Aaron is OFFICIALLY OURS!!! (Adoption Day)

Aaron slept well last night - in our big king sized bed, as planned. I think they do not have covers on when they sleep at his SWI, as he kept taking it off. They probably don't need them due to the heat/humidity, but our room has AC. We actually had to wake him up at 7 so we could go to breakfast. Then we played in the room (did I mention he is ACTIVE!!). We had a nice breakfast. He ate scrambled egg, congee, about 10 pieces of cantaloupe, loved BACON, a few pieces of pastry. He is a good eater!
If we ask, "Is it good?" he nods.
When we get in the mirrored elevator, he now says HELLO and Ni hao (hello in Mandarin)
Today, at 10:20 our guide and driver picked us up. I was LESS THAN PLEASED on the ride when our guide looked at all the paperwork I had filled out last night (in the bathroom no less, because Aaron is too active to be filling out official paperwork around!), and she said, "Oh no, you used the wrong type of pen. In China it must be INK pen not ball point." WELL, I wanted to SHOUT, the time to tell me that would have been last night when you gave me the paperwork! So, when we got to the Guangdong Province Adoption Center, I had to spend about 15 minutes going over all my writing in black ink...UGH! Such a pain!
We were first taken to the registration room where they asked us questions about ourselves, looked at our passports, and asked us if we wanted to adopt Aaron. Of course we said YES, and they filled out the paperwork.
Then, we went to the notary, who asked us more questions. These were more detailed. I asked both women to sign Aaron's special "When You Were Born in China" book. I was upset to have FORGOTTEN their gifts! (They are up on the TV to keep out of a certain little boy's reach. Our guide said it is no problem and in fact I did not see many other families there today with gifts. Now I just found that in addition to the female director of the SWI, there is a man who is in a high position, so I will have a gift for him on Thursday, and I'll also be able to give a gift to our driver, who we like very much). In the end a photo was taken of us and of Aaron. He is ours! We are so lucky!
We went from there to the Guangzhou Medical Clinic on Shamian Island. This is for people who are immigrating to the U.S. We have heard horror stories of how busy it is, especially on Saturdays, so were thrilled when our guide suggested we go now. She called to tell them we were coming, so they would not start lunch. We arrived and were taken right away.
First person looked in ears and mouth.
Second person asked us a lot of questions and listened to his heart and lungs.
Third person did the medical exam of Aaron's body. Aaron did great, lying still and quiet and not making a peep.
Fourth person had him get on a scale and do weight and height.
Then, last person did the TB test. We get the results in two days. Now one ODD thing is that right before they put the needle in his arm, they popped a piece of hard candy in his mouth. CAN YOU IMAGINE!!! This would NEVER happen in U.S. If the child were to cry, he/she could choke. Donovan recently had his blood drawn and they asked first if he had anything in his mouth. Here they give them a dangerous hard candy before poking them! Hmm...
Last stop was to have his photo taken for his Passport. It was just two doors down from the medical clinic.
One odd thing...they didn't give us a medical report at all. I asked our guide but she said no, they just say he passed. Of course we go back Thursday or Friday afternoon to have the TB test results read, but we have no concerns about that being an issue.
We have busy days the next couple days.
Tomorrow we leave at 8:30 for Xiangjiang Safari Park. We should get there at 10, stay until 2:30, and have to go to the Police Station at 4. I'm not sure what we are picking up there, but our guide will meet us there.
Thursday we make the LONG trip to the orphanage to say thank you, present our gifts, ask questions, and say goodbye. It sounds like we will be there an hour or so. We hope very much to be able to see Aaron's finding spot.
Please keep us in your thoughts in the next couple days. It will be a busy couple of days, and the orphanage visit will be emotional I am sure.
PS - I can read all of your wonderful comments, so keep them coming. They come to my Yahoo email account and I read them (Thank you!). I won't be able to publish them on the blog or respond back until we get home.

First Impressions of Aaron

(First of all, scroll down to see photos and information from Gotcha Day)

Aaron is wonderful! He is a happy boy and VERY ACTIVE!! He talks nonstop. He has an excellent vocabulary (in Mandarin, which is keeping Rupert busy trying to figure it out!!) He knows his colors, numbers to 10, and in some short books we have with photos (banana, apple, cat, dog, etc.) he correctly said all of the words. He has learned a few English words - banana (which he ate as soon as we entered the hotel room and he saw it on the table), all gone, pee pee ("now now" in Mandarin - very good term, since literally when he needs to pee it is NOW NOW, and he's gone on the toilet MANY times), and oh no.

We went to dinner at the Hot Pot restaurant which we love and quite honestly I think we will go each night. It's brand new, so not busy, they are running a big discount right now, the owner now knows us and the food is GREAT. Tonight the owner helped us talk to Aaron. She told him he is a lucky boy and he must listed to his mommy and daddy. We had her help us explain that he cannot throw toys and books. (He was doing this when he saw the toys and books in the hotel room.) Since then...no problems at all. He hands them to us, and beams when we say, "Good Boy!"

Like Donovan, he seems to like to organize things. He's put his new belongings in and out of drawers and his backpack multiple times.

He is quite smart and catches on quickly. Puzzles were new to him and he is loving them. We also found out at dinner that he loves to draw. While waiting for the food to arrive, I pulled out crayons and paper and he told the waitress in Mandarin that he loves to draw. He draws quite well for his age.

He's big and healthy looking, and quite tall for his age for a Chinese boy. Our guide was impressed with his height.

After dinner we played a lot and then bathtime. It was obvious he's never taken an American style bath with lots of water where you actually SIT in the water. He stood for quite some time and let us splash water on his body and he tried to help rinse himself off too. He finally sat down and really enjoyed himself. After the bath he was not happy that the bathtoys are staying in the bathroom and not going to be played with in the hotel room.

When it was time for bed, he did whimper and get a little upset. I walked with him and sang to him, and then we put him between us and stayed in the bed with him (our king size bed) until he fell asleep (just a couple of minutes). Hoping he sleeps well tonight.

We are in love with our new son!!

Gotcha Day - We have our son!

We arrived at the Guangdong Adoption Center around 2, just a few minutes before Aaron arrived (or "Sing Sing" as he is called, and we are calling him for the time being). He was very quiet, calm, and happy. I must say it was a bit chaotic with the different families and some children crying. We were able to leave quickly, as we had been the first family to arrive and get our child.
He is WONDERFUL. He is a really good size, full of energy and very smart.
He fell asleep on the car ride back to the hotel, leaning against me and what a wonderful feeling!
Now we are back in the hotel getting to know each other. Rupert's working on his Mandarin! Aaron already learned banana in English.
Just wanted you to know we have our son and we are in LOVE.
We have paperwork to fill out tonight, and dinner to figure out.

2 Hours Until We Meet Our Son, Aaron

2 Hours until we meet Aaron. Just need to eat lunch, freshen up, get dressed and wait for our guide and driver.
This morning we did some MAJOR SHOPPING! How many paintings is too many to bring home anyways! I think we are at 7 at this point. Only one is framed. We have found INCREDIBLE things and the prices so reasonable. At Jack's Place we bought THE MOST GORGEOUS, HUGE embroidered painting with pandas on it. PHENOMENAL. At the art shop just to the right of White Swan we bought tons. At another store we bought a pearl necklace and bracelet, perhaps for Aaron to give his future wife one day. (I think I'll wear the bracelet in the meantime...)
Okay, time to eat and get ready. Our family is about to change for the better, as is one special little boy's life!

Our "Amazing Race" like experience (longest post ever!)

Today is going to be a LONG post!

Rupert and I have always enjoyed watching the reality tv show, “The Amazing Race.” However, for MANY reasons, I know I could never be on that show! I like things to go as planned, and get easily annoyed when things do not go my way. When we watch the show, and a contestant loses his passport, the driver gets lost, or their car breaks down and they have to wait for a new car to arrive, I always look at Rupert and say, “That’s exactly why I would NEVER make it on that show.” Well…today I do believe we had an experience that seemed just like we were on the Amazing Race.

Now, most travel sites on the Internet say this spectacular site, requires a full day of visiting. However, I’ve known a couple families who did it in ½ a day, so we planned to be there from 10:30 – 1:30 and home by 3. Hmm…not exactly how it happened.

Our wonderful driver, Dave picked us up promptly at 9 am. We had been told it was a 75-90 minute drive to Lotus Mountain in Panyu. Our drive turned out to be 2 hours, 15 minutes, because Dave got lost. Luckily, he is not like those American men who are too stubborn to ask directions. Nope, when his GPS wasn’t helping, Dave pulled over and asked numerous people along the way. In the end, a man on a motorcycle led us the rest of the way (think 20 minutes in car in China chasing after man on motorcycle, while avoiding bicyclists…) So, some of the money Dave was making from driving us, went to that man. This reminded me of Amazing Race so much, when those lucky contestants actually find a local person to lead them to the next spot.

In Dave’s defense, he said he had been there once before, but someone else had driven. This is not a spot adoptive families visit for the most part.

Okay, so we FINALLY get there. Now we have a choice to pay to drive up, or to walk up. It’s a 30 minute walk they say (uphill). After all our walking yesterday, I just want to get UP there and enjoy the landscape and see the Guan Yin statue. So, we pay to drive up, and Dave says he will pay for himself. We separate from Dave to go on our way, bringing our phone to call him when we are done. We tour around the Holy Land of Guan Yin for about 90 minutes, totally amazed – and made some special purchases. One of those purchases was a statue of Guan Yin to give Aaron when he is older. (Rupert’s parents bought us a gorgeous Guan Yin statue in Hong Kong last year, and that statue will one day go to Donovan, so we wanted one for Aaron bought at this special place, which is not far from his orphanage.) Now, the monk who helped us, mentioned that for an extra $20, the monks would bless the statue. Rupert said no. I asked him what he thought his mom would do if she was there. He said probably get it blessed, but he was also afraid that if we were to get it blessed, and on the plane ride home it were to break, it would be very bad luck. I said, well, I guess with all the praying that goes on in this temple, perhaps you can consider her already blessed. Now…I am teasing Rupert a lot that what transpired next is a consequence for him choosing not to get the statue blessed 

At around 12:45 we called Dave, got back in the car, and asked
that he drive us to the section of the resort that had the incredible landscape (similar to Grand Canyon, with the layers of different colored rocks, worn away over the years). Dave drove to the area, and as we hopped out of the car, Rupert decided to leave his backpack in the car since we wouldn’t be gone long, BUT he did not tell Dave this, and Rupert’s phone was in that backpack! For about 45 minutes we walked through the park taking photos of the incredible landscape. When we approached the minivan, we realized the phone was INSIDE it, and that we had no way to reach Dave inside this mammoth park. It took us about 15 minutes to locate him. And, then the real fun began…

Dave started up the car, backed out of the parking space, started up the steep hill, and then tried to pull into an empty parking space to back up/back around, and head down the mountain. Something went wrong with his car, and it stalled MULTIPLE (like over 10) times. In the end, he had to back down the hill. Then, he could not get the car started. It seemed the handbrake was stuck, even though it was in the off/down position. He tried and tried and tried. Then he called his mechanic. At this point I am realizing we are potentially going to be stranded at this resort, two hours from our hotel.

We get out of the minivan and sit on a stone bench nearby. We watch Dave try again and again and again to start the minivan. No luck. It seems it will not start when it believes the parking brake is on. Dave says the mechanic thinks maybe something overheated (not likely in our opinion). He goes and gets water from the pond and pours it on where the break meets the tires. No improvement. I suggest they try to push the minivan forward to dislodge the parking break. They do this (Dave looking very frightened at the prospect). We hear a loud click, assume the parking break has been dislodged and Dave is able to start the car. However, it will not move into gear and cannot be driven. (I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough to get a video of Rupert and Dave pushing the minivan.) Now, Dave says he is going to call a friend to come get all of us. However, that friend is in Guangzhou, so it will take 90 more minutes (actually would be two hours because just like Dave, the friend got lost…).

Now reality sets in for me, I’m hungry (just had a banana for lunch and I do not skip meals, ever), have to pee (and the prospect of using a squatty potty does not appeal to me one bit), and I realize we are basically 3-5 hours from being at our hotel (and dinner). UGH! This is like the Amazing Race contestants whose car dies and a new one has to be driven to them. But on the show, it always seems to get there quickly.

Now, remember that we had opted to pay to drive up. Well…now that Dave’s friend was on his way (well, lost on his way), we need to walk down the mountain to the entrance to meet him. So, here we are hot (did I not mention how HUMID it was), tired, sore (from yesterday’s walking too), hungry, and I still have to pee. We walk down the mountain road (Rupert carrying that Guan Yin statue that he’s now wishing he had gotten blessed ), and I think we are doing so because Dave’s friend is at the bottom of the mountain. Nope…We get down there and have to wait at least 30 more minutes. (Though Rupert and Dave had a great conversation.)

Then, Dave’s friend arrives. Dave lets us know he is going to walk back up the mountain to wait for a towtruck. (Poor Dave!) He explains to his friend where our hotel is. Now, I have discovered that riding in a regular Chinese person’s car is a lot different than a taxi or private driver. It was a wild experience. How Chinese drivers fit 4 and 5 lanes of cars into a 3 lane road, I just have no idea. They are INSANE drivers. They make NYC drivers look calm and organized. And, because we were now coming back to Guangzhou at 4pm, there was tremendous traffic. I thought we would never get to the hotel. Now we are back, safe and sound, but if we had been on the Amazing Race, we would have been the last team to the pit stop and been eliminated. Suffice to say, we will NOT be trying out for the show.

Still glad we went to Lotus Mountain! This will surely be the most memorable experience we had in China, BEFORE getting Aaron!

Our Visit to Lotus Mountain (Lianhuashan) in Panyu

Our day at Lotus Mountain is actually going to be two separate posts. In this one I will share a little about Lotus Mountain. In the second I will tell about our wild adventure there!

Several months ago I followed the blog of a family in China, adopting their daughter and they visited Lotus Mountain. I've only known two families who did this. Because we were going to be in Guangzhou several days before receiving Aaron, I knew I wanted to go. It's about 90 minutes from our hotel (usually…). It is AMAZING, MAGIFICENT, BREATHTAKING!!!

It is located in Panyu, at the mouth of the Pearl River. It has been nicknamed the "Great Wall of Guangzhou." There are really two sections of this special spot. One is formed by nature – a quarry, with cliffs and caves that erosion over time has formed a magnificent landscape. (Think Grand Canyon, but smaller.)
The other section is manmade. It is a Holy City for goddess of mercy/forgiveness and protector of children, Guan Yin. There is a mammoth gold bronzed statue of Guan Yin, which stands 40.88 meters high, and is the tallest standing gold statue of Guan Yin in the world. I am SO happy we were able to see her. (As you can see from the photo, construction is being done to restore her gold in some areas, much like our own Statue of Liberty was restored.)
Interestingly, this statue was initiated by the governor of Macau, He Houhua; Rupert's mother grew up in Macau. In addition to the statue, there is a mammoth temple to Guan Yin, a tall pagoda, and many other unique structures.

We are so glad we had the opportunity to go…even with what our day ended up being like. (Read next post!!)

Our Wonderful Driver, Dave

I cannot say enough wonderful things about our driver, Dave. Now, keep in mind Dave speaks only Mandarin – not Cantonese, NO English. So, Rupert is doing his best with his limited Mandarin to communicate with Dave. Today, we had PLENTY of time to get to know Dave (to be explained in my next post!!!) I believe Dave is around 30. I had a suspicion he was not from Guangzhou. Today he shared he is from Hubei Province. He grew up on a farm way out in the countryside. His family was very poor. His only chance was to leave the countryside for a city, to get a job and earn money. He was very lucky to be able to attend school and college. However, he had to pay all his schooling debts before being allowed to leave Hubei Province. This took him many years. He moved to Guangzhou in 2002. Although trained to be a teacher, he is a driver. Dave presents as a very handsome, cleancut, well-dressed guy. He's pretty "cool" and stylish. Looking at him, you'd never know what his early childhood was like and that he lived in poverty. His experience is similar to many children born in the countryside in China, whose only chance (financially) is to be able to move to a city where there are jobs.

Dave was intrigued by us, and especially when he found out that we already have one biological son and that we are choosing to adopt our next child(ren). He spoke about how much better a life they will have in America.

I just love our driver! I hope one day while we are here he will let us take his picture, so we can include it in Aaron's scrapbooks.

Now, prepare yourself for my next post. We felt like we were on the "Amazing Race!"