We have the best family and friends

Worst and best plane ride ever. The best because we were coming home. The worst because it was way too long and my baby couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. We had wanted to purchase a carseat, but that wasn't an option once we arrived in China.
Our welcome home, we had many surprises. Our friends were there to greet us at the airport.
Our family anxiously awaited our arrival with many surprises as well. Alexandra had a brand new carseat waiting for her in the van that her Aunt Heather and Grandma Betty bought for her.
Her beautiful nursery that was done by all -Grandma Betty, Aunt Heather, Aunt Rhonda, Aunt Faye, Aunt Billie, and Glynis. A lot of decisions to be made and hard work -what would be the best thing for the nursery- the end result, Mommy and Alexandra were really surprised and loved it.

On our way home

Yippeeeeee, we are on our way home first thing tomorrow morning. Bright and early. The bellboy is coming to take our luggage at 4:30am and we are off to the airport at 5:30am. I can't wait to see my boys. Pray that we have a safe trip and that it is uneventful. And that getting back on schedule will not be hard for all of us.

We'll see you soon.

Love,

Dawn

Alexandras Bracelet

A new family tradition. The Chinese tradition to pass down the jade bracelet when the daughter gets married.

Sundays Pictures

All my friends from my group. No one seems to be happy to have their picture taken on the famous red couch. This is where all adopted children from China have their picture taken.
My two buddies from my orphanage.
Anyone up for feeding and petting the monkeys. Ashlyn really wanted to go, but I wouldn't let her. Who knows what diseases they could carry.
Part of the petting zoo in Guangzhou. The petting zoo also included dogs and monkeys.
Our family picture take with Veronica, who is our tour guide/interpreter/helper-an angel sent from above.

China's one child law

I thought I would blog about China's one child law today. There are a few exceptions to this law. If you are a peasant, meaning a farmer, and your first child is a girl then you can try again for a boy, but this is only if you have a girl as your first child. And for the farmer, two is the maximum number of children that a farming family can have. So you could have two girls. Many farmers want boys to help them farm the land. A married couple can also have two children if each parent is an only child. If a couple gives birth to a child that is physically or mentally challenged then they could have one more child. Minority people in China can have two children because they are a minority group and the government does not want the group to become extinct. Also if a couple gets a divorce, the father can have another child if he remarries and the mother keeps the previous child. Some people do have more than one child without any of the above exceptions and if this happens, they have to pay a fine, which is like double or triple their annual salary. This is meant to be a punishment for having more than one child. Some of the rich people in China opt to have more than one child and just pay the fine. But very few people can afford to pay the fine.

I've also learned that in China it is illegal for anyone to posses a gun. If someone is caught with any weapons, they will be thrown in jail. I spoke with some of the locals last night and they believe that since Americans are allowed to carry weapons that it is a dangerous place. They spoke of the schools and colleges, so I'm assuming that they have heard of the Columbine and some of the shootings that have taken place in the colleges. Other than the pick pocketers here, I think major crimes are a rarity because the penalty is so severe. I read the other day that someone was being sentenced to death for accepting bribes for a realty company. I know that this is a communist country but I have to wonder if we were a lot stricter back home, that maybe we wouldn't have so many problems with the crime rate in regards to shootings and killings. And people getting out of jail after only have one major offense. I spoke with someone from France as well and he told me that he believed that China was one of the safest countries to travel. I also gathered from his conversation that he wasn't too fond of America. I told him I was happy to be living in a free country, but that we all had different beliefs whether or not it was for or against what our democracy as a whole does. And we have the freedom to express our opinions, that not all Americans think alike.

Thursdays Pictures

Dawn & Alexandra at the Medical Exam.
She did not like the ENT exam, Dawn & I had to both hold Alexandra for the doctor to stick the tongue depressor in her mouth - no other baby had this problem, what is it with our kids and the doctor.
She was not liking the thermometer either, though it was only under her arm.

Out with the old and in with the new

Before coming to China, I have been sporting around a Lance Armstrong look alike bracelet for adoption for three years. It was white and purple with adoption=love on it. And before I came to China, my friend Tara gave me a bracelet for my Blessingway that had different colored beads on it (I will wear that one from time to time). Each color bead meant something. I have it at home in my jewelry box. Sorry I don't have a photographic memory to tell you what they all mean.

In China couples do not wear wedding rings, but the female wears a jade bracelet. She will get this bracelet from her mother the day she gets married. And this bracelet is passed down from generation to generation. My tour guide/interpreter carries hers with her wherever she goes. It was passed down from her grandmother to her mother to her. So today I was able to pick out my jade bracelet to someday give to Alexandra on her wedding day. I was so happy to be able to do this, and be able to carry on another tradition from her culture. And my husband was so very gracious to allow be to buy one that was closer to the upper end of the scale. I'm sure the jade is like the diamonds you can buy different qualities.

Alexandra also got her physical done today and her picture taken today for her Visa. Her physical was very interesting. She along with all of the other 10 babies in our group had to have a physical. There were three stations we had to go to. One station was the ENT - he basically looked in her throat (Adam and I both had to hold down this 15 lb baby for the doctor to do it), he squeezed a squeaky toy out of her view to see if she would look and then hit a few notes on an electronic keyboard and she looked at it. The next station was for them to take her temperature, weight, and height, and then the next station was for the doctor to just look at her physically (make sure she was alive) and measure her head. And then we were done. I think the whole process took all of fifteen minutes. Unfortunately for Alexandra she's going to have a rude awakening when we come to the states because I know that her first physical will take quiet some time. Our pediatrician is very thorough and loves to explain everything that he is doing and what his observations are.

If it were not for rainy weather every day and me missing my boys, we would be having a great time. And yes, I got to go again today for another $8 massage. Except this time, the doctor worked only on my sore/bad side of my neck. I loved it. The only thing was is that he used some type of lotion on me that wasn't the best fragrance or smell I'm used to. I didn't want to wash it off because apparently there was a reason for him putting it on me.

Well I guess I can talk a little about the Chinese culture from my observations. There is no such thing as personal space. When arriving in Beijing a man literally jumped in front of me to get somewhere. If he would have touched me, I'm sure he would have knocked me down. It's nothing for someone to bump into you or walk right behind you. Oh and the traffic. Everyone honks their horn. It's just to let you know that they are coming or to get out of the way. No offense is to be taken from this. Everyone who drives honks their horn. And the traffic space is just like your personal space. Just jump on in, cut someone off or jump in front of them with a honk. I could literally stick my hand out of a window and touch a car or vehicle next to me. I think the normal space that we use for two lanes of traffic here in China four cars would use this space. It's crazy. There are no seatbelts on the buses or taxi's and carseats for babies are not used. We were hoping to be able to buy a car seat before our flight back to the U.S. for Alexandra since we bought her a ticket. That way she could stay in her carrier and sleep and no one would have to hold her. But I think a car seat here would be like a foreign object. It's hard to believe that it will be three weeks since I've driven a vehicle.

Wednesdays Pictures

I like to smile and show my one and a half teeth.
Our Hotel at night.
Today we toured a local village, this is what the streets looked like.
This village also had a canal system.
She says Hi to everyone, she loves giving Raspberries.

Tuesdays Pictures

A sight often seen, older adults playing a game that looks like hackey sac.
Women being sheltered from the rain learning how to dance in the park.
Alexandra after trying her first taste of chocolate ice cream fed to her by Ashlyn.

Rainy weather in Guangzhou

Okay,

For some crazy reason, I was able to look at my blog tonight and read all the comments. Thanks so much for the added comments. I loved hearing from all of you.

And we are horrible parents, we had this blanket that we paid $11 made for Alexandra with this kind of furry type lining around it so that she wouldn't get the nasty orange padded blanket that's used as a filler in her crib. Anyway, we went walking around the city tonight and when we got back from our nightly walk, I noticed that her little blanket was black from the stroller's tire marks so I washed it and hung it up in the shower. Well tonight is the first night that she has ever cried and threw a fit before going to bed. We thought it was just because she was really tired that she screamed (I guess she knows how to do that now when in major distress) for a while, and finally I told Adam we needed to do something and then after trying to soothe her, he asked me where the blanket was. He gave it to her and like a switch she was completely silent. So first thing tomorrow we are going to have a duplicate one made for her so that she will always have one available. So please keep this in mind if you are ever around this tired little one, she just wants her blankey.

Yesterday, I was in a lot of pain because I think I slept wrong. This had happened only one other time before and that was when I had Ashlyn and I got a really bad crick in my neck. I think it was a pinched nerve. I literally could not turn my head to the side, and the doctor had to prescribe me muscle relaxers and it took two days before I got to move my head. Well I had been saying that I wanted to get a massage. I went and got the best massage on my neck. This guys worked on my neck for a long time (it was kind of gross though because I got hear and feel things moving we're I was having pain - a lot of crackling). There wasn't instant gratification. I felt better, but the next morning I was a new person. I'm just a little sore from the massage, but the range of motion is sooo much better. This was a neck and foot massage that lasted a little over an hour. And brace yourself, this is the best part. It was under $8, and that price included the tip. This was a professional place that had a doctor on staff. My interpreter/guide told the doctor what was wrong with me and then she told guy what to do. I plan on going back tomorrow if Adam lets me get away again.

The last few days have been a little hard because the weather is so much like Houston here. One day it's hot and humid and then the next it's cold and rainy. Yesterday and today it was cold and rainy so I feel like I'm under house arrest. Not to mention I'm really missing my boys. We had a tour scheduled today, but couldn't do it because of the weather. We started out, but after a few minutes, we had to head back to the bus because of the rain. And unfortunately, I think it is going to rain almost every day. The tours that we have scheduled are nice because it gives us something to do and it allows us to get out of the hotel for a while. Plus with the rain, I haven't been able to go walking around the island during the day. I think I will be coming back to the states with a bigger butt. I was hoping it would be the opposite, but three weeks of hardly any exercise bites.