8/13 Update:
There isn't any pictures today since Zander, Richie and I stayed in the hotel room all day. Richie wasn't feeling well, a tad bit of a stomach virus or could've been something he ate too. It was an extremely nice afternoon playing with play-doh (when he wasn't trying to eat it), playing blocks (of course) and we took a 3 hour nap together. It was so funny, I sang to him and if I would stop he would lay his hand on the side of my face and start singing himself, then stop and wait for me to start again.
With Richie not feeling well, we missed out on the tour festivities of going to the Safari. It seems everyone had a good time, but half-way through it started thunder storming and pouring down rain while they were doing the walkthrough exhibits. So we actually didn't miss too much.
Zander was very glad to see Tim & Carmen return because he wanted to go bye bye! He loves to go as I've said numerous times. He gets his stroller and says bye bye. Tim and I had a very nice dinner at the restaurant called, "The Italian Restaurant". It was really good and a change of pace. Zander actually ate a few bites of pizza, but stuck with his staples of noodles, broccoli and watermelon.
We just skyped with my sister Tina with Bert & Brianna. We have actually learned to use it quite well and are having a lot of fun keeping connected with friends and family. Well, to bed, tomorrow is an amazing day, we take our final oath swearing in and it is the final leg of our adoption process and he is officially, 100% our son. There are no cameras or anything allowed, so we won't be able to post those but will tell all about it tomorrow.
Blessings,
Francine
Aug 13, 2012
Aug 12, 2012
Zander's First Airplane Ride
First Please Note: Some people reading this blog may find it a bit tedious and detailed, but please bear with me. This isn't just a blog to update family and friends, it's also a memory for Zander. After we get home and settled, I will be printing out the blog as a keepsake for him so I will be detailed in our adventures.
8/10 Update: As always, I am a couple days late in making my posts, but better late than never. We left our Zhengzhou hotel in plenty of time for the airport (2 hours before our flight). Only to have our flight delayed an hour. We then boarded the plane and sat on the tarmac for almost 20 minutes. While sitting there the stewards & stewardess brought our dinners consisting of a box with all our cold things & utensils & a hot tin with our chicken & rice. Just as we dropped our tray tables & opened our meals, the workers came back & told us we had to put our tables up because we were taking off! Then Zander was all wound up and took his sippy cup and shook it up getting everyone in the seats in front wet, then proceeded to pull the woman's hair in front of him, then when eating his cheerios blecked them all over Tim.
You can imagine how that went for Tim who was holding Zander in the middle, VERY cramped small seats, not well. Then when Tim said something, they took his food completely away!
Tim was finished and handed baby bits off to mama. I dropped my table & commenced feeding our bundle of ticked off hunger. Tim in the meantime snagged an aisle seat at the bulkhead and when Zanman was done eating I passed him back to baba. Poor little guy got a nosebleed even though Ti did everything to equalize the pressure for him. The he instantly went to sleep.
After arriving in Guangzhou at the Garden Hotel we were all too tired to enjoy the beauty yet as it was about 1045. Zander was raring to go after a nap and stayed awake to well after midnight.
************************************************************************
8/11 Update: This day was the day of physicals at the clinic for adoptive families. We arrived and were taken to one large room where we received paperwork, then were ushered to the medical portion "for adoptive families only". There are 3 stations, the physical (undress child, poked, prodded), the triage (weight, height, etc.) and the ENT for hearing test, throat looked at and ears checked.
Zander absolutely HATED every portion of this adventure. He bucked, cried, screamed, etc. This poor little guy has been to the hospitals many, many times for surgery, pneumonia, etc. so his experience with hospitals is not good. After they were done though, he was all smiles and laughter, back to his old self, but still out of sorts for the remainder of the day.
The clinic was very nice, clean and sterile looking. It is so funny to see the nurses in traditional garb. Not like the scrubs we see when visiting our doctor's office or hospitals in the states. I'm glad our pediatrician doesn't wear white otherwise we would have a fighting fit every time. I really dread all the doctor appointments once we get home though.
Last night we ventured out. After talking with other adoptive families who have been here for quite a while, they suggested Tekila's. Just like back home! A mexican restaurant in the middle of China! After climbing a couple flights of stairs, we were given our menus which had every variation of mexican fare along with burger & fries, cocktails and some Chinese food.
The food was terrific. The place filled up quickly and no matter where "we" Americans go, there is always someone wanting to try out their English and it's very fun to accomodate, usually. This time was interesting though, we were asked how we were by a Chinese young man trying out his Spanish. We had to laugh and Carmen got to practice her Spanish just a bit.
We also found out Zander does NOT like mexican food. We tried tortilla chips, quesadillas, refried beans, burritos, french fries, etc. He didn't want any of it but did settle for some bland chicken. Needless to say, we stopped at the 7 Eleven on the way home and got him some crackers and munchies for the rest of the night. I also don't think he ate really good because he had such a traumatic day. The one thing he does love to do in all the restaurants is walk around exploring. Our guide said she can't believe how busy he is. I believe there are SO many new things he is learning and seeing, he just doesn't want to miss out on any!
*****************************************************************************
ZANDER'S FIRST AIRPLANE RIDE
8/10 Update: As always, I am a couple days late in making my posts, but better late than never. We left our Zhengzhou hotel in plenty of time for the airport (2 hours before our flight). Only to have our flight delayed an hour. We then boarded the plane and sat on the tarmac for almost 20 minutes. While sitting there the stewards & stewardess brought our dinners consisting of a box with all our cold things & utensils & a hot tin with our chicken & rice. Just as we dropped our tray tables & opened our meals, the workers came back & told us we had to put our tables up because we were taking off! Then Zander was all wound up and took his sippy cup and shook it up getting everyone in the seats in front wet, then proceeded to pull the woman's hair in front of him, then when eating his cheerios blecked them all over Tim.
You can imagine how that went for Tim who was holding Zander in the middle, VERY cramped small seats, not well. Then when Tim said something, they took his food completely away!
Tim was finished and handed baby bits off to mama. I dropped my table & commenced feeding our bundle of ticked off hunger. Tim in the meantime snagged an aisle seat at the bulkhead and when Zanman was done eating I passed him back to baba. Poor little guy got a nosebleed even though Ti did everything to equalize the pressure for him. The he instantly went to sleep.
After arriving in Guangzhou at the Garden Hotel we were all too tired to enjoy the beauty yet as it was about 1045. Zander was raring to go after a nap and stayed awake to well after midnight.
************************************************************************
CLINIC DAY : (
8/11 Update: This day was the day of physicals at the clinic for adoptive families. We arrived and were taken to one large room where we received paperwork, then were ushered to the medical portion "for adoptive families only". There are 3 stations, the physical (undress child, poked, prodded), the triage (weight, height, etc.) and the ENT for hearing test, throat looked at and ears checked.
Zander absolutely HATED every portion of this adventure. He bucked, cried, screamed, etc. This poor little guy has been to the hospitals many, many times for surgery, pneumonia, etc. so his experience with hospitals is not good. After they were done though, he was all smiles and laughter, back to his old self, but still out of sorts for the remainder of the day.
The clinic was very nice, clean and sterile looking. It is so funny to see the nurses in traditional garb. Not like the scrubs we see when visiting our doctor's office or hospitals in the states. I'm glad our pediatrician doesn't wear white otherwise we would have a fighting fit every time. I really dread all the doctor appointments once we get home though.
Last night we ventured out. After talking with other adoptive families who have been here for quite a while, they suggested Tekila's. Just like back home! A mexican restaurant in the middle of China! After climbing a couple flights of stairs, we were given our menus which had every variation of mexican fare along with burger & fries, cocktails and some Chinese food.
The food was terrific. The place filled up quickly and no matter where "we" Americans go, there is always someone wanting to try out their English and it's very fun to accomodate, usually. This time was interesting though, we were asked how we were by a Chinese young man trying out his Spanish. We had to laugh and Carmen got to practice her Spanish just a bit.
We also found out Zander does NOT like mexican food. We tried tortilla chips, quesadillas, refried beans, burritos, french fries, etc. He didn't want any of it but did settle for some bland chicken. Needless to say, we stopped at the 7 Eleven on the way home and got him some crackers and munchies for the rest of the night. I also don't think he ate really good because he had such a traumatic day. The one thing he does love to do in all the restaurants is walk around exploring. Our guide said she can't believe how busy he is. I believe there are SO many new things he is learning and seeing, he just doesn't want to miss out on any!
*****************************************************************************
ZANDER & MAMA - LOST IN CHINA
8/12 Update: Today our guide schedule a trip to the local shopping mall. Let me explain that this mall is 4 stories. It is round with the center an open courtyard area where people can walk from store to store. The mall consists of 3 different buildings, each connecting through corridors in the very back (I did not know this until later). It is also referred to as the Pedestrian Street because cars are not allowed to travel on its sidewalks which makes shopping so much easier, we don't have to dodge cars, buses, bicycles & scooters. Well the first stop was the pearl store. I had to use the restroom extremely bad and Tim was with Richie in a crystal store. Our guide gave me directions and off I went with Zander in his stroller. After traveling several corridors toward the back of the mall, I finally found the bathroom.
In China, when using a public restroom you should always ask for the "toilet" number one and number 2, always use the handicapped bathroom for a regular commode. When in the bathroom, there was an little old woman attendant and when I went to the stall it was locked. I asked her to open it and should waved her hands "NO". I pointed to the stroller and myself and asked again for her to open it and she RAN, RAN mind you, out of the bathroom waving her hand NO! I ran after her :), I needed to go to the bathroom, bad!
Well, long story short, I am EXTREMELY directionally challenged and got lost immediately. I was turned around in the corridors, wandering, asking every couple of stores asking if anyone spoke English. I got the "smile" and laugh and the apt "no" from everyone. Zander and I took the elevator up and down at least 20 times, looking for our group. I kept praying and praying, but was getting more and more scared. Zander just talked, mumbled and laughed, enjoying the outing (did I tell you how much he LOVES to go bye-bye?).
I then saw other another group of adoptive families with their guide. We had spoken many times and their guide led me out to the courtyard to the correct building. This is when I found out I was in the wrong building, completely on the other side of the mall. I then found one of our group that had split off, then finally our guide and our family. Carmen was crying, I started crying and Tim was mad as a hornet. After a very emotional reunion and make-up, we sat down in Pizza Hut for water. We didn't buy a thing, but did connect on how much each of us meant to each other.
We then had the local cuisine at The Dumpling House. I STILL had not used the bathroom and was desperate. I had no idea how desperate until I saw their bathroom and didn't have a choice. Put it this way, Richie had to go also and was traumatized, he had never had to use a squatty potty before. We both washed hands, feet, face and anything else that became exposed : |
So today was an adventure and adventurous. Zander has been playing all afternoon here with us and Tim is napping after his traumatic morning. He is ready to leave China right now. But things will get better.
The girls are going to get their nails done this evening and then swimming time. Tomorrow is the Safari, wish us luck!
****************************************************************************
RECAP:
*What is "THE BEST" morning wake up? 25 lbs. of smiles and dimple trying to feed you a pacifier.
*What is "THE FUNNIEST" thing of the day? A little boy signing his is STILL hungry and then rubbing his tummy for "please".
*What is 'THE SWEETEST" sound? Giggles, giggles & more giggles as we play patty-cake, wrestle, or chase our little boy.
*What have we learned about our little boy? He LOVES to eat especially noodles, he doesn't like mexican food or pizza, he doesn't like long sleeves, he's a comedian, when he's angry he pulls your hair, he loves to cuddle and give kisses, he loves to go bye-bye, he's not big on sleeping, except at night (that's when it counts right?), he's sick of cheerios : ), he loves learning all new things and smiles with accomplishment.
*What Zander has learned: to say thank you, uh oh, this way, to climb in and out of things, on and off of things and how to run his daddy ragged!
What have WE learned the most: God is THE most amazing, He has given us a huge treasure in this little soul we call our son and it is our responsibility to Love him and teach him how truly amazing our God is. Enjoy the Pictures
Aug 10, 2012
Leaving a trail of Cheerios in China
I have named the blog title trail or Cheerios, because it is a staple for Zander, morning, noon and night. He LOVES them and leaves a trail of them wherever we go. Some would say so he can find his way back someday (honey-nut cheerios). This blog was actually started 2 nights ago.....Well, as I sit here now contemplating this post, Tim is snoring to beat the band and little Zanman has kicked, patted, hummed, thrown his pacifier, turned upside down and beat the covers fighting his sleep. He wants nothing to do with his crib, but he's there now after falling asleep upside down, on his belly with legs bent on the headboard.
NOW....The last several days have passed by in a blur of activity. Zander really fits in well with the family, he wakes up happy and within the first 10 minutes is ready to eat. He anxiously watches the adjoining door for the kids to come through each morning and if they aren't up in enough time, he starts banging on their door. He must be getting more used to us because he actually didn't have that puzzled look on his face this morning when he saw us in bed with him.
I'm going to back up to Tuesday (it's Friday here now). Tuesday morning we had to be back at the Civil Affairs Office to sign paperwork and get our thumbs and Zander's foot stamped. The way it works is the first 24 hours is a "guardianship", then you must go back the next day to decide and say "for sure" you do want your child and that's when you get sworn in.
We decided to venture out on our own for dinner that night. We were told by some Americans who were adopting (they live in Beijing) where a few good restaurants could be found. So after swimming, the Verbeke's hit dry land hungry! We walked a few blocks when we found what may do on a side street. We walked in and right away were greeted by the other Americans as they were just finishing. Well, that was our first mistake, letting them leave without helping US order! They gave a menu with pictures, but everything looks the same. We picked 5 dishes, ordered a couple beers and thought we had done great...until...they came to us laughing with the menu and kept trying to tell us things we couldn't understand. Finally the waitress laughed all the way to the kitchen shaking her head.
When dinner was brought we found out why. Four out of the 5 things we ordered were all different forms of egg & onion dishes. So we heartily ate egg & onion and went home to fall into bed.
*********************************************************************************
Wednesday morning we walked to a local park, about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. It is very interesting and beautiful. There are many local artisans practicing their music, photography sessions, singing, we saw a race with a bunch of men, women playing cards, etc. The park has many sculptures, paddle boats, amusement park rides (slow ones), and a lake with lily pads.
Tim took Richie down to jump boulders and ride in a paddle boat while I took Carmen & Zander to try out the rides. He rode 2 w/Carmen and one w/me. He didn't care if he rode of not, he was more interested in his oh oh's. We came across a couple of people who came and introduced themselves and asked if we minded if they tried their English in conversation. We spent several minutes talking and laughing with people. It was so much fun.
Wednesday afternoon we went to the Natural History Museum here. Although I like the idea of learning about the culture here, I really do not like museums of ANY type and neither does an almost 2 yr. old. I don't even care for them back home.
We did see a few interesting things, but for the most part it was the most fun to sit in the lobby and watch people watch us. Richie & Carmen got their pictures taken several times for the locals and within a couple hours we were done.
That evening we gave up and asked our guide, Celine, along with another family, to take us to a local restaurant. It was delicious. The kids devoured what was like sweet and sour pork (Tim said the sauce tasted like ketchup), but the kids loved it. There were several dishes we liked and left there satisfied with full bellies.
Next was home and bath time. Needless to say, Zander is used to a bath in a small round plastic tub. He was NOT crazy about the bathtub, so it was over quickly. Another evening with his comedy routine and nighty night time. Once he's down, he's out. I put him in his bed and he gets back in ours about 3 am or so.
*********************************************************************************
Thursday our guide had originally planned to take us to the local zoo, but after talking with our other family, we said we wanted to see what was called the Longmen Grotto see this site: http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/china/luoyang/longmen.php
This was what true Chinese heritage is about. Although VERY hot, sweating profusely, complaining children, etc., it was an amazing place. All the carved out grottos where the smallest Buddha was 2 mm to the largest of 17 meters. You could see the Buddhist Temple high on the hill, the boats traveling up and down the canal. The grotto is between 2 mountains with the river running between. The largest Buddha is on one side, we cross a bridge to the other side, and that's where you can see the platforms built into the side where Buddhist monks pray to the Buddha. We learned that Buddhism is a religion, but not like Christianity. We believe as God as our creator of all things. We were told by our guide that most people in China are non-believers, not Buddhists. It was very interesting.
Well, by the end of a VERY long day here, we went back to the local restaurant and everyone scarfed, it was one meal Zander actually sat in his high chair for. I did feel very good when I took him and walked around the restaurant while waiting for our food. Many of the waitresses tried to hold him and he told them all "NO"! This made my mommy heart very big.
Another night and time for a bath. Tim took Richie and Carmen downstairs so I could have some along Zander time. He actually LOVED his bath and learned to splash, play with cups, etc. He cried when I took him out. Then the kids came back it was play time and then lights out. Same comedy routine and musical beds for the night.
*********************************************************************************
This morning we opted for the zoo. It was only 15 minutes away and we would be there less than 3 hours while our guide ran errands to get our children's passports. Well, the zoo was nothing like we expected. Firstly, we got to see Pandas! 2 of them. They were huge and beautiful, but in a very small enclosed area. We were hoping it would get better, but it didn't. It reminds me of how the St. Louis zoo USED to be 30 years ago. Small, dirty, cramped enclosures with unhappy looking lethargic animals. We were very sad when leaving there thinking of the conditions the animals were kept.
We opted out of lunch and decided to just snack in our rooms since we are checking out in 30 minutes to go to the airport. Guangzhou here we come for the almost last leg of our trip!
*********************************************************************************
I want to say some things about our son. He is the most adorable little boy in the world. Whether we're traveling 15 minutes of hours in a car, he's always in a good mood, laughing, playing and of course eating. He's hilarious and has such a wonderful sense of humor for someone so little, especially when he's trying to communicate that he wants to eat AGAIN! He knows what he wants, when he wants. He loves to go bye-bye so he will fit right into our family. He crawls faster than any child I have ever seen and is working on his walking. He is very partial to his BaBa! So much partial yesterday that Tim was more worn out than I have seen him the whole trip, including jet lag. He's slowly warming up to me, but I figure he's going to be stuck with me as soon as we get home so he can completely hog all the baba time he can get. We adore this little man, all of us! He is smart as a whip. He has learned several sayings already such as uh oh, this way, etc. He is a little mocker. if we cough he coughs, if we laugh he laughs. Right now he just saw Tim trim his nails and is holding up his feet for his nails to be trimmed.
Below are MANY pictures in no particular order from the last several days. ENJOY!
NOW....The last several days have passed by in a blur of activity. Zander really fits in well with the family, he wakes up happy and within the first 10 minutes is ready to eat. He anxiously watches the adjoining door for the kids to come through each morning and if they aren't up in enough time, he starts banging on their door. He must be getting more used to us because he actually didn't have that puzzled look on his face this morning when he saw us in bed with him.
I'm going to back up to Tuesday (it's Friday here now). Tuesday morning we had to be back at the Civil Affairs Office to sign paperwork and get our thumbs and Zander's foot stamped. The way it works is the first 24 hours is a "guardianship", then you must go back the next day to decide and say "for sure" you do want your child and that's when you get sworn in.
We decided to venture out on our own for dinner that night. We were told by some Americans who were adopting (they live in Beijing) where a few good restaurants could be found. So after swimming, the Verbeke's hit dry land hungry! We walked a few blocks when we found what may do on a side street. We walked in and right away were greeted by the other Americans as they were just finishing. Well, that was our first mistake, letting them leave without helping US order! They gave a menu with pictures, but everything looks the same. We picked 5 dishes, ordered a couple beers and thought we had done great...until...they came to us laughing with the menu and kept trying to tell us things we couldn't understand. Finally the waitress laughed all the way to the kitchen shaking her head.
When dinner was brought we found out why. Four out of the 5 things we ordered were all different forms of egg & onion dishes. So we heartily ate egg & onion and went home to fall into bed.
*********************************************************************************
Wednesday morning we walked to a local park, about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. It is very interesting and beautiful. There are many local artisans practicing their music, photography sessions, singing, we saw a race with a bunch of men, women playing cards, etc. The park has many sculptures, paddle boats, amusement park rides (slow ones), and a lake with lily pads.
Tim took Richie down to jump boulders and ride in a paddle boat while I took Carmen & Zander to try out the rides. He rode 2 w/Carmen and one w/me. He didn't care if he rode of not, he was more interested in his oh oh's. We came across a couple of people who came and introduced themselves and asked if we minded if they tried their English in conversation. We spent several minutes talking and laughing with people. It was so much fun.
Wednesday afternoon we went to the Natural History Museum here. Although I like the idea of learning about the culture here, I really do not like museums of ANY type and neither does an almost 2 yr. old. I don't even care for them back home.
We did see a few interesting things, but for the most part it was the most fun to sit in the lobby and watch people watch us. Richie & Carmen got their pictures taken several times for the locals and within a couple hours we were done.
That evening we gave up and asked our guide, Celine, along with another family, to take us to a local restaurant. It was delicious. The kids devoured what was like sweet and sour pork (Tim said the sauce tasted like ketchup), but the kids loved it. There were several dishes we liked and left there satisfied with full bellies.
Next was home and bath time. Needless to say, Zander is used to a bath in a small round plastic tub. He was NOT crazy about the bathtub, so it was over quickly. Another evening with his comedy routine and nighty night time. Once he's down, he's out. I put him in his bed and he gets back in ours about 3 am or so.
*********************************************************************************
Thursday our guide had originally planned to take us to the local zoo, but after talking with our other family, we said we wanted to see what was called the Longmen Grotto see this site: http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/china/luoyang/longmen.php
This was what true Chinese heritage is about. Although VERY hot, sweating profusely, complaining children, etc., it was an amazing place. All the carved out grottos where the smallest Buddha was 2 mm to the largest of 17 meters. You could see the Buddhist Temple high on the hill, the boats traveling up and down the canal. The grotto is between 2 mountains with the river running between. The largest Buddha is on one side, we cross a bridge to the other side, and that's where you can see the platforms built into the side where Buddhist monks pray to the Buddha. We learned that Buddhism is a religion, but not like Christianity. We believe as God as our creator of all things. We were told by our guide that most people in China are non-believers, not Buddhists. It was very interesting.
Well, by the end of a VERY long day here, we went back to the local restaurant and everyone scarfed, it was one meal Zander actually sat in his high chair for. I did feel very good when I took him and walked around the restaurant while waiting for our food. Many of the waitresses tried to hold him and he told them all "NO"! This made my mommy heart very big.
Another night and time for a bath. Tim took Richie and Carmen downstairs so I could have some along Zander time. He actually LOVED his bath and learned to splash, play with cups, etc. He cried when I took him out. Then the kids came back it was play time and then lights out. Same comedy routine and musical beds for the night.
*********************************************************************************
This morning we opted for the zoo. It was only 15 minutes away and we would be there less than 3 hours while our guide ran errands to get our children's passports. Well, the zoo was nothing like we expected. Firstly, we got to see Pandas! 2 of them. They were huge and beautiful, but in a very small enclosed area. We were hoping it would get better, but it didn't. It reminds me of how the St. Louis zoo USED to be 30 years ago. Small, dirty, cramped enclosures with unhappy looking lethargic animals. We were very sad when leaving there thinking of the conditions the animals were kept.
We opted out of lunch and decided to just snack in our rooms since we are checking out in 30 minutes to go to the airport. Guangzhou here we come for the almost last leg of our trip!
*********************************************************************************
I want to say some things about our son. He is the most adorable little boy in the world. Whether we're traveling 15 minutes of hours in a car, he's always in a good mood, laughing, playing and of course eating. He's hilarious and has such a wonderful sense of humor for someone so little, especially when he's trying to communicate that he wants to eat AGAIN! He knows what he wants, when he wants. He loves to go bye-bye so he will fit right into our family. He crawls faster than any child I have ever seen and is working on his walking. He is very partial to his BaBa! So much partial yesterday that Tim was more worn out than I have seen him the whole trip, including jet lag. He's slowly warming up to me, but I figure he's going to be stuck with me as soon as we get home so he can completely hog all the baba time he can get. We adore this little man, all of us! He is smart as a whip. He has learned several sayings already such as uh oh, this way, etc. He is a little mocker. if we cough he coughs, if we laugh he laughs. Right now he just saw Tim trim his nails and is holding up his feet for his nails to be trimmed.
Below are MANY pictures in no particular order from the last several days. ENJOY!
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