TRAVEL & UPDATES

Friday, May 13-Sunday, May 15, 2011

Our last day in Shanghai (Friday)… We had to meet Sue at 9:00 am so we could go to the notary office on our way to the airport to pick up some last minute documents. No problems. We found out once we got to the airport, that our flight to Guangzhou was delayed an hour and a half. Ugh.

Sue left us at security, which was FINE with us! It was pretty wearing sitting in a chair for that long, just to get on a tiny plane for a couple more hours. Milo did kind of ok on the plane. Our flight was supposed to have left at 1:00 (nap time for the kids), but with the delay, we got really overly tired, cranky kids who DID NOT want anything to do with resting. Plus, we had only 2 seats that were actually together on the flight (Xandra & I), and the rest were scattered throughout. Matt held Milo on an aisle seat, where Milo's head was smashed twice with the food & drink cart. L

We arrived in Guangzhou & found our guide (who can speak English!!!!! & is not new!!!). She dropped us at the White Swan & we settled in.

Saturday morning, we met up with our guide very early to get Milo's medical exam. I am forever grateful to her for taking us so early, because less than 5 minutes after we arrived, about 30 other adoptive families filed in to wait their turn. We were the 2^nd family of the day, and therefore had no wait time. J Milo "passed" with flying colors!

We have the next few days "free." Wednesday is our US Consulate appointment, which is the last step before we can head home Friday. Milo's visa will be ready late Thursday afternoon/evening. J

I am rather homesick at this point. I feel bad that I haven't been able to update the blog more often… my computer won't plug into the internet cable here, so I have to borrow Tommy's (darn Mac Air with no ports!!).

Milo is starting to fit into our family, though he's still showing us new "tricks" almost daily. When we first met him, he was more like an infant than an almost 2-year-old boy. He laid on the bed without moving, or when we sat him up, just stayed there looking at us. Understandable – he had no idea who we were & what we were going to do to him. Over the next couple days, I managed to find his tickle spots, which "brought him to life" for a few minutes at a time. His laugh is infectious:  he gets a big smile on his face, yet holds in that laugh until he "pops" with a short, loud burst of a giggle. It's unfortunately, usually a short-lived laugh, and he once again puts on the serious face that we've studied in his pictures for almost 6 months.

Xandra has had probably the worst time here in China. She tries really hard throughout the day while we're in public to be on good behavior. She's not always successful in that, but she tries. And it seems she tries so hard, that it just wears her out. So, by the time we get back to the hotel room in the afternoons, she shows her worst side. She's been having daily tantrums, usually 3-4 or more a day. I know this has been a difficult trip for her. She's not on her normal schedule (& she LIVES for schedules), plus she's starting to deal with some real jealousy over her new brother. The first day Milo was with us, it was just very new & she was so happy. It's sunk in a bit now, and I can't pay attention to Milo in any way without her trying to butt in. I understand- I knew this was coming. But mixed with the tantrums (usually caused by something we've asked her to do, or because we've told her "no"), it's just so tiring.

I really appreciate the Chinese culture, but I'm so not used to it. I was standing in line at the breakfast buffet this morning to get an omelet for the kids. Two Chinese adults just jumped right in front of me, and ordered theirs. I'd heard before we left that lines (similar to traffic regulations) were mere suggestions, but I didn't understand how much it would annoy me. Also, when we're walking on the sidewalks (which are fair game for cars to drive on), people walking toward us do not move out of our way- they seemingly attempt to play chicken with us. The heat & humidity are not helping my mood either. Sorry for all the complaining… I'm just so ready to come home. I miss everyone so much! It's hard not having contact with my friends & family whenever I want. It's definitely a learning experience.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post again before we leave. & Sorry about not having pictures… for whatever reason, my camera's memory card does not want to upload onto a computer. I promise I will fill the blog with pictures as soon as we get home!! 

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

It's been a VERY long, hard day. We've lost just about any faith in our guide. Yesterday's mess-up with the orphanage donation was just the tip of the ice burg! Contrary to what she told us yesterday, we did not go back to the orphanage today to finish up the paperwork. I was a bit disappointed, but no big deal. We went to some government offices, which had NO air conditioning or fans. About 98% of the time, we sat in a waiting room, while the guide ran back & forth, passing messages between us and the people behind the desk (similar to a DMV at home).

There were a number of miscommunications, all of which sent Matt's & my blood pressures through the roof. Most of it concerned money. There were questions about whether we'd counted out the proper amount of cash for the orphanage donation - we ended up paying a little extra because of this. Then the guide threw out some outrageous amount of money that we would need to pay her tomorrow- nearly the same amount of money as the orphanage donation (we had been told that would the largest sum by far that we would pay out in cash).

Matt was beyond livid. When we finally got back to the hotel, we called our agency's contact here in China to figure out what was going on. He was very helpful (thank God!), and kind of got things worked out for us. Matt is still very concerned about whether we will have enough cash to make it to the end of the trip. I know we'll be ok one way or another- but to say we're disappointed with the process so far is an understatement.

Update on Milo:  He's still very quiet. He studies everything & everyone (very much like Xandra has always done). We only see fussing & crying when he's fighting sleep. Otherwise, he's quite stoic. We're seeing signs that he was meant to be our son---he farts worse than Matt!! J

Chasing the Sun

We are well into our journey, and everything is going much better than I ever expected! My precious baby girl, whom we were so worried about, has far exceeded any expectations I had! Granted, she's been quite cranky, but that's to be expected having only gotten a few hours' of sleep. She's cried only a couple of times:  when we first went through the security check, she got really scared of walking through the metal detector (thankfully, X & I were allowed to just do that & not submit to the full-body scan or pat-down—GO TSA!!); and then she not only shed some tears, but added in some screams when she had to use the restroom on our layover (she takes after me- we both HATE using public restrooms!).

I was soo shocked when she did not have the expected meltdown during takeoff or landing on the first leg of our trip!! She did get a bit upset when I tried to put her in her own seat, so I relented & let her sit on my lap for about 45 minutes of the hour & a half trip to Newark. But once she discovered she'd be able to look out the window easier from her own seat, she hasn't looked back!

So, we're now getting near mid-northern Canada (about 4 hours into our 14 hour flight). I'm exhausted- I've yet to take even a cat nap (soo hard to sleep on a plane!!), but Xandra slept through takeoff!!! I couldn't believe it!!! On both flights, Matt & Tommy have been a row in front of us, and it appears that I'm the only one who hasn't relaxed yet. Such is the life of a mom, I suppose!

I so proud of my now-seasoned little traveler!! She's growing up right in front of my eyes… if I wasn't so excited to see this side of her, I'd probably cry. 

> The title (chasing the sun) is referring to the fact that it never got dark outside while we were flying. Bright sun the entire time. We literally chased the sun around the world!!

5/7/11

We have arrived in Shanghai. The last couple/few hours on the plane weren't the best. Of course, we'd been travelling for nearly 19 hours by that point, so what can you expect? Xandra had a couple upsets, but no major meltdowns. Mostly, she just could not get comfy enough to sleep (join the crowd!), so her tiredness turned to grumpiness & let's just say, I'm thankful she was sitting directly behind Matt, because anyone else would have been ticked off with the kicking.

So, we come through customs without problem (they are really good with that here!), and find our guide who immediately rushes us outside. This was a problem because Xandra hadn't had anything to drink in quite some time & was dying for some water… & Matt and Tommy both had neglected to go to the restroom prior to landing, so they were a bit, umm, pissed not happy. ;)

Once we were outside, we stood & waited for our car. & stood. & stood. & waited. & waited. It finally came, everything & everyone was loaded on. This is when our guide told us it was about an hour's drive to the hotel. Sorry guys… hold it a bit longer (there was some water on the van, so Xandra was happy).

We arrived at our hotel to find the reservations were not right. Somehow, they had Tommy's room, but not ours (Matt was at the boiling point by now… how could they not have our room??? & dear God, where is the restroom???). It took nearly 45 minutes to "fix" things, though they are far from fixed. We were booked for 2 adjoining rooms, both with king-size beds, a roll-away bed for Xandra, & a crib for Milo (tight squeeze, I know). We got 2 rooms next door to each other, but we don't know who connects to ours because it's not Tommy. And we only have a crib for Milo in here, so Xandra's bunking with us.

As soon as we got our room, we proceeded to do exactly what we were told not to do: we fell asleep almost instantly. I think we got into our rooms around 3 in the afternoon ('ish – I was too tired to look at my watch). I just woke up, and it's now almost 8 in the evening (8 am back home). We never had dinner, and don't plan to. I think we're just going to snack on what we can find (Pringles, granola bars, & cheese crackers anyone? Only the best gourmet for us!!), and go back to bed!

Shanghai is beautiful from what we can see of it through our window. We'll figure things out tomorrow. We have a free day tomorrow since it's Sunday. But our guide will be meeting us at 10 am to see if we'd like to do anything… grocery anyone??? And figure out what & where to eat in this place!!