Friday, February 13, 2009

First, I have to say HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY to my Mom, Sheryl…aka ‘Nana’! When we woke up this morning, we called her and sang Happy Birthday…even though it was only 4pm Thursday, home time :)

Today was another down day for us because Jeremy, Caiya, and I had to go to the Fuzhou Police Bureau to pick up her passport.

We all slept in…7am, took our time getting up and at ‘em for the day. We ate breakfast, chatted with our fellow adoptive families, and walked to the temple and park nearby. That trip was short-lived because I took Little Miss to the public restroom in the park, got overwhelmed by the odor, turned my head to choke back tears, and she ended up going all over herself because I wasn’t watching where she was squatting.

The trip to the Police Bureau was easy. All we did was read over her identification, verified our passports, signed a piece of paper, and off we went. We also got her birth certificate and adoption papers yesterday. It is so neat. Her name reads Caiya Yu Ying Holke on the adoption document :) Very exciting.

Ethan experienced the public restrooms today while hanging out with Grandma while we were picking up Caiya’s passport. You’ll have to ask him about it :)

Sharon is the best! She’s been entertaining the kids a lot, helping when

So, the next adoption appointment is Monday morning in Guangzhou. Caiya will need to have a medical exam in order to obtain a US Visa to fly home. We look forward to a change of scenery. It’s hotter than blazes here today even though the high temp for the day is 73….feels like 93. Speaking of 93…that is what the temps will be in Guangzhou in the next 7 days! I think we’ll be swimming a lot, :) shopping a lot, and checking out the sites of the city!

I must say, we are really looking forward to getting home. Jeremy misses his bed. Jeremy’s explanation of the beds in the hotel; take your kitchen countertop. Lay a sheet on it. Then, get a sheet of cardboard and put a pillowcase over it. Then lay down. Oh, and the size of the beds are pretty short. Jeremy’s feet hang off of it…from the shins down if he is stretched out!

We found Anderson’s Bakery. It is fantastic! It’s owned by an American, living here. We picked up a loaf of bread and used a jar of Jiffy PB from home to make lunch the past two days. At least Ethan and Lauren are getting a little bit of protein. I want an icy fountain Diet Coke!

All in all, this is the most fascinating place; the people, the places, the sites and sounds. We are soaking all of it in while we’re here. We are really lucky that Caiya is doing so well. She is making it easy for us to enjoy all of China and not be cooped up in a hotel room, or stressed out about her transition. Echo says that Caiya is doing excellent! That she is very happy girl and full of life :) We can’t agree more! We are a perfect match!

Our last good night from Fuzhou…Hugs and Blessings!


Lauren’s Blog

Hi guys… What’s up at school? It is pretty different here. There is so much smog. The thing I don’t like in china so far is not being able to read anything. What I like about Caiya is her being so loud and crazy. People in China drive crazy! They don’t stop for anything OR anyone!

The new foods I have eaten here are warm grass, chicken ala yuck, and a rice dumpling. It is a white doughy thing made out of rice. I have also had to eat one dinner with chop sticks, it is really hard. Nobody spoke any English so our guide Echo had to translate.