Gotcha Day continues...

Day 5
Yes, we know we have been out of touch for a while!  The past two days have blurred together in a mass of movement and activity!  Most importantly, we are getting to know Anna Mei.  She is an absolute doll, that loves to sit and play.  Mostly she loves to climb on Daddy, beat him up a bit, and then giggle herself silly.  We are realizing how deprived Anna Mei has been since she has only been bottle fed (yes, she is 2 and being fed baby formula).  Her facial expressions, hand gestures and body movement are so beautiful and so insightful.  She is a beautiful little girl deprived the basic necessities in life but her spirit is strong and full of life.  She reminds us every second on why we made this decision and why this journey has meant so much to us...she needs us so much and we are realizing how much we need her.

Photos from days 5-6

(If you can't see the Flash slideshow above, click here.)

Day 5 began calmly.  Anna Mei slept in until 7 Am or so.  The boys are still up around 5, but play with their games in their room until breakfast.  Down to the hotel breakfast again.  She will take her bottle from us, but sometimes is grumpy and refuses.  Anna will NOT eat anything solid.  Tiny bits of mashed banana made her crazy mad.  Everyone else ate well, and we were back to the room to pack.  Chris took the boys to the pool.  They said that while it was indoor, it was FREEZING.  Even the hot tub area was cold.  Anna Mei was exhausted from the past few days, and fell asleep for a long morning nap.  We needed to grab lunch before meeting Mrs. Li, so we walked across the street into the mall area.  There was a sushi express with lots of little plates of suishi and terriaki going past the tables.  We took all we wanted.  I think Christopher counted 15 plates!  The best news of the meals was Anna Mei finally let some rice in her mouth, and then had a great time playing with the sticky rice on her fingers.  The total bill ended up being a bit more than $10.  Crazy cheap.  We feel like Bill Gates.

So, Mrs. Li was ready to take us on another tour, this time to Heaven Temple.  This is a large public park at the entrance.  Here we saw a large group of senior citizens doing gentle stretches and exercises in unison and chanting.  They were clapping and chanting, "We exercise today, we exercise for our health (in Chinese of course!)"  Then we walked to this long alley where along the entire fence, one game of poker after another was being played.  There were probably 50 groups of about 6 people engaged in poker games at once.  Betting is illegal, so this is just a nice way for the elderly to pass the day.  They were selling their version of a hacky sack and the kids love them.  They are plastic feathers with a rubber bottom and tin in between for sound effects.  They were a whopping 10 RMB (1.75 us dollars for all 3).

Into the Heaven Temple itself, we learned this is where the Emperor himself would come to pray at the moon/spring festival.  The long walkways were for the special dignitaries to watch his procession to prayer.  He would be expected to fast for 3 days before this long walk.  We felt the long walk ourselves carrying Anna Mei, and after the past few days. The coolest part was the final outdoor prayer area where all sets of stairs were sets of 9, and the rings surrounding the stone upon which he would pray went out in multiples of nine.  The belief is that there are nine layers of heaven.  Symbolism of the sets of nine has been everywhere in our travels.

After the heaven temple, it was back to pack some more.  This was a tough time for Anna Mei.  This was her most fussy.  She liked walking the halls, but after a while, even that did not help.   We rallied and headed out to dinner with Mrs. Li and her husband.  They are a very sweet, kind couple.  We tried many different dishes, but Anna Mei was having none of this.  She screamed her way though the first part of the evening.  Then, something Wil ate brought hives to his face.  Chris wanted to wait it out, but an overly tired mom would have none of it.  Not willing to take any risk here in China.  Mom gave him Benedryl.  Within 10 minutes Wil was asleep in his chair (but hive-free!).  The restaurant we ate at was over 160 years old.  The walk back to the hotel carrying both Anna Mei and Wil felt like it took about that long.

The kids collapsed, and we realized there is no question this girl is battling an ear infection in her left ear.  Easy to tell from the grinding of her fist deep into her ear, amidst lots of crying.  We decided it was time to use the pharmacy we brought with us!  Some infant Motrin, and a dose of Amoxicillin later, she was on the road to happiness.  We also discovered what we thought was her body temperature, was absolutely not.

Fever gone, we are on to getting her to eat!  The very sad truth is that for the first two years of her life, this girl has been fed baby formula, and a little bit of rice cereal.  Her caregiver said she would sometimes get mashed fruit.  Her body size is tiny.  She is not walking.  Only standing holding on to things, and she scoots more than she crawls.  The good news.  We were right.  They are "smart eyes" we saw in those pictures.  She is coming out of her shell more and more every day.

Day 6

Anna Mei is a good sleeper (yes!).  She is much happier this morning and we are continuing the medications.  Our final breakfast at the Beijing Hotel, and off to the airport.  Today is all about flying to Guangzhou.  Everything going through the airport went smoothly, and we boarded our flight without much trouble.  Our seats were scattered throughout the plane, but the airline stewardess was fantastic and sat us mostly together.  The plan was for Anna to hang with mom.  She decided this airline thing was not for her.  She screamed even while were still boarding the plane.  After walking around with her and trying just about everything we could think of, Dad bit the bullet and took over.  She kept crying long enough that Chris actually went into a bathroom for a while just to try to give everyone's ears a break.  Finally, she fell asleep.  Daddy slept with Anna Mei sleeping on his belly the rest of the flight.  Mom hung out with the other boys and played video games.

We met our guide easily at the airport, and had an easy ride to our new hotel.  The Victory Hotel.  The stress of the past days and the big city melting off us as we see a cute, quiet town, a nice clean hotel with both wifi and a water filter at the sink.  Life is getting easier.  Anna is getting easier.  We walked to a playground and let off steam, then went to Lucy's diner.  Lucy's was the diner I read about online that all adoptive families come to love.  The big cheeseburger and fries was rejuvenating.  Anna at off a spoon for mom some chicken congee (mushy rice with chicken stock).  We left full, smiling, and walked to buy some better formula for Anna Mei.  Home to bed.  The beds are small, but comfortable.  The rooms are small, but clean.  Day 6 ended as a very good day for all of us.

Gotcha Day...

How do we even begin to describe our journey to Anna Mei?

The day began early again, as we all still wake by 4:30 most mornings (though Mom had a very restless night...something like a five year old child trying to sleep on Christmas Eve).  A good breakfast and it was into the bus for the 4 1/2 hour drive to the capital of Hebei, Shi Jia Zhuang, to the provincial office to meet Anna Mei.

Photos from today

(If you can't see the Flash slideshow above, click here.)

One important note about the driving here.  Our driver would frighten even the most hardened New York Cabbie, as would every other driver on the road.  At any given intersection bikes, scooters, traffic and people weave in all directions.  The cultural tendency of not respecting personal space applies to cars as well as inches separate the movement of cars.  We found it best to keep our eyes in the car as much as possible as our driver liked to move through the many manufacturing trucks with inches to spare, and no driver hesitates to drive on the shoulder of the roads.  One note, the boys were fantastic on this trip.  Christopher worked on his poetry homework, Alex listened to music and played games, and Wil drew pictures for Anna Mei of our family.  We had another few rousing games of Old Maid as well.  So anyway, we arrived alive, a bit early for our 2 PM appointment.  We were told we would need to wait.   Still waiting for the person in charge around 2:30 our guide had an angry conversation with someone in the main office on the phone.  It seems the woman we had an appointment to see was home today with an emergency, and there was no plan to replace her.  Fortunately, she was able to persuade them to have another colleague come over to help us.  By 3 PM we had been fingerprinted, our documents checked, and our answers were sufficient as we promised to care for all of Anna Mei's health, education, and welfare needs.  Anna was running late, so we sat to wait.

The photo with her on her caregiver, Mrs. Li's lap is our very first interaction with Anna.  She was nervous, but did not cry.  She let me hold her and was very interested in her new brothers.  We were introduced to her as Ma Ma, Ba Ba, and Ge Ge.  Mrs. Li sat and answered our many questions.  She was kind and you could see she cared about Anna.  We learned though that their were 80 babies in their baby section of the orphanage, and we are quickly seeing how she has learned to sit and entertain herself with her fingers.  She will sit, lick her fingers, and mark her territory so to speak with her hand.  She will touch things, then put them down and taste them off her fingers.  She was treated as a baby at the orphanage and at age two is still almost primarily on bottles and very little solid food. We have the world of food to introduce this little girl to!

Our favorite moment of the day came when she met her Daddy.  Within minutes they were playing a game with his mouth and she let out full belly laugh.  The laughs continued as we discovered on the ride home that she is very ticklish on both her belly and her feet.

She is absolutely beautiful in every way.  She is happy, smiles, interacts with the kids and us.  She rarely fusses.  On the long drive home she became afraid of the lights of the cars shining in and making designs on the ceiling.  She cried for a while, but was able to be comforted by mom and by Kai Lan playing on the ipad.  You know us DiMedio's...technology to the rescue!

There are so many other details to share, but we are starving now and need to head out to breakfast.  We will continue to share, but please know, she is happy, healthy, and we are all already completely in love with her.

United with Anna Mei

Happy Birthday Grandmom! We are thinking of you…

Another early morning for us, and still a bit stiff.  We were warned the beds in China are firm.  It's something like sleeping on a box spring with no mattress.  Breakfast at the hotel with eggs, kiwi juice, and even hot dogs and baked beans.  Crazy mix of foods.  Wil has a few "pet" fish in the Koi pond which he swears he has trained.  When he holds out his hand they come over to him and come to the surface.  Met Charlie, Debi and Ed's son, and he is a doll.  After 45 minutes of crying after his caregiver left, he has been a happy, content little 18 month old cutie.  You should see the looks we get as we "Americans" walk down the street now with a chinese baby BOY.  Alex is still the most requested "photo", but all the boys took more pictures with overly friendly strangers today.

Photos from today

(If you can't see the Flash slideshow above, click here.)

Things are hectic at the hotel still because of the Chinese Government Convention.  The same convention had the entire Tian An Mein Square closed down and guarded by armed guards today.  We saw the square and Chairman Mao's photo as we walked through crowds into the Forbidden City, an amazing complex of open corridors and ornate rooms designed only for the emperor and his wives.  We could also see clearly where much of the gold was scraped off by the British Soldiers during the British Occupation.  Chris can not get over how "cheap" everything is once we convert from Yuan to Dollar, so he is filling our bags up quickly.  The kids are also getting great practice at division as they try to calculate the prices of everything (divide by 7).  On the way out of the city we were mobbed by venders selling everything, and Chris soon became an easy target.

We said goodbye for a few days to Mrs. Li and the other families while they headed to their children's provinces, and happily headed into the hotel for an afternoon "off".  The kids most wanted to hit the indoor tennis court, so we went and played as a family.  Sooo fun.  They also have two squash courts, a bowling alley, billiards/chess rooms, and a professional style ping pong room.  Maybe we find the indoor pool another day.  We decided a simple american style meal in the hotel was the easiest bet tonight, and went to Outback Steak House, where Wil proceeded to fall asleep on the table and eat nothing.  Jet lag is taking a toll and he slept until 4:30 this morning.

We all tried to turn in early today, because the big day is tomorrow.  We head out in our little bus for a 4 1/2 hour drive to the capital of Anna Mei's province.  At 2 PM we have an appointment to meet Anna Mei with her caretaker and the orphanage director.  We hopefully will have some time to talk before we leave them and head to the notary and passport offices to finalize the Chinese side of Anna'a adoption.  We then jump back on that bus with our new little girl for the long 4 1/2 hour drive back to Beijing.  I am more than a bit nervous about how those first hours on that bus ride will go, so we have been preparing and overpacking for the trip.  Hopefully the next entry will have some photos and good news to report.

We climbed the mountain…

After our early start, we were starving by breakfast!  The hotel breakfast had donuts, OJ that tasted like Tang, and plenty of the good old american eggs, bacon, and cereals to keep us happy…plus congee, lo mien noodles, fried rice, and dragon fruit!  Mrs. Li marched us off to the Great Wall today.  What an awe inspiring sight.  To think it spans about 6,000 miles over these rugged mountaintops, and it was built stone by stone centuries ago.  We climbed straight up steps that make Rocky look like a real wimp, but coming back down was even more scary.

Photos from today

(If you can't see the Flash slideshow above, click here.)

Then off to lunch and a stop at the Jade Factory! We watched the master carvers turn dirt covered brown lumps into white and green works of art.  All the boys picked out a jade piece to match their chinese zodiac year; Christopher, dragon; Alex, snake; Wil, monkey (All so fitting, no?)  Anna Mei was not forgotten, and scored a jade pendant representing the ox, her birth sign.  We could not resist the temptation, and a new smiling buddha will bring love, luck and prosperity to all that visit our home and rub his tummy (Buddha's, not Chris's).

On to the Summer Palace, where Wil did NOT buy into the idea of "no rest for the weary".  In his defense, he is fighting a sinus infection since the plane ride, and it was about 3 AM back on US time.  While others walked along the lake, Wil and Mom rested on a rock enjoying the scene.  We made a few friends as the locals here have no hesitation about walking up and asking to take pictures with us, especially the boys!  Alex was the star today, as he gained the attention of quite a few young giggling chinese girls which had no problem coming up and asking him to take a picture. That is not to say Chris and Wil were left alone. I think most of their stranger "picture counts" today were above 5.

We thought we'd drop when Mrs. Li pulled into the silk factory, but we are thrilled we did!  Two silk comforters and a chinese silk outfit for an older Anna Mei later, we walked out knowing how the silk worm grows, makes a cocoon and dies in 25 days leaving a single silk thread that can stretch out the length of one mile. Very cool.

We had to hurry back to the hotel as Ed and Debi from Philly were supposed to meet their son for the first time at the hotel tonight, but traffic did not cooperate.  A LONG ride through insane traffic, a 2 minute stop to take a photo of the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium, and they arrived a bit late for "Charlie" and his caregivers.  It was amazing to witness the beginning of a new family, knowing that Monday we would be doing the same.

One note about the photos, you will notice we had to travel as far as Beijing to find nice weather.  It was "sunny" and about 68 degrees all day.  Notice the sky in our photos.  That is as sunny as it gets here.  That is a permanent smog settled over the city.  Mrs. Li mentioned that all factory work was shut down for days before the Olympic games to let the sky clear up.  As soon as the games ended, it was back to business and polluted airways. Craziness!

Thrilled to be back at the hotel, but knowing we had to eat, Chris ran to one of the many KFC's we have seen in China while we showered up for bed.  Worst KFC food we have ever had, but best choice for tonight.  Everyone collapsed in exhaustion (leaving me in peace to write this).  Tomorrow: Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, and an afternoon to ourselves to enjoy the hotel pool and indoor tennis court.  One Day until Anna Mei.

We arrived in Beijing!

[Note: Chris and Tiffany are not able to make posts at this time inside China. Anna Mei's Uncle Greg is serving as guest blogger and making the posts.]

And what a trip it has been so far!  We woke early in Thursday morning at home, did our final preparations, said goodbye to the dogs, and we were off to the airport in a car by 8 AM.  A minor hiccup 5 minutes from home when our driver bumped the car in front of us while coming to a stop in New Hope!  It could only be blamed on the enormous amount of weight our family combined with our luggage created!  No damage, and no delay.  The kids got a start on their homework right away in the car on the way to the airport, and have already begun writing in those journals! Newark airport was quiet, and the plane got off on time.  Thank god for individual video players on every seat back, as the entire 14 hour flight experience was completely entertaining for everyone in the family.  A networked poker game between all the boys on the video monitor was a highlight.  Only Wil slept a bit, and Chris and I got a few cat naps, which the boys would live to regret later!

We met our guide, Mrs. Li, as well as the two other families traveling with us in the airport, and boarded a bus for the Beijing hotel.  This is when the fatigue began to really set in.  It was 4 PM on Friday, China time, and no hope of sleep was in sight as Mrs. Li discussed getting rooms, exchanging money, and going out for a Peking Duck dinner.  With a minor room mix-up (they wanted to give us our "adjoining" two rooms on separate floors) we had it straight and headed up.  Our hotel is filled this weekend with Chinese dignitaries from around the country, so all rooms are full, and there is tight airline style security at all entrances!  Well, within the first 5 minutes of being in the room, Wil managed to get himself locked in the bathroom.  He could not turn the lock back to get out.  So, now the crazy American family has to have a guy at the front desk come up to rescue our son from the bathroom.  Those of you who know Wil, know he handled it just fine.  No tears, and he found humor in the situation right away.  Sooner than mommy did, I'm afraid. 

The day was not over yet! Time to go to dinner!  We walked Wang Fu Jing street to "the" place to have Peking Duck.  We are told every president and traveling dignitary goes to this place.  The duck itself was outstanding, and we enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Li and the other families.  Unfortunately, Alex fell asleep at the table, Wil dropped his glass of watermelon juice and it smashed on the floor, and Christopher nearly threw up at taking one bite (I think it was the exhaustion), and then fell asleep with his head on the table.

But the day was still not over!  Upon getting back to the room, we were ready to crash, but the kids had their second wind!  I thought I'd lose it!  OK, I did.  Twenty five hours into the day, we finally fell asleep. 

…writing this at 6 AM…we've been up since 4 AM.  Wil has been up since 2 AM China time, and we found him around 4 AM sitting in his bathroom surrounded by his math homework pages and a set of crayons.  Too cute.  But we all feel rested and excited about the adventure ahead!  Today: the Great Wall of China, and the Summer Palace!

Packing...

We are in the final days before our big trip. Our dining room table is full of tiny little toys, travel blankets, so many medications, and our favorite snacks for the plane ride and the hotel.  Now to get it all into as few suitcases as possible...

We fly out early on Thursday, and will spend the first few days adjusting to "China Time" while our guides show us the Forbidden City, The Great Wall, The Summer Palace, and the site of the recent Olympic Games.  Then Monday it is an early morning, and we drive the 1 1/2 hours to Anna Mei's province capital where the orphanage director will meet us, with Anna, to officially complete the Chinese portion of the adoption process.  From our meeting forward, Anna Mei will never leave our side.

We will be in Beijing a few more days before we jump on an in-country flight south to Guangzou.  The last week of our trip will be spent at the Victory Hotel while we complete the necessary medical appointments and paperwork for the US Consulate.  Anna Mei should become a US Citizen on 3/22 and we will be on a return flight to the US on March 24!

A very heartfelt "Thank You" to everyone.  There has been an amazing outpouring of love and support for every one of us.  For all of the stories of what we need to see and pack for China, and all of the very positive descriptions to my sons of how great it will be to have a sister in the house, thanks.  Thanks so much to our kid's principal & teacher's for the extra help and support for the trip,  our fabulous house sitter, our dedicated dog sitters, for the many hours of "adoption therapy" offered free of charge by our dear friends, and for everyone that offered to help us out along the way!  Anna Mei, we can not wait until you get a bit older and can share with you how very much this entire community is excited for and anticipating your arrival!

This morning little Avery Michalowski (age 2) was asked, "Are you going to have a playdate?"  Her reply, "Oh yes, with Anna Mei!"