"Squeezy Potty" Revisited

The whole gang! 6 CHI families
Lily and Lana are in Lavender

Thanks to Mrs. H, Lily has mastered the squatty potty! We went on a Safari in Guangzhou with three other adoptive families and there were only squatty potties in the bathrooms. Mrs. H had taught most of the American kids in the group how to use the squatties, so, she showed Lily how and now Lily is an expert! Lana is a natural, of course! In case you were wondering, here is a picture of a "squeezy potty".

HOME SWEET HOME!

We made it home safely yesterday! It was an exhausting trip and we are trying to recover from jet lag. The girls slept 15 hours last night and woke up at noon! We just stayed home today and kept quiet. Our wonderful new neighbor stocked up our refrigerator so we did not even have to go out for groceries!

I will work on a recap of the last week in China soon. But in short, all went well. Our paperwork came together in time, we made all our flights together, and didn't lose any luggage!

Lana is doing really well adjusting to family life. She is learning English quickly. Her first word was "YEAH!" and at the airport in Beijing she put her first question together! She asked "Is this my juice?" Lana can count to 10 and says the A B C's in English. She is a smart little girl! She is eager to learn, loves to draw and practice writing Chinese characters. It has been really fun to see her excitement at seeing new things. When we arrived at the airport in Xi'An for her first flight, we pointed out an airplane on the tarmac and she gasped and squealed with awe when she saw it! We have heard this cute little gasp and squeal many times now, and we love it!

Sisterhood

I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers.
It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage.
Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.
~Maya Angelou

Mr. R's Wild Ride!

BaBa, Shoes, Pizza and a Rickshaw

(Written by BaBa) Our adventures in China have been filled with mixed emotions. From the joy of meeting Lana for the fist time to the frustration of waiting and waiting in government offices. It has been a great trip and exciting to see my daughters become sisters!

My personal adventure began when we realized that Lana's shoes were really too small and she needed to have new ones before we did any sightseeing. We had also decided to have pizza for dinner (thank the "O" family for this bright idea!). Well, Pizza Hut does not deliver in China, thus began my quest to feed and clothe my family. The hotel provided me with a card explaining in Chinese that I wanted to go shopping and also to the Pizza Hut near the Bell Tower and then they graciously called me a taxi. So, with a the girl's feet traced on a sheet of hotel stationery in my pocket, I climbed into a Chinese taxi. I made it to the store with no problems and was even able to find matching shoes for the girls.

Then I set out to get pizza. I could not find the Pizza Hut so I had to do the unmanly thing and ask for directions! I stopped at a corner stand and asked and as luck would have it, they did not know where the Pizza Hut was. Then I decided to approach a man driving a motorized rickshaw and ask if he knew. I showed him the card from the hotel and he nodded that yes, he knew where the Pizza Hut was. So, I got in. I showed him a 10 yuan bill (about $1.30), he took it and off we went at warp 10! After about a block he stopped and began yelling in Chinese and showed me his cell phone with the number 20 on it, so I gave him a 20 yuan bill, and he took off again. We flew through traffic, against traffic, dodging cars and trucks and pedestrians, with me bouncing around in the back holding on to my daughter's new shoes! We jumped a curb, honked at the people in the way and screeched to a stop in front of the Pizza Hut! The return trip was uneventful, I successfully purchased two pizzas and showed my card to a taxi driver and made it back to the hotel to deliver warm pizza to my family.

The best part of the story was seeing Lana's eyes light up as she opened the box of her first pair of new shoes!

Family of Four

Our first meeting!

Lily was so excited to see Lana, she gave her a huge hug! Lana was not too sure about us at first, there were a few tears when the nannies first left her with us. Lily was very attentive to Lana. Lily asked for a tissue and wiped Lana's tears and stroked her hair, it was very sweet to watch.
Just a couple hours later! A happy girl! We had room service in our beloved Sofitel 5 star hotel, a few choruses of Ring Around the Rosie (that brought huge giggles from Lana), read books, sang a few songs and crashed!

The obligatory photo of the first night's sleep.
Little girls need their Daddy's kisses!

"Squeezy Potty"

Lily holding a silk worm cocoon in Suzhou

Lily has turned out to be a good little traveler! When we got on the first plane we were taxiing around the runways Lily said "Go Faster!" Lily was not afraid of the flight, and really enjoyed being able to sit in a seat without a carseat! Something she has been wanting to do for a long time.

We have had a great trip visiting Suzhou and learning about the silk worms and we spent the afternoon yesterday touring Shanghai before our flight to Xi'An.

When planning our trip we explained to Auntie Karen and Cousin Maddie that the Chinese toilets are "squatty potties" and that it takes a little balance and grace to use them without falling in! Well, we did not think about how Lily would use the "squatty potty". Lily did not want anything to do with the "squatty potty"! Lily could be heard crying "I don't want the "squeezy potty", I don't like "squeezy potties"! Luckily, we have been able to find a western toilet when the need was most dire! So, now we all call the Chinese toilets "squeezy potties"!

All silliness aside, in a little less than 6 hours, we will meet Lana for the first time! We are anxious and a little nervous, but very excited to bring Lana into our family.

We're Here!

We are in China! We had a great flight, everyone did well! The Shanghai skyline is spectacular! Very colorful at night. We are getting our internal clocks adjusted and slept pretty well, although Lily woke up at 4 a.m.! So, I decided to post a quick message, Ken is watching baseball, and Lily is munching snacks, singing the Sesame Street theme song and going through the suitcases! The rest of our family is in the next room still sleeping. We will be touring Suzhou on Friday and then Shanghai on Saturday and fly to Xi'An on Saturday. We meet Lana on Sunday! Stay tuned!