Two days to go!

Feng Lin at Liu Hua Park

 

Whew!  We are so ready to head home.  We spent yesterday waiting on Feng Lin's TB test results.  Walked to a beautiful park across the street.  I sent a long time taking scenic pix.  So beautiful!  Feng Lin was in a playful mood so got a lot of her silly face pix like above.  TB neg!  Great news.  Ended the day with dinner with Jack, our guide from when we adopted Quinn three years ago.  We realized at dinner that it had been EXACTLY, TO THE DAY AND TIME, three years since we met him at the airport to begin our process of meeting Quinn and bringing her home.  Never in a million years would Chris and I have thought that we would be having pigeon with him again exactly three ears later at the same restaurant where we had eaten with Quinn.  We had such a great time catching up over our delicious pigeon dinner;)  He is not just our adoption guide.  He is really a friend that we will have for a lifetime! 

 After dinner photo with Jack.  He thinks Feng Lin looks a lot like Quinn did three years earlier.

 

Lollipops make the boring times more fun!



The plane ride to Guangzhou.  Hoping our net travels are as smooth!

There isn't much food Feng Lin likes twice in a row.  This cheesecake elicits he most joy!  Watermelon, yogurt, and cucumbers are the only other regular favorites.

Today we had our consulate appointment!  We were THE ONLY adoption appointment of the day.  Yep.  The only.  Beijing slowed us down so much that we are the only ones left:(  So anxious to get on that plane!
Everything went well at Consulate.  Now we wait to get Feng Lin's Visa tomorrow afternoon.  We had planned to take the train to Hong Kong Saturday morning, but no seats were available.  So, we had to book a room in Hong Kong Friday night and will take the train tomorrow afternoon instead.  It will decrease our total travel time from 27 to 22 hours.  That is a blessing for all of us, but not excited about having to "move" again!
Today, we tried to get Feng Lin some shoes.  Geez this girl is stubborn and determined.  We ended up just grabbing some shoes and leaving quickly because she couldn't make up her mind.  If I had the vocabulary, I would have narrowed it down and been done with it, but the language barrier is too much at times.  She would just vigorously shake her head no at every pair she didn't like.  Han also took us for some souvenir's.  I hate shopping.  Really do! Especially when bargaining comes into play.
Feng Lin is engaging with Chris more and more.  She seeks him out for silly play.  She also seeks out affection more instead of just accepting it.  She gives us big hugs, cuddles, and says she loves us.  She is an absolute joy to be with.   We are so grateful to be her parents and to give her a forever family.

I finally succumbed to the cold that Chris has been hanging onto for over a week.  Would appreciate prayers for health as we travel.  22 hours on a plane with a four yr old is bad enough.  Doing it while sick is a little much!  Prayers for all of our health and safety.  Prayers for all four kids as they will begin their new life together soon.
Love to all.

GUANGZHOU!

 

 

Above is one of the last pix I took from Beijing.  Her favorite place-the pool!

Last night, we arrived in Guangzhou. But before Guangzhou, Feng Lin had a lot of anxiety about leaving Auntie Susan.  She just kept shaking her head NO when Susan told her we would be flying to Guangzhou and she would stay in Beijing.  She said Susan should come, too and even said she could stay in her suitcase.  When it was time to hug Susan and say goodbye, Feng Lin didn't want a hug.  She did not shed a tear, though she looked back several times.  It broke my heart for her.  She has experienced too much loss and she has no clue how to handle it.  We will certainly stay in touch with Susan.  She will have a special place in our hearts.  As an aside, Susan said that she and our driver had been talking about Feng Lin and they agreed that Feng Lin was the smartest child they had met in their 10+ years as adoption guides.  When I laughed, she said she was very serious.  I WILL say, Feng Lin has astounded Chris and me every single day.  She catches on to everything insanely fast!

 
A picture from the lobby in Guangzhou!

Can I just say, we LOVE Guangzhou!  We LOVE it!  It is so nice to be in a temperate climate, no smog, less traffic.  Ahh!  We can breathe a breath of fresh air here.  Literally!  Our guide's name is Han.  He is soft spoken with a sarcastic sense of humor.  We barely know when he is joking and when he's being serious so I think we've missed several of his puns along the way.  He is only taking us to our appointments.  We are on our own for the rest of the time we are here, which is fine with us.  We are familiar with Guangzhou and all the wonderful parks in the city.

We have a great suite here with lots of amenities- even wine in the evenings and a playground/garden on the 4th floor.  It was raining today when I took Feng Lin out to see it.  She was SO excited to get her  "YOU- SAHN."  (Umbrella)  it was the first time she needed it.  See this girl's face(above) when she got back out in the rain.  Totally thrilled!  She posed several times with the umbrella.  Such a diva!

Today, we had Feng Lin's medical appointment.  Even the Chinese doctor said she was tiny.  She is!  Four years old and 28 lbs!  Hope that once her back is straight, she gains some height and weight.  Speaking of which, Feng Lin is such a picky eater.  It's not that she will only eat certain things all the time, it's that she has will devour something at one meal and refuse it at another.  Chris and I have no clue what she might like at any given moment.  One day for lunch she ate nothing but cucumbers and tomato soup.  The next day she was in love with duck in a pancake.  The next day she wouldn't touch those things.  I've never been so grateful for my three kiddos who eat us out of house and home!

Back to the medical appointment...had to have a blood test for TB.  No veins accessible:(  They took her in a room and closed the door on us.  My palms were sweating because I was feeling so protective.  She never cried a tear on the other side of that door, but she came back with a few puncture marks:(  And got a lollipop from BABA!

Afterward, we waited for paperwork in the lobby.  While we waited, we saw a very familiar face.  JACK!  Our guide from our last adoption three years ago.  I had emailed him that we were arriving yesterday so he came to the clinic to find us!  I could have cried.  It was as if we took a step into the past with very happy memories.  We hugged and caught up briefly.  Our guide, Han, is good friends with him.  Han said "Jack is the best looking Chinese man I know and Chris is the best looking American I know."  Ha!  Jack is going to pick us up tomorrow night for dinner.  Can't wait!

We know it is common for kids' personalities to change when they travel to a new place with their parents.  Feng Lin has been no exception.  She is testing us more and more-mostly when we are out.  She will purposefully do something she knows is not cool and look at us with a giggle while she does it.  I am usually not a fan of "no" for kids misbehaviors, but since I don't have a great Mandarin vocabulary, it is usually the first thing that comes out of my mouth.  "Boo-Shir."  When she hears that, the game is on!  Feng Lin is very strong-willed.  We have found that the best way to handle her giggling indiscretions is by ignoring them instead.  She is used to yelling out for what she wants- drink, pencil, snack (in Mandarin, of course.  I've learned the words.  Pretty sure she had better manners when she could use full sentences to explain herself.)  I have started using the "mom-look" that I have perfected over my last decade of parenting.  When she sees it, she says very precisely "Puh-leeeese."  Hey, it gets her what she wants!

The only time Feng Lin is even slightly upset is at nap or bedtime.  She just shakes her head vigorously and lets out the occasional "Boo-shir" to let us know she's not having it.  Today, she didn't want to nap and instead sat up in her bed for over an hour.  Geesh! 

I have learned so much Mandarin, it is amazing!  (Chris mostly sticks to his English:) Some of the most used phrases (by pronunciation of course) are...

1. Chir Fahn- Let's eat!
2. Zo-Ba!- Let's go!
3. A-yo!- Whoa!
4. Boo-san!- No more! (Usually when baba is tickling her.)
5. Ga-mana?- What are you doing?

Some that I've picked up as well and have to use often...

1. Neow-Neow- Pee pee
2. Shyeow sheen- Be careful
3. Waw eye nee- I love you:)
4. May gwan shee- It's ok
5. Jen Ba!- Good job!
6.  MAY la- All done.

But there are so many more words and phrases I have learned.  I love it!  Makes me want to enroll in Mandarin school when I get home.  We did get Feng Lin some great books with a special pen that pronounces words, phrases, songs, and books in Mandarin and English.  It helps Feng Lin and I am sure it will help Chris, the kids, and me, too!

Gonna try to post video soon.  For now, love to all!