...and now, onto Camp Chip-A-Munk !
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, May 03, 2021
Monday, July 02, 2012
onto nanjing
we boarded the high speed railway in shanghai to nanjing, traveling 303 km as we sped through the jiangsu province countryside. strange to be passing through pearl's hometown of suzhou before officially meeting her. wondering if she is still there or on a similar train herself on the way to the province capital city to meet us? interesting to see various farming fields & villages as we will spend most of our time in china in major metropolitan areas.
(this is a little something that i wish to remember: the look of an expectant mother on the final leg of her journey to her long awaited daughter. not too sure if this is the look of calm, nervousness, reflection, or just a last opportunity to quietly observe the beauty of the country before the wonderful chaos that is about to ensue... and then the realization that this momma is being toyed with by the invasive camera!)
when we arrive in jiangsu, we are met by our guide, savor, and have time for a quick bite to eat at the british coffeehouse, costa. then it is off to the provincial office for our meeting with pearl. as our car pulls through the gates, there is a little one standing on the front steps, having just arrived herself. she is so tiny, perhaps an 18 mo old baby on her way to meet her own parents. when we gather our things and proceed up the steps, i see that she is wearing a pink silk bow in her hair... very cute, something i would pick out & oddly similar to one I sent our pearl 6 months prior. it is at that point that it hit me... this baby was OUR baby! not the big 3 year old that I was expecting... she was oh so petite and frail! i have somewhat petite hands myself, and when i form a circle by touching my index finger to my thumb, her bicep fits neatly within. my two hands together forming a circle can envelop her entire waist! a whopping 20 lbs this 3 year old is... the weight of a typical 1 year old back home. she says hello to us, even repeats "momma" & "baba" (father) under her nannies encouragement.
and all is well given the toys and snacks we and her nanny dutifully prepared, until the separation from all she has ever known sets in... poor thing cried and cried during the paperwork portion of this initial meeting, photography for her adoption, and the departure of her beloved nanny and teacher. we did all we knew to do as 4th time around parents to quell her sadness, only to determine the one thing that would do the trick... take her outside (this worked for all 3 of my little ones, everytime).
... sweet pearl was able to gather her composure after her brief interlude out of doors (really, was i allowed to just walk out the door with her with nothing yet finalized? not too sure that was protocol, but a momma's gotta do what she knows best... plus i left baba peter inside with all the officials as collateral). with a quick stop off at the local store for supplies on the way back to our hotel, some play and discovery with all the gifts we had brought, a hearty supper with an ice cream interlude, and a calming bath in the amazing tub, our little miss finally found her groove and settled in, sleeping like an angel...
Sent from my iPhone
when we arrive in jiangsu, we are met by our guide, savor, and have time for a quick bite to eat at the british coffeehouse, costa. then it is off to the provincial office for our meeting with pearl. as our car pulls through the gates, there is a little one standing on the front steps, having just arrived herself. she is so tiny, perhaps an 18 mo old baby on her way to meet her own parents. when we gather our things and proceed up the steps, i see that she is wearing a pink silk bow in her hair... very cute, something i would pick out & oddly similar to one I sent our pearl 6 months prior. it is at that point that it hit me... this baby was OUR baby! not the big 3 year old that I was expecting... she was oh so petite and frail! i have somewhat petite hands myself, and when i form a circle by touching my index finger to my thumb, her bicep fits neatly within. my two hands together forming a circle can envelop her entire waist! a whopping 20 lbs this 3 year old is... the weight of a typical 1 year old back home. she says hello to us, even repeats "momma" & "baba" (father) under her nannies encouragement. 
and all is well given the toys and snacks we and her nanny dutifully prepared, until the separation from all she has ever known sets in... poor thing cried and cried during the paperwork portion of this initial meeting, photography for her adoption, and the departure of her beloved nanny and teacher. we did all we knew to do as 4th time around parents to quell her sadness, only to determine the one thing that would do the trick... take her outside (this worked for all 3 of my little ones, everytime).
... sweet pearl was able to gather her composure after her brief interlude out of doors (really, was i allowed to just walk out the door with her with nothing yet finalized? not too sure that was protocol, but a momma's gotta do what she knows best... plus i left baba peter inside with all the officials as collateral). with a quick stop off at the local store for supplies on the way back to our hotel, some play and discovery with all the gifts we had brought, a hearty supper with an ice cream interlude, and a calming bath in the amazing tub, our little miss finally found her groove and settled in, sleeping like an angel...
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
our first day in shanghai (text)
...our hotel room @ the fenyang garden boutique (absolutely gorgeous w/ teak wood everywhere, even inside the closets)
...the view from our personal balcony
...coffee & chicken's feet for breakfast.
then it was off to the shanghai arts & crafts museum to see some of the local artists at work. there were several magnificent examples of gu embroidery (flossing on gossamer silk) with such great detail we thought they were paintings at first glance. there were intricately cut paper works that appeared to be created with lasers rather than steady hands. there were brightly lit colored paper lanterns often used for ceremonial purposes...
we did an exploratory walk-about around the french concession district (our hotel is in the heart of this quaint neighborhood)...
...and then we headed for the people's park, home to the shanghai museum. this iconic building houses everything from bronze artifacts which date back to the 13th century bc...
...to some traditional pillows (i like them firm, but this might be overkill).
...a great first day all in all, topped off with a few beers at jenny's pub and mussels & pomme frites at dakota's, and we made it back to the hotel just moments before the heavens let loose and filled the night sky with lightning flashes, thunder booming and a steady rain which we enjoyed from the haven of that aforementioned balcony!
Friday, June 29, 2012
we have arrived...
with plenty of time on the 15 hour flight, i strung several bracelets & a necklace for our pearl girl. the fortune cookie dessert with meal #2 (of 3 total) contained some encouraging rhetoric and helped to bolster our endurance. we landed in shanghai and have 'settled down' nicely at the fenyang garden boutique hotel... taking to heart the suggestion of the customs & immigration bureau...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
test post 2 (picture/text from the ipad)
time to meet the parents... hang on baby girl, we'll be there next week! stay tuned... (hopefully we'll be able to update to this blog each day while in country for those waiting @ home).test post 1 (picture/text from the iphone)
...finn found this "pearl" @ the beach on the morning of the day we received word of PA (pre approval) from china to begin the process of pearl's adoption... a bit of foreshadowing!Saturday, March 10, 2012
we have LOA
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