Thursday, December 17, 2009
Meeting Santa for real...
We weren't sure how Maya would react to meeting Santa but we had to try it anyway. What a trooper! She walked right up to him, played with his sleigh bells, gave him a hug & let him pick her up. This Santa was EXCELLENT and knew how to handle kids!
1st Haircut...
The time came to make that unavoidable visit to the toddler salon. My parents are in town for the holidays so came along to witness the event as well.
As cool as I thought I would be about it, I was actually a bit nervous. I was cutting off the hair that my baby was born with. The hair that belonged to another country, another life, another mother. It was a strange feeling to see it be cut away but the challenge of making a curious & fidgety 19-month-old sit still over-rode the sentimentality of the moment.
I started the appointment with a baby. The end result was an adorable little girl with a cute reverse bob...
As cool as I thought I would be about it, I was actually a bit nervous. I was cutting off the hair that my baby was born with. The hair that belonged to another country, another life, another mother. It was a strange feeling to see it be cut away but the challenge of making a curious & fidgety 19-month-old sit still over-rode the sentimentality of the moment.
I started the appointment with a baby. The end result was an adorable little girl with a cute reverse bob...
Ice Skating with Gumby knees...
I never knew they even had skates that little...
It was John's birthday and we decided to go for breakfast and then ice-skating with the whole gang. Everyone was very excited to go and we were excited to get Maya out on the ice for the first time. After a bit of work putting her in her garden gnome fleece, her banana nylon-shell, her helmet head and her mini skates, we headed out. Maya wasn't sure what was wrong with her feet and kept looking at them. Why was she tipping over so much? Why did everyone else's feet look funny too?
Just as we got to the ice our camera chip was full. NOOOOOOO!! We're going to miss recording it! We had recorded several videos and a birthday party the night before and at John's birthday breakfast that morning, that the chip was full. After a few frantic moments of deleting some pictures, we had enough room on the chip for 3 very short videos. Charmaine was a master at helping us record this special moment.
On the ice, Maya was confused for a moment. Why do my knees keep bending every which-way? Why can't I stand up? What ARE these funny things on my feet? I don't know if she ever got suitable answers to her questions but she had a BLAST skating. Despite her head hanging down (maybe the hockey helmet was too heavy and she couldn't lift it?!) she laughed a lot, got her little size 6 feet moving along like she was walking and had a great time. The only crying from Maya happened when we put on the skates and when we had to leave the ice. John & I cried silently from the burn of our backs while trying to hold her up... ohhh...
This kid is a natural athelete!! Another successful event and one we'll definitely repeat!
It was John's birthday and we decided to go for breakfast and then ice-skating with the whole gang. Everyone was very excited to go and we were excited to get Maya out on the ice for the first time. After a bit of work putting her in her garden gnome fleece, her banana nylon-shell, her helmet head and her mini skates, we headed out. Maya wasn't sure what was wrong with her feet and kept looking at them. Why was she tipping over so much? Why did everyone else's feet look funny too?
Just as we got to the ice our camera chip was full. NOOOOOOO!! We're going to miss recording it! We had recorded several videos and a birthday party the night before and at John's birthday breakfast that morning, that the chip was full. After a few frantic moments of deleting some pictures, we had enough room on the chip for 3 very short videos. Charmaine was a master at helping us record this special moment.
On the ice, Maya was confused for a moment. Why do my knees keep bending every which-way? Why can't I stand up? What ARE these funny things on my feet? I don't know if she ever got suitable answers to her questions but she had a BLAST skating. Despite her head hanging down (maybe the hockey helmet was too heavy and she couldn't lift it?!) she laughed a lot, got her little size 6 feet moving along like she was walking and had a great time. The only crying from Maya happened when we put on the skates and when we had to leave the ice. John & I cried silently from the burn of our backs while trying to hold her up... ohhh...
This kid is a natural athelete!! Another successful event and one we'll definitely repeat!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Santa Claus Parade...
Dec 6 - We weren't sure whether this day would be a success but we decided to give it a try anyway. The parade was due to start at 1pm which is Maya's nap time so we were potentially putting ourselves in harms way. We brought the stoller and a bottle of scotch in case we had to put her down and sedate her (or us).
Luckily, the excitement of the day let her stay awake a longer, and in decent humour, and we made it through about 1/2 of the parade before we had to leave. No Santa viewing but at least we got to see some fun Christmas stuff.
It was a sunny but cooooolllld day so we bundled little Maya up in whatever winter garb we had. That consisted of a red/blue garden gnome type fleece, a banana yellow nylon over-shell and pink winter boots. She could barely move. :-) As Maya is still very sensitive to loud sounds, we brought her hearing protectors as well. (She LOVES those things and walks around the house with them on. Somehow wearing them affects her sonar or inner-ear workings as she walks in to things and tips over a lot, but thats another post)
Maya LOVED the music, the bands and danced and clapped her way through it. Maya HATED the sirens, loud trucks, bull-horns and some of the mascots. I was especially proud of how she connected with the bagpipes & my scottish heritage. Who says she can't be scottish-chinese?
Overall, the day was a success and we'll try it again next year...
Luckily, the excitement of the day let her stay awake a longer, and in decent humour, and we made it through about 1/2 of the parade before we had to leave. No Santa viewing but at least we got to see some fun Christmas stuff.
It was a sunny but cooooolllld day so we bundled little Maya up in whatever winter garb we had. That consisted of a red/blue garden gnome type fleece, a banana yellow nylon over-shell and pink winter boots. She could barely move. :-) As Maya is still very sensitive to loud sounds, we brought her hearing protectors as well. (She LOVES those things and walks around the house with them on. Somehow wearing them affects her sonar or inner-ear workings as she walks in to things and tips over a lot, but thats another post)
Maya LOVED the music, the bands and danced and clapped her way through it. Maya HATED the sirens, loud trucks, bull-horns and some of the mascots. I was especially proud of how she connected with the bagpipes & my scottish heritage. Who says she can't be scottish-chinese?
Overall, the day was a success and we'll try it again next year...
Broken Hearted no more...
We went back to Childrens Hospital this week to have Maya's post-surgical ECG and ultrasound tests done on her heart. We were so relieved to hear & see that her heart hole has completely grown over, the left side of her heart has already reduced in size and she's now considered to be 100% healthy & healed. Yipee!!!!
Over the past few weeks, we've reflected on how lucky we are to live in Canada and how lucky Maya is for that reason as well. In Canada, the only expense we incurred for all of these hospital & doctor visits, the testings and the surgery itself was parking. That's it. Maybe a Starbucks or two. Had Maya been adopted by a family in the US, there is a great possibility that the initial tests to discover the problem would never have been done due to expense, much less the surgery for it. As this was a 'pre-existing condition' that existed before she was adopted, I think it unlikely that any insurance company would have covered the costs of the doctors & hospital visits, the testings or the surgery. Definitely not for the Starbucks. Her heart hole may have gone undiagnosed, and likely untreated, for her whole life. We are so lucky to be here...
Over the past few weeks, we've reflected on how lucky we are to live in Canada and how lucky Maya is for that reason as well. In Canada, the only expense we incurred for all of these hospital & doctor visits, the testings and the surgery itself was parking. That's it. Maybe a Starbucks or two. Had Maya been adopted by a family in the US, there is a great possibility that the initial tests to discover the problem would never have been done due to expense, much less the surgery for it. As this was a 'pre-existing condition' that existed before she was adopted, I think it unlikely that any insurance company would have covered the costs of the doctors & hospital visits, the testings or the surgery. Definitely not for the Starbucks. Her heart hole may have gone undiagnosed, and likely untreated, for her whole life. We are so lucky to be here...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
18 Months Old - SIGNING
Maya is 18 months old today and has been with our family for 6 months now. She's changed so much and is becoming quite an animated little person. She's also grown 2 3/4 inches and has gained 4 pounds in that time. Wow!
I thought you might be interested in what our little princess is doing, saying and signing at this age...
Things Maya can now sign
-down
-cat
-dog
-diaper
-bath
-dada
-momma
-owwie (hurt)
-eat
-more
-milk
-water
-thank you
-all gone
-all done
Gestures that aren't ASL signs but she does anyway
-elephant
-lion/tiger/bear (all the same)
-monkey/gorilla
Baby stuff that Maya is NOT doing any more:
-poking eyes when tired/stressed
-pulling hair with tired
-screaming for an hour at every bed-time (only 5-10 min now)
-screaming when we put something on her feet
-having formula at bedtime
-needing to be carried everywhere
-holding her hands up when walking
-sucking on things
I thought you might be interested in what our little princess is doing, saying and signing at this age...
Things Maya can now sign
-down
-cat
-dog
-diaper
-bath
-dada
-momma
-owwie (hurt)
-eat
-more
-milk
-water
-thank you
-all gone
-all done
Gestures that aren't ASL signs but she does anyway
-elephant
-lion/tiger/bear (all the same)
-monkey/gorilla
Baby stuff that Maya is NOT doing any more:
-poking eyes when tired/stressed
-pulling hair with tired
-screaming for an hour at every bed-time (only 5-10 min now)
-screaming when we put something on her feet
-having formula at bedtime
-needing to be carried everywhere
-holding her hands up when walking
-sucking on things
18 Months Old - SAYING
Things Maya is now saying
-bampa (grampa) > espcially when she sees the computer/skype
-bama (gramma)
-woof (dog)
-ha-sou (hot soup)
-ha (hot)
-hi (hi)
-dada
-momma
-up (her favorite word)
-diader (diaper)
-ta-ta (thank you)
-animal sounds
-ha (hat)
-a-da (all done)
-yaya! (liar!) > inside family joke...
-bampa (grampa) > espcially when she sees the computer/skype
-bama (gramma)
-woof (dog)
-ha-sou (hot soup)
-ha (hot)
-hi (hi)
-dada
-momma
-up (her favorite word)
-diader (diaper)
-ta-ta (thank you)
-animal sounds
-ha (hat)
-a-da (all done)
-yaya! (liar!) > inside family joke...
18 Months Old - DOING
Things Maya is now doing
-giving kisses, cuddles
-blowing kisses
-waving hello/goodbye
-closing every door or drawer that is open (even if our head/arm is in it)
-going up & down stairs
-pulling kitchen towels off of stove handle
-feeding herself
-drinking from a glass
-brushing her teeth, washing her face & combing her hair
-sitting on potty (and occasionally using it)
-running scared from the telephone ringing
-identify face & body parts
-picks out family member & self from photos
-waves at computer & tv (thinking it is skype)
-plays with shape games
-points to body parts when asked
-mimics many things (mommy putting on makeup, gestures, sounds, etc)
-puts things away upon request & brings out other items
-whines & cries a LOT (wants to be held all the time)
-eats food from our plates (ie doesn't want her own special food)
-eats spicy food
-doesn't eat raw vegetables or anything green
-making 'surprise' faces and 'angry' faces
-helps mommy fold cloth diapers
-panics whenever mommy sneezes (I have a loud sneeze)
-takes off her own shoes
-all of the gestures to 'wheels on the bus'
-sings & dances to pop-type music
-takes off own shoes
-shares easily
-greets most people in stores & along street
-'helps' clip carseat chest buckly & tighten shoulder straps
-shaking her head with soup in her mouth to feel is sloshing around
-rolling her eyes at me (puberty is starting already?!)
-giving kisses, cuddles
-blowing kisses
-waving hello/goodbye
-closing every door or drawer that is open (even if our head/arm is in it)
-going up & down stairs
-pulling kitchen towels off of stove handle
-feeding herself
-drinking from a glass
-brushing her teeth, washing her face & combing her hair
-sitting on potty (and occasionally using it)
-running scared from the telephone ringing
-identify face & body parts
-picks out family member & self from photos
-waves at computer & tv (thinking it is skype)
-plays with shape games
-points to body parts when asked
-mimics many things (mommy putting on makeup, gestures, sounds, etc)
-puts things away upon request & brings out other items
-whines & cries a LOT (wants to be held all the time)
-eats food from our plates (ie doesn't want her own special food)
-eats spicy food
-doesn't eat raw vegetables or anything green
-making 'surprise' faces and 'angry' faces
-helps mommy fold cloth diapers
-panics whenever mommy sneezes (I have a loud sneeze)
-takes off her own shoes
-all of the gestures to 'wheels on the bus'
-sings & dances to pop-type music
-takes off own shoes
-shares easily
-greets most people in stores & along street
-'helps' clip carseat chest buckly & tighten shoulder straps
-shaking her head with soup in her mouth to feel is sloshing around
-rolling her eyes at me (puberty is starting already?!)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
More videos
John has added 4 more videos to YouTube, including shots from Halloween & her surgery. Check them out...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Heart repair
Nov 10 was Maya's heart surgery. We were relieved to know that everything went very well before, during & after the procedure. We arrived at Children's Hospital at 9:30am, she went in for anesthesia at 11:30am, the procedure started at 12, was done by 1:15, we got to see her at 2:45. She was out of OR recovery by 4:00, and was out of day care recovery by 5:00. It all went quite smoothly. They ended up putting a 3mm 2-sided plug in her heart hole that closed it all up (insteat of the coiled stent). She has 2 small incisions, one in the groin of each leg but those should disappear over time.
It's been almost 48 hours since the procedure and there's no sign of bleeding, infection or loss of circulation in her legs. Yipee!!! We go back in 2 weeks to get another heart ultrasound just to make sure it's all healed up. All should be fine.
Emotionally, we both handled it very well. The staff at the hospital were amazing and met with us at each phase to tell us what was going to happen, how and when, and if we had any questions. Although I don't think this experience has helped Maya with her fear of medical people, she also handled it quite well. A bonus for her was to get a popcicle post-op which she had never had before & didn't know what to do with, but she learned it fast...
It's been almost 48 hours since the procedure and there's no sign of bleeding, infection or loss of circulation in her legs. Yipee!!! We go back in 2 weeks to get another heart ultrasound just to make sure it's all healed up. All should be fine.
Emotionally, we both handled it very well. The staff at the hospital were amazing and met with us at each phase to tell us what was going to happen, how and when, and if we had any questions. Although I don't think this experience has helped Maya with her fear of medical people, she also handled it quite well. A bonus for her was to get a popcicle post-op which she had never had before & didn't know what to do with, but she learned it fast...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween Fun
Today was our first Halloween out with Maya. As she's been sick most of the week, we didn't want to take her outside so we just went to the mall for a little while around dinner time. I tried to dress up but Maya was frightened by any part of my costume so John and I just ended up wearing all black and I had my pumpkin earrings on. Maya was also frightened by the pumpkin, my gloves, her feet (more on that shortly) and many other things. It was such an unusual experience for her, and she's been sick this week, so we're not surprised that she was frightened.
This year's costume was a home-made chicken outfit. My sister made the costume years ago and both of her daughters wore it when they were the same age. Now, it was Maya's turn. The hood, the feathered-jacket and the leggings didn't bother her but the cardboard cutout feet were too much. She did, eventually, get used to them but only after a lot of distraction.
As usual, Maya got a lot of attention and the costume was a great success...
This year's costume was a home-made chicken outfit. My sister made the costume years ago and both of her daughters wore it when they were the same age. Now, it was Maya's turn. The hood, the feathered-jacket and the leggings didn't bother her but the cardboard cutout feet were too much. She did, eventually, get used to them but only after a lot of distraction.
As usual, Maya got a lot of attention and the costume was a great success...
Olympics Orientation
I went to my orientation for the Olympics opening ceremony today. All I can say is that it's going to be a lot of FUN! We're forbidden to discuss any details about it SO DON'T ASK! All I can tell you is that I'm going to be roller-blading in the opening ceremonies on February 12... You'll have to wait until then to know anything more.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Fitness World
Maya has never been left with a baby-sitter. Family have looked after her while she has been sleeping but she's never been awake and without one of us. We decided it was time to try.
Today, John & I took Maya to Fitness World. John did his workout and I sat with Maya in the childrens room. We wanted her to meet the care-takers there and get used to the room before we put her in there without us. She did SO well that she hardly even looked at me the whole 40 minutes I was in there. I even left twice to see if she'd notice (or care) and she didn't. At the end of our time, she was plenty mad (& vocal) about the fact that it was time to go... I guess it was a successful experiment and I'm now cleared to try a real gym workout again. We'll see...
Today, John & I took Maya to Fitness World. John did his workout and I sat with Maya in the childrens room. We wanted her to meet the care-takers there and get used to the room before we put her in there without us. She did SO well that she hardly even looked at me the whole 40 minutes I was in there. I even left twice to see if she'd notice (or care) and she didn't. At the end of our time, she was plenty mad (& vocal) about the fact that it was time to go... I guess it was a successful experiment and I'm now cleared to try a real gym workout again. We'll see...
Family Date #2
We had such fun with last weekends family date that we decided to try it again.
This weekend, we walked down Commercial Drive and went to the Italian restaurant 'Marcellos'. We had some nice wine and pasta for dinner. Again, Maya behaved wonderfully and really enjoyed having some of our dinners. Maya & I had Lasagna and John had a spicy tomato putanesca on linguini. After inhaling the lasagna, Maya tried John's pasta but, as it was spicy, we assumed she would spit it out. She actually liked it better than the lasagna! Earlier this week she had my (home-made) curried lentil soup and loved it. Spice is NOT something this girl is afraid of. Wow!
This weekend, we walked down Commercial Drive and went to the Italian restaurant 'Marcellos'. We had some nice wine and pasta for dinner. Again, Maya behaved wonderfully and really enjoyed having some of our dinners. Maya & I had Lasagna and John had a spicy tomato putanesca on linguini. After inhaling the lasagna, Maya tried John's pasta but, as it was spicy, we assumed she would spit it out. She actually liked it better than the lasagna! Earlier this week she had my (home-made) curried lentil soup and loved it. Spice is NOT something this girl is afraid of. Wow!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Dim Sum Yum
The local chapter of FCCBC (Families with Children from China) had a Dim Sum lunch this past weekend. As we rarely turn down Dim Sum, we went along. As mentioned in my previous post, Maya loves restaurants and this was no exception. Her food, plus some chinese food, fed to her with chopsticks was just the ultimate...
There were 6 families there, with kids of all ages, and we had a great time. It's nice to meet new people & hear stories of their adoptions. We're going to continue to go to as many events as we can. As the parents of the youngest/newest adoptee, our picture was taken and will be put in the next newsletter.
There were 6 families there, with kids of all ages, and we had a great time. It's nice to meet new people & hear stories of their adoptions. We're going to continue to go to as many events as we can. As the parents of the youngest/newest adoptee, our picture was taken and will be put in the next newsletter.
Date Night
John & I LOVE eating out. The opportunity to sit together, face to face, in a dimly lit booth, share a nice wine and make our selection of meal from a list of decadently prepared options, and have someone else cook it, serve it & clean up is just the ultimate in luxury for us. We'd do it every day if we could...
Luckily, Maya seems to love restaurant food too. Now, we don't give her the wine or MOST of what we eat, but she seems to love the IDEA of it. We can take her normal food (what she's been refusing at home for the past several days), and serve it to her in a restaurant, on a restaurant plate, and she'll gobble it down throwing her head back and going 'mmmmmm' the whole time. It's actually quite entertaining. If we feed her with chop-sticks, all the better.
On Friday, John & I decided to have a proper, dress-up date night, with Maya, and see how it would go. Maya was changed in to a cute little dress with pig tails, pretty shoes & her pink dressy trench coat. John & I both dressed up as well and I even put on high heels (its been quite a while since I've had those on). Maya seemed to sense the 'specialness' of the night and was wonderful! She was in a good mood, behaved well, ate LOTS of food, played & coloured quietly, walked around the restaurant waving & saying hello to the other patrons and let John & I enjoy our first 'family' date night of many to come. It was a special night...
Luckily, Maya seems to love restaurant food too. Now, we don't give her the wine or MOST of what we eat, but she seems to love the IDEA of it. We can take her normal food (what she's been refusing at home for the past several days), and serve it to her in a restaurant, on a restaurant plate, and she'll gobble it down throwing her head back and going 'mmmmmm' the whole time. It's actually quite entertaining. If we feed her with chop-sticks, all the better.
On Friday, John & I decided to have a proper, dress-up date night, with Maya, and see how it would go. Maya was changed in to a cute little dress with pig tails, pretty shoes & her pink dressy trench coat. John & I both dressed up as well and I even put on high heels (its been quite a while since I've had those on). Maya seemed to sense the 'specialness' of the night and was wonderful! She was in a good mood, behaved well, ate LOTS of food, played & coloured quietly, walked around the restaurant waving & saying hello to the other patrons and let John & I enjoy our first 'family' date night of many to come. It was a special night...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Potty!!!
Yes... as with any new parent, many of our conversation topics have been reduced to what Maya is eating and how many diapers were used (and with what contents) per day. Input & Output. It's a sad reality that we all must go through...
That said, Maya used the potty today for a #1!!!!! Woo Hoo!!! As a reward, she got her first candy - one smartie! John was with her and made a really big deal about it. She was so pleased with herself. As today is her 17-month birthday, we are thrilled that she's getting the hang of this so early in the game.
We just bought several more cloth diapers, assuming that we'd be using them for many more months. I think I need to go pull-up diaper shopping now. Is there such a thing as a pull-up cotton diaper?! I guess I'll find out...
That said, Maya used the potty today for a #1!!!!! Woo Hoo!!! As a reward, she got her first candy - one smartie! John was with her and made a really big deal about it. She was so pleased with herself. As today is her 17-month birthday, we are thrilled that she's getting the hang of this so early in the game.
We just bought several more cloth diapers, assuming that we'd be using them for many more months. I think I need to go pull-up diaper shopping now. Is there such a thing as a pull-up cotton diaper?! I guess I'll find out...
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
More Photos...
I've added some more photos to the side bar for you to enjoy.
John has added more videos to You Tube as well.
John has added more videos to You Tube as well.
Ah Choo....
Well, Maya has her first cold (of many to come). She caught it last week and has not actually been too difficult to deal with but really doesn't like having her nose suctioned out (who would?!). A runny nose, a bit of fussiness, sleeping an extra 2-3 hours at night (yeah!). Not too bad...
John and I have never picked up illnesses from each other so its always worked out well that only 1 of us was sick at a time. When Maya came home, we wondered which one of us she would catch colds from & give colds to. It turns out that I'm the lucky one. John was sick a few weeks ago but Maya didn't catch it. I got sick last week & Maya caught it from me. I got better but now I've caught it back from her, twice as bad as the first time. This could go on for weeks...
Cough, Cough.
John and I have never picked up illnesses from each other so its always worked out well that only 1 of us was sick at a time. When Maya came home, we wondered which one of us she would catch colds from & give colds to. It turns out that I'm the lucky one. John was sick a few weeks ago but Maya didn't catch it. I got sick last week & Maya caught it from me. I got better but now I've caught it back from her, twice as bad as the first time. This could go on for weeks...
Cough, Cough.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The true test
After 5 months of having both parents at home, John is returning to work tomorrow. Maya won't know what's happening as much as I will but it will be an adjustment for both of us. I've been so priviledged to be able to evenly co-parent since we came home from China. Now, I'm going to have to parent full-time from 7:30am to 6:30pm 5 days a week! For those of you already doing this and/or doing it with multiple kids, I'm sure you're laughing right now. But for me, this is quite intimidating! Gone are the days that I can meet girlfriends for lunch or go out shopping alone while John looks after Maya. I'm going to have to do these things with her now.... Yikes! The irony of the situation is also not lost on me - I'll finally have the money to shop but will no longer have the freedom to do so... Crap.
Vaccinations
Maya was due for her 2nd set of vaccinations today. She took them MUCH better than she did the first time around. Once the shots were done and a cracker was offered, the crying subsided rather quickly. If only that worked as well on me!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Swimming Lessons
After seeing how well Maya took to the water on our first outing, we figured that we had better get this girl in to the water on a regular basis - and not the bathtub kind of water. So, I enrolled her in swim classes. Every Wednesday and Friday mornings, we head over to Killarney pool for DUCK swimming classes. Our girl is a natural and only hesitates when we're trying to get her to do back floats. Otherwise, she's all over the stuff. She's even jumped in the pool on her own a few times. There's a lesson to be had for this one as she jumped in when John wasn't looking. A bit of a shock for both of them! Now, she'll only do it if she has at least one of our hands so that's a good thing. Maya already can do everything in the water that is requested of her so the class is meant more for socialization and a regular pool visit. I'll have to refresh myself on the course requirements so I can keep on top of things.
Pearl Jam
I got a call from one of my girlfriends this week. She got 2 tickets for her corporate booth to the Pearl Jam concert and wanted to know if I'd go with her. Uh, YAH!!!! Woo Hoo! Girls night out, a concert, corporate booth, Pearl Jam!
The concert was last night and we had a nice dinner, a few pitchers of cocktails with dinner (I think) and then went to the stadium for the show. The concert was great and the band was quite a class act.
I figured that I was pretty lucky to be at this concert and that it was pretty cool to be at an age where my friends have access to stuff like this. I was feeling pretty good about myself. However, the other box attendees included 50-something people and their tween kids. Was I a hip mom or a relic trying to relive part of my youth? By nights end, I still wasn't sure but we had a great time anyway...
The concert was last night and we had a nice dinner, a few pitchers of cocktails with dinner (I think) and then went to the stadium for the show. The concert was great and the band was quite a class act.
I figured that I was pretty lucky to be at this concert and that it was pretty cool to be at an age where my friends have access to stuff like this. I was feeling pretty good about myself. However, the other box attendees included 50-something people and their tween kids. Was I a hip mom or a relic trying to relive part of my youth? By nights end, I still wasn't sure but we had a great time anyway...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
More Videos
Johns been working hard and has posted a couple more 'weekly' videos of Maya's adventures on YouTube. Check them out...
He has also been working very hard on creating a video from our trip to China. All of the videos & still shots taken before & during our China trip have been edited and clipped together, without music this time, as a memory of the trip. This DVD is meant to be both a memory for us and a keepsake for Maya to watch when she's older. I'm in the process of watching the whole thing, start to finish. I believe its somewhere between 5 & 6 hours long! Whew! That's a LOT of glasses of wine!
He has also been working very hard on creating a video from our trip to China. All of the videos & still shots taken before & during our China trip have been edited and clipped together, without music this time, as a memory of the trip. This DVD is meant to be both a memory for us and a keepsake for Maya to watch when she's older. I'm in the process of watching the whole thing, start to finish. I believe its somewhere between 5 & 6 hours long! Whew! That's a LOT of glasses of wine!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I'll be IN the 2010 Olympics!!
Not in the way you think though... I'm going to be a 'performer' in the opening ceremonies! Many months ago VANOC had an audition call for people wanting to be in the opening, closing or medal award ceremonies. I thought the audition would be something interesting to do, even if I didn't get chosen as a performer. I filled out my on-line application and waited. I got the call to audition as a dancer first as I had 'implied' that I could dance... a bit. I went, had a fun time and left assuming that I'd likely not get chosen. Weeks later, I was contacted again to audition for roller-blading. Something I can do quite well... forward, in a straight line as long as its not too fast, bumpy or hilly. I went, had a fun time and left assuming that I'd LIKELY get chosen. The audition only required me to skate to a beat, in line with other skaters. My YEARS of precision skating had CERTAINLY prepared me for that! Sure enough, I got chosen for roller-blading. Yipee!
I don't know much about it yet. The Canadian fashion designers D2 are doing the costumes, practices start Dec 20 (only 6 weeks of practice means that it WON'T be a hard routine!) and, no, I don't get free tickets or the chance to stay and watch. But I'll be there!
I don't know much about it yet. The Canadian fashion designers D2 are doing the costumes, practices start Dec 20 (only 6 weeks of practice means that it WON'T be a hard routine!) and, no, I don't get free tickets or the chance to stay and watch. But I'll be there!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Photo Session
After several mis-steps and rescheduled appointments, I finally got around to getting Maya to the photographer for some pictures. She surprised us and got over her fear of the photographer very quickly. She loved the attention and completely hammed it up. What a star we have! The result was 25 great photos - 25! Way more than they're used to getting and more than we were prepared to choose from. So, we bought digital copies of them all! Check out the side-bar to see a few of them... Unfortunately, the right side of each photo is cut off so they look a bit off-side.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Broken Hearted...
During Maya's final medical review in China, the doctor heard a murmur in her heart. She didn't think it was much to worry about, so we didn't, but she suggested we discuss it with the doctor here in Canada. The adoption pediatrician here also heard it but, again, said it was very likely due to her poor nutrition in the orphanage and would likely heal within a few months. Nothing to worry about. To be sure, she set up an appointment for us to see a Cardiologist at the childrens hospital. We had that appointment yesterday.
After sedating Maya (she's terrified of doctors), the technologist and nurse ran an a series of tests on her and took lots of pictures of her little heart. Although very cool to see her heart beating and all the chambers pumping, we were sad to see the source of the murmur. One of the 2 by-pass valves that typically close up after birth hasn't closed up on Maya. The artery that supplies the lungs is leaking blood back in to the heart through this valve, putting extra strain on the heart. The left side is having to work much harder than the right side so has become enlarged. Our baby has a broken heart and needs surgery...
The surgery will likely occur in November. Luckily, due to newer technology, it won't have to be an open-heart surgery. It involves cutting in to the artery at the top of her leg and running a catheter up her artery and inserting a shunt at the source of the heart leak. This will close off the hole & allow scar tissue to do the rest. She'll only be in the hospital for 1 day but will be moving slow for a while. Even though they made it sound so simple & easy, I still don't like the idea of them sticking things in my baby or playing with holes in her heart.
After sedating Maya (she's terrified of doctors), the technologist and nurse ran an a series of tests on her and took lots of pictures of her little heart. Although very cool to see her heart beating and all the chambers pumping, we were sad to see the source of the murmur. One of the 2 by-pass valves that typically close up after birth hasn't closed up on Maya. The artery that supplies the lungs is leaking blood back in to the heart through this valve, putting extra strain on the heart. The left side is having to work much harder than the right side so has become enlarged. Our baby has a broken heart and needs surgery...
The surgery will likely occur in November. Luckily, due to newer technology, it won't have to be an open-heart surgery. It involves cutting in to the artery at the top of her leg and running a catheter up her artery and inserting a shunt at the source of the heart leak. This will close off the hole & allow scar tissue to do the rest. She'll only be in the hospital for 1 day but will be moving slow for a while. Even though they made it sound so simple & easy, I still don't like the idea of them sticking things in my baby or playing with holes in her heart.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
More Videos
In case you haven't looked in a while, there are lots of new videos of our little star on YouTube. John has been creating weekly updates of her progress plus a 'now & then' video to show the difference. Enjoy!
I can hear you...
Aug 24 - We had Maya's hearing test today. After being stuffed in to a vault-like room, Maya was subjected to a variety of tones all around her. When she turned her head to the sound, she was rewarded with flashing lights and the sight of a dancing toy in a box. I wish all tests were this easy! She passed with flying colours (or dancing Pandas based on your preferences) and won't have to re-test until she's 3 years old. Woo Hoo! Now we just need to get John to get his hearing tested...
Good Golly, Miss Molly...
Aug 23 - I got a very exciting phone call from my friend Catherine today. She finally got matched with a baby girl! Woo Hoo for her!! Her little girl is currently 3 months old, is from Viet Nam and she's adorable!!! 5-6 months from now, Catherine will travel to pick up the baby and bring her home. When she arrives in Canada, her name will be Molly (great name!). To top all of this off, Molly's birthdate is May 19 which is the same birthdate as Maya - 1 year apart. This also means that Molly was born the day after we met Maya so we know exactly what we were doing on that day. How cool!
Freeze Frame...
Aug 22 - We FINALLY got Maya in to a professional photographer. It's only taken 3 months and multiple missed appointments but we did it and it was great! Maya was a star and had a blast hamming it up for the camera. There were SO many great shots of her to choose from that we're STILL going over them. I didn't realize how expensive photo sessions were but they are keep-sakes that I'll cherish for many years. I'm sure Maya will love them some day too. Once we actually choose our shots, I'll try to post some of them here.
Developmental Progress
Aug 17 - we met with the Developmental Disabilities consultant today. The adoption pediatrician puts in a referral to this group for every newly adopted baby. The rep came to our house to meet Maya, observe her behaviour, evaluate her progress based on her age and give us recommendations for helping her through the next stages. Maya, yet again, passed with flying colours and the rep left with no recommendations other than 'keep doing whatever we're doing'. Maya has met or exceeded almost all of her progress markers for social, emotional, physical, cognitive development. We have a freakin einshtein on our hands!!!!...
Maya's can-do list
Aug 19 - Today is Maya's 15 month birthday. Our little girl is changing so quickly that we need to keep track of these things better than we (read me) have been. At 15 months of age, Maya:
-now weighs 20lbs 10oz (she has gained 2.5lbs in 3 months)
-now stands 31.3" tall (she has grown almost 2" in 3 months)
-says: dadda, momma, up, down, diader (diaper), taku (thank you), mmm (moo), kak-kak (quack-quack), hot, hat
-signs: eat, more, milk, water, all done, all gone (courtesy of my dad), bed-time (although avoids this one), down, thank you, cold (this one is hilarious!), bath, hat
-upon request: kisses, cuddles, hugs, will retrieve & return high-chair for meal times; will go to back door and sit down on carpet when she's ready to have her shoes put on
-walks forward, backward & sideways; climbs up stairs well; climbs down stairs but only if no alternative is offered; loves going down slides on tummy; ; will (sometimes) lay down upon request to have diaper changed; helps change clothes; will retrieve requested toys.
-LOVES: singing itsy-bitsy spider/wheels on the bus/teddy-bear garden/alphabet song; being tickled; her bottle; brushing her teeth; washing her face;
-HATES: most fruit, most vegetables, most meat, most food in general...
-now weighs 20lbs 10oz (she has gained 2.5lbs in 3 months)
-now stands 31.3" tall (she has grown almost 2" in 3 months)
-says: dadda, momma, up, down, diader (diaper), taku (thank you), mmm (moo), kak-kak (quack-quack), hot, hat
-signs: eat, more, milk, water, all done, all gone (courtesy of my dad), bed-time (although avoids this one), down, thank you, cold (this one is hilarious!), bath, hat
-upon request: kisses, cuddles, hugs, will retrieve & return high-chair for meal times; will go to back door and sit down on carpet when she's ready to have her shoes put on
-walks forward, backward & sideways; climbs up stairs well; climbs down stairs but only if no alternative is offered; loves going down slides on tummy; ; will (sometimes) lay down upon request to have diaper changed; helps change clothes; will retrieve requested toys.
-LOVES: singing itsy-bitsy spider/wheels on the bus/teddy-bear garden/alphabet song; being tickled; her bottle; brushing her teeth; washing her face;
-HATES: most fruit, most vegetables, most meat, most food in general...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
3 months have passed
Aug 18 - It's hard to believe but 3 months have now passed since we met Maya. She has changed SOOOO much! When we met her, she was an infant that couldn't roll over, crawl, walk or hold her own bottle. Now, she is not only doing these things but so much more!
The first 2 months of being a parent were difficult. Very difficult. Not much fun. John and I both felt the strain in many ways but we have such an incredible relationship that we are able to sense each others moods, read each others expressions, react in the appropriate way and talk fairly about all of it later if we don't. I feel so lucky to have him in my life.
The third month of being a parent has been much better. Maya is trusting us, coming to us, communicating with us and seems to have found her role in our family. Her personality (and stubbornness) have finally come shining through. We have also found our stride with being new parents and now know what needs to be done when and how. I can only hope that each month will continue to get better as our love and understanding of each other grows.
The first 2 months of being a parent were difficult. Very difficult. Not much fun. John and I both felt the strain in many ways but we have such an incredible relationship that we are able to sense each others moods, read each others expressions, react in the appropriate way and talk fairly about all of it later if we don't. I feel so lucky to have him in my life.
The third month of being a parent has been much better. Maya is trusting us, coming to us, communicating with us and seems to have found her role in our family. Her personality (and stubbornness) have finally come shining through. We have also found our stride with being new parents and now know what needs to be done when and how. I can only hope that each month will continue to get better as our love and understanding of each other grows.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Videos galore... finally
John's been working hard this week on getting some videos posted to YouTube. They're not his usual 'polished' movies but they should satiate your thirst for updates on how she's doing.
Go to www.YouTube.com and search JOHNSMAH to find all of them. He'll be adding more over the next weeks so keep watching...
Go to www.YouTube.com and search JOHNSMAH to find all of them. He'll be adding more over the next weeks so keep watching...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Becoming Canadian
Last week, Maya received her Landed Immigrant card. We were so excited! Its so great to see something 'official' with our baby's face on it. The card has her chinese name but this will be corrected when we apply for her citizenship.
This week, she received her MSP (medical) card. Now we have medical coverage for her and can finally apply for her citizenship and passport documents. Rumour has it that it may take 6 months to get Maya's citizenship documents back but that remans to be seen. It wouldn't surprise me. We weren't planning on leaving the country this year anyway...
Hopefully soon, our baby will be a Canadian!
This week, she received her MSP (medical) card. Now we have medical coverage for her and can finally apply for her citizenship and passport documents. Rumour has it that it may take 6 months to get Maya's citizenship documents back but that remans to be seen. It wouldn't surprise me. We weren't planning on leaving the country this year anyway...
Hopefully soon, our baby will be a Canadian!
Celebrities!
Needing to get back in shape, I thought I would try a stroller fitness course with Maya today. Little did I know that we were going to be filmed while doing it! Surprisingly, Maya & I ended up being in many of the shots as we’re behind the instructor. Although I’m sweaty & not looking my best, I thought you might enjoy it…
Maya is already a celebrity!
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/video/index.html?releasePID=r5WE682w4ZlGqU7t6RyQ6_R_3RbQD75c
Maya is already a celebrity!
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/video/index.html?releasePID=r5WE682w4ZlGqU7t6RyQ6_R_3RbQD75c
Friday, July 3, 2009
8 weeks have flown by...
July 13 - We've been a family for 8 weeks now. It's just incredible to us to see how much Maya has changed in such a short period of time. When we met her, she was an infant just learning to stand and rarely showing expression. Now, she's a happy, very active toddler that laughs frequently, makes lots of goofy expressions, waves at strangers & walks everywhere.
On July 4, we went to an FCCBC (Families with Children from China) BBQ event with my parents. There had to be 50 other adopted chinese kids there, of all ages. As there have been so few adoptions lately, Maya was the youngest but it was still great to see such a big & friendly group. While there, we put Maya in a swimsuit and ran her through the waterpark sprayers. We weren't sure how she's respond but she loved it! I think we're going to have to spend some time at the Granville Island kids water park this summer.
Maya picked up toy cell phone in store last week, held it to her ear and said 'hi?'. Now, she uses anything rectangular-ish as a cell phone. She even holds my slipper up to her ear and says 'hi?'. How cute is that?!
New things she's done the past few weeks:
-climbed 2-3 stairs - up & down
-started chasing mommy around the house, laughing histerically
-giving kisses
-almost makes animal sounds (mmmm for moo, kak for quack, buh for baa)
-knows & returns sign language: tickle, more, milk, eat, done, all gone (thanks to gramps)
-signs she understands but doesn't give back yet: up, bed time,
-flips over to come down off stairs, couch & bed
-started eating pureed apples
On July 4, we went to an FCCBC (Families with Children from China) BBQ event with my parents. There had to be 50 other adopted chinese kids there, of all ages. As there have been so few adoptions lately, Maya was the youngest but it was still great to see such a big & friendly group. While there, we put Maya in a swimsuit and ran her through the waterpark sprayers. We weren't sure how she's respond but she loved it! I think we're going to have to spend some time at the Granville Island kids water park this summer.
Maya picked up toy cell phone in store last week, held it to her ear and said 'hi?'. Now, she uses anything rectangular-ish as a cell phone. She even holds my slipper up to her ear and says 'hi?'. How cute is that?!
New things she's done the past few weeks:
-climbed 2-3 stairs - up & down
-started chasing mommy around the house, laughing histerically
-giving kisses
-almost makes animal sounds (mmmm for moo, kak for quack, buh for baa)
-knows & returns sign language: tickle, more, milk, eat, done, all gone (thanks to gramps)
-signs she understands but doesn't give back yet: up, bed time,
-flips over to come down off stairs, couch & bed
-started eating pureed apples
Friday, June 26, 2009
Adding family...
My parents arrived this week to meet their newest grand-daughter. They have been so great with Maya and Maya is responding well to them. But really, what 13-month old WOULDN'T love dedicated attention from 2 additonal people? It took her a bit of time to warm up to them but she now goes to them fairly easily but still knows who her parents are. They obviously are loving spending time with her as well.
Today, Maya surprised us all by climbing 2 stairs from the lawn to the deck. She's never even been near stairs much less shown an interest in them. No one has shown her how to approach, manage or climb them but, somehow, she did it. She didn't even use her knees. Maya walked up to the first step, put her hands down on the step, lifted her one foot up, then her other foot up then did it again for the 2nd step. At the top, she then sat down beside grandpa on the top step like nothing had happened. Not only were we shocked, but we realized that we need to install more stair gates really soon!
My parents offered to look after Maya for us so we could have a break. Although we weren't comfortable leaving her with anyone yet, we came up with a great compromise. Tonight we fed, bathed, & put Maya down as usual for the evening. Then, we grabbed our stuff and took off for Toby's pub for our Friday date-night. Mom & Dad stayed home with Maya and the monitor and offered to call us if she made any noise at all so we could rush home and tend to her. As usual, she didn't make a peep so we got a real date-night out. Drinks at Toby's, a late evening walk in the warm air and some ice cream made it a perfect evening. We're now heading upstairs to watch a video in bed (of course, with ear phones so we don't wake Maya). Another perfect date night!
Maya's personality is growing more each day. She's so animated now! She laughs, smiles, claps, giggles and makes all sorts of happy noises quite easily. She goes to bed much easier now and always wakes up with a smile. She loves adrenaline play and being bounced, tossed, or tickled at will. She's friendly, happy, playful and extremely quick in learning to mimic. She loves to sing and dance which is quite a trick for someone who doesn't talk and is only learning to walk. It's so much fun to see how she's changing and we're having such a great time as a family. I can't wait to see what next week will bring...
Today, Maya surprised us all by climbing 2 stairs from the lawn to the deck. She's never even been near stairs much less shown an interest in them. No one has shown her how to approach, manage or climb them but, somehow, she did it. She didn't even use her knees. Maya walked up to the first step, put her hands down on the step, lifted her one foot up, then her other foot up then did it again for the 2nd step. At the top, she then sat down beside grandpa on the top step like nothing had happened. Not only were we shocked, but we realized that we need to install more stair gates really soon!
My parents offered to look after Maya for us so we could have a break. Although we weren't comfortable leaving her with anyone yet, we came up with a great compromise. Tonight we fed, bathed, & put Maya down as usual for the evening. Then, we grabbed our stuff and took off for Toby's pub for our Friday date-night. Mom & Dad stayed home with Maya and the monitor and offered to call us if she made any noise at all so we could rush home and tend to her. As usual, she didn't make a peep so we got a real date-night out. Drinks at Toby's, a late evening walk in the warm air and some ice cream made it a perfect evening. We're now heading upstairs to watch a video in bed (of course, with ear phones so we don't wake Maya). Another perfect date night!
Maya's personality is growing more each day. She's so animated now! She laughs, smiles, claps, giggles and makes all sorts of happy noises quite easily. She goes to bed much easier now and always wakes up with a smile. She loves adrenaline play and being bounced, tossed, or tickled at will. She's friendly, happy, playful and extremely quick in learning to mimic. She loves to sing and dance which is quite a trick for someone who doesn't talk and is only learning to walk. It's so much fun to see how she's changing and we're having such a great time as a family. I can't wait to see what next week will bring...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
One month today...
It's now been exactly one month since we became a family. It seems so long ago already. The things we've gone through, the travels through China and the time at home have passed by so quickly!
We're almost settled in to our routine and know Maya's 'signals' a bit better now. She's even more attached to me this week but screams if I do anything but play with her so I guess that the attachment is still developing. It also means I can't do any cleaning, tidying, mail, phone, email, eating or bathroom breaks... Strangely, she doesn't do this with John now but she did do this in her first week in China. Bed/Nap-times are still very difficult as she still screams for 30-60 minutes before finally falling asleep. It's exhausting for all of us.
It feels like we've been a family for quite a while but have to remind ourselves frequently that we're still new to Maya as is this house & all of the experiences we're giving her so we need to give her time to adapt. It will come...
Things Maya has done this week:
-gained another 1/2 pound! She's now 20lbs; up almost 2 pounds since we met her (I'm gaining faster than that but am not as happy about it!)
-walked about 20 feet on her own and can now walk around obstacles
-looked at me, said 'mama' then walked over and gave me a hug (I melted!)
-learned some farm animals and is 'sort of' making a MOO, BAA and QUACK sound
-turning pages in the farm animal book
-met the community health nurse
-helps dress herself & lifts her leg for us to put on her shoes
-started waving hello & goodbye
-dances on the spot
-sings/hums along to music
-drinking from sippy-cup
-learned to put things in a bowl and then take them out
-mimics family on Skype with hand gestures (ie puts hands on head when they do)
-sits herself down in high-chair and stroller
-knows the 'tickle' sign and starts laughing even before I tickle her
-responds to the tickle sign with the 'more' sign
-has started grabbing at things on table tops, shelves, lower levels (it's time to child-proof!)
Maya's favorite things:
-her blanket from Auntie Sue
-the farm animal book from Nurse Anne
-the Shanghai phone card
-Cheerios
-yogurt (mini-go's)
-going for walks in the stroller (she sits up so straight, holding on to the cross-rail, bum-dancing, giggling and waving at strangers the whole time
We're almost settled in to our routine and know Maya's 'signals' a bit better now. She's even more attached to me this week but screams if I do anything but play with her so I guess that the attachment is still developing. It also means I can't do any cleaning, tidying, mail, phone, email, eating or bathroom breaks... Strangely, she doesn't do this with John now but she did do this in her first week in China. Bed/Nap-times are still very difficult as she still screams for 30-60 minutes before finally falling asleep. It's exhausting for all of us.
It feels like we've been a family for quite a while but have to remind ourselves frequently that we're still new to Maya as is this house & all of the experiences we're giving her so we need to give her time to adapt. It will come...
Things Maya has done this week:
-gained another 1/2 pound! She's now 20lbs; up almost 2 pounds since we met her (I'm gaining faster than that but am not as happy about it!)
-walked about 20 feet on her own and can now walk around obstacles
-looked at me, said 'mama' then walked over and gave me a hug (I melted!)
-learned some farm animals and is 'sort of' making a MOO, BAA and QUACK sound
-turning pages in the farm animal book
-met the community health nurse
-helps dress herself & lifts her leg for us to put on her shoes
-started waving hello & goodbye
-dances on the spot
-sings/hums along to music
-drinking from sippy-cup
-learned to put things in a bowl and then take them out
-mimics family on Skype with hand gestures (ie puts hands on head when they do)
-sits herself down in high-chair and stroller
-knows the 'tickle' sign and starts laughing even before I tickle her
-responds to the tickle sign with the 'more' sign
-has started grabbing at things on table tops, shelves, lower levels (it's time to child-proof!)
Maya's favorite things:
-her blanket from Auntie Sue
-the farm animal book from Nurse Anne
-the Shanghai phone card
-Cheerios
-yogurt (mini-go's)
-going for walks in the stroller (she sits up so straight, holding on to the cross-rail, bum-dancing, giggling and waving at strangers the whole time
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Week 2 at home...
It's been a week of good and almost-good with Maya. She seems to have caught a bit of John's cold and has been coughing & sneezing a bit without really getting very sick. At times, this has made her a bit more whiny, a bit more grumpy and a bit harder to to put down to sleep but nothing too extreme and it doesn't last very long.
Maya has been responding very well to me this week and goes freely between John & I now without complaint. She is getting stronger with her walking and has started several new skills: playing peek-a-boo with my family on the video cam/Skype, feeding herself Cheerios, hand-signing more/milk/bed-time, nodding yes/no to my questions, responding to ta/yes/no requests, dancing & she has even started singing! Yes, singing!! I tend to sing a lot around the house and little Maya has started joining in (especially to Madonna). So cute! Although she still hates the car seat, she's managing the high-chair and stroller straps much better now.
On the weekend, Maya got to meet her brother Ryan, sister Erinn & Sam and had a lot of fun with them at Dim Sum. Brother Ryan was over again this evening and played with Maya for a few hours. She really started connecting with him and they had a lot of laughs together.
Maya also got to meet a few of our friends plus the neighbourhood cat, a friend's dog & a little puppy. She took them all in stride and seems to be more of a dog person. I have a great video of Maya & the tiny puppy playing together with the puppy licking her face and her laughing. Too cute! Can ya tell I'm falling?...
Maya has been responding very well to me this week and goes freely between John & I now without complaint. She is getting stronger with her walking and has started several new skills: playing peek-a-boo with my family on the video cam/Skype, feeding herself Cheerios, hand-signing more/milk/bed-time, nodding yes/no to my questions, responding to ta/yes/no requests, dancing & she has even started singing! Yes, singing!! I tend to sing a lot around the house and little Maya has started joining in (especially to Madonna). So cute! Although she still hates the car seat, she's managing the high-chair and stroller straps much better now.
On the weekend, Maya got to meet her brother Ryan, sister Erinn & Sam and had a lot of fun with them at Dim Sum. Brother Ryan was over again this evening and played with Maya for a few hours. She really started connecting with him and they had a lot of laughs together.
Maya also got to meet a few of our friends plus the neighbourhood cat, a friend's dog & a little puppy. She took them all in stride and seems to be more of a dog person. I have a great video of Maya & the tiny puppy playing together with the puppy licking her face and her laughing. Too cute! Can ya tell I'm falling?...
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Date night
John & I have almost never missed a date night in our 13 years together. We make it a priority over all other things to ensure we get our quality time together. With Maya coming in to the picture, we were both unsure as to how we could manage this.
Yesterday, our first date night since coming back home, was a great start! We spent the afternoon walking the neighbourhood, with Maya in the stroller, shopping for an assortment of groceries, wines & cheeses. Once Maya was fed, changed & put to bed for the night, we made plates of veggies & dip; several cheeses; olive tapande on crackers; Baklava for dessert; and 2 mini bottles of wine. We put on warm clothes, set up the portable stereo & candles and had a great picnic on the back deck where we sat and talked for several hours.
This was a great date night!
Yesterday, our first date night since coming back home, was a great start! We spent the afternoon walking the neighbourhood, with Maya in the stroller, shopping for an assortment of groceries, wines & cheeses. Once Maya was fed, changed & put to bed for the night, we made plates of veggies & dip; several cheeses; olive tapande on crackers; Baklava for dessert; and 2 mini bottles of wine. We put on warm clothes, set up the portable stereo & candles and had a great picnic on the back deck where we sat and talked for several hours.
This was a great date night!
Friday, June 5, 2009
The first week...
As of now, we've been in Canada for exactly one week. Maya is sleeping through the night which means that we all are. Now that she's partially on solid foods, she's eating voraciously! A big dish of cereal, plus some veggie, plus a bottle of formula every 2 hours! I think she's making up for all the food she hasn't had until now. She's also gained almost 1 pound in just over a week which, at this age, is still a good thing.
Our life has been very quiet this past week. We've been nesting, getting to know each other, helping Maya to trust us and to get comfortable with the schedule we're trying to figure out for her. She's still daddy's girl when she's tired or upset but she's quite comfortable with me now for the rest of the time. With this gorgeous weather, we're going for a walk each night with Maya in the stroller. Except for the being strapped-in part, she seems to like it so we'll keep doing it.
We're having to spend our 'free' time catching up on paper-work: bills, emails, statements, mail, apply for EI, etc. Plus, we're having to do new stuff for Maya: apply for MSP card, get bloodtests done, get vaccinations done, apply for her citizenship, get her a passport, etc. Even with both of us here, there still doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get our normal stuff done and to look after just one child. How do people with several kids and 1 parent at home get anything done?! I'm sure we'll figure it all out but, right now, dreading the time when John goes back to work and I'll have to do this all by myself...
Our life has been very quiet this past week. We've been nesting, getting to know each other, helping Maya to trust us and to get comfortable with the schedule we're trying to figure out for her. She's still daddy's girl when she's tired or upset but she's quite comfortable with me now for the rest of the time. With this gorgeous weather, we're going for a walk each night with Maya in the stroller. Except for the being strapped-in part, she seems to like it so we'll keep doing it.
We're having to spend our 'free' time catching up on paper-work: bills, emails, statements, mail, apply for EI, etc. Plus, we're having to do new stuff for Maya: apply for MSP card, get bloodtests done, get vaccinations done, apply for her citizenship, get her a passport, etc. Even with both of us here, there still doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get our normal stuff done and to look after just one child. How do people with several kids and 1 parent at home get anything done?! I'm sure we'll figure it all out but, right now, dreading the time when John goes back to work and I'll have to do this all by myself...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Home at last...
We're home! The looonnng flight was better than anticipated with Maya sleeping for 7 of the 12 hours and being pretty good for the rest of the time. Our flight arrived 45 min early and we breezed through customs & immigration so were out of the airport in no time. We had a wonderful suprise with Catherine, Maurice, Sue & Carolyn greeting us in the waiting area. Despite our exhaustion, we were able to chat a short while before heading home.
Maya seemed to know this was her home as she managed the car seat, the wood floors, the new crib, the stroller, et al like she'd always been doing it. It was GREAT to be home!
Sleeping the first night was very rough. Maya slept for a couple of hours while we unpacked but decided to stay up most of the night & play just when we had decided to sleep. Of course, she had to have one of us there with her at all times and either whined, cried or squealed the rest of the time so no one could sleep. Eventually, at about 3:30am, she fell asleep for about 7 hours so we were all able to get some rest. The 2nd night was a bit better as she slept for 4 hours, was awake for 3, then slept for another 4. Let's hope tonight is better...
Despite our exhaustion, it feels amazing to be home again and will spend the next week or two adjusting Maya to the time zones, finish unpacking & setting up Maya's room, child-proofing, catching up on mail/gardening/housework/renos/etc and taking Maya out to meet the MANY people that want to see her.
Maya seemed to know this was her home as she managed the car seat, the wood floors, the new crib, the stroller, et al like she'd always been doing it. It was GREAT to be home!
Sleeping the first night was very rough. Maya slept for a couple of hours while we unpacked but decided to stay up most of the night & play just when we had decided to sleep. Of course, she had to have one of us there with her at all times and either whined, cried or squealed the rest of the time so no one could sleep. Eventually, at about 3:30am, she fell asleep for about 7 hours so we were all able to get some rest. The 2nd night was a bit better as she slept for 4 hours, was awake for 3, then slept for another 4. Let's hope tonight is better...
Despite our exhaustion, it feels amazing to be home again and will spend the next week or two adjusting Maya to the time zones, finish unpacking & setting up Maya's room, child-proofing, catching up on mail/gardening/housework/renos/etc and taking Maya out to meet the MANY people that want to see her.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The orphanage visit…
Saturday May 23 is designated as the day we’re to visit Maya’s previous home. We’re a bit anxious as she hasn’t been in a car except once on her way to meet us and we’re nervous about how she’ll deal with seeing her nannies & old home again. Plus, the drive is 3.5 hours EACH WAY and there are no car seats – we have to hold her.
The drive down was rough. Maya cried and fussed a lot and the weather was terrible – torrential downpours flooding highways and streets. When we got there, it was rather surreal. We’re driven up to a non-descript building with a side, lane entrance. The assistant-director met us at the gate and led us through the old building. Through our guide, she was telling us that the 1st two floors of the building are a home for the elderly. The 3rd floor is home to infants 1-3 months old and special needs babies. The 4th floor was Maya’s home – babies 4 months old plus.
There were 40 little faces looking out at us from their 36 silver cribs. 40 babies! Yes, some had 2 per crib and there were only 2 nannies (per shift) plus the assistant-director (A.D.) to care for them. Wow!! The cribs were strapped together in clusters of 8. The cribs had wood bottoms and no mattresses. Each crib only had a blanket and pillow inside to entertain the babies. Toys were reserved for the play-room. It was difficult to see and even harder to process how these little ones functioned in here. The orphanage finds an average of 3 new babies a month, most coming from young un-wed mothers from the villages that are unable to look after their babies in the city.
The assistant-director was very friendly and very excited that we had come to visit. They only get to see the adoptive families occasionally so they’re so happy when they get to meet the new family of one of their charges. She showed us the facility, answered our questions, gave us a copy of Maya’s finding ad (with her birth picture) and other documents then took us to Maya’s finding spot (where she was found abandoned). The A.D. clearly cared for Maya and Maya clearly cared for her. They laughed and cuddled together. The A.D. is the lady that was in the orphanage photo of Maya standing. These babies are obviously well cared for and well loved by the staff. I’m glad we were able to see this. It was a bitter-sweet visit that ended too soon.
After this visit, Maya was a new girl. We don’t understand why but she seemed to have some ‘closure’, if this can be associated with an infant. Maya laughed, clapped, played and just seemed happier overall. She even started bonding & coming to me! Woo hoo! Although daddy is still the preferred choice when tired or fussy, I’m now in the running for all other activities and enjoying being able to finally hold her for short periods of time.
The drive down was rough. Maya cried and fussed a lot and the weather was terrible – torrential downpours flooding highways and streets. When we got there, it was rather surreal. We’re driven up to a non-descript building with a side, lane entrance. The assistant-director met us at the gate and led us through the old building. Through our guide, she was telling us that the 1st two floors of the building are a home for the elderly. The 3rd floor is home to infants 1-3 months old and special needs babies. The 4th floor was Maya’s home – babies 4 months old plus.
There were 40 little faces looking out at us from their 36 silver cribs. 40 babies! Yes, some had 2 per crib and there were only 2 nannies (per shift) plus the assistant-director (A.D.) to care for them. Wow!! The cribs were strapped together in clusters of 8. The cribs had wood bottoms and no mattresses. Each crib only had a blanket and pillow inside to entertain the babies. Toys were reserved for the play-room. It was difficult to see and even harder to process how these little ones functioned in here. The orphanage finds an average of 3 new babies a month, most coming from young un-wed mothers from the villages that are unable to look after their babies in the city.
The assistant-director was very friendly and very excited that we had come to visit. They only get to see the adoptive families occasionally so they’re so happy when they get to meet the new family of one of their charges. She showed us the facility, answered our questions, gave us a copy of Maya’s finding ad (with her birth picture) and other documents then took us to Maya’s finding spot (where she was found abandoned). The A.D. clearly cared for Maya and Maya clearly cared for her. They laughed and cuddled together. The A.D. is the lady that was in the orphanage photo of Maya standing. These babies are obviously well cared for and well loved by the staff. I’m glad we were able to see this. It was a bitter-sweet visit that ended too soon.
After this visit, Maya was a new girl. We don’t understand why but she seemed to have some ‘closure’, if this can be associated with an infant. Maya laughed, clapped, played and just seemed happier overall. She even started bonding & coming to me! Woo hoo! Although daddy is still the preferred choice when tired or fussy, I’m now in the running for all other activities and enjoying being able to finally hold her for short periods of time.
Returning home...
We return home Friday May 29 on AC30, landing at 12:00 noon. With immigration & luggage, we expect it will be 30+ minutes before we come out those doors. I know that some people wanted to come down to see us at the airport and we'd be happy to see you. We can't guarantee Maya's mood, and she still won't allow anyone else to hold her, but it would be great to see some friendly faces!
John & Christine
John & Christine
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Naive Parenting…
I’m sure all of you parents out there will laugh at this ‘realization’ for us but parenting is busy!! Journaling & preparing blog entries has been a bit of a challenge as we’re constantly doing stuff for, about, around, in preparation-for Maya. Even with both of us here, it’s VERY BUSY but dull at the same time. Maya’s nap & bed times happen when we’re normally eating so we’ve missed many lunches (or have had to snack on Arrowroot cookies or handfuls of Cheerios) and our dinners are now starting around 4 or 5pm. The most excitement we get in a day is a walk or play-time in the baby room. If we’re not too exhausted by bed-time (~9pm) we’ll watch part of a movie on John’s laptop before one of us (usually Christine) falls asleep.
Maya is sleeping 10-12 hours a night plus about 2 hours in the afternoon (we’re the lucky parents here) but its not completely restful sleep. She wakes every 1.5-2 hours in a whine/cry but once you comfort her, she falls back to sleep. Her crib is beside Christine’s bed so she’s the lucky one who gets to do all of the over-night comforting which is why she’s falling asleep at 9pm. Christine also has to do all of the feedings (to try to develop bonding) which occur every 2.5 hours at this point.
Daddy is still the parent of choice. We were prepared for this as women are usually the one rejected in adoptions but it doesn’t make it any less difficult for either of us. John is tired as he has this permanent appendage clinging to him – he can’t eat, shower, use the bathroom or anything without having Maya attached to him. If he pulls her off to have Christine take over, Maya usually just screams and resists being held until John returns. It’s getting better each day but it’s still a challenge.
Maya is sleeping 10-12 hours a night plus about 2 hours in the afternoon (we’re the lucky parents here) but its not completely restful sleep. She wakes every 1.5-2 hours in a whine/cry but once you comfort her, she falls back to sleep. Her crib is beside Christine’s bed so she’s the lucky one who gets to do all of the over-night comforting which is why she’s falling asleep at 9pm. Christine also has to do all of the feedings (to try to develop bonding) which occur every 2.5 hours at this point.
Daddy is still the parent of choice. We were prepared for this as women are usually the one rejected in adoptions but it doesn’t make it any less difficult for either of us. John is tired as he has this permanent appendage clinging to him – he can’t eat, shower, use the bathroom or anything without having Maya attached to him. If he pulls her off to have Christine take over, Maya usually just screams and resists being held until John returns. It’s getting better each day but it’s still a challenge.
The best laid plans…
Despite our plans to provide frequent blog updates on our travels and to keep in contact with our families by Skype and YouTube, fate has other plans. Blogspot and YouTube are both banned sites here in Guangzhou. They weren’t in Shanghai and we hope they aren’t in Beijing but we’ve been given the impression that they are. Internet is also a bit of a challenge as it’s quite expensive in the hotel ($18/day). We can get free internet access at Starbucks 2 blocks away but packing up a baby so early in the morning to take her to a ‘boring’ coffee shop and sit in front of a computer is proving to be a challenge. Maya has other plans for her mornings… Plus, the weather has not been good so we’re having to try to do this around torrential downpours. In the interim, we’ve been sending our blog entries to Christine’s sister by email to post on our behalf. Sending photos for the blog has been ‘iffy’ so far.
The early days…
The next day, May 19, is Maya’s 1st birthday but we don’t really do anything special, just more paperwork and signing of the formal adoption certificate. However our guide, Grace, arranged a special birthday cake through the hotel to be delivered to our room. It’s complete with cart, white table-cloth, candles and a rose. What a treat! Maya hadn’t been eating any solid foods yet, but when we gave her cake…hey, no problems eating solids now. The day is spent walking around, going on Skype with family, feeding, changing, napping, playing…
Wednesday May 20 starts out as a good day but goes downhill after dinner. While at the shopping street and in the car on the way home, Maya becomes whiny and will only let dad carry her. Of course, this hurts mom’s feelings but we both understood that this may happen initially. By the time we reach the hotel, little Maya is inconsolable. She’s been drooling all afternoon and we can now see that she’s cutting at least 1 new tooth. Add to this the fact that she hasn’t pooped in days so much be in a lot of pain. It takes us 90+ minutes of carrying her and pacing the room to finally get her to sleep and stop crying.
Thursday was not much of a good day either. Poor Maya didn’t sleep well last night (so we didn’t either) and is still whiny when she wakes in the morning. She cries & whines for the next 2 hours so we discuss this with our guide Grace and decide to go to the hotel medical clinic to get her an enema. One of the other babies in our group had one last night and made a world of difference to her mood. The whole enema process was quite tramatic for all of us (for John almost as much as for Maya). No wonder the poor kid was in such discomfort!! We decided to stay in the hotel for much of the day to let her settle down & recover from the morning events. Maya remains whiny all day and bedtime proved to be a bit of challenge as well. Tomorrow is a ‘free’ day so we decide to take it easy again so she won’t be so stressed.
Now that a few days have passed (and she's been relieved), we’re starting to see Maya’s real personality appear. What we know is: she is whiny when she’s unsure or unhappy with anything or it changes too quickly; she bum dances to music; she likes anything technology (tv, music, computer, blackberry); she can stomp and is only days away from walking on her own without ever having learned to crawl; has an adorable smile & giggle; LOVES to clap and bang on things and doesn’t like doing anything without having a hand on one of us…
Wednesday May 20 starts out as a good day but goes downhill after dinner. While at the shopping street and in the car on the way home, Maya becomes whiny and will only let dad carry her. Of course, this hurts mom’s feelings but we both understood that this may happen initially. By the time we reach the hotel, little Maya is inconsolable. She’s been drooling all afternoon and we can now see that she’s cutting at least 1 new tooth. Add to this the fact that she hasn’t pooped in days so much be in a lot of pain. It takes us 90+ minutes of carrying her and pacing the room to finally get her to sleep and stop crying.
Thursday was not much of a good day either. Poor Maya didn’t sleep well last night (so we didn’t either) and is still whiny when she wakes in the morning. She cries & whines for the next 2 hours so we discuss this with our guide Grace and decide to go to the hotel medical clinic to get her an enema. One of the other babies in our group had one last night and made a world of difference to her mood. The whole enema process was quite tramatic for all of us (for John almost as much as for Maya). No wonder the poor kid was in such discomfort!! We decided to stay in the hotel for much of the day to let her settle down & recover from the morning events. Maya remains whiny all day and bedtime proved to be a bit of challenge as well. Tomorrow is a ‘free’ day so we decide to take it easy again so she won’t be so stressed.
Now that a few days have passed (and she's been relieved), we’re starting to see Maya’s real personality appear. What we know is: she is whiny when she’s unsure or unhappy with anything or it changes too quickly; she bum dances to music; she likes anything technology (tv, music, computer, blackberry); she can stomp and is only days away from walking on her own without ever having learned to crawl; has an adorable smile & giggle; LOVES to clap and bang on things and doesn’t like doing anything without having a hand on one of us…
The adoption handover
The flight to Guangzhou was uneventful as travelers, but the anticipation that we will be receiving Maya starts to creep to the forefront. We checked into to the White Swan hotel, where all American adoptions take place, and has been and made famous by China blogsites.
The next day, May 18th is hand-over day and we’re very anxious, as we don’t receive Maya until 3pm. The day is spent checking & re-checking our baby bag, baby-proofing the room, going for walks and basically losing our marbles. It’s hard to think clearly. John plays some mind games on Christine just for amusement and a distraction.
At the adoption center, there are 2 other couples who receive their babies first and this gives us a chance to mentally prepare for our turn. There’s a stack of paperwork that has to be signed before anything happens. Once done, Christine has to recompose herself before the ‘moment’ but when it happens, it’s so fast that there wasn’t time to be wildly emotional. They walk out, hand you the baby, take a picture & back off. It’s so matter-of-fact, and Maya was so quiet throughout the transition that we were quite stunned. However, she’s a bit physically rigid (nervous) and watchful of everything, and we’re not quite getting the fact that we will be parents for the next 20 years! Maya seems to prefer John and he switches into parent mode instantly with his first task…a diaper change that happens quickly and without too many tears for Maya. 5-10 minutes after receiving the baby, we had to sign more papers, hand over the envelopes of cash, then hand over the director & nanny gifts just before they leave. We’re done…
On the way back to the hotel, Maya falls asleep in John’s arms (no car seat laws here) and he is thrilled with this new role. Awaiting us in the freshly made-up room, is a special ‘Adoption Barbie’! Apparently, the White Swan is famous for giving these customized dolls to adoptive parents and since they’re quite unique, they fetch a high price on eBay. So they say…
The rest of the day is spent holding, feeding, holding, changing, holding, walking, holding…. until we all collapse exhausted. Maya does not like to be put down for any reason but will stop crying as soon as we pick her up.
The next day, May 18th is hand-over day and we’re very anxious, as we don’t receive Maya until 3pm. The day is spent checking & re-checking our baby bag, baby-proofing the room, going for walks and basically losing our marbles. It’s hard to think clearly. John plays some mind games on Christine just for amusement and a distraction.
At the adoption center, there are 2 other couples who receive their babies first and this gives us a chance to mentally prepare for our turn. There’s a stack of paperwork that has to be signed before anything happens. Once done, Christine has to recompose herself before the ‘moment’ but when it happens, it’s so fast that there wasn’t time to be wildly emotional. They walk out, hand you the baby, take a picture & back off. It’s so matter-of-fact, and Maya was so quiet throughout the transition that we were quite stunned. However, she’s a bit physically rigid (nervous) and watchful of everything, and we’re not quite getting the fact that we will be parents for the next 20 years! Maya seems to prefer John and he switches into parent mode instantly with his first task…a diaper change that happens quickly and without too many tears for Maya. 5-10 minutes after receiving the baby, we had to sign more papers, hand over the envelopes of cash, then hand over the director & nanny gifts just before they leave. We’re done…
On the way back to the hotel, Maya falls asleep in John’s arms (no car seat laws here) and he is thrilled with this new role. Awaiting us in the freshly made-up room, is a special ‘Adoption Barbie’! Apparently, the White Swan is famous for giving these customized dolls to adoptive parents and since they’re quite unique, they fetch a high price on eBay. So they say…
The rest of the day is spent holding, feeding, holding, changing, holding, walking, holding…. until we all collapse exhausted. Maya does not like to be put down for any reason but will stop crying as soon as we pick her up.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Baby news to follow
From Sue: Christine & John aren't able to update their blog from China so far. The two previous posts have somehow neglected to mention that yes, they have a new daughter! We've Skyped with them several times already and they're all doing well. Maya is as beautiful as her pictures showed her to be. She's adapting well and is sleeping pretty well considering. They're trying to start her on some solid foods, as it's obvious she's not had any. She loved the Birthday cake the hotel left for her! She's a little monkey and loves to be held at all times. She has a fondness for John's electronic toys.
They're chillin in the hot weather, getting used to being a family and going to their scheduled appointments. Off to the mall today!
I've begged for pictures and she will try to email me some to post as soon as she can. I'm uploading one of the first I grabbed from Skype a few hours after Gotcha.
Yangtze River Cruise
The Yangtze River cruise on Victoria Cruise lines was great. It was a small river cruise ship that holds 150 passengers but, due to the flu, there were only 54 guests on board so we got lots of extra attention. It was either foggy or raining for most of the cruise so our visibility was limited but all three Gorges were gorgeous, at least what we could see of them. The Dam was supposed to be 2.5 km long but we couldn’t see most of it due to the fog. Going up the Dam in the 5 locks was great. We could see the whole thing and the gates of each lock were just like those at the entrance to King Kong. The staff on the ship were excellent and we would both recommend this cruise to anyone. It was a bitter-sweet cruise for us. The scenery was gorgeous but it’s hard to look at the river banks knowing the destruction, relocation and lost heritage sitting below the water levels.
The disembarkation city of the cruise, and our final leg of this part of our trip is in the city of Chongquing. What a wonderful surprise this city is! The entire length of the river in the city, most of the buildings and many of the ships are fully lit like Hong Kong at night. The city is high above the river so none of it had to be moved when the river was flooded. It’s a very modern and metropolitan city with very fashionable residents and a frequent displays of wealth at every turn.
The disembarkation city of the cruise, and our final leg of this part of our trip is in the city of Chongquing. What a wonderful surprise this city is! The entire length of the river in the city, most of the buildings and many of the ships are fully lit like Hong Kong at night. The city is high above the river so none of it had to be moved when the river was flooded. It’s a very modern and metropolitan city with very fashionable residents and a frequent displays of wealth at every turn.
China, here we come!
MAY 10-16
It’s Mothers Day and we leave for Shanghai on a plane with a malfunctioning entertainment system and frequent turbulence so spend much of the 12-hour flight confined to our seats with no movies, music, games or electrical connections in the console for our laptops. Luckily for us, we had a 4-hour battery and lots of movies on John’s laptop plus lots of books so the flight was a bit more manageable.
The Bund and Nanjing Road area in Shanghai is undergoing a complete facelift for the 2010 Expo so the entire area is demolished and closed off. It was quite disappointing not to see this area again as it was very pretty when we were here in 2001. However, we did get to ride on the new MAGLEV skytrain that goes 300km/hr. Very cool!
The flight from Shanghai to Yichang was a horror with multiple flight & destination changes, police incidents, physical altercations with passengers and almost literally missing the (cruise) boat. We made the cruise, a bit worse for wear but very happy to be there...
It’s Mothers Day and we leave for Shanghai on a plane with a malfunctioning entertainment system and frequent turbulence so spend much of the 12-hour flight confined to our seats with no movies, music, games or electrical connections in the console for our laptops. Luckily for us, we had a 4-hour battery and lots of movies on John’s laptop plus lots of books so the flight was a bit more manageable.
The Bund and Nanjing Road area in Shanghai is undergoing a complete facelift for the 2010 Expo so the entire area is demolished and closed off. It was quite disappointing not to see this area again as it was very pretty when we were here in 2001. However, we did get to ride on the new MAGLEV skytrain that goes 300km/hr. Very cool!
The flight from Shanghai to Yichang was a horror with multiple flight & destination changes, police incidents, physical altercations with passengers and almost literally missing the (cruise) boat. We made the cruise, a bit worse for wear but very happy to be there...
Monday, May 11, 2009
We're in Shanghai...
We're here! Tired but in one piece.
The flight was 'interesting' as the entertainment system on the plane wasn't working so they shut it down for the flight. No Movies, No TV, No games, No electrical in the consoles for laptops, No reading lights and NO AIR CONDITIONING! It was bloody hot in that plane and, due to turbulence, we had to spend most of the 12 hour flight confined to our seats. Luckily, John has downloaded stuff so we watched the new Star Trek movie (excellent) & the first 3 episodes of LOST before the laptop died.
Upon arrival, 6 health inspectors boarded the plane wearing full body white disposable painter suits, red UVEX goggles (looked like ski goggles) and breathing masks. They looked hilarious & everyone started laughing except for the small children that were terrified of them. They did a thermal scan of everyone's forehead for temperatures and we were all cleared. Everyone clapped when they turned to leave. The whole process only took 20 minutes so they were very efficient. Passing through immigration, customs & luggage took another 30 minutes so we were out of the airport in no time.
We're now going to jump on the MAGLEV (magnetic levitation train/subway) to go downtown to the BUND and PUDONG for dinner.
The flight was 'interesting' as the entertainment system on the plane wasn't working so they shut it down for the flight. No Movies, No TV, No games, No electrical in the consoles for laptops, No reading lights and NO AIR CONDITIONING! It was bloody hot in that plane and, due to turbulence, we had to spend most of the 12 hour flight confined to our seats. Luckily, John has downloaded stuff so we watched the new Star Trek movie (excellent) & the first 3 episodes of LOST before the laptop died.
Upon arrival, 6 health inspectors boarded the plane wearing full body white disposable painter suits, red UVEX goggles (looked like ski goggles) and breathing masks. They looked hilarious & everyone started laughing except for the small children that were terrified of them. They did a thermal scan of everyone's forehead for temperatures and we were all cleared. Everyone clapped when they turned to leave. The whole process only took 20 minutes so they were very efficient. Passing through immigration, customs & luggage took another 30 minutes so we were out of the airport in no time.
We're now going to jump on the MAGLEV (magnetic levitation train/subway) to go downtown to the BUND and PUDONG for dinner.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
And away we go...
What a week this has been! I the past 10 days we've gone from full-on to full-stop to partial-on to full-on again... I'm exhausted!
We fly out at 11am tomorrow, Mothers Day, and will arrive in China on Monday evening. Both John and I have both had rather atypical behaviour for this trip - lack of concentration, forgetting what we were doing, confusion & frustration. I attribute it to the stress and the realization that we are about to become parents (again).
Despite all of these stresses, we are both quite excited about the adventure we are about to begin...
We fly out at 11am tomorrow, Mothers Day, and will arrive in China on Monday evening. Both John and I have both had rather atypical behaviour for this trip - lack of concentration, forgetting what we were doing, confusion & frustration. I attribute it to the stress and the realization that we are about to become parents (again).
Despite all of these stresses, we are both quite excited about the adventure we are about to begin...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Another milestone...
Yesterday was set aside for some last minute shopping & travel preparations. We both love this phase of travel preparations as things go fast, we start packing and our trip feels real & very imminent..
Maya's orphanage will only take their mandatory 'donation' in Chinese cash (RMB) so we had to order the whole amount a week ago & picked it up yesterday. It would have been nearly impossible to get it in China as we aren't citizens so we had almost no choice but to take it in cash. It's a strange feeling to be walking around with so much cash - even if it is RMB... We also got our travellers cheques and another money order for our agency. Our bank account balance has certainly plummeted in the past few days.
We also made visits to TJ's Kids, Crocodile Baby, Whole Foods & London Drugs to pick up the last essentials needed for the trip & for when we first get home. Change pads, baby monitors, safety gates, bath toys, baby travel products, etc. Bags & Bags of stuff!
While at the bank, I had a conversation with my adoption agency. Fonnie excitedly told me that she had just received the original of our Approval to Travel (TA) as well as our Passports & VISA's. These were the last few pieces we needed. It was one of the last milestones we needed to reach. I mentioned this news to John and, while standing at the teller wicket in the middle of a very busy branch, he let out a happy yell and gave me a big hug. I love seeing him so excited about meeting Maya...
Maya's orphanage will only take their mandatory 'donation' in Chinese cash (RMB) so we had to order the whole amount a week ago & picked it up yesterday. It would have been nearly impossible to get it in China as we aren't citizens so we had almost no choice but to take it in cash. It's a strange feeling to be walking around with so much cash - even if it is RMB... We also got our travellers cheques and another money order for our agency. Our bank account balance has certainly plummeted in the past few days.
We also made visits to TJ's Kids, Crocodile Baby, Whole Foods & London Drugs to pick up the last essentials needed for the trip & for when we first get home. Change pads, baby monitors, safety gates, bath toys, baby travel products, etc. Bags & Bags of stuff!
While at the bank, I had a conversation with my adoption agency. Fonnie excitedly told me that she had just received the original of our Approval to Travel (TA) as well as our Passports & VISA's. These were the last few pieces we needed. It was one of the last milestones we needed to reach. I mentioned this news to John and, while standing at the teller wicket in the middle of a very busy branch, he let out a happy yell and gave me a big hug. I love seeing him so excited about meeting Maya...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
More excitement...
Assuming we would both be done work this week, we had pre-arranged one last motorcycle ride with some friends that are moving back to Australia in a few weeks. With the week we've just had, we needed a day away from the stresses of planning this trip so decided to go ahead with the ride. As it worked out 7 other riders joined us and we had a blast! We took the Langdale ferry and went over to Gibsons & Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. It was a great little ride. The weather cooperated and only rained when we were inside on a break. The rest of the day was good weather.
On the ferry home, we got an email on Johns Blackberry from our agency with our Hague Approval letter and our in-China travel invoice. We believe that they aren't going to bill us unless they firmly believe we are going so this was a good invoice! Our TA's will be another day or two but are definintely coming. Our passports & VISA's will be ready for pickup Thursday evening. No travel warnings are in place for China but we may be subjected to medical testing & quarantine. In short, planning is moving forward...
The bad news is that John and I are now both sick! The stress of the weekend has worn us both down and we're now suffering from head colds (no, not swine flu). This is another thing that is impacting our packing effectiveness as we're stuck in bed and moving much slower. Boy, this trip been a royal pain and we haven't even left yet! Maybe this means that we'll have a wonderful time over there...
On the ferry home, we got an email on Johns Blackberry from our agency with our Hague Approval letter and our in-China travel invoice. We believe that they aren't going to bill us unless they firmly believe we are going so this was a good invoice! Our TA's will be another day or two but are definintely coming. Our passports & VISA's will be ready for pickup Thursday evening. No travel warnings are in place for China but we may be subjected to medical testing & quarantine. In short, planning is moving forward...
The bad news is that John and I are now both sick! The stress of the weekend has worn us both down and we're now suffering from head colds (no, not swine flu). This is another thing that is impacting our packing effectiveness as we're stuck in bed and moving much slower. Boy, this trip been a royal pain and we haven't even left yet! Maybe this means that we'll have a wonderful time over there...
Monday, May 4, 2009
We're going to China... we think!
Could this be true? Could it really be happening?...
A strange call came this morning from our agency. Somehow, someway there was an oversight and our group's TA's WERE sent from China last week and will arrive in Victoria today or tomorrow. We're in shock! After the stress & agony of the weekend, we are stunned with news and are confused, excited and overwhelmed with this new bit of information. Barring a travel advisory being issued by China, illness or injury to us, we are on a plane this Sunday to meet our little Maya...
We've lost a few days of packing & planning and now have to restart and refocus ourselves. We're not complaining at all but a week of packing & planning will now have to be condensed in to a few short days. Oh, the things we need to do!!!!
Happy stress for us... Woo Hoo!
A strange call came this morning from our agency. Somehow, someway there was an oversight and our group's TA's WERE sent from China last week and will arrive in Victoria today or tomorrow. We're in shock! After the stress & agony of the weekend, we are stunned with news and are confused, excited and overwhelmed with this new bit of information. Barring a travel advisory being issued by China, illness or injury to us, we are on a plane this Sunday to meet our little Maya...
We've lost a few days of packing & planning and now have to restart and refocus ourselves. We're not complaining at all but a week of packing & planning will now have to be condensed in to a few short days. Oh, the things we need to do!!!!
Happy stress for us... Woo Hoo!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Bad News...
We’ve had a rather upsetting call from our agency today... Our TA's (travel approvals) were to be issued today but have been cancelled indefinitely. It seems that China has decided TODAY to stop all adoptions until the flu pandemic passes.
This is a serious hit to us that means that we do not get Maya any time soon, we will lose a big chunk of the $$$ we paid last week for our hotels, river cruise & flights, plus we finish work tomorrow so no income to live on over this period & no EI support as we don’t have the baby. This could go on for weeks or months…
Strangely, travel to China is still allowed, just not adoptions. Airlines & cruise companies only refund your money with a travel advisory issued from the country - which doesn't exist in this case. The best we can hope for at this point is to pay the large change fees to postpone our flights out a couple of months and then pay to change them again when we are allowed to travel. We don't have as much hope for the cruise costs, in-country flights or hotels so this money may be gone...
Needless to say, we're both stunned, heart-broken and struggling to find the positive in this...
This is a serious hit to us that means that we do not get Maya any time soon, we will lose a big chunk of the $$$ we paid last week for our hotels, river cruise & flights, plus we finish work tomorrow so no income to live on over this period & no EI support as we don’t have the baby. This could go on for weeks or months…
Strangely, travel to China is still allowed, just not adoptions. Airlines & cruise companies only refund your money with a travel advisory issued from the country - which doesn't exist in this case. The best we can hope for at this point is to pay the large change fees to postpone our flights out a couple of months and then pay to change them again when we are allowed to travel. We don't have as much hope for the cruise costs, in-country flights or hotels so this money may be gone...
Needless to say, we're both stunned, heart-broken and struggling to find the positive in this...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Travel Meeting
We had our agency travel meeting last night and got to meet the 5 other families that will be travelling with us to China. Like us, everyone had the glossy-eyed look about them and loads of questions about what's going to happen during our travels. 2 of the families are brining their 5-7 year old children along, 2 families have the mom's staying home with the kids and the dads travelling alone to China (yikes) and the other 2 of us are new parents. It's going to be interesting...
For us, we found out that we will be alone during the first week except for a translator at the key appointments. We will 'likely' meet Maya on May 17 but won't know until we're already in China. Our orphanage doesn't take wire transfers, travellers cheques or credit cards so we have to carry all of our fees in chinese cash. Wow! We also received confirmation that we will be allowed to visit the orphanage to see where Maya has been living. Yipee! Sadly, the other families in our group are going to a different orphanage that does not allow visits so they won't be able to go to theirs.
For our travel details in China, we won't know them until we're already there so everyone will just have to wait and see...
For us, we found out that we will be alone during the first week except for a translator at the key appointments. We will 'likely' meet Maya on May 17 but won't know until we're already in China. Our orphanage doesn't take wire transfers, travellers cheques or credit cards so we have to carry all of our fees in chinese cash. Wow! We also received confirmation that we will be allowed to visit the orphanage to see where Maya has been living. Yipee! Sadly, the other families in our group are going to a different orphanage that does not allow visits so they won't be able to go to theirs.
For our travel details in China, we won't know them until we're already there so everyone will just have to wait and see...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Shower
We have such awesome friends! While out for Dim Sum on Sunday (great decoy T&L!) the ladies got in to our house and set up a surprise baby shower for me. I didn't see it coming! What a blast... Of course, most of the same ladies were the ones that kept me up so late the night before but I'll forgive them, this time. Yummy food, great friends, beautiful decorations and lots of gorgeous gifts for Maya. I feel so lucky...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sweet sleep, how elusive you are...
Last night, we had some good friends over for our last 'adult' gathering before we leave for China. It was great seeing people we hadn't seen in a while and catching up on our lives. The evening weather was perfect, the mix of friends was energized and fun was had by all. Unfortunately, John & I are rather 'dehydrated' today and feeling the effects of little sleep...... ;-) I guess we should get used to the the lack of sleep part! It would have been nice to sleep in today but we have another busy day ahead of us. Sleep. Sweet sleep. How elusive you are... Shall we meet again this evening?
Hosting a gathering is also a great motivator for house-work. The house was cleaned from top to bottom, the back decks got their spring scrub down wash, John got the 3 new glass bedroom doors installed & stained (still needs varnish, hardware & frosting film), we dug out the summer patio furniture, the back yard gardening was done (removal of the dead shrubs, weeding, planting of the new shrubs/herbs/vegetables) & the misc piles of 'stuff' that accumulated around the house were dealt with or hidden. Oddly, we find that our house is always cleaner and our liquor cabinet is fuller AFTER a party than it was when we started. It's a mystery...
Hosting a gathering is also a great motivator for house-work. The house was cleaned from top to bottom, the back decks got their spring scrub down wash, John got the 3 new glass bedroom doors installed & stained (still needs varnish, hardware & frosting film), we dug out the summer patio furniture, the back yard gardening was done (removal of the dead shrubs, weeding, planting of the new shrubs/herbs/vegetables) & the misc piles of 'stuff' that accumulated around the house were dealt with or hidden. Oddly, we find that our house is always cleaner and our liquor cabinet is fuller AFTER a party than it was when we started. It's a mystery...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Weather & Time
We need to figure out what to pack for Maya and ourselves so we've done some weather research.
Typical weather in MAY for Guangzhou is:
Low = 22.7
High = 29.4
Mean days of rain = 18
Mean total precipitation = 284mm
(it looks like we're going to get wet!)
Typcial weather in MAY for Beijing is:
Low = 13.2
High = 26.4
Mean days of rain = 6
Mean total precipitation = 29mm
(cooler, but dryer and not too far off our weather at home)
Time difference:
China only has 1 time zone and does not recognize Daylight Savings Time.
The time differences are:
China to BC > -15 hours
China to ON > -12 hours
When travelling, we'll try to get on the computer in the morning which will be the previous evening here. Let's hope the internet connections are good enough to update the blog at least (I've heard that they aren't...). Having enough connection for SKYPE may be hoping for too much.
Typical weather in MAY for Guangzhou is:
Low = 22.7
High = 29.4
Mean days of rain = 18
Mean total precipitation = 284mm
(it looks like we're going to get wet!)
Typcial weather in MAY for Beijing is:
Low = 13.2
High = 26.4
Mean days of rain = 6
Mean total precipitation = 29mm
(cooler, but dryer and not too far off our weather at home)
Time difference:
China only has 1 time zone and does not recognize Daylight Savings Time.
The time differences are:
China to BC > -15 hours
China to ON > -12 hours
When travelling, we'll try to get on the computer in the morning which will be the previous evening here. Let's hope the internet connections are good enough to update the blog at least (I've heard that they aren't...). Having enough connection for SKYPE may be hoping for too much.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Travel Planning
Another crazy week...
I've had a really bad week at work, with lots of demands on my time, and working very long hours. Add to this the fact that I only have 2 weeks of work left and, mentally, I've already left my job. The stress was high and it seems to have landed right on my shoulders - literally. I've been suffering with upper back spasms all week and now, on Saturday, am confined to bed and taking lots of muscle relaxers. It sucks!
In the few moments I wasn't working, John and I were both scanning the web sites for flights and 'things to do' with our 5-days before we meet our daughter. We had specific limitations with 'needing' to be in Guangzhou by May 17 and 'needing' to return home with a direct flight on the 29th. Everything before & after was open. It made choosing what to do with those 5 days harder than we thought...
Narrowing down our options, we spent this morning running around to travel agents getting quotes for flights and our 'leisure' time. All seems to be working out well and it looks like we're going to take a 4-day Yangze River cruise before flying to Guangzhou to meet our baby. We're both quite excited and feel this is a great way to see some of China, have a few days to relax, decompress and adjust to the time zones before...
I've had a really bad week at work, with lots of demands on my time, and working very long hours. Add to this the fact that I only have 2 weeks of work left and, mentally, I've already left my job. The stress was high and it seems to have landed right on my shoulders - literally. I've been suffering with upper back spasms all week and now, on Saturday, am confined to bed and taking lots of muscle relaxers. It sucks!
In the few moments I wasn't working, John and I were both scanning the web sites for flights and 'things to do' with our 5-days before we meet our daughter. We had specific limitations with 'needing' to be in Guangzhou by May 17 and 'needing' to return home with a direct flight on the 29th. Everything before & after was open. It made choosing what to do with those 5 days harder than we thought...
Narrowing down our options, we spent this morning running around to travel agents getting quotes for flights and our 'leisure' time. All seems to be working out well and it looks like we're going to take a 4-day Yangze River cruise before flying to Guangzhou to meet our baby. We're both quite excited and feel this is a great way to see some of China, have a few days to relax, decompress and adjust to the time zones before...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Shopping & Registries
Now that we have the details of our baby, and a general idea of our trip, we need to get some serious shopping going. The big stuff is all done - strollers, high-chairs, car-seats, cribs, etc. Some of the little stuff is done - carrier, diapers, cheerios, diaper rash creams, etc.
I thought we had most of the stuff covered but it seems that we need to get so many more things for this little one, and for the trip itself. We're going to have to do some serious shopping in the next few weeks. We've found that it has been really hard to make purchase choices that fit the changes we've made with our lifestyle - Organic / Chemical-free. There just aren't as many choices available as we'd hoped for but there are choices...
We've spent a lot of time at the following places and I've been 'told' to include the details here, so:
-Chapters Wishlist (under name Christine-John McFarland-Mah or Christine's home email address...)
-Crocodile Baby on West 4th (under name John Mah or registry #2648)
-TJ's kids on Marine Drive (under name John Mah or registry #100161)
-Hip Baby on West 4th (no registry yet)
-Dandelion Kids on Commercial Drive (no registry but just about everything in that store fits our lifestyle choice)
So much to do... So little time!
I thought we had most of the stuff covered but it seems that we need to get so many more things for this little one, and for the trip itself. We're going to have to do some serious shopping in the next few weeks. We've found that it has been really hard to make purchase choices that fit the changes we've made with our lifestyle - Organic / Chemical-free. There just aren't as many choices available as we'd hoped for but there are choices...
We've spent a lot of time at the following places and I've been 'told' to include the details here, so:
-Chapters Wishlist (under name Christine-John McFarland-Mah or Christine's home email address...)
-Crocodile Baby on West 4th (under name John Mah or registry #2648)
-TJ's kids on Marine Drive (under name John Mah or registry #100161)
-Hip Baby on West 4th (no registry yet)
-Dandelion Kids on Commercial Drive (no registry but just about everything in that store fits our lifestyle choice)
So much to do... So little time!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Travel Dates for China!
We have our (estimated) Travel Dates!!!
May 10, 2009 - Mothers Day and departure date to China
May 11-15 - Mini vacation & time zone adjustment
May 16 - Meet translator & other familes from our agency in Shanghai
May 17 - Fly with translator to city where we'll meet Maya (city tbd)
May 18 - Victoria Day & Family Day!!!
May 19 - Baby Maya's 1st birthday and day that we complete our adoption documents
May 22 - Receive Maya's Chinese passport & verified adoption certificate
May 23 - fly to Beijing & rejoin other families from our agency
May 25 - Medical Exam & Application to Immigrate to Canada
May 28 - Receive final documents for immigration
May 28/29 - Return to Vancouver
I'm on a plane for Mothers Day and get to be with Maya for her 1st birthday. Perfect!
More travel details to come when they are available...
We are sooooo excited!!
May 10, 2009 - Mothers Day and departure date to China
May 11-15 - Mini vacation & time zone adjustment
May 16 - Meet translator & other familes from our agency in Shanghai
May 17 - Fly with translator to city where we'll meet Maya (city tbd)
May 18 - Victoria Day & Family Day!!!
May 19 - Baby Maya's 1st birthday and day that we complete our adoption documents
May 22 - Receive Maya's Chinese passport & verified adoption certificate
May 23 - fly to Beijing & rejoin other families from our agency
May 25 - Medical Exam & Application to Immigrate to Canada
May 28 - Receive final documents for immigration
May 28/29 - Return to Vancouver
I'm on a plane for Mothers Day and get to be with Maya for her 1st birthday. Perfect!
More travel details to come when they are available...
We are sooooo excited!!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Important Dates
Wow! What a ride the last 2.5 years have been. Here is a summary of the important dates we've had in our adoption process, so far:
December 1, 2006 - Application to adopt submitted to adoption agency
December 8, 2006 - New adoption laws announced by China (we wouldn't qualify)
February 6, 2007 - Dossier documents completed and submitted to agency for translation & submission to China (9.5 weeks to complete. The 2nd-fastest that the agency has ever seen!!)
March 30, 2007 - Date documents officially received & logged-in to the China adoption queue
April 1, 2007 - Date that new adoption laws took effect
(May 19, 2008 - Victoria day & birth date of our future daughter)
March 4, 2009 - referral received from China
April 8, 2009 - travel dates received from China
May 10, 2009 - Departure to China
May 18, 2009 - Family Day
May 19, 2009 - Maya's 1st birthday
May 28/29, 2009 - Return to Canada
other important dates are yet to be determined...
December 1, 2006 - Application to adopt submitted to adoption agency
December 8, 2006 - New adoption laws announced by China (we wouldn't qualify)
February 6, 2007 - Dossier documents completed and submitted to agency for translation & submission to China (9.5 weeks to complete. The 2nd-fastest that the agency has ever seen!!)
March 30, 2007 - Date documents officially received & logged-in to the China adoption queue
April 1, 2007 - Date that new adoption laws took effect
(May 19, 2008 - Victoria day & birth date of our future daughter)
March 4, 2009 - referral received from China
April 8, 2009 - travel dates received from China
May 10, 2009 - Departure to China
May 18, 2009 - Family Day
May 19, 2009 - Maya's 1st birthday
May 28/29, 2009 - Return to Canada
other important dates are yet to be determined...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Updates
We received an unexpected update on Maya today. Our agency sent us information that included recent measurements on her height, weight, head, chest & foot size as well as updates on her behavior, favorite things and recent photos. Our baby is standing and starting to walk!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Introducing our Maya
Introducing MAYA XINMEI MCFARLAND-MAH (XinMei pronounced Sjin-may)
It was a long and difficult decision. What moniker do we give a person that we've never met? Through the photos and the profile comments, we've projected a personality on to her but we have nothing substantial that we can base this projection on. Whatever we name her, we and she will have to live with it for the remainder of her life... The pressure is substantial!
John and I have kept track of every name we've liked over the past several years and had a Top 20 list at the time we received her picture. We both loved the name Maya but I had removed it from the list of possibilities as there were just too many M's in the name. However, after seeing her pictures and reading the (few) descriptions about her, Maya rejoined the list and quickly became a favorite. I was still stuck on the M's though so, to help ease my mind, we started conducting random polls. Showing her picture to 2-dozen complete strangers, we listed all of the name possibilities and asked which one suited her the best. It was unanimous... Maya was the winner. The M-thing was not ideal but it didn't seem to bother many people so, I guess, the decision was made.
Being me, I had to research the meanings of Maya as part of my decision making process. Loving the name just wasn't enough. What if it meant something terrible?! Luckily, all of the meanings we found for it were perfect. To start with, Maya means 'May' in the Anglo dictionary. As she was born in May, we're becoming a family in May and Mei is in her Chinese name, it has special meaning for us. It also means Princess in Arabic, Mother in Greek and Great One in Latin. All good.. This kid is going to rule the world! May is also the birth month of her brother-to-be, Ryan, and cousin-to-be, Megan.
Now, on to the zodiacs and more projections of her personality. Born May 19, she is a Taurus in the western zodiac - the same as her cousin, Megan. A 'bull' is considered Patient and reliable, Warmhearted and loving, Persistent and determined, Placid and security loving. All good! In the Chinese Zodiac, Maya was born in the year of the Rat, as was John. The traits of a Rat are: conquerors, charming, passionate, determined, tenacious, intelligent, attractive, seductive, charismatic, practical, protective, individualists, perfectionists, expansive and hardworking.
I think we're going to have our hands full...
It was a long and difficult decision. What moniker do we give a person that we've never met? Through the photos and the profile comments, we've projected a personality on to her but we have nothing substantial that we can base this projection on. Whatever we name her, we and she will have to live with it for the remainder of her life... The pressure is substantial!
John and I have kept track of every name we've liked over the past several years and had a Top 20 list at the time we received her picture. We both loved the name Maya but I had removed it from the list of possibilities as there were just too many M's in the name. However, after seeing her pictures and reading the (few) descriptions about her, Maya rejoined the list and quickly became a favorite. I was still stuck on the M's though so, to help ease my mind, we started conducting random polls. Showing her picture to 2-dozen complete strangers, we listed all of the name possibilities and asked which one suited her the best. It was unanimous... Maya was the winner. The M-thing was not ideal but it didn't seem to bother many people so, I guess, the decision was made.
Being me, I had to research the meanings of Maya as part of my decision making process. Loving the name just wasn't enough. What if it meant something terrible?! Luckily, all of the meanings we found for it were perfect. To start with, Maya means 'May' in the Anglo dictionary. As she was born in May, we're becoming a family in May and Mei is in her Chinese name, it has special meaning for us. It also means Princess in Arabic, Mother in Greek and Great One in Latin. All good.. This kid is going to rule the world! May is also the birth month of her brother-to-be, Ryan, and cousin-to-be, Megan.
Now, on to the zodiacs and more projections of her personality. Born May 19, she is a Taurus in the western zodiac - the same as her cousin, Megan. A 'bull' is considered Patient and reliable, Warmhearted and loving, Persistent and determined, Placid and security loving. All good! In the Chinese Zodiac, Maya was born in the year of the Rat, as was John. The traits of a Rat are: conquerors, charming, passionate, determined, tenacious, intelligent, attractive, seductive, charismatic, practical, protective, individualists, perfectionists, expansive and hardworking.
I think we're going to have our hands full...
Medical Files
Wow! What a week!! Our referral pictures came in on Wed Mar 4 and we've been spinning ever since then. So many wonderful emails and calls have come from dozens of friends (and strangers) with congratulations and tears over our referral. The reality of things to come is exciting and unnerving for both of us. We just need to concentrate on the next steps, one at a time...
The translated medical & information file from China was to take around 2 weeks to prepare but we received it by email on Wednesday March 11. At only 6 pages long, we were surprised that it was such a small document. It had the basic details of our daughters medical tests: blood work, urinalysis, immunization records, mental and physical development charts and some general comments on her daily schedule, personality and sleep patterns. All very clinical. The full package was available for me to pick up on March 12 so I drove to the agency to get it.
The full package had:
-her original photos
-her Chinese medical file
-the translated medical pages
-a 'Summary of Birth Family Information' form (blank)
-the 'Adoptive Parents Acknowledgement of Information' form indicating that we will not hold our agency liable should the baby have a disease that was not identified in the medical review
-the 'Letter Seeking Confirmation from Adopter' which is the letter to the Chinese government indicating that we accept/reject the referred child
-a letter from our agency indicating what we had to sign & send back to them
-an invoice for our final payment to the agency (the rest of the money is paid to/in China)
We made our appointment with the agency approved pediatrician and braced ourselves for the results. What would we do if this baby wasn't healthy? Would we still accept? With so many horror stories out there about diseases, illnesses, malnourishment and tainted formula, we just weren't sure how we would handle a bad review. Luckily we didn't have to make this decision and were thrilled to hear such good results on our baby.
The doctors opinion is:
Excellent height, weight, head size and chest size for a baby in orphanage care. Other than anemia (which can be fixed in 2-3 months with vitamins), she has a very clean bill of health. She is a bit small based on the western growth charts but of a very good size for an infant that has been in a orphanage and would likely make up the growth difference once home with us. At birth, she was in the 80th percentile but her growth has been slow so she's now in the 25th percentile but still within the normal range. She is physically proportioned, with no signs of drug or alcohol deficiencies. She is happy, smiles freely, quiet, calm, good sleeper & a good eater. Although she did have some tainted formula for about 4-5 months, there are no obvious signs of it impairing her health. Overall, he was very impressed with how healthy she is and says we've received a beautiful, happy and healthy looking referral.
Woo Hoo!!!!! (Phew...)
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Reality sinking in!
This weekend, we celebrated our arrival AND started putting name lists together. We had maybe 30 or so names, narrowed it down to 15 and then a short-list of 7 names. Something interesting Christine did was solicit name feedback from strangers and friends. We'd show the picture of Xin Mei, then read the names out loud slowly. I won't tell you the names yet, but needless to say, there were a few common ones liked by a few people already.
Everything we looked at, and people and kids we saw around us, gave us insight into what our upcoming life will be like. We talked about weekend sharing time, together and having personal space. We did some baby shopping on Sunday and will soon be starting a baby gift registry. We're going to try to get many organic or environmentally sound products for Xin Mei. It has been so much fun and I feel so happy right now! Almost everything has been coming together to this point and the burst of enthusiasm and anticipation I've felt, has been a surprise even to me. Christine of course, is delighted with my excitement!
Although we have a pretty good idea what we'll be doing when she comes home, it's surprising how much stuff we have to think about! And I'm sure this is only the beginning! Next week, I should have some videos of the proposal reading and reactions from our families for you to see/hear.
John
Everything we looked at, and people and kids we saw around us, gave us insight into what our upcoming life will be like. We talked about weekend sharing time, together and having personal space. We did some baby shopping on Sunday and will soon be starting a baby gift registry. We're going to try to get many organic or environmentally sound products for Xin Mei. It has been so much fun and I feel so happy right now! Almost everything has been coming together to this point and the burst of enthusiasm and anticipation I've felt, has been a surprise even to me. Christine of course, is delighted with my excitement!
Although we have a pretty good idea what we'll be doing when she comes home, it's surprising how much stuff we have to think about! And I'm sure this is only the beginning! Next week, I should have some videos of the proposal reading and reactions from our families for you to see/hear.
John
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Reality is settling in
It's been a few days now since we found out about our baby and reality is starting to settle in...
John fell in love with XinMei within a few hours but it took me closer to a day to really get to the point where I didn't feel like I was looking at a photo of someone else's baby but of our baby. I wonder how long it will take for her to connect to us?
We now have 2 months to fantasize about what she's like before the reality of meeting her in May. I hope our fantasy isn't too far away from reality.
In the mean time, we've been thinking about what needs to be done before we travel: Name her!, finish renovating the back of the house, finish replacing the rear balcony, apply for travel VISA's, travel planning, immigration documents, citizenship planning, medical review documents, pack, install the car seat, pull things out of storage (strollers, clothes, toys, high-chairs, etc) and do LOTS of shopping (clothes, bottles, medical supplies, etc). That's just the high-level planning list! There is SOOO much to do...
Thanks to my net-saavy sister, I am now part of some chat groups of other parents who have/are adopting from the same orphanage as we are. It's great to be able to find that connection, even if it's little. I've been able to get advice on how the babies are handled at that location, how they're fed, see photos of the inside of the Orphanage (called SWI-Social Welfare Institutes in China) and of places to see while we're there. I'll be posting the photos on the blog site soon.
Unfortunately, our SWI was affected by the tainted formula so we'll have to review her medical files carefully and pay attention to related issues in the future. It'll be 2 more weeks before we get her translated medical file so there's not much we can do until then.
Now, on to the shopping....
Christine
John fell in love with XinMei within a few hours but it took me closer to a day to really get to the point where I didn't feel like I was looking at a photo of someone else's baby but of our baby. I wonder how long it will take for her to connect to us?
We now have 2 months to fantasize about what she's like before the reality of meeting her in May. I hope our fantasy isn't too far away from reality.
In the mean time, we've been thinking about what needs to be done before we travel: Name her!, finish renovating the back of the house, finish replacing the rear balcony, apply for travel VISA's, travel planning, immigration documents, citizenship planning, medical review documents, pack, install the car seat, pull things out of storage (strollers, clothes, toys, high-chairs, etc) and do LOTS of shopping (clothes, bottles, medical supplies, etc). That's just the high-level planning list! There is SOOO much to do...
Thanks to my net-saavy sister, I am now part of some chat groups of other parents who have/are adopting from the same orphanage as we are. It's great to be able to find that connection, even if it's little. I've been able to get advice on how the babies are handled at that location, how they're fed, see photos of the inside of the Orphanage (called SWI-Social Welfare Institutes in China) and of places to see while we're there. I'll be posting the photos on the blog site soon.
Unfortunately, our SWI was affected by the tainted formula so we'll have to review her medical files carefully and pay attention to related issues in the future. It'll be 2 more weeks before we get her translated medical file so there's not much we can do until then.
Now, on to the shopping....
Christine
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The stork has arrived!
On Thursday February 19, we received a call from our agency that we 'might' be included in the next batch of referrals from China. There were no guarantees but they thought that it was a possibility. That batch was expected Feb 25-27. Oh crap! Was it really going to happen??!!!! This was the first night of restless sleep of many to come...
The week of the 23rd was incredibly long. Not daring to leave the computer for long and wearing out the refresh button, I spent infinite hours checking http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/ (Rumor Queen) for updates on when & if the next batch of referrals was leaving China. By the end Friday, there was no news. The week had been unusually and eerily quiet on the Rumor Queen web site. We (really, it was me) were distressed that we'd been missed for this month's batch and resolved ourselves to a weekend of distractions.
On Sunday, we started to see postings from Australia & Europe. Unfortunately, there was nothing from North America... The 'babies' day on Rumor Queen has sadly become the highlight of each month for me as this is the day that everyone who has received a proposal posts their new baby's picture. The hours ticked by, and then the days, and a path was worn in to the carpet. Is it our turn to post that beloved photos??
Monday was dead silent on the blog site. What was going on?! This is VERY unusual and the anxiety was unbearable!
On Tuesday, I called our agency to see if there was anything coming. They had not had any news about ANY files for them. (Crap!)
Just after lunch on Wednesday, I called again, assuming that we'd been passed over for this month but needing the final word to come from them. When I asked switchboard for the coordinator, she said "It's me. We have a girl for you..." "NA, NA, NA, NA I don't want to hear this!!!!" I couldn't get the news without John being on the phone! She said she had just received the referrals and was in the process of typing up the emails. She'd send us the email soon...
Two hours later, we got the email. We were giddy, stunned and disbelieving that our 2+ year wait was almost over. We'd set up the video camera and recorded the first time we saw our daughter's face. What a moment! Happy, weepy, funny, stunned... LOVE the hair! LOVE the big eyes & rosebud mouth! It looks like she even has 2 teeth. What a cutie! We both fall for her instantly...
All we know about her is: Her name is Xin Mei JIANG and she was born on May 19, 2008. She is from Yang Jiang City, Jiang Cheng District Social Welfare Institute in Guangdong Province (just west of Hong Kong and Macau). The agency coordinator says Xin means 'trusting' and Mei means 'blossom' or 'flower' but she didn't know what the two together meant so we would have to wait for the translated documents. Her last name, Jiang, is from the city/orphanage where she currently lives. We haven't decided what Western name to give her yet and may wait for the translation before deciding.
We called our families, had them on the speaker phone, and recorded their reactions. It would have been nice to see their faces but it just wasn't possible with them living so far away. My mom started crying (expected); my dad demanded the photos asap so he could show her off to his buddies (also expected); John's mom was happy & his dad was happy then asked about his taxes (unexpected but funny). My BIL was happy & my sister just about took out one or two of her kids sprinting to the phone & computer (she's also another RQ addict!). My SS couldn't stop saying how cute she was and my SD is excited and can't wait to see the pictures tomorrow. All in all, good reactions all around!
It will be 2 more weeks until we see the translated file so we can learn more about her. We'll travel to pick her up in/by May so we'll likely be with her for her 1st birthday. THEN the hard part begins!!!
We're both very happy and very excited about this new adventure. We're also very tired from all of the anxiety. I guess we should get used to being tired!
The week of the 23rd was incredibly long. Not daring to leave the computer for long and wearing out the refresh button, I spent infinite hours checking http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/ (Rumor Queen) for updates on when & if the next batch of referrals was leaving China. By the end Friday, there was no news. The week had been unusually and eerily quiet on the Rumor Queen web site. We (really, it was me) were distressed that we'd been missed for this month's batch and resolved ourselves to a weekend of distractions.
On Sunday, we started to see postings from Australia & Europe. Unfortunately, there was nothing from North America... The 'babies' day on Rumor Queen has sadly become the highlight of each month for me as this is the day that everyone who has received a proposal posts their new baby's picture. The hours ticked by, and then the days, and a path was worn in to the carpet. Is it our turn to post that beloved photos??
Monday was dead silent on the blog site. What was going on?! This is VERY unusual and the anxiety was unbearable!
On Tuesday, I called our agency to see if there was anything coming. They had not had any news about ANY files for them. (Crap!)
Just after lunch on Wednesday, I called again, assuming that we'd been passed over for this month but needing the final word to come from them. When I asked switchboard for the coordinator, she said "It's me. We have a girl for you..." "NA, NA, NA, NA I don't want to hear this!!!!" I couldn't get the news without John being on the phone! She said she had just received the referrals and was in the process of typing up the emails. She'd send us the email soon...
Two hours later, we got the email. We were giddy, stunned and disbelieving that our 2+ year wait was almost over. We'd set up the video camera and recorded the first time we saw our daughter's face. What a moment! Happy, weepy, funny, stunned... LOVE the hair! LOVE the big eyes & rosebud mouth! It looks like she even has 2 teeth. What a cutie! We both fall for her instantly...
All we know about her is: Her name is Xin Mei JIANG and she was born on May 19, 2008. She is from Yang Jiang City, Jiang Cheng District Social Welfare Institute in Guangdong Province (just west of Hong Kong and Macau). The agency coordinator says Xin means 'trusting' and Mei means 'blossom' or 'flower' but she didn't know what the two together meant so we would have to wait for the translated documents. Her last name, Jiang, is from the city/orphanage where she currently lives. We haven't decided what Western name to give her yet and may wait for the translation before deciding.
We called our families, had them on the speaker phone, and recorded their reactions. It would have been nice to see their faces but it just wasn't possible with them living so far away. My mom started crying (expected); my dad demanded the photos asap so he could show her off to his buddies (also expected); John's mom was happy & his dad was happy then asked about his taxes (unexpected but funny). My BIL was happy & my sister just about took out one or two of her kids sprinting to the phone & computer (she's also another RQ addict!). My SS couldn't stop saying how cute she was and my SD is excited and can't wait to see the pictures tomorrow. All in all, good reactions all around!
It will be 2 more weeks until we see the translated file so we can learn more about her. We'll travel to pick her up in/by May so we'll likely be with her for her 1st birthday. THEN the hard part begins!!!
We're both very happy and very excited about this new adventure. We're also very tired from all of the anxiety. I guess we should get used to being tired!
Referral Photos. LOVE the hair, big eyes and cute lips!
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