So tired

No sleep last night, Daisy cried exactly every 10 minutes.  And punched me in the head a lot.

Also, my sister said "no offense but you sound kind of miserable".  Sorry guys.  I have a hard time hiding my feelings.  This is really hard and disappointing because I thought it would be "backpacking through Europe for 4 weeks hard".  But it is much more difficult than that.

Also, another funny thing I forgot to report.  We obviously couldn't bring enough clothes for us all for 3 weeks so we planned to do laundry.  There are no laundromats in China but we were led to believe that you can send out the laundry to be done.  We were also told not to have the hotel laundry do it because it is uber expensive.  So we had our hotel do a few items in Beijing for a big price and then were thinking when we got to Kunming our guide would handle finding us a laundry place.  (This is what other adoptive parents have reported their guides did for them.)  Our guide seemed baffled when we asked him.  Finally he told us he had found a place and so he and Steve took a whole suitcase of yucky clothes to the place. 

Want to guess at a price?  $45 USD!  I could have bought a whole new wardrobe in China for that price.  Oh well, that's life in China!  Oh, and it took 2 whole days to get it done, so we have been washing underwear in the sink in the meantime.  Hopefully the website was correct and our hotel in Guangzhou will have a washer and dryer.  Crossing my fingers!

See you soon!

Daisy YuChen

On Monday morning we met our guide promptly at 8:10 am in the lobby of our hotel as instructed.  This was after we attempted to eat breakfast at the totally disgusting breakfast buffet in the hotel.  Even the drinks were gross.  I ate one bite of toast and egg and that was it, because my stomach was in knots.

We took a short van ride to the civil affairs office immediately got a stack of paperwork to start filling in and signing.  Luckily our guide told us what to put where because it was all in Chinese.  About half way through the pile a lady walks up the stairs into the room with two babies.  She walks over to us and hands us Daisy and then rushes out to deliver the other baby to another room.  Not a word was said and our guide kept nudging us to keep going on the papers.  So I held her while Steve wrote and tried to film until Sharon came and took over the camera.

Paul supervises while we do endless paperwork.  Minutes before Daisy is brought in.

All we knew of Daisy before was a chubby little baby about 5 or 6 months old.  I had a hard time recognizing our baby in this toddlers face.  She was terrified but didn't cry much, just a few little mewls.  She was clutching a tube of yogurt like her life depended on it.  She was dressed really cute in tights, pink soft shoes, a onesie, a white collared shirt and a pink cotton sundress.  Her hair was in pigtails  and two tiny barrettes helped hold her bangs back.  She is skinny!  She has four teeth up and four down. 

She sat on my lap throughout but wouldn't really look at me. She was interested in Zack.  I feel bad because we only got video, and not very many still pictures but I think we can extract some from the video when we get home.  It was just too crazy to worry too much about pictures, even though they are so important.  It would have been nice to have a little warning that she was coming, but that is how they do things.

Pictures I got from the video we took.  So sad we have none of Steve with her, he was too busy filling out all the paperwok!

Zack made her smile from the start!

During the paperwork we got out some of those Gerber puffs treats and let her take them from my hand.  She loved them.  We also tried a sucker but she made a sour face at it.  When we were almost done, one of the ladies (I don't remember who) told our guide something and he yelled at us "no more popcorn for baby!"  Apparently they didn't like us feeding that to her.  Also it was hot and they kept telling us to keep her warm and dress her warmly. 

I forgot to mention, it was clear right away that she was sick, I could feel stuff rattling in her chest and she had a runny nose and coughed once in a while.  Our guide all the sudden hands us a box and says "here's her medicine".   The box was only in Chinese of coarse.  We really had to drag the instructions out of everyone there to know how they wanted us to administer the medicine which turned out to be amoxicillin in powdered form.  The only gave us 5 doses and told us to give it to her 3 times per day.  Weird.  I don't know if that is going to do it but I have more from home, if I need to give it to her I can.

When we were done with the paperwork, they took a family picture and then we got in the van and headed to the passport office.  We have to rush a passport for her since we need it by Friday and it usually takes at least a month.  We had to have her picture taken for the passport and they put a red jacket on her for the photo and then of coarse she starts screaming when I set her down for the picture.  All these ladies who were waiting for their pictures outside came rushing in to try and maker her smile.  Then smarty pants Paul rushes out and gets the "popcorn" and waves it in her face.  Not helpful.  I had to beg him for the popcorn, which he gave me begrudgingly but of coarse when I gave it to her she stopped crying and they were able to take the picture.  Paul informed us that sometimes it takes hours to get the picture because they can not be crying.  Also, they had to crop out her pigtails, for some reason they are not allowed.

At the passport office.  Daisy holds a cup of "popcorn" because it makes her happy.

More waiting at the passport office while Paul runs around.

One more thing to sign and then we can go.

After the passport office it was off to the bank to get money to give the orphanage.  They get $5000.  I hope they use it wisely.  :)

Next is the funny part. The first day we met Paul I was trying to get him to tell me the schedule for the week so I could figure out how it was all going to go down.  He said, Monday, we get baby.  Tuesday we go to market to buy stuff for baby.  I had to stop him here, because I did not bring formula for the baby except one little packet because I was told you should give them the same stuff they are eating in China so they can keep something they are used to.  Also, I needed diapers because I only brought a few of those because who wants to transport diapers all over their vacation? Tomorrow was not going to cut it.  He really tried to argue, telling me tomorrow was going to be a hard day.  Um, yes, it certainly will be hard if our baby is starving and wet.  I finally told him never mind, I would go by myself to the store.  He decided to make it work. So after the bank, he took us to Walmart.  Who knew they had Walmart in China?  I guess they really are taking over the whole world! 

Riding in the van to Walmart.  Daisy was happy to sit with me but did not want to look at me!

We bought everything we needed including some jars of food and rice cereal.  This Walmart was four floors and worse to navigate than Ikea so we were there for a while.  Also, we really drew a crowd where ever we went so that slowed us down. 

After the shopping was done we came back to our hotel, which did I mention I hate?  No baby crib available, no air conditioning, bad breakfast, no one speaks English except the concierge, all cigarette smokey.  And my mom and Zack's room is on another floor from ours.  (We finally got them a room on our floor for an upcharge.)

When we get to the room I put Daisy on the bed and she starts freaking out and she cried herself sick for at least 2-3 hours.  The hotel staff called to see if everything was OK.  It wasn't.  I finally told Steve to take Zack and Sharon out to lunch since we hadn't eaten all day and I stayed with her while she cried and cried.  Finally, she started to cry less and less and doze off but she would still wake up and cry about every 30 seconds until she was finally really asleep.  We both took a short nap and then the others came home. 

We found out that she really, really likes stacking cups and her brush and comb and she really hates the bed for some reason.

Zack wanted to swim so we all went down to the pool and he and Steve took a swim while we watched and I fed Daisy some jar food which she really loved. 

See those steps?  Daisy stepped right off them and Steve dove and caught her in mid-air.  He's like Superman!

Daisy loves to play with stacking cups and water bottles.

"Who are these crazy new people?"

Next, we needed a walk (because my blisters need to get even bigger).  I put her in the Ergo carrier we brought and we walked back to Walmart for more jar food and then out to dinner at a place with no picture menu.  We were able to order pork with rice and noodles.  It was pretty good.  Did I mention that most places serve warm soda?  Daisy was a gem the entire time we were out and we started getting some smiles and maybe a laugh or two. 

At the restaurant with no pictures.  See the menu on the table?  We ended up going outside with the waitress to the window where they had meat hanging up and we pointed to some pork.  It was pretty good.

Time for bed.  In the bed she hates.  No crib available remember?  She cried herself to sleep on my chest while I rubbed her back, which she seemed to like.  The hotel people called again to say they were bringing something for baby, we couldn't understand what but hoped for a crib.  They never came.  Still curious what they were going to bring us. 

Finally sleeping, now can I put her down without waking her?

We had a fitful night but mostly slept.  Except Steve because he never sleeps anyway.  She woke at 6:30 and took a bottle. 

We had a good day today, mostly just took it easy.  We really wanted to see the famous stone forest while we were here but today was the only day we could have gone and we didn't know if it was a good idea to take her on an hour and a half bus ride each way and hike around a forest on the second day of having her.  Paul took us to the bird and flower market and we bought some cool stuff and bartered pretty well for good prices.  Actually one lady was yelling at us she was so mad.  But she sold me the stuff for my price anyway, so I don't think I was being too cheap. 

Paul and I were a great bargaining team.  It was a bonding moment for us and he was proud when I told him so.

Sharon took a while to find the perfect gourd flute for Jeff.

We saw the exact same gourds in the airport for 10 times as much!

At the Bird and Flower Market.

After shopping, Paul took us to lunch and ordered for us before he left.  He said he couldn't eat with us because he was too busy doing paperwork.  The food was OK, not the best we have had.  Daisy woke up right when our food came and started reaching for it so we tried to feed her some baby fruit with rice cereal mixed in.  She about came unglued.  We have a firecracker on our hands.  Before I knew what was happening she started hitting me, the baby food  and anything she could get her hands on.  I got control of her hands and she kicked her foot up on the table and brought down a whole bowl of soup, all over the place and us.  Don't fool your self into thinking she was just throwing a fit and flailing about, she was very deliberate in her hand and foot placements.  Then she threw her head back, arched her back and tried to fall on the floor!  Whew!  I immediately gave her the food we were eating and she was happy as a clam.  So we found out, if we are eating, we had better share!

Baby sleeping.  Nice baby.

Baby awake.  Mad baby!
(This was right before that bowl of soup went flying into my lap!)

After lunch we came back and she agreed to sit on the bed and play.  Steve talked her into it.  I am pretty sure she prefers him to me but she puts up with me because I feed her.  She was playing so happy on that bed for over an hour while Steve took a nap and I blogged.   

Did I mention that she has not been willing to stand up much let alone walk?  We were wondering if she could even walk.  Well, all of sudden she sees something on the bed she wants and gets up and walks over on the bed to get it!  So we put her down on the floor and put the "popcorn" across the room and she toddled right over to get it.  She has not stopped walking all day and practically ran right into the swimming pool this afternoon, twice.  Once Steve had to dive to get her and I about had a heart attack because I couldn't move fast enough.  Don't think we are bad parents.  Tomorrow we will put her in the pool because she was dying to get in but none of the adults were in their suits today, just Zack. 

Who can resist a little game of Ping Pong?

Pants optional.

Anyway, that is how it is going with Miss Daisy.  She is starting to trust us, and we are starting to see her personality come out a little.  She really likes Zack too and he is very cute with her.  He loves her to pieces.  He wants to carry her and kiss her and rubs her head.   

When we first came back to the hotel and she was crying and crying, he started crying too. He just couldn't handle it.  Then he said to me, "I knew getting a baby was a bad idea!  She just cries and cries!  And why did she have to be sick!?"  I reassured him and sent him with grandma.  Later in the day, when Daisy was smiling and playing a little he looked at me and said, "Now I think getting a baby was a really good idea!"

We think it was a good idea too and we are so happy to have her and get to know her and her cute self!

She's a crazy sleeper!

So glad to have grandma along!

This baby loves her daddy, he is so silly!

Zack was getting in the shower and they were both laughing hysterically as Daisy kept peeking through the glass at him.

Gimme those puffs!  Can't get enough of those puffs!

Even Zack loves puffs.

Daisy's first steps!  (At least that we saw)

A quick update, then I'll tell you about the baby

Surviving in China is really, really hard.  Surviving in China with a new baby is nearly impossible!  But I wanted to blog since this is my journal and I want to remember everything. 

My last post was a bit of a downer. Sorry. 

That night (Saturday) we went for Peking Duck at a place we saw on the food network.  Our hotel called and made a reservation and told us it would be 198 yuan for the 4 of us, which is $34.  We took a taxi and showed up to a dump (we knew it would be from the TV show).  The duck was OK.  They carve it up at your table and then you wrap it in little crepes with green onion and a sauce.  It also came with some side dishes, a few of which were raw veggies.  We were told not to eat anything that was not cooked so we didn't dare eat the uncooked ones so that left us with only a couple of things. We have since been told that we should just eat everything but avoid the water only.  We are becoming a little more daring and have not been sick yet.  The bill came to over $70.  We tried to argue but to no avail.  They see us tourists coming and the prices triple. 

Just follow the ducks down the alley...

Sometimes you have to wait in the alley for a table.  We went early so no one was there.

The Entrance

What the DUCK?!

Digging in to a mystery vegetable!  Sharon looks skeptical.

We let Zack have sprite pretty much with every meal, I am hoping the carbonation kills any germs he eats!

My big legs wouldn't fit under the table.

The chef carves it up for you.

There is not much meat on a duck.  We could have eaten two!

Mmmmm!  We like duck!

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to catch our transport to the theatre.  I guess their definition of an "air conditioned bus" is a van with the windows rolled down and 12 people crammed in. Ha!

We chose the Kung Fu show because we have already seen Chinese Acrobats.  It was OK, but a little cheesy.  The rest of the family really enjoyed it.

The star of the show.  Zack was embarrassed for him that he had to sit there before the show.

The Cast

After the theater we went back to WangfuJin street because I wanted to get the experience while I wasn't having a nervous breakdown.  It's amazing what hormonal balance will do for you.  There were these "candied apples" I have seen in movies that I wanted to try so I got some.  They look like mini apples.  They were... weird.  I liked the candy coating though.  Zack and Steve both got daring and ordered some fear factor food.  Steve ate a fried scorpion and Zack ate a seahorse.  Steve liked the scorpion but they didn't like the seahorse.  Sharon got some bread stuffed with veggies.

Candied apple things.

The entrance to Wangfujin Street.  It was a really small, crowded ally surrounded by big modern stores.

The next day was Sunday and we got up and packed for leaving.  We really enjoyed our authentic Chinese hotel in the hutong.  The breakfast buffet was also really good every morning.

The breakfast buffet at the hotel.

There were about 6 tables in the dining room.

After packing we had some time so we walked around the streets of the hutong for a while.  There are so many funny sights in a hutong.  Basically the "street" is a little ally way that one car can fit down.  There are people walking, bikes riding, scooters scooting and cars squeezing in between them all.  The cars go really fast too.  While walking around the hutong you might see people working in shops, people sitting on steps, people digging through overflowing garbage cans, people sorting veggies on the ground, people cooking food in giant woks, people going potty (there are neighborhood toilets on every street and the doors are open and there are just 4 squatters in a row with no stalls, I was going to get a picture but every time I tried I ended up walking in on someone going).  The things you might smell are fish, garbage, sewage, dust from the piles of rubble lying everywhere, and cooking meat.  The things you might hear are people yelling at each other, beep beep of the bicycles about to run you over, construction and demolition sounds, and horns honking.  Another funny thing I saw that I forgot to get a picture of was veggies of some sort hanging out all along a laundry line to dry.  I guess I shouldn't take my salad spinner for granted!

I think this was the police station in our hutong.

This door in the alley was open and we got a peek inside some one's home.  Not sure if it is one family home or several.

Rubble.

The gym.

Another peek into someones turf.

The narrow alley, not room for 2 cars to pass each other.  The building on the R with the three windows is a public bathroom.

Most people walk or ride bikes and they have little bells on the bikes to warn you to get out of the way.

We had a nice ride to the airport by some taxi's that the hotel hired for us.  They promised that they were good drivers and they were, although I could tell me and my moms driver was annoyed at having to go so slow!

Lunch at the airport, yummy noodles.

We arrived in Kunming around 8:00 pm and had our adoption guide waiting for us at the airport with a van and driver.  It was nice not to have to worry about finding a taxi and communicating.  I am actually really surprised at how little English is spoken in China.  Not that I am complaining, I know I am in another country and should not expect them speak English.  I just thought there would be more English speakers, and it is super hard to communicate. We were so excited to eat the food but have found that unless we go to a restaurant that has pictures on the menu, there is no way to order ANYTHING, even a soda.

A little about our guide. His name is Paul.  He is 28 years old.  After that first day of meeting him, I thought I might end up kicking his butt.  He is bossy and his manner of communication leaves much to be desired.  After 3 half days spent with him, I think we are understanding each other now.  Also our shopping excursion today, bartering together at the market really brought us together.  I told him we make a great team and he practically beamed.  Oh, and when I finally thought to tell him that I was a baby nurse, he stopped telling me how to take care of Daisy. Should have thought of that sooner.

Kunming is a bit cleaner than Beijing, and the weather is much cooler.  Also, people stare way more but that may be because we now have a Chinese baby with us.  Today at lunch, all the workers literally lined up 5 feet from our table and just stood there staring and talking about us.  Zack started to cry.  He just couldn't take it anymore.  Then Steve blatantly stared back at them and all the girls laughed but they kept right on staring.  Sometimes when we are walking down the street people will come right up and stare in your face and then touch Daisy.  I don't mind because I know they are curious about the baby so I just smile and say Ni Hao (hello).  Then they try to talk to me in Chinese and I say English only and they nod and walk away.

Our hotel rooms were big.

Nice soft bed.

Dinning area.

The view from Sharon and Zack's room.

Bridge in Kunming.

Well, that is it for catching you up!  I will post about the baby in my next post.  Right now my mom needs to email my dad because he is missing her sooooo much!  Poor dad!