Guangzhou

We made it to our final China destination safely. I would like to say that it was a pleasant plane ride but that would not be so. We were delayed due to the "adverse" weather conditions in Guangzhou, then we boarded and bounced the whole 1 1/2 hour flight to our destination....for those who know me well, I was a mess. Mason-Kate did pretty well on her first flight....she is a squirmy girl so we did a lot of passing back and forth....thank heaven for gummies, those seem to do the trick when all else fails. Colin kept asking if we were going to have to make an emergency landing....Pryce just laughed. Then we arrived at the White Swan Hotel....very nice....probably our nicest hotel yet. We played musical rooms for about an hour....they originally put us in a suite with only one bed....then they moved us to another room only to tell us that we could not stay there....so now we have landed in our final room and it will be our home for the rest of the week. It is rainy here....blah, the views from the room are very nice...two "beautiful spots"....the hotel is next to a river so we have been watching the boats. That is about it really....we are here, we are safe and we will have more to say tomorrow....hope that you all have a happy Easter.

CiqiKou Ancient Architecture Street

Today has been another relaxing day. We slept late and then of course had our one last breakfast with "pomatoes" at the hotel in Chongqing. Then we visited CiqiKou Ancient Architecture Street. It is a very old part of Chongqing and used to be a porcelian town. One thing that I have enjoyed most is just taking in the culture here....going to CiqiKou was another one of those opportunities to people watch and just take it all in. I love seeing the porters transporting their goods and the babies riding in baskets on their parents backs....just classic. CiqiKou is basically shop after shop, food vendors, fortune tellers (even the kind that paint themselves all up), magicians, musicians and there was even a pharmacy. Merchants live above some of the stores. It was just really neat. Then we all came back to the hotel for lunch and time to hang out in the playroom....the playroom in our hotel has proven to be a great getaway for the boys and for Mason-Kate. They meet their daily with Zach and Chloe to get rid of some of their endless energy. Mason-Kate continues to adjust well with us. We watched her pull herself up from the floor last night (we didn't know that she could do that....we knew that she could sit up and we knew that she could cruise around the furniture) and she has started blowing kisses....she also shakes her head "no" and "yes"....the "no" shakes are usually done with an attitude (see pix below) and the "yes" shakes are usually done with a laugh....the boys continue to love her to pieces and enjoy pushing her around in the stroller....she burped yesterday and the boys could not stop laughing....I think she is going to fit in just fine! The locals continued to fuss at me today for her clothing....they all would come up and touch her legs, and then look at me and scold me in Chinese (probably a good thing that I have no idea what they are saying)....I just smiled and kept walking. Tomorrow morning we will leave the hotel at 6am for the airport in Chongqing....our flight is at 8 and then we arrive in Guangzhou at 10....we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here in Chongqing. Until Guangzhou....

MK starting the day; Entrance to CiqiKou Ancient Architecture Street

One of the CiqiKou streets; The boys with our guide Sophie

MK's "no, with attitude" face; Our friends Chloe and dad Tom

E'Ling Park

Today has been a relaxing day....we started off with our favorite meal of the day and decided to eat on the terrace....it was very nice. Colin and I have really taken a liking to the hot tea. Then Ryan took the children to the playroom in the hotel and I began packing for our next leg of the trip....then we took a daring trip on our own, no guide, to the local "Trust Mart"....basically Wal Mart....the walk was nice. Then we went to E'Ling Park. E'Ling Park is located on the tallest mountain in Chongqing....it has beautiful views of the city (when there is no fog, smog) and of the famous Yantzge River....it is also home to the Three Gorges Museum. The museum was especially interesting to us as it shows you just how many people will be affected by the completion of the dam.....I believe our guide said it would affect up to 1 1/2 million people....the govt. has offered them money to move to higher ground.....entire cities will be flooded. Dianjiang, where MK is from, will for the most part not be affected....however, there are some parts of the city that will be gone forever. This will all take place next year sometime. The Three Gorges Museum is also the home of a local artist who paints with his mouth. He was handicapped at the age of 4, both arms/hands were severed due to an electrical accident of some sort. Anyway, we purchased a painting for MK that he painted....he then added her Chinese name and characters as we watched....it was very impressive to see his work. Then we went to a Chinese tea house to participate in a traditional tea ceremony.....I will tell you that Pryce enjoyed his wafers that were given to him while MK had a bottle and the rest of us learned how to drink tea.....it was nice to sample the different teas. Probably the funniest part of the day was watching the boys "bu yao" the street vendors who wanted us to purchase their goods...."bu yao" means "I do not want it" in Chinese....the Chinese vendors found it cute apparently that the boys said this and they would repeat it back to them and laugh....the boys also enjoyed being the center of attention in the park....the locals were out playing badmitton, singing, playing some sort of dominoe like game and dancing....the locals grabbed the boys and danced with them....very cute and the boys loved it. As for Mason-Kate....she continues to adjust to us and ease into her comfort zone....we taught her to clap and say "yeah" last night....she thinks that is funny....she loves to throw herself back and laugh....we like that she isn't walking yet....it gives us an opportunity to hold her more....she continues to love Ryan over all of us but no longer cries when I hold her....she, for the most part, is proving to be quite a happy little girl. One problem though....Mrs Drafts, we need you once again to do the bathing....you seemed to have a special touch with the boys when they were infants and I think MK may need a little of that touch too....she HATES her bath....she screams and it is quite pitiful to listen to. To everyone, as much as you all love waking up to read our blog, we too love waking up to read your comments.....we appreciate your thoughtfulness and support during this time in our lives....keep them coming!

Here's the little Princess getting ready for another exciting day!

Pryce dancing it up with the locals; Colin Drafts, Superstar! (What a smile!)

Local handicapped artist paints pictures and MK's Chinese name with his mouth. Amazing!

The group learns all about hot tea (delicious!); Three beautiful smiles

Local retirees playing games; Kids (all 5) at E'Ling Park

Dianjiang Social Welfare Institute

Today we started out our day with breakfast in the hotel restaurant as we do every morning. This is our favorite meal of the day. There are many choices of food ranging from donuts and danishes to fried rice and baked beans....but, Pryce's favorite thing on the buffet is the "pomatoes"....they are basically the equivilant of a hashbrown cake thing like our order at Arby's....we tell him every morning that they are potatoes and every morning he continues to call them "pomatoes"....so cute. Mason-Kate enjoys her breakfasts as well....she will eat just about anything that you put in front of her....eggs, congee, banana bread, watermelon, oranges, whatever it is, she eats it and then drinks an 8 ounce bottle of milk....Colin enjoys the fact that he can make his own toast and then put whatever type of jelly he wants on it...his jelly of choice has been blueberry for the most part.....so, on with our day....after breakfast we boarded our little bus for the 2 hour trip to Dianjiang. At first it was a little unnerving as we swerved through the mountains beeping our horn....no seatbelts here. Then we relaxed and enjoyed the countryside of China....we saw the magnificent rice patties and vegetable fields....they are so meticulously designed....we saw babies riding on their parents backs in baskets as they plowed the fields....we saw children working in the fields....we saw ladies lined up on a dock kneeling down to do their laundry....we saw water buffalo plowing the fields.....we saw the "porters" (those are the people who tie two baskets to a pole on either side to haul their goods on their backs).....it was beautiful. Then we entered into Dianjiang....Dianjiang is a city about the size of Columbia, SC....not huge by any means but a city nonetheless.....we arrived at the orphanage and were greeted by the one male director....interstingly enough, the orphanage is in a 6 story building but only floors 5 and 6 are the orphanage....the other floors are used to care for the elderly....the boys were most intrigued by the play/excersise equipment they had outside...there were like these little elliptical machines and foot swings....they really enjoyed playing on all of this while we took pictures of the courtyard....then we went up, saw the girls cribs that they slept in during their stay at the orphanage (both girls were put into foster care after their surgery in July and remained there until just one week before our adoption), saw the playroom, saw the bathing room, the infirmary....it was all very much like we expected it to be as we have seen pictures....the orphanage only has about 15 babies to care for at this time....there were some little tiny ones too, they looked to be only a month or so old.....there was one room that we were not allowed to go into because the babies in there were said to be in very bad health.....Dianjiang is a fairly small orphanage. I asked who found MK and they did not know but suspect that she was found by these two elderly men who live there and act as the "guards"....after our tour of the orphanage, the fun began....the director took us to lunch. We walked to the restaurant and honestly the walk through the city is probably what I enjoyed the most.....just seeing the people and their way of life (I even saw the "split pants" that children use for potty training in use right on the street)....and of course we got a lot of stares and scoldings for not having MK totally covered in clothing (again she wore a dress)....anyway, the restaurant....well we went into this very nice place and entered our own dining room.....there were about 6 men who were all somehow associated with the orphanage....they proceeded to offer us rice wine right off the bat....blah....Ryan said it tases like grain alcohol minus the grain (and then they proceeded to toast to Ryan and Tom throughout the meal, hmmm, I think they liked watching the American guy's expressions as they drank the wine).....so then the food part....well we started with cold food, not sure what but I was told it was like an appetizer....there were about 4 different dishes....the food was all placed on a lazy susan and the officials would turn it to what dish they wanted and then take a bite, right from the dish....let us just say that the "no double dipping" rule does not apply in Dianjiang.....blah....needless to say, I ate nothing except rice that came separtely and this steamed bread that was an individual serving.....I was thankful to have MK sitting with me so it looked like I was too busy to eat....Colin, of course, ate some soup and Pryce, well, the pictures below will tell you what he did.....Ryan continued to drink his rice wine and sample the different dishes....so, then came the "we need to change a diaper moment"....Ryan had made a comment that MK had not had a dirty diaper yet just before we left....well, of course, it came at the restaurant.....so, I jump up and say that I will change it because that gives me yet another opportunity to look too busy to eat.....well, they don't have changing stations like in the US....I am directed to go into the "wash closet" which is a "squatty potty" station....ugh.... the diaper got changed but I am forever scarred....then we came back to the hotel....MK has had her best day yet with us....she has been much more comfortable with me holding her....while at the orphanage, a nannie tried to get her to go to her and she leaned into me....that made my day....she has laughed a lot (especially when the boys are running around wild)....she loves to play peek-a-boo, she loves to look at books, she imitates us a lot, she pulls her bow out and then tries not so successfully to put it back.....she is a keeper! One final note, Colin came back from our trip to the orphanage and his stomach was hurting....he seems fine now but please pray for us to stay healthy....can't wait for you all to meet our family of 5!

Starting the day; Entrance to the Dianjiang Social Welfare Institute

MK and Chloe; The boys getting a workout; MK with another orphan

MK and Chloe's cribs; MK in the play area

Dianjiang city street; Lunch

Pryce showing what he thinks about lunch; The Infamous Squatty Potty!!

Chongqing

Well today we actually got to see some of Chongqing with the sunshine. It has been pretty foggy and wet since we arrived on Sunday and I think it is supposed to be foggy and wet the rest of the week....but today we lucked up and received one day of sun. We took full advantage of it and started out our day with a trip to the Chongqing zoo. We mainly went to see the Panda bears.....and there were a lot of them....baby Pandas, mother Pandas, male Pandas and they were all doing something different. Some were sleeping, some were playing, some were eating....they were very cute. I think Colin was most fascinated with the slide that was in one of the bear's areas....it looked like one from a child's playground and Colin asked our guide if the Pandas really play on it....she says they do at times but we didn't stay long enough to find out. The boys spotted a "scarey" ride, much like a haunted house at a fair in the US....of course, they wanted to ride it and I kind of wanted to know just what a Chinese haunted house was like....so we went....it was fun, at times it would get very dark for a moment and we could not see where we were going (I don't like that kind of thing) and it was at those moments that I would wonder exactly what I would do if the thing broke in the middle....I mean, it isn't like you can scream "help" around here and people will come running....they would not know what I was saying....but, alas, we made it out in one piece and the boys loved it! One interesting fact about the zoo is that it is located in the middle of city.....it was strange to see the giraffes whose living area was overlooked by several high rise apartment buildings....kind of like living at Disney's Animal Kingdom. After the zoo trip, we went to an actual Wal Mart...not WuMart like in Beijing, but Wal Mart....probably the most amazing thing in there was the "seafood"....every kind of fish dead or alive, packed in ice or not....then just past the seafood were the chicken feet....it was disgusting....they were just all hanging out of this metal bin....the boys were told they could purchase a toy there....right off the bat, they spotted this ginormous 747 jet....Ryan told them they could not have it so they came to me....I couldn't resist....they have been so good and they are in love with 747s....so we got it, now how it makes it back to the US is another story....after Wal Mart we came back to the hotel for a few minutes to gather our passports and then we were off again to do the final paperwork in Chongqing....so, at this moment, it is official our little Mason-Kate is officially ours....we signed on the appropriate dotted lines, took a pix with her and off we went....something I found interesting was that while we were doing the paperwork at the Civil Affairs office today, I saw 2 women and 1 man holding this baby girl....I assumed she was there to meet her forever family because they were all sitting on the same couch where we first met Mason-Kate...anyway, I asked our guide and she said that the baby was being adopted by a Chinese couple....I asked her if they were allowed to choose what area of China they wish to adopt from and she told me that recently the govt. has been trying to encourage the Chinese to adopt their own children so they allow them to actually pick an orphanage where they want a child from, go there and choose a specific child and then they proceed with the adoption....an interesting tidbit on Chongqing....Chongqing is very mountainous....we were noticing yesterday that there are a lot of shops built back into a mountain....our guide told us that those shops were originally built as bomb shelters to protect the Chinese people from the Japanese....just a little unsettling....on another note, we got attacked by the clothing police today....MK was wearing her Clemson dress.....legs were showing....oh no....several women in different places came up to me, they would rub MK's legs and tell me "no"......it was kind of funny to see how puzzled they looked over the whole "bare skin" legs....MK has had a good day today....she slept well....we hope this will continue....we were told that she slept with her foster mother while in foster care....uh oh....she has begun to tolerate me....she doesn't like me persay but she tolerates my existance....she does not like strangers one bit....she loves bananas....she loves to eat....she is a chunky monkey....tell Nannie that I finally have a child that she doesn't have to worry about whether or not they are getting enough to eat....the boys love her....Pryce has said several times today that he "loves this little girl"....Colin and Pryce are big helpers with playing and pushing the stroller....she is very strong and loud.....and she is high maintenance....I think the last two basically describe the so called "spicy girl" temperment....by the way, not sure if I mentioned it or not but the Chongqing girls are called "spicy girls" and they are known for their strong personalities....uh oh....tomorrow we visit the orphanage. The orphanage will be a special place for us to see....MK was found on the front steps when she was only a day old and it is where she spent the majority of her first year of life...enjoy the pix.

Spicy Girl Is Here

We have our daughter and baby sister! It was all so surreal. This morning we all met in a room inside the hotel and did today's paperwork. Then we waited for what seemed to be forever (about an hour). We were very glad to have the Mohr family with us during the wait....we all talked while the boys played and it took some of the nervous feelings away. We then boarded our little mini bus to go to the Civil Affairs Office of Chongqing....again, we are glad that the Mohr's were with us....Tom Mohr just kept saying "it is all good" and I think I am going to have to stick with that....when we arrived at the building, I asked Sophie (our guide) whether or not the babies were already there....she said she thought they were....it was just unreal knowing that our little girl was 14 floors away from us....when we got off the elevator you could hear the nannies talking to the babies very loudly (that is their way I think) and then we rounded the corner and there they were....both girls were standing against a couch eating some sort of chips or something, they each had their own bag....they both looked curiously at us....Chloe took off walking around and little Mason-Kate went back to eating....MK then sensed something was up and took off to the nannie as I spoke to her....she was scared of me....Ryan then approached her and wouldn't you know that she took right to him....she loves him....many Chinese babies like the fathers much more than the mothers at first....what we know about our girl - 1) she loves Ryan and the boys but could do without me (2) she has a great belly laugh (3) she is very playful - her favorite game being "see how far I can throw something and make you pick it up" (4) she has a loud cry - Ryan left to go change money out for tomorrow and she was not a happy person....she even cried out for "ahmoo" (i know that isn't spelled right but it is "mommy" in chinese) (5) baths are not her thing but she loves it when there are no clothes on her body (6) she has us wrapped already! We are still anxious about it all.....she is precious though! We are off to the hotel playrom for a pizza celebration....would love to hear from you all! We love you and can't wait for you to meet our girl!

ps we also know that she can sleep through pryce almost falling into her crib! he loves to climb in the large window and that happens to be right where the crib is....yikes!

The Mohr family and MK playing with Chloe

Hot Pot

Last night we enjoyed a traditional "Hot Pot" dinner. To say that it was spicey doesn't even do it justice....it is HOT!!! The table has a pot in the middle with oils and spices, one part of our pot was supposed to be mild and the other was supposed to be hot....they were both spicy but the outside pot definitely had that burn going on after you put it in your mouth....Pryce took one look at the pot and promptly curled up in his little "sleep on the go" position....this is not uncommon for him. We really did enjoy the food....we have especially come to enjoy the fried rice (quite different from the US version) and the different hot teas to drink. Coke in my world is a thing of the past (not really, but for now the tea works). We love Chongqing so far....it is quite different from Beijing. There are a lot of hills and it is more green. We are now able to read your comments on our blog....in Beijing it wasn't possible but now we are able to bring them up....we love hearing from everyone! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. In a few hours we will meet our guide to do paperwork....then we will go to the Civil Affairs office to get the girls at 2pm. YIPPEE! Pryce just came in and said, "I can't believe today we get to meet our baby sister"....his parents can't believe it either!