Trip to China
All Days  |  Previous Day  |  Next Day

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Hola! Wait, that’s not Mandarin!! Let’s try that again, Ni Hao! Today, this is Rett posting! That’s Mrs. Foster to those at school! Well, today was another action packed day filled with many firsts. It started with our traditional breakfast buffet in the hotel. Today I looked closely to see what foods were really there. Two things caught my eye today. Squid soup and thousand year old eggs! (Look THAT one up on the Internet---not pretty!) A fellow traveler tried the egg and said it was pretty good! None for me, thanks! The girls ate well, whereas we just ate our usual toast, hard boiled egg, and croissants. From here we went to the Teng Wang Pavilion. This is a tall, heavily decorated structure that has been around since the Tang dynasty. We learned two key things. First, we learned a lot about the history of Jiangxi . Second, we learned that the girls can maneuver stairs on their own, so we never need to break our backs again! Our guide, Mary chuckled when she saw Laney MeiMei walking down the stairs with me. She said, “Ahh, look, she is a princess! She walks like a princess!” Laney held my hand and instead of balancing herself with her other hand on the wall, she held it behind her, against her back. I thought that was cute! But nearly everything she does is cute! (Um, except cry! But, even that is cute sometimes…especially when her lower pouty lip makes an appearance.) While in the pavilion, we got to see a show that consisted of some traditional singing and interpretive dance. It was actually quite beautiful. The girls even seemed to enjoy it. After strolling through the gardens that surrounded the pavilion, we met up with several students on a field trip. It was great fun to see them test their bravery and come forward to say, “Hello! How are you?” They said it quite loud because they wanted their friends to see how brave they were to test their English on the Americans! We would say, “I’m fine, how are you?” They’d respond similarly and then run off giggling. It warmed my heart to see them having such fun! I wish we could have talked to them more. It actually made me miss my students at home even more! Afterwards, we went to pick up our strollers that we left at a little shop outside of the pavilion (so trustworthy, the Chinese are) and did a little shopping. The couple that ran the shop was very nice and showed us some traditional Chinese jewelry. We had already purchased two bracelets in Beijing , but found two longevity necklaces. We received two similar necklaces as a gift from their orphanage, but decided the two we purchased today could be given to them as gifts to be worn, instead of mere keepsakes. The couple had us take our picture with them and even offered a fellow traveler, Andi, some of their lunch. She said it was good! I declined the offer, but thanked them so much for the offer and necklaces. We then returned to the hotel for naps and snacks. It wasn’t long before the girls awoke and were ready to go! It is quite comical, actually. They always tend to wake up, get their bearings, want their shoes, and head over to the stroller. Abby LaLa uses her overused phrase of “Ga got,” whatever that means, when she points to something. They’re as tired of this room as we are! So Daddy and I put them in their strollers and walked the halls. We took the elevator to all of the non-smoking floors and cruised. Luckily, that appeases them. Dinner was a must tonight since we just snacked for lunch. Mary took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant down the street. We ate pork, and chicken, rice, and some jalapeno beef that was SUPER DUPER spicy, but we loved it! Another first, the girls dined on something we had NO idea was so important to them…steamed eggs! Poor Tony could barely eat because Laney MeiMei kept grunting and signing “More, More!” every two seconds! The girls ate two or three small bowls full of this, not-so-tasty-looking custard. They also enjoyed more watermelon which seems to be a Chinese staple. No wonder they stay so tiny here!

Adoption Paperwork and gifts from Civil Affairs and orphanage And no, Laney is NOT eating the crayon, it just looks like it...and yes she is a bit ticked off in this picture. Probably sending text messages to each other on their cell phones School Kids...they loved saying - how are you Teng Wang Pavilion The whole crew at Teng Wang Pavillion

As a side note on the meals, at most restaurants here, you receive a hot towel to wipe your hands with first. Also, you’ll often get little packets of “tissues” that are to be used as napkins. We think we’re a wasteful society!?!? These packets are wrapped in little plastic envelopes. We got two each tonight. One set was dry for during dinner, and the other was wet for afterwards, cleaning up. We’re not talking a little square moist towelette. This is a mini-pack of Kleenex! Another first that happened today was that we had limited tears on diaper changes! YAY! We also gave them their first bath together. It was a hit! Ok, well, at least with Abby LaLa. Laney cried during some of it. But it was better! We got them out, dried them off, slathered them with lotion and kisses, and put their feety pj’s on. Goodness, Abby loves those. She just looks at her feet and grins! We then did our prayers (Laney watches us so closely) and had more kisses all around and put them to bed. Off to dreamland without a hitch…ok, other than Abby crying. Nope, actually full-on meltdown. But, not too bad. Only one or two major meltdowns per child today! Please keep praying for that to continue to improve. WOW, I didn’t mean to give you a play-by-play of the day! It will just be fun for us to remember all of this one day. I want to remember how much we grew together as a family throughout our stay in their homeland. One fun note to end on. The girls are little mockingbirds. While we wait on the elevator, we often sing. And when the bell dings for our floor, I always say, “Ding dong…” Well now, the girls always mimic it when it rings. It’s too cute and makes the staff and other guests here smile. Also, these girls are the smartest little things ever. We’ll often hear Laney singing, “Twinkle, twinkle” which is flat out adorable to hear her say it. Or, if I start singing “Pat-a-cake” with her, they’ll start rolling their arms over each other like the song goes. Too funny! Well, today I introduced the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to them and it was all the rage. After only one time through it with the motions, they started working their finger to make the spider climb. We can never catch it on tape though, but you will all see it soon enough! It’s the best! Tomorrow’s song? “I love you, a bushel and a peck!” Thanks for all of your comments. They are nourishment for our souls. We’d be totally lost without you. This is the best way to bring you all along without paying a massive airline fee! I’m sorry if you think we ramble, but China has given us to of its most precious gifts and we want to share all the details with all of you back home! We love you and miss you terribly! Since it’s nearly Thanksgiving here, we’ve attached a picture message for you at home. But here’s an early HAPPY TURKEY DAY to you at home! Stay tuned to see how we celebrate it here! WE LOVE YOU ALL!

Website by myadoptionwebsite.com