Well, it's been awhile since we've posted anything. I've thought about writing several times, and then decided to wait another week or so. To be very honest, things have been kind of tough. I keep thinking it will get better and I'll have encouraging things to say on our blog. Adopting an older child has proven to be very challenging on the entire family. Kaitlyn has been consumed with jealousy of Kailey for the past two months. She has taken it out on her physically, emotionally and verbally. It's been especially hard on Kailey and myself. Kaitlyn doesn't want me to love Kailey and she makes that very clear most everyday. She gets very agitated when Kailey and I talk to each other, sit, stand or walk next to each other. She wedges herself between us and gives Kailey the evil eye. She yells at Kailey, tries to hurt her and cries. She understands English pretty well now and we tell her over and over again that we love Kaitlyn, Austin and Kailey. She doesn't want to hear this, or understand it. Kaitlyn is also very physcial with me and doesn't have appropriate boundaries. She's extremely insecure-I can't leave the room without her following me, she has to have me in her sight at all times, and/or be physically stroking me in some way. She's paranoid of me going anywhere. She askes, "Ma Ma go driving? Ma Ma stay home?" multiple times a day. Tim has been trying to bond more with her, and takes her on errands to give me a break. The counselor in Mesa turned out to be a total whack! He told me to tell Kaitlyn, "Oh, I like the way you are massaging my back", as she is violently kicking my chair, screaming and crying because Kailey is sitting in the front seat of the car and she isn't. Needless to say, we never went back to him. Our agency found a Christian, Chinese, Mandarin-speaking female counselor that we've starting going to. Thank you Jesus! Her name is Frieda. She's been great, but says it's going to be slow going and we're in for a tough challenge. We knew that the second day we had her in China!!! However, we made a lot of excuses for her behavior in China and thought things would get better once we got settled back home. We were wrong. I'm sorry if this is brutely honest and offends or worries some that are reading this... especially those that might be waiting for a referral. I don't want to be discouraging or scare anyone off from adopting. That's why I haven't written anything in weeks. In our experience, we've learned adoption isn't always a bed of roses. It's actually the hardest thing our family has ever gone through. We're trying to see God's plan in all this. Your prayers for our family would be greatly appreciated!!!
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Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Kaitlyn's 11th Birthday!!
We celebrated Kaitlyn's 11th birthday this weekend! We've been talking about her birthday for the last few weeks trying to prepare her a bit. She has no clue what a birthday party or gifts are! She thought the Christmas tree was a decoration for her party! She is completely obvilous to Christmas and all the Christmas traditions as well.
Anyhow, we started the weekend off by taking the girls to get their ears pierced. Kailey got one diamond stud on her cartilage, Kaitlyn got both ears pierced for the first time and so did their baby cousin, Carly! All were brave... even Carly. Kaitlyn invited 5 friends from school to come to her party. We took the girls to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch and games. Then we met the family back at the house for cake and presents. She had a great time and it was really cute to see her interact with her friends. This was the first time she's had friends over to the house. She did really good, but would come check on me ever so often to see if I was still close by. I redirected her to visit with her friends and she would skip out of the room and go play with them. Riley especially dotes on Kaitlyn and has taken a special interest in teaching her and showing her things.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Six Weeks Home
The last couple weeks have been met with wonderful times and challenges. Kaitlyn has continued to share things about Lanzhou and her foster mother. Now we know there was an older girl and boy in the home that she called her brother and sister. There was also a grandmother who walked with a cane, but it is unclear if she lived in the same house... we think so. She told me her Lanzhou Ma Ma put her hair in ponytails and cooked her dumplins for dinner. She also has shared some very sad and heartbreaking information as to how she was treated in the home. Each time she opens up, she ends up in tears by the end of the conversation. I will never forget when I was completely stressing out at school before leaving for China wondering why - after 2 1/2 years of waiting, why things went into lightning speed mode all of the sudden for us. My friend, Natalie, told me..."God has a plan. Maybe there is a reason why you need to get her NOW and not wait another month or two." I believe we know the answer to that now.Kaitlyn loves her older sister, Kailey. She likes to watch her do her hair and make-up in the morning, play soccer with her, copies her cheer dances, cartwheels and plays games with her. However, she has also become quite jealous of Kailey and doesn't like the fact I have another daughter. It has been much, much better the last few days. I continually, and very firmly explain to her that Ma Ma has two daughters. I love Kaitlyn, and I love Kailey - it's okay. Like I said, this week has been better. She actually pushed me toward Kailey and insisted I hug her & kiss her. That was a good sign! I hope we're over the worst part of that!
We have been in close contact about all this with our adoption agency and they are working with us to find appropriate counseling for Kaitlyn... and for the family, to help us with these issues that have come up. We have a good lead on a doctor in Mesa (about an hour and 15 minute drive one way from our house), that specializes in adoption issues.
Kaitlyn is full of funny phrases! She's always been a good eater and usually out-eats us at the dinner table! Some of the things she says at the dinner table are, "Slow it down; Take it easy, Wait, Wait, Wait". Obviously, these are the things we often say to her as she shovels the food in her mouth! I was also holding my little niece, Carly and turned her around for a picture. Kaitlyn yells out, "Turn the page!" It was too funny! She refers to one of her teachers, as "Mrs. Smith... Excuuuuuse me, Turn the page, I'll wait". Then with her math teacher, (Natalie) she dances and sings, "Days-Of-The-Week" to the tune of "The Adams Family". I thought for the longest time she was singing "Desiree" not "Days of the week!" Kaitlyn is doing 2nd grade English work in reading, writing and math. We're hoping to get her into 3rd grade curriculum by February/March. She's smart and is learning rapidly!
Well, that's about it in a nutshell! Please continue to keep Kaitlyn and our family in your prayers as we continue to work through things. We know God is in control and has a plan for our expanded family. Philippians 1:6 "Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Life's Joys... And Tears
It's hard to believe we have been home for a month already! The time has just flown by! Austin is all caught up with his classes and football season ends next week. Kailey seems happy at her new school and has already made a bunch of new friends in 8th grade. She is very helpful to me after school to keep Kaitlyn occupied while I finish up work in my classsroom. Kaitlyn continues to do very well in school and has so many friends. She is known throughout the school across several grade levels. It's so cute to be walking with her and every-other kid we come across says hi to her and wants to talk to her. The other kids are very facinated with her and want to be apart of teaching her things. She is very receptive to this and loves the attention she's getting! She is a very outgoing, friendly, smiley, funny, bubbly kid that likes to be in the center of all the action!! All her teachers say she is doing amazing and is catching on super fast. Kaitlyn mostly speaks in chopped English phrases now and we all play a lot of what looks like "Charades" when we communicate. We truly understand most of what she says and vice versa. There has only been a few times where we can't figure out what she's trying to say. We have learned more Mandarin words as well, so that helps too. Thanks Coleen for the DVD!
Kaitlyn's Arizona birth certificates came in the mail this week as well as her Certificate of Citizenship! We will pursue getting her social security card this week.
This has also been a week of emotions from Kaitlyn. As she continues to adjust, she has grown increasingly attached to Ma Ma and cries her heart out when I leave to go anywhere without her. She's going through some separation anxiety issues that have escalated over the last week. I continually reasure her I love her and will be back soon. It's hard because we just don't know much about the last ten years of her life and what she has been through. However, she started to tell me things about her "Lanzhou Ma Ma", (her foster mom for the past 2 or so years) just within the last few days. I know her Lanzhou Ma Ma didn't like coffee, but likes tea. I know she has a green couch. I know there was only a Ma Ma and no Ba Ba. She had her do a lot of housework and didn't make her brush her teeth at night. It is unclear whether there were other children in the house. I also know she had yucky feet and "bad" shoes! Over the course of an hour, Kaitlyn continued to tell me more, and then sobbed in my arms saying, "Lanzhou Ma Ma bad" and gave a thumbs down. It just broke my heart. Please pray for Kaitlyn as she works through this and for us to help her with God's love and healing power. She is safe now and has a forever family that will love her for the rest of her life!
Kaitlyn's Arizona birth certificates came in the mail this week as well as her Certificate of Citizenship! We will pursue getting her social security card this week.
This has also been a week of emotions from Kaitlyn. As she continues to adjust, she has grown increasingly attached to Ma Ma and cries her heart out when I leave to go anywhere without her. She's going through some separation anxiety issues that have escalated over the last week. I continually reasure her I love her and will be back soon. It's hard because we just don't know much about the last ten years of her life and what she has been through. However, she started to tell me things about her "Lanzhou Ma Ma", (her foster mom for the past 2 or so years) just within the last few days. I know her Lanzhou Ma Ma didn't like coffee, but likes tea. I know she has a green couch. I know there was only a Ma Ma and no Ba Ba. She had her do a lot of housework and didn't make her brush her teeth at night. It is unclear whether there were other children in the house. I also know she had yucky feet and "bad" shoes! Over the course of an hour, Kaitlyn continued to tell me more, and then sobbed in my arms saying, "Lanzhou Ma Ma bad" and gave a thumbs down. It just broke my heart. Please pray for Kaitlyn as she works through this and for us to help her with God's love and healing power. She is safe now and has a forever family that will love her for the rest of her life!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Week Two At Home
This has been an even better week! We all feel back to normal with our days & nights - with the exception of Tanya still not falling asleep at night real well. Too much on the mind I suppose! The week started with confirming Kaitlyn's dentist appointment only to discover we have a new dentist at the office that speaks Mandarin! What an answer to prayer that was! She still didn't like getting her teeth cleaned and would not cooperate to get X-Rays or floss, but the dentist said he thought she did well for her first visit and surprisingly she didn't have any cavities they could see! The next day, we went to the doctor for a full physical. I spent about an hour with the doctor talking about Kaitlyn and then she gave her check up. Kaitlyn didn't like her pressing on her stomach feeling her organs and became a complete wiggle box. I shared our concern about Kaitlyn's gait when she walks. Dr. Hoff had her walk the halls and observed her. She agreed, and referred her to a pediatric orthopedic. We have that appointment in December. Other than that, her body checked out great, and her blood and urine tests came back fabulous!!
Thursday, she and Kailey started school (Austin went back the week before). Oh, boy were we ever excited!! She had an awesome day too! She is registered in 4th grade, but goes to a English Language Development class with K-3 for about four hours, does math with 2nd grade and has lunch and recess with her peers in 4th grade. This is how we will work things until she gets caught up and her English develops. She didn't get much attention, stimulation or an education until the last two years when she went to a foster home.... breaks my heart.
Friday, we went to school and met with the Principal to discuss her schedule. Kaitlyn called my name and showed me her arm where she had her TB test done. It was red and really swollen. Therefore, we had to leave school and go back to the doctor where she ordered a chest X-Ray Stat. Kaitlyn didn't like that too much either.... I'm beginning to notice a pattern with her. Any doctor, dentist, etc. she doesn't like too well. Anyhow, her chest X-Ray came back clean (thank goodness!) and we went back to another successful day at school!
That night, we had some family over to play Rock Band on the Xbox. Tim, Austin and Kailey disappeared for awhile and came running out to the living room dressed like metal rock stars! It freaked my nephew, Carter, out and startled Kaitlyn for a minute until she realized who they were. Then she jumped right into singing and dancing all over the place!
Saturday, was a strange afternoon. I had to put Kaitlyn in time-out in her room for pulling Milo's (our tan dog) legs and dropping him in almost a "throwing" motion. She has been talked to many times about being gentle with the dogs. I was very firm speaking to her about this on the translator. I went back in her room and talked to her some more after about 10 minutes. She seemed remorseful and understood completely. We came back out to join the family and then I left to take Shelby (our white dog) to the groomer. When I returned a few minutes later, she seemed sad. I went in her room to get her sweater and knelt down to hug her and told her I loved her. She burst into tears. That really took me back - she never cries. It wasn't like her at all. I just kept holding her telling her over and over again I loved her. We put on our shoes together and her cousin brought me the translator and I told her, "Ma Ma loves you very much!" She burst into tears again so I just sat on her bedroom floor craddling her and repeatedly told her I loved her and everything is okay. We both got it together emotionally and came out to join the family to get some dinner. We haven't seen this side of Kaitlyn before - I know the emotion was a good release for her, but it was really hard on Ma Ma to see her so upset.
She's super happy and extremely helpful today. She disappeared for awhile and made everyone's bed, folded the clothes out of the drier, rinsed and stacked all the dishes in the sink and cleaned Kailey's room!! She likes to clean and we think this really makes her feel part of the family to help out. Austin & Kailey are liking this WAY too much!!! Enjoy the pics and video below!
Thursday, she and Kailey started school (Austin went back the week before). Oh, boy were we ever excited!! She had an awesome day too! She is registered in 4th grade, but goes to a English Language Development class with K-3 for about four hours, does math with 2nd grade and has lunch and recess with her peers in 4th grade. This is how we will work things until she gets caught up and her English develops. She didn't get much attention, stimulation or an education until the last two years when she went to a foster home.... breaks my heart.
Friday, we went to school and met with the Principal to discuss her schedule. Kaitlyn called my name and showed me her arm where she had her TB test done. It was red and really swollen. Therefore, we had to leave school and go back to the doctor where she ordered a chest X-Ray Stat. Kaitlyn didn't like that too much either.... I'm beginning to notice a pattern with her. Any doctor, dentist, etc. she doesn't like too well. Anyhow, her chest X-Ray came back clean (thank goodness!) and we went back to another successful day at school!
That night, we had some family over to play Rock Band on the Xbox. Tim, Austin and Kailey disappeared for awhile and came running out to the living room dressed like metal rock stars! It freaked my nephew, Carter, out and startled Kaitlyn for a minute until she realized who they were. Then she jumped right into singing and dancing all over the place!
Saturday, was a strange afternoon. I had to put Kaitlyn in time-out in her room for pulling Milo's (our tan dog) legs and dropping him in almost a "throwing" motion. She has been talked to many times about being gentle with the dogs. I was very firm speaking to her about this on the translator. I went back in her room and talked to her some more after about 10 minutes. She seemed remorseful and understood completely. We came back out to join the family and then I left to take Shelby (our white dog) to the groomer. When I returned a few minutes later, she seemed sad. I went in her room to get her sweater and knelt down to hug her and told her I loved her. She burst into tears. That really took me back - she never cries. It wasn't like her at all. I just kept holding her telling her over and over again I loved her. We put on our shoes together and her cousin brought me the translator and I told her, "Ma Ma loves you very much!" She burst into tears again so I just sat on her bedroom floor craddling her and repeatedly told her I loved her and everything is okay. We both got it together emotionally and came out to join the family to get some dinner. We haven't seen this side of Kaitlyn before - I know the emotion was a good release for her, but it was really hard on Ma Ma to see her so upset.
She's super happy and extremely helpful today. She disappeared for awhile and made everyone's bed, folded the clothes out of the drier, rinsed and stacked all the dishes in the sink and cleaned Kailey's room!! She likes to clean and we think this really makes her feel part of the family to help out. Austin & Kailey are liking this WAY too much!!! Enjoy the pics and video below!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Party of 5
I apologize for not doing this sooner for all of you that got addicted to reading this blog the past few weeks!! It has been a lot harder adjusting to our time zone than I thought! We've been home a week now, and we still feel like we want a nap in the afternoon!
It is weird getting use to the fact we have five in our familly now. When we eat out, we now have to say "Party of 5". Kaitlyn is doing exceptionally well. She's adjusting very well to our household and now loves our dog, Milo. She carries him around like a baby, wraps him in a blanket and wants to sleep with him! Big attitude difference from the last few weeks!! Kaitlyn is also very helpful. She likes rinsing the dishes and stacking them on the counter, making everyone's beds in the morning and keeping her room in order! Austin and Kailey love the fact she likes doing the dishes! Her balance has improved and she's able to stand in 3 feet of water unassisted now. Before she was this floppy fish in the water!! I don't think she ever had the opportunity to be in water other than a bathtub in the past. She has an English vocabulary of over 50 words now and her receptive language is much higher. She understands most of what we tell/show her. We continue to work on "school" stuff and she knows just over half the letters and is learning to count from 11-20. She still refuses to do math problems though! She continues to test her boundries on occasion and sometimes will do things to deliberately get a reaction from us. Those are what we call "Kaitlyn Moments" and our travel group will know exactly what we mean! However, she is doing much, much better than she was in China!!
We went to school the end of last week and registered her. She was thirsty so I showed her the water fountain. Of course she looked at me like, "What am I supposed to do with that?!" I showed her how to take a drink and then she tried it only to get water all over her face and up her nose! It was pretty funny and yet another reminder of just how much she has to learn. We toured the school and went to a lot of classrooms where she felt like a celebrity! She's pretty excited about starting school Thursday!! She will be registered in 4th grade, but will go to a K-3 English Language Development class for most of the day. She will join her 4th grade class for lunch, recess, specials and math (however she will start with 2nd grade math until she catches up).
We went downtown and applied for her Arizona birth certificate today. After two hours of waiting, she will get one in the mail in about 3 weeks. Then we will apply for her social security card & we'll be good to go for our taxes this year!! Tomorrow is the dentist and Wednesday is the doctor! Pray it goes well!
It is weird getting use to the fact we have five in our familly now. When we eat out, we now have to say "Party of 5". Kaitlyn is doing exceptionally well. She's adjusting very well to our household and now loves our dog, Milo. She carries him around like a baby, wraps him in a blanket and wants to sleep with him! Big attitude difference from the last few weeks!! Kaitlyn is also very helpful. She likes rinsing the dishes and stacking them on the counter, making everyone's beds in the morning and keeping her room in order! Austin and Kailey love the fact she likes doing the dishes! Her balance has improved and she's able to stand in 3 feet of water unassisted now. Before she was this floppy fish in the water!! I don't think she ever had the opportunity to be in water other than a bathtub in the past. She has an English vocabulary of over 50 words now and her receptive language is much higher. She understands most of what we tell/show her. We continue to work on "school" stuff and she knows just over half the letters and is learning to count from 11-20. She still refuses to do math problems though! She continues to test her boundries on occasion and sometimes will do things to deliberately get a reaction from us. Those are what we call "Kaitlyn Moments" and our travel group will know exactly what we mean! However, she is doing much, much better than she was in China!!
We went to school the end of last week and registered her. She was thirsty so I showed her the water fountain. Of course she looked at me like, "What am I supposed to do with that?!" I showed her how to take a drink and then she tried it only to get water all over her face and up her nose! It was pretty funny and yet another reminder of just how much she has to learn. We toured the school and went to a lot of classrooms where she felt like a celebrity! She's pretty excited about starting school Thursday!! She will be registered in 4th grade, but will go to a K-3 English Language Development class for most of the day. She will join her 4th grade class for lunch, recess, specials and math (however she will start with 2nd grade math until she catches up).
We went downtown and applied for her Arizona birth certificate today. After two hours of waiting, she will get one in the mail in about 3 weeks. Then we will apply for her social security card & we'll be good to go for our taxes this year!! Tomorrow is the dentist and Wednesday is the doctor! Pray it goes well!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Home Sweet Home!
Well, after a very long 24 hours of travel, we got home safe and sound! The long plane ride from Toyko to Oregon was extremely difficult on Kaitlyn. It was late at night for us, she hated sitting for that long, and dispite my attempt to "drug" her, it didn't work. She stayed awake and restless the whole way. It was actually the first time she ever cried. When we arrived in Oregon it took about an hour to go through customs and immigration to make Kaitlyn an official US citizen. Then my brother picked us up and took us to a nearby hotel to hang out with him, his two daughters, my sister and her two boys. It was so great to see them!!!!! It had been almost 3 years - the kids have grown up so much!!! It was about 1:00 am for us, so we were very tired.
The flight to Phoenix was much better. The seats were a little wider and we had much more leg room. Kaitlyn, Kailey and Austin slept almost the entire way. Tim and I got a cat nap in. When we arrived we were greeted with family and friends, lots of welcome banners and many tears of joy! It was pretty awesome and emotionally overwhelming. We hit the drive through on the way home and everyone ate at our house. When we came through the front door there was big banner stretched across our entry that said, "Welcome Home Tim, Tanya, Austin, Kailey and Kaitlyn!" It was fabulous! Then, all the bedroom doors were shut with a sign on each door saying welcome home and our bedroom door said "There's No Place Like Home". There were welcome balloons and a card in Chinese telling Kaitlyn welcome to her new home. My mother-in-law cleaned our whole house, cleaned out my refridgerator and stocked it with food. My sister-in-law Audrey, made us a lasagna too! Our neighbors, Micah, Alyssa and their two kids stopped by to meet Kaitlyn and bring her a gift. It was all so touching and we felt so loved, missed and cared for. It truly was a great homecoming from a long trip!! When it was time for everyone to go, we had to explain that they don't all live here - they have their own houses. It think that was weird to her. Kaitlyn slept in her own bed in her own room the whole night! Praise God! I don't know if she'll do this every night or she did last night out of being too exhausted to argue about it!!
Today, Monday, Kailey and I slept in until almost noon. We were completely and utterly exhausted. Tim and Austin got up early, but Tim crashed right after dinner. Kaitlyn had a really good day exploring more of the house and getting used to our dogs. (she has a fear of animals). We had to teach her to throw her TP in the toilet, because in China and Japan you can't flush it - you put it in the waste basket. We also demonstrated you could drink the water from the sink and brush your teeth with it. The water is not drinkable in China - even for them. My in-laws took us the the Olive Garden for dinner tonight and bought her a doll she could play with, feed and bathe! She gasped with joy, got the biggest smile on her face and was all hugs!
Thanks for all your prayers and comments!! I'll write more later this week and let you know how things are going at home. Bye!
The flight to Phoenix was much better. The seats were a little wider and we had much more leg room. Kaitlyn, Kailey and Austin slept almost the entire way. Tim and I got a cat nap in. When we arrived we were greeted with family and friends, lots of welcome banners and many tears of joy! It was pretty awesome and emotionally overwhelming. We hit the drive through on the way home and everyone ate at our house. When we came through the front door there was big banner stretched across our entry that said, "Welcome Home Tim, Tanya, Austin, Kailey and Kaitlyn!" It was fabulous! Then, all the bedroom doors were shut with a sign on each door saying welcome home and our bedroom door said "There's No Place Like Home". There were welcome balloons and a card in Chinese telling Kaitlyn welcome to her new home. My mother-in-law cleaned our whole house, cleaned out my refridgerator and stocked it with food. My sister-in-law Audrey, made us a lasagna too! Our neighbors, Micah, Alyssa and their two kids stopped by to meet Kaitlyn and bring her a gift. It was all so touching and we felt so loved, missed and cared for. It truly was a great homecoming from a long trip!! When it was time for everyone to go, we had to explain that they don't all live here - they have their own houses. It think that was weird to her. Kaitlyn slept in her own bed in her own room the whole night! Praise God! I don't know if she'll do this every night or she did last night out of being too exhausted to argue about it!!
Today, Monday, Kailey and I slept in until almost noon. We were completely and utterly exhausted. Tim and Austin got up early, but Tim crashed right after dinner. Kaitlyn had a really good day exploring more of the house and getting used to our dogs. (she has a fear of animals). We had to teach her to throw her TP in the toilet, because in China and Japan you can't flush it - you put it in the waste basket. We also demonstrated you could drink the water from the sink and brush your teeth with it. The water is not drinkable in China - even for them. My in-laws took us the the Olive Garden for dinner tonight and bought her a doll she could play with, feed and bathe! She gasped with joy, got the biggest smile on her face and was all hugs!
Thanks for all your prayers and comments!! I'll write more later this week and let you know how things are going at home. Bye!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Last Day in China
Well, this will be our last post while in China. We will be getting up tomorrow at 4:30 am to get ready to head to the airport. I will continue to post updates on our blog once we're home, but probably not everyday.
After breakfast, Kaitlyn got a long lesson in how to use her translater by our guide, Rosa. Rosa said it is complicated, and she will have to spell things correctly in pinyin. Chinese children are not taught uppercase letters, only lowercase. Therefore, since the keyboard is in capital letters, it makes it more difficult. Rosa made an enlarged copy on the keyboard and all the functions, then wrote in Chinese characters what each button is for.
Then we hailed a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Shamin Island again. The driving is still a bit crazy in Guangzhou, but not nearly as bad as Lanzhou!!! We arrived in one piece and set off to do a little more shopping. Tim picked out the BEST shirt for Kaitlyn and she will be wearing it home! Leave it to Tim!! :)
When we got back to the hotel, we talked about what we wanted to do for our last dinner in China. We all unanimously agreed to go back to the Japanese/Chinese resturant! How our family loves our sushi and seafood!! It was an awesome treat! We went around the table asking how everyone was feeling about leaving. Again, we unanimously had the same answer. "I'm not ready to leave." There are still things we wanted to see and do. We have made some good friends: Guides in Gansu; Megan and Steed, Guides in Beijing and Guangzhou; Maggie and Rosa. Even "Donk", the shop owner of "Susan's Place" on the Island. Tim enjoyed learning how to play Chinese Chess with him. We spent hours in his store both days we were there. We have had the best time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the culture, customs and food. We thank God everyday we were given such a wonderful opportunity to adopt a child and visit some majestic places! Kaitlyn finally has a "forever family" after waiting ten years of her life! She is a joy and a blessing to us and has really blossomed these past few days. It's so hard to leave and I'm even starting to get choked up just writing this. China will forever be a part of our hearts and lives.
After breakfast, Kaitlyn got a long lesson in how to use her translater by our guide, Rosa. Rosa said it is complicated, and she will have to spell things correctly in pinyin. Chinese children are not taught uppercase letters, only lowercase. Therefore, since the keyboard is in capital letters, it makes it more difficult. Rosa made an enlarged copy on the keyboard and all the functions, then wrote in Chinese characters what each button is for.
Then we hailed a cab and drove about 15 minutes to Shamin Island again. The driving is still a bit crazy in Guangzhou, but not nearly as bad as Lanzhou!!! We arrived in one piece and set off to do a little more shopping. Tim picked out the BEST shirt for Kaitlyn and she will be wearing it home! Leave it to Tim!! :)
When we got back to the hotel, we talked about what we wanted to do for our last dinner in China. We all unanimously agreed to go back to the Japanese/Chinese resturant! How our family loves our sushi and seafood!! It was an awesome treat! We went around the table asking how everyone was feeling about leaving. Again, we unanimously had the same answer. "I'm not ready to leave." There are still things we wanted to see and do. We have made some good friends: Guides in Gansu; Megan and Steed, Guides in Beijing and Guangzhou; Maggie and Rosa. Even "Donk", the shop owner of "Susan's Place" on the Island. Tim enjoyed learning how to play Chinese Chess with him. We spent hours in his store both days we were there. We have had the best time here and have thoroughly enjoyed the culture, customs and food. We thank God everyday we were given such a wonderful opportunity to adopt a child and visit some majestic places! Kaitlyn finally has a "forever family" after waiting ten years of her life! She is a joy and a blessing to us and has really blossomed these past few days. It's so hard to leave and I'm even starting to get choked up just writing this. China will forever be a part of our hearts and lives.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Consulate Day & Starbucks!
Our day began with group pictures on the back stairs of the hotel lobby. Then if was off to Starbucks for some much needed coffee! We introduced Kaitlyn to a creme based mocha frap and she liked it once she got over the initial cold! After that, it was Kaitlyn's first time ever in a swimming pool! She got extremely excited when we acted out swimming and pulled out her bathing suit! They have rules in the hotel that you must wear a swim cap. Some friends let Kailey and Kaitlyn borrow there's. She did really good! She seems to like the water - once she learned to keep her mouth shut and nose plugged when going under! According to Kailey, "she was more wiggley than a fish flopping around out of water!" They had a great time!
Next, our whole group piled in the bus and drove to our Consulate appointment. The room was packed with many other groups adopting as well. It was a snap. An English speaking lady got on the microphone and explained the envelope we would get and then we all stood up as one large group, raised our right hand and said, "we will" after she asked a couple short questions. It was a total piece-of-cake, and the FINAL step to our adoption! We are FINALLY done with everything! Yeah!!!!! Once we touch down in Oregon, she will instantly be an American Citizen and be know legally as Kaitlyn Ying Christians!!
We went to dinner with 3 other families from our group tonight. We wanted to have something a little more daring before we come home. It took almost an hour to order our food! There was MUCH confusion with the staff and we ended up calling our guide, Maggie, to come down and help explain our order to the servers. Austin ordered Eel, which was pretty good - a little salty. I ordered a chicken with the head on the plate! It was really good! Kailey played it safe and ordered ribs from some animal. Tim, on the other hand, was the most daring and ordered Snow crab and Frog. It looked a lot better in the picture! When it arrived, it was more like slimy jello and tasted like it looked! No thank you!! Tim was a good sport and ate the whole thing!
After dinner we got Kaitlyn in the bath and then Tim and I went to say our goodbye's to our new found friends (don't worry... Austin & Kailey stayed with Kaitlyn). It was sad and of course the women got choked up as we hugged goodbye. We especially connected with the McBeath's and both Lois and I cried a bit as we hugged goodbye. Next summer they want to come do the Grand Canyon with us which will be great to see them again! Our Austin's exchanged cell numbers and email as well. The Ehmann's have family in Arizona and they used to live in the East Valley, so we will also get to see them again! Susan (Ehmann) collected everyone's address, phone, email, etc. and photocopied it for the whole group. We hope to stay in touch with everyone - you feel like a "new family" after being together for two weeks in a foreign country!
Saturday, we will be the only ones left :( We will go to Shamian Island again and spend a bit more time looking around - then start packing to leave Sunday at 5:30 am to the airport. We figure our travel will be about 24 hours. We are coming in Northwest Flight 0006 to Portland, OR from Tokyo at 8:10 am Sunday. (Dad, Chris & Cari...I will turn on my cell phone once we land). Then, we will arrive in Phoenix NW flight 4129 Opperated through Alaska Airlines at 4:40 pm Terminal 2. Looking forward to seeing you!
Next, our whole group piled in the bus and drove to our Consulate appointment. The room was packed with many other groups adopting as well. It was a snap. An English speaking lady got on the microphone and explained the envelope we would get and then we all stood up as one large group, raised our right hand and said, "we will" after she asked a couple short questions. It was a total piece-of-cake, and the FINAL step to our adoption! We are FINALLY done with everything! Yeah!!!!! Once we touch down in Oregon, she will instantly be an American Citizen and be know legally as Kaitlyn Ying Christians!!
We went to dinner with 3 other families from our group tonight. We wanted to have something a little more daring before we come home. It took almost an hour to order our food! There was MUCH confusion with the staff and we ended up calling our guide, Maggie, to come down and help explain our order to the servers. Austin ordered Eel, which was pretty good - a little salty. I ordered a chicken with the head on the plate! It was really good! Kailey played it safe and ordered ribs from some animal. Tim, on the other hand, was the most daring and ordered Snow crab and Frog. It looked a lot better in the picture! When it arrived, it was more like slimy jello and tasted like it looked! No thank you!! Tim was a good sport and ate the whole thing!
After dinner we got Kaitlyn in the bath and then Tim and I went to say our goodbye's to our new found friends (don't worry... Austin & Kailey stayed with Kaitlyn). It was sad and of course the women got choked up as we hugged goodbye. We especially connected with the McBeath's and both Lois and I cried a bit as we hugged goodbye. Next summer they want to come do the Grand Canyon with us which will be great to see them again! Our Austin's exchanged cell numbers and email as well. The Ehmann's have family in Arizona and they used to live in the East Valley, so we will also get to see them again! Susan (Ehmann) collected everyone's address, phone, email, etc. and photocopied it for the whole group. We hope to stay in touch with everyone - you feel like a "new family" after being together for two weeks in a foreign country!
Saturday, we will be the only ones left :( We will go to Shamian Island again and spend a bit more time looking around - then start packing to leave Sunday at 5:30 am to the airport. We figure our travel will be about 24 hours. We are coming in Northwest Flight 0006 to Portland, OR from Tokyo at 8:10 am Sunday. (Dad, Chris & Cari...I will turn on my cell phone once we land). Then, we will arrive in Phoenix NW flight 4129 Opperated through Alaska Airlines at 4:40 pm Terminal 2. Looking forward to seeing you!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Paperwork Passed & Shopping!
All the families had to hang out in our rooms this morning just incase we were needed if something was wrong with our paperwork. Maggie, our guide, just called (11:30 am) and said everything was perfect and our papers passed! Yeah!
Did I mention that our hotel has 45 floors? We are on the 32nd floor and our ears pop going down to the 1st floor! The breakfast buffet is on the revolving top floor -kinda like the top of the Hilton in Phoenix or the Space Needle in Seattle! It's a spectacular view of Guangzhou that seems to go for miles. Our room has two bathrooms, a master bedroom and a large living room where all the kids sleep. It is so nice having two bathrooms with 5 people!!
We went to Shamian Island today to do some shopping. We were only given 2 1/2 hours, which was not enough time to walk around and see the island. All we did was barter for souvenirs! I think we're going to brave it and take a cab there Saturday to explore more. The rest of our group leaves for home Friday or Saturday. I think we're the only ones staying until Sunday. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in China and I will try really hard not to cry when we say goodbye!!
Kaitlyn (who we call ,"Dang Ying Kaitlyn", until we can drop the Dang Ying after awhile) had a really good day! Only a couple small episodes, which she got over fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
Okay, I have got to tell you about our dining experience tonight! We ate at the famous "Banana Leaf Resturant". It came complete with delicious food (we wished there was more!) and hilarious entertainment. I took pictures and video from my camera and I'm going to attempt to load the video of Austin and Kailey dancing with the dancers. It was too funny to watch! Austin's new friend, Austin (15) and our Austin were the constant tease by the "colorful" dancing staff there. It was quite the experience! We had a fabulous time! The pictures and video say it all!
Did I mention that our hotel has 45 floors? We are on the 32nd floor and our ears pop going down to the 1st floor! The breakfast buffet is on the revolving top floor -kinda like the top of the Hilton in Phoenix or the Space Needle in Seattle! It's a spectacular view of Guangzhou that seems to go for miles. Our room has two bathrooms, a master bedroom and a large living room where all the kids sleep. It is so nice having two bathrooms with 5 people!!
We went to Shamian Island today to do some shopping. We were only given 2 1/2 hours, which was not enough time to walk around and see the island. All we did was barter for souvenirs! I think we're going to brave it and take a cab there Saturday to explore more. The rest of our group leaves for home Friday or Saturday. I think we're the only ones staying until Sunday. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in China and I will try really hard not to cry when we say goodbye!!
Kaitlyn (who we call ,"Dang Ying Kaitlyn", until we can drop the Dang Ying after awhile) had a really good day! Only a couple small episodes, which she got over fairly quickly. Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
Okay, I have got to tell you about our dining experience tonight! We ate at the famous "Banana Leaf Resturant". It came complete with delicious food (we wished there was more!) and hilarious entertainment. I took pictures and video from my camera and I'm going to attempt to load the video of Austin and Kailey dancing with the dancers. It was too funny to watch! Austin's new friend, Austin (15) and our Austin were the constant tease by the "colorful" dancing staff there. It was quite the experience! We had a fabulous time! The pictures and video say it all!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Rain, Rain Go Away
Kaitlyn being a ham!
I'm too cute for words!!
Alyssa... I love my new clothes! Thanks!
We all piled onto the bus and were all set to go to the island to do a little shopping today, but due to the typhoon that hit Hong Kong, we are getting torrential rains and the island is flooded! It was standing in about three inches of water this morning... I'm sure even more by now! Everyone was bummed out and looked forward to spending a few hours wheelin' and dealing for some souvenirs. We are going to attempt it again tomorrow. Instead, our guides (Rosa & Maggie) took our group to a little musuem for about an hour. Two of our friends forgot their cameras, so I said no problem... I will just download my pics onto your laptop. I went to take my first picture and discovered I left my memory card in the computer from the night before!!! Ugh!! So, no pictures today, sorry. While we were at the musuem, we felt like we were part of it... we got a few photo-ops with some of the locals that seemed fascinated with our looks, especially when we stood next to our blonde friends! The man was trying to be sneaky and not obvious he was taking our picture, we all (9 of us) turned around on the count of 3 and smiled giving the piece sign and it just made his day!!
Kaitlyn's behavior was much better today. Thanks for all your prayers!!!! Keep them coming! Our guides sat her down and had a little chat with her about it. "She needs much training and boundries" they say. I have been concerned about her academically too. She is old enough to be in 5th grade, but struggles with her 2nd grade work. She didn't get hardly any stimulation, attention or an education at the orphanage and has a lot to catch up on. She has mastered counting to 10 in English, know the names of about 8 body parts, 4 colors, about 10 letters and several words now. For example, "be gentle", "I'm hungry", "Are you hungry?" "shoes", "bath", "bathroom", "please", "more", etc. It's coming. We've also picked up on a few key phrases in Mandarin as well.
We ate dinner again with our friends, the McBeath's, tonight at an Italian restaurant. We ran into two other families there as well. We're enjoying exploring all kinds of foods. Tomorrow night we have a group dinner planned at a local Chinese restaurant... something to do with "banana leaves". We have absolutely loved the food! Lorraine... it's not bad at all, I think you will really like it. You just have to be open to trying it! The guides have been very good with the group meals and helping us order things they think we'll like.
Tim seems to be getting his fair share of attention too. There's been a handful of Chinese people that come up to him and rub is "budda belly". The first time it happened it really caught Tim off guard!! It was hysterical! I guess big bellies on westerners is a sign of great wealth and happiness! Well, for us, the happiness part works! :) Oh, one more crazy thing we've learned. Coffee shops are not "coffee shops" - they're bars! Interesting.
McIntyre Family... I really liked your "priceless" comment! That's great! Miss you!
To all that have either emailed me or posted us a comment supporting us through Kaitlyn's challenges - thank you so, so much! I can't tell you how much that means to us!
We're almost home! I will let everyone know our flight information in a couple days. I know we get in on Sunday, the 28th around 4:40 pm. We'd love to see ya'll there at the airport!!!!!!!!! I'm so incredibly excited to see my family in Washington that are planning on coming to Portland to keep us company during our 6 hour lay over! It's been way too long since I've see you and I can't wait for you to meet your new grandaughter and niece!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Paperwork and Medical Appointment
Today was a big paperwork day and Kaitlyn's medical appointment. The paperwork took about 1 1/2 hours to complete, but we are finally done with all that!! Yeah! Next was the medical appointment where she had a physical, ears & eyes checked, got weighed, etc. She was being very difficult. This has been pretty typical for the past few days. We feel like we can't disciple her too much here, but we had to do something. Can we just say, "presure points". Please pray for us with this matter. It has been extremely challenging having a 10 year old act like she's going through the "terrible two's". I know this is only a phase, and we'll get through it. "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." As I sat here praying about this, it came to me that maybe she is being so naughty to test us to see if we will still love her and accept her no matter what she does to us. Hmmmm, I wonder?
After the medical appointment, we went to a "Wal Mart" type of store and stocked up on bottled water, soda, some oreo cookies, pringles and some snacks Kaitlyn picked out... I have no idea what they are, but it is some kind of a cracker with what looks like carmel filling that comes in a purple bag (Audrey - it's in Chinese, so I don't know how else to explain this. Tim says a red super hot sause would make her day!). Then, Tim and I finally had some coffee at Starbucks! It was fabulous!
Later, we had an incredible dinner at a Japanese resturant in our hotel. We went with another family and sat around a u-shaped table with the chef cooking in the center. We ordered sushi, prawns, salmon, and the biggest king shrimp we've ever seen (longer than Tim's hand!) It was phenomenal!! Tim even got to eat the heads! That was a first! Kaitlyn had her spicy noodle soup and sucked it down no problem! We were given the "red carpet" treatment! There was 3 chefs and 3 servers just for us! One chef seemed to really like serving Kailey and devoted most of her time making sure she constantly had everything she needed! Kailey thought this was pretty cool!
After the medical appointment, we went to a "Wal Mart" type of store and stocked up on bottled water, soda, some oreo cookies, pringles and some snacks Kaitlyn picked out... I have no idea what they are, but it is some kind of a cracker with what looks like carmel filling that comes in a purple bag (Audrey - it's in Chinese, so I don't know how else to explain this. Tim says a red super hot sause would make her day!). Then, Tim and I finally had some coffee at Starbucks! It was fabulous!
Later, we had an incredible dinner at a Japanese resturant in our hotel. We went with another family and sat around a u-shaped table with the chef cooking in the center. We ordered sushi, prawns, salmon, and the biggest king shrimp we've ever seen (longer than Tim's hand!) It was phenomenal!! Tim even got to eat the heads! That was a first! Kaitlyn had her spicy noodle soup and sucked it down no problem! We were given the "red carpet" treatment! There was 3 chefs and 3 servers just for us! One chef seemed to really like serving Kailey and devoted most of her time making sure she constantly had everything she needed! Kailey thought this was pretty cool!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Leaving Lanzhou City, Gansu
We woke up early, got ready, and had breakfast in the hotel. Our guide came to pick us up and drove us an hour away to see where Kaitlyn was abandoned. It's a small part of town next to a huge oil refinery. It seems like a very, very poor community. I didn't get emotional about it until I sat here to write this journal entry. It's heartbreaking to think she was just left in a box or bag on the street in front of a store when she was only a few days old. I'm so thankful she was found rather quickly. Our guide made many stops to talk to the locals to try and find the man that discovered her... but with no luck. He has been great and really bent over backwards for us this morning!
Interesting facts we've learned: Men can beat women without getting arrested, there is no drinking age in China (beer is sold in vending machines like coke), marijuana is legal and grows in public, the average income in Lanzhou is about $350/month, the death penality is immediate (no waiting around in jail for years), Military people cannot have any religious beliefs or they get discharged, kids go to school in the morning - come home to eat a hot lunch - take a nap, and go back to school until about 4pm. Kaitlyn has some BIG adjustments with school once she gets home!! The tooth fairy doesn't come in China. Instead, if the tooth came from the top row, you throw it on the roof. If it came from the bottom row, you throw it in the ditch! Weird, huh??
We're packing getting ready to drive an hour to the airport and fly to Guangzhou at 2:00 pm. Kaitlyn has never been on a plane before and she is EXTREMELY excited! She sees us packing and jumps right in hastily putting things in suitcases, backpacks and dragging them to the door!
15 hours later... now we are here in Guangzhou! Yeah!!!!!!! Civilization!! Praise God!! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful! Wow! I heard there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I cannot wait for a good cup of coffee!!! I have been drinking Lanzhou coffee and it just isn't the same. The flight was good. Kaitlyn did really well for her first flight. We thought she would scream, but she did pretty good. Her ears hurt both times we decended and we gave her more gum to chew. I think we'll give her a little benadryl (sp?) for the long flight home! LOL!! We had a lay over in some other providence between Gansu and Guangzhou (I have no idea!) - hense, the late post... Sorry Drea!! It is currently 11:45 pm and everyone just settled into bed. Tomorrow is paperwork day!
Oh, Savannah - yes, we kept the tooth! Nicole, you're too sweet to have got Kaitlyn a gift! Don't worry, I didn't tell her! Yes, they gave her something on a cotton ball to numb her gums... thank goodness!! Tiffany, I miss you guys tons too!!!! Colleen - love getting your posts!! Denise - I miss you and it was good to hear from you!!! Mom and Dad, I know you probably cannot post comments, but you can email me - the internet is WAY FASTER here!! Everyone - I treasure your comments and I cannot tell you how much they mean to us! It is like waking up Christmas morning everyday to read them!! Bye for now, I'm off to sleep in a king size, much softer bed :) Love you all!!
Interesting facts we've learned: Men can beat women without getting arrested, there is no drinking age in China (beer is sold in vending machines like coke), marijuana is legal and grows in public, the average income in Lanzhou is about $350/month, the death penality is immediate (no waiting around in jail for years), Military people cannot have any religious beliefs or they get discharged, kids go to school in the morning - come home to eat a hot lunch - take a nap, and go back to school until about 4pm. Kaitlyn has some BIG adjustments with school once she gets home!! The tooth fairy doesn't come in China. Instead, if the tooth came from the top row, you throw it on the roof. If it came from the bottom row, you throw it in the ditch! Weird, huh??
We're packing getting ready to drive an hour to the airport and fly to Guangzhou at 2:00 pm. Kaitlyn has never been on a plane before and she is EXTREMELY excited! She sees us packing and jumps right in hastily putting things in suitcases, backpacks and dragging them to the door!
15 hours later... now we are here in Guangzhou! Yeah!!!!!!! Civilization!! Praise God!! Our hotel is absolutely beautiful! Wow! I heard there is a Starbucks around here somewhere and I cannot wait for a good cup of coffee!!! I have been drinking Lanzhou coffee and it just isn't the same. The flight was good. Kaitlyn did really well for her first flight. We thought she would scream, but she did pretty good. Her ears hurt both times we decended and we gave her more gum to chew. I think we'll give her a little benadryl (sp?) for the long flight home! LOL!! We had a lay over in some other providence between Gansu and Guangzhou (I have no idea!) - hense, the late post... Sorry Drea!! It is currently 11:45 pm and everyone just settled into bed. Tomorrow is paperwork day!
Oh, Savannah - yes, we kept the tooth! Nicole, you're too sweet to have got Kaitlyn a gift! Don't worry, I didn't tell her! Yes, they gave her something on a cotton ball to numb her gums... thank goodness!! Tiffany, I miss you guys tons too!!!! Colleen - love getting your posts!! Denise - I miss you and it was good to hear from you!!! Mom and Dad, I know you probably cannot post comments, but you can email me - the internet is WAY FASTER here!! Everyone - I treasure your comments and I cannot tell you how much they mean to us! It is like waking up Christmas morning everyday to read them!! Bye for now, I'm off to sleep in a king size, much softer bed :) Love you all!!
Sunday At The Park
Our day started with a trip to the "dentist" office. It was not as clean as US dentist offices by any means & she's probably is a self-taught dentist. Kaitlyn had a loose tooth with decay and they pulled it out for her. She was refusing to have this done, so I asked the guide to tell her, "Either we do it now in China, or we will do it in America. Either way, it is coming out." She quickly cooperated! Plus, I like the price tag in China MUCH better! LOL!
Afterwards, we headed to a city park. We went with two other American families. Thad Ehmann is 6'5" and was a big hit with the local spouting his slam dunks! The kids played a little soccer, used the exercise equipment and had a great time! Who needs to pay for a gym membership in Lanzhou?! Kailey was being constantly "checked out" by all the teenage boys. It was kinda humorous, but made Kailey feel a bit uncomfortable! She got her picture taken with another girl about 18 yrs old that practiced her English with her. Austin got his pic taken as well, some thought he was 20 years old! Maybe because his height? Oh, did I mention we were approached by a Chinese man and given his Amway business card... too funny!
We ate lunch at another delicious resturant today and had lamb. The tea was very different tasting, but good. The dessert was pumpkin wedges with these sweet root pieces in the center. I think I ate more of that then anyone! Kaitlyn once again piled on the heaping spoonfuls of spice on her lunch. Tim took just a tiny bit of it and starting sweating like crazy. Kaitlyn doesn't like Tim's sweat and started wiping it off. Sweet moment!
Back at the hotel room we watched some Chinese TV. Of course Tim makes up the dialogue to go with it and we just sit there rolling with laughter!! It's pretty funny!
Kaitlyn definitely prefers Ma Ma to anyone else, but is warming up more and more to Ba Ba (dad). Her clinginess and constantly wanting my touch just shows me how insecure she is. She needs to be by me at all times - I guess I'm her security blanket for now, and that's okay :) She continues to test us and does naughty things to get a reaction from us. I just continue to pray for her and her adjustment... and our patience!! She seems much younger than 10 1/2 years old. Everytime we go to eat, she out eats everyone else. She grabs food and fills her plate. I sometimes wonder if she does this because she thinks she won't get her "share" or enough. She also does something else quite interesting. Things she came with, things we sent in her care package, and anything else we've given her (including the phone number to our Chinese guide), she hides in her backpack. She draws a clear line that these are her things and they are special to her. It's kinda cute :)
Afterwards, we headed to a city park. We went with two other American families. Thad Ehmann is 6'5" and was a big hit with the local spouting his slam dunks! The kids played a little soccer, used the exercise equipment and had a great time! Who needs to pay for a gym membership in Lanzhou?! Kailey was being constantly "checked out" by all the teenage boys. It was kinda humorous, but made Kailey feel a bit uncomfortable! She got her picture taken with another girl about 18 yrs old that practiced her English with her. Austin got his pic taken as well, some thought he was 20 years old! Maybe because his height? Oh, did I mention we were approached by a Chinese man and given his Amway business card... too funny!
We ate lunch at another delicious resturant today and had lamb. The tea was very different tasting, but good. The dessert was pumpkin wedges with these sweet root pieces in the center. I think I ate more of that then anyone! Kaitlyn once again piled on the heaping spoonfuls of spice on her lunch. Tim took just a tiny bit of it and starting sweating like crazy. Kaitlyn doesn't like Tim's sweat and started wiping it off. Sweet moment!
Back at the hotel room we watched some Chinese TV. Of course Tim makes up the dialogue to go with it and we just sit there rolling with laughter!! It's pretty funny!
Kaitlyn definitely prefers Ma Ma to anyone else, but is warming up more and more to Ba Ba (dad). Her clinginess and constantly wanting my touch just shows me how insecure she is. She needs to be by me at all times - I guess I'm her security blanket for now, and that's okay :) She continues to test us and does naughty things to get a reaction from us. I just continue to pray for her and her adjustment... and our patience!! She seems much younger than 10 1/2 years old. Everytime we go to eat, she out eats everyone else. She grabs food and fills her plate. I sometimes wonder if she does this because she thinks she won't get her "share" or enough. She also does something else quite interesting. Things she came with, things we sent in her care package, and anything else we've given her (including the phone number to our Chinese guide), she hides in her backpack. She draws a clear line that these are her things and they are special to her. It's kinda cute :)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Just Hanging Out Today...
We were on our own today without our guides. We walked around outside and got many stares and people talking about us. We have no idea what they were saying, but some seem to be friendly if we said hello first. We crossed a large intersection and thought we'd be okay if we followed the crowd... uh, NO! Cars don't stop for pedestrains until they are two inches from you!
We came across some entertainers and watched a show for a few minutes. Kaitlyn seemed to like this until she got too hot... time to go! I got a few pictures of the city around our hotel. Some of it was sad to see. A homeless boy/man crying, laying on the sidewalk and many run down buildings and people begging us for money. Parts of the city are in such poverty, and other parts seem okay. I think it's been an eye opener for Austin & Kailey.
Kaitlyn has been complaining about her tooth hurting her. "Tong" is pain in Chinese. It's loose and looks like it has a pretty bad cavity. We called our guide and he is taking Kaitlyn and I to a Chinese Clinic tomorrow morning to have it checked out. I hope it is sterile!! This should be interesting!
Eating at the hotel is always hysterical! Our joke is... How many Chinese staff does it take to figure out what we want to order?! They all gather around the menu after we try to explain what we want. Sometimes the electronic translator translates accurately, sometimes not. Austin asked for a Sprite and got Orange Juice!
We came across some entertainers and watched a show for a few minutes. Kaitlyn seemed to like this until she got too hot... time to go! I got a few pictures of the city around our hotel. Some of it was sad to see. A homeless boy/man crying, laying on the sidewalk and many run down buildings and people begging us for money. Parts of the city are in such poverty, and other parts seem okay. I think it's been an eye opener for Austin & Kailey.
Kaitlyn has been complaining about her tooth hurting her. "Tong" is pain in Chinese. It's loose and looks like it has a pretty bad cavity. We called our guide and he is taking Kaitlyn and I to a Chinese Clinic tomorrow morning to have it checked out. I hope it is sterile!! This should be interesting!
Eating at the hotel is always hysterical! Our joke is... How many Chinese staff does it take to figure out what we want to order?! They all gather around the menu after we try to explain what we want. Sometimes the electronic translator translates accurately, sometimes not. Austin asked for a Sprite and got Orange Juice!
Friday, September 19, 2008
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