Saturday, January 21fter

Today was quite extraordinary. The surprise was the capsules that would grow into animals. We used one of the glass bowls to watch them grow. It was lots of fun.

We went shoppping again. This time we found party hats. Quinn is modeling one for you. She also got a "1" candle for the cake. She is a good shopper.

After her nap she helped clean the cars a bit. Then we came in to get ready for your call. Supper was ready soon after our telephone call and Quinn had a big dinner. She ate a lot at lunch too! She started talking about her bath early, so we took the sponge animals and went to the tub. We had a good time there too. She was really sleepy while we read stories, and glad to get to her bed.

We really had a good day. We had already looked at the birthday cake picture, so she was feeling in touch. When we look at the blog now, she always wants to go back and look at all the pictures. That's easy to do. This is a terrific was to be in touch!

Indigo's 1st birthday January 21, 2006

Today was another busy day. First and foremost today is Indigo's birthday!! She had a very good time and is looking forward to her birthday party at home with her Jie Jie (big sister). Erik had to do more paperwork this morning, so Indigo and I and Mark and Elise went to explore the big park across the street. When I say "the street", it is a major intersection -- we ran across fearing for our lives with our babies in our strollers and once we were safely across we read a sign stating "Pedestrians please use the underpass to cross the street". OOPS! Well we made it all in one piece, the park was lovely and we returned using the correct route - very easy and not nearly as terrifying. On our return to the hotel everyone was in the director's suite for final interviews and paperwork check -- and a birthday party for Indigo! Our China Team really is the best and they never miss anyone's birthday. We still remember the cake Erik had on our trip with Quinn. Definitely a birthday to remember. This afternoon we did more shopping with friends Mark, Lisa and Elise. We ended up wearing ourselves out and ended up choosing Mcdonald's for dinner in the room. I never thought I'd be so thankful for Mcdonald's - especially since we rarely eat Mcdonald's in the states but we were ready for it in China.

Quinn, we hope your weekend flys by - ours is already half over. We love you sooooooo much! We love seeing the pictures and hearing about all that you are doing. Try and keep grandma and Pa-Pa busy, we will be home soon. Counting down the days and sending you hugs, and kisses.

Friday, January 20

Quinn took this picture while Grandma was calling up the blog spot today. Notice that Grandma is holding up well! Quinn had a pretty good day. We got to Preschool early and she waved goodbye from a table where she was already engaged with some others.

Tonight we went to Bobby's BBQ, not realizing that is was primarily take out. However, Quinn liked what we ordered and ate a lot. Tomorrow we will finish the birthday party shopping.

Household tasks are getting done and we are having a good time. This week had really sped by. Now we are surprised at how short the time is. See you soon!

Medical check up day

Today was a very busy day and went quickly. We began with visa photos and then directly to the medical clinic approved by the U.S. consulate. Indigo did very well, the doctor was very fond of her and said she is a "good baby". She got fussy when then wanted to poke at her but was fine when we finished. She weighs 21.2 pounds and is about 29 inches long. After the check up we decided to stay on Shaiman Island and do some shopping and have lunch. Indigo was quite the trooper while we were shopping and haggling - our friend Bob is an excellent haggler so we like shopping with him. Erik got to sit in the front seat for the taxi ride back to our hotel - he said he needed to be in a Zen state to handle the ride - the driving here is crazy. We got Indigo a hat that is sort of a pirate style - she fits right in with the Whitemarsh pirates. Jordon, one of the shop owners writes all the girls names out and tells you what they mean to him in Chinese, Indigo means strong, excellent and cool, (3 syllables, 3 characters) Quinn means style. Tonight we have a group pizza party with our agency director. It began raining on our taxi ride back so I'm glad that we don't have to leave the hotel tonight. We will write more tomorrow.

Thursday adventures

Today was an excellent day! We got a good start and enjoyed a sunny ride to Preschool. Quinn decided that she did want to go to Humma's after school, so I called Lisa when I got home. Jamie is at home with the flu, so Lisa didn't want to take Quinn to her house. So they had a little outing with ice cream! Quinn was one happy little girl when we met them.

We did transfer the carseat and when we got home we listened to your message. We didn't get home until abouth 5:40 our time. Quinn ate a big dinner and played a bit. She watched Hi-5 and asked to see it again, so we negotiated and she got ready for bed and then watched Hi-5 in place of a story tonight. She was very ready for bed and turned off the TV and went immediately to the end of her bed and was ready to snuggle under the covers.

We did pick up the carseat from Lisa. The shower ceiling is nearly finished. The little chest is painted. The highchair is upstairs and scrubbed, as are all the removable trays. The rocker is getting some attention. WE will review the list again tonight and get clear the things that need to be completed.

Back in Guangzhou

Today was all about getting back to Guangzhou, although we didn't leave Chongqing until 4:40pm. Indigo did very well on the flight. We thought she might sleep but she was too excited to sleep. We learned she likes cheese and she seems to be getting a little more adventurous when it comes to food. She is really starting to relax and play with us more - she has been a very happy baby today. She loves Guangzhou - lots of bright lights, it may also have something to do with her parents also feeling excited knowing that being back in Guangzhou puts us that much closer to going home. There isn't much to say today - we didn't actually have to travel very far but we are all wiped out.

Quinn - your art work is amazing! We love it and can't wait to see it in person. We are looking forward to playing the fishing game and the cootie game with you. We love you and are sending more hugs and kisses to you. >wave< >wave<

Wednesday

Today the surprise was the soap dish and Quinn was quite excited about it. This afternoon when we came home from Preschool she went and got it and put it in the bathroom. The duck has become one of the bath toys. That made tonight's bath much more interesting. Quinn was ready to take her bath early, so the entire evening program moved up a notch. She must be in a growth spurt. She ate a lot of her lunch, snacked on the way home on everything available and was read to eat dinner too!

She was very proud of the art work she brought home today. I especially like the black and green one. Notice how she covered the whole page. David apologizes for missing the picture of opening the soap dish.

Tonight she said she didn't want to go to Humma's tomorrow. We will check again in the morning and I will call Lisa and make arrangements to pick up the car seat if Quinn does not go there. Beth called today about the baptism. We will do it pretty much like Quinn's with Beth presenting Indigo to the congregation at the end. I assured her that we would be happy with any music Michael picks. The days are speeding by. We'll see you soon.

Tuesday, January 17

We tried to send this message last night, but the power kept going off and on and our connection didn't maintain. So here we are on Wednesday morning. Yesterday was back to the normal routine of Preschool. The day went well, though Quinn didn't sleep at naptime. We enjoyed Chinese dinner and some play before an earlier bedtime. Today's surprise was the fish game. It is a lot of fun! We are noticing that the basket is getting empty and that there are only a few days until you come home.

The grandparent projects are coming along. We are finding that the time flies by. Quinn is enjoying the telephone calls too. She seems to have more to say each day. Today's paintings were very nice. Maybe we will have a picture of them tomorrow. Keep on having fun.

The Zoo and smiles

Today we went to the Chongqing Zoo. It is very nice - feels more like a park than a zoo. They have lots of Pandas. With the China Panda Reserve only about 6 hours away, they are, of course, best know for the pandas (and also their tigers). It was a very cool day and there was a mist covering the zoo and bamboo trees. Indigo stayed awake for the entire outing this morning, falling asleep only moments before we returned to the hotel preventing us from going out for "hot pot" lunch with our guides. Chongqing is known for hot pot cooking so we wanted to try for that reason even though we've had it in Chinatown. We have another group dinner tonight here in the hotel so I think we missed our chance for hot pot cooking. Indigo is trusting us more and more every day. We are getting lots of smiles and giggles. She is quite the babbler as well. And boy is she teething - drool everywhere today!

We speak to Quinn just about every morning on the phone (well, evening for her). We really enjoy hearing her voice and listening her tell us all about what she has been up to that day. Hey, Quinn - tell Pa-Pa that he needs to post more pictures of you - it's easier for us to wave back at you that way. Also tell him the ice cream just isn't the same in China - we are counting down the days until we see you. We are waving and sending lots of hugs and kisses. Give Edison two pats for us too.

Tomorrow we return to Gaungzhou in the afternoon. We have more paperwork and of course some more site-seeing and shopping as well as our US consulate visit before we return. Thinking of you all - we're having fun and missing home all at once.

Baby steps

Today, Tuesday Jan. 17th, we left the hotel at 8:30 am to take the 2 hour bus trip to visit Inidgo's orphanage. We were a little concerned about how she would react to being back in that environment and seeing the caregivers again - We did not need to worry. She did just fine. It was really wonderful to see where her home had been. They showed us where she slept, there is another baby in that crib now. The caregivers are all very loving and obviously deeply care for all of the children. We were there at nap time so it was very quiet. We saw sleeping babies as well as their very clean playrooms. While we were not able to tour the the majority of the majority of the facility, we did get a good sense of a loving and caring environment. We had a very good lunch at a nearby restaurant and then a sleepy and bumpy ride home. Indigo did lots of napping on the bus today. We were on our own for dinner and we picked up some baby food for Indigo - she is not nearly as adventurous with food as some of the others, but she is still eating. She spent a good portion of her evening trying to walk while holding on to our fingers. This made her very happy. Each day we see a little bit more of her true personality coming through.

Lucy if you are reading this Happy Birthday - hope it is fantastic.

Quinn, we are so glad to hear you had a fun holiday from school. We are counting down the days with you. - Week two here we go.

Martin Luther King Day

Hi!

Today was a holiday from Preschool, so it was a good time to go to Joan M's and play in her kitchen. She has a lot of dishes to use. She also has an interesting radio that is fun to play. Quinn also put together puzzles and enjoyed the swing and slide in the back yard.

Grandma and Papa did a little shopping while Quinn was at Joan's. After nap we watched the band show until time to call you. Quinn smiles when she hears your voices and she was just darling as she said "Hello Indigo". She is ready for you to be coming home too, but seems to understand that it will still be several days. Tomorrow we can really begind to count down!
We are looking at the little chest and think we can get it in shape. I think we will line the drawers with contact paper too. Keep on enjoying the experience.

And the beat goes on...

Today was a bit more sightseeing – we don’t actually have to do more paperwork here we are just here waiting for them to finish processing the paperwork we did on Friday. Today we went to the former city hall now a concert hall and meeting hall that seats 4000 people- very impressive. We also went to a silk factory – learned a bit about silk worms and felt some very soft raw silk as well as some very beautiful bedding and clothing. Today we lunched in the room on our protein bars and other snacks – the buffet breakfast can keep you going for quite a while and we are in for a buffet dinner this evening. Indigo napped again during the outing so after our lunch we decided to do a little shopping on our own. We were very proud of ourselves as we found everything we needed and made it back to the hotel just fine.

Today we are both feeling like we are ready to get home. It’s very hard being away from Quinn. We are so glad to hear that you like the Cootie game, Quinn. We can’t wait to see the blanket that you made for Indigo. We are so proud of you, you are already such a great big sister(Jie Jie). We are sending you lots of hugs and kisses. Tell Pa-Pa we want to go for Ice Cream too when we get home.

Love to all, and thanks for all of the comments and support that folks have posted on the blog – it’s great especially since the trip seems much longer this time with one daughter at home and one with us –

More tomorrow.

Sunday evening, Richmond

We have had two very good days. Saturday morning we did our shopping for Indigo's birthday gifts. We had a lot of fun exploring Toys R Us and Target and made some very good choices. Then Pa-pa took us all for ice cream and that was very good too. We have had a good time playing groceries and getting acquanted with the Cootie game.

Last night we had a successful bath and shampoo. (The grandparents are grateful.) Bedtime is getting easier as we get into the routine.

This morning we got up and ready for church. We were mixed up about the time and arrived early, but that offered an opportunity for Grandma to pick up some items at the drugstore she had forgotten when we were out yesterday. Quinn enjoyed Sunday School with the big kids as Christina wasn't feeling well today. After church we followed Kathryn and her girls home and Quinn stayed with them a while. She helped make a beautiful blanket for Indigo and is loving it for Indigo too. That made naptime late, and she was still sleepy when we called. We played a bit after the call and then fixed some popcorn and apple for our supper. Quinn ate a lot of papcorn tonight and drank a lot of milk - that she had avoided all day!

We looked at the blog after supper and once again she waved at your pictures. She seems very comfortable seeing the pictures of what you are doing. I think it is terrific. Tonight we actually played Cootie and Quinn won. She is showing you her complete cootie in the picture. When I said it was time to pick things up she put the game away, rejecting all%

Sunday in Chongqing

Today was another good day with mostly ups and a few downs. Indigo is a very sound sleeper which makes the night time relaxing for all and getting ready in the morning- we can get totally ready and not disturb her and then get her ready. After Breakfast we had a great phone call with Quinn, we've spoken to her many times but she had lots to say this morning and sounded so happy and like she is having a great time preparing for Indigo’s arrival. Quinn, We are so very proud of you and love you soooo much. We are counting the days until we get to bring Indigo home to you.

We had a wonderful group outing this morning. Our guides took us to “Old Town” Chongqing. Many of the buildings in the area we walked through were built 600 years ago during the Ming dynasty. It was really incredible to walk through this neighborhood still filled with people, and shops and businesses. We received many smiles and “lucky baby” comments. We feel we are the lucky ones. We are also glad that we had this opportunity to see this community as it will be destroyed in the not so distant future. to be replace by modern, more western high rise apartments. We also got to stop and see through the fog the convergence of the Yangtze and the Jiaing rivers. The area is currently being decorated for the Chinese New Year (Year of the Dog) so there were lots of fun decorations up near the rivers as well as all over the city. We had another group lunch with lots and lots of food and then back to the hotel for naps.

Indigo did very well during our outing - even slept though some of it. But awoke from her nap with tears, as she is working on a couple more teeth. She also seemed to be having some “home sickness “ this evening, perhaps realizing this is a permanent transition. It does seem that she has three words, Baba, Mama, and the Chinese word for big sister, Jie Jie. She actually says this when we show her Quinn’s picture so they must have used the little photo album we sent with labeled pictures. She also did lots of smiling and laughing today – she has a very cute giggle. Her Baba is very good at getting her to giggle. Aside from the teething episode and her little bout of homesickness Indigo had another great day. We did put her on the scale in our hotel room today because we were very curious how much this healthy eater weighs – are all guesses in? 20 pounds- good thing I brought mostly 18 month size clothing.