Yesterday was Sunny

Yesterday was sunny as we went out and about. We hit the mall and some local stores. Also, all the people appeared back onto the streets. My favorite part was hitting the park along the river. It was great to be outside. Ariana demanded to be on her mom all day, so her shoulder got pretty tired. She is doing a lot of grinning now and doesn't mind the camera as much. Right now she is leaving her mom (sitting on the floor) and exploring the room. Every few minutes she returns to make sure that mom hasn't moved.

I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.

Life has got a lot better!!

Hi everybody!!

Paucity of Blog Updates

Ari seems to have some anxiety that since she let her foster mom out of sight and she disappeared . . . she's taking no chances this time. She will remain in physical contact with this one at every second, waking and sleeping. (She's sleeping up against Michael right now but hasn't noticed, and I snuck away for a sec.) It's a bit tiring. No, it's really, really tiring. But becoming nicer as the crying decreases.

Yesterday was a good day. She ate a bowl of congee (rice porridge) with breakfast, and it is the first solid food that she has eaten more than a tiny nibble. Then, we went shopping and looking around for the rest of the day. (First day since we left Beijing with no rain -- very nice.) Ari loved it: always on the move, new things to see, and strapped to her new mom. She's always a bit cranky in the hotel room, but every night since the first night, she has a delightful, playful spell late in the evening before bed. We got some cute pictures last night that we'll post as time allows.

Right now, I'm gonna try to put some clothes on before she wakes up and my arms are busy for the rest of the day. Whoops! Too late!

Having a good time at Papa Johns Pizza

Okay, she didn't really eat much, but she had a great time shredding the crust and throwing it on the floor.

Finally Guangzhou!

We made it to Guangzhou late last night. This morning was busy with breakfast, visa pictures, and medical appointment. Ari has been pretty cranky. We were travelling with a group of 5-6 families; Ari was the only one to throw one heck of a tantrum on the plane. She wanted another baby's bottle-- not her own! Here at the White Swan, the whole cafeteria/buffet was filled with adoptive families, and we note that Ari is the only single one we could see that refuses to sit in a high chair. Judging by her entitled behavior, and supported by the pictures we had developed (from the disposable camera we sent to her foster family), she has been one endulged little girl so far. Most of her crying is out of temper, not out of fear or anxiety, as much as we can tell.

Anyway, as cranky as she has been, she was a real trooper on our outing this morning, walking in the rain. She even smiled (yeah, smiled) at the camera for her visa picture. She was good at the doctor's visit. The doctor said that the sores in her mouth are because she is short on vitamin C, and Bx (can't remember which). We're supposed to get some at the pharmacy later in the day. (I will research first.)

There is a little girl just adopted named Li Jing, age 9, that Ari really likes. They are pretty cute together.

The Guangxi Museum

We had time to visit the Guangzi Museum today. There are 56 minorities in China, and 30+ of them live in this area. We saw a lot of examples of the daily lives, clothes, music, and culture.

This was a tea shop.

Luck frogs.

Village house. Strongly influenced by Vietnam.

Opera masks.

Intricate vases and traditional painting.

Sleeping area. Had the dragon and the phoenix like many places in Beijing.

Banana tree

Old and older

Covered bridge with 2 layers. The top layer was for people and business. The bottom was for livestock.

Ceremonies

Blooming in winter.


Inside the covered bridge.
Place to store grain.

Smiling at the Museum- Mom is good!

Ari is settling into the ownership of "Mom" and demands that she not leave her sight. We were able to get pictures of her outside by taking pictures of other things, and then eventually her.

Long Day

Ari was extra fragile today. She cried a lot and we did our best to comfort her. After we returned from shopping she cried for a long time until she finally fell asleep. Then she took a good nap for 2 or 3 hours. When she woke, she was in a much better mood. We went to dinner and she did pretty well. Last night we took turns eating. Tonight she mostly tolerated sitting on one of us while we ate.

This evening she cuddled up on me and cried for a while until she held still too long on warm daddy and fell asleep. I thought she was down for the night, but right now she is awake and having a good ole time playing with Lora. She is so sweet when she forgets what has happened.

It's official, Ari hates the camera

Ari has a phobia about the camera. So does the little girl down the hall. I think it might be because when they gave her to us, there were cameras everywhere. She smiles and is adorable, so it is hard to not take pictures. We have resorted to sneaking a few and giving her time. Today we pretty much put the camera away except for a shot while she was sleeping. I've also snuck a few with the phone since it doesn't look as much like a camera. However, she is suspicious of anything.

Legal Parents

Today is Tuesday, and it's about 5:00 pm. We had a low-key, yet important day. The great majority of the day, we have just been in the hotel room letting Ariana run around on her own and get used to us. It's getting better and better as her personality starts to emerge. She smiles and chatters a lot. It's hard for her when she wakes up and is disoriented and afraid.

It's so different to have a quiet little girl after all those rowdy boys. She sits still so contentedly playing . . . NOT!!! She is into everything, is very curious, and pretty noisy. She's delightful. We finally had to strap her into the carrier to force her to be still for just a minute to see if she'd fall asleep. (She did.)

This morning, we went to the notary and the provincial office. At the notary, they asked us to promise to give true answers to all their questions. They asked what year we were married, how many children we have before Ariana, what are our levels of education, why we want to adopt from China. Then they asked if we wish to adopt this child, if we are satisfied with her, and if we will provide love and education. We signed many pages of papers and put our thumbprint over our signatures. Then Ari's footprint was added. The next office, we were asked the same questions, signed and thumb-printed two pieces of paper. Then, the official said, "Congratulations. You are now the legal parents of Guo Si Jing." :) :) :)

The orphanage director gave us a few pictures of Ariana and her foster family as a gift, and we came back to the hotel for the day.

All the rest of the waiting and paperwork is for her to get a passport, a visa, and legally immigrate to the US.

Making friends