Our China Trip

What a little food and a lot of love can do ....

2007-08-22T09:43:00.001-07:00

Here is Alyana.

At 19 months, she is a beautiful , healthy and happy little girl ( touched off with a little spice, of course).

2007-02-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." Ancient Chinese Belief

Hi Everyone,

I have been working on this slide show for a few days however, Photoshow has not been very cooperative.I think I have finally managed to get some clips together.

A month ago today we met Alyana for the first time. She was a scared, tearful, hot and undernourised little girl. In one month she has managed to gain 2 pounds and has moved from not being able to sit up on her own to almost standing by herself.

Amazing really!

We can't imagine a day without both of our children. Aly and Ben bring so much happiness into our lives.

We are very lucky.

Hope you all enjoy the photoshow.

View full size

2007-02-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

This crib has waited a very long time for this little girl !

We're Home and Planted ......

2007-01-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics of Alyana's homecoming ......

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Ben and Alyana getting to know one another.
He is wonderful with her and she thinks he's pretty awesome .....

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Alyana asleep in her nursery

A picture that we've been waiting to post for a very long time.

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So, that concludes our journey to Alyana.

At times it seemed like this little one was never going to get here and then all of a sudden, there she was.

More beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

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" Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away "

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Our "Gotcha" moment with our little angel. She was a little sad and confused for a while.

Hello from New Brunswick!!!

2007-01-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hey all! We made it home!! So great to be in our own beds. Alyana is doing great and big brother Ben is doing awesome. Mom and Dad are still jet lagged but coming around. Lots of folks at airport to meet Miss Aly - Thanks for the fabulous greeting! We will post some more pics of the home coming tomorrow (after we find the cable in all the unpacked goodies) to give you all a look at Aly's first few hours at home. Thanks for following along with us on our trip and for all the kind words you sent our way while we were half way round the world.

Ciao for now,

JP, Andrea, Ben and Alyana.

Make your own | Click to play

Greetings From Toronto .....

2007-01-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

That's right ........we said Toronto .....your eyes are not playing tricks on you ......

Daddy and Aly waiting for the flight home

Departure Board Schedule

So ................

If a picture is worth a thousand words than the one BELOW says it all ......

Jet lagged and weighed down with luggage JP, Aly and I boarded a shuttle that took us to the airport very early this AM ( 3 hours to be exact).

We figured we might as well hang out and wait for our flight instead of waiting at the hotel.

Just 40 minutes before we were to board, this is what the departure board had to say ..........

We are now back at the hotel and are getting ready to have a snooze, afterall, it's past our bedtime in China.

Hotel Life, ya gotta love it .....

This is hotel #6 ( in the last two weeks)

Keep your fingers crossed that we get home tomorrow :)

Private Message for Ben:

Hey Bud, we will be home just as soon as the airplane can fly. You have fun tonight with Jude and we will call you later today !
Love you loads !

Toronto is a beautiful Canadian City!

2007-01-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone !

Never thought we'd be so happy to get to "the Big Smoke" ( a.k.a Toronto) .

We touched down at about 3:20 pm local time and Miss Alyana did fabulous on the flight.

She stayed up a couple hours past her bedtime (so much activity) but when she went down she slept for about 6 hours! She stretched out over one and a half seats while her Mom and Dad crammed into what little was left of the third seat.

We got to the hotel inToronto at about 6:30 pm and all of us were sleeping by 8:00 pm. So, despite the fact that it is currently 2:00 am and we're all up (jetleg is great...) we are doing really well and can't wait for the final leg of our journey later this morning ( around 8 am).If the snow holds off in NB today we'll be touching down at 11:05 am.

We are really excited to see everyone but "jumping-out-of-our-skin" excited to see Benjamin.

Here are a couple more pics for you to have a look at while we get ever closer to our own comfy beds.

As we have said before, this has been an amazing adventure and we are thrilled with our sweet daughter.

A few ladies having a chat while they wait for their bus.

We won't miss this!

The NB'er's waiting in Beijing airport for their flight home.

Our flight's on time !

Mom and Aly enjoying the flight.

We're over Canada ....hooray !

So close ......yet, so far away.

Momma and Aly preparing for touch down in Toronto.

(you can see how much the pressure change with descent bothered our girl)

First sleep in Canada.

Getting rested to go see her brother tomorrow.

2007-01-17T02:24:00.000-08:00

This is one our last posts from China.

Wow, what a great trip ( although JP reminds me that it's not over yet- the airplane ride will certainly be memorable that is for sure !!).

We are looking forward to returning home and can't wait for Ben to meet his new little sister
( pox in all). We are sure that she will fall in love with her big bro right away.

Alyana is beginning to feel better. One of the people traveling with us is a MD so she had a good look over on Aly today and figures she is on the mend.

She still is cranky and continues to have a fever though.

Oh well, we'll break down the 13 hour flight to Toronto into 1 hr "bite size" pieces ( in other words, each hour that passes with bring us one hour closer to home).

Just in case, however, say a little prayer for us .......:)

If we don't get to post again, we want to thank you all for joining us on our journey to Alyana.

Your posts in the guestbook have meant a lot to us.

We can't wait for you to meet our daughter. She sure is awesome.

Despite Montezuma's Revenge , Chicken Pox and teething, we wouldn't trade her for the world.

She is, we wholeheartly believe, the little girl that we were meant to welcome into our life, our home , our family and most importantly our hearts !

Last Private message to Benjamin: Bugsy Boy we are coming home really soon. While we type this you are on your way to school and in only 2 sleeps you get to come meet us at the airport! We are really proud of you for how well you've looked after Jingles and Fletcher while we were away. And we are even more proud of how well you've behaved for Judoo and Jessie. We love you zero beyond!!!

This was the extent of Aly and Momma's sight seeing the last two days

This is Miss Aly's last night sleep on China soil ( at least for awhile) .

2007-01-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks !

Alyana is a sick little girl today- she has the pox, teething and has a cold on top of all of this . She is quite cranky and feeling miserable. Who would blame her ...

It hasn't been that long ago since I had a bout of chicken pox so I can kinda understand the hell she is going through.

We are trying to keep her comfy, hydrated and occupied. It's a two person job today.

It been a tough few days for Miss Aly. We can't wait to be home.

Not to rush the trip but there is nothing like your own comfy bed on days like today.

She's even a CUTIE when she is all broken out ........

Poor sweet girl !

2007-01-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

Hey all. A couple shots from yesterday. JP's stress day. He learned that if bartering was an olympic sport, the Chinese would be a shoe in for the gold medal. Armed with a shopping list as long as his arm he went off to do the haggling while Momma kept Aly safe indoors while she exploded with the pox. Yesterday was her toughest day but already today part of her happy self is coming back to life. Not a minute too soon as we're fast approaching departure time. Can't wait!

JP heading off to a day of shopping.

This picture doesn't really do the pox justice. They look a lot worse in person. You really can't touch any part of her body without feeling the bumps. Poor Alyana...

2007-01-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Afternoon in China ....

While Aly Cat rests I think I'll post a few more pictures as I have lots of time on my hands today.

It sure was great chatting with Ben today. We called him at 6:30 am and he was just getting his bath for bed. He is a little under the weather today. Let's hope it is because he is tired and not because he is getting sick. It would be awful to be so far away from our little man if he is sick.

Jude is doing a great job with him and we are so thankful that she took on the job of playing , in Ben's words, weird Mom for him the last 2 weeks. I hope JP finds something special for her while he shops today ;).

Despite Alyana and her pox, the trip has been one of the highlights of our lives. The country is awesome, so much to see and so much to do, it is overwhelming. There is something to look at at every corner. Unusual food, sights and smells. We hope to return when Alyana is old enough to appreciate it.

We are travelling with a wonderful group of families from all across Canada and 4 of them are from NB. Soon these little girls will return to extended families all over Canada that are anxious to catch their first glimpse of them. They have yet to experience all the love that is about to be showered upon them.

Yes, we are lucky families , that is for sure !

Interesting Picture-Old and New
Part of the Forbidden City

A street sweeper-notice the broom

Bicycles are everywhere here ( although becoming less common everyday as people prosper)

This one is for my TEAM
The Chicken Made It !
Hooray !

Triplet Boys

We met these boys , who were quite wired, by the way, at a restaurant a few days ago.
God Bless their parents !
They loved the Canada Flags that JP gave them .

Summer Palace Picture

A bicycle repair lady who set up shop on the street corner

but this picture .......

this is the best picture from China ......

Miss Aly Cat!

As you can see, she will fit right in at the Sketti table on Sundays-yapping with everyone else.
Oh yeah, and don't worry about the sketti being too hot Grammy.
She is a spicy girl after all !

Yippeee - We're Cleared for takeoff!!!

2007-01-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone !

Good news, we are coming home as scheduled! (Friday the 19th of January).

Can't wait to see our Bugs! It's been a long time without him.

Alyana has broken out EVERYWHERE with chicken pox. Poor girl!

Mommy and her are staying home today while JP goes shopping. He's looking a little green just thinking about it *hehe*.

It might be just as well that JP shops today as he is a better haggler than me.

Here are a few more pictures ....and ....here's a picture of our Poxy Girl for you all to enjoy!

Even with everything that she has been through this week, she's still pretty happy, most of the time.

Here is a picture of Alyana at her medical for immigration
( he is checking out her rash)

A smiling chicken pox baby

JP haggling at the bottom of the GREAT WALL
" You're Killing Me"

2007-01-14T21:35:00.001-08:00

Still working on getting these pictures out there over the www. The hotel charges by the hour for internet usage.... hmmm...

** Private message for Judoo... you don't have to tell Bugs about the next part yet. Wait until we are sure what is going to happen**

So, we went to do the immigration medical for Miss Aly today. Just when we thought our spate of bad luck had run it's course, we find out Alyana has chicken pox. Well to be more accurate, it was confirmed that Aly cat has the pox. A few of the babies have it. That's not the most troubling aspect... We're still waiting to see if they'll make us stay longer in the country to let the ilness run it's course. This has us a bit bummed out to say the least. Not that we're not enjoying the sites and culture (Montezuma included), we just really want to get home to our Bugs. Anyway, we should know more later today about our fate on this front and really it is completely out of our hands at this point. We just have to hope the doctor will allow us to jump on the plane on Thursday as scheduled. We'll keep you posted for sure but it could mean we have to wait until Sunday to leave China. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Here are some more pictures we managed to get up loaded.

Ciao for now.

Cool shots from the Great Wall of China

Yes, the chicken made the trip. Here's the proof ( notice the backpack)
Could this chicken be responsible for Alyana's pox?? Hmmmm ......

Sometimes I'm happy Aly hasn't taken to Daddy as much as Mommy!

Yes, there is even a roller coaster at the Great Wall

You take your life in your hands when you ride it but it was very very cold and the babes had had enough !

Miss Aly sporting her lovely new hat that Daddy bought her at the bottom of the Great Wall.

Mommy and Aly safe and sound in the comfort of their hotel room after the bus ride from %^&$!

Happy In The Hotel

2007-01-14T14:03:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Montezuma's Revenge Day .......ooops .......we mean, GREAT WALL DAY !

Gosh, we are really having trouble uploading photo's ...we'll keep trying.

Here are a couple from yesterday minus the pit stops at all the squatty potty's in Beijing and surrounding area.

That is one experience that I do not want to re-live, that is for sure.

I will, however, post a picture for those of you of the infamous "squatty potty" that I have become quite aquainted with since arriving in China.

Nice, huh ?

Packing for the GREAT WALL ( yes, Miss Aly came too!)

After months of waiting, we made it to this historic site !

The Squatty Potty- An experience I will never forget !

14 Jan 07 - Great Wall (... and Montezuma's Revenge) Day.

2007-01-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

How is everyone today? JP here.

I'm blogging tonight because Montezuma had his revenge on my beloved.

Picture a bus full of Canadians going down the highway in China and my Bubber with "abdominal issues." If you've never been to China, well there isn't a Tim Hortons or Wendy's on every corner of the highway to run into and use the facilities. Our tour guide and bus driver sprinted into four different "outlets" to lead the way for the sickly blonde Canadian to find her way to the "squatty potty" (literally). And to make matters worse, our little angel still hasn't warmed up to Daddy enough to let Momma out of her sight...

Lots of fun.

We thought the plane ride was to be the "highlight" of the trip. Anyhow, we're back in the comfort of our beautiful toilet-equipped hotel room and our little Miss Aly is sleeping like an angel.

Before all this, we did manage to visit the Jade Factory, Friendship Store and the Great Wall of China.

Once again having trouble with uploading pictures.

Will keep trying.

By the way, my Bubber is feeling better now that she's off the $^%&*% bus.

Pictures from yesterday (13th of Jan).

2007-01-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

A few pics for all to see.

Geez, we're taking so many it's hard to choose the ones to show...

This is the crew of folks that we are traveling with and their new bundles of joy.

At the Beijing Zoo

Peking Duck. Outstanding!

Miss Aly at the Summer Palace looking more wintery than summery...

2007-01-13T04:37:00.000-08:00

Good Evening from China !

We are having trouble tonight sending pictures to blogger so here is a quick update and then we will bid you all goodnight.

Today was a very busy day and Alyana handled it very well.

It started with more paperwork and pictures of the babies ( for immigration, I think). I dunno, I have lost track of what we are doing and am only following the crowd. It's probably has something to do with the fact that we are simply enamored by this lovely little girl ....

We did the "tourist thing" today and went to lunch at a restaurant that specializes in Peking Duck. Beijing is known for this meal. It was very good and we enjoyed it with the entire crowd.

After lunch we boarded the bus and went to The Summer Palace ( Yiheyuan). It is a lovely spot in Beijing and is surrounded by beautiful hills, a lake and has many lovely hand painted temples. We took lots of pictures so make lots of time for our slide show once we return.

Tomorrow at 9 am we go to the Great Wall.

We can hardly wait ........

Yes, finally, we will be standing on the Great Wall and our daughter will be right there with us.

It's surreal ....

Hope all is well, we will see you in a few days !

Love to everyone at home and especially to Bugs ! Gosh, we miss you Bugsy !

January 13th ( IN AM)

2007-01-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Good Morning !!

We are back in Beijing after one looooooooooooooooooooooooooooongggg flight from Changsha about 8 pm last evening.

We have 3 words to sum the trip up .......we will use the censored version for the sake of this blog.

Here they are: " Gimme a double !".

Yes, we failed the " test run" but we are hoping that it was the time that we were traveling -8 pm is hard on a little baby !

We are now settled into our room and hoping that Miss Aly has a good day. She has a bit of a cold and was up very early this AM. What a trooper ! She has been through so much this week.

JP is feeling better, no need for antibiotics and we are now ready to take on the sights and sounds of Beijing. This city is enormous and we can't wait to hit the markets ( well, Alyana and I can't anyway) :)

Here are few pics of our day yesterday ( bet you wish you had have been there, huh ?) .

The last one is a pic of the birthday girl !

Happy first birthday sweetheart ! We'll have a big birthday bash for you in your new home.

Private Message for Ben:

Hey Ben, We are 6 sleeps away from seeing you. We are getting really excited. Alyana can't wait to give you a big hug ! We miss you soooo much and can't wait until we are all together again.
Love you lots,
Mommy and Daddy !

Dinner at a nearby restaurant ( with the gang)

This meal cost $4 dollars (a litre of beer included)

At the Airport

Birthday Girl !

January 12th/2007 ( mid morning in China)

2007-01-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

A few more pics.

Alyana is down again and JP and I are just packing for Beijing. We are trying to condense our bags into a few and adhere to the weight restrictions for in China flights ( 20 kg /person). This means getting rid of some things that we don't need. So far so good.

Here are a few pics of the hotel,the lobby, our packing experience ( you will notice that one suitcase is about 16 pounds heavier than before we got here ), a pic of Miss Aly sleeping and one with her with a spicy noodle in her chops ! She gobbled a bunch down for breakfast ....she loves noodles .... which means she will love sketti Sundays !

Make sure you make lots Grammy!

2007-01-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 12TH/2007 ( AM IN CHINA)

Good Morning !

It's 4:50 AM here in Changsha and JP and I are up roaming around and Alyana is snoozing.
She was up at 11 pm for a bottle and has been "racked out" since then.

It's not surprising as she expends so much energy throughout the day. We wish we could capture in a picture just how busy this little girl is. She has gone from not being able to sit on her own or able to roll over to ....... look out ..........rolling from one end of the bed to the other like a steam roller and babbling like a drunken' sailor. We are in for it .....again ! *hehe* Yesterday, we introduced her to banana flavored rice cereal and she just about came off my lap into her bowl that her Dad was holding. She gobbled it down and smacked her lips the entire meal. We couldn't stop laughing.

It is very nice to see her thrive. She is now getting used to her Daddy and is actually allowing him to hold her. For the last few days she has only wanted Mommy to hold her. This is common and is a very good sign as it shows that she is already attaching. Yulin, our agency host and mother hen, scolded a few young Chinese girls yesterday as they kept coming up and grabbing the babies from our arms. They love these little girls. It is an unusual sight to see all these families with babies from their homeland. Many people are very curious and will come up to you and want to ask questions or want to touch the babies and hold them.

We are doing well. JP thinks that he is coming down with a cold ( lets hope not). There are a few people in the group that have gotten sick. Thank goodness , Miss Anal Retentive, brought the pharmacy with her. If he continues to be symptomatic then he will start on the antibiotic. The others started with cold that quickly settled into their chests. The air quality in the hotel is awful and leaves your chest feeling terrible all the time not to mention a metallic taste in the back of your throat.

We will leave you with a few posts to start your evening. Have a great snooze and we will post later if we can. We leave for Beijing at 4:30 pm ( AM yours) so as you are brushing your teeth and getting ready to start your day we will have landed in China's political and cultural capital. One step closer to the Great Wall!

Thanks for the notes in the guestbook. We love reading all of your entries. It feels like you are all here in China with us.

Kisses to Bugs ( 6 more sleeps until we see you)

PS: George, JP wants to know if you need us to bring you back a pillow from China ?

Enjoy the Photos:

Here is a hodge -podge of photo's from the week .......

The clothing Alyana had on the day we met her. The temp was 8 C that day.

Look at my teeth ( I also have 4 on the top)

Paperwork !! Paperwork!
We were so jet lagged this day that our guides had to repeat the directions to filing the necessary paperwork several times.
YEAR,MONTH,DATE- did she say ? YEAR, MONTH, DATE?
I can't remember ...let's ask her to repeat ........

This is called multi tasking ...baby in one arm and chopsticks in the other. This couple is from NB ( Mark and Lisa and baby Emily). This is their first baby. What a terrific couple !
Not too bad with chopsticks either ( do you think they have been practicing ?)

What a sweet face !
What do you think she is thinking about ?

This baby is cruising through the streets in Changsha by bus !
There is soooo much to see.

We posted this picture for Grammy and Aunt Mar-mee as we know how they like their tea.
We think that we could rig something like this up for the next sketti feed.

It's a tea pot with a very long spout.

Suppose I could slip one into my purse without anyone knowing ??

January 11th ( in the evening)

2007-01-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

Good Evening from Changsha !

It has been a rainy day but we managed to tour a few spots and have a traditional Chinese dinner. Imagine what it is like to eat with a one year old on your lap and use your other hand to maneuver chopsticks. I think I managed get more on my lap than into my mouth. What I did manage to consume was very very good ! The best food ever !

As for Miss Aly, JP and I have decided that we have the "live wire" of the group. Alyana does not stop moving ....and when she is not moving she is grabbing. She is one busy lady that is for sure!

Today we visited the embroidery factory, it was very interesting and the artwork was amazing!
We even had the chance to watch the ladies at work.

Here are a few shots of the day.

Walking in her squeaky shoes

Alyana in the Playroom of the Hotel

Alyana ( prunes/cereal face)

Our Chinese dinner

In the Embroidery Factory

This was hand stitched ( it's Flethcher)

A garden at the factory

Private Message for Ben:

Hi Bugs ! Hope you had a good sleep. It's 4 am your time and Mommy and Daddy are just about to settle down for the evening. We hope you had good dreams. We miss you lots . Tomorrow Mommy and Daddy and Alyana take an airplane ride to another city and then after a few days we will get on another airplane to come home to you. We can't wait to see you at the airport. We are going to give you a big bear hug !!!!!

Love you lots, Mommy and Daddy XOXOXOXO

PS: How is Fletcher and Jingles ?

January 11th ( AM in China)

2007-01-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!!!

We had another great sleep and are ready to take in the sites and sounds.

Alyana is beginning to feel better and had a big poop ! Hooray !
Many of the babies have trouble with constipation when you first get them. I guess it can be expected with all the stress they are under. That is a lot to take in for a little baby. New parents, new words, lots of stimulation ......

We are going to head to breakfast and then out to take a closer look at the ferris wheel. We want to get some great pics for Bugs! Then we head to the embroidary factory ...hmmmm ......what shall we buy ?? :)

Hope all is well at home.

Here are some pics,

This little girl is a one ball wrecking machine !

But isn't this face worth it ?

January 10th ( in the evening)

2007-01-10T03:51:00.000-08:00

Just heading off to bed but thought I'd post a few pics of our day.

It was warm today , around 10 C, and we boarded a bus that first took us to lunch, then on a short shopping trip ( bought some squeaky shoes) and then to a 1000 year old University. The people of Hunan are very proud of this university. It was very interesting and had many beautiful gardens. It was a peaceful, well enjoyed trip and Alyana handled it like a trooper. She is teething like mad and has had a few meltdowns but managed to allow us to get through a yummy dinner tonight and actually dined herself on a dish of spicy noodles.

Tomorrow we are heading to the embroidary factory and for some more shopping. It's hard to believe that we will leave in one more day for the last part of our journey.

Friday's airplane trip will be a test run for how well Alyana will handle the trip home.

Here are a few pics,

Bus Ride Back to the Hotel

Alyana with a newly adopted NB'er

Trying to Walk

Ancient University

A little boy with his Mom ( notice how warmly they dress the children)

Private message for Ben:

Dear Bugs, We love your blog. It is soooooo good to see your face. We miss you so much. We will be together as a family in 8 sleeps so hang in there. We will bring you some treats back. Hope you like the books Mommy left for you.
Kisssssssess and Hugs from Mommy and Daddy and Alyana.

Thanks Jude and Jess for taking care of Ben , he looks like he is having a great time with you both.

January 10th (Date in China)

2007-01-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Good morning from China.

We're up early again today. Alyana slept from 7:30 pm until about 5:00 am - yeah!

She is still "under the weather".

She has 6 teeth and is cutting more. At this rate she will have a full set of chompers before we get home.

We are going to head down to breakfast soon and thought we'd post a few pics.

JP with the orphanage director

Getting a big hug !

In deep thought ....

The best big brother ever!!!

January 9th

2007-01-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

We are lying low in the hotel room today because Alyana is cutting teeth. She is not a "happy camper" so we decided to forgo the group dinner tonight. She has just settled after gulping down a big bottle of milk. We actually had to cut a hole in the top of the bottle so that the flow would come quicker. She honestly downed the bottle in about 2 minutes.

She is now quieting down for the night so I have a few minutes.

Here are some pics of the area so you can get the idea of what we are seeing on a daily basis. The city is approx. 2.2 million. It is large, quite crowded and quite polluted. There is construction EVERYWHERE. The entire province of Hunan is approx. 65 million people. It is known for spicy foods and embroidary. The little girls from here are often referred to as spicy girls and are known for their "determined" personalities. :)

The people are lovely and are very interested in our group that are toting around these little chinese babies. The only thing that we have found unsettling is the act of crossing the road. We went for a short trip to a market the other day and we had to cross a large intersection, honestly, for those of you that will come to China in the following months, crossing the road is a matter of life and death. It was one of the first warnings that we had from our agency rep. She advised us to follow a large group of local people if we plan on crossing any streets. The cars will not stop and will drive around you as you are crossing.

We haven't gotten out to explore very much as we have been primarily spending time with Aly. Tomorrow and the next we will venture out for some shopping although most of our shopping will be done in Beijing. We will return there on Friday after we get Aly's passport.

So without further delay, I will post these pictures of the area that we are presently in.

2007-01-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

Official Adoption Day

Today ,Tuesday, January 9th/2007

We offically became a family of 4.

Alyana and 10 other Chinese orphans found their forever familes. We are now recognized by the Chinese government as parents to these beautiful little girls. There were lots of smiles today.

Here are a few pics.

We hope everyone is well at home. We miss you all and we miss Ben so much. Thanks for watching over him.

Ben this is a private message for you - Thank you for being such a good boy for Judy and Jesse. We will see you in only 10 sleeps!! We've been looking for Chinese Surprise Bags to bring home but we haven't found them yet. We'll keep looking. We've told Aly what a terrific big brother you'll be and she smiles when we talk about you. Can't wait to see you Buddy!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A message to big brother from little sister!

Taking a foot print of Miss Aly to make her an official Bungy!

These ladies include the ophanage Doctor and two of the Nannies that cared for all the babies. Vey sweet people who obviously care for these little girls!

Thanks to everyone for your kind words from back home. It really makes us feel connected to home.

Gotcha Day

2007-01-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

January 8th/2007

Hello Everyone from Changsha !

Ok ....scroll down to the bottom of the page and then come back up here to see what we have to say.

After 17 months of waiting ....

Alyana is here with us. We are doing wonderfully. The last few days have been a blur.

Yesterday, Jp and I boarded a bus that took us to the Adoption Affairs building where and we along with 11 other couples met our forever babies.

I cannot explain the emotion that filled the room. It was unbelievable.

The Youxian babies were last to come and of course, we received Aly last.

You cannot prepare for this moment , I swear!

Aly was dressed in several layers of clothing, hot , flushed and very frightened. She couldn't grasp what these funny looking adults with huge grins were doing looking at her and of course, she began to cry.

She settled down quite quickly and was gigling away in her crib in about an hour. Despite teething and a rash to go along with that wonderful process she is doing very well and appears healthy.

She is a bit small for her age however, after she gets home to some good home cooking she'll fatten up and begin running after her big brother in no time flat.

This crib waits for a little girl (Only minutes away from getting Miss Aly).

On our way to the Hotel to start our lives together.

First sleep with her new mom and dad looking over her.

This ferris wheel is right outside the hotel. We're on the 26th floor and we look up to see the top of the beast! It looks pretty cool in the daylight but at night it is fixed with tons of flashing neon lights (great for sleeping...).

Beijing

2007-01-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

We made it!! But, we're exhausted. I got a wee bit of sleep on the plane but Andrea didn't sleep at all. She's excited to see Miss Aly tomorrow.

Here are a few pics of the trip across the pond. One is the aircraft we flew on (this is for Ben). The others include our first view of China, one of us at the beginning of the journey (you wouldn't want to see us now- we look really realy tired !!) and the last is our first dinner with our travel group in the finest Chinese tradition - hot pot.

Time to get to bed so we're bright eyed and bushy tailed when we meet our little lady tomorrow. Lots of love to all of you and especially to our Bugsy.

Will post lots more tomorrow !

Vancouver ...

2007-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

We have made it safe and sound to Vancouver. We left Fredericton with overcast skies and landed in B.C under the same conditions.

The flight was terrific and now we are heading to dinner to meet a few of the travel group.

Tomorrow we fly to Beijing at 12:30 pm and will land 11 and a half hours later.

We will post pics as soon as we can.

Thanks to Jude for looking after Ben. We miss him lots already !

Thanks too to Georgie for taking us to the airport.

Holy smokes we see Aly the day after tomorrow !!

Miss you all ( especially Bugs)

Checking In

Ready, Set , Go ...........

2007-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

We did it, our bags are packed and we are getting ready to hit the hay.

Tomorrow we will board a plane that will take us to Vancouver and, after one night stay, we will board yet another plane that will carry us around the world to a little girl that has waited for parents since she was 12 days old.

Tonight as this little person lies in her crib, she has yet to realize that she has a family in Canada who await the first glimpse of her little face, nor does she yet realize that this family has fallen in love with her already and cannot wait to hold her, nurture her and guide her through life.

Many people have told us since we began this process that she is lucky to have us, but to be truthful, it is we who are the lucky ones.

Our family welcome this new addition.

We cannot wait for the next chapter of our lives to begin.

I'm glad you are all along for the ride.

Packing .....

2007-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

It's a slow process .......but we are finally making some headway. Here's hoping that we come in "under weight".

Some of these bags will remain in Beijing and will not fly with us to Changsha.

Can you believe that most of these items are for an under 20 pound little girl ?

The rest of the goods are all the medicine that we have to take with us ( Gravol, Perscription meds for us and for Alyana, pepto bismo, immodium ( gee, there is a theme here), throat drops, nix creme, lice shampoo, advil, and the list goes on and on .....). We hope to not need anything we have brought and we can leave it behind. We have heard from others that have adopted from this orphanage that the children are generally healthy. If she is ill, however, we will be prepared though.

As for us, we are taking a small amount of clothing , a laptop and camera. The backpack ( seen in the pic) converts to a stroller and will come in handy when we tackle the Great Wall and visit the markets for some serious shopping.

We have been advised to be prepared to haggle over prices .....

I hope there will be lots of room left in the suitcase on the return flight :)

Trip Schedule

2007-01-01T05:42:00.000-08:00

January 5th/2007:

Fly to Vancouver airport.

Have dinner with our travel group and stay the night.

January 7th/2007:

Up bright and early to fly to Beijing

Beijing Airport

January 8th/2007:

Flight to Changsha

Meet this sweet little girl ( for the first time) in the afternoon......

January 9th, 10 and 11th :

Adoption Paperwork, spend lots of time getting to know Aly etc.

January 12th/2007:

Fly back to Beijing

January 13th/2007:

Visit the Beijing Zoo

January 14th/2007:

Visit the Great Wall

January 15th/2007:

Visit to Summer Palace

January 16th:

Visit the Silk Market and the Indoor Market

January 17th/2007:

Visit Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City

January 19th/2007:

Arrive Home and Give a Big Kiss to this little man !

and of course, introduce him to his new little sister.
Hooray !

2006-12-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Alyana's Nursery ....

Here is a quick video.

Soon she will be snuggled up in this crib.

2006-12-26T10:00:00.002-08:00

Welcome Everyone!

This page will provide Ben and everyone else back home a glimpse of our trip.

It will also contain the first few moments of the day we finally get to hold Alyana in our arms.

It has been a very long wait and we want to thank family and friends who have waited along side of us.

This little girl doesn't have any idea how much love is about to surround her in just a few days.