Day 12

Outside of the hotel before a quick trip to the supermarket. 

Our hotel lobby. 

Ava loves Kinder Joy eggs, but apparently illegal in the U.S??

Ava napped on the floor today. 

Daddy bought his little girl her first purse. 

Now we are starting our long journey home!! 

Day 12

Outside of the hotel before a quick trip to the supermarket. 

Our hotel lobby. 

Ava loves Kinder Joy eggs, but apparently illegal in the U.S??

Ava napped on the floor today. 

Daddy bought his little girl her first purse. 

Now we are starting our long journey home!! 

Day 11

Day 11 was our big appointment at the consulate. I forget the numbers our guide said, but something like 800 Chinese people apply for travel visas to the U.S. every day. Something like 25,000 people apply for immigrant visas a year. 

There were hundreds of people lined up to get through security. The line for American citizens had one person. 

Upstairs in the waiting room, there were 9-10 other adoptive families also waiting. We were called one by one to the windows (much like at the DMV) and also like the DMV, there were 10 windows but only two were open. 

We basically promised all our paperwork was correct, and they promised we would get Ava's visa tomorrow unless we don't because the system is down.  

The whole thing was pretty anti climatic and a bit disappointing. 

We spent the rest of the day in our room resting and playing. 

Ava did not want to sleep, however. She would pass out as I rocked her but would wake up instantly as I laid her down. The problem was, at some point during the day, I had mentally checked out. I miss home, my boys, and being able to ask where the chocolate is at the grocery store. I'm tired...both mentally and physically drained. And playing "guess who doesn't want to sleep" was not on my agenda for the evening. 

After a major tantrum and a lot of crying, I finally sucked it up and acted like an adult. I brought out the baby lotion and gave Ava a baby massage, which she loved so much she wouldn't let me stop. Around 11-ish, we were both tired and greasy and finally fell asleep. She continued to toss and turn all night. 

It's going to be a long day. 

Wandering around the hotel lobby. Oh how I miss my flat iron. 

A really cool staircase in the lobby. 

Outside the consulate. 

Day 10

Home is where my heart is... But my heart is in two places. Todd and Ava are here with me, but my boys are back home. 

Oh, how I miss my boys. Up until today, we have been so busy that I could keep the homesickness at bay. But tonight, Todd's dad called to tell us that Adam was very upset and didn't want to go to school. 

Thankfully we were able to pass along some helpful tips we learned over the past year in training. We received an update that it worked, and Adam happily went to school. Now maybe I can get my own tears under control. 

On the China front, we spent most of today at Safari Park, a large zoo. At first, Ava was so worked up, we couldn't tell if she was excited or terrified. I *think* she was excited. 

Ava fed a giraffe!

Hot and tired. We had witnessed a lot of people staring at Ava and whispering about her birthmarks. I'm hopeful she did not overhear anything hurtful, and I'm thankful she seemed oblivious to the stares. 

Lil mama made a corner for her baby with a box bed, food, and water. 

Day 9

We had a lot of fun exploring Shamian Island, buying souvenirs and eating lunch at Lucy's. 

The bow lasted for about 20 seconds. 

She's going to fit right in with our boys. 

Two dresses for Ava, shoes, paintings, a pearl necklace, and a jade necklace. 

Dinner! Todd said when he went to get dinner, an older man stopped him and asked, "Lady massage?" I guess the trade show is attracting the local prostitutes. 

Day 8

Day 8 was a very good day. 

There is one other family here from our agency, and we both took our girls for their medical exam. 

The United States requires a brief medical exam and for children over age 2, a blood draw for a tuberculosis test. 

The exam was different from what we expected. There were many other American families there. Older children were laughing and playing with their new parents. The younger children sat wide eyed or cried. 

Several other parents made the comment, "all the children are pretty, but your girl is beautiful." She really is.. Both inside and out. We had told our guide when we arrived that Ava is very smart, but after spending a few minutes with her, he remarked, "wow, she is really smart." Yeah, we know and that scares us a little bit.

Ava would cry as she met the doctors, but after they examined her, she flashed her big smile, waved and said "bye bye" in English and blew kisses. They LOVED her. We are so in trouble when she is a teenager. 

The quote of the day comes from Todd. He ran out to grab a quick lunch to bring back to the hotel room. He returned with some McDonalds. He took a big bite of his burger and remarked: "this tastes like real beef. Who knew you had to come to China to get a decent Big Mac."

We spent a lot of time laughing about how stupid we are. Mandarin is apparently impossible for us. There are four tones that effect how you say a word. Changing the tone changes the word completely. For example, we told the other family Ava's Chinese name, Pan Yi. Our guide quickly said, "I must correct your pronunciation." 

When we returned to the hotel room, Todd spoke Pan Yi into Google translate. At first, it came back as "translation" and the second time he tried, it said "afraid of you". So all this time we thought we were lovingly saying her name, but we were either calling her Translation or saying we were afraid of her. No wonder she was traumatized that first day. I wish our guide in Changsha had said something! Oh how we laughed at ourselves. 

After Ava's nap, we walked to the supermarket to buy a few snacks and more of Ava's milk. It was very busy and confusing, but Ava enjoyed pointing out her favorite foods. She seemed quite familiar with the candy aisle. 

After a yummy dinner of flavored rice and "chicken wings" (the closest comparison I can think of is our hot wings, but these were in a mildly sweet, citrusy sauce), Ava played and danced and laughed. I decided it was time for another bath. 

Our little stinker protested up until she sat in the water, then she flashed her grin and then splashed for twenty minutes. 

At the medical office. 

Part of our hotel: the pool and waterfall

Bath time!

Tater chip

Day 7

Day 7 was a travel day, so not much to report. 

Our guide did take us out for "French style" food. We had pork with green peppers (HOT but very good), pickled fish (a whole fish covered in some sort of pickled vegetables.. Also HOT but very good). There were also vinegar potatoes. The potatoes were shredded in strips like noodles. They were in a vinegary sauce much like German potato salad...yum yum. 

After a nap, we were taken to the train station. No one there spoke English and there were very few English signs. Our train was delayed which was a little worrisome. 

Once on the platform, Todd went to take pictures and I had a minor panic attack as several hundred people filled the platform around us and I didn't know what to do. I will never complain about someone not knowing English back in the U.S. again. It is so scary and isolating when you can't communicate. 

The train ride went well.. Ava did great. I was very tired so everything made me laugh hysterically. We wondered how we would keep Ava entertained for the three hour trip... She kept us entertained by pooping every twenty minutes. :)

Our guide here in Guangzhou is very experienced and whisked us off to a waiting van. People here drive so much better than in Changsha. Changsha is a free-for-all. They apparently have traffic laws here in Guangzhou. 

The city is huge and beautiful. I think the guide said there are 10 million residents. 

I think the good luck character at The Academy must have worked, we were given an Executive Suite. It's pretty awesome. 

Oh, and we have air conditioning!! Praise Jesus!

Ava was changing her baby's diaper. 

The train platform. 

The view from our suite. 

Day 6

Day 6 was our worst and best day. 

Since Todd was feeling unwell, Ava and I met our guide to visit the Academy.. It is now a part of the University but it is a school from over 1,000 years ago. But you may want to ask Mr Google for all the details. 

At the entrance were the Chinese characters for good luck and either Prosperity or Longevity. Jet lag stole that part of my memory. We touched the characters so that they would "rub off" on us. 

Ava pranced around and had lots of fun until she tripped and busted her lip. This began a chain of emotional reactions. Again, language has been our biggest obstacle. 

She was quite upset for the rest of the morning, but awoke from her nap happier. She is also a big fan of children's Tylenol. 

Todd was feeling much better at that point as well, so we played and laughed and bonded. Something must have clicked because we were able to give her a quick bath and she slept without her shoes on! We ended the day with a quick video chat with Grammy and Pappy Speary.