Christmas Day

With the house full of people, the excitement level of Christmas Day was pretty high. We were all up early, and those who weren't were soon roused by Amy. Present opening commenced and so did the general chaos.

Here's a happy Daddy with his two youngest. Amy was so excited, we had to peel her off the ceiling a few times during the course of the morning.

Thank goodness for Arlene who was able to keep the ship afloat. I carried Anna around all day and only had the use of one hand at the best of times, so Arlene pretty much took over the cooking.

A happy girl.

Three overwhelmed girls. This is Christmas???

Kristin was pleased to see that Mei Mei received a new Bomber jersey. I guess that's the official welcome to the family.

Time for a break in the present opening for a game of Frogs.

Mei Mei could be heard asking, "Do I have to wear this? I really like the colour green better".

Aunty Marilyn particularly liked her new calendar.

Sean and Mei Mei were a little perplexed as to why someone would get more than one pair of shoes at a time.

But, Amy was able to explain the excitement to one of them anyway.
Mei Mei just couldn't keep up with the pace and fell asleep on Kristin during breakfast.
After breakfast, a few people left and a few more joined the party for round two . . . Christmas Dinner!

My nieces Laura and Sarah were anxious to meet their new little cousin.

More chaos in the kitchen, headed up by Arlene. Everyone was so great and just took on a task so that by no later than 8pm, we had dinner on the table.

Our three wonderful students gave me the best Christmas present ever and cleaned up the big mess (with Arlene's help) while Robin and I put the kids to bed.

It was a crazy Christmas, but it felt wonderful to be home and have all our friends and family around us.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve arrived to find us not quite ready, but it really did not bother me at all. As our friends and family rolled in, they were put to work and we were soon up and running. Our Malaysian students finished decorating one tree while Carol did the other.

Aunty Marilyn was even able to hold Anna for awhile!

Arlene entertained the girls (and the old people!) by ‘Elfing Themselves’, while Robin and I ran around getting beds organized.

Soon we were all ready. Amy got Santa's snack ready before dinner, just to be sure that task was accomplished.

After dinner, everyone got into their pyjamas and we had the traditional pictures around the tree. Sadly, Sean, Kristin and John did not arrive until later and so did not get into the action.

Once everyone under the age of twenty-five was shooed off to bed, Santa made an appearance and did some redecoration in the living room.

Finally at 2am, it was off to bed, the last of fourteen to hit the hay.

Birthdays

Yesterday was Anna`s second birthday. I was sick and in bed for most of the day, so we did not celebrate a whole lot. Thankfully, my wonderful friend Arlene and sister Carol came over and made a great dinner for my family. They also entertained my kids and cleaned my house. I don`t know where I would be without them. Thank you. I plan on having a real party in January once we get over our jet lag, sickness and Christmas. Happy birthday little one.Now that she is getting closer to the very much anticipated 5th birthday, Amy has decided to celebrate any little milestone that puts her closer. So, on the 20th of December, we marked Amy`s four and three quarter birthday. Daddy even bought her a little cake to celebrate. Happy birthday big girl.

Christmas Party - Dec. 19

On Sunday, we went to the Children's Christmas Party hosted by Robin's office. Amy, like Kristin and Sean before her, loves this event. While Anna was having her nap, Amy got dressed and had her hair curled, as most formal occasions call for that type of a hairdo. This is most often the face I get when I'm trying to get her to pose for pictures.

Once at the party, Amy joined in with her friends. There were games to play, prizes to win and tattoos to get. Then there was the entertainment. Amy loves Jake Chenier and listens to his CD's all the time, so she knew most of the songs he played.

Amy and her friend Lily joining the band.

Soon it was time for the much dreaded, I mean anticipated event . . . the arrival of Santa. This actually went much better than I thought. Amy was up on Santa's lap first and I then slid Anna on. I don't think she even noticed that I wasn't there. Whew!

Cooperation is something you will only see when it comes to helping your little sister open her present!

A party is not a party without good food, and Anna wouldn`t have it any other way.

Airport Arrivals

Here are two very tired and stinky passengers arriving home far too late at night. I was expecting that no one would show up given the hour, but our friends Denny, Eryl and Arlene braved the temperature and the wee hour. Arlene was also at the airport when Daddy and Amy arrived a few days earlier. Amy was excited to see Aunt Arlene, but was even more excited to tell her about her new pink Pumas!

We're Home!

Ahh, we're home. We made it!

I tried to post on the last day in China, but with all the goings on with the Nobel Peace Prize, it seemed as if China had tightened things up and I could not only blog, but I could not access my Hotmail either.

Anna and I left Beijing at 5:30pm on Wednesday. The first eight hours of the flight were okay. Anna is a sprawler in bed; she likes to spread out. Having only two seats on the plane, one of which is occupied by Mama, does not make for a whole lot of room for a restless little girl.

At hour eight, the vomiting began. For the following two hours, she threw up five times, necessitating a few changes in clothing. I had brought baby gravol, but had stupidly packed it in my suitcase after she did so well on our other flight in China.

Once in Vancouver, we had a six hour layover, so we met up with My Dad, his wife and my Aunt Gaye. Anna did really well with them and warmed up fairly quickly, with the help of our great stacking cups.
Here's my Dad and Bobbi.
And my Dad and Aunt Gaye. She brought Anna a little doll for her birthday next week.

Our flight was delayed another hour and a half, but we finally made it home at 12:30am. Anna arrived wearing a diaper and an Air Canada blanket (I was all out of clean clothes for her) and I was covered in vomit!

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity as we have jumped right back into our schedule of swimming, gymnastics and music lessons. And then there are the Christmas preparations!

In November, Amy decided that she and Anna should have matching little trees for their rooms. So. one of the first decorating jobs was that of the little trees. Anna loved it . . .

. . . and Amy was much more diligent about it.

How many people does it really take to decorate two little trees?!?

My beautiful baby.

Until she decides it's time to start all over again!

Another Quiet Day

It was a quiet day here today. Anna and I went to Yashow market for one last time and home for a nap. We went out to the store later in the afternoon, but stayed in for the remainder of the day. I thought about going out, but it's actually getting cold here and I am finding that if I'm out for more than fifteen minutes, I'm freezing. Yes, I know. I'm in for a real shock when I get back home.

It’s so amazing to see how Anna has changed in the past two weeks. She has the greatest laugh and responds now when you tickle her, unlike the first few days. When she gets annoyed, she sticks out her bottom jaw. It makes her look a little scary, which I’m sure was the point and probably got the results she wanted in the orphanage.

She has another behaviour I wasn’t expecting. When she is eating, you can’t put too much food in her bowl or in front of her at the same time. She will put food in her mouth, chew it a few times, then spit it out on the table or in her bib and stuff more food in her mouth. Even when she really likes the food, she still does it. She will go back and eat it later, if I don’t distract her and clean it up. Robin says it looks like she grew up with two older brothers (not mentioning any names Ron and Ric!).

Back to the Cube

Anna and I hung out around the hotel room until we got the OK from Thomas, who was handing in our paperwork for the visa. Then we took off for The Cube and hit the pool. Someone must have turned up the heat in the wave pool because it felt like the good old days in our old house where we would forget we jacked up the gas heater on the pool and the water would get well over 90F. It was terrific and Anna and I stayed in the wave pool for three hours! We made a sojourn to the kiddie pool as I thought Anna might enjoy the little slides, but the water temperature felt like about 80F, so we left and headed back into the big hot tub with waves. Ahh . . . life is good.

Anna did really well in the pool. The waves are only on for twenty minutes for every hour and the pool has a very gradual incline, so it was perfect to play in. She loved it.

I thought I should mention who our neighbour is here. After two years of dreaming about this building and what might possibly be going on inside, I find it so close to our hotel I can just peak in and see what they’re up to. It’s the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) and they’re just up the street. Every time I drive by in the taxi, I say thank you for my two beautiful children.

The view out of our hotel window. Notice the tall grey building.
Look closer. It`s the CCAA! Fancy that. They`re just down the street.
The much loved wave pool at The Cube. There is a stage to the left of the big screen where singers and dancers come on to entertain you while you are in the pool. Videos and movies are shown on the big screen because swimming in a wave pool is clearly not enough entertainment.

Yes Baby, I`d like to go back there too. Maybe next time we`re in Beijing.

Relaxing Sunday

Anna and I had a very relaxing day today. Thomas came to pick up Anna’s passport so that we can get the all important visa stamp in it. We tried to find the Blue Zoo, an aquarium that is supposed to be located around here somewhere, but we couldn’t locate it and so just went for a really long walk instead.

That was our whole day. There was a lot of stacking cups and the two story books got read over and over again. I also got to watch some Chinese TV. I haven't watched TV in so long that it really didn't matter that I couldn't understand any of it.

Tomorrow will be more exciting. I plan on taking Anna to The Cube so we can go swimming.

A note to my family in Vancouver; when I said I was arriving at 12:20 pm, that’s on Wednesday. I am currently 17 hours ahead of you and will arrive before I left . . . if that makes any sense.

Good Bye Robin and Amy!

Robin and Amy left for Canada this afternoon, but not until after they first hit the best ball pit in the world! I packed and organized suitcases while Daddy took the girls to Fundazzle, located just five minutes from our hotel.

Fundazzle was once an indoor swimming pool that has been transformed into the ultimate play area. The former shallow end of the pool is set up as a small children’s play area with a regular ball pit, slides and the usual types of toys. To get to the big kid area, one must first slide down the many slides set up where the pool would begin to get steep, and then you are into a literal sea of balls. The entire deep end is filled with them! There are a few islands here and there that the children can make their way to and then climb on to before jumping back in. It sounds like a blast. They returned an hour before pickup with all three being thoroughly exhausted.

Once they left, Anna had her nap and I tidied up and read my book. This feels a little like being on holiday. Anna sleeps for at least two hours during the day and goes to bed fairly early. That leaves me with time I never seem to get at home. There are no errands to run, no house to clean, and the Christmas tree that needs decorating is far away. Not since before Amy have I felt so relaxed. I can just sit and enjoy my time.

When Anna awoke, we ventured out across the street to the Wumart to pick up diapers and other supplies before returning and ordering room service. She and I spent the evening playing with her stacking cups and doing lots of cuddling before bed.

She has made such great progress in feeling secure and would not only allow me to walk around freely in the room, but would also go willingly to Robin to be picked up. Now that our family remaining in China has dwindled down to two, she has reverted back to the timid little girl who does not understand what’s happening. She walks around the hotel room calling for “jie jie” or big sister and every time she hears the neighbouring door open, she’ll run to the door calling for “baba”. She has once again become very clingy and she waits for me to leave too. It will be nice to get home so that she can establish some sort of routine.

Speaking of which, these are our new flight times (just in case my family in Vancouver would like to come to the airport during our six hour layover!!). We leave Beijing Wednesday at 5:30 pm on flight AC030, arrive in Vancouver at 12:20pm and leave at 6:30pm. Gaye, would you please let Dad know as I’m not sure if he is able to access the blog or not.

Until then, it’s back to my relaxing vacation with no Christmas preparations in sight!

Anna and I ordered spaghetti tonight. Needless to say, she had a bath after!

Hotung, The Cube and Solving a Problem

On Wednesday, Robin, Amy, Anna and I went on a Hotung tour. We were transported through wonderful old lanes and alleys by way of a rickshaw, which was an adventure all in itself. The pathways are narrow and no cars are allowed, so once you are past the hubbub of the rickshaw loading area, you are enveloped in a peaceful quiet, unheard of in Beijing.

The hotung themselves are a collection of homes that surround a courtyard. From the lane it looks as if it is a series of walls, but once the large wooden doors are opened, you enter into a family owned, sunlit courtyard surrounded by small rooms where members of the family live.

The family we visited first opened their home to the public during the Olympics, when a French athlete’s family stayed with them for the entire month. Since then, they have opened a room in the courtyard as a B&B. That would be quite the experience staying there. They had just recently installed an electric heater to replace the coal heater in the ten foot by eight foot room. They have also opened their home to public tours, which is how we snuck in.

There is a common kitchen, living room and bedrooms. There is no toilet and the residents made use of the public toilet down the lane. All bathing is done in their bedrooms. In the living room was a small display of pens and models for hotungs that one could purchase. Robin felt he should generate a little income for the family and purchased a model for 100 RMB ($16 CND). It was later, back in the rickshaw, when Thomas told us that that hotung would be worth approximately 10,000,000 RMB ($1,600,000 CND!!!!!). Robin wanted to go back and get his money, but I suggested that might be poor form.

Sean and Kristin did not join us as they took a van two hours out of Beijing to go to hike a less touristy part of The Great Wall. It was much less populated and they had a great time on their hike.

On Thursday, we had a low key morning. Anna has been a constant companion to me and Amy has really been feeling the loss of her exclusive Mommy time. So, because Anna naps for two and a half hours in the afternoon (love it! Amy NEVER did that), Amy and I decided that we would go on an adventure to The Cube (think Olympics 2008 swimming venue). They have renovated part of The Cube to an awesome water park. There is still a competition and a training pool in the facility, but half of the building has been transformed.

After wandering around the circumference of the building to find an entrance, we then had to wander around the interior to find where the change rooms were. Once we were in, however, it was amazing. There were slides and a lazy river, a huge wave pool, two hot tubs, a kiddie area with a play structure, sprinklers and slides in a foot of water, as well as a couple of really cool, super steep slides. Amy and I mainly hung out in the wave pool and the regular water slides.

We stayed for four hours, a little longer than we had planned, but fine in hindsight. Anna woke from her nap and replaced me with Robin. She went about her daily business and ran to him when she felt unsure. Robin and the three kids went out for dinner and then hit the market again and she fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn with him, so I would say she did just fine with him.

We have finally been able to make progress with our paperwork issues. There was a huge mistake made with Immigration and because we are going the sponsorship route, Anna does not have a Visa to get into the country. We had been told that this might mean that we might be staying in China until the week of the 20th. This morning, however, we found out that our MP intervened on our behalf and Anna’s paperwork was on its way to Beijing.

So today, we finally were able to do Anna’s medical and hand over her Visa application to the Canadian Embassy. Whew!

It also means our time line has changed. Sean and Kristin left this afternoon to get back to Toronto. Kris works on Saturday and Sean on Monday and Kristin has an exam that day as well. Robin and Amy will be leaving tomorrow. Robin has a work commitment on Tuesday that he just can’t miss and Amy should get back to school. Anna and I will stay until Wednesday, which should give ample time to have our Visa processed.

And then we will finally all be at home. Then on to Christmas preparations!

Robin, Amy, Anna and I in the guest room at the hutong.
The kitchen.
The other side of the kitchen.

The courtyard. The blue doors are doors to the rooms and the well in the square cement thing in the middle.

The door to the hutong.

Us in the rickshaws.

Old meets new!

You eventually come to a more commercial area where there are little shops.

In the middle of the hutong, there is a beautiful lake surrounded by trees. It is the most totally unexpected and peaceful experience in this very busy city. When I think of old China in the movies, this is what it looks like.

The girls are beginng to gel. Here they are painting together.

Amy in front of The Cube when we first arrived.

The Kiddie area with two of the hot tubs to the right and a restaurant just above. You can charge your wristband with money so that you can just go to the restaurant and swipe your wristband to pay. What a great idea!

The really big slides and the wave pool just behind.

A different sliding area surrounded by a lazy river.

The Cube when we finally left . . . much later. You can see The Bird's Nest behind it.

The two girls playing row boat in the hotel's dirty laundry basket with a shoe horn and a shoe brush as paddles.

Daddy needing a BIG beer after finding out the visa is finally on its way.