Red Couch

January 30, 2007, Annie's first birthday! And traditional "red couch" photo shoot - all the babies in the group had their "close-ups" this afternoon on one of the many red couches at the White Swan hotel. The nine babies in our group were wonderful, but Annie, now known at Empress of all China in our group (thanks to Granny), remained regal through out!

Officially, we had our consulate appointment today - we didn't have to go, but had to remain in the hotel for about an hour in case there were any questions. Tomorrow, we go pick up the girls' visa at the Consulate and take the oath.

After the photo shoot this afternoon, Maggie and Grace graciously arranged an evening river cruise on the Pearl River for us and a few other families. It wound up being a birthday party for Annie - complete with cake and candles! Maggie & Grace bought the cake for us - and Empress Annie enjoyed it (as usual). It's hard to believe that we only have a one more day here, then head for home on a long 15 hour flight... I think our bags (and we will now each probably have 2) have to be out in the hallway by 4 or 5 am for a 5 or 5:30 departure...

Speaking of bags - I was so concerned about our being over the limit - I have to thank the rest of our families in our group. According to Evelyn & Kiki in Nanchang, our group had the least amount of luggage they've seen in a long time - and our bags were weighed as a group, so we were all fine. Now the trick will be to keep our bags under 50 lb limit for the flight back to O'Hare.

See you soon! L.

Life in Guangzhou

Hi Guys - sorry about the photos on Yahoo 360; don't know what the problem is. I'll see what I can do from here. Sorry if we don't get to it right away, now that she's got the drunken sailor walk now, so we're even more than a little distracted...

We've all pretty well settled into life at the White Swan - it will be hard to leave the sun and warmth for freezing cold Chicago...

Maggie & Grace are our CCAI Guides in Guangzhou - there's another group here today too, who we had a tour with, but I don't remember that guide's name. They've all been great, but I have a great fondness for Evelyn & Kiki - our guides in Nanchang. Afterall, they were like the midwives who helped "deliver" Annie to us!

Today, Annie had her physical - if you could call it that; more like ht, wt, can she hear, and general look over. I don't know if I should be concerned, but when the doctor at the last station took off Annie's overalls for the exam, she laughed outloud at Annie's ham hock legs. I think I have biceps now from hauling around a 20.4lb girl (27.5 in long) for the last week +.

After the exam, we did more shopping, then took a tour where we had the babies blessed at the temple, looked at the Chen house (folk museum), and shopped at a folk arts & crafts store. Then we went to dinner at a Cantonese restaurant with another family.

Tomorrow's our Consulate appointment already - and more importantly, Annie's 1st birthday! Then it's a trip to the Pearl Market, the red couch photos, and because it's Annie's birthday, Maggie and Grace are arranging a Pearl River cruise - CCAI's providing the cake! They did it for Lily last week in Nanchang. It's hard to believe that we've been here so long already. Only 2 more days til we come home!

See you all soon - Laurie

@ the White Swan

We made it to the White Swan - Annie was a trouper on her first plane ride. As long as she had her O's (Cheerios, that is), she was fine. Hope she does as well on the long 15 hour flight home as she did on the 1.5 hour flight today. Guangzhou International Airport looks & feels larger than O'Hare, and Guangzhou itself has over 10 million people living in it - the largest city in Southern China.

Mom is in shopping heaven - lots of little souvenir / baby shops all catering to the American adoption community - any Chinese baby adopted by Americans has to go through Guangzhou to get the US visa to come home. That's what we're doing tomorrow - getting Annie's picture taken for her visa. Hope it's better than that taken for her Chinese passport. She's screaming in that one...

Here are some more pics of our trip. Love to all - see you soon! Laurie

Off to Guangzhou

Today we're packing and getting ready to leave for Guangzhou - yesterday we got Annie's passport and visited a porcelain shop (Jiangxi is known for it). Here are some more pics of our pretty girl. See you soon - l.

She's a walker...

It's hard to believe that we've only had her for 72 hours! Already she's taking her first steps.

 

Today we took a tour of Teng Wang Pavilon - a palace built over 1400 years ago.

 

I posted photos of the tour and other events today in the my photos section of my yahoo 360 page:

http://360.yahoo.com/law531@sbcglobal.net

 

They're in a photo album called China Trip to Annie on the My Page page of the yahoo 360 blog...

 

We're all doing well - almost 1 week down and 1 week to go... it's a whirlwind!

 

Take care, Lauren

 

 

Officially a Woods

Day 2 with Annie!

We survived the night (twice), completed the paperwork, met the orphanage director, went to the registration office, notary office, Walmart, and saw the pediatrician - all between 9 am yesterday morning and 1pm today.

The visit to the notary office made it official - Ling Xu Sang is now officially Annie Irene Xusang Woods. We discovered that we were pronouncing Annie's Chinese name wrong (Xu Sang sounds more like shu-ee-saan, than soo song - unless soo song is Mandarin; here in Southern China they speak Cantonese - that includes Hong Kong, and Guangzhou).

Grandma's officially dubbed Annie, "The Empress" as she needs to be held and moved at all times. We learned from her orphanage director that she left her foster mom on Sunday morning - the morning of Gotcha Day, and that she's very, very attached to her foster mom. Her foster mom was an older retired lady who only had one foster child to care for - Annie. Consequently, Annie's one upset little girl. There are occasional glimpses of her playful side, like when she tried feeding me a cookie or played peek-a-boo with Grandpa, but then it seems that realizes she's having fun and it's not with her foster mom, so she cries. She's been crying almost non-stop since Sunday - but today, she finally took a bottle (Chinese, from Walmart), took a long nap, and is now touring the hotel hallway in her rented stroller with Granny at the helm. Annie likes the stroller when it's moving. She can't stand to sit or lay down, unless she's sleeping or eating.

Today we saw the pediatrician who said that Annie was fine - but then asked if we had any antibiotics. He thinks she has a sore throat - there's another mom in our group, who just so happens to be a family doctor, and when she looked at Annie, she thought Annie might have an ear infection, and should take the antibiotics just as a precaution.

Tonight we have a group dinner and tomorrow there's a tour somewhere. Now we're just waiting in Nanchang for the baby's passport and the return of some paperwork.

By comparison, Nanchang is real China to Hong Kong which seems to be Disney or Las Vegas, China. It's dark, gray, and just run down - and full of people. And cars, bikes, motorcycles, moped, and traffic laws that seem optional.

We made it to Hong Kong

We're here - well, in Hong Kong. Mom and Dad are sleeping next door and I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. I've only been up almost 24 hours, so I can't imagine what the problem is...

Tomorrow we tour Hong Kong, then on Sunday to Nanchang to meet Annie!

I can't wait! We'll try to post some pictures soon!


Laurie

How did they do it?

How did 3 women all manage to use and more important to me today anyway, pack this suitcase for their adoption trips to China last year?

This is not a small suitcase - it's huge, and yet look at what all I still have to manage to get in it. I have no doubt that I will accomplish this though - afterall this is a special suitcase. Special because Carissa's, Sophie's, and Ella's moms all used it when they went to bring their daughters home last year. Now I'm using it - with any luck (assuming I will actually be able to close the lid before I leave on Thursday), another new mom (maybe even 2 or 3) will use "the suitcase" and maybe then it will become - heck, it already is - "the coming home suitcase" full of the unique travel stories and adventures of our ever-growing group of single moms.

Thanks, Anne, for letting me borrow it and add another adventure to it as I get it ready for Annie.

But in the meantime, if anyone has any tips about how to get all of this stuff in it, I'm all ears...

8 days and counting...

...until we jump on the plane to get Annie! Today the official itinerary came from CCAI:

1/18 Leave the U.S. for Hong Kong.

1/19 Arrive in Hong Kong.

1/20 Prepaid tour in Hong Kong.

1/21 Leave Hong Kong for Nanchang on China Eastern flight

GOTCHA DAY: Receive your children at the Provincial Registration Office today Congratulations! The children will be delivered by the Orphanage Director and orphanage staff.

1/22 Adoption Registration, Notarization and apply for children’s passport today.

Optional trip to the local department store (Walmart) for baby supplies.

1/23 Rest or optional city tours.

1/24 Rest or optional city tours.

Waiting for child’s adoption paperwork to be completed.

1/25 Receive notarized adoption documents this afternoon.

1/26 Receive your child’s passport and Registration Certificate in the afternoon.

1/27 Leave NanChang for Guangzhou on China Eastern flight

Go to the White Swan Hotel.

1/28 Free time. Rest, shop, tour.

1/29 Have your child’s visa physical and visa photo taken today.

1/30 Today is your Consulate appointment. (and Annie's 1st Birthday!)
Your CCAI representative will deliver your visa packets to the U.S. Consulate Adoption Unit.

1/31 Go to the U.S. Consulate to take the oath in the afternoon.

2/1 Please be packed, checked-out and ready to go at the designated time.
Woods family: Due to your early departure we did not charge you for breakfast this morning.
Please plan accordingly.

Leave Guangzhou for Hong Kong on China Southern flight CZ301 (08:30-09:15).

Leave Hong Kong for the U.S.

WELCOME HOME!