Mia

Life with four girls..... is BUSY!!!! Little Miss Mia fits right into our silliness and is laughing or smiling all the time! She is precious and her big sisters stop at nothing to keep her giggling, WHATEVER it takes, LOL :)

I have wanted to blog every night and by the time I get everyone in bed it takes all that is in me to change into pj's before I hit the bed :} we are getting about 5 1/2 hours of sleep now a night which is welcomed after about a week of only 3 a night. Tomorrow we have a visit with the pediatrician and I am PRAYING hard for Mia as she gets a BIG check-up with bloodwork and all. I'll let you all know how it goes - M

Pictures as Promised...

Here was our view of our "Welcoming Party"!!!!!




and one of the VERY proud BIG SISTERS :) xoxo




with Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy and sisters :)

Home

Sorry this post is a day or two late :(

Our flight from Tokyo to Detroit was delayed almost 2 hours which meant that we MISSED out flight to TN. D*lta/NW is AWFUL!!!! They had 12 hours to have some sort of plan in place to help all of us that missed our connecting flights. Instead we stood in line for 2 hrs and 40 minutes while they figured it out. They gave us a voucher for a hotel to stay the night but after standing in another 45 min line for the shuttle we found out the hotel was all booked, uggghhhh! To make this long story a bit shorter... we got to some hotel at 11:30pm. Our flight landed at 6:40pm so needless to say it was a VERY LONG 33 hour day, LOL.

We left Detroit at 7:15 Sunday morning and A was feeling awful. By the time we made it home he was really SICK! I had thought I was in the clear because he had eaten the "salad" on the plane and I hadn't BUT just after lunch I was worse off than he was :(

We are both getting a little less green but it isn't helping that Miss Mia has her nights and days switched! Thank Heavens for Grandparents!!!! We would be lost without them helping us survive this :)

I PROMISE to download pictures from our home coming later today - M

Almost home...

     Today at 4:00 PM we flew to Hong Kong to start our journey back home.  We had a fairly non-eventful day except that Mia has hives covering her body.  It started just after breakfast and has diminished a bit but is still visible.  The PA in our group said it looks to be a food allergy....she hasn't even tasted Madeline's cooking yet, LOL.  We Benadryled her up and she seems fine.  It may be our best bet to get a third seat for her.  People are looking at her like she has the plague.  We fly out of Hong Kong tomorrow at 8:20 AM.  Since we have to be at the airport so early we stayed at the Regal Airport Hotel.  It is awesome and we had our first REAL western meal tonight, it was nice.  We miss everyone and look forward to seeing all of you, almost as much as we miss ice and drinkable water :)  I'll try and post some more pictures soon but don't count on tomorrow as we will get in late and probably have jet lag.

The Oath

Today we traveled 30-40 minutes by bus to the US Consulate to complete the FINAL steps of the adoption!!!!! We all rode the escalators up to the fourth floor, showed our passports for the umpteenth time, then up to the fifth floor walking through another round of metal detectors to sit in a waiting room. At the "interview" window they checked our passport photo page copies and the baby's to make sure we had the correct child and then we were sent to sit down again. About 10-15 minutes later a lady from the consulate came out to address us with microphone in hand. She explained what the department did and how many visas they issue annually. They she asked all adoptive parents to rise, raise our right hands and repeat after her. She administered the oath finalizing the adoption so that when our babies touch US soil they immediately become United States Citizens :)

 

The culmination of more than four years was all summed up in a very short, very legalistic, oath about the correctness of information we provided. So now, both China and the US recognize this little angel as our's!!! Amazing :)  The consulate does not allow photos in the building so we don't have any to share from today's BIG event  :(  I have included the photo taken of Mia for her visa application :)

 

Right after leaving the consulate we said goodbye to four families in our travel group. True to form, I was crying. We have shared such a precious time with one another and even though we are all more than ready to go home, it was hard to part ways. For our last night in mainland China, we had dinner with two other couples from our group in a German restaurant on the island, listening to 70's music, VERY surreal! We have truly been blessed with some wonderful people to share this last part of the journey with :)

 

Tomorrow we leave for Hong Kong and are not sure we will be able to blog but will do our best to let everyone know we have landed safe and sound! -M

Tuesday in Guangzhou - Part Two

     Tonight we took our "Red Couch" pictures of our family and of all the babies in our group.  Quite an experience trying to get 12 babies to all look and smile at the same time.  After that we went on a dinner cruise up and down the Pearl River.  Although the food was "a little fear factorish" the scenery was worth it.  I was able to eat some of the food; duck, pork, chicken and something that resembled beef.  Madeline ate 1/2 a cup of white rice and part of a cookie...she's so brave.  We spent most of the cruise on the top level taking pictures and video.  Later that night when we got back to the hotel and decided to order Papa John's Pizza.  Unfortunately, Madeline started throwing up before it even got here and ended up going to bed and missing dinner.  She never should have been crazy enough to eat that white rice, LOL.  Tomorrow we have to wait in our rooms as our CCAI reps go to the Consulate to finalize our paperwork.  After that we will try and finish our shopping. ~A  

Big smile!!!

All the babies on the "Red Couch"

Getting dressed for picture day on the "Red Couch"

Tuesday in Guangzhou - Part One

So far today we visited a pearl market, shopping CENTER, took a taxi ride (more like a thrill ride) and took Mia for her firs swim :) Here is a picture from the taxi... they warned us olny to look out the side windows and not the front...they were right!!! The next is from the hotel pool. She LOVED the water! 

Pictures

Here is a picture of Mia's medical exam in Guangzhou and the another of her smiling after dinner.  I'll post some more later today after we get back from our outing.  We are off to breakfast and then to the pearl market. ~A

In Guangzhou...

Yesterday we traveled from Nanchang in the Jiangxi province, further south, to the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province. Mia's First Flight :) She did very well, sleeping part of the 1hr 20mins. However, the change of scenery kept her up most of the night :( Sorry we missed blogging yesterday.. I'll make up for it with the details of today :)

 

It is very interesting to have come from the a very "authentic" Chinese city of over 2 million people to this city of more than 14.4 million! We are staying at a beautiful hotel on Shaiman Island right along the Pearl River. The only thing that makes it an "island" is the narrow canal the British dug to separate it from the city. The architecture here is all colonial European, similar to old St. Augustine, surreal! Today we went walking, searching for the Italian restaurant (which we never found) and saw more than a dozen bride and grooms having their pre-wedding photos taken all over the island. The Banyan trees here are over 150 yrs old, they are BIG and Beautiful!!!

 

Our tour today included a trip to the Six Banyan's Buddhist Temple. It was VERY crowded due to the birthday celebration of the only female buddha. One of our group likened it to The Vatican on Easter! It was THAT crowded...the incense was so thick in the air it was hard to breathe! The 17 story pagoda was beautiful. For the celebration, they "release" animals, on the temple grounds they laid out turtles, coolers filled with fish, eel and other water creatures. Our reps said they set them all "free" in the Pearl River but the river is so polluted it is questionable if they will live but it is tradition so they still do it.

 

Our next stop was the Old Chen House. Also named the "Chen Clan Ancestral Temple", the Chen family is the most common surname in this province. Now under govt control, it is named the Provincial Folk Arts Museum. The building is "only" 100 yrs old but is just fantastic! They have gardens, exhibits of porcelain, embroidery, carvings, fan making, etc.

 

Next came the Arts & Crafts Store, lol :) Such beautiful things... we are hoping to get Mia 18 gifts from China, to be given on each birthday.... we are well on our way :)

 

Tonight we had a group dinner at the Thai restaurant on the island. Afterward we walked around, shopped some more and then stopped for ice cream! We are pretty sure it was Mia's first taste of chocolate anything, ever! Daddy and she "shared" while I was on clean-up and photo duty :)

 

Today marks one week since meeting Mia :) She has changed so much in just this short time. She is so smiley and loud, hee hee! She is crawling, eating better and responding to her name. She never "answered" to her given Chinese name. It is likey she never heard it. They said her nickname was Rui Rui but even when our reps called her that she never looked up. "bau bau", means sweet baby and she ALWAYS looks up for that :) That must be how her nanny spoke to the babies :) She is a happy girl :) We are VERY BLESSSED!! God is Good!!!! - M

pictures :)

Our last day in Nanchang

     Today we visited the a row of porcelain shops in Nanchang.  There were so many beautiful pieces to choose from it was hard to decide which to get.  We got a quick lesson in the different qualities and characteristics from Evelyn that was very helpful.  I'm kind of glad I only brought some of our money as we would have purchased a lot more otherwise :)  Afterwords we visited the People's Park downtown.  It was very beautiful and serene.  We walked around taking pictures of the scenery, old bridges and pagodas.  There were also some very interesting activities for the kids.  There was a blowup hamster ball that the kids entered and then were pushed into the water to move around in, it looked quite tiring.  Across from that there were goat-carts.  There were two children riding a cart pulled by goats.  I'll never forget the little girl with the whip smacking hers to go faster. 

     We received our Notary paperwork and Mia's passport and will be on our way to Guangzhou tomorrow afternoon.  I started packing today and soon realized that we needed another suitcase.  We didn't want to brave the taxi ride to Wal-mart so we ventured out on foot and found a small store that had a suitcase for sale.  Unfortunately we also ended up buying a bracelet, a jewelry box, two silver baby bracelets and an embroidered silk panda panel for Mia.  Good thing we got the extra suitcase.  We may need a small trailer to get home from the airport at this rate, LOL.  We have enjoyed it here but look forward to seeing a new city.

The People's Park in Nanchang

Pictures of the farming village in Nanchang

Nanchang farming village tour

     On Thursday we headed towards a small farming village just outside of Nanchang.  Evelyn, our CCAI rep, suggested we bring some small gifts for the children of the village since they were on summer vacation.  Most of the homes were very modest although a few were obviously "rich" for village standards.  Most of the children were very appreciative of the candy and pencils we handed out.  We were followed by a group of about 30 children, only one of which was aggressive.  He was the oldest boy and at one point Madeline asked "how do you say brat in Mandarin?"  The village girls were very quiet and shy where as the boys were pretty rowdy and rambunxious.  We walked down their street and ended at the rice patties and gardens where they grew all of their food.  We learned that the Chinese government owns all of the land and leases it for generally 70 years to a person.  This happens because they are no longer taxed and this is the way the govt. can earn income.  When they pass away the family members can re-lease the land and cotinue farming it.  They harvest the rice in July and September but since it was so rainy, this July's harvest was not very good.  The farmers are hoping to make it up this September with a large harvest.  Rice is the main good produced here and if there is another poor harvest it could be devastating for the small villages. 

     After our walk through the village the group decided to eat at the very exotic restaurant called....Pizza Hut.  I must say it was the nicest Pizza Hut I'd been too and it was refreshing to eat something semi-Amercain.  Today we are headed to a Porcelain Factory and then to play at the park.  We are supposed to receive our Notary documents and Mia's passport today.  Saturday afternoon we fly to Guangzhou where we've heard it is beautiful with great shopping :) ~A

Tuesday in Nanchang

Today has been a more relaxed day! Our agency had a pediatrician visit the hotel to check all the babies. Just about all of them have colds and one little one has pneumonia, so they got her medicine right away. Mia does have a cold but is doing really well considering we are so strange to her. Our guide taught us all some "basic talk-to-baby Mandarin" to help out.. She is not exactly sure what to make of us speaking the language sometimes but it helps to calm her down when she gets upset :)

 

China is amazing, we will have so many stories, pictures and videos!!! There are just SO many people! Nanchang is very "Authentic China", as our rep keeps reminding us. The apartment buildings are overwhelming, the average family lives in 500-600 sq ft. All the laundry is hung out the windows. Everything is pretty dingy :( Most people have never seen a foreigner in person, so we are quite the spectacle!!! They are very inquisitive and many come up and read the tags we wear around  our necks explaining we are here to adopt the baby. We get a lot of smiles and thumbs ups :) They love to squeeze Mia's cheeks or legs :) The language barrier is pretty tough, even in the hotel. Last night at dinner we played a very respectful game of charades to get some chili sauce, LOL.

 

Mia really likes to be outside so we did some exploring outside the hotel today. She babbles a bunch when she is out :) It made me nervous to venture too far! Crossing the street is quite an event, a really pretty scary, seriously!!! A is much more adventurous than me. Our rep prepared a group dinner for us at the restaurant next door. The food was really good and they had a huge cake to celebrate the the birth of the babies' new lives :) Mia ate a ton of noodles and liked the cake too! Hope you enjoy the pictures- M 

and More Pictures!!!

More Pictures.....

Pictures!!!

I just foud out the pictures didn't get posted.  Due to the anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, which started in the city we are in (Nanchang), all social websites are blocked.  I'll try and add one or two at a time now.

It's Official!

Sunday was a wirlwind day.  After arriving in Nanchang we had an hour to get settled in our rooms and then off to a meeting regarding our itenerary for the next 6 days.  The entire meeting was informative but everyone was so eager for the babies to arrive.  A few babies from a different orphanage arrived about 4:15 and the tears started.  Our orphanage arrived at 5:00PM and we recieved our Mia about 5:10.  She was a little in shock and didn't cry.  She was very verbal and kept saying Ma Ma Ma Ma.  We had a very good night and she only fussed a little around 3:00AM.  Today we visited the Office of Civil Affairs and officially became the parents of Mia Mei Zotti.  All of our "official" work is done in Nanchang and now we just wait for her passport and notarized documents to come in.  We will probably walk around and do a little shopping here but are going to save most of our shopping for the great deals in Guangzhou.  Here are a few pictures from our day today. ~A

We made it to Nanchang!!!

Last night we did not sleep very much and early this morning we left the airport in Hong Kong for Nanchang  in Jiangxi Province. We landed just before 1pm, made it through immigration and customs, then it was a 40 minute bus ride to the hotel.

 

Now, we are HERE...in our room freshening up before we meet as a group at 3pm. The babies are to be here at 5pm but we have been told to bring our cameras down with us in case they arrive early :)

 

Ready...Set...GO!!!!!!

 

Will blog more when we have pictures!!!!

 

 

Hong Kong!!!

We arrived in Hong Kong only 40 minutes later than originally scheduled and we made it to the hotel just after midnight. We both slept fairly well and were up by 6am, that's not a typo either... I was up without coercion by 6am LOL!

Our hotel is on Kowloon peninsula, so our tour today was of Hong Kong Island. We went way, way up to the peak of the mountain in a bus on a very narrow road. When another bus or concrete truck passed both drivers slowed down a BIT and we passed with INCHES to spare. We visited a jewelry factory, a mall and a street market. To finish the tour, our guide took us all to lunch.
Here is a photo from the peak looking down onto Hong Kong.