Monday, June 21, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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!
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!
Arrived in Changsha
We have arrived in Changsha, Hunan. On the flight from Beijing we met another couple from Bloomington, IL that is also adopting from Hunan - as they say "it's a small world".
The Dolton in a nice hotel, still need to settle in a find local shops for supplies. There is a little store where we bought a pack of bottled water so the immediate needs are taken care of. We enjoyed a quiet day and took the chance to get in a nap this afternoon, catching up on some ZZZs while we can.
The restaurant at the hotel is interesting, offering horse's hoof, fried bull frog, and pig's head meat. Although we said we'd be more adventurous this time around we opted for some noodles, dumplings and steamed pork buns.
We will however be sure to write down some of these wonderful concoctions to share with Steve and Scott so the Backyard Yard Brothers BBQ team can get some inspiration for their entry in the EXOTIC category in the upcoming Lincoln County Fair BBQ contest!
The Dolton in a nice hotel, still need to settle in a find local shops for supplies. There is a little store where we bought a pack of bottled water so the immediate needs are taken care of. We enjoyed a quiet day and took the chance to get in a nap this afternoon, catching up on some ZZZs while we can.
The restaurant at the hotel is interesting, offering horse's hoof, fried bull frog, and pig's head meat. Although we said we'd be more adventurous this time around we opted for some noodles, dumplings and steamed pork buns.
We will however be sure to write down some of these wonderful concoctions to share with Steve and Scott so the Backyard Yard Brothers BBQ team can get some inspiration for their entry in the EXOTIC category in the upcoming Lincoln County Fair BBQ contest!
Sightseeing in Beijing
Even though we've been through the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall tour before it's still amazing to walk through those places thinking of the history each place holds. It's also interesting to see the changes from when we were here in January of 2005.
Seems like China has made many changes and additions for the Olympics. Tiananmen Square had huge LCD screens screening information about China, there also seemed to be much more landscaping, trees, fountains and new statues scattered around.
The Forbidden City spreads out over a huge area. It was a great day to see the sights, unfortunately thousands of other people had the same idea - it was very crowded and difficult to take the time to appreciate all there is to see. The day was HOT and hazy but the one saving grace was the water stands. We bought a couple of frozen bottles of water which made the heat much more bearable.
The Great Wall was next and we had more time to explore than in 2005. This time around Rob made it further up the wall, but those steps are not for the faint of heart, especially with all the people around.
On the way back to the Hotel our guide had the driver stop by the 'birds next' Olympic stadium. We didn't get as close as we had wanted but we had a time to snap a couple of photos before it was back on the bus for the end of a long day.
Seems like China has made many changes and additions for the Olympics. Tiananmen Square had huge LCD screens screening information about China, there also seemed to be much more landscaping, trees, fountains and new statues scattered around.
The Forbidden City spreads out over a huge area. It was a great day to see the sights, unfortunately thousands of other people had the same idea - it was very crowded and difficult to take the time to appreciate all there is to see. The day was HOT and hazy but the one saving grace was the water stands. We bought a couple of frozen bottles of water which made the heat much more bearable.
The Great Wall was next and we had more time to explore than in 2005. This time around Rob made it further up the wall, but those steps are not for the faint of heart, especially with all the people around.
On the way back to the Hotel our guide had the driver stop by the 'birds next' Olympic stadium. We didn't get as close as we had wanted but we had a time to snap a couple of photos before it was back on the bus for the end of a long day.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
From one extreme to another..
Today we went to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. This is our second time around seeing these sights because of adopting Gabby in 2005. When we came then it was winter time and FREEZING. We did NOT have that problem today, it was SO HOT and there were so many people that at times all you could see was a sea of umbrellas that people were carrying to shield them from the sun.
We don't think we have sweated so much in our lives, so you can imagine how wiped out we are.
Tonight we are packing up so our suitcases are ready at 5:00 am so we can fly to Changsha to meet our little Lydia. We have been told that we will not get to meet her until the following day, so we hope to have some time to rest up, post more about our adventures and add more photos as well.
My mom said today that Gabby is doing well, after seeing the crazy amount of people there today, we knew we had made the right decision to leave her at home. Gabby, the heat and a LONG day of walking just do not mix. We spoke to Gabby tonight and she is all excited to pack up and go to Nana's house for the week. We left little presents for her to open when she is feeling homesick for mom and dad during these two weeks. Last night mom said that in ONE BIG BREATH, Gabby exclaimed...." I miss Mom and Dad can I open a present?"
Rob is giving me the wrap it up sign, so bye for now we need to pack.
Love to all!
We don't think we have sweated so much in our lives, so you can imagine how wiped out we are.
Tonight we are packing up so our suitcases are ready at 5:00 am so we can fly to Changsha to meet our little Lydia. We have been told that we will not get to meet her until the following day, so we hope to have some time to rest up, post more about our adventures and add more photos as well.
My mom said today that Gabby is doing well, after seeing the crazy amount of people there today, we knew we had made the right decision to leave her at home. Gabby, the heat and a LONG day of walking just do not mix. We spoke to Gabby tonight and she is all excited to pack up and go to Nana's house for the week. We left little presents for her to open when she is feeling homesick for mom and dad during these two weeks. Last night mom said that in ONE BIG BREATH, Gabby exclaimed...." I miss Mom and Dad can I open a present?"
Rob is giving me the wrap it up sign, so bye for now we need to pack.
Love to all!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hello from Beijing!
After a good night's sleep we were up and out with our group to go sightseeing in Beijing. We went with 4 other families to see the Temple of Heaven. It was an overcast day, but there was often a breeze so the weather was quite comfortable. We have an awesome guide named Cindy who is from the Beijing area.
The temple of Heaven was beautiful, all the architecture is symbolic whether it is the material used (marble because it looks like the clouds in the sky) or the shapes, colors and number of tiles it all relates to how ancient Chinese saw the world. It is truly awe inspiring to imagine the workmanship that went into these vast structures.
We strolled through parks with trees up to 500 years old. Music was playing and many people were dancing along. Of course there were lots of vendors selling you their items, even though the Rolex watches were very reasonable, we chose to pass those up. :)
After the Temple of Heaven we went to a restaurant called Dai Jia Cun that had the servers dressed in the different costumes of the many minority ethnic groups of Chinese. We were treated to a lunch that represented those different cultures. There was a type of fried fish, chicken steamed in bamboo, mushroom soup, a pork and beef dish with vegetables. There was also a fried vegetable...don't know what type of vegetable...tasted potato/squash like. The last dish they brought out was a fried ball shape that they said was chicken. Rob was the brave one to cut into it and try it. He said it was like chicken meatballs...seemed too big to be just chicken "balls". :) Rob used his chopsticks like a pro, we both are a bit more adventuresome about trying new things on this time around.
After lunch we went to on a Hutong tour. We were treated to a rickshaw ride to an actual residence in a Hutong neighborhood. Hutongs are an older style family residence that has many separate rooms(but no bathroom) that surround an open courtyard.
The rickshaw took us back to where we could go see the Bell tower. We made sure to tip our driver as he got quite the workout hauling Rob and I around. :)
We might have lost a couple of those pounds by the time we got the top of the Bell Tower, it was 69 steep stairs straight to the top. Up there we witnessed the drummers going to town on these huge drums which would mark the time long ago because no one had a clock.
Our last stop was an acrobat show which quite simply was amazing. We had a full day of sightseeing from 9am to 6:30 so we were ready for a quick dinner at Pizza Hut and a stop off at the grocery store to get more bottled water.
Tomorrow we are up and out at 8:30 to go TianAnMen Square, the Forbidden city and the Great Wall.
On our trip is a little girl named Maya...she is 7 1/2 years old and was adopted from Hunan the month after our niece Allie was adopted. She thinks it is cool that we are going to Hunan to get Lydia, but she is going to Jiangxi to get her baby sister which is where Gabby is from. Seeing her has made us miss our gal Gabby even more, but we have been calling Gabby everyday and she is having a blast with her Nana.
Love to all and thanks for checking out our blog and sending us comments!
The temple of Heaven was beautiful, all the architecture is symbolic whether it is the material used (marble because it looks like the clouds in the sky) or the shapes, colors and number of tiles it all relates to how ancient Chinese saw the world. It is truly awe inspiring to imagine the workmanship that went into these vast structures.
We strolled through parks with trees up to 500 years old. Music was playing and many people were dancing along. Of course there were lots of vendors selling you their items, even though the Rolex watches were very reasonable, we chose to pass those up. :)
After the Temple of Heaven we went to a restaurant called Dai Jia Cun that had the servers dressed in the different costumes of the many minority ethnic groups of Chinese. We were treated to a lunch that represented those different cultures. There was a type of fried fish, chicken steamed in bamboo, mushroom soup, a pork and beef dish with vegetables. There was also a fried vegetable...don't know what type of vegetable...tasted potato/squash like. The last dish they brought out was a fried ball shape that they said was chicken. Rob was the brave one to cut into it and try it. He said it was like chicken meatballs...seemed too big to be just chicken "balls". :) Rob used his chopsticks like a pro, we both are a bit more adventuresome about trying new things on this time around.
After lunch we went to on a Hutong tour. We were treated to a rickshaw ride to an actual residence in a Hutong neighborhood. Hutongs are an older style family residence that has many separate rooms(but no bathroom) that surround an open courtyard.The rickshaw took us back to where we could go see the Bell tower. We made sure to tip our driver as he got quite the workout hauling Rob and I around. :)
We might have lost a couple of those pounds by the time we got the top of the Bell Tower, it was 69 steep stairs straight to the top. Up there we witnessed the drummers going to town on these huge drums which would mark the time long ago because no one had a clock.
Our last stop was an acrobat show which quite simply was amazing. We had a full day of sightseeing from 9am to 6:30 so we were ready for a quick dinner at Pizza Hut and a stop off at the grocery store to get more bottled water.
Tomorrow we are up and out at 8:30 to go TianAnMen Square, the Forbidden city and the Great Wall.
On our trip is a little girl named Maya...she is 7 1/2 years old and was adopted from Hunan the month after our niece Allie was adopted. She thinks it is cool that we are going to Hunan to get Lydia, but she is going to Jiangxi to get her baby sister which is where Gabby is from. Seeing her has made us miss our gal Gabby even more, but we have been calling Gabby everyday and she is having a blast with her Nana.
Love to all and thanks for checking out our blog and sending us comments!
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