Liam's journey to his sister: August 2006

settling in

Hi. It's been a while since our last update. Ella is doing wonderful. Laughing and giggiling, sleeping through the night (at least to 5 am). She is still mommy's girl, but was getting pretty comfortable with Nana and Papa while they were here. She loves Cheerios, Pizza, toast, cheeze and would probably eat more as long as its not on a spoon. For some reason, she won't eat anything off a spoon. But, then again, Liam is 5 1/2 years old and still eats with his hands. She doesn't crawl, but can pull herself forward like a commando sneaking under a barbwire fence, which came in handy for daddy a few times (dont ask). Liam played his last soccer game Monday, and his last T-ball game is Wednesday. Hockey will start soon, as well as swimming so he will be a busy boy still. We brought Ella to the pool the other day, and

she loved it, which was a surprise to us since she screams bloody murder when she gets within 2 feet of the bathtub. We are going to start bringing soap to the pool and just bathe her there next time. She also had her first experience with Chucky Cheese at Aiden and Kaden Jumas birthday party the other day. That's why Liam is wearing party hats on his ears...we don't dress him like that normally. We are all doing great, and we hope to see all of you soon.

Update

Here's some more pics. The Lamborghini dealer in Guangzhou. There is a Rolls Royce dealer beside it. Couple pictures from the zoo, a bamboo stand, and Ella at the airport. Ella is adjusting slowly but surely. Still not sleeping through the night yet, unless she is sleeping on Margo. But she seems to make a lot of progress every day. She is really attached to her mother, but is fine with me until she sees Margo. Must be quite the culture shock for these kids. All they knew for a year was a room full of dark haired babies and a few nannies. Then to come to this. I'm thinking she might sleep better if she was in a room with 10 or 12 other babies, so if you ever contemplate adopting from there, get a half dozen instead of one. Might be easier.

random photos

I hope to add photos regularly to the blog. Keep checking back to see more and to read about Ella's progress. She seems a bit overwhelmed about her new home, with all the toys, a cat, and a dog bigger than most people she has met. Just have to get her on schedule and she will be fine. It was nice to see Nana and Papa at the airport with their signs welcoming Ella and Liam home. And there was a welcome home sign on the front lawn as well. We also really want to thank Ali Juma for driving us to the airport, and bringing Nana and Papa to the airport to pick us up. It really made things easier for us and we can't thank him enough. Especially with his own bouncing baby boy at home. We hope to introduce Ella to everyone soon. And again,keep checking in here for updates.

Home Sweet Home

Well, we made it. After a quick 13 hour flight, then 2 hours in traffic, we have made it home. Some things we have learned on our journey.
China is beautiful. Sort of expected to see everyone driving bicycles dressed in the same blue uniform, but its not like that. People dressed like us, saw lots of Mercedes, BMW, Audi etc. There was a Rolls Royce and a Lamborghini dealerships across from our hotel. Lots of gardens and green space. And friendly people. The food was amazing, if you don't mind your dinner staring at you as you eat it. The chinese food you pay $42 dollars for here cost about $4 dollars there. But no chicken balls or fortune cookies. Chinese beer is better then American beer and as good as most Canadian beer. And about 50 cents a can to boot. If you visit the Great Wall, bring oxygen bottles. Service is great everywhere, and you dont have to tip. If you go to McDonalds in Guangzhou around 9 pm, you can get a happy meal AND a happy ending. You have to wear a bathing cap in the hotel pool, but its ok to spit in it. Tiananmen Square is a rectangle. You can get hallucinations and the shakes from Tim Horton withdrawals. The mattresses in the hotels are made from a combination of concrete and plywood. Pedestrians DON'T have the right of way, and traffic signs and signals are a suggestion, not a law.
But, we loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. Liam cried when when we had to leave.

More pics

Another photo of Liam at the great wall, and some pics of our last dinner here. Liam looks mad is a lot of pics because he thought he should be getting paid for taking so many pictures. Also a pic of our guides and us.

Last day in Beijing

Well, this is our last night in Beijing. Tomorrow we will be leaving to come home to our soft beds. Not looking forward to the long flight, but it will be nice to be home again. Tonight we went to a restaurant, that has been in business since the mid 1800's. We had the traditional peking duck dinner which was very, very good. Liam had the traditional french fry dinner. Its been a wonderful adventure, and we recommend anyone who has a chance to visit here. We will keep posting photos and updates on the blog so keep checking in.

Hope to see you all soon.