The replacement blogger

Hi all! Sorry for the duplications and befuddles in the blog.... I hope I got all the pictures on here.......

I am only the replacement blogger... your regularly scheduled blogger will return 8/7....... Baby and hubby in tow!

More Day 4

More Day four Pics

Nanchang Day 4

Today our tour guides took us to the only attraction they said was worth traveling for, the Tengwang Pavillion. Pavilion of Prince Teng is one of the so called Four great towers of China. Karen and Lillian (two of our guides) promised us a fun half day there and it was worth the trip, but holy canolli it was HOT. There was little air in the actual tower, and we all sat through a half hour dance performance but I had poor Amelie almost stripped naked by the end of it. I wanted too as well but figured Chinese prison wouldn't be fun. Each floor had two gift shops too, we were for sure at a tourist attraction! We did get some great shots though. We came back and took a cold shower and gave Amelie a little bath since she was soaked in sweat. At 3 the guides arranged for a calliglapher (sp?) to come and put our daughter's information in Chinese characters on beautiful scrolls for us. I can't wait to hang it in her room. Here is a picture of the lady creating it for her. A few of us, 5 couples and our kids, decided we really needed something other than Chinese food. Our guide wrote us notes for the taxi drivers and we sped across town to the "Free Market" to find baby squeeky shoes and McDonalds. What an adventure. I have never been so scared or laughed so hard since we got here. David took a video of the taxi ride. I don't know how more people aren't killed here, we almost hit ten people walking on our ten minute drive. Once there, we had to walk through sewage water and climb a bazillion sets of stairs to find the shoes that we all wanted. It was an indoor market (no ac of course in most of it) and we got several good glances of the purpose of split pants. I thought a few of the moms were going to pass out when they eyed a lady holding her 3 year old kid over the trashcan to take a poop in the store. A few school age kids all ran up to us and wanted to touch the babies, and us too. One of the dads took a childen's book in English from one of the girls and read to her sentence by sentence which she repeated back. It was really sweet. We finally made our way out of the market and out to McDonalds. I am not a big fast food person at home but I tell you what I would have sold my soul for that McFlurry. Amelie even enjoyed some of it (8 month olds are ok to have an oreo McFlurry, no?) On the walk back to the taxi we spotted a girl about 8 with what I can explain as a huge sponge/paintbrush thing writing characters onto the walkway with water. It was really a cool thing. Well Amelie is stirring. Gotta go get her up! Pics are of the pavillion, D with our tour guides, scroll making, and crazy adventure to the free market

Nanchang day 3

It has been a crazy few days here, our three tour guides explained that this isn't a town known for tourism and have been trying very hard to keep us busy so we don't get cabin fever too bad. Yesterday morning David was up before Amelie and I (kinda like me now, 4 am and can't sleep). My alarm on my phone woke us up, I have it set to "I just haven't met you ye"t by Michael Buble. She woke up and saw me there, ran her little hands on my face and and gave me a huge cheeky grin. I just started bawling thinking, wow, this is the happiest (and most tired) I have ever been. She is getting much more comfortable with us. I don't have to hold her all the time to calm her down. Yesterday she actually played on the bed for a few while David went to the local electronics store with some other dads and I was in the bathroom doing laudry. Bedtime is better too. I now just sit her next to me on the bed and rub her back and she will fall asleep. Just as long as I am touching her. Notice I am saying "I" because she is starting to get mommyitis big time! She likes David to carry her around, but will freak out if I leave her alone with him. It makes me sad, but it is normal, this phase won't last long. I figure in 15 years it will be the opposite anyhow....ha ha. After the breakfast buffet (fried intestines anyone?) we went with another couple, Tiffany and Mike and baby Quinn to the pool. Amelie loved it. Thank goodness because that girl will be living at the pool when we get home. Quinn and Amelie would reach out to each other, it was adorable. She then took a 4 hour nap (I slept too for a good part of that) while David ventured out onto the streets to go to a local pagonda. I want to write down the name, but it's dark in the room since everyone but me is sleeping and I can't find the info on it at the moment. Attaching some pics of his visit. For dinner our guides took the group of 27 of us "crazy Americans" to a local restaurant around the corner. They warned us that their food was very spicy but it wasn't bad at all. Two people in the group had birthdays this week so the guides surprised them with a giant cake. They had this really cool lotus flower candle/sparkler thing on it. They said they got it at the bakery across the street, so stupidly, David and I and another couple decided to play human frogger and cross the street to buy one for A's first birthday cake. Did I mention these people are insance drivers? Cars, bikes, scooters, buses, taxis and pedestrians all share the street and the traffic crossing lights might as well not be there? You know how it is after a hurricane when the traffic lights are out and no one knows how to meneuver through them? Well add people walking through it, every kind of transportation on top of it, and everyone on their horn. Right before we crossed a woman on a bike hit a man in his van. They both started screaming at each other. Probably not the best idea for us to cross the streets of Nanchang but we had to have the candle. We are alive and well, barely after that! Til tomorrow!

Update From China

Thank you SO much for updating my blog for me! I can read the comments through my email which is putting a smile on my face. I am getting a little homesick, miss the pups, the kitties and all my friends of course. I could really use a big salad and margarita right about now...sigh. we can't eat any uncooked veggies or fruit, and the food here is spicy which I don't like. We will move onto Guangzhou on Saturday which is much more "western" and is much prettier too

Well I am off to take a nap. Been up since 3 and since Amelie is down I might as well go too. The girl refuses to be put down for a single second. We have to have her fall asleep on our chest before we can move her to her back. Did I mention she is a giant? I had to cut the feet off her 9 month pj's. The girl is bigger than even the 12 month olds in our group! And sooo chunky too!

hello from Nanchang!

Hello everyone! And Ni Hao! Theresa, please add this to my blog and FB : ) Well, we have officially been parents since 5 pm Sunday. The nannies brought the babies (all 11 of them) to the hotel in the afternoon. We were the first ones called. They came a bit early and since we were the first called and we just walked in the room we didn't get video of the gotcha moment but did think to throw our camera at another family to take some pics. Amelie was one of the only ones who didn't scream and cry, and believe it or not I didn't cry either, though David may have shed a tear. We took her back to our room and she played with some of her toys and actually laughed a bit for us. She took to D and I equally which is a very good thing. She is making great eye contact with us too. she loves to be held and snuggled on. She refused to take a bottle but she did have her first cherrios which she really loved. That first night around 8 I think she figured out that we weren't just another set of nannies and had a major meltdown. She wailed uncontrably for a few hours until she passed out. She would only go to sleep while we were sitting in an upright position, which made for a looooong night. We probably slept for an hour or maybe two total.

Yesterday the entire group went to the registry office and the notary office, so she is officially ours now. We came back and met with the orphanage director and got to ask some questions about our children. This is a very rare opportunity and we felt lucky to get this chance to find out about where she spent part of her first eight months. He even was willing to write a message for her, though it is in Chinese characters. Amelie fell asleep during the meeting so we put her in bed (ours, not the crib which she refuses to get into....not great for us). She slept for almost 4 hours and we got to catch a few afternoon zzzz's too. In the afternoon we went to the 4 story walmart with the group. What an experience. We were definalty the main attraction. I had her in a snuggly but those who had their babies in a cart or stroller had the locals touching their kids and we all ad alot of stares. We bought some necessities for her and some snacks and soda for ourselves, and a ton of bottled water. I think I have shed a few pounds already between carrying her and not eating much. We do have a "western style breakfast buffet" at the hotel but it consists of at least 60 % chinese food and the american food tastes a little off. Oh and the local food in this area is very spicy, and I don' tmuch like spicy food so that will add to the shedding of pounds this week. We did have Papa John's delivered to the hotel last night which as my friend Susannah described as tasting just like the pizza she had on Fridays at elementr\y school...but it did taste like heaven after a few days of the local fare. Amelie went to sleep much easier last night around 8:30, it is 4 now and she is still asleep (David and i are wide awake though). I will upload some pics tomorrow for FB and my blog, I don't want to turn the lights on to find the camera. I have pics fromj Hong Kong which by the way is such a great city. They even had an English pub called McLovin's (Superbad, anyone?) and shopping to rival NYC. I have pics from Victoria Peak and the Dragon Boat festival attached. Once I upload pics of gotcha day and a few more of her in all her cuteness I will upload them. I probably will just
keep my blog updated thanks to Theresa instead of bombarding everyone with emails.

I hope you all are doing well, I am going to try to sleep again for a bit. Nighty night....

Kristen and David are now in Nanching waiting to meet Amelie

Hi all! Well we just arrived in Nanchang about 30 minutes ago. We had little internet access in Hong Kong and besides that we ran around like crazy for the 36 hours we were there. I loved Hong Kong, it was a cross between Miami and Manhatten. We are due to go meet our babies in 20 minutes, and I am a nervous wreck! I just wanted to let you know we are well.

They have a ton of pics from Hong Kong and will be able to post in a day".


Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to keep you posted with our journey!

Leaving in two and a half days!

This will likely be the last time that I update the blog before we leave. A big thanks to Theresa who promised to keep my blog updated while we are gone. Since blogspot is blocked in China, I will be emailing her pics and she will post them for me. Thanks in advance sister!

Ten more sleeps

Wow, I just got goosebumps writing the title of this post. In just ten days we will be headed to Hong Kong and then off to Jiangxi to meet our little girl. Am I ready? Emotionally...heck yes. Physically? Um, no. Her room still looks like an episode of Hoarders. Amazing how my to-do list never seems to get shorter since I have to keep adding on. Just today I had to add on "get more passport pictures" and "buy travelers insurance" and "get pet's shots updated" and "exchange formula". I am working this entire week, but am taking off next Mon-Weds before we head out. I am taking down the suitcases from the attic tonight and will start throwing stuff in there and going over the packing list. This sure is a pile of work (as you can tell, I haven't been on the blog in awhile) but it will be more than worth it!

Bad blogger!

I haven't had a moment to breathe this month, let alone blog. My friend Fliss warned me this would happen after referral! We have been busy painting, packing, working, repeat! On Tuesday we received our TA and hope to head out either June 21st or 22nd!