China Day 12: Banyun Temple & Boat Cruise

I'm posting this a day late, but yesterday was mostly a better day.  I couldn't believe it, but Liuxia let me put pigtails in her hair, which she hasn't let me do in a week!  In the morning we went to visit a temple called Six Banyan Temple.  It was a Buddhist temple that was built 1400 years ago.  I think the current temple was rebuilt 600 years ago.  There were several different Buddha statues, and people were burning incense and praying at the different statues and buildings.  There is a beautiful pagoda there as well.  It was definitely a very unique experience to see the religion that is practiced by so many Chinese.  While we were there, an older Chinese lady offered Liuxia some of her food.  In the US, first of all this would never happen, and if it did, we wouldn't let our child eat someone else's food.  But here in China, it's like everyone is one big family.  So Liuxia took a bite of some of her food, and then the lady ended up giving Hannah the whole plate of food to take with her!  She kept giving us a thumbs up!

We went on a dinner cruise last night, which was a wonderful experience.  Believe it or not, we had Papa John's pizza for dinner!  Our agency had it delivered to the boat for us.  It actually tasted pretty similar to Papa John's at home.  So Hannah had her first pizza, and she seemed to like it.  It probably took her an hour to eat one piece, but she did eventually eat it.  I have never met such a slow eater in my life!  She carried it around with her on the boat and nibbled away.  She did great on the boat cruise and seemed to really enjoy it.  She was starting to interact with the other kids, which was cute.

Photo Captions
Pagoda at 6 Banyan Temple
In front of pagoda
Temple
Hanging out with Mommy
Lady who gave Hannah her food
Flowers on the island
Serious but adorable face
Happy face!
Papa John's delivery!
Boat we rode on
First bite of pizza
Fuzzy picture, but shows the lights of the city-just beautiful!
Notice the pizza in Hannah's hand still!
On the boat (still eating!)
Really neat looking bridge we passed under

China Day 11: TB result & red couch attempt

Today we went back to the medical clinic for them to check Hannah's TB test.  It was negative, so that was good news.  The traditional "red couch" picture with our agency was scheduled for 2:30, so we tried to get her down for an early nap.  She didn't fall asleep until close to 1, and we had to wake her up at 2 to get ready to get the picture taken.  It is tradition for adoptive families to take their child's picture on a red couch at the White Swan.  Adoptive families have been doing this for years, so I was really excited to put Hannah in a traditional dress and get her picture with the group of kids from our travel group.  Since we woke her up, she was not in a good mood, but when we got to the White Swan hotel where the picture was being taken, things went from bad to worse.  She was screaming nonstop.  I don't mean just crying, but screaming at the top of her lungs.  We couldn't get her in the picture at all because she was throwing a complete screaming fit.  We actually had to go back to the hotel, missing both the picture and the afternoon tea with our travel group.  She probably screamed for 45 minutes, and there was nothing we could do to snap her out of it.  We think something triggered her to start grieving again.  We put her in a dress her foster mom gave us, so we're wondering if that's what did it.  But she was also extremely tired, so it may have been a combination.  All we know is that it was just awful.  She had been doing so well, so this setback was really devastating for all of us.  We laid low in the hotel room the rest of the afternoon where she was quickly back to her laughing, playful self.  We didn't even attempt to go to a restaurant for dinner, but went to a deli shop where you can order and eat outside.  We didn't take many pictures today, but there are a few from the park here on the island.  They have statues all throughout the park, and Liuxia wasn't sure what to think of them. She eventually went up and touched them, but wasn't sure about them.  The other picture is her with her new parasol that we bought today.  Now she is a true Zhejiang girl, as almost everyone in her province carries one around to shade themselves from the sun!

China Day 10: Hannah's Birthday!

Today was a very special day since Hannah turned 2 today!  We went to a Christian church here on the island this morning.  It was in Mandarin and English, so we were able to follow along.  We sang a song a couple of times that went "We are the body of Christ."  It was touching to be halfway across the world worshiping with other believers.  It was similar to our service, with several songs, prayer, and a sermon.  There was also a testimony at the end of the service.  It lasted about an hour, and Hannah did pretty well.  No one seemed to mind her occasional loud noises, so that was good.  The church was completely packed with a mix of both Chinese and foreigners. 

This afternoon we went shopping at the jade, pearl, and silk markets.  We hired a lady to help us and she was able to get great prices for us.  We had so much fun, but I'm sure Jason's exhausted from carrying Liuxia around for 3 hours!  Everywhere we go people comment on how beautiful Liuxia is.  We agree!  We took a taxi a couple of different times, and it only cost between 10 and 13 yuan each time, which is about $1.50-$2!  After we got back, we went out to dinner.  It's too bad we aren't seafood eaters because I'm sure it's delicious here.  It's so fresh that the fish are literally swimming in the tank until you order your food!  They also had frogs, toads, and eels for sale, apparently to eat!  We passed on that and stuck with chicken and beef.  After dinner Hannah had her first ice cream cone.  She wasn't sure about ice cream when we tried it a couple of days ago, but this time she loved it and got really messy eating it!  When we got back we gave her a few presents.  Everything is new to her, so I'm sure it seemed like just another day, but we wanted to try to make it special by giving her some new toys.  We had some people tell her happy birthday in Mandarin, but we don't know if she understands what a birthday is yet. 

We aren't hearing Hannah talk much yet, but she does a lot of baby babble.  The only word we hear her use consistently is "aiyo" which means "gosh" in her local dialect.  She also says "ker" whenever she wants something opened (like a bottle or a window); "ker" sounds close to "kai" which is the Mandarin word for "open" (perhaps in her local dialect is it "ker"... we don't know).  She also says "mama" and "baba" sometimes (especially when mama is out of sight, which she doesn't like).  Right now she communicates through grunting and crying, so we're hoping she can learn some words soon.  We did notice her shake her head no a couple of times today, so she's starting to communicate that way and we think she's beginning to understand some of what we're saying. 

Picture captions:
Hannah being silly wearing a shower cap!
Beautiful birthday girl
Laughing
Pretty girl
With Daddy at the pearl market
Mommy trying on Jade bracelets (this guy was forcing it on my hand-I thought it was going to break!)
Special pineapple drink
Restaurant we ate at-it is a really pretty setting outside with lots of lanterns
Hannah doesn't like to touch her food and is very creative about eating without her hands
Ice cream face
Opening birthday presents
Trying on her new hat (it didn't stay on her head long!)
Happy girl

China Day 9: Medical Exam

This morning we went to get Hannah's medical examination done.  This is mandatory for the visa application, so all adoptive families have to bring their child to the clinic for an exam.  We thought this would be very hard for Hannah, as she was hospitalized when she was only 13 months old, so probably doesn't have a great memory of doctors.  But she did amazing and cooperated with the nurses and doctors at all three stations.  She had to get a TB test done since she'll turn two before our consulate appointment, so we'll have to go back on Monday and check the results of the TB test.  It was really interesting to see all of the other kids and their parents at the medical exam.  The other kids were happy to be held by their parents, but our girl spent the whole time running from room to room in the examination area and trying to play with adults and kids alike.  She is such an active girl!  We feel so blessed to have such a healthy child, and she is doing better with us every day.

I think I forgot to mention in the previous posts that we have Hannah's passport.  We applied for on Tuesday, and we actually got it already on Wednesday!  It was incredibly fast!  So the next step is to apply for her visa.  So our current prayer requests are for a negative TB test and quick processing of the visa so we can leave on time next Friday.   

Another neat tidbit is that the foster family and/or orphanage must have played the lullaby CD we had sent for Hannah.  We turned it on the other night when she was crying before bed, and she stopped crying instantly.  As soon as we play the CD, she settles down right away!  We're so thankful that they played this for her, as it's really helping her to fall asleep, which is typically the hardest part of the day for her.

Picture Captions:
First taste of ice cream (she wasn't so sure!)
Beautiful Shamian Island
Medical Check

China Day 8: We made it to Guangzhou!

We left Hangzhou and took a 2 hour flight to Guangzhou this afternoon.  We will stay here until Thursday, when we leave for Hong Kong and then head back to IL.  It was Hannah's first airplane ride, and I don't think she's very fond of flying.  She did pretty well the first half and fell asleep.  We were really relieved because she had been fussing quite a bit before that.  When we started to descend, her ears must have started to bother her, and she woke up screaming.  There was nothing we could do to help her since she wouldn't take her bottle or any food.  When the flight attendant came over and talked to her, she snapped out of it and stopped crying.  She did pretty well after that, but it was pretty bad for awhile. I asked the flight attendant if she could have a little juice, and they brought us a whole huge bottle for her.  She didn't want to let it go and carried it all through the airport.  It was the cutest thing to see this little girl with a huge bottle!  She's so independent, we couldn't help her with it, but she wants to do everything herself.  She does so well doing things on her own. She is a pro at eating with a fork and even drinks out of cups without a problem.  Since we got to the hotel, she's been doing amazingly well.  She did get into the toilet paper as soon as we got to the hotel, so I had to post a picture of that.  She's definitely going to keep us busy!  We are more in love with her each day!

Picture Captions:
Picture with our guide, Echo
Ready to get on the airplane
First flight
Goodbye Hangzhou
Sitting with Mommy
Carrying her orange juice bottle
Destroying the new room!!

China Day 7: Trip to Wuzhen

I was too tired to post last night (went to bed at 9:30!), so I'll post about yesterday before the princess and Daddy get up.  Our driver recommended we take a trip to Wuzhen, which is about an hour's drive from here.  It is a very popular tourist area because it's a city built on canals.  They call it the Venice of China.  We are so glad we got the opportunity to go, as it was a very unique experience.  We were able to ride on a boat through the canals and walk through part of the town.  The boat driver said that 300 people still live on the canals, mostly old people who have lived there their whole lives.  The government tried to buy them out of the houses, but the people loved it and wanted to stay.  I can't imagine having tourists walking through your neighborhood every day, but the people didn't want to leave, so that's their reality now. 

Hannah slept on the way there, so the trip was easy for her.  She clung a lot to our guide Echo today, which was a little disappointing to us.  It's understandable though since Echo is Chinese and speaks Hannah's language.  After we left, though, Hannah actually wanted Mommy for most of the day.  It's strange how she keeps flip flopping between the two of us, but as long as she's happy with one of us, that's good! 

It's hard to believe we are leaving Hangzhou today and heading to Guangzhou.  It'll be fun to meet up with the other Holt families and see them with their new children.  We have a two hour flight today, so we're hoping that goes well for Hannah.  Maybe she'll sleep the whole time!

Pictures:
She's actually laying on Mommy's lap!
Family photo at the canal town (Hannah did not want to sit for a picture!)
We went for a boat ride through the canals
Several pictures of the canals and houses
Hannah eating a bamboo leaf sticky rice snack that is very common here & quite tasty
Eating shrimp at lunch-She goes crazy when she sees shrimp & eats them whole!  She'll put it in her mouth and then pull out the parts you aren't supposed to eat.  It was so strange to watch her stick it in her mouth-eyeballs and all!
Having fun in the van-Jason was blowing bubbles & Hannah and the little boy in our group had so much fun popping them
Hannah in her swimsuit-we went to the pool, but the water was cold & Hannah wasn't interested in getting in, but she sure looked cute in her swimsuit!  All of the clothes I brought have fit her perfect!
She loves the tub!