18 months....

I feel guilty for not blogging for so long... This week my little girl turned 18 months, but also has now spent more time in our arms than outside of our arms in her lifetime. It is a good feeling. The last few weeks she has turned into a little miss lady. I thought bringing her up exactly the same as our three boys would equal the same results. But no. If we leave home, (even if only to pick Mum up from the train station from work) we MUST have our handbag. Doesn't matter which bag - any bag will do. The shoes are important (she was found a few weeks back in my walk in robe - shoes off, trying on all of Mums...) but she will go without shoes as long as she has the bag...
During this time we have have spent time with Jessica (foster sister) who loves "In the night garden" and Upsy Daisey as much as Jade does! We have been to see Hi-5 live (courtesy of ANZ) where Jade danced for 2 hours straight and then slept for 2 hours straight! We have been to see the renovations of the Poyntons, and most recently have bonded with Uncle Robby who has headed off around the world on a journey of a lifetime at 24... (Only just, as his plane set sail 24 hours before he did !!!!!!!!) Recently we bought a 3 wheel stroller, and she will quite happily climb into it all day... Now it is up to Mum and Dad to take her somewhere in it. She is still very much Daddy's girl.... Unless she has been with Mum >24 hrs - then she switches... :-) The boys continue to adore her - Josh (16) inbetween time for Work, Girlfriend Moni, & study, Liam (13) does whenever he is awake, but Taylor will do anything, anywhere for her without even asking (unless it is a nappy :-). We had our first wee on the potty the week before she turned 18 months!! She eats anything and everything - switching her tastes and preferences at least weekly. She sleeps only once a day now - roughly 11.30am -1.30pm. She loves to draw - and had started to use a pencil nicely, but they were replaced with crayons quickly as she runs around with them. She puts nothing in her mouth that is not food (thank goodness - not another Taylor!!). She talks in baby talk constantly, but if you listen carefully you can understand. She says "Iyuyyoo" (I love you) every day with cuddles now. Rusty is now "Uree" instead of just Dog. She continues to bring such laughter and light to our home. We cannot imagine our lives without her...

Jade turns 1!!

Our precious little poppet has turned 1 on the 17th May... Jade is talking clearer now with "Mama" coming out properly on Mothers Day! She is currently saying "Bububu" for Butterfly as she is fascinated at them all around her room, on her clothes and on her rug. She is so close to walking - with Alex swearing she took a single step between two pieces of furniture. But still no teeth!!
The boys are wonderful with her - they have learnt to make her bottles - but still no nappy changes :-) Jade had disappeared for a second the other day, and I found her in Josh's room - sitting in the middle of his bed bopping away to his guitar playing just for her - very cute.
Josh got his L's last week. Very nerve wracking - but so far he is proving to be a capable and confident driver. He has obviously been watching and absorbing it all for a while.
Taylor was in a play in Geelong that we had to buy tickets to. He played Carson Kressley (from Queer Eye) dressed in a lovely pink jacket and sunnies - he was simply Fabulous!!
Liam and Taylor have an interview coming up with the principle at Kardinia International College - where Josh goes, so we are hoping it all goes well for them, and we can get them in for next year. (Year 8 for Liam and Year 10 for Taylor). We have been very happy with the school for Josh and he finishes up next year - Year 12.
My big news is I have changed jobs - moving out of IT altogether and into the business side of ANZ. I have accepted a 6 month contract and have resigned from DWS. At my age, it is time to start looking at a longer term career than what DWS can offer.
Dad and Chris have been over to stay with us for a terrific week - and they almost could not bear to leave Jade... Mum and Al and the girls Trinda and Dana have already been over (we had a great time at Easter), and my big sister Joy and Dean & their girls Hollie and Meg are coming for June long weekend - I cannot wait!!

Settling in beautifully

Finally a chance to update the blog!
Jade has been with us for 2 months now (she is 11 months old tomorrow) - and what changes we have seen. She could not sit up on her own unaided when we first had her in our arms. With some floor time (not in a walker...) she quickly built up strength to sit, roll and now commando crawl. (She just can't get that belly off the ground :-) She is now starting to pull herself up on furniture and loooooves standing up. Her hair is growing and the bald patch at the back is disappearing. Interestingly, she has a distinct difference in the growth of her toenails. There is a ridge and a change in the nail growing out since we have had her. (Hopefully for the better). She has her paediatrician appointment next week, so I am interested to hear what she has to say about our little poppet.
She eats everything and anything. Her latest great love is avocado!
Words still revolve around "DaDa" with "Do" (for the dog) and "Du" (for her duck). No sign of "MaMa" yet. & no sign of any teeth yet either - top or bottom!!
She goes to an intercountry adoption playgroup in Geelong (more for Dad's benefit) and has started swimming lessons with Alex - she is not really sure about that yet... Here is a picture of her going through the 'shower tunnel'...
We have put together a trampoline for her, and the boys enjoying giving her a bounce. The up and down stimulation is meant to help with attachment, but she does not seem to need that side of it. She is very attached to us and still wary of strangers.
Her first birthday is coming up next month, and I am dreading planning a party while working full time (even if it will be a fairly small affair), but I am sure it will all turn out fine. Butterfly theme, of course!
We were invited a while back to Jessica's welcome home party and it was lovely to get the girls together for the first time since China. Such a precious bond for the girls - 1 week apart in age - first 4 months with the same Foster Mother, and the next 5 months in the same orphanage. Here is a photo of the girls...
I hope to post an update after the big hospital check up next week...
Cheers, Cindy...

The Homecoming

Hi Everyone!

Well this is finally the last email of our journey.

After 22 hours of travelling we finally arrived home to Lara on Monday afternoon.
We had requested a baby bassinet for the big overnight flight, and when we
collected our tickets were assured we had one. However, on boarding we
found that although we had a bulkhead seat, there was no bassinet. Luckily
the stewardess was able to organise a row of four seats for Alex and I, so that
Jade could sleep in the two seats between us. It worked out really well and
she slept all night. The padded suit she is wearing lets her know this is
bedtime, and we continue to use it here, so hopefully we don't get any hot
nights soon. Our flight home from Shanghai was delayed a bit and we just
missed our connecting flight to Melbourne from Sydney - due mainly to one
of our bags being one of the last off the plane. The next flight was already full,
but they managed to get us onto the one after. Sigh. Some quick phone
calls let those waiting know that we would be late.

I was frustrated they did not just transfer the luggage for us between Qantas
flights, but we had to go through customs in Sydney with the bags. My
nightmare of the hassle with 5 suitcases, 5 carry ons, baby and coats etc on
and off planes came true. What a pain. The boys were tired and cranky (as
were we) and we were rushing them to try and make our flight. Not a fun
experience for any of us.

Finally we were on our final flight of this mammoth journey. Jade was on my
lap and fell asleep before we took off on the domestic route, and she slept
through the entire trip and even the rough landing. She woke only when
people started moving about the cabin. As far as she was concerned, people
got on the plane, sat down and then turned around and got off the plane.

It was lovely to be greeted at the airport by Sue and James and one very
excited bouncing Jacqui, with flowers and balloon. It was very special and it
took away the stress of trying to fit us all (and the luggage) into the Prado,
as the Stents were able to take a couple of cases, and Joshua too, who was
eager to beat us home and see Moni.

James also offered to collect my Sister Melissa, Rob and their 2 kids from
Avalon Airport for us, as they were flying in to meet their niece and cousin
and flying out the next day.

Meanwhile, Kim along with some help from Jackie and Jan had decorated our
place with welcome home banners, balloons, cooked up a storm and
restocked our fridge. What an amazing thing to do for us. For the drive home,
I was on cloud 9 - so excited!! Jade looked tiny in her big car seat (still
reversed), and she played happily the whole trip home, as we were all singing
and clapping hands. She is not fazed at all by a racket - just joins in with her
happy squeals.

There were a few tears on our arrival (not from Jade) - very emotional. So
many people have joined in this journey with us, it was lovely for them to see
her arrive home. Sue, James, Jacqui, Kim, Patrick, Jonathan, Benjamin,
Nicholas, William, Jackson, Princess Jazmin ("do I get to meet my sister
Jade today?"), Melissa, Rob, Kelsie and Andrew, gave us all a lovely
welcome home and some lovely gifts for Jade too. We all had something to
eat and drink and then the visitors took their leave, to give us some quiet time
settling Jade into her new environment. It was lovely Melissa and her family
could make it over, as it might be a long time between visits.

The boys all had Tuesday off School, and Josh tried to catch up on some of
his school work. Jade had gone to bed about 11.30pm (8.30pm China Time)
and woke at 9am (6am China time). I was hanging around in her room for her
to wake up, so I could reassure her and show her around her room. She woke
with a lovely smile. We visited the Dr, and he thinks it is best to continue with
the antibiotics she is on until the end of the week. I will give the other
medicines a rest though. We had a lovely day on Tuesday with her Uncle,
Aunty and cousins, (sweet Taylor spent so much time with his young cousins,
playing games and taking them fishing), and they then cooked us a lovely
BBQ and salads, so that we could both focus on just the baby and unpacking
the suitcases. It made our first day home very special. We collected Rusty
the Jack Russell from the kennels, and she is really not sure about him -
prefers to be in your arms when he is around.

Then it was time for the drop off at the airport, before settling Jade again for a
full nights sleep. Today she woke at 7am, when Alex was up with the boys
getting them ready for school, and he put her in bed with me, where we both
slept until 9am. She has been a bit fidgety this morning, and I actually think
she is missing the boys who have been so much a part of her life over the
last few weeks. I can't wait to see her face light up when they get home from
school. Alex has been de-spidering (how quickly they take over!!) with the
vacuum and Jade in a sling. So cute.

Well I plan to enjoy the next 1.5 weeks of leave with Jade, before it is back to
work for me, although things will never really be the same again.

She is a happy contented little treasure who truly does light up our world. It
has been a huge wait of over 4 years, and a real pain to get here, but it is oh
so worth every single moment and so much more. I would like to thanks
those that have been there on this journey before us, that have supported us
through the tough times. I hope we can do the same with families on their
own journeys in the future.

Thanks so much (again) for being part of this experience with us.

Cheers,

Cindy...

Last Day in China

Hi Everyone - apologies for the delay, but I tried to send this from the
Hotel and then the Airport with no luck.

This is Sunday's email:

Well today is our last in China. We catch the bus for the airport at 4pm,
and arrive in Melbourne at 1.30pm tomorrow after transferring in Sydney.

Jade continues to be a delight, but we now remember what sleepless nights
are all about, as Jade has had two trips to hospital and has been diagnosed
with bronchitis. Finally we were able to get antibiotics after they took
blood to check her white blood count. Interesting mix of medications we
have been given after the two visits. We have drops for up her nose, adult
cough mixture, fever medication, 2 kids cough mixtures, anti diarrhoea
medication, and powdered sachets of antibiotics – I need to mix 1/3 of a
sachet of granules with water, quite tricky. Anyway she takes the medicine
like a trouper now, and after 3 doses seems to be improving. I am looking
forward to taking her to my doctor though. The Chinese Dr asked me if
Jade had a rash, and I just mentioned the spots over her that seemed to be
old scars. Again maybe scabies scars, I queried, but no-one seems to
know. The Dr. asked me how long she has had them, and I said she has
had them since the first time I saw her last week, but really I have no idea.
I can’t believe how little information I have on her past health.

She has fared better than her batchmate Jessica, who has been visiting
hospital for drip medication for pneumonia. Poor little mite. But she too is
improving and will be visiting her own Dr in Australia very soon.

We enjoyed our visit to the Zhou Zhang Water Town – China’s answer
to Venice, and where Arthur had his first date with Susan. We had a
lovely day there and the shopping was amazing. The boys helped Gerard
with Zheng Fei who is 4 and who was missing his new Mama who had to
return to Melbourne early. He thought our boys were wonderful and he
hung off their arms all day.

We were looked after wonderfully by the ANZ on Friday. We got to
have a good look at the new office in Shanghai, and Daniel organised a
lovely Shanghaiese lunch with Fang, her husband Mark, James and Frank,
and Daniel even had some lovely gifts for all of us which will be treasured.
We were very spoilt. After lunch Mark then took the boys shopping,
giving Alex and I some hotel time with Jade.

There is a photo of Jade from the 26^th Feb, when she tried to pull off my
red thread and jade bracelet, and I decided to give it to her to play with.
The bracelet was an adoption gift early on our journey from Sue Stent,
and has been on my wrist for almost 4 years without ever being removed.
There is a saying in China that two people destined to be together are
connected by a red thread, and it will never break. Jade and I have now
been drawn together, and I no longer feel the need to wear it. She
seemed very excited by it.

Saturday was Alex’s 45^th Birthday. The Hotel Manager rang to say that
they would be sending up a cake from the kitchen, which was a lovely
surprise for him when he answered the door. I had organised some bird
and flower water colour books for him, sadly all in Mandarin, but he can
see the pictures. I had given the boys some money to get him something
else, but they failed to find anything suitable. So we will have to make it up
to him when home. As I had a bit of an upset tummy, I sent him out with
the boys to enjoy themselves, and they caught the fast train, 431km, to the
airport and back. This was the exact time when Jade’s temp went through
the roof and I had to manage a hospital trip with her in a sling on my front,
my backpack on my back, our coats and medical documents in my hand,
and my upset tummy. While waiting I had to prepare a bottle and feeding
at the hospital, and then get back to the hotel when I failed to take their
card with their address in Mandarin. Argh. I do not know how single
parents can do it.

Later in the afternoon we met up with Fang and her family again, and we
got to go to the Peoples Park where the boys had bumper car and pirate
ship rides with Fang’s daughter Ming. We thought the gardens themselves
were busy but still relaxing. It was funny to see the number of groups of
middle aged+ folks sitting around advertising their marriageable-aged
children for matchmaking purposes. We then went on to the Yu Yuan
gardens with them to finish off our purchases, where Fang assisted us with
the bargaining, and we had a lovely meal of dumplings before Fang took us
back to our hotel. The Bund Hotel, not on the Bund. Tricky.

This morning at breakfast we met Australia’s newest twin Chinese girls
and their parents from Darwin, who have just started their last week of
their journey before flying home. Today Alex and the boys have headed
back to the Yu Yuan gardens, to collect some orders from last night, then
it will be time to pack these 2 bomb sites that are our rooms into 5
suitcases. We are hoping we will not have to organise another China Post
Parcel, but we will see. Luckily we have 10kg allowance for Jade, so we
will be able to be over our 20kg each limit a little.

We are looking forward to seeing those of you that are meeting us at the
airport, and those that are gathering at our place to welcome Jade home.
I know that you will understand if we seem a little tired and Jaded (no pun
intended), but here’s hoping we, and the rest of the passengers, get a good
nights sleep on the plane. Although so sad at leaving, I am really looking
forward to being home again, and getting into our own normal daily routine
with our little one.

I hope to catch up with everyone sometime real soon, and you can meet
our little treasure in person.

Cheers,
Cindy…

Sandi's lovely t-shirts!!

Jade and Yasmin - travel buddies

The Medical

Hi Everyone,
Well we survived the Medical.  After weighing, with
clothes on at 9kgs, and 72.5cm tall and 43 cm head
circumference it was time for the Dr’s checkup of
listening to heart, lungs, tummy, sitting skills (good),
crawling skills, ie.None.  The lady Dr. asked ‘me’ what
the spots were on her tummy & back?  I said I had no
idea, but suspected scars from scabies? They look old,
just darker dots remain.  She thought overall she was
very healthy and happy.
Next came the dreaded Nurses with the blood tests.  They
actually took very good care of her, the two of them
spent ages checking her arms, elbows and wrists for
veins with no luck and then each leg and ankle.  After
about 10mins while Jade was getting quite upset they
finally decided on the Left ankle.  By this time we had
to hold her down, alex and I on the arms and me grabbing
the kicking right leg.  After some horrific screaming at
the pain only a few minutes passed and it was all over.
We calmed her sobbing while Alex pressed hard on the
cotton wool ball.  Once I picked her up the sobbing
stopped and she was giggling again while we dressed her.
The Dr came in to check and couldn’t believe it had been
done, by her smiling face.  We thanked her and told her
we thought the nurses did a great job and showed lots of
care to get it right the first time.  Apparently poor
Jessica was not so lucky having both arms tried before
her leg.  Poor little mite.
We relaxed afterwards as a group at a Starbucks, my
first real coffee in two weeks.  The weather here is
very cold to us around 7-8 degrees each day and down to
0-2degrees at night.  After Nanchang 13-14 degrees it
really shows and we rug ourselves up for outside.  Our
batchmates that have been up North(-17degrees) think we
are funny.
Dad is back in charge of Jade, as he is dosed up from
the Chemist, and the medical is no longer an issue.
Anyway, no photos for today.
We are really hanging out for home now.  We want to get
our Visa and get back to a regular routine.  We will
make sure we do enjoy Shanghai though, as we don’t leave
until Sunday.  The Medical was really our last milestone
and as long as the blood tests get passed in Sydney
within the next few days, we are clear.
Thankyou all for following our journey, I have enjoyed
writing these and recounting our adventures.  It has
saved me writing a journal, as I have sent them to
myself, and will print them for Jades benefit when she
is older, as well as the lovely messages I have received
while we were here.
I will sign off with a comment from Jades Doctor today.
She thanked us with tears in her eyes, for our love that
showed for our child from China, and we told her we
were honoured to have her.  Very heartfelt and moving.
Take care, hug your families,
Cheers,
Cindy…

Arrival in Shanghai

This was written last night - but I had trouble sending...

Hi everyone,

We are in Shanghai and finally together with all our
batch mates - at least until Helen leaves tomorrow.  It
has been great to catch up with everyone and everyone
seems to be doing really well with their little ones.
Although Jessica has been ill with a chest infection,
she is now on antibiotics and should be fine.  Alex is
also coming down with some sort of flu, cough, chest
thing too, and as our medicals for the babies are
tomorrow, he has had to back right off from her in case
she gets a temperature or something and we are held here
for another week.  So I have had to take over everything
for Jade, whether she likes it or not, with some welcome
help from the boys when called on, and she has been
really good with me.  She is starting to love my kisses
and cuddles and little games we have.  Alex will see a
doctor tomorrow if he is still bad in the morning - and
will be trading rooms with one of the boys tonight to
stay away from Jade.  Sandi and Steve's Ming is such a
little 3 year old bundle of energy, and he had the boys
in fits of laughter with his pew-pew-pewing and turning
everything into a gun at dinner last night.
The hotel is fine, after a room change again to once
accommodate our request for a king bed, and although I
had heard stories about how unclean it is, it is a vast
improvement on our last hotel where we could play guess
the stains, on the carpet.
Shanghai is a completely different angle on China for us.
It doesn't have the same feel as the provinces, as it is
a modern day city.  I was surprised to hear that 200
years ago it was not a city at all, but only a fishing
village.
Today we went up the Pearl TV Tower - the 3rd largest
tower in the world after Toronto and then Mexico.  The
boys were amazed to get off on the 263rd floor. What a
view.  It is hard to get your mind around a city of
23-24 million and there is a vast sea of skyscrapers as
far as the eye can see for 360 degrees.
We have seen the celebratory status that Molly and
Yasmin have bestowed on them,but our boys got a taste of
it up in the Tower.  A Tibetan tribe traditional family
asked the boys for photos and kept following them and
shaking their hands.  Especially Joshua with his blonde
hair, and Taylor with his long hair.
Liam was upset that he did not get to dye his hair
before the trip, as he did not gather as much interest.
Very cute.
We have a new guide Jenny, and although she seems nice
and helpful, she is not Coby.  I miss him already, we
all connected really well with him and he adored Jade.
We all gave him a very large tip, and Josh stayed up
late on the last night burning a dvd of all our Jiangxi
photos and video to give to him (he had requested it).
We have his email address and we plan to stay in touch.
I asked Jenny to point out the Raffles City building
where the ANZ is located, and where we are heading on
our first free day on Friday to meet up with Fang and
Daniel. It turns out it is only a couple of blocks away
from the Bund Hotel, about 5 minutes walk, and it can be
seen from our hotel window. Pure luck.  I am looking
forward to see the new office and of course the Comms
Room.
I have been hearing about the best every Chinese
dumplings from a place directly across the road from the
hotel, so as Alex was giving us a wide berth, he went
out to get some for lunch.  Poor guy, went to a place
for locals that did not understand him at all, but he
pointed, and came back with a pack of cold, uncooked
dumplings.  Cute.  We will have to try and find the
correct place tomorrow, Sandi has it on a map.
Tomorrow is the day we have been dreading - the medicals.
This step in our long journey is pretty horrific by all
accounts, but necessary to get the clearance back in
Australia for her to be allowed in.  I just wish they
had perfected the art of gentleness.  Even the guide
said that tomorrow has no plans in the afternoon, as you
will need to stay in the hotel with your very upset
babies. Great.  Poor little soul.  I can see a phobia
of men in white coats coming up. And no doubt I will
have to be the one to hold her down.  Better for Alex
to stay bonded I guess.  Wish us luck!
Tonight we have been told to stay in the hotel, so the
babies don't get cold and sick at the last moment before
tomorrow, so it is off to the Russian Restaurant in the
Hotel tonight.  That should be quite a change!
I will send an update tomorrow on how we got through the medical.
Cheers,
Cindy.

The Last Day of Spring Festival

Another day passes bonding with our little one.  She is
eating everything she can get her hands on and does not
seem to react (so far) to anything she has been given.
We went to the Teng Wang Pavilion today and then for
some Jiangxi Pottery shopping.  We have decided to
chance China Post to send it home rather than their
shipping as the shipping would have cost over double the
cost of the items again.  We will wrap things well in
bubble wrap, and see what arrives unscathed.  I was
recently discussing that broken pottery could make a
nice outdoor garden mosaic, so that will be our worst
case.
We also went to a department store and bought some nice
clothes for Jade for now and this coming winter (marked
down, as it is spring now in China) including the
requisite down jacket.  She looks so cute in it.  I
shouldn’t mention that we also bought a sippy cup and
some grape juice as we left for the shopping in a hurry
and left the baby bag at the hotel.  I got the boys to
join us and bring the bag, and they turned up after the
1km walk also without the bag.  So it was off for a
rushed dinner and taxi ride home to get Jade her nappy
change and bottle that were way overdue.  Such a good
baby though, she only got a little grizzly.
The boys have been a godsend, and I am so thrilled to
share this journey with them.  They are always ready to
pick up the video camera, or still camera or share the
load of the backpacks or shopping, as well as playing
with Jade, and taking over the feeding when needed.  I
really don’t think we would cope as well without them.
She recognises and adores them.  Unless, like she is
with me, when she is cranky, then she wants only Dad.
Today Taylor 14 has been our biggest worry.  Firstly he
also had a bout(thankfully mild) of upset tummy, with
vomiting etcetera, and he stayed home and missed out on
the Pavilion. (Sadly, as they do family snapshots in
full Chinese regalia, but it did not feel right getting
one without him).  Secondly, when the boys stayed back
at the hotel when Alex, I and Jade went to the department
store for baby clothes, I get a call from Josh saying
Taylor had cut himself with John’s leatherman that he
had borrowed for the screwdriver for his models, and
bled a lot, and although it had stopped he had nearly
passed out on the bathroom floor.  We got him to call
reception for first aid, and dashed for a taxi (we were
only a few minutes away).  On our way down the
escalators Irang Josh for an update, and he said they
were not going to call downstairs, Taylor was fine now,
it was a surface cut, and had stopped completely. Taylor
had just reacted to the blood on an already weakened
stomach.  Only one of the hotel towels had really
suffered.  Whew.  Not a nice feeling to be even a few
minutes away when needed.
Today is the last day of the Spring Festival.  What a
time to be in China.  There are literally thousands of
fireworks exploding across the skyline.  We even had
them being lit from the building right next to us.  The
boys had earlier tried to talk us into letting them buy
some for tonight, but after todays accident, I know we
made the right decision to stay firm on that one.
Alex and Josh are walking the street at the moment,
soaking it all up and videoing.  Although we were very
saddened not to spend it with Meng and her family, our
thoughts are with them and her ailing Mother in Law.
May there be better news for you just around the corner.
Tomorrow is a free day for us with shopping and a trip
to China Post, before we start packing ready for our
early Saturday morning flight to Shanghai.
It will be sad to leave Jade’s province but it will be
great to catch up with all the other batch mates from
Victoria.  So with sounds of exploding fireworks filling
the room, and the soft sounds of a sleeping baby, I
will sign off.
Cheers,
Cindy…

In Jade's Home Town

Me again…

Today was a long, tiring and emotional day.  Yichun is
about a 2 hour+ bus ride one way from Nanchang.  We left
after 10am (I had forgotten how much there is to
organise for a days outing with a baby and we still
managed somehow to only take one nappy change).  After
having lunch on arrival in Yichun I was able to take the
Director of the orphanage himself shopping at a local
supermarket with the funds raised by ANZ.  They were
facing a real shortage of Baby Milk Powder, and with the
$400 AUS raised we were able to overfill 3 shopping
trolleys, with lots of Formula, as well as some Rice
Cakes, Fruit and Bread for the little ones.  We drew
quite a curious crowd of onlookers in the shopping
centre.
The visit to the orphanage was started by meeting the
Foster Mother.  We had just found out the day before
that both Jade and Jessica (also being adopted in
Melbourne) were cared for by Foster families from Birth
until 4 months of age (once they start preparing for
adoption they must return to the orphanage apparently). 
On stepping out of the bus, we found they were cared for
by the exact same Foster Mother.  So not only are they
one week apart in age, and spent until 9 months of age
in the same orphanage they were with the same carer for
that first crucial time in their lives.  A very special
bond.  The foster mother had a visible attachment to
Jessica, and there were lots of tears.
Then it was into the babies room.  Oh my.  5-6 little
toddlers walking around. 4 or 5 in walkers and a couple
of newborns asleep in the beds.  They were a select few
of the 20-30 babies currently living there.  We had only
just walked in, and this little darling walked straight
up to me and put her arms up.  Of course I picked her up
(split pants and all) and she started chuckling away and
talking to me.  Coby, the guide, tried to take her from
me, but she reached back for me.  We had a bit of a play
together, and then I put her down.  Straight up came her
arms, so I just had to have another cuddle with the
precious little soul.  At one stage I handed her over
to Sharon, who got a few steps away and back she reached
for me…  She was a hefty little thing and after 10
minutes or so, I needed to put her down, so the only
option was to sit on the floor with her.  At one stage
a carer came and got her, and I was able to walk around
and have a proper look at the tiny little newborns and
the tiny 3 month old in the walker, but she was like a
homing pigeon, and she was quickly back in my arms.  I
finally put her down for some formal family photos with
the Foster Mother, but if you look carefully there are
little fingers holding mine, waiting to be picked up. 
So then it was time for one last cuddle, before I had to
say goodbye to her.  There was much laughter from the
carers, they kept calling me Mama, and Jade her Mei Mei
(little sister), if only it was that simple.  I was
able to find out a little more information about her and
was thrilled to hear that this little 2 year old is
about to be adopted (boy is she ready) in about a month.
She was abandoned at 1 year old.  Very sad.
From there we went to the babies Finding Places at
opposites ends of the city.  Mr. Deng was gracious
enough to guide us through the streets to find the exact
locations.  Very special.  Jade was left at an aged
persons home, and the old men gathered around to see why
this foreigner was taking photos with a baby at their
gate.  I asked the guide to explain it to them, but
apparently his mandarin has changed a lot from theirs.
However, the story must have got through, for as we left
there was a group at the gate, clapping and cheering us
off.
We got back to the hotel at 7pm, tired and ready for a
quiet night in.
We are starting to learn Jade’s little quirks so we can
anticipate her needs.  So far we are bumbling our way
through ok.  She is a delight.
All the boys are getting more confident with holding her
and Taylor even did his first bottle today, although
when she fell asleep in his arms, he had to hand her
over after about 10 mins (how is she so heavy?)
Anyway enough for now.  Tomorrow we are visiting a local
Pavilion, and shopping, and it now looks like we will
meet up with Mengs family late tomorrow afternoon/evening,
which will be lovely.
Take care
Cindy…

Day 2 with Jade

Hi Everyone!!
We had a bit of a rough day yesterday.  Alex was still
recovering, and we had "BinBin¨ in bed with us for the
first night and she got unsettled more than every hour,
so Alex would settle her again.  I was up half way
during the night vomiting and it continued until the
morning. We then had to get everyone showered dressed
and breakfasted and organised and meeting the guide by
8.45am.
Needless to say we were late and stressed, I was sick,
and the boys felt quite harassed. We had a day of office
visits and formal interviews and photographs for visas
and passports.  We were glad to get settled back to
the hotel and we made it back in time for the next stage
of my illness.  Although we still had a room move ahead
of us (our third).  Apparently a King Bed and Non-Smoking
floors did not translate very well.  Saturday night
found us all on a smoking floor, and my asthma played
up and Alex had a rough night with it too.  The boys
did not seem to mind it.  On complaining for the 2nd
time and with a bit of help from our guide, they said
they would get Alex and I a room (twin beds still) on a
non-smoking floor, but the boys would need to stay where
they were for now.
Due to my asthma, and the baby coming we agreed to the
move.  I felt like such a bad mother being 3 floors away
from the boys but they did not mind at all. On Monday
they advised via our guide that we could move to a King
Bed room on the same floor, freeing our current room for
the boys.  We are all settled now, with a cot in our
room and a trolley bed for Liam in the boys room, all
on the same floor, Yay!
Last night, we put Jade into the cot, and she slept
from 8pm until 7am this morning.  We found that she does
get unsettled (some bad dreams? Tosses her head from
side to side, she has a bald patch on the back of her
head), but they are in very short bursts and settles
herself quickly if she is left.  We all got a very good
night sleep!
Today no-one is ill (seems to be a 24 hour thing) and we
went on a bus to visit some 1,000 year old traditional
villages.  It seemed funny to see men in suits there,
but they actually live/work in the city and are coming
home to their family for the Spring Festival.  I bought
some local wine from the villages 4.5 rmb ($1) for
500ml, very sweet, tastes like Muscat.
Apparently constipation can be an issue with these
babies initially, but our first day with Jade gave us
4 dirty nappies so no problem there!!  She is drinking
5 bottles a day and 5 small meals of noodles, congee,
fruit in fact anything we can get our hands on,  She
just loves her food!!  The boys are able to interact
with her much more now and they adore her chuckles. We
had lots of laughs feeding her noodles in the bouncing
bus today as she sucks them up like a vacuum cleaner.
Whenever she wakes from sleeping in our arms, she seems
very happy to see that we are still here, she is not
unsettled at all.
The "clothing police¨ have been out in force today.
She gets squeezed by strangers trying to see how many
layers she has on.  She had a singlet, t-shirt, tights,
socks, one piece padded outfit, Jumper with hood,
Trousers, Coat withhood, Beanie (under the 2 hoods) and
we still get told off all the time!!
Their children are padded up like little Eskimos here,
so we are going out tonight to Wal-Mart specifically to
buy more clothing, and some big padded stuff.  We are
visiting the orphanage in Yichun tomorrow (Yay. We
finally got permission after yet another donation) and
I want them to see that she is well cared for.
Thankyou to everyone who has sent us your best wishes
and congratulations.
Sorry I have not been more forthcoming with my replies,
but my time on the internet is limited due to Joshs time
online, and with everything else going on too.  & Last
night I was just still too sick to send anything.
Cheers,
Cindy
p.s. Alex told me this morning that he had worried that
it would take time to bond with a non-biological child
and that fear has now totally evaporated.
I think you would call it instant bonding!  Even just
talking about how he feels about her makes him teary...

Our wait is over!!

What an amazing day!!  We have one wonderful daughter,
who is an absolute delight! full of mischief and
laughter, who came to us wet and hungry and crying…  She
is currently (as I write this) sitting on the bed with
Alex eating soft rice crackers, chuckling away and
talking baby talk including her only word so far DaDa…
She loves her Panda – and keeps trying to give him her
cracker…  Don't get me wrong - We have had "lots" of
screaming times when she did not want anymore congee,
when her milk was not coming quick enough out of her
bottle, and really – any time that Alex is not in the
room!!  She knows exactly what she wants and she loves
him completely already, and settles only with him…
Which although a large part of me wishes it was me, I am
really thrilled about it, because as the stay at home
Dad it is so important she bond with him…
Poor Alex though has had to be out of the room a few
extended times due to his upset stomach (gastro).
Personally I don’t think it is anything to do with the
food, as we have all eaten the same things and none of
us are ill, but he did clean his teeth with tap water l
ast night…
Taylor and Liam have both had lots of chuckles out of
BinBin (her Chinese Nickname), by playing peek a boo.
She is very smart as she knows exactly where they are
when they hide, and she looks for them…  Her pincer
movements are perfect – she holds onto her cracker with
pointer and thumb – but fiercely – don’t try to take it
away.…
She loved her bath – spashing and enjoying it…  Again
more crying when she came out…  She has these black/blue
marks up her back which we already learned is very common
among the Chinese babies, but we will need to take
photographs to show the kinder teachers so we do not get
accused of bruising her, as this has happened in the
past…  She also has dark dots all over her body and down
her arms… I have given her a coating of scabies lotion
after her bath…  But apart from that she seems very
healthy!
The emotional journey of going to get her was such a
roller coaster!!  I came down to the foyer at 3.45pm and
my heart jumped into my mouth as there was a group of
people with two Chinese babies the same age…  Sharon was
there, and was quick to reassure me they were not ours!!
We had to wait in the lobby for Joshua (get off that
internet please!!  Right now!!) and then Meng and Hong
Shi Yu were not there.  Coby rang them on the way – but
we headed off – for the 2 minute walk up the road to the
adoption centre…  They joined us as we crossed the road…
Crossing the road is dodging the cars in each lane of a
6 lane roadway…  + bikes + pedestrians + horns tooting
constantly – total mayhem really…
With my heart hammering, we nearly walked past the
building but came up to a room full of babies and
waiting parents.  I got tears straight away, trying to
spot our baby Jade…  However, we watched as one by one
the babies were matched with the waiting parents…
Another emotional roller coaster – I was in tears just
watching the 6 of them meet their babies….  We waited
with Sharon and John from Melbourne and another couple
from Kentucky, along with Sharon & Johns, Brother &
Sister In Law and Meng and Hong.  We waited with bated
breath – for any sound of the lift opening (our babies
were travelling 2.5 hrs from Yichun).
We watched as the couple from Kentucky were presented
with their 3.y.o daughter who sadly seemed to be handed
over asleep… & who was very upset when she woke up and
kept calling for her "MaMa"…  Both Alex and I were in
tears…
Then we had to compose ourselves again (after handing
out tissues) when Coby came in to say they were down
stairs!!  Joshua on the Video Camera and Taylor on the
still camera along with Neil made for quite a waiting
media throng…
Jade and Jessica entered – dressed up beautifully in
red Chinese Clothing with White fluffy trim and Red Hats…
Simply gorgeous!!  I did as planned and wrapped her in
her 100 Good Wishes Quilt, but Jade did not settle easily
and started crying quickly…. Meng took her and tried to
settle her, but she tried to reach for the drink of
another baby – she was hungry!!  So we headed back to
the Hotel as quickly as we could…  (We were to leave the
paperwork until tomorrow morning…)  Again across the
traffic, this time with Jade in my sling – no guide
this time to hold the traffic, so Alex was quick to
point out holes in the road and when we could continue
crossing to keep her safe…
So many stares…
This is after a lovely day shopping and spending time in
the amazing Peoples square…  They have massive water
fountains that play in time to music and kites and
balloons and spinning tops… the tops you keep spinning
by whipping them with a piece of string and they are
spinning all over this massive public square…  Taylor
bought one (8rmb - $1.80?) and he and Liam took turns in
whipping it to keep it going…  Although it was happening
all over the square, Taylor and Liam drew quite a crowd
watching and laughing… Josh soon joined in too… They
continue to get an amazing amount of public interest –
especially Josh with his blonde hair… It will be
interesting to see what happens when we have Jade out
in public… Even the walk back to the hotel from the
handover was watched very closely by all…
Time has gone by while I have written this, and I have
stopped to help Alex occasionally with an extra bottle,
or to get some smiles from my daughter – she is not
scared of me, she is happy – but she much prefers her
Daddy…  He puts it down to his small eyes, and his
glasses… (she keeps pulling them off and laughing…) he
thinks her carer must have had glasses…  But I think
she just loves him and it is wonderful to see…
He has had to rock her to sleep and she is sleeping
between us, snoring softly…
She usually wakes at 6am, and we need to be at the
adoption place by 9am, and we have a busy few hours
ahead of us then…
Time for me to sterilise some bottles ready for
tomorrow.
We feel so totally blessed and happy – she is going to
bring much light, laughter and love to our home…
Love, Laughter and Light to you all…
Cindy…

In Jade's Province

Hi Everyone,

I know I said I would not email until tomorrow, but here
goes…
It is so amazing to be in Jiangxi finally, (it’s really
hard to explain how you feel about the area that has
given you such a precious gift…) and what a difference
to Hong Kong and Guangzhou!  The drive in from the
airport showed us our first real glimpse of some China
Countryside, although our guide, Coby, assures us it is
not traditional countryside like we are going to see
later in the week.  Coby seems to be lovely, and we have
learnt so much from him already!

We were really very lucky to catch up with my workmate
Yin’s best friend Meng and her daughter Hong Shi Yu
today in Nanchang.  They are so lovely!
They took Alex, the boys and I out for a lovely meal
this evening – far too much food and a few Ganbai’s as
well!!  We got to try some amazing local dishes
including duck tongues, and they boys were staggered to
find that there is no age limit on alcohol!  Taylor was
the only one of the boys game enough to have a local
distilled alcohol, although they all tasted it.  But
Alex had to finish it for Taylor…  They have also
generously offered to take the boys for Karaoke while
Alex and I cope with the more mundane governmental stuff
with Jade, so they are in for another local treat…

Joshua has been unable to stop smiling since he found
out the internet connection at this hotel is free… And
he now has a webcam and voice connectivity with Moni, so
we may have to make sure we drag him away from his
laptop occasionally over the next week.

The big news of course is the handover tomorrow – 4pm
local time (7pm Melbourne time), and we are thrilled to
have Meng and Hong come along to be a part of it!!  Poor
little possum, I am upset with what Jade is about to be
going through…  And although I hope it is not too
terrifying for her, I am equally sure it will be…

Update soon,
Cheers, Cindy…

Arriving in China

Hi Everyone…

We loove being in China - it feels very surreal after
such a long wait...
We feel very priveleged to be here on such an amazing
journey.  The locals have tried to be so helpful and
friendly...
We caught the train to Guangzhou on Thursday – and
although the boys got very tired of dragging the luggage
on the 5 different subway journeys in Hong Kong before
catching the big train, they were pleased we then had
upstairs first class to spread out a little for the 2
hour journey.  When we arrived though, it was back onto
another subway, and then a 1km walk through teeming
alleyways to arrive at our hotel at 9.30pm.  Smack bang
in the middle of a non-touristy zone - awesome.  We have
spent today shopping, (being hassled), and went to a
local Buddhist temple.  Although we have eaten many
dumplings from local vendors and squid on a stick, I
must admit to giving in to a few Maccas meals for the
boys – and found the McChicken is exactly like the KFC
Zinger!! Hot and Spicy!! 
So far on our journey (mostly Hong Kong – as China do
not seem to have much English) we have seen some funny
names/translations for businesses including “Wrong
Design” (gee I must get something designed there!) and
“Dear Restaurant” (gee I wonder how much it costs?). 
There was a van called “Gastro Food Delivery”, there was
the “Yu Kee Food Company” as well as a new Fast Food
chain coming called “Fatburger” (Mmmmmm…..).  On the
subway in China there were a few laughs from the boys
when reading the rules such as “No Graffiti or
Scratchitti” and “No Hullaballo”.

The air quality is what we expected and climbing 10
flights to the top of the temple today required a few
puffs of my asthma medication.  We bought a couple of
padded outfits for Jade today, and some gloves for the
boys, as well as a webcam for Joshua…  Although the 1
RMB per minute for internet connection at this hotel,
means he will be limited to pre-writing and then just
sending emails for now…  Same as I have for this…

“Emergencies” so far in the boys hotel room have
included a bad blood nose (needing a major cleanup), a
blocked toilet (we gave up flushing), and squishy splat
balls that exploded gunk everywhere.  I wonder what’s
next?
Anyway the plan for tomorrow is to visit the Jade market
 before checking out at 12noon and heading out to the
airport for Nanchang…  Hopefully in time for an early
night to rest up before meeting Jade on Sunday.  I plan
to send another email on Sunday evening to let you know
how our big day went, and send a few photos of our
precious little daughter/baby sister…
Take care everyone,
Cheers,
Cindy…

First Stop Hong Kong

Well - Hello from Hong Kong...

Sorry I haven't emailed earlier - but we had a very
delayed flight in last night,getting to bed about 1.30am
HK time (4.30am Melb time)... (due to cancelled flights
from Melbourne, delayed flights from Sydney, extra
taxiing in Sydney, flying around bad weather and flights
ahead of us taking the "optimum" cruise level for fuel,
meaning we needed to detour to Darwin to take on enough
fuel to actually get us to Hong Kong.) 
What a long long day!!

Today started early with a long walk through the local
older traditional part of Hong Kong, and Taylor & I had
our first taste of the amazing street side dumplings!!
We visited the ANZ Hong Kong branch - seeing first hand
the expansion project we completed last year, and
understanding the expansion plans for this year!
The boys were also lucky enough to be given their first
"Hong Bao" (red packets) for Chinese New Year - very
special! - Thanks Simon!

We then spent the day up at the Hong Kong Peak,
Underground Subways, Harbour Ferries and great
restaurants! We only had two separate meltdowns during
the day (quiet tears) - from the 2 overtired younger
boys - who both went to bed at 8pm tonight...

I have attached a couple of photos - 1 of our family in
Hong Kong, and then some of the 2008 Olympic Mascots.
We had some giggles at wondering what the innocent
mascots were up to in the first photo, and as you can
see they took personal offence at our giggles and they
took their revenge!!

We catch the train tomorrow to Guangzhou - we are only
just coping with 4 big suitcases and 5 hand luggage...
It is going to be very interesting with a young baby and
the extra luggage to come!!

We are all looking forward to Sunday - when we meet our
daughter/sister!!

I will send an email again most probably on Friday night
from Guangzhou...

Cheers,
Cindy...

ANZ to the rescue

I am currently working (via DWS) in Asia Technologies at ANZ. Yesterday (my last day at work for 5 weeks) they held a Chinese New Year Party for a gold coin donation. They raised $100 and donated it to Jades orphanage. Then my boss matched it to $200! & then Senior Management at ANZ matched it again to $400!! Their amazing generosity astounds me. We will be buying quilts and formula for Jades cold affected Orphanage and delivering them this week!!
Today I went with girlfriends to see "Menopause the Musical" - very funny, I cried with laughing - but at 40 it was too close to the bone really - I can see the trains light heading directly my way...
Now back to getting packed for those colder climes...
3 more sleeps until travel, and 7 more sleeps until Jade is with us...