Yesterday was our last day in Xi'an. It was long and exhausting but filled with some nice moments. We got up at 4:15? 5:30? Seriously, who is counting any more? Days and nights just get all mixed together. I spent the first 3 hours trying to fit things back into our suitcases and locate 2 missing pink shoes, 1 size 4 and the other size 8. After a nice buffet breakfast we hung out and relaxed (them) and organized (me) until noon or so. Then we planned to hit the streets for some street-vendor shopping and another stop at Starbucks. We hadn't really counted on the rain!!
We went out anyway and got quite wet! We did not accomplish our shopping goal but we did make it to the Starbucks. On the way back to our hotel I decided to stop into a hair salon to get Lucy's hair cut. Her bangs were way too long. We had a fun experience. No one spoke a lick of English but Lucy got the star treatment. She was so grown up sitting in the hair wash chair. She ended up getting a total "China girl" hair cut, which was not my intention but when in China... She looks adorable. (The whole thing cost about $5.)
Then we met up with the other family and our guide Rea (who is so awesome) to do some tourist things. The city of Xi'an is really beautiful and interesting. It has a beautiful city wall that surrounds the inner part of the city. It is HUGE. Around the outside is a moat. Between the moat and the wall is a beautiful park. I wish I could give you some interesting statistics on how old or big it is, but when it comes to that stuff my brain is a sieve. I also wish it had been sunny and beautiful while we explored the wall, but it was raining. Inside the largest tower along the wall was (of course) a series of gift shops. I wanted to get something for Rita from her province. It is traditional to get a jade bangle for the mother to wear, then pass along to her daughter. I got one for Lucy in her province. This time around I don't have jade-bangle type money, but I managed to haggle my way into a jade bracelet made with jade pieces vs. solid jade. I have no idea if I got a good deal (or it it's even really jade!) but what's done is done. It is pretty so I am happy with it.
Then we went to a very cool Muslim Mosque, surrounded by tons and tons of vendors. We toured the grounds and gardens of the Mosque which was really beautiful and interesting but again, all of this in the rain. Chris had on his cranky pants the whole time. I think that carrying Rita all of the time is really wearing on him. Last time around Chris and I had a pretty good deal going. He took care of Lucy, I took care of him. This time he is taking good care of Rita, but I have to concern myself with Lucy most of the time. He's working hard!
On the way out of the Mosque we walked (in the mud) back by all the vendors. I was dying to haggle my way into a bunch of cheap and tacky souvenirs for friends and family but the rain helped to keep my money in my pocket.
I wish we had more time to tour around Xi'an. It is a very old and interesting city. But, as I mentioned before, we are in China for a reason so we have to stay focused. After the rainy sight-seeing we gathered up all our luggage and went to the airport. The next 6 hours were spent traveling. For the most part the travel went well, but Rita did freak out a bit on the plane. We were waiting to take off and she just started to cry and point and kick. She was acting like she saw someone or something that upset her. For the first time in over 2 days she started back with "Amanda, Amanda." I wondered if she saw someone that reminded her of Amanda. Chris really struggled with her. She is extremely strong. We finally got her face down across the two of us and kept patting her back and trying to calm her. She is a good kicker. I know because I was sitting on the feet end of her! After about 15-20 minutes she finally calmed down and went to sleep. The rest of the flight was uncomfortable but uneventful.
When we landed, Lucy really needed to go pee pee! Poor thing - I could totally relate. But there was no way we were getting to a bathroom anytime soon. Being the resourceful Mom that I am, I slapped one of Rita's diapers on her and let her do her thing. Good thing she's small for a 4 year old. She was a really good sport about it!
We finally got to our Guangzhou hotel room around midnight. We were beat, especially knowing that we needed to be ready to leave the hotel again at 8:30 am to go to the medical appointment. I really want to talk a but about Rita and her progress, but I have to pause here and talk about our hotel. We stayed at this hotel a little over 3 years ago so we thought we knew what to expect. Wrong!! It has been totally updated. The rooms were nice back then, but they are amazing now! Instead of 2 small hard beds we have 2 big comfy beds. We've got a fridge, a fancy-schmancy bathroom, a decent view, lots of space for our stuff and, much to Chris's delight, a really big flat screen tv hanging on the wall directly across from one of the beds. He's a happy man.
We started our morning at the big breakfast buffet, which was even better than I remembered. It is interesting to see what Rita will and won't eat. Her staples are white rice, noodles and watermelon. Anything beyond that is a crap shoot. We also stared meeting the other families. Of the 16 families here, at least 10 have adopted "special needs." It is interesting to talk to other families and hear their story. Some of them have been logged in since late 2005!! If we had continued to wait for a "healthy" baby it could easily have been a 5 year + wait. Plus, we would not have our spicy little Rita!
After breakfast we went to the medical check, which is mostly a noisy, crowded formality. Rita screamed her head off. Poor Chris. Rita and I are making good progress, but he is still her main man - especially when she is cranky or tired. Here are the things will and will not let me do:
She LOVES to give me high-fives. If Lucy gives me one, Rita immediately wants in on the action.
She thinks that head butts are hilarious and usually doles one out when I ask for a kissy. Then she laughs.
She lets me change her diaper (usually) and change her clothes without much problem. She always lets me put on her shoes.
She lets me feed her anything sweet. And she gives me great smiles when I give her fruit snacks.
This afternoon she was feeding me little breadsticks. I don't actually like them, but I was excited that she was feeding me something!
She will let me blow raspberries on her tummy. Usually.
She will let me briefly pick her up to put her on something or take her down. But just for a moment.
She will play with me in the room even when Chris is not within view.
She will not let me push her stroller. Daddy only.
She will not let me carry her. Daddy only.
She will not let me comfort her when she is upset. Daddy only. (this bums me out.)
She will not let me snuggle with her. Daddy only.
Most of the time I am pretty unemotional about this. I guess it is because I've been here before. However, it gets to me once in a while. This evening was tough. I am tired, still sick and am the only one who doesn't get to nap during the day. Lucy was being a little anti-mommy because, as usual, I am the one who has to discipline her. The combo-platter of "we love daddy, mommy is a beast" was a little tough to take. If it wasn't for this darn cold medicine I would have seriously considered a glass of wine. or two. (I just reread this paragraph. I realize it sounds pretty whiney, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)
Rita is a feisty thing! She is extremely physical. Waaaay more physical than Lucy ever was. She enjoys her high-fives and her head butts. When she is happy, she is happy with her whole body. When she is upset - same thing. She throws her head back and goes at it. Or she throws herself to the ground. After all, she IS two. She has punched Lucy pretty good a couple of times. Most of the time they both end up laughing but occasionally Lucy will get upset. The funny thing is is that I had envisioned Rita to be more gentle and quiet. Not even close! I though that Lucy would be the risk-taker and Rita would be more cautions. Nope. I've got two risk-takers on my hands. I'm wondering, does God think it is funny to give two outgoing, risk taking, sassy China girls to a couple of old people? How is this going to work? I guess this is one more reminder that we have to let Him handle things because we'd be in trouble trying to do this on our own!
If I can get the computer to work I am going to post photos of the last 3 days. Tomorrow we head to some museum and then to a tea house. After that, more head butts!
Oh. My. Goodness. I just got up to look for the camera. My family is supposed to be sleeping. I switched on a light and this is what I saw. Chris is asleep. Rita is standing up in her crib with her nightgown off, except for one arm. Lucy sticks her head by the crib to see what Rita has done with her night gown, then Rita pops her on the head as hard as she can. Both girls laugh. Then Rita poops. Lord help me.
I can't find the camera. I need to sleep. Here are some photos from 2 days ago.
We went out anyway and got quite wet! We did not accomplish our shopping goal but we did make it to the Starbucks. On the way back to our hotel I decided to stop into a hair salon to get Lucy's hair cut. Her bangs were way too long. We had a fun experience. No one spoke a lick of English but Lucy got the star treatment. She was so grown up sitting in the hair wash chair. She ended up getting a total "China girl" hair cut, which was not my intention but when in China... She looks adorable. (The whole thing cost about $5.)
Then we met up with the other family and our guide Rea (who is so awesome) to do some tourist things. The city of Xi'an is really beautiful and interesting. It has a beautiful city wall that surrounds the inner part of the city. It is HUGE. Around the outside is a moat. Between the moat and the wall is a beautiful park. I wish I could give you some interesting statistics on how old or big it is, but when it comes to that stuff my brain is a sieve. I also wish it had been sunny and beautiful while we explored the wall, but it was raining. Inside the largest tower along the wall was (of course) a series of gift shops. I wanted to get something for Rita from her province. It is traditional to get a jade bangle for the mother to wear, then pass along to her daughter. I got one for Lucy in her province. This time around I don't have jade-bangle type money, but I managed to haggle my way into a jade bracelet made with jade pieces vs. solid jade. I have no idea if I got a good deal (or it it's even really jade!) but what's done is done. It is pretty so I am happy with it.
Then we went to a very cool Muslim Mosque, surrounded by tons and tons of vendors. We toured the grounds and gardens of the Mosque which was really beautiful and interesting but again, all of this in the rain. Chris had on his cranky pants the whole time. I think that carrying Rita all of the time is really wearing on him. Last time around Chris and I had a pretty good deal going. He took care of Lucy, I took care of him. This time he is taking good care of Rita, but I have to concern myself with Lucy most of the time. He's working hard!
On the way out of the Mosque we walked (in the mud) back by all the vendors. I was dying to haggle my way into a bunch of cheap and tacky souvenirs for friends and family but the rain helped to keep my money in my pocket.
I wish we had more time to tour around Xi'an. It is a very old and interesting city. But, as I mentioned before, we are in China for a reason so we have to stay focused. After the rainy sight-seeing we gathered up all our luggage and went to the airport. The next 6 hours were spent traveling. For the most part the travel went well, but Rita did freak out a bit on the plane. We were waiting to take off and she just started to cry and point and kick. She was acting like she saw someone or something that upset her. For the first time in over 2 days she started back with "Amanda, Amanda." I wondered if she saw someone that reminded her of Amanda. Chris really struggled with her. She is extremely strong. We finally got her face down across the two of us and kept patting her back and trying to calm her. She is a good kicker. I know because I was sitting on the feet end of her! After about 15-20 minutes she finally calmed down and went to sleep. The rest of the flight was uncomfortable but uneventful.
When we landed, Lucy really needed to go pee pee! Poor thing - I could totally relate. But there was no way we were getting to a bathroom anytime soon. Being the resourceful Mom that I am, I slapped one of Rita's diapers on her and let her do her thing. Good thing she's small for a 4 year old. She was a really good sport about it!
We finally got to our Guangzhou hotel room around midnight. We were beat, especially knowing that we needed to be ready to leave the hotel again at 8:30 am to go to the medical appointment. I really want to talk a but about Rita and her progress, but I have to pause here and talk about our hotel. We stayed at this hotel a little over 3 years ago so we thought we knew what to expect. Wrong!! It has been totally updated. The rooms were nice back then, but they are amazing now! Instead of 2 small hard beds we have 2 big comfy beds. We've got a fridge, a fancy-schmancy bathroom, a decent view, lots of space for our stuff and, much to Chris's delight, a really big flat screen tv hanging on the wall directly across from one of the beds. He's a happy man.
We started our morning at the big breakfast buffet, which was even better than I remembered. It is interesting to see what Rita will and won't eat. Her staples are white rice, noodles and watermelon. Anything beyond that is a crap shoot. We also stared meeting the other families. Of the 16 families here, at least 10 have adopted "special needs." It is interesting to talk to other families and hear their story. Some of them have been logged in since late 2005!! If we had continued to wait for a "healthy" baby it could easily have been a 5 year + wait. Plus, we would not have our spicy little Rita!
After breakfast we went to the medical check, which is mostly a noisy, crowded formality. Rita screamed her head off. Poor Chris. Rita and I are making good progress, but he is still her main man - especially when she is cranky or tired. Here are the things will and will not let me do:
She LOVES to give me high-fives. If Lucy gives me one, Rita immediately wants in on the action.
She thinks that head butts are hilarious and usually doles one out when I ask for a kissy. Then she laughs.
She lets me change her diaper (usually) and change her clothes without much problem. She always lets me put on her shoes.
She lets me feed her anything sweet. And she gives me great smiles when I give her fruit snacks.
This afternoon she was feeding me little breadsticks. I don't actually like them, but I was excited that she was feeding me something!
She will let me blow raspberries on her tummy. Usually.
She will let me briefly pick her up to put her on something or take her down. But just for a moment.
She will play with me in the room even when Chris is not within view.
She will not let me push her stroller. Daddy only.
She will not let me carry her. Daddy only.
She will not let me comfort her when she is upset. Daddy only. (this bums me out.)
She will not let me snuggle with her. Daddy only.
Most of the time I am pretty unemotional about this. I guess it is because I've been here before. However, it gets to me once in a while. This evening was tough. I am tired, still sick and am the only one who doesn't get to nap during the day. Lucy was being a little anti-mommy because, as usual, I am the one who has to discipline her. The combo-platter of "we love daddy, mommy is a beast" was a little tough to take. If it wasn't for this darn cold medicine I would have seriously considered a glass of wine. or two. (I just reread this paragraph. I realize it sounds pretty whiney, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)
Rita is a feisty thing! She is extremely physical. Waaaay more physical than Lucy ever was. She enjoys her high-fives and her head butts. When she is happy, she is happy with her whole body. When she is upset - same thing. She throws her head back and goes at it. Or she throws herself to the ground. After all, she IS two. She has punched Lucy pretty good a couple of times. Most of the time they both end up laughing but occasionally Lucy will get upset. The funny thing is is that I had envisioned Rita to be more gentle and quiet. Not even close! I though that Lucy would be the risk-taker and Rita would be more cautions. Nope. I've got two risk-takers on my hands. I'm wondering, does God think it is funny to give two outgoing, risk taking, sassy China girls to a couple of old people? How is this going to work? I guess this is one more reminder that we have to let Him handle things because we'd be in trouble trying to do this on our own!
If I can get the computer to work I am going to post photos of the last 3 days. Tomorrow we head to some museum and then to a tea house. After that, more head butts!
Oh. My. Goodness. I just got up to look for the camera. My family is supposed to be sleeping. I switched on a light and this is what I saw. Chris is asleep. Rita is standing up in her crib with her nightgown off, except for one arm. Lucy sticks her head by the crib to see what Rita has done with her night gown, then Rita pops her on the head as hard as she can. Both girls laugh. Then Rita poops. Lord help me.
I can't find the camera. I need to sleep. Here are some photos from 2 days ago.
Your daughter is looking so cute l like the image of both the daughters standing together.
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