Last day in Guangzhou

We have been busy packing this morning because we leave early tomorrow for HK. Today we have the ceremony at the Consulate and everything is finally over - except the looooong plane ride home. Last night we had dinner with about 6 other families from our group - it was very good. Tonight we will probably go out for Thai. Molly continues to do very well - still demanding constant attention and as long as she gets it, she is the happiest baby in the world. The second I get busy doing something else she begins to fuss - so far, no nap today - we took a little walk to an Internet cafe with the hope that the walk will entice her into a nap! We bought several more pairs of squeaky shoes this morning too!

All the babies had their picture on the red couch yesterday - it is a great picture and Molly looks adorable in it - I can't believe they were able to get the babies to all look at the camera and not cry (all at the same time!!)

Jackie, I will call you from Chicago, just to let you know that we made our connection and that everything is on time. I think we are scheduled to arrive in Chicago around 2:00pm CST and leave around 7:00pm (5 hour layover will be painful!) If you don't hear from me, please check with the airline on the first flight to make sure that it wasn't delay and we missed our connection. Thanks again for picking us up - I can't wait for you to see Molly!!

This may be my last posting, but if I get an opportunity to post tomorrow from HK, then I will. See you all soon!! Anna

Same day, another posting

Two postings in one day! This is just a quick response to all your comments - thank you everyone! I was finally able to read the comments and really enjoyed them. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but no pictures until I get home. I don't have a digital camera and cannot upload pictures. But I'll be showing her off when I get home - you'll all get sick of seeing her. Jackie and Libbie you are absolutely right, Molly is a lot like me - boy am I in trouble. Lori, thanks for explaining the squeaky shoes to Jackie. The shoes are so adorable and they are everywhere here - I don't have stock in the company, but maybe I should start my own squeaky shoe distribution channel and sell them on ebay! Take care - more later!

Anna

We are in Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou late on Saturday - Molly did very well on the airplane. Although it would have been nice if she fell asleep on the plane!! Yesterday the babies had their pictures taken for their Visas and today they had their medical exams. We also went to the jade market today and have done a little shopping in the area. The White Swan is very nice and we are enjoying our time here. Molly continues to do very well - she is happy and still eating everything in sight. She sleeps well too - 11 hours last night!! One baby has been very sick and is now doing much better. I did not bring any antibiotics to China with me, assuming that I could get them here if necessary, but the doctors here are very cautious to medicate. So if I could do it again, I would definitely bring antibiotics. Mom, Molly, and I will soon be heading out for some more shopping. I really want to buy more squeaky shoes (although Molly now has 3 pairs and I plan on getting at least 3 more). Tomorrow the babies have their pictures taken on the "red couch," so I bought Molly a Chinese red dress - I think she will also be wearing it to the waiting families dinner when we get back to Florida (may as well get some more use out of it). Tomorrow is also our Consulate appointment and then Wednesday is the ceremony. Thursday we leave for HK and Friday we fly back to the US. I'll definitely be ready to get home by then, even though I really have enjoyed my time here - I really miss my poor cats!! I'll write again ini a couple of days!!

Leaving for Guangzhou tonight

We have a flight to Guangzhou tonight at 6:30 and will arrive an hour later. We are staying at The White Swan. Last night I received Molly's passport - one step closer to getting her home!! Tomorrow we have a free day in Guangzhou, so I will be doing some more shopping - probably for more squeaky shoes and a little Chinese outfit to put Molly in for the "red couch" picture of all the babies in our group. I was also thinking of getting her a white Chinese dress to use for her Baptism. I probably won't be shopping for much else (although I will be buying a ton of squeaky shoes - Diego and Ben will be getting a pair too!) I still have not been able to read anyone's comments - I found a computer that is in English, but it is so slow!!! Molly is still doing very well as are the other 7 babies in our group. Grace has a slight cold and Lauren has a little rash, but overall, I'd have to say our entire group has very healthy, happy girls. Molly is bonding with me and my mother very well - she smiles all the time and loves to try and walk when I hold her hands up. She does very well and can even stand (with assistance) on one foot. She also loves to clap her hands and is very squirmy! She has had a couple of baths and has had a great time in every bath (even without bath toys she is enjoying splashing in the water and making a big mess. Molly is becoming a little more weary of other people and definitely prefers me and Mom to anyone else. She watches people very carefully. We didn't do much today, just a walk in the park and yesterday we also just walked in the park and then went to the department store (for squeaky shoes!) Molly slept so well again last night - I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she does well on the plane ride tonight! I'll post again soon from Guangzhou (our last stop before HK - for one night - and then home on Friday!)

Anna

Still in Nanning

We are still in Nanning, but leaving for Guangzhou on Saturday. Molly is doing very well - she eats everything and is usually happy. I have found that she does not like to be still - she likes constant movement. I can't sit down with her or she will start to fuss. She also does not like to go to sleep (probably afraid that she is missing out on something if she sleeps) - so she has this little whiny routine that she goes through when she put down at night. She also doesn't really like it when I eat, unless she gets food too - she is constantly looking for more food. I have to distract her with cheerios in order to eat a meal. At first she thought cheerios were just another toy (to throw on the floor), but at breakfast this morning she learned to put them in her mouth! She loves to laugh, play, and get lots of kisses!! Today we went to a cave near Nanning, not sure what we are doing tomorrow yet. Mom is currently walking Molly around the hotel lobby - the babies all seem to like that. This hotel is full of Moms, Dads, and babies - all being pushed around in strollers through the lobby! Molly is definitely keeping me and Mom entertained, she loves to pull funny faces too and one of her top teeth popped through this morning. More news later! Anna

Gotcha Day

Yesterday was Gotcha Day and what an amazing day it was! We traveled to another hotel where we were sent to the 4th floor and then to 3 different rooms. We finally ended up in a reception room and the babies were brought in one at a time. Molly was brought in 2nd. I didn't recognize her from her pictures. The caregiver handed her to me and Molly just stared at me, she was so adorable! She let me hold her and give her a toy to play with (I gave her plastic key ring with keys and she loved it - it immediately went into her mouth). She has 2 teeth and another looks like it will be coming through soon! All the babies (8 of them) were dressed alike in little lime green dresses. They all seem to be very healthy. Molly is a very happy, friendly, and hungry baby. The only time she has cried has been when she is ready to go to sleep - she gets a little fussy and babbles and cries a little. But most of the time, she is all smiles. She has eaten everything that I have given her - although she wasn't too sure about the mashed up bananas I gave her this morning, but after 2 bites she decided they were pretty good too! We took her to the park this afternoon and she loved it - people stopped to talk to her (I think she likes being the center of attention!) I'm absolutely exhausted, so I will keep this post short - Molly slept through the night last night, but I didn't! If anyone has sent me comments, I have not been able to check them (everything is in Chinese on this website and I can't figure out which button to press to check comments - but plan on getting instructions from our guides tomorrow!) Anna

We are in Nanning

We arrived in Nanning this afternoon after a bumpy flight - it was raining here. We arrived at the hotel around 5:00pm and immediately went to our room and finally unpacked completely! It looks like a bomb hit our room with all the baby stuff. We have a crib there too!! I then headed out for a 20 minute walk with our guide and some other families to the hugest Walmart I've ever seen!! Then I picked up a pizza for dinner at Pizza Hut. The parts of Nanning that we have seen so far are not very attractive, so we may be spending a lot of time at the hotel. It was not a very exciting day, but tomorrow will be as we go to the Civil Affairs office at 3:00 for Gotcha Day (the day we are finally handed the babies). If I have an opportunity to post tomorrow, I will - all depends on how Molly does tomorrow evening!

Anna

We are in Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong after a very long flight and a 5 hour delay in Chicago. The flight was pretty uneventful (which was good!) We ended up flying in Premium class which is somewhere between Economy and Business, so we had a little more room. Today we meet 2 other families from WI from our agency who I have been corresponding with for the last few months (the Urbanski's and the Fath's). We tagged along with them from our hotel (the Marco Polo) in Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. We took the Star Ferry (very economical at less than a US dollar each) from Kowloon to HK. From there we took a tram to Victoria Peak for some magnificant views of HK. The tram ride took about 10 minutes and the tram travels up the peak at about a 45 degree angle - very steep!! We then had a nice lunch at a restaurant at the top of the Peak. I was too exhausted to go shopping, so we came back to the hotel, napped, and then ran across the street to an Internet Cafe in the YMCA. Tonight we'll meet the other families for a drink and tomorrow we will explore more of Kowloon. Sunday we are off to Nanning, so I will post more from there! Not much to report yet, but hopefully more news soon!!

Anna

Leaving tomorrow!

This is just a very quick posting to let everyone know we are leaving tomorrow! Packing took much longer than anticipated, but I hope to be in bed soon!

FYI, if you do want to make comments on this blog, you will need to create your own blog (it's free and easy, just thought you might want to know).

Next posting will be from Hong Kong!

Anna

6 days until I leave

I now have my itinerary and will be flying to China on Wed, Sept 14 (leaving very early in the morning)!! I will arrive in Hong Kong on Sept 15th in the early evening and will stay there for a couple of days - meeting the other families in my travel group, recovering from jet lag, and a doing little sightseeing. On the 18th, I will fly to Nanning (the capital of Guangxi Province) and the next day I get to meet Molly! From that moment on she will be with me at the hotel for the remainder of the trip (first in Nanning and then in Guangzhou, then back to Hong Kong) and finally back home to Florida (on Sept 30th)!
Today my friend at work, Charlette, throw a wonderful baby shower for me and I am definitely ready to go now!! I received so many beautiful and thoughtful gifts - thank you everyone!
I plan on posting every other day from China with updates.

Finally set up a blog to follow my journey to Molly

It's been a year since I began the paperwork to adopt my baby. And now I am just 11 days from traveling to China to meet her. Guo Ruo Chen doesn't know it yet, but she will soon be Molly Elizabeth Chen Salvage and will be moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's a good thing she is used to warm weather! Molly is currently at the Beihai City SWI in Guangxi Province of China, along the coast and not far from Vietnam. She was born on 12/30/04 (just one day before my log in date!) I can't wait to meet her (although my cats won't be as thrilled). My mother will be traveling with me and is excited to meet her first grandchild. Please follow our journey...