8000 Miles

Hello, Citizen Miao-Miao

Just after 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, December 16, 2006, Continental Flight CO 88 from Beijing to Newark landed and Miss Zhu FuMiao, aka Willa FuMiao Josephine, um, Bookish became a citizen of the United States.

She put on her Zutano hat and rode around Newark AIrport in style in the briefcase basket of a luggage caddy (free in Chinese airports; $3 in Newark).

We are very happily and sleepily home. Bee and MM are asleep in their respective beds. (It won't last long.) My HSH is asleep in his own bed. And I am going to type here until I pass out, hitting the Publish button just as I slip into unconsciousness.

Jetlag is an awful, awful thing. It makes you want to eat, sleep, take a crap, call a doctor, and take a shower right now. It makes you want have to do all those things so urgently and so simultaneously that you might be overcome with bizarre fits of anger. Go ahead - try to punch someone. You'll never connect, because you will fall asleep in mid-swing.

The girls (yes - as a couple of you independently asserted - there is something  indescribably different about having The Girls) are a little turned around. But children are creatures who sleep and wake at odd times anyway, so maybe the adjustment won't be so hard for them.

I've been told to drink plently of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Great - and all day I've been spiking my Starbuck's peppermint mocha with Bailey's. It's what Mrs. Santa drinks with her breakfast every day of the year.

More tomorrow...

passing....

out...

Goodnight, China

Tonight, we fall asleep in China. Tomorrow, we fall asleep on an airplane. Then, going back in time some 12 hours, we fall asleep again tomorrow in the U.S.

It has been an amazing trip. How many times have I used that word in these posts? Probably an amazing number of times.

IS ZHUHAI IN THE HOUSE?

The hotel where we are staying makes for a surreal experience. Because the U.S. Consolate is here in Guangzhou, all American families must come to this city to apply for visas for their babies' passports. Many, many Americans stay at the White Swan, which is a luxury hotel overlooking the Pearl River.

The hotel also attracts tourists and businesspeople from around the world to this special economic zone of China. Therefore, when one steps onto an elevator in the White Swan, chances are good one will encounter a couple of white families with at least one Chinese child, a couple of tourists, some people in suits and - a few times this week - a cntingent of hard-drinking German-speaking airline employees. (For the record, I'm sure their hard-drinking is something that happens only on Chinese vacations and not when they are flying around the world.)

There is a Mattel-sponsored playroom on the first floor of the hotel, and you'll find almost exclusively adoptive families in there. And at the American-style breakfast buffet served every morning, the dining area is packed with bleary-eyed parents who are either praying to get through the meal without ascreaming fit, hoping for real sleep again in the next decade or keeping their mouths shut about how easy their experience has been so far.

In short, you meet a lot of other adoptive families here at the White Swan and on the island in general.

And you meet all kinds of families. You meet wealthy families who are cucumber-cool seasoned travelers. You meet dorky folks who have never been out of the U.S. before and can't stop marvelling that the buffet has tater tots on it. (Yeah, that was me. But dayum, tater tots are good for breakfast.)

You meet parents who do not speak nicely to their children. You meet parents who are terrified. You meet couples who should be divorced for the sake of their families and everyone who meets them.

You meet really friendly people who could have been your good friends had you met someplace other than a Chinese luxury hotel where you;d have a few conversatons and then never see them again.

We've met all those people on this trip.

Today we met a couple whose daughter comes from the same orphanage where MM lived for the past 13 months. Usually, that's not so strange, but MM's orphanage has very few adoptions, so this was a pretty rare treat.

They were very nice people, and since they have no group to speak of, we invited them to dinner at the Cow and Bridge Thai restaurant, where the mixed vegetable in red curry seems to get better every time I order it.

We had a great time. Their daughter is beautiful, and I was glad we got to meet at least one other family with a connection to MM's first year.

OUR TROUBLES WILL BE FAR AWAY

Christmas is in full force here at the White Swan. I've written and we've podcasted about the proliferations of Christmas decorations n the hotel and on the island in general.

This morning, I turned on the bathroom radio (yes - a radio just for the bathroom!) and it was broadcasting Christmas music on one of the channels. This made me so very happy.

Tomorrow, we will fly over the North Pole again. If you have anything you'd like me to tell Santa, let me know now.

Times Square? Oh, please

Our guide Lucia says that if she ever has an opportunity to travel to the U.S., she would like to see Times Square. She wouldn't be impressed.

Tonight, we took a tour by boat of the Pearl River. On both sides, the banks sparkle and flash with neon and lights. There is a highrise with an animated display, and another building that looks like a neon windmill at night. The trees along the banks of the Pearl River are uplit with green floodlights, giving them a lush, hyper-green appearance in the dark.

It is so much more beautiful than Times Square, which I recently toured with a 3-year-old who was threatening to throw up at any moment.

MM was a bit overtired on the boat trip, and proved herself to be more publicly wiggly than she has demonstrated thusfar. This doesn't bode well for the plane ride.

Speaking of which: We have one more full day in China, and then it is back to the U.S. and real life and frantic holiday preparations. Guess which of my children doesn't have a single gift waiting at home for her because we didn't know whether she would be home for Christmas. Heck, she's only 1 - will she really know the difference if we just give her the wrapping paper and boxes from the other two kids' presents?

We swear. A lot.

In about 20 minutes, we will get on a bus with a bunch of other families from our agency and drive across town to the U.S. Consolate, where we'll take an oath to support and love our children. This is the last step in the bureaucratic labyrinth that is international adoption.

Zee and Smiley said goodbye this morning, and by now they're watching the most recent in-flight Adam Sandler flick for the third or fourth time.

I can't believe how much fun we've had with them, and it's even harder to believe that, when we get back to the U.S., they won't be there right next door anymore.

Seriously, they should move to New York. All our friends should move to New York. What is everyone waiting for?

We're very ready to go home. This trip has been amazing and wonderful and in all other ways worthy of hyperbole, but I miss my son and my pets and my pillow-top matress.

And the next two days will entail our having to buddy up with our other agency group - a group that has been togetherit has been really nice bring on our own.

Speak up

I have lost my voice. And despite my daily vow to take it easy, I have been having too much fun with the shopping and the park going and the breakfast buffet overeating.

Smiley has also had a sore throat, and Bee has been congested. All in all, though, I think we're doing pretty well.

Yesterday, we joined with two other families from our agency to go through the requisite medical exam so our new children can gain entry to the U.S.

the clinic is housed in the back room of the municipal clinic, and there are always at least a dozen or so families crowded into the tiny waiting room. In the fashion of every Chinese service establishment, one must visit a series of providers, rather than just one. First, you go to the doctor who listens to the child's chest and asks you to undress the child on an exam table. Then you proceed to the ENT, who looks into the child's ears and shakes a rattle and makes a sound on a colorful keyboard to determine whether your child follows sights and sounds.

Then you proceed to the two doctors or nurses who measure, weigh and take the temperature of your child.

Two years ago, when we went through this process with Bee, this was the appointment that broke my emotional camel's back.

Bee is a smart and sensitive girl, and when we entered the hallway and she could hear a room full of crying babies, she protested. Loudly. Angrily. Incessantly.

By the time we got back to the hotel room, I was also crying.

MM just doesn't react to stress the same way. When we entered the room where everyone was crying, she looked at the other babies with no small amount of concern, her eyebrows forming little sideways question marks.

Then she fell asleep.

She slept through the doctor who had me lay her on the exam table in the buff. She slept through the cold stethoscope. She slept through the ENT poking around in her ears with that pointy little flashlight thingy.

The ENT couldn't even finish her part because MM wouldn't wake up for it.

Finally, she woke up while being weighed, looked a bit distressed at the two women holding her on the scale, then apparently decided she was in no immediate danger and relaxed.

Her physical went great, and she was smiling and laughing by the time we left.

And Bee, for her part, acted as the ever vigilant big sister, watching every move that anyone might make against her little sister.

This trip has not been easy for Bee, but she has been wonderful. It has made all the difference in the world that we've had our friends Zee and Smiley here to help. We couldn't have done it without them.

They are both leaving two days earlier than we are, so tomorrow is their last day here with us. We'll all be sad to see them go - especially the proprietors of Blendz.

MORE UNSOLITICED ADVICE

For anyone who is looking forward to a trip here, I have a little shopping advice: You must check out Michael's Place next to the tennis courts and his family's other shop just up the street. The prices are the best and the sales tactics are decidedly low key. For instance, you will not hear the words, "Take your time and look around" anywhere else on the island.

Today I bought silks for MM, as well as some shoes for both girls. Bee has been asking every Santa from Cat-hattan to Guangzhou for a pair of "golden ballet slippers," and I think she got something even better today. Mulan herself didn't have prettier slippers than the ones Bee got to match her silks.

Bee also made some new friends at lunchtime as we sat in the outdoor dining area of Lucy's Bar & Grill overlooking Shamian Park.

A group of adults was playing a game that is essentially like hackey sack, although it's played with a birdie made of feathers and weighted with coins. One guy played in his suit and looked very suave.

There was an American family - a dad and two kids - from Opelika, Alabama, who were also playing this game nearby, and Bee ran over to ask if she could join in. They welcomed her, although both the kids were older and far better able to play the game. But she had a great time playing with them. Not long after that, she invited another little girl closer to her age who was sitting in the dining area to join them also, and those two had a great time chasing each other around the pillars and large flower pots in the park.

It was a good day, which we ended with a pizza party courtesy of our agency and then another trip to Blendz. I even bought a couple things from the owner of the little shop inside Blendz who doesn't speak any English whatsoever and apparently never sells anything ever. Except to me.

Red eyes and a scratchy throat

Maybe it's the threat of a cold. Maybe it's simple exhaustion. Maybe I'm having too much fun here in China.

My eyes have been red and watery all day. I think it's the haze. I also have had just the slightest hint of a sore throat, which sent me running to Smiley for Theraflu last night.

Tonight, I'll make do with a glass of Great Wall Cabernet Sauvignon.

Today we went to the jewelry mall, which was an exercise in restraint. All those little findings that are made in China? I found them.

We also strolled through a large and crowded shopping street where we all could have spent hours exploring. But our guide was on a schedule and had to pick up some other families from the same agency at the airport.

Up until now, we've been on our own with Lucia. Tomorrow, we'll join three other families from the same agency to begin the consulate paperwork, and in a few days, we'll be working with a larger group of families from the agency to go through the final steps we need to complete in order to leave China.

I thought I would miss being part of a group, but this has been so much fun, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. Having Zee and Smiley with us has been a godsend. they should seriously start a business helping families through these trips.

As we begin the downhill slide to our trip home, I'm beginning to wonder exactly how we're going to get from the airport to our house.

We were supposed to leave from Albany, and upon our return, our son and someone else would meet us so we wouldn't have to risk our jetlagged necks trying to drive an hour and a half home through the snow hills of central New York.

But now our car is in Newark, which is too far for a greeting team to come fetch us. Maybe we'll try to get a hotel room - but not in the puke-inducing Cat-hattan, as Bee now calls it.

Anyone out there live in the greater Newark area and have a hotel recommendation?

And there is the little crisis of not having a carseat for MM in the car. When we left home, we realized about an hour away that we didn't have it, but dismissed the concern entirely because we would just get our son to bring one when he came to meet us. In Albany.

Anyone out there live in the greater Newark area and have a carseat we can borrow? I'll ship it back the very minute we get back to New York, I promise.

Keep the danger away

As of today, we are halfway through our trip, and the beds at the White Swan are not feeling any softer.

(Tip to travelers: Fold the duvet in half and lie on top of it, then cover up with the extra comforter they keep in the bottom drawer of the TV armoire.)

MM has been a little fussier today than anything we've seen so far. I think the novelty of the situation is wearing off for her. She isn't terribly unhappy, just kind of whiny. It also bears mentioning that she is teething and she has a stuffy nose, so the fact that she's only a little fussy is pretty darned good.

Right now she is taking a hard-earned nap, which is what I should also be doing. But I love all you Innernets too much to leave you hanging. Plus, I lost a long and HILarious post from the morning that disappeared into the blogswamp, so I wanted to check in.

Today we have had no paperwork and no touring, so we've been pretty low key. We did a little shopping on the island and had lunch, then MM and I came back to the hotel while HSH and Bee went "exploring the island." Smiley and Zee are picking out clothes to wear to the disco studying Bible passages.

We're all pretty exhausted from the pace we've been keeping. Yesterday, we met our (very smartly dressed) guide Lucia, and spent the morning at an amusement park called Flower Flowing Park or Flowing Flower Park. Either way, it was lush with roses and banyan trees and purple-blossomed bauhinia trees.

Bee and I rode a carousel and another spinning ride that had airplanes at the end of hydraulic spokes. Inside the airplane, each rider had a button to control the up-and-down action of the plane.

Bee, HSH and Zee rode a rollercoaster, and Bee got the day's first bump on the head.

The park was situated on a lake, and we got a nice photo (look at HSH's page) of a warning sign that tells of "DANGER AT THE BANK - KEEP THE DANGER AWAY." It's a goal of mine at all times.

Then we went to a folk art store where I bought two inexpensive freshwater pearl necklaces for future birthdays and Bee picked out a dress that goes all the way down to her ankles, which is her favorite style of dress.

After the folk store, we piled back into the minivan and went to another local restaurant where we had our own room (for our benefit or for the locals' benefit? we're not sure), and Bee got the second bump on the head. With blood!

Not to worry; it wasn't serious. While horsing around with Zee, she clipped the corner of a wooden chair arm and got a superficial scratch. She's all fine, but Lucia was ready to take us to the hospital.

It wasn't necessary, and within a few minutes, Bee was back to herself eating mango pancakes and garlic brocolli and dumplings. We hardly blame Zee at all. Really.

However, if my oldest daughter fails to be a straight-A student, I know where to point the finger.

After lunch, we set out for a department store that was many, many stories high. We got only to the sixth floor, where we bought shoes for Bee and MM. Bee chose a pair of hot pink Mary Janes with a bow of sequins and black-and-silver lame`. It's as though they knew she was coming.

I got MM a little pair of red baby shoes, which she also loves. When she sees them, she will hold her feet up for someone to put them on her.

Tomorrow, there is paperwork to be done in the morning, and then we're going to visit the pearl market. Don't anyone get excited; I probably won't buy anything. For you.

Check out WillaCon 06

HSH here. When I am not wrestling crocodiles, I am keeping up with our adoption trip.
Follow the links at the top to Willa.

What day is it?

It's almost 6 here in Guangzhou, where the sun and the haze have a special, longterm relationship.

My daughters have fallen asleep for late afternoon naps, my HSH is down in the gym, because he if he is to single-handedly bring sexy back, he's got to be up to the challenge. Zee and Smiley are next door, probably contemplating a trip to a discotheque or to a traditional Chinese medicine estabishment where they can get full-body massages with all their clothes on.

(Tip to Western travellers: Don't take off your clothes when the masseuse enters the room, because you will frighten her or him.)

Today was a free day - a sight-seeing day. I will let HSH post the photos to his podcasty bloggy thing, and I'll link to it later. But we had so much fun.

Our guide Lucia - a 20-something superstylish woman with the aforementioned sparkly jeans and two or three cellphones - took us to Six Banyan Tree temple, a Buddhist temple in Guangzhou that features the largest Buddha in Guangdong Province. And there are three of those Buddhas - Sakyamuni Past, Sakyamuni Present, and Sakyamuni Future, like the Buddhist ghosts that famously visited Ebenezer Scrooge on the eve of Chinese New Year.

As we did when we adopted Bee, we asked the monk on duty to give us a blessing. HSH, Bee, Miao-Miao and I took off our shoes (MM was fast asleep, actually, and did not take off her shoes) and we followed the monk to the carpet in front of Sakyamuni, where we knelt down. He stood by the altar and drummed on a little wooden instrument and chanted a blessing. Bee was a little worried that the giant Buddhas might fall on us, but I assured her they wouldn't.

It was a moving and very spiritual experience - right up until the moment the monk's cell phone rang, and he turned and told us the blessing was over. Then the experience became moving, spiritual and completely awesome.

After the temple, we went to a local supermarket (Carrefour) to buy fruit (HSH and Smiley) and shampoo (Zee) and glittery pink lipstick (Me - if my comparatively giant American pants can't sparkle, at least my lips can).

Then we all piled back into the van to make our reservations at a very popular local restaurant, where we had a room reserved and we ordered traditional Cantonese dishes. The chicken and the fish both appeared at the table with their heads intact. Thankfully, the spicy beef and pepper dish was head-free. The brocolli and mushroom and noodle dishes Lucia ordered for my sake were very delicious. I also enjoyed some of the peppers from the beef dish.

Back at the hotel, HSH took Bee to the pool, and the rest of us ventured off to the Guangzhou version of Starbucks, which is called Blendz. Zee and Smiley checked their email, and MM and I ate tiramisu and drank mochaccino (me) and practiced wobbly walking (her).

MM is even more insistent today that she maintain bodily contact with me at all times. As long as she has that, she is happy. She's not comfortable with the use of strollers, high chairs or other (white) people to entertain her, although she will happy allow Chinese women to hold her for brief periods before she wants to come back to me.

She is warming up more to HSH. He fed her this morning, and she spent an extended period of time with him at breakfast.

She has been a little more fussy today, which may mean she's getting more comfortable with us. Or it may mean she's getting more constipated.

But even so, she is just dreamy. She smiles all the time and plays games and gives high fives. This morning, she blew a kiss to HSH.

She's just amazing and beautiful and funny and completely irresistible.

And this trip has been so much fun.

Tomorrow, we go to a children's park in Guangzhou, a department store for shoes for the girls, and to the pearl market, where we can be hounded by merchants.

Naptime, jetlag, sparkly jeans

Willa is down for a nap, HSH and Bee are down in the pool (at least, they were going to check out the pool at Bee's insistence, but I suspect they may have found it too cold). Zee and Smiley are either out strolling the island or back in their hotel room next door.

I am fighting some jetlag. I don't know how it affects other people, but I just keep feeling like gravity is reasserting itself upon me, or coming at me in waves. It's a little queasy.

Willa continues to be happy and outgoing and playful. She has decided yesterday afternoon and today that it would be a pretty bad idea for me to put her down. But even when she has cried, which has been incredibly infrequent, she is easily consoled.

Shamian Island, where we're staying, and the White Swan Hotel are all decked out for Christmas. The hotel, which sits directly on the Pearl River and rises above the skyline, has holiday lights strung from the top to bottom of the exterior. One side has the image of holiday candles, and the other has Christmas trees. Rockefeller Center wasn't nearly as beautiful.

Of course, everything here is lovely. For all you waiting families out there, go get a big black Sharpie and mark through the portions of other people's packing lists where they tell you to bring only the most comfortable and casual clothes.

Instead, look through your closet and find whatever looks most like something from the Falcon's Crest wardrobe department, and pack that.

I've never seen such bedazzled blue jeans. And the shoes make those silly Sex in the City gals look like the amateurs they are.