changsha

Lydia and Daddy in the Dolton Hotel Lobby ready to go strolling.

Dolton Hotel has 47 floors, we were on the 30th floor. Many floors had offices and businesses so the elevators in the morning and evening were super busy. A worker from the hotel would have to serve as the "elevator guard" so people would not overload the elevators.

Walking in a little park down the street from the hotel, not any grass, but pretty stone pathways.

Lots of people going lots of places....had to keep a sharp eye for traffic even on sidewalks you would have scooters beep and buzz by you.

On your mark.....get set.....GO!!! Amazing how there are no helmets, saw many toddlers riding on scooters on parent's laps without helmets too. So how come we get fingers wagged at us if we don't have long pants on Lydia in 90 degree weather. :)

Leaving for Guangzhou

Our bags are almost packed and we leave tonight on an 8:00 pm flight for Guangzhou. It's bittersweet as it's one step closer to home but we're leaving Lydia's province behind. Hunan was her home for the first 19 months and we can see she was very loved and very spoiled. We're so grateful that she has been taken care of so well.

As we packed our cases she had more 'alone' time than usual and she was in to everything. Opening draws, climbing and generally checking everything out. I'm expecting to have to baby-proof the house more for Lydia than we did for Gabby.

Vicky our guide just called and she has picked up all of Lydia's paperwork. Sometimes the Chinese passport isn't ready until late in the day, but Lydia's is ready and we're set for our flight tonight. We're excited to see all the families from Beijing again with their new babies. We do not know what the Internet will be like in Guangzhou but hopefully we will not have a problem posting from our new town.

We had to go down and ask for a late checkout time, as soon as noon rolled around the power went off in our room so Kara had to go down to the front desk to clear it up. However, when she returned to the room, the lights still would not come back on. We called for the front desk and they sent up a repairman who left the our room door open...that was just too much temptation for Lydia who had been cooped up in the room the whole morning as we packed.

She went and began pulling Rob's finger to go with her, but he was taking too long putting on his shoes. Kara went over to Lydia and held out her finger and off they went out of the room together alone. Lydia paused for a second at the door to wait for Baba, but the draw of the playroom was too much and she kept leading Kara down the hall. They played alone for about 5 -10 minutes and walked down the hall to look at ourselves in the mirror. She put her arms out for me to pick her up and you could see something click in her mind, the lip went out and she began to wail....we started walking back to the room but Rob met us in the hallway. It was wonderful to have a few minutes alone with her and she did really well, when strangers came in she would cling to me...so the pecking order goes, Daddy, Mama and then strangers....a BIG step forward. Love to all !

Such big bites for such a little girl

She is turning into quite the ham!

After taking a drink, Lydia looks at Mama and says"Ahhhhhh"......as the milk dribbles from her mouth!

Our new trick of the day is to squint the eyes and show the teeth when Mama says "Cheese!"...no worries...she is HAPPY HERE!

Peeking out of the van while Vicky ran to the notary to get our finished paperwork!

OOHH...she sees Mama with camera and flashes those pearly whites!

Sightseeing in Changsha

Sorry we didn't post anything about our adventures in Changsha the last couple of days, the internet was being tempermental, we even had to make a very short phone call to our Gabby yesterday with a bad connection.

Wednesday we went to visit Yulu Academy. It is an ancient university where Confuscious taught. It was very quiet and serene with beautiful green gardens. The weather has been warm and very humid, but we have had rain everyday so we know without that it could be a lot hotter. We saw old buildings, many of them were replicas because there were fires and such. Also there were replicas of famous essays. Many things from the academy were destroyed during the cultural revolution. I asked our guide Vicky about that time in China's history.

She said that her grandparents viewed Mao as "Superman" saving the country of China, where her parents who grew up in the 60's have a different view. She said that during the revolution, her parents didn't have the choice to go to university. Instead they had to go to the countryside to work. After about 10 years they came back to the city, so the two generations have very different perspectives on that time in China's history.

We enjoyed the chance to get out of the hotel and see a bit of the area around Changsha. We crossed over a very wide river, they have many floods happening in China now. The traffic to cross the bridge was crazy. At one point we felt a little bump, turns out the police car behind our van tapped the bumper, so that caused even more of a traffic jam as our driver had to get out and check over the damage...there wasn't any...no one was really going fast enough to cause an accident.

Lydia enjoyed walking around the academy and seeing the koi fish in the ponds. She is getting more and more brave about walking and going to new places. Last night she keep pulling Rob's finger...not that way...but tell him she wanted to go out of the room and down the hall to the playroom. She is curious about opening drawers in the hotel room and is content to play with her toys and not be on Rob's lap constantly. She does however have to know where he is at all times, and she has journeyed many times into the bathroom when daddy has to take care of business....now he knows what it is like to be a mommy....no privacy in the bathroom!

Thursday we went to the provincial museum. It had interesting displays of the "three tombs". Artifacts from 210 AD were found in these three tombs around 1970. The tombs were of a high ranking family in the Hunan province. Most of the artifacts were from the tomb of the wife, they even had her body on display which was a bit shocking. Vicky said that they used to display her organs as well, they could tell how and when she died and what she ate by the contents of her stomach. What is amazing to me is that so there are common threads from all ancient civilizations about burials. You know it's not like the Chinese people were communicating with Egyptians asking about the latest trends in burial tombs. But like the terra cotta warriors, many wooden dolls were buried with her so she would servants and music makers in the after life. Food and household items were buried with her as well. Just amazing when you think of how cultures can be so different but so similar as well.

It rained most of the morning so this was good planning on the part of our guide. We had dressed Lydia in a cotton smocked top that had matching jean shorts, but at breakfast we found out the waist of the jean shorts were too big, she kept reaching down the back of her pants and into her diaper. Well, we had already done up her hair with matching yellow bows, so instead of changing outfits completely before we went sight seeing, we just put on a pair of white cotton bloomers that go under another dress. The reason I am telling you this is that Lydia looked like she just had on a short, short dress when we took her out and sure enough a comment was made to our guide that we didn't have enough clothes on her. Vicky didn't say anything to us, but I could tell by the gestures from the older gentleman that she was being scolded for something. I told her that we had brought a light blanket with us and we could put it around Lydia's legs if that would smooth things over. Rob of course was carrying Lydia through the museum, they had strollers to rent, but the people at the counter said she was too big for them. So you can imagine how warm Rob was after carrying our little hot box through the "air conditioned" museum while trying to keep a blanket around her legs.

It seems that strollers were more accepted to use in our other province because they were easier to find there. Vicky has taken us to two different stores to find them. One had none, and the other store we went to yesterday was a beautiful baby store, but all the strollers were the big ones that were a $100 or more, we just want the little umberella stroller to help make the airports coming home easier...so we will have to look in Guangzhou.

After we went to the museum, we asked to the embroidery museum because we heard about this from the Zottarellas when they went to bring home Allie. I wouldn't call it a museum as everything hanging on the wall had a price, but it was a short explanation of the art of embroidery and then we could buy things for Lydia as keepsakes which is what we wanted to do anyway. We found a couple of small handkercheifs and a larger scarf. We also have an outfit for her first Chinese New Year in America.

We leave Changsha tomorrow, just waiting on getting Lydia's passport. We leave the hotel about 5 pm for an 8 pm flight to Guangzhou. We are looking forward to seeing people from our group and hear their Gotcha Day stories. Other people in our group have done blogs as well so we have been checking out their province adventures.

On our floor there are at least 6 other families who adopted on the same day as we adopted Lydia. Most seem to be older kids, ages 3-5. Only one is younger than Lydia and she has a cleft lip and palate that has not been repaired yet. She is only drinking formula, we are going to give our baby food and rice cereal to them to try because Lydia wants nothing to do with baby food and bottles. Only one family we know of is from the states, the others are from Denmark and Canada, so we have been hearing French and Dutch languages in the hallway.

I am going to post more pictures with all the funny stories about what Lydia is doing. Want to get this posted before the internet plays up again!

Love to all!

So happy when it's mealtime!

Uses a big girl cup, have the towel there to catch the dribbles.

I am ready to order. I want noodles, bananas, apple juice, eggs and anything but baby food.

So tired from sightseeing and squeaky shoe shopping.

The buildings and gardens at Yulu Academy were beautiful.

The Confucious temple at the academy.

Pretty in Purple

Visiting the Yuly Academy, an ancient university where Confuscious taught.

She loves to look at herself in the mirror that is by the elevators!

She loves teddy bears...this one was hiding in the closet and only costs 48 yuan.

She is officially part of our Family!

Sorry but this post is going to be short but sweet as we are very tired and ready for bed.

Today we officially adopted Lydia. Everything went smoothly, she was happy with no tears and everyone commented on how smart and beautiful she is. We saw her aunties from the orphanage again today and as they saw Lydia they waved and one put out their hands to her...she gave them the cold shoulder and nestled into Baba's arms which you could tell made the aunties very happy that she was attached to us.

We took pictures with them and they were around while we signed papers snapping pictures for themselves to keep. When it was time to say goodbye, I got teary eyed because I knew how much they loved and cared for Lydia and that saying goodbye to all the babies they care for is bittersweet.

After that we went to Wacko Mart to get the sweet yogurt and milk drinks that Lydia is used to and more diapers of course. We found her a little light up musical game that she has loved playing with this afternoon. She pushes a button and waits for Mama to start dancing, if I don't start nodding my head right away she gets the dance going...so she is interacting with me more and more...it's amazing to think we have really only had her 24 hours and she is gotten in such a great routine.

We have had lots of meals...lots of rice, noodles and dim sum....right now I just want sum guacamole, salsa and chips. She goes to town eating bananas, taking big bites...she starting wiggling in her seat as we were peeling it she got so excited. Also she is a BIG fan of watermelon.

We have had two poops and two baths and she is settled in for the night in her crib. Rob rocks her for a bit and then laid her in the crib while still awake. She tried her best to get him to play with her by dropping toys over the side, but soon she settled down and went to sleep.

Tomorrow we go to an "academy" that is outside for sightseeing and then to a bigger store in search of a stroller.

Heading to bed and looking forward to another night of good sleep.

Love to all!

Videos of our little Lydia

Gotcha Day Photos

It’s Gotcha Day for Lydia!

We met our guide Vicky in the lobby at 9:00 am and headed in a van to go to the Civil Affairs office about 20 minutes away. Rob and I were joking this morning that we were both pretty calm amazingly, guess we felt we knew the drill since it was our 2nd time at the rodeo. As we pull into the parking lot we pass a group of ladies carrying a baby and Vicky pointed out…”there she is.” It didn’t take us two seconds to become big piles of mush…she is so beautiful. Vicky asked us if we recognized her…we could only nod...she looks just like her latest photos. The aunties waved at us and held up Lydia’s hand to wave. We scrambled out of the van and saw them at the elevator but kept a distance as they needed to get things in order before they could pass her over to us.

Lydia was dressed in a new red outfit that looks like the Chinese summer pajamas; much like Gabby’s Gotcha Day outfit but Lydia has a thinner material with shorter pants and short sleeves. She had on brand new little jelly sandals with a blue bunny on them. She has three ponytails in her hair, one on each side and one in the back to keep the hair off her neck. She has thick, soft hair and bangs. Her skin is soft and smooth, but she has a few mosquito bites around her legs and arms. We were told that she sometimes gets a rash from the heat.

We went upstairs to a large room and gave Vicky our passports. Lydia was there with three other aunties and a gentleman, not sure if he was the orphanage director or not. Rob got out the movie camera and began filming. We gave our gifts to the aunties and the donations we took of blankets and hats, they were so appreciative.

Before we knew it, they had checked our passports and it was time to hand Lydia over to Rob. Vicky offered to videotape for us which is great so Rob and I could both give her attention. She cried of course, but we got out the Cheerios and the light up duck that Nana sent and that at least softened the intensity of her cries to whimpers and whines. Rob began giving her Cheerios one at a time, but after holding three in her hand, she used the other hand to grab at the whole bag…definitely a girl who knows what she wants! We were the only family in the room at the time getting their baby so it was such a different experience than before. It was amazing to watch my Rob comfort our little Lydia, it was such sweet moment. He sat down with Lydia on his lap, she ate Cheerios between her sobs and he began showing her how to make the ducky light up.

I had the chance then to ask lots of questions about the types of food Lydia can eat and her schedule. They had taken the night train from Huaihua so she would probably be tired but normally takes a two hour nap around noon. She had eaten some breakfast that morning, so she probably wouldn’t be that hungry but we were told she really LOVES snacks. She has a BM once a day; usually in afternoon and now…I can’t remember if they said she had one yesterday or not. For those of our followers who have adopted before, you know the importance of having that first poop!

She does NOT drink from a bottle, instead they put it in a little cup and hold it and she puts her mouth on it and does the rest. We had taken a bottle of apple juice mixed with bottled water with us. When we got back to the hotel we gave her some juice. Rob held it up to her mouth and tipped it a bit, she kind of gums at the edge, some spills down her front, but some goes in. We have brought lots of bibs so we are prepared. It takes her a long time to get a small amount of liquid in, we are going to have to go early for breakfast as that may take longer than usual, and again we had read that was typical of kids with cleft palate.

She likes bananas and we were told that you just peel it and hold it for her and she will bite it, but other fruit needs to be in small pieces. She is NOT on formula any more nor does she drink milk. They do give her a yogurt type of drink for calcium. We had some yogurt this morning for breakfast on the buffet that was pretty thin and runny so we will have to try that out tomorrow.

The auntie says that she eats table food, congee (rice porridge), steamed eggs, soft meats and noodles. Noodles were the only thing they said sometimes can come out her nose while eating; I think we will be sure to cut them up small. They said she is a good eater and that the hole in her palate didn’t seem to effect that, by the looks of her chubby cheeks, arms and legs she is well fed.

We have caught glimpses inside her mouth when she gets tuned up, she has two bottom front teeth with one more on each side beginning to come in. Her top gum has two front teeth that are close to each other and seem to be hanging normally. There doesn’t seem to be a big gap or hole in the front gum, we can see in the back of her mouth where the palate doesn’t look “normal”, but again we have just taken quick glances. Her lip looks great. You can see the scar from the repair and one part seems a bit bumpy, but her little nose is as cute as a button and when crying the snot rolled out just like any other baby.

I showed them the pictures of our family that we had put in a book for Lydia. We showed them that Lydia would be the little sister and the littlest cousin. They asked for a copy of our family picture of Rob, Gabby and I, since we had other pictures of Gabby to show Lydia, we just gave the photo to them. The head auntie gave us a gift for Lydia in a little red box tied up with a ribbon. It is a silver necklace that means good fortune and longevity. I am so overwhelmed at the generosity and love that they have shown to us and the care that Lydia has gotten.

After about 10 minutes the whimpers stopped and she was comfortable with Rob so the aunties left. Vicky brought over some paperwork that needed to be done that day. Basically promising to love and care for her, promising to take good care of her for the next 24 hours until the paperwork is finalized, giving them our passport and other information. This was all new to me because last time Rob did all this while I held a screaming Gabby in the room until she finally fell asleep. During this time other families we had met and seen in the hotel at breakfast this morning filtered in. Lydia seemed to be the youngest one being adopted other than a little toddler boy who seemed to have a repaired cleft as well. The rest were older girls perhaps ages 3-5.

Then it was time for Rob to sign his name on all the papers I had already filled out and I would have a chance to hold Lydia. She was not happy, got stiff in my arms which is what Gabby used to do to Rob, but she quieted down after he passed me the Cheerios and the duck. She could see that Rob was not leaving and she put up with me for a few minutes while he finished the paperwork. When it was done, we packed up and Rob put his hands out for Lydia and she was all too happy to be back in his arms. We got back in the van to head back to the hotel. We didn’t need to go to a store for formula and the hotel has provided a stroller for the time being so we decided to visit a “Walmart” type store perhaps tomorrow or the next day.

We were not in the van 5 minutes before Lydia was asleep in Rob’s arms…she was very twitchy though like she was fighting sleep. We returned to the hotel and Vicky asked them to send a baby bathtub to our room for when we want to bathe her. The aunties said she likes bathtime.

We were back in our room before 11:00. I have held her a couple of times, but right now she prefers Rob. When I give Rob a kiss on the cheek or hold his hand, she begins to whimper so she and Gabby have a lot in common, jealous when their territory is being invaded! She ate more Cheerios, peach flavored puffs and dried yogurt pieces that melt in her mouth. We got her to drink about 1/3 of a bottle’s worth of juice and tried some rice cereal mixed with juice. She wanted no part of the rice cereal, she hid her face in Rob’s shoulder and wouldn’t even look at it, so we didn’t push it. Rob thinks it might be the spoon, so we will have to get a Chinese type spoon from the restaurant and try it. Also if she is used to table food, the baby food we brought may not work, but there is so much on the restaurant buffet that should be familiar to her.

Rob tried to get her to stand on the floor next to him, but she would have no part of it, just curled her legs up like Allie used to do when Kim would try to get her to stand in the grass. Around 12:30 we darkened the room and sat on the bed with her and let her zone out to some Chinese cartoons. She fell asleep, but woke up when Rob put her in the crib. Slowly he has gotten her asleep a second time and got her in her crib, comforting her whines again but not getting her back out. She was out by 1:45 and she slept for two hours with the occasional call out to Daddy to come and soothe her again. Soon Rob was napping too knowing that HE is now the one on duty and I have been typing away.

We originally were going to order room service for dinner, but we are going down early to the restaurant to try a variety of table foods from the buffet because we don’t think baby food will fit the bill tonight. We will post pictures later as Rob needs to show me how to do that, but wanted to let everyone know what a great first few hours we have had with our little Lydia. We are so blessed and so lucky to be the mama and baba to two wonderful girls. Darling Gabby, we can’t wait for you to meet Lydia! Thank you and Nana (and everyone else) for your prayers this morning as we were getting your new baby sister. She loves to watch cartoons just like you and when she can’t get her duck to light up…she hands it to Baba for him to fix…so she is a smart girl just like her big sister!

Love to all!

Getting Lydia tomorrow

We're getting Lydia tomorrow morning around 9:30! If we go by Chinese time, it will be Monday, June 21...my sister Kathy's birthday. If we go by Missouri time it will be 8:30 pm on Sunday, so technically still Father's Day. Either way a VERY momentous occasion as we become a family of four!

We're meeting our Guide in the hotel lobby around 9 to go to the civil affairs office and get Lydia. After that the plan is to do a little paperwork, go to a store to get baby food, then back to the hotel. We know from Gabby though that plans need to be very flexible! Lydia will be calling the shots... we are hoping that she adjusts to us well.

Gabby's first two days were very memorable for those of you who have heard the stories. Our friend Denise has often said that "lightning doesn't strike twice"...so we will be be cautiously optimistic, but ready to do anything to make her happy.

The hotel brought us a crib for the room and we're all set, ready to go!