The newest Americans

Yesterday afternoon we headed to the American consulate to get the kids' immigrant visas. The guy who runs the adoptions unit is new to the job, and still obviously jazzed about it, and he came out and gave a sweet speech about how much he loves his job. Then all 37 families in the room stood and gave an oath that all the information in our children's information was correct, and poof, instant Americans. It's not official until they touch down on American soil, but all the paperwork is completed.

Congratulations to the newest little Americans!

Only in China

At a very nice Thai restaurant in Guangzhou, an entire page is dedicated to food for infants:


Starbucks in America serves green tea latte, too. But the version here is VERY strongly flavored of matcha powder, and very delicious. Also much greener than the American version:

What I wish I had brought/glad I brought to China

I wish I had brought:

1. An illuminated alarm clock. We have stayed in two very nice hotels, and neither has clocks in the rooms. Apparently Chinese people are not fond of them, because they're a reminder that time is short. We've been doing wake-up calls every day, which is fine, but when I wake up in the middle of the night I wish I knew what time it was!

2. OTC medicine. I brought antibiotics from my doctor in case we got really sick, but I had a cold and now a cough, and haven't been able to find cough or cold medicine at the grocery stores.

3. Diapers. Quinn has leaked through every Chinese diaper we have tried. I think we have spent way more in laundry service than we have on food!

I'm glad I brought:

1. Baby Bjorn. We struggled with this one because Quinn is 22 pounds and Baby Bjorn carriers max out at 25. We are SO glad we brought it. We firmly believed this helped significantly in our bonding process. Wherever we went Quinn was right there with us, feeling us against him and hearing our voices. After the first couple days he started asking to hold our fingers, which we hold up light motorcycle handles in front of him. He is ALWAYS happy in his Baby Bjorn. We will be so sad when he outgrows it!!

2. Music. We bought a portable speaker system for our iPod at Target, and it's been great. We downloaded lullabies for nap and bed time, and upbeat Asian tunes for playtime. It has really created a nice atmosphere for us.

3. Laptop. We really struggled with whether to bring it, and I'm so glad we did. Not only did it make it possible for me to blog, but we have used it to look up all kinds of things: how to make phone calls from Guangzhou, how much formula babies should have at 22 pounds, the definitions of various special needs (after meeting kids with them), all kinds of stuff. It also eased my mind when I was convinced Quinn had autism, and told us who our next president will be. I'm SO glad we brought it.

4. Baby clothes. Everyone kept telling us not to bother, that everything was readily available here. That's true here in Guangzhou, but we spent our first 10 days in Beijing, where the only children's store was a very nice, but very expensive, super store. We also went to Super Wal-Mart, but it was far away and not especially well-stocked with baby clothes.

We're walking, yes siree!

Every day we do a little walking. Today Quinn really started to get the hang of it. By the time he wore out, he was supporting himself pretty well and mostly all I was doing was helping him balance!

The famous red couch

Today the Little Emperor dressed up in an outfit fit for his status for his red couch photo:



Just about every child adopted from China has been photographed on the famous red couch at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou, where we're staying.

Yesterday was our day. Not long ago, red couch photos of individual adoption groups included dozens of children. Now, adoptions from China have dwindled significantly because of new restrictions, longer waits, and China's new emphasis on adopting out healthy children domestically and special needs children internationally. Our agency now does about eight adoptions of healthy kids a month, compared with 60 special needs adoptions.

Our adoption group has three kids, but for the photo we teamed up with the other Holt families here in the hotel. Two of them we met at our orientation in Beijing so long ago, and another we met at dinner the other night, so we were among friends.

Predictably, none of the kids cooperated, lots of them cried, one of them tumbled head first off the couch (the one non special-needs kid in the group, mind you) and none of them knew where to look with all the parents calling and all the camera flashes popping. It was utter chaos, but also lots of fun. Afterwards, we all went for tea at the White Swan and had a serious sugar fest.

These are the kids from our adoption group: 17-month-old Quinn, 25-month-old Anna and 6-year-old Malia (plus Malia's big sister, 8-year-old Ari):




And here is our entire Red Couch group:



We survived!

Here is our entire group, plus the fabulous Leah:

And all the Holt families:

Babies, babies, everywhere!

We're now in Guangzhou, where every Chinese adoption is processed. Actually, we're on Shamian Island, which is where the consulate used to be and is still is where every adoptive family stays and shops. To me, at least, the place is a little trippy. Everywhere you go, you see adoptive families. We all stay in the same hotel, The White Swan, so on every floor you hear crying babies. And a huge cottage industry serving people like us has sprung up on the island. Little shop after little shop carries traditional Chinese outfits, baby clothes, souvenirs, diapers and all sorts of arts and crafts aimed at adoptive families - get your child's name carved on a "chop" (a signature stamp), get your child's face carved on a stamp, get your child's picture etched in granite, get your child's face painted inside a bottle. Of course we can't resist any of them.

It's fun being here, but I must say that I prefer Beijing. There, we met Chinese people who were truly interested in us and our kids. Here, very few people live on the island so the people you meet are mostly merchants who want to sell you something. Both are fascinating in their own way, but Beijing felt more authentic to me.

Also, it's very difficult not to compare development levels here. What, that kid is 13 months old and already feeding herself? Look at that little baby - her eye contact is way better than Quinn's. Wow, that boy is just a little older than Quinn and he's walking already. Definitely not a good thing to do, at least for me.

On the plus side, it's great fun to meet other adoptive families and hear their stories. Last night at dinner we sat next to a super nice couple from Omaha who is here adopting their seventh (!!) child, a 3-year-old boy with spina bifida. This morning at breakfast we sat next to a couple of Chinese descent with an elementary-school-aged bio son who adopted a baby girl. They're from Phoenix, just a couple hours from us. It really is a small world.

The drama king of Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou, where all Chinese adoptions are processed, on Monday night. Quinn did pretty well on his first flight, although he was fussier than normal and - despite repeated diaper changes - managed to soak both of us in pee.

On Tuesday we went for a mandatory medical check at a nearby clinic for adoptive families. The kids were weighed (Quinn now weighs 10.6 kilograms), measured, their vision and hearing checked, and they underwent a basic physical exam (Quinn's centered on his bad shoulder).


Let's just say the Little Emperor did not enjoy the experience. Screams. Shrieks. The sourest of sourpuss faces. Every time someone did something Quinn didn't like - which was pretty much constantly - he either complained loudly or outright screamed. In short, the baby was a big 'ol baby. All three families in our group couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculous over-reaction.

Granted, the kid is fighting off a cold and just before his appointment we woke him from a three-hour nap...









Malia, the 6-year-old in our group, did great, as she always does. Watching her do an eye exam, following directions (in Mandarin) and moving a wooden spoon over her eyes as directed, it really struck me just how amazing the kid is. She speaks an entirely different language than the rest of us, doesn't understand hardly anything we try to tell her, and yet she always has a beautiful smile on her face and does all she can to please her new parents, who adore her.

Anna, the 2-year-old in our group, also was the perfect angel.

Let's just say nobody is writing on their blog right now about Quinn's lovely behavior...