Update

Hello Again!

Well, our time in China is going by very quickly.  We just said good bye to Shelley, Scott and Kari...they are leaving a day earlier than planned because of a legal appointment on Friday.  We're sad that they are gone as they have been so much help and we've enjoyed their company throughout our journey.  I wish them a safe and enjoyable flight and we'll see them back in Canada on the weekend. 
Yesterday, we had an adventurous trip to the market.  First, we were taken on a needless tour of Beijing...I had no idea that we were being had but Lisa was here last year and recognized landmarks that were close to where we were going and the driver just kept on going.  Shelley, Scott and Kari got in a cab right behind us at the hotel and arrived at the market a 1/2 hr earlier.  Shelley and I had a similar taxi ride in Beijing 8 yrs ago!
The market was fun...we did lots of bartering and Lisa was definitely the best at it!  Got some good deals but Sydney wasn't impressed with the DS game that just doesn't work...there's lots of junk for sale at the markets!
Oliver had a great time touring in his stroller but didn't move around as much as usual so he had a rough time falling asleep last night.  Once he gets to sleep, he continues to sleep through the night for about 12 hrs.  Oliver is settling down nicely...I'm glad as I was just about to have the spelling of his name changed from Oliver to All Over!  He's very happy and continues to torment Sydney...the novelty is wearing off and she's finding him a bit annoying!  Let the sibling rivalry begin!

This is probably my last post from China...I'll update the blog once we're home and settled.

Thanks for sharing our journey.

Love, Linda
 

Bejing Part 2

We've had another couple of busy days!  Yesterday we went to Summer Palace, a silk factory, out for lunch and then to see the Olympic Stadium which is nicknamed the Birds' Nest.  Oliver enjoys being busy and really likes touring in his stroller.  Later in the afternoon, Lisa took Sydney to the pool in the hotel and they both really enjoyed a nice swim while I went and filled out paperwork for Oliver's visa.  Sydney, Kari and Scott are going to go swimming again this afternoon.  
 
This morning, Lisa went with me to Oliver's medical check-up at the international clinic.  The doctor was quite taken with Oliver and said he's doing great!  His height, 80.5 cm, is at the 50th percentile for Canadian children and the 70th percentile for Chinese children .  His weight, 11.4 kg, is at the 55th percentile.  I was confident that everything was okay but it's nice to get the official word that things look great.  The doctor was wonderful, she's a Canadian who studied at McGill and moved here 15 years ago because of her husband's job.  She too is the adoptive mom of a 9 yr old Chinese girl.   The other babies are both doing well although one has a cold and a rash which the doctor feels is allergies.  After the medical, we went back to the Canadian Embassy to drop off the medicals and to declare whether or not we wanted to continue the permanent resident application now that the medicals have been completed.  Just another formality ~ we all said yes!  
 
Right now, Shelley, Scott, Kari, Lisa and Sydney are out for lunch while Oliver is having a nap...I hear him stirring so I'd better wrap this up.
 
We're all looking forward to getting home on Friday ~ I can't wait to introduce this character to all of you!
 

Beijing

We've been very busy since I last updated the blog.  Oliver continues to do well with us.  He's very silly and plays hard all day and sleeps 12 hrs every night.  The orphanage director told me he was a very active baby ~ she wasn't kidding! 

Sydney is still very happy about her trip to Guangxi...she says her favourite part of the trip was getting Oliver and her second favourite was going to her orphanage.  Beihai was much different than I had pictured it would be...it's the smallest city I've seen in China with only 500, 000 people.  Everything we visited was within a short drive.  The roads were full of motorcycles like I remember Nanning 8 yrs ago.  We see very few motorcycles in Guangzhou and Beijing.

Friday we flew back to Guangzhou and enjoyed our last day at the hotel.  There's a nice outdoor play area for the kids that both Oliver and Sydney loved going to.  Yesterday, we flew to Beijing where we will stay until Friday.  We switched hotels as our group was very disappointed with the Poly Plaza on our stay the first night in China last week.  The hotel we are at now is Renaissance, Beijing Capital Hotel by Marriott.  The hotel is in a new area of Beijing with lots of high rise buildings...it is very North Americanized.

Today we went on our first sight-seeing adventure in Beijing.  We went to a pearl factory, to the Great Wall and then out to lunch and shopping.  Oliver wore his snowsuit for the first time and wasn't impressed!  He found it hard to cope as his hands were covered by the attached mittens...oh the poor little dude!    We toured around the Great Wall but only Scott was brave enough to climb far...the stairs are very uneven and it's not the best place to trek on a very windy day with a baby.  Even without venturing too far on the wall, Oliver managed to trip and scrape his forehead and nose.  It's taking me a bit of time to get into this boy mode!  Did I mention the orphanage director told me that Oliver is a very active baby?  Busy but very cute and happy! 

Just now Oliver and I went with our travel group to have the babies' pictures taken for their Canadian Visas.  Oliver fell asleep in the stroller on the way there and cried when it was his turn to have his picture taken.  I really wish I had had a video of this...the other parents from the travel group all sang If You're Happy and You Know It to Oliver and they calmed him down enough to have his picture taken.

I'll finish this update by thanking my travel companions again...countless ways each day they help me with Oliver and all the baby equipment that comes along with an 18 month old.  They have made what can be a very stressful time, fun and full of laughter.  And, a special thanks to Sydney for understanding that Oliver is just a baby and has lots to learn. She is especially understanding when Oliver reaches for a hug and slaps her, several times each day!  My humorous travel companions find this very funny!

Take care!
Linda
 

Daily double!

Note from Karen....

This morning a funny thing happened.  The photos that Linda was trying to send several days ago finally arrived in my inbox!  I guess China finally decided that they were OK to pass along.  So here's today's daily double....the last two are probably from gotcha day and the first one is from Oliver's first full day!

Enjoy!

Guangxi

We are in Beihai, Guangxi province.  It's an 8 hour car ride to where Oliver is and a 3 hour drive to Nanning, where I met Sydney in 2003.

Today was a very emotional day.  Sydney was excited to see the orphanage she had lived in and to meet 2 of the women who worked with her when she was a baby.  We weren't allowed in the buildings but did get to look in through windows into a large playroom where several babies were playing.  Sydney said she was so glad she came to see it but really glad that she was adopted.
After the orphanage we went to Sydney's finding place which is a very busy market.  There were many vendors selling just about anything. It was almost overwhelmingly busy while we were there.  There certainly isn't the same North American influence we have seen in Beijing and Guangzhou.  At one point, I asked her how she was feeling about all of this and she said lucky.  That's how I feel, too.

In the meantime, Oliver and Aunt Lisa have been doing really well back in Guangzhou.  Sydney and I really miss him and can't wait to get back to see him tomorrow morning.  We leave for the airport at 6 am and should be back to our hotel in Guangzhou by 10 am.

Take care.

PICTURES!!!

Here's what we've all been waiting for!

Oliver's first day

Oliver is having a terrific first full day with us!  He, Kari and Sydney had a blast playing together on the rooftop playground at the hotel.  It's so amazing how quickly the little kids know who their family is!  He can already tell Lisa and me apart.  He is really enjoying all of us and we're getting lots of smiles and giggles from him. 
 
Oliver is having a nap right now and this evening we are going to take him out to buy some pants...his 18 shirts and sleepers fit nicely but his pants fall right off of him.
 
Tomorrow evening, Sydney, Shelley, Scott, Kari and I are heading to Sydney's province.  On Thursday, we will visit her orphanage and tour her birth city.  We are looking forward to this but can't imagine leaving Oliver...he'll be in good hands with Aunt Lisa, though.
 
We'll update when we can.
Take care.
:-) Linda

PS from Karen....I know you all are probably dying for photos (I know that I am anyhow), but for some reason the pictures they are sending are not coming through. Hope to get that sorted out soon and will post as soon as we do!