Last Smoggy Day in Chongqing

Things are looking up. Eliza is eating better and sleeping better. She seems to be moving into a schedule...what a relief. Yesterday we spent the day in the room. Eliza took a six hour nap (she's got quite a cold), and I had the worst flu I've ever experienced. Kyle did an amazing job taking care of the Schurter ladies! He had the opportunity to change Eliza's diaper a few times (one time involved poopy! This is a big deal here in adoption land...the kids get pretty upset, and so do their systems).

Today we took a tour of Chongqing. We went to the People's Hall (didn't get to see much since it's completely obscured by scaffolding). We also went for a walk to see the confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze rivers. The air is even thicker today then the previous days, so I'm afraid viewing was difficult. During the walk we posed in front of a real dragon and listened to a musical band of piggies. According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the pig.


Confluence of Rivers
Smoky the Dragon
Piggy Dance Party

We took group picture in the lobby around four o'clock. Everyone together and then just the babies. The event was a little over stimulating for some.


Group #1148 in Chongqing
Happy Babies

Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou. We'll get Eliza's visa and passport there. We'll see how the plane ride goes with the little one. Speaking of...she's waking up from her nap. Stay tuned.

Rocky Theme Music

Getting Stronger.

It's amazing to watch how Eliza changes day to day. We mentioned on the 27th how she had weak trunk and neck muscles. Well see how much stronger she is today (P.T. ladies--if needed, help out the non physical therapists here). The two photos below were taken three days apart. It's currently nap time, but we head back to the gym this evening.

Going to the Zoo

Eliza had a rough day yesterday: constipated, teething, adjusting to lots of new things. We stayed home instead of going on the tour of old-town Chongqing. She loves to be held and bounced. In fact, she insisted on it during all of dinner last night. I'm pretty good now at eating with baby while standing up. Parental skills are coming on fast.

This morning things were much brighter. After a mouthful of Motrin, the smiles came back. Just in time for our trip to the Chongqing zoo. Most of our group was able to make the trip. The 30 minute bus ride was an adventure in itself--harrowing and full of new sights to American eyes. This city is know to have some of the worst air pollution in China. Today was particularly warm and thick.


The zoo was a great time. Chongqing is home to six giant pandas. Our tour guide stated that there are now only about 1000 left of the species. We also saw red pandas (from the Himalayas), kangaroos, hippos, and lots of great birds. Our tour group was on display as well. We enjoyed many smiles, questions, and "hello"'s from the other zoo visitors. There were loads of kids there on school field trips who enjoyed practicing their English greetings.



Afterwards, we stopped in to an art gallery where we received five minutes lecture from an art professor on Chinese painting. We purchased a very nice set of four scroll painting that depict the four seasons. We also picked up a few small paintings of old cityscapes applied to the skeletal structure of a banyan tree's leaf. We were told that these are a Chongqing speciality.


Tonight at dinner we experience another of the city's specialties--hot pot. It's like hot and spicy fondue with meat and vegetables. My forehead is beading with sweat in anticipation.

Day Two

Fun day today. Eliza got her first bath. She didn't really care for it. It was the first time we heard a full-on cry. Afterwards, we had a good morning play session. It was the first time we heard a full-on giggle. Very rewarding.

The three of us ventured out to the department store to purchase "squeaker" shoes. Then to the grocery store for bottled water, soup for lunch, bananas, potato chips, and a sampling of four Chinese beers. The grocery bill was $4.14. The price is right. And the chips tasted so good: transfats and MSG.

When walking the town, lots of folks approach us to see Eliza and find out who we are. It gives me a chance to practice what I learned in Mandarine class. My language skills are pretty poor though. Probably more effective just to smile and nod.

Gotcha Day!

What an amazing day we've had. Twelve girls and one little boy took a 150 mile, six hour bus ride from Yunyang this morning and arrived at the hotel around 12:20 pm. Kyle and I were relaxing in the hotel lobby lounge waiting for time to pass and decided to go up to our room. On our way someone asked if those were our babies in the lobby. We high-tailed into the lobby and sure enough our girls were there. We picked out our sweet Eliza and followed them to the elevator. She watched us for a few seconds. It was unbelievable. We were handed a tired and hungry girl about 30 minutes later.

She had a bit of a rough time initially, but was able to relax after a 30 minute nap. We had two hours with her before we went to the registration office to complete adoption paperwork. That being done, we had a celebratory dinner at the Pizza Hut with a few of the families in our group. We spent the rest of the evening playing and getting to know our girl.

The doctor made rounds starting at 7:00 pm and made it to our room at 7:45. He wasn't scheduled to visit until the tomorrow, but several of the girls are a little sick). He was impressed with Eliza's skin...she's in great shape...no diaper rash or anything. He, however, promptly noticed what we did. Our girl has pretty weak muscles and clearly has been in a crib most of her short life. She has poor head and trunk control, she doesn't pull up to sitting with assistance, she slumps completely forward if she sits up, and she has a mean cough. He suggested we give her some antibiotics because her little lungs sound full of fluid. He showed some techniques to help her start getting stronger, picked her up and hugged her, and told us she would catch up developmentally within a couple of months. We have work to do.

Eliza is a sweet, sweet girl. She has been snuggling up to both of us. When she lies on her back she is most engaged...giggling and smiling if you play with her and talk to her. By the end of the night she was talking to us and seemingly happy. We've been told that day three is potentially the toughest. The girls begin to realize they are not going back t0 the orphanage and tend to have melt downs. We'll see how it goes. Now, we are rejoicing and enjoying every minute of our family time. This is amazing. Our blessings are abundant.

Wonderful Day

Yesterday, Jane and I spent our time quietly and away from the group of families. We watched a movie in our room in the morning and rode the ferry to Hong Kong Island for exploration. The city is built on steep slopes so there are lots of stairs to climb and decend. The roads of this huge city are not on a grid, but are based more on what the landscape will allow. They resembled a roller coaster at times. We walked a good 8 miles and saw plenty: an ultra-contemporary 1200 foot tall skyscraper, an exterior escalator that takes 20 minutes to ride from bottom to top (makes the hills easier), traditional apothocaries on small streets showing their large jars of dried "things", a leopard at the public zoo, and old British churches and government buildings. That evening our group flew to Chongqing.

The long walk helped us to sleep last night. That's important because today is a big day; we will meet Eliza in a few hours. After breakfast, we will meet in the hotel lobby to fill out paperwork and then we're off to the Registration Office. More later. Time to get our things together and head out for a wonderful day.

Views Around Hong Kong

We arrived safely in Hong Kong at 5:45 pm on Saturday the 24th. We got to the Regal Kowloon Hotel around 8:00 and were fast asleep by 9:30...only to awake at 2:00 a.m. and doze on and off until we got up at 5:30. After a great breakfast we toured Hong Kong with our travel group. The tour included a visit to a roadside market with lots of little shops, a sampan ride in the Aberdeen fishing village, a tour of a jewelry factory (really just a store), and a trip to the Victoria peak for a stunning view of Hong Kong and Kowloon. We all shared dim sum at a restuarant close to the hotel, and were then left to tour on our own for the rest of the afternoon. Kyle and I struck out into Kowloon. We found our way to Kowloon Park and watched a Kung Fu exhibition and then wandered back to the hotel along the water front. On the water front is Hong Kong's version of Hollywood's walk of fame. We saw Bruce Lee's star and monument, and took a picture of Chow Yun Fat's star for my friend Regina (she's quite the fan). Tonight we are heading back to the water front for a laser show. We have a more time for touring in the morning. We plan to ride the ferry and maybe visit a museum. We are heading to the airport at 3:00 p.m. for a 6:30 flight to Chongqing. We're getting closer.

Gotta Fly

We have airline tickets to China! Jane and I will fly out from Denver at 8:30 this Friday morning. No less than 20 hour later we will arrive in Hong Kong (home of two out of the ten tallest buildings in the world). Our hotel is in Kowloon (translation: nine dragons), just a $2 ferry rid away from the big city. Sunday will be a day of rest before we fly to Chongqing, the where we will meet our daughter. On Tuesday at 12 p.m., Eliza will be handed to her new parents at the municipal registration office. The following hours and days will be spent getting to know Eliza, but more, Eliza learning to adjust to a new life with us.

There are 12 other couples in our travel group. Hopefully, these will be families that Eliza and we will maintain ties with into the future. Optional tours are arranged for the group including a trip to the Chongqing zoo (panda-ville), a visit to The People's Hall, and potentially a trip to a local orphanage. It is will not be the one where Eliza is currently living. Yunyang is 150 miles from Chongqing over pretty rough mountain roads. That visit will have to wait for another time. The three of us will fly to Guangzhou on April 1, the place of our appointment with the U.S. consulate. Eliza will receive her visa on the 4th and we will head back to the States on the 6th, Good Friday. We depart at 11:45 a.m. and arrive in San Francisco at 11:15 a.m the same day. Flying over the International Date Line makes it seem like a quick trip home.

Check back for updates during the trip. Please send your prayers.

Pending Travel

On March 5th we were notified that the agency received our travel notice and had requested a US consulate appointment for April 2nd. Today's notice stated that we have a verbal confirmation of a US consulate appointment in Guangzhou on April 4th. It looks like we will depart for Hong Kong on March 23rd and return from Hong Kong on April 6th. We can purchase tickets as soon as the adoption agency receives written confirmation of our US consulate appointment which is expected to occur on Monday. Two weeks seems bearable! We are anxious to have firm travel arrangements and an itinerary. I suspect that we will meet our girl on March 26th or 27th. The objective now...hold it together!

Girl Power!

My work threw a great party for Jane and I yesterday. So much support helps to make the wait more bearable. Chris did a great job making all the arrangements including this wonderful cake. Her daughter is teaching English in the Sichuan province and helped with the caption. It reads "nǚ hái zǎi zhì." Translation: Girl Power!

Right on.