It's Time...

... to wrap things up on this blog.  I have definitely done far more journaling about our adoption journey on here than I ever would have done in a traditional paper journal.  I have really enjoyed hearing from so many friends who followed this blog and rejoiced with us as Anna Kathryn joined our family.  

But, it's time to move on.  She is 13 months old today.  We have been home for 9 weeks already. I returned to work on Monday, and she started going to daycare.  We are both having to adjust to our new routines.   I think we are both missing our cozy, relaxed days together.  I know I look at the clock at school about 64 times a day and wonder what she is doing and how she is doing at her school.  We are truly settled into our new normal, and while the journey to Anna Kathryn is over, the journey with her is just beginning.

For those who don't already know,  I have another blog I started several months before we got our referral to adopt Anna Kathryn.  If you'd like the web address to follow that blog, just e-mail me at kksunshine03@aol.com.  If I don't know you in real life, please just add a line or two sharing a little about how you found my blog.  Thanks!

Finally, one month ago we celebrated Anna Kathryn's first birthday! Since I operate my life on the premise of "better late than never," I have finally selected some of my favorite pictures out of the 150 or so my sister and I took the day of her birthday party.  Enjoy!!

Thankful

Just a few of the things I am thankful for as we head into a season full of blessings:  

T-  Tables at my in-laws' house loaded with delicious food with family all seated around it, feasting, talking, and laughing.  

H-  My husband, Mark.  He is my best friend, a wonderful husband, and a loving father to all of his kids.  He has a true servant's heart and always looks for ways to lighten my load.  He even makes me coffee every morning, even though he doesn't drink it himself.  I have always loved watching him play with the various nieces, nephews, and special kids in our life, but it is such joy to see him romping and cuddling with Anna Kathryn... and to hear her giggle and chortle as they play.  I am so glad to be married to such a great guy.  

A-  Having Anna Kathryn home with us to celebrate her first Thanksgiving Day (she was a big fan of the olives and sweet potatoes.  Turkey and pretzel jello, not so much.  Which is a shame, because pretzel jello is a little bit of heaven on a plate.)

N-  Friends and family, near or far.  I am blessed to have so many loved ones! 

K-  Kisses-- drooly but oh so sweet from my baby girl.  

F-  New friends from our travel group to China... we got to visit with the McBeath family on our way north and spent a much-too-short couple of hours sharing dinner and catching up on all that our families have experienced in the past 2 months since coming home with our girls. Leila is so cute and growing so big!  They are a wonderful family and we are thankful for the time we had together.   I wish we could see all of our travel buddies again someday!

U-  Um, I'm struggling a bit with the "u."  So this one is kinda out of the pattern.  But despite the fact that I am having a really, really hard time with sending my baby to day care (a wonderful day care, but still...) and going back to work full time, I am very thankful to have a job to return to.  A job I enjoy, and have dreamed of doing for many years.  A job where I work with so many really nice folks.  In this tough economic climate, this is definitely something to be thankful for.  

L-  Love and grace, undeserved yet unconditional, from my Heavenly Father.

I realize that this is a bit on the cheesy side, but I saw the idea on one of my favorite blogs, and liked it so much I decided to "blog-lift" her idea!  Plus, I have never been one to back away from anything cheesy, be it a movie, a song, or a Velveeta-laden side dish.   Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  

Two Months

Two months (and a day) have passed since Anna Kathryn joined our family.  Two months already!!  I think back sometimes to those super-busy days of August and early September as we prepared to leave, and it seems rather dream-like.  When I think back to the long, long days and weeks and months of never-ending waiting and wondering about our baby (What will she look like?  What part of China will she be from?  Will motherhood ever happen for me?)  it all seems like a long ago, somewhat bad dream.  Not that the Wait didn't teach me some important lessons about God's faithfulness in the storm... but I am thankful that we are on the other side of the Wait, and Anna Kathryn is safe with us.  

She has grown and changed a lot in just 2 short months!   Remember how she could hardly sit up without wobbling and tipping over when she first came to us?  Now she is crawling (on hands and knees with occasional "commando" moments on her tummy), pulling herself up on all the furniture and cruising from coffee table to sofa and all around the place .  She is beginning to walk more steadily when we hold her hands and walk with her.  She has learned how to blow kisses and give a high-five.  She still eats a ton, and definitely prefers to feed herself.  She says "mama," "dada," "kitty," (sounds like e-e) "uh-oh," and "bye-bye."  The other day I told her to say "Hi, Daddy" and she imitated me almost perfectly.  Mark and I both looked at each other in disbelief, because her words were so clear.  She loves to imitate us and chase the cats around the house.  Most of all, she loves to play and laugh with us, and all of the other family and friends who come to lavish affection and kisses on her.  We are so blessed by our funny, sweet, snuggly little snickerdoodle.

Last week on Veteran's Day we spent the day together up in Charlotte.  We took Anna Kathryn for a long walk along our favorite greenway after a morning family photo session and a delicious brunch at the Pancake House.  It was a lovely, crisp fall afternoon and we had a great time walking off the pancakes and talking.  Anna Kathryn even had a little snooze in her stroller along the way!

Bathtime is one of Anna Kathryn's favorite parts of the day.  Daddy had fun giving her a special hat to wear in the bathtub!

Feeding oneself requires deep concentration and a steady hand... especially when one's food tends to slip out of one's clutches far too easily!

Look how big I am!!

Hi everyone!

One more thing... we know a family who has been in the adoption process with a foreign country for several years now.  However, due to the deteriorated situation between the U. S. and this country as far as adoptions go, adoptions have all but shut down over the past few months and it is looking less and less likely that they will be able to complete the adoption of this baby.  Please join me in praying for this family and this situation!  At this point, it is God who will have to move the hearts and mind of the government officials in both countries.  We know He who can move mountains can make the path clear for them to be able to adopt this child and bring her home to her forever family.  Please visit my friend Allison's blog as well, as she started this call to prayer for her dear friends!

An Overdue Halloween Post

So, Halloween was 2 weeks ago.  I'm finally getting my 4 favorite pictures from the evening posted for all to see and enjoy.  I have had good intentions of being a more consistent blogger but every time I sat down at the computer to post, my brain froze.  Plus, I was sick for a solid week (starting the morning of Halloween) and now Anna Kathryn is under the weather, too.  I've been attempting to get some household projects done before my maternity leave is over, though I've not yet actually finished any of them.  So, I have procrastinated doing any posting. 

Despite fighting the plague, the weekend of Oct. 31- Nov. 2 was a lot of fun.  My sister, Hillary, and my nieces Emily and Alie drove to our home for a weekend visit.  (Anna Kathryn's birthday party was the next day, but that's another post).  Hillary and I grew up in a home where Halloween was not celebrated due to our religious beliefs.  As an adult, I now understand why my parents felt the way they do about the holiday.  I agree with them, and have never done much more than attend a few costume parties back in the day.  I am not a fan of the "ghost and goblin" aspects of Halloween, but Mark and I found an adorable sunflower costume for Anna Kathryn a few months ago, so we decided we'd just dress her up anyway.  

After a dinner of sloppy joes and homemade macaroni and cheese, we went over to Allison and David's house for the evening's festivities.  All of the girls were dressed up:  Anna Kathryn was the cutest sunflower ever, Emily was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Alie was a dragonfly ( a very fussy one, too, until her mama took off her adorable satin costume.  I stuck my finger in my only shot of her in costume, so you can't really see her.  Go to Allison's blog for a cute picture).  Maggie was dressed as Cinderella.  They were all so cute!

The big girls (Emily and Maggie) went Trick-or-Treating with the dads, uncles, grandpas, and several other folks.  As it grew dark, their light-up princess shoes glowed as they trotted from house to house-- so cute!  Mark told me that there was a "discussion" between the two girls about his true name.  Emily calls him "Marko Marko" and Maggie calls him "March."  Well, apparently Maggie called his name and Emily replied, "Who's March? That's Uncle Marko Marko, silly!" A small debate ensued.  Fortunately, Mark was able to broker some peace by explaining that he has lots of nicknames.    

Hillary and I opted to hang out in front of Allison's nice warm fire with the babies and chit-chat with her, Barb, and Grandma Grace.  Anna Kathryn immediately found Maggie's toys to be a whole new world of wonder.  

Alie snoozed, so Aunt Hillary played and sang with her.  
I sniffled a lot and tried not to long too much for my nice soft bed.  I also tried not to get too close to anyone in case whatever I had was contagious.  It totally stinks to be sick on a holiday! The Trick-or-Treat crew eventually returned with bags of sugary loot, and we eventually got the girls settled down enough to head home and to bed.     It felt really late, but it was only about 8:30!  I guess that's a late night out once you have kids.  Hee hee.  It was a fun night and a great start to Anna Kathryn's big weekend...

Our Little Pumpkin

Saturday was my birthday... my first as a mom!  It goes without saying that I already have the best gift I could ever ask for or get, but I got some other cool things, too.  Mark skipped cutting the grass at church, at my request (plus it was raining) and stayed home and cooked a big, yummy breakfast of pancakes and eggs and waffles.  I was presented with a card "signed" by Anna Kathryn to her mommy (a squiggle) with some help from Daddy.  This is what I overheard as they worked on the card: "No... don't eat the pen... or the card... good job, Anna Kathryn!"

Mark went out later on for a haircut while I stayed home with Little Miss Sunshine to do some things around the house, put her down for a nap, and get a shower.  When Mark came home, he had more goodies:  a gift certificate for a spa afternoon (massage, facial, and manicure) and for a new Vera Bradley pocketbook.  Mine is starting to shred, so I was very excited about that gift. Can't wait for the massage, either-- I still can't seem to get rid of the neck ache I developed in China.  A day of pampering is always a perfect gift!  Mark always does a fantastic job on the gift front.  

Lots of cards and well-wishes came in the mail, on the phone, and via Facebook from friends and family.  Allison gave me this book and I am pleased to say that it is maybe a little trashy, but fun.  I feel so loved... thanks, everyone!!

In the late afternoon the sun finally peeked out, everyone got up from their naps, and we headed out to a local farm to visit the pumpkin patch, go on the hayride, and visit the petting zoo with Allison, David, and Maggie.  Lots of fun, and Anna Kathryn helped pick out 2 cute little pumpkins after we visited the animals in the barn.  She didn't mind the smells and sounds at all.  In fact, Mark caught her chewing a little on the metal gate to the cow pen ((shudder)).  

Anna Kathryn has learned how to clap and everything is worthy of applause-- especially an outing to the pumpkin patch!

Mark thought Anna Kathryn needed to get up close and personal with the pigs.  

Anna Kathryn and Daddy meet-- and pet-- the goats.  

Our little pumpkin... waving "bye-bye" (she can almost say it, too!)

 Why are Allison and I the only ones smiling in this picture?

Skipping along with "March"

Our family, October 2008

Anna Kathryn was so tuckered out from all the fresh air and family fun that she conked out on the way to dinner, and continued to snooze in my arms as we waited for a table (I managed to sip my drink without spilling it on her...or me... there's some mom multi-tasking for you!).  We had a long and totally indulgent dinner at Firebirds.  I had a pomegranate martini (so so good), homemade potato chips with blue cheese, a filet with parmesan mashed potatoes, and creme brulee cheesecake.  There are no calories in food on one's birthday!  

Then Allison and I decided we needed to go to Old Navy, so we dragged the kids and guys there. We bought new yoga pants.  In black-- a winter wardrobe workhorse.  My old ones are dead and have paint splattered on them.  We both needed new ones, plus there was no way I was going to try anything else on with such a full belly!  They had some kind of pre-Halloween promotion going, so I got 31% off the pants-- yay!  Always nice to get an unexpected bargain.  The guys were thankful to get out of the store fairly quickly and really cheaply.  After that, home to bed, dreaming of pumpkins and cheesecake.  

 It really was the happiest birthday I have had in a long, long time.  

An American Girl

Yesterday we got Anna Kathryn's Certificate of Citizenship from USCIS in the mail.  We knew that she became a U.S. Citizen the moment our plane touched down on American soil the night of September 27, but somehow this makes it seem more real.  Now we have the piece of paper to prove it.  She also got a lovely form letter from President Bush congratulating her on her new status as an American.  All adopted children travel home on a passport from their country of origin and on an immigration visa from the U.S., because their citizenship papers have to be hand delivered to the immigration officials at the airport.  I think that it is pretty cool that Anna Kathryn departed from China in the capital city, Beijing, and landed in her new home's capital city, Washington, D.C.  

After two accordion files worth of paperwork, many hoops to jump, and the frequent frustrations of a predictable but unpredictable process, it's nice to see the end in sight.  Now I can apply for her Social Security number and, well, do more paperwork.  Our first post-placement report is due to AWAA next week, since the 27th marks one month since we returned.  It's hard to believe that our first month at home together is almost over already... time really does go by so quickly.   

Are you ready to have children?

I would have found this to be funny 2 months ago, but now I totally get it.

A Welcome Home Party

On Saturday, our friends from Parkwood Middle threw a "Welcome Home, Anna Kathryn" party at a local park.  It was a chilly but seasonal fall day, and the hostesses (Allison S., Linda, Randi, and Allison M.) did a great job with the whole bash.  

The food was yummy (fried chicken, Paula Deen's macaroni and cheese, salads galore, homemade black bean salsa) and the company excited to meet, at long last, our darling daughter.   She worked the crowd like a pro.   I enjoyed having plenty of time to visit with friends we just do not get to see enough now that Mark and I both teach elsewhere.  The little kids ran around a lot and Anna Kathryn really wanted to be off running with them.  She settled for snitching ball caps off of several of the guys' heads and romping with daddy.  She also got to indulge in cake icing 2 whole weeks before her birthday party!

The cake was dee-lish.  Buttercream frosting and chocolate mousse filling.  

Out of all of the shots of our family, we never did get one where we were all smiling.  Sigh.  Anna Kathryn had a great time, despite this weird expression on her face. 

Mark and the girls

After a busy day, a bath was a must.  Mark, Chief Bather, opted for a rednecky bath in the kitchen sink this night.  Anna Kathryn splashed to her heart's content!  My sink was real clean and shiny afterward, too.

The Sweetest Thing

Bedtime for Anna Kathryn with Nana.

Asleep in Pop-Pop's arms.

Anna Kathryn's first trip to Sonny's.  Aunt Hillary was so proud of her BBQ eating efforts!

Playing peekaboo with daddy at dinnertime.

Go Panthers!! (Mark picked out the cheerleader outfit)

One month and one day ago Anna Kathryn was placed into my arms in the doorway of a hotel room in Nanchang, China.  Mark took a bunch of pictures, and then it was his turn to hold her.  

Four and a half hours later, we had completed the adoption proceedings.  Anna Kathryn was ours forever!  The long wait for her was finally over.

And my life changed forever.  

I love love love being Anna Kathryn's mom!!

So much, that I've really enjoyed being unplugged from the computer for the past few weeks... to an extent.  I do check my Google Reader and e-mail daily.  Gotta stay in touch with the outside world, ya know.  But, I honestly was focused on our family, and adjusting to life at home with a baby, and just didn't feel like blogging.  

Right now, I'm on maternity leave from my job until December 1.  I get to spend my days with my baby, and so far I cannot even bring myself to think about "Black Monday."  It's not always easy being at home with her, but it is always good.  We have settled into a bit of a routine, and I enjoy our quiet mornings, lots of playtime, and a daily outing (to the library for storytime or to lunch with a friend or mochas with Allison and Maggie (highlight of the week) or --of course- Target.  We go at least twice a week.).  

Her naptimes are getting easier, although she tends to go down during a "window" of time rather than a set time, and the length is unpredictable.  In the grand tradition of moms everywhere, I am always conflicted as to what to do during naptime:  should I tackle the to-do list, or enjoy some R & R?  I try to do a little of both.  She is sleeping through the night again (hallelujah!!) so I get plenty of sleep, for which I am truly grateful.  (Maybe God knew I just wouldn't do so well with the whole newborn sleep deprivation thing.  Definitely an advantage to adopting a 10 month old!!)

Anna Kathryn is so playful; her favorites are peek-a-boo, tickle monster, sliding down the side of the bed into our arms, and looking at herself in the mirror.  She continues to add new skills almost daily.  This week she figured out how to roll form her tummy into a sitting position, pull herself up into a standing position, and she is becoming a pretty speedy crawler.  She crawls really well with some motivation set in front of her, like the remote, a magazine, or one of the cats.  

Life is really, really good.  It's been a long time coming, too.  Mark used to pray that one day, when we had our baby, that our house would again be filled with laughter and singing.  And it is.  Every day.  Although the singing is rather off-key.   

I never did post about our last 2 days in China-- we were too busy.  Here's a little recap.  The next to last day (Thursday) was a little rough-- I was in a weird mood and got all stressed out trying to complete our shopping list on Shamian Island.  We ate dinner at a restaurant with good food but a loud atmosphere, and honestly, I was just done for the day.  

Our last full day, Friday,  we met the other families in our travel group for a photo session.  Then, Mark, Anna Kathryn and I headed back to Shamian Island on our own to complete our shopping.  We had a really fun time shopping, found some lovely things for family and AK, I got a Starbucks mocha (bliss), and I even captured some cool shots of bridal couples posing for their portraits and models at a shoot (lots of ads and commercials are shot on the Island because it has a very European feel, having once been the site for most of the Consulates).  In the afternoon, we trucked over to the consulate for the swearing in ceremony, where we swore that all of the info we put in our paperwork was true.  That was it.  Hard to believe all the build-up was for that.  Plus we got the all-important brown envelope with AK's immigration and citizenship documents.  That night we went out to the Chinese Restaurant in our hotel for dinner with three other families.  It was a bit of a circus, but lots of fun.  We had some language barrier challenges with ordering, but the food we ended up getting was delicious.  My favorite was a dish of sauteed green beans with pork.  SO good.  My mouth waters just thinking of it.  One of the guys, Tim, ordered something with a name like "Essence of Frog with Snow Crab."  It looked like tapioca pudding mixed with white jello.  I sampled it, and the taste wasn't bad, but the texture... ew.  Guess who loved it though?? Go here to find out!  (This is my first attempt at using Flickr, so the pictures are out of order.  Frog Jello pics are on page 3).

So, I'm back in the bloggy world now.  It's good to be back!  But better to be home with Little Miss Sunshine.  

Leaving China for Home

We leave tomorrow morning at 7 AM (China Time) for the airport to fly home to North Carolina.  28 hours later (if my time zone math is correct), we will land in Charlotte-- home at last with our baby girl.  

The last 2 days have been eventful.  Thursday was, for me, a little blah.  I think I was just in a "ready to be going home" state of mind, and still dealing with a little adjustment to parenthood.  Today was great and very busy, so I really have not had time to do a final post about our last 2 days here.  That will have to wait until we get home.  But, we attended the swearing in ceremony at the U.S. Consulate, along with about 100 other families, and we got our Big Brown Envelope with Anna Kathryn's visa and immigration documents.  We have been warned not to open it, or we may be stranded in the airport, a family without a country forever.  Or something.  I kinda feel like we are carrying Kryptonite in our carry on luggage. 

So, we need to be up in about 6 hours, so I need to cut this short.  Thanks to all who followed our journey to Anna Kathryn in China!  I hope the return jet lag allows me to do the last post of our trip soon!

Day 13: Typhoon and Chen Clan Academy

We woke up to stormy skies today, and our planned shopping trip was postponed due to flooding on Shamian Island.  Typhoon Hagupit has rolled in and is dumping lots of rain on Guangzhou.  The temperature is significantly lower, too.  It was a nice change of pace to be drenched in rain, not sweat!

So, Rosa and Maggie, our terrific tour guides, made a quick change of plans and took us to the Chen Clan Academy and Guangdong Folk Arts Museum.  This is a large complex that once served as living space for members of the Chen clan when they traveled to Guangzhou for study or business from other parts of China.  Something like 5-8% of the population shares the Chen surname, and families in 72 counties in the province contributed to the construction of the complex.  It is also known as the Chen Ancestral Hall, and the other purpose of the space was to be a place for ancestor worship.  We toured the main area only, but it has 19 buildings covering a total area of 15,000 square meters.  I couldn't help but be reminded of the Camp Meeting grounds back home as we learned about the Chen Clan Academy.  In 1959, the Folk Arts museum was established by the government in the Academy buildings.  It has since been chosen as one of the "Eight Sights of the Goat City" since then!  

Despite the downpour, we enjoyed the displays of carved wood and stone, sculpture, and even ancient inkwells!  I was particularly interested in the hall where they have several rooms set up to look like a Guangdong home of 100 or 200 years ago.  We saw the unmarried women's room, a typical married woman's room, the scholar's room, and a traditional living room.  We also observed an artist creating beautiful ink paintings using just his hand and fingers-- no brush!   

After that, we headed back to the hotel for basically a free day.  I have to admit, I am rather tired of hotel rooms.  But, AK needed some lunch and a nap.  She wasn't really sleepy at her usual naptime, having conked out on the bus in Daddy's arms.  So we played for a while and she took a warm bath, since she is still having a few tummy "issues" and we are out of prunes.  The bath relaxed her, did the trick we needed it to do, and she fell asleep soon after. It couldn't be the pizza and whipped cream from yesterday, could it?  I think we have broken every baby feeding guideline over the past few days and it may be coming back to haunt us.  

Tonight we are going to go eat Italian (yay!!!) with a few other families from our group, and then get a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow.  Big day:  our paperwork goes to the US Consulate at 10:00AM (10 PM at home).  We have to hang out in our room in case there are any questions and the guides have to call us.  We pray all goes well with this last step.  Then, hopefully, shopping and a final group dinner.   

Maybe it's the typhoon, or slow connections, or my computer is tired, or the planets have misaligned, but Blogger is not cooperating with the pictures.  Again.  And frankly, I am sick of fighting with Blogger, even though I want my pretty pictures to accompany every post.  

I wish I could quit you, Blogger.  

So sorry, no pictures today, but trust me, Anna Kathryn's smile is still the cutest thing EVER. 

Good night (or day, since it's 4 PM here) from China!  

Edited to add: I was able to add a few pictures tonight!

The front doors of the Hall. The big guy behind us is a protective god one of the emperors who once resided here had painted on the doors to protect him from nightmares.

A giant, carved inkwell.

Enjoying our day, despite the rain!

This artist makes the beautiful, detailed ink drawings by hand.

Day 12: Taking care of business

Today was a good day but certainly not our most exciting one here in China.  No sightseeing, really, just wrapping up paperwork and a few appointments.  Even though our adoption was legalized in Nanchang, Jiangxi province the same day we got Anna Kathryn, we are dealing with the US end of things here in GZ.  

Today we had a paperwork party to fill out all the remaining forms to apply for Anna Kathryn's immigration into the USA, pulled together a packet of documents we had to bring with us (about 15 items in all), and paid the final fees for this process (whew!). The paperwork party consisted of about 10 parents all trying to follow our guide's directions in a conference room here at the hotel.  I think I wrote my name, Mark's name, Anna Kathryn Bo Di's name, and our address about 467 times.   A couple of times, the mom next to and I messed up something on our forms.  We both kept muttering, "oh, crap" and waving over the guide to bring the correction tape.  I think my brain has turned to mush over the past few weeks, because it's not like I have filled out about 100 other forms in the past 2 and 1/2 years!  At least we had really good tea to drink.

I got back to our room to find that Anna Kathryn had had a play date with another little girl in our group, Mikayla, and was having her lunchtime bottle and rapidly sliding into a nap.  Mark and I decided we needed one, too.  

After that, our whole group headed out for the required medical exam and visa photo session over on Shamian Island (more on the Island tomorrow, since we are taking a shopping trip there in the morning.  Whee!)  The exam was fairly basic and cursory, and required for her travel visa to the USA.  She was weighed and measured, had a quick hearing and vision test, and another doctor listened to her heart and lungs, and looked her over in general.  Strangely, I was a little nervous but she passed the test!  So did all of the children.  We did find out that she now weighs 16.2 pounds!  We are doing our best to fatten her up a bit, and apparently succeeding.  She is also 27 inches long.  Here are a few fun moments from this outing:

Oh boy!  I get to visit the doctor today!

Waiting with the other families for our turn with the doctors.

She wasn't really a fan of the ENT exam.

Then we went grocery shopping at the Carrefour, which I've heard described as the Chinese Wal-Mart.  It's nicer than the actual Wal-mart we went to in Nanchang, and it certainly does seem to sell absoultely everything.  It's huge. We got more bottled water and some snacks including cucumber flavored Lay's chips.  We'll see how those taste.  We also got real Doritos and some Oreo wafer cookies.  I'll let you know if those are good or not.  I bet they are!  It's a little embarrassing how excited we got over American junk food.

Riding down the moving walkway to the bottom floor is fun!  The walkway is magnetized so that your cart won't roll away.  It's so cool. 

Mark and Anna Kathryn are examining some kind of meat-- possibly sausages. Who knows?? 

One thing I continue to find hilarious in Chinese grocery stores is the rotisserie duck display.  It's like our rotisserie chicken display, but with whole ducks, cooked and hanging by their necks.  Mark wanted to buy a duck head (beak and all) from the hot prepared foods counter but I managed to talk him out of it.  I should've taken a picture, but I think the people in the store think we are weird Americans already so I have tried to limit the picture-taking.

We also got some soy-based formula for Anna Kathryn.  We just can't wean her off formula yet and all of the unfolding news about the tainted milk and formula have us very worried.  Soy seems to be a safer option, and it may help her spit up a bit less.  We have been giving her brands that, so far, seem to be safe.  I can't wait to get her home to the States and get some formula for her that I know is not tainted.  We will be stopping at a 24-hour Harris Teeter on the way home from the airport!  It makes me absolutely panicked if I think too much about the situation, and each day the news coverage is worse.  She seems to be very healthy, thankfully, with no scary symptoms.

Anyway, we headed out of Carrefour and then we went to Mecca, I mean Starbucks.  It smelled SO GOOD as we walked in.  Like home, and happy things, and... well, y'all know I love my coffee!

I had one of the best mochas ever.  Anna Kathryn helped me eat the whipped cream.  

After a loooong ride home in bad traffic, with many tired and crying babies, we got back to the hotel.  All we had energy to do was go eat some dinner at Pizza Hut and then back to the room to put Baby to bed.  BTW, the Pizza Hut here is so nice.  They do table service.  And the creamy corn chowder is really good, as was the stuffed crust pizza.  We went for the "stufffed with cheese" option as opposed to the "stuffed with squid" option.  Also, the dessert options were plentiful.  I had tiramisu, and it was sort of my appetizer, since it arrived at table first-- even before our drinks.  

Shopping and sight-seeing tomorrow.  Apparently there is heavy rain from a typhoon headed our way, so this should be interesting!   Thankfully, the rain-- which rolled in today-- has cooled things off considerably.  I am SO tired of sweating, so this is fine by me.  We won't melt! 

 Good night from China!

Day 11: Hello Guangzhou!

Last night was our final night in Nanchang.  We enjoyed another yummy meal at the East Restaurant with the England family, which Anna Kathryn wiggled through.  As we walked the 4 blocks back to the hotel, this was the sight which we enjoyed:

The Tengwang Pavilion at night.

Last night and this morning I felt a little emotional about the fact that these were the last few hours Anna Kathryn would spend in her home province.  Most Jiangxi people never travel beyond its borders.  In just one short week, she has been through so many changes and experienced so many completely new things.  She has handled the adjustment really well, overall.  She is just thriving on all the love and attention we are so happy to lavish on her.  I don't know when or if we will ever return to Jiangxi, and it wasn't always easy to be there in such a foreign place with a new baby, but I am so glad we got to experience our time there. 

Today we traveled to Guangzhou, in the southern part of China, at the mouth of the Pearl River. Guangzhou is also known by an older name, Canton (like Cantonese food).    Guangzhou is a huge city, especially after being in Nanchang.  Our guide kept saying that Nanchang is just a little town, and despite just having been all over Beijing, it really didn't feel all that small.  But Guangzhou is very urban.  

Our new digs are at the Asia International Hotel.  We continue to be impressed by the niceness of the hotels we have stayed at, and this one has very soft beds by Chinese standards.  Woo-hoo!  I am hoping that I will NOT wake up tomorrow with my usual neck cramp. 

We are up on the 33rd floor of the hotel. It has 45 floors, and the top one is a revolving restaurant called the Sky Cafe.  We splurged on the buffet dinner there tonight, and enjoyed the view as much as the food.  

Check out the view from our room!

But I am getting a little ahead of myself.  We got up way too early and were on our way to the airport by 8:00 AM.  Anna Kathryn was excited about her first plane ride, in between spying on the other travelers and charming everyone around her. 

Here we go to Guangzhou!

She did really well on the flight: ate a bunch of digestive biscuits that were the in-flight snack, played the drop-the-toy game (especially fun in Coach seating), and was basically cheerful until the last 10 minutes.  Then she wailed until I fed her some Puff snacks.  When I tried to put away the Puffs, the wailing resumed.  The Puffs reappeared.  Final score: Baby 1, Mom 0.  I would love to think that the flight home would go that smoothly...

This was the other, VERY welcoming sign for slightly homesick and weary travelers.  Guess where we ate lunch?

And it was delicious.  My dessert, a peach sundae, was particularly tasty.  The fries were nice and salty, too. Yum.  

Anna Kathryn introduced herself to a new friend:

I took a major nap when we got back to the hotel after lunch.  So did Anna Kathryn.  When we got up, it was almost dinnertime.  As I said, we enjoyed the amazing city views from the revolving restaurant.  My camera wasn't able to capture the city lights at night, but it did capture this shot of Anna Kathryn trying chocolate ice cream for the first time.  

Apparently she is not a fan.  Not yet, anyway.  At least we didn't give her the sesame flavor. (Which was not bad, by the way.  Mark asked what it tasted like and I said there is really no comparison.)

There were a few extra kisses to make up for the torture of ice cream.  

Our fun dinner ended when I realized that when AK squirmed around on my lap, and ended up on her tummy, she spit up the aforementioned chocolate ice cream into the front pocket of my Vera Bradley hipster purse.  Which I discovered when I reached into the pocket for the room key or something.  Nice.  Thank goodness for baby wipes.  They can get practically any stain out.  I think the purse will survive relatively unscathed, fortunately.  I love, love, love it, even after wearing it daily for two weeks.  But seriously, I really couldn't be too upset-- not with that grin.  

Tomorrow is our paperwork party, where "we" (me) get to fill out and gather all the paperwork and stuff needed for the US Consulate, to get AK's travel visa for the trip home and her immigration papers in order.  Fun, fun.  It's going to be great when we are FINALLY done with the paperwork.  After that, not sure of the schedule... sightseeing and shopping, perhaps? 

Good night from China!

PS-- Susannah (pictured in the blog button in the sidebar) and her parents and grandmother are flying home to the States tomorrow!!  We are so thankful and relieved, and praying that the long flight will go well for her.  Mark, AK and I got to visit for a few minutes this evening with the family and it was great to see Susannah looking so cute and feeling better.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!