8am

(Panoramic View of our room from Guangzhou)

It's 8am on the last day, we have 3 hours til the luggage needs to be put outside the door, and we are pretty much packed. Ellie is getting a bath, Jordan is still sacked out (which is good since she stayed up late), and we leave in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Our flight isn't actually til 2:15pm I believe (though I could be wrong, maybe that was Changsha??) and we are the last family from groups 1080 and 1084 to leave China. We will, however, be arriving home in just 35 1/2 hours!!!!!!! (Ick, that means 32 hours of travel time between leaving for the airport and here)...

Carline and I are looking forward to some Ma Po Tofu from the Taiwan Beef Noodle place in the Hong Kong airport, woo hoo!!!!

See everyone soon!!! Love to all :)

11:45pm In GZ...

Everyone is in bed except for me... I am pretty much packed, so is Mutti, and Caroline is, I think, about half packed- we'll finish tomorrow.

At the 11th hour I (with some help) had a lightbulb go off (more like a sledgehammer in the back of the head) about what to get Charles... so will do some last minute shopping tomorrow morning. Caroline also has to get the stroller tomorrow morning.

I picked up my dresses and suit today that I had made, and I am thrilled with them. The brown dress is my favorite I think, but I love them all!!!! Even had some last minute adjustments to be made on the red dress and the brown pants, but they made those within 2 hours and it fit perfectly. The seamstress is truly talented- I can't believe what she whipped up, and am even more impressed with the adjustments she made with just some eyeballing and a few chalk marks.

Mutti is tossing and turning (her knee is really bothering her) and the light (and tick tick tick) of me on the computer is probably driving her batty... so I guess I should call it a night (even though I'm not particularly tired... which is what I get for drinking a coke after 6pm).

Night!!! Tomorrow we leave China to return home!!!!!!

For Grandaddy...

I took a cute video of Ellie, am posting it on Caroline's blog... http://www.moonpiesandmooncakes.blogspot.com

And yet more...

From Wednesday... Deli and Trip to the pearl market...



This is the Hotel Deli (not actually IN the White Swan though) that we have been to many times for lunch, snacks, and desserts.











We went to the Pearl Market in LiWan Plaza (a HUGE mall)- we shopped at MeiHua Pearls- they were cleaning some of the pearls in a big vibrating bucket (see right) filled with some sort of seed, chaff, or hulls...







Look! I'm in China!!! So Is Mutti!!!
















After the Pearl Market, we went back to Shamian Island with Maggie, our guide, who helped us make the 20 minute walk back... We wanted to go to a Cantonese restaurant so Maggie wrote us a menu to take to JM Chef... when you walk in, this is what you see: tanks of lobsters, fish, and trays of sandworms, water beetles, and other delicacies...



We had none of that however, and stuck to sizzlin beef, black pepper beef, fried tofu, some amazing broccoli, and noodles. Everything was delicious, and we drank Jasmine tea to boot!








Thursday morning we headed to the Guangzhou zoo, where the batteries of my camera promptly decided to fade out... I did get a few pics though (baboon, and Panda!)











More later...

More pics...

Left: Ellie at the Chen House

















Right: detail from the roof of the Chen House- the roof is covered in fantastic shapes of animals and plants, including lions, dragons, and fish.





Left: Bone carving (originally ivory in the 19th century and before) was (and is) a great art form: the dragon detail is about 3/4" wide, and part of a piece over 3 feet in height...







Right: One of the gates inside the Chen House







Below is a link to a quick video that I took mostly because i loved the improvised music that the employee was playing- if I'd thought about it, I would have done some more shots of the house- I didn't relaize how well the video actually took... (Note (9:23pm ET/ 10:23am GZ) I just uploaded it so it may show as not available for a while)

Photos!

Left: The pagoda that Jordan and I climbed- this was the view as we entered the Temple grounds... it's not leaning, I just can't hold the camera straight!






Right: Jordan on the 9th level of the Pagoda- she climbed all the way up and down by herself! I had to bend over double (head near feet) to descend from some of the upper levels.








Left: Ellie gets blessed: she's with Caroline, who has the white X on her back from her wrap... Jordan is just in the foreground from Caroline.





Right: Buddha as Kuan Yin... I believe it was the Tang dynasty, women were forbidden to enter temples where men worshipped and could not worship male figures like the Buddha, so they draped the Buddha with women's clothing and this evolved into Kuan Yin... (per Maggie, our guide).



More pictures coming soon!!!!! (Off to breakfast)

Friday!

It's Friday morning in Guangzhou... and I haven't written since Monday night...

"Let me 'splain... no, too long, let me sum up..."

Tuesday: Buddhist Temple- Ellie got blessing, Jordan and I climbed the pagoda all the way tot he 9th level, i had my picture taken by 2 Chinese men somewhere on the 8th or 7th level... Then, visit to the ancestral Chen house built in the Qing dynasty, then trip to the Arts & Crafts Store where I bought a very nice Jade ring...

Wednesday: Caroline waited in her room from 11am-12:30pm while Maggie and Jason, the guides, were at the consulate getting paperwork approved: Caroline got the call that Ellie's papers were ok! Later that afternoon: a trip to the Pearl Market, where all 5 of us girls got some pearls! Not superior quality (couldn't afford those: i.e., one Tahitian Saltwater Black Pearl about 3/4" across (only saltwater pearls are naturally black) cost US$2000. Ouch. Dyed freshwater it was!

Thursday: Trip to the Guangzhou zoo, which is much like American zoos were 15 years ago. Animals still in cages, a little sad, but they looked well fed if bored out of their minds. The zoo itself was of a lovely design, and the little island they had built for waterbirds was beautiful. Thursday afternoon Caroline spent with the group working to get to the consulate and oath (I didn't help that cause, but I'll let her tell the drama around all of that), then we ordered from Danny's in to the hotel (ravioli for me, spaghetti for Jordan, pepperoni pizza for mom) and Caroline and Ellie had dinner at Lucy's with other parents. I picked up 2 cheap pieces of luggage.

Today: Caroline and I need to pick up our clothes we had made which needed some alteration. I need to pick up some gifts for folks, and we need to pack! We leave for home at 11:50am (that's when we leave to go to the airport) tomorrow!

Hee hee... Landshark

For Grandaddy

Preview of the red couch photos (with Caroline's permission)... What 3 gorgeous girls!!!!

Mondays are the same the world over

Mondays are Mondays no matter where you are- today's started off before breakfast with two unhappy children- Ellie, who cried so much (and for no particular reason that I could really see), and Jordan who, when I walked in to the room, was trying to put her hair up in a scrunchy but getting frustrated and threw it so hard that we couldn't find it for a good long while (which of course made Jordan even more upset). I finally spied it behind the TV cabinet (which is taller than me, so not sure how it got that far- maybe Jordan needs to get into baseball) and after squishing myself between desk and TV cabinet in a position I don't think my hips and knees are supposed to bend, got it for her- and of course, 2 minutes later she was crying again. Caroline needed to hold Jordan, so she had to give Ellie to me and Mom, and of course that set Ellie to crying too. Eventually everyone calmed down enough, although we didn't get down to breakfast until 8:15 or 8:20- quite late for us.

After breakfast we walked around the huge pond and grotto (complete with waterfall), looked at the art some more, and took Jordan to look at the pools. It was a lovely walk good for our digestion! But all too soon, it was time to go for the medical exam for Ellie. We walked a few blocks (and enjoying the beautiful cool weather and sunshine), where after a few minutes of waiting and Caroline's signing of the medical form, Ellie got to go to the three stations: Ear, Nose, & Throat; Height, Weight, and Temperature; and "Medical and Surgical" which was the measuring of her head, listening to her heart and breathing, and checking her body in general. Ellie checked out on everything!!! YEA! We were allowed to depart and return to the hotel at our own pace... so we stopped at Blenz coffee and got Jordan a hot chocolate (plus a western style potty break) and Caroline a coffee, and then proceeded to check out the greenway (where school children were doing their exercises, and on a public park there were more schoolchildren running races, adults and elders doing exercises, as well as some adoptive families playing). We also stopped in some stores to see what was what, and Caroline picked up some summer outfits for the girls. By the time we got back to the hotel it was lunchtime, so we made a pitstop at the Deli for lunch again- again, very yummy!

It was definitely naptime when we got back upstairs, so we all laid down for a little while. I was just dozing when Caroline tapped my shoulder- we were sneaking out to go back to Jennifer's place for Caroline to be measured, and I had wanted a short black dress as well as a suit too. Caroline chose some absolutely gorgeous fabrics (I'll let her tell you about them), and I chose a black with large purple-pink flowers for my cute sleeveless mandarin dress, and a lovely brown with gold vines and small colored flowers for the jacket, and a camel silk I had fallen in love with yesterday for the pants. YEA!!!!!! I have gotten 3 silk dresses in expensive fabrics (yes, I have expensive taste) and a suit tailored to my measurements all for about US$200. Worth every penny! These are the first large purchases i have made on this trip. (I'm hoping to pick up some jewelry at the pearl market trip, which is later this week although I can't remember what day).

Caroline and I ran at 4:30pm out of Jennifer's place to 2 other stores to find Ellie an outfit to wear for the red couch pictures and to find Jordan a good Jie Jie cheongsam dress to wear too. We made it back at 4:50pm to find Mutti, Jordan, Ellie STILL napping!!! We woke them up and got the girls together (Mutti, despite waking up, managed to do a great bun for Jordan's hair and also change shirts and touch up make-up- all in less than 10 minutes). We got downstairs right at 5pm for red couch pictures, and took a family picture (Caroline and the 2 girls), a group picture for 1080, and a picture of "just" the babies (which really had some moms crouched down because so many of the babies were a bit unhappy at being left by themselves). We wrapped up at 5:45 and went back up to change the girls back into regular clothes and meet back downstairs at 6om for the group dinner at Cow & Bridge.

Let me tell you, I asked for one meal, just ONE meal that was peaceful with no meltdowns- and i finally got it. Jordan was great, Ellie sat for the first time for a meal in her highchair and was happy tugging on her sister' sleeve on her left side, and on Mommy's on the right, and feeding herself. Caroline was able to finally eat a meal with food in front of her!!!! My food was great (braised tofu with fresh herbs, it seemed much like a Thai version of Ma Po Tofu). We strolled back to the hotel (me with my dessert of mango and sticky rice with coconut milk in my take away box) and stopped at the Deli to get Jordan a Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream for her dessert.

I retired to take a shower, and right now Jordan is in her room going to sleep, and Caroline is in here with us (Mom is on the phone with dad) trying to get Ellie to chill out enough to sleep- although Ellie is more interested in trying out raspberries with her lips and tongue, talking to us (mamamamamama and bababaababba), laughing, and making her Happy Exorcist Baby noises. We'll be crashing shortly as tomorrow we meet at 9am for the group city tour, which includes a trip to a Buddhist temple (I hope we can get blessings!!!) and the old Chen house. Wheee!!!!!

Love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!

Guangzhou and the White Swan

It's Monday morning in Guangzhou, and we're waiting a few minutes before we head downstairs to meet group 1080 and head out at 10:30am for Ellie's medical exam.

Let's see, when we last left off... we were getting ready to fly from Changsha to Guangzhou. We all made it to the airport safe and sound, and Ellen and Joanne helped us get our checked bags through and get our tickets. The Knights were 6 kilograms over baggage weight (20 kilos per bag, 80 total for the family), but our guides worked with the airline and convinced them that the groups should be weighed as a whole, and the group came out just underweight, so no fees for us!

I've decided the security metal scanners in China are better than the US- they pick up on smaller amounts of metal... I beep here just for my belt and jewelry (pair of pearl earrings, 3 rings, bracelet, and small necklace), and I never beep in the US for that.

Unfortunately we totally missed lunch, so we all shared a bag of potato chips. Jordan didn't get a nap either, so wasn't feeling too hot and was getting impatient about getting on the plane. The most excitement we had was the fact that the computer randomly assigned seats to everyone for the groups, so we all had seats away from each other- including Jordan. Luckily, as Caroline was getting Jordan seated (who did NOT want to sit by herself, understandably), the flight attendant let Caroline have the seat next to her. It was an interesting game of musical chairs watching people try to find seats near other family or group members, and it seemed that there was alot of seat switching among the passengers not part of the group as well. Then, after that, the flight attendants did some rearranging of their own since several rows had 2 parents with babies on the row as well as someone in the third seat... which meant there were 5 bodies in three seats, and only 4 oxygen masks overhead. Only 1 baby per set of 3 seats, and there were 18 babies to be rearranged... All was worked out, and the flight took off. All in all, the trip to the airport, the wait, and the flight seemed relatively short, even though we left the Dolton at 11am and didn't get into our room at the White Swan until 5:45pm.

We decided to eat at the Cow & Bridge Thai restaurant, which was very tasty, with Linda and Glen from Charlotte (and their son William), as well as Maggi, Caroline, Betsey, and Charles. Caroline and Jordan were not feeling so hot and a little grumpy, although once they got food they were much better. I had Pad Thai (I wasn't feeling too original), and shared an appetizer of Satay with Mom. Mom never got her green curry, but she had ordered the fruit platter for dessert and gotten that, and decided that was all she needed after all. I had mango with 2 kinds of sticky rice drizzled with coconut milk (white rice and black rice), and that, as always, was fabulous. Linda and Glen headed out first since William was fussy, then Maggi and Caroline and Betsey, and then Mom and Jordan. Caroline, Ellie, Charles, and myself were last to leave... and it turns out (which we didn't realize til Sunday morning) that we left Ellie's pink splat mat on the table. Oops!!! We hit the 7-11 to pick up some snacks and batteries for my camera, and headed back to the hotel, where Jordan and Mutti were watching all the lights and boats on and across the river.

We woke up on Sunday and went downstairs to eat at the buffet (as we did this morning too). I have to say that Mom loves the White Swan buffet, as do alot of folks, but that I am pretty disappointed in it over all and am not finding much to eat on it. This is because it is very western (even has tater tots for breakfast) and I had gotten hooked on alot of the Chinese breakfast items at the Dolton, to the point where I was eating maybe a slice of french toast at the end as the only western item. My theory is, I am in China, I can get western food when I am home, why should I eat it now? I know alot of families are sick of Chinese food by this point in the trip, but... not me. So I am really bummed about breakfast now (I would say the quality isn't even as high as the Dolton's food) but at least it's included in the hotel fees, right?

After breakfast, we went walking to Jennifer's place while Mom was at the hotel, and I fell in love with the bolts of fancy silk they have for dresses. I picked out a red silk and a brown silk with gold flowers, and got to pick the style I wanted for each out of a catalog!!! That took quite some time, and I wondered what Caroline and Jordan were doing, when all the sudden Mom walked in. Caroline had missed the little room I was in (we have to duck quite bit to get under the archways between rooms in the store), and had gone back to the hotel thinking I might have lost her and gone back. I went back with Mom as I concluded my transaction, and she and I entertained Jordan while Caroline had to go get Ellie's visa picture taken. Poor Ellie hated that and the picture was of her screaming apparently. We went to lunch at the Deli by the White Swan, and I got cheese bread, a lotus seed bun, and a red bean puff bread- all delicious! Mom had a sausage bread that she says was a fancy pig-in-a-blanket, and Caroline got barbecued pork with greens and rice. Yummy! When we got back Caroline had a message that said Ellie's picture was no good and she needed to go back that afternoon to have it retaken, so Caroline marked that down as an after-nap activity. Caroline had a 1.5 hour meeting starting at 2pm to work on papers for the U.S. side of the adoption, and that coincided well with nap time. While Mutti napped with Jordan and Ellie, I decided to walk around for a while and explored a little bit around the hotel on the greenway, as well as on the hotel grounds. The White Swan grounds are just gorgeous, with 2 pools (albeit very cold right now), one with a waterfall. It also has a beautiful view from the patio right on the river, and gorgeous plants and trees that make you feel very secluded. I also wandered inside looking at all the art, cabinetry, antiques, and carved chests (which I adore, but cost almost as much to ship as they do to buy)- all in all I walked for about an hour and twenty minutes!

After Caroline got back, she woke Ellie up (Jordan was still napping) and took her for her second attempt at a Visa picture, which luckily turned out much better (that deer-in-the-headlights look right before the crying started), and then she dropped those off with Maggie, our guide (2 pics for the visa application, and 2 for the medical exam form).

We all decided to walk some more after that and loved window shopping and looking at all the statues in the dusk. We couldn't really decide on what to eat for dinner (apathy had set in for all of us), so picked Lucy's as much because Mom and Caroline liked it as for the fact that it was right in front of us. Even though Lucy's is known for it's American style food, I was happy to find the chicken curry with Chinese eggplant which was very good. Caroline had Singapore noodles, Jordan had spaghetti, Mom had a cheeseburger, and Ellie had chicken congee. After dinner we retired to the hotel, enjoyed some apple cake from the Deli, and ended up crashing early on after a few minutes of just the big girls creating our own dialogue for one of the Chinese historical soap operas. (In which one group of warriors decided fur was a great fashion statement and that toothpaste was all the rage, another loved the red fringe lampshades, but the two groups disagreed... well, it amused us!!!!!!!)

(I'll write about today in a separate post.)

Last full day in Changsha, and this morning...

Yesterday was our last full day in Changsha (in fact, right now, our luggage is outside the door waiting to be picked up and this computer is the last thing to be shut down and packed in it's carry on). It was a relaxing day with nothing formal planned. I knew I wanted to return to Whacko to buy the dishes i had seen, and found out at breakfast from Maggi that a small group was planning to head out at 11am. I joined them and picked up 8 rice bowls, 4 each in one of two designs (I am betting some will break and am hoping to come away with 4 rice bowls total), 4 spoons, 2 small tea cups, 2 large covered tea cups with ceramic strainers that fit inside, and one large covered rice bowl- which I expect will also break- it's wrapped in my fleece blanket and wedged in Mutti's duffel, so I am not really hopeful. The other dishes I packed in the 2 shoeboxes that Jordan and Ellie's shoes came in, and the large covered tea cups had boxes- all of those I have in paper bags as carry-on... Ellen, our guide, told us that we pretty much can carry on as much as we want domestically, so I am banking on that, hee hee!

After I returned from Whacko, I almost fell asleep while Caroline fed Ellie in our room (none of us were hungry, so Ellie got what we had on hand- banana, fruit grain bar, and GRITS- which she loved!!!!!!), and then it was nap time all around. I started to post some pictures on the blog but Caroline got the girls down and came over, and we decided to venture out for massages!! Only RMB$98 (US$13!!), and they were about an hour long I think, maybe 45 minutes. They were great! I could tell they were using some energy meridian theory and some shiatsu or Thai style techniques. Alot of percussion and tapping. We left all our clothes on, and it was definitely not a gentle massage but left me feeling refreshed and invigorated, and I could tell the girl worked out alot of the tension I had gotten sleeping in the Chinese bed and carrying luggage, and she especially managed to relive some of the creepy crawlies I get in my legs (I'm thinking start of Restless Leg Syndrome, been getting it for about 2 years now). It was wonderful, and I definitely hope to get another massage at the White Swan! Mutti REALLY needs to get one (and she says she will).

After we got back, Caroline had to go to finish the paperwork and get Ellie's passport (very cute I might add), so at first Jordan, Mutti, and I stayed with Ellie (and she didn't scream bloody murder!!)... after a while we gt a call, and Charles and little Caroline were going bowling, so Jordan and I headed that way to play a game with them- lots of fun! Jordan is getting better and better with the ball (she knocked one pin down on her own!). Mutti stayed with Ellie and said at first she was ok, then she cried off and on for 20 minutes (but not the terrible gut wrenching hold-the-breath cry, just a little cry), then finally settled down and sat on the bed and played (and watched Tiger Woods and golf on the TV!). Yea Ellie!! She's finally starting to warm up to Grandmutti and myself!!!

After bowling it was time for dinner (Maggi declined because Betsey was unhappy, but Charles and little Caroline joined us). Caroline asked Joanne, also our guide, to write out a menu in Chinese- we were hoping for lotus root, Ma Po Tofu, Fried Tofu, Hot & Sour soup, rice, noodles, long green beans, sweet & sour pork (NOT the breaded red sauce kind, the real kind). The ladies were wonderful and looked at it,, and told us they didn't have everything, but "Please trust me, I get dishes you like-" and boy did she ever!!!!!! There were no utensils- just chopsticks- and we started with hot green tea (came automatically) and an appetizer (already on the big spinning turntable) of some crunchy beans of some sort, speckled and brown. We also got a small rice bowl (also to be used for soup and noodles) and a dessert-sized plate. No Hot & Sour soup, but they made and an AMAZING soup that had a root vegetable of some sort cooked down in it (not potato, maybe taro root or something similar?) and meatballs that were much like the stuffing of a wonton and tasted like (In Mutti's words) Vi-Eenna Sausages (to me it tasted like Chef Boyardee meatballs)- it was mild and delicious! Not lotus root, but they brought out a dish of woodear mushrooms covered in chilis and garlic and they were soooooo good- even Mutti liked them!!! No sweet & sour pork or Ma Po Tofu, but she asked if we liked beef- we said yes- and they brought a platter of thinly sliced raw beef laid on green onions and surrounded by cucumbers- and also a sterno hotplat on which a pan with oil and spices was already hot- we cooked our own beef!!!! The beef was seasoned with cumin seeds and it melted in our mouths when we ate it. The long beans came out and they too were just delicious, with a grilled flavor I can't describe. The fried tofu also came out in a pan sizzling on sterno for our table, and it was spicy!!!! Super yummy, and Jordan liked that! Our rice and noodles came out towards the end, and the noodles you could tell had been made that day- the big challenge was getting them from the big bowl with the serving chopsticks into our individual bowls- Mutti won at that with the most graceful grab-lift-and-drop technique. The meal finished with a huge platter of watermelon, of which Jordan ate 6 slices!!! The watermelon in Changsha is amazingly sweet and good, and we all partook (I ate 2 slices and cleaned up some of Jordan's slices since she didn't eat "all of the red part, cause she didn't want to eat the green by mistake." This was the meal we had all been looking for, and it was DIVINE. I can't imagine getting food this good in the States, and I wish I could have teleported some to Dad and Charles.

Jordan and I headed back to the hotel (just around the corner) a little before the rest of the group, so I didn't find out til after Mutti and Caroline got back that dinner for 4 adults, 2 kids, and a baby cost RMB$148... only US$19!!!!! And they wouldn't take a tip either... it was just amazing.

At the hotel it wasn't time to rest, it was time to pack! It took us a couple of hours, but a little before midnight we finished, and I decided to take a shower so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning... so I made it into bed about 12:30am... and slept the best I have since I got to China!!!!

This morning we had our last breakfast at the buffet downstairs- I have become addicted to the glutinous rice wrapped in some sort of leaf (bamboo or banana), the plain congee with a little sugar, pan fried dumplings, I discovered the glutinous rice balls in water that I would swear are filled with chocolate (and if not, I don't want to know!), the glutinous rice with dried fruit and nuts in little aluminum muffin tins, and steamed buns (with red bean paste or with pork dumpling filling).

So we are waiting another 20 minutes til it is time to go downstairs, and then it's off to the airport to fly to Guangzhou (flight at 2:15pm) and to White Swan- hotel for adoptive families. As Caroline mentioned just now on the phone, the Dolton has alot of Chinese as well as some adoptive families, and "you get crowded into the elevator here" (which is an understatement- packed like sardines is more like it).

Dad- don't forget what Mutti is going to tell you on the phone in a sec- Colorforms for Jordan for X-mas.

Charles, I love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!

How Big is Ellie? SOOOOO BIG!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was the Great Department Store Adventure- a herd of Americans tromping through 3 stories of Changsha department store that sold everything from heated oscillating fans, and heated bed frames, to chair-rail height safes, appliances, and complete with a Kiddy Wonderland. We focused on the third floor- children's apparel mostly (and those safes)- and the first adventure was in the land of shoes. Jordan came away with a Laser Light Show- which we didn't know until after we got back to the hotel- and Ellie got a cute pair of hot pink hiking boots. Both girls got new coats (red for Jordan, pink for Ellie), and I bought Jordan a doll for X-mas: a Tang Dynasty Princess in Bridal Attire- I know that she'll pretty much get destroyed after being opened, but I couldn't help myself!! Jordan wasn't in too good of a mood, but that was fixed for a little while when I took her and Caroline to the kiddy playland... with our guide Joanne's help. All the signs were in Chinese and obviously I couldn't tell rules, prices, etc. Joanne was able to negotiate a ride for the two girls on the little train and the big cars for only RMB$7- or US$0.90, and they were longer rides than I think I've seen on such contraptions in the states. The girls loved it!!! After wards they both needed to use the bathroom, and then we discovered (Dum dum DUMMMMMMMM) it was a Squatty Potty of Doom and Destruction!!!!!! The girls both agreed they could hold it until they got back to the hotel... until about 15 minutes later when Jordan said she couldn't hold it anymore. I had promised to do whatever they needed to help them go- hold them, what be it. Well, we got in there and Jordan was almost in tears, she didn't want to use it. I explained that this was it... no Western potties in sight. I asked her if it would help if she could see how to use it... and yes, I showed her (and i can't believe I just admitted that to the world). I had experience with Squatty Potties of Doom and Destruction in Cairo, so they really didn't particularly bother me. But even after that Jordan employed her willpower and that stubborn, spicy nature to H-O-L-D I-T. Iron Bladder!

After a bit more time wandering the store, it was time to depart... and take a pit stop at McDonald's. I didn't really feel like eating anything myself from those Hallowed Arches of Gold, but I volunteered to be the representative for the Knights to venture in. It was disconcerting only because everything screamed McDonald's... I just couldn't order for myself and couldn't read the menu to even attempt the ordering. Ellen translated for me when I got in line, and luckily I can handle money with no problem, so had that ready. When the food was ready she had me check the order and they had forgotten Ellie's hamburger, so Ellen waited in line again (which was very helter-skelter) and I asked her at the last minute to also order 2 Green Bean pies... one for me and one for my sister (we had wanted Red Bean pies, but looks like that wasn't an option this time around). And... the pies were great! I wasn't sure if they were Green Mung Beans or sweetened Edamame or what, but they were quite tasty, and i would swear up and down the fries were fried in Beef Fat the way they used to be in the States... because they were more delicious than McD's fries in the US! After everyone completed their order, we went back to the hotel and chowed down.

We napped and then decided to brave the swimming pool- we had heard it was ice cold, but when Jordan decided she didn't want to go swimming with little Caroline before nap, I had gone down to tell C. and her Uncle that Jordan wouldn't be making an appearance, and I stuck my hand in... the water was so warm!!!!!! So it was definitely a go for after nap. Everyone except Grandmutti donned a suit, and we headed down. Caroline and Ellie pretty much found the warm stream of water and stood in one place since Ellie wasn't 100% sure about it, and I swam around with Jordan and had a blast!!!!!!!!

I grabbed a quick shower after swimming and we headed down to dinner. I was a little turned off of my braised greens and noodles though... when I went to put my bowl together, I got my glass noodles and as i put them in the bowl I realized someone before me had used the tongs to get the pig's blood curd (yes, Pig's . Blood . Curd- ewww. sorry, I'm not that cosmopolitan) and it got on my noodles. Well, needless to say, when they came back, they didn't quite taste right. Maybe it was psychosomatic, but I think actually it was the fact that the PBC had been heated/ braised int he same broth that my noodles went into. YICK. Other than that, dinner was a-ok.

Today we hied ourselves to the Hunan Embroidery Research Institute. Silk embroidery is an amazingly fine art here, to the point where a talented woman with over 40 years experience doing single sided embroidery (picture on one side of the silk), might learn to do double-sided embroidery, where 2 different pictures are embroidered on each side of the silk, but the stitches and threads can't be seen. It's truly phenomenal. A large piece can take multiple women working at the same time 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, over 3-5 years to finish. I purchased a small piece and wish already that I had splurged and gotten one of the big pieces that cost $300 dollars (and that was still CHEAP- the pieces I really wanted weren't large at all and cost over US$1000). Mom had stayed at the hotel with Jordan, and she had wanted a landscape- well, Caroline and I found one that I also had fell in lobe with, and it was the only one even remotely in the price range. Mom had wanted to spend only $200 and it was $300 (US)... but we got it anyway- I was ready to take that sucker home. Well, she fell in love with it, it was exactly what she wanted... so, I just have my small piece, but I have decided i will order a piece online pretty soon. I wish I had time to go back!

We lunched, and the buffet this afternoon had some new and VERY tasty items on it, including the Mongolian Beef and most especially the Sliced beef with Wild Green Chilis (and some red ones too). It was quite spicy!! The noodles were extra spicy today too, and very yummy. I have fallen in love with this peanut cake they have on the dessert buffet.. I have eaten a slice for lunch and dinner every time we've gone down since Monday... it tastes like it belongs at the Virginia Diner- it's that good!!!

Caroline blogged over nap time, and we just returned from a venture back to the Whacko grocery store for more chips, coke, formula, and the Chinese tissue packs that have Winnie the Pooh on them- hee hee! Caroline spied the fact that they also sell day to day dishes (kind of like Harris Teeter does), and they have the covered tea cups that I like, as well as some very pretty rice bowls and spoons. I think I may try to go back tomorrow and buy 4 bowls and spoons, and 2 cups- nothing fancy, but exactly what I've tried to find for years in the US, but unsuccessfully so.

We'll be heading down to dinner in a moment, then hopefully we'll talk to Dad around 6am his time (7pm ours) and I'll call Charles around 7am his time. Tomorrow is a completely free day except for Caroline at 4:40pm, when she goes to finish the passport paperwork for Ellie, which must be perfect for when we go to Guangzhou- any mistakes in this part of the paperwork discovered in Guangzhou means a flight back to Changsha to re-do everything- ugh! But Ellen is great and she won't let any mistakes be made. I am hoping to get a massage int he hotel as well- apparently they have fabulous massages for less than $30 for an hour, and Caroline wants one as well... so hopefully we can squeeze that in around nap time! The Saturday at 11:00am we leave the hotel to go to the airport to catch a 2:15pm flight to Guangzhou.

I am definitely missing home and sometimes am ready to just be done... but at the same time I love this and am so glad to have the experience. I hope to walk a little more in Changsha tomorrow- the pollution was not horrendous today but was definitely thick in the lungs- but today was our first sunny day, so it was great to be out!

Love to Daddy, Charles, Pushkin, Thumper, Smudge, and Baxter, and Meema, Gail, Don, and anyone else reading this!!!!!!

Midnight in Changsha, Do you know where your Power is?

Midnight in Changsha, and all the sudden all the lights in our room came on by themselves, then everything turned off... the computer is on battery (in the 24 hour power switch- I forgot to describe earlier that to keep lights on in the room you have to have your room key in a little slot on the wall- which we have right now- so it's significant that the computer power is off)... Just stepped out into the hall and all is dark except the little blue light on the wall near the floor that say "Exit..."

There are 42 floors in the hotel... not sure if we are all off or what... Hmm...!

[EDIT: 12:16am, the power just cam back on- I could hear people running up and down stairs in the hallway, so they were doing something to get it fixed... maybe we'll find out in the morning- back to bed!!!!!]

Over the hills, through the woods, to Changsha,and to Ellie!

Ok, I know, I know, I am 2 days behind. I promise myself I will catch up every evening, but every evening I get so tired...

So, to sum up (and catch up)...

On Sunday, Dec. 10, the day was all about flying to Changsha from Hong Kong. I slept well for the first time- it was bliss to sleep til 6am!!!- and we packed a little before breakfast. I am addicted to the chicken sausages in Hong Kong! Unfortunately, the omelet guy this time around didn't quite cook the omelet all the way and I am a girl who likes my eggs well cooked, so I couldn't really eat it. I did splurge on two bowls of cocoa krispies with banana and walnuts- yum!- and several cups of hot tea. After breakfast we finished packing and headed downstairs. I had promised Caroline that I would pull HK$100 out and buy Starbuck's for us, so I ran out (it was almost 10am when we had to board the bus) to go to the HSBC atm... and was denied for "exceeding my credit limit." WHAT?!?!?!?!!? How did I do that? I ran into the hotel and begged the concierge to let me make a collect call to BofA, and of course I got to "yes, you are overlimit" with the fraud department when I saw our group boarding, so had to hang up and go. I admit to crying on the bus, I was so upset. After a moment I realized what I had done- I had paid most of the month's bills, even those that I don't pay til after the 15th... I was supposed to have used my credit card in Hong Kong but had forgotten!! Luckily, in the Hong Kong airport we found a computer, and I did the big no-no of logging into my account on a public computer... I transferred some money from my dance account to cover it, plus some to get me through til the 15th. I think what frustrated me was that I had over $500 cash on me, but had overdrawn my account because it's sometimes easier to use the Visa than try to convert money. Ah well! Caroline picked up some MaPo Tofu at this little place called Taiwan Beef Noodle to eat in the plane, and we headed to the gate! Even on the hour long flight, we got a snack box of tomatoes, sweet roll, cake, and dried fruit... and the Ma Po tofu was INCREDIBLE. Both Caroline and I couldn't believe how good it was- it was what she had been looking for and couldn't get folks in the states to make!

In Changsha, the plan did not hook to a jetway, so we proceeded down stairs and into a little tram bus that took us just a skip away to the terminal- it startled me a bit to see a member of the military watching us deplane. Inside though, we turned in the first of our three forms- out health declaration (which pretty much promises in so many words that we have neither SARS nor bird flu), and immediately thereafter we passed through immigration and got the passport stamped... except Mutti, who had filled out one of her forms in metallic purple gel ink which they didn't particularly like, so she had to refill them out. We grabbed our luggage off the teensy carousel (it was a wrestling and shoving match to get to the luggage with all the people), grabbed carts, and headed out to meet Ellen and Joanne, our CCAI guides for the Hunan province. They herded us onto a tour bud and we drove through the streets to our hotel, The Dolton Hotel, one of Changsha's 5-star hotels. It is lovely!!! The kicker: Chinese style beds, so hard that when i sat down on them the first time unawares, I jarred my lower back. It is much like sleeping on the floor on top of a sleeping bag... and my hip joints aren't liking me too much!

We went to the Dim Sum restaurant that night- Jordan was in a bit of a snit, and wasn't on her best behavior. However, we ordered for dishes: Green Beans, Tofu with mutton, Deep Fried Tofu, and chicken with green peppers. The first dish was diving, the second dish turned out to be mutton TRIPE and I really couldn't stomach it (although I tried!), the third dish might be better described as tofu sauteed in hot oil with chilis, and was also spicy and fabulous, and the last dish had great flavor, but the chicken looked like it had been chopped off the backbone- so it was like bite sized pieces of bone that had some meat on it. An experience! We headed back to the room (Jordan and Caroline early since J. wasn't doing too well), and after a bit we went to bed knowing that the next day was ELLIE DAY!!!!!!!!!

I woke up at about 5am and blogged for an hour (that was the Hong Kong Part 3 post), and then we got ready for breakfast and headed downstairs at about 6:45am. The buffet was wonderful, and I had another omelet, some fruit, cocoa krispies, a small butter croissant, and some tea. We were all excited but still a bit tired. Caroline needed to fill out paperwork at a 7:20am meeting, so while she did that I decided to take shower (which involved playing "guess what temperature the water is going to be in the next 5 seconds")... we got ourselves together finally, met downstairs, and loaded on the bus to meet ELLIE!!!!!


We got to the registration office and made it to the 3rd floor... there were a few babies there, but for different families... group 1080 waited patiently, and then it happened- the babies came into the room!!!!!!!! (The nannie in the center back is holding Ellie!!)Caroline was the last of the group to be matched, so we got to watch all of the other families, and watch Ellie in the arms of her nannie for a few minutes... the room was so crazy, babies crying, people talking everywhere, so while it was a very magical moment- it was slightly rushed magical moment. You could tell that DaoXian was a well-off orphanage- they had dressed all the babies in matching outfits- just darling yellow coats and pants with good luck symbols and faux fur trim, with matching hats with fur trim and little white pom pom, and red shoes with kitty faces on them and UFO's on the bottom. The clothes underneath fit well and were also of good quality, and you could tell she had eaten well. This was in stark contrast with the other Hunan group, whose clothing was not as well fitting, and the babies much much thinner. We are VERY lucky- Ellie also seems developmentally on target. Ellie didn't cry very much, although Jordan did have a meltdown, probably from all of the emotion. We piled onto the bus (it was very fast!) and headed back to the hotel.

I got to be the family member that ventured out to the local grocery store "Whacko" (seriously)- very small, and probably quite a hectic experience for the employees as a heard of 18 Americans come charging in to find baby formula, diapers, and the all important snacks! I picked up some chocolate Oreos, coke, coke lite (diet coke), and then ventured in to the world of potato chips: I found American Classic Flavor, Texas Grilled BBQ Flavor (better than any bbq chips I've had in the States), and did try Cucumber chips (not bad)- other flavors available included Italian Meat Sauce! I also grabbed cheetos- chicken flavor- and they are surprisingly good!!!

The rest of the day involved sleeping, eating, and Caroline bonding with Ellie (and having Ellie check out by the doctor- she initially had a small temperature but with a dose of Tylenol, she cleared with flying colors!!!). Dinner was a fun experience, and Caroline discovered that Ellie does indeed like Egg, and rice, and bits of noodles! She takes a bottle like a champ- shotgunning it- definitely does not like a poopy diaper (yes, she pooped on schedule!!!!!), and slept well through the night.

Today we went back to the registration office for a few hours to finalize the Chinese side of the adoption. This involved answering some questions with the notary, paying the notary fees, and giving the gifts to the orphanage director. It was neat, because the Director very clearly recognized Ellie and came over to talk to her before we realized she was the Director!! The Director and other officials from DaoXian seemed very pleased with the crib sized afghans that Meema has crocheted over the last 3.5 years, they unfolded them and felt them and smiled quite alot! Ellen, our guide, helped convey that they were handmade, and that seemed to go over very well- much appreciated. It was so hot in the office this time around that we got punchy (see Jie Jie Jordan trying on Ellie's hat) and by the end of the visit the room was filled with cranky babies, cranky children, and probably some cranky adults. But as soon as we walked outside everyone's temperaments improved- and the deed is done- according to China, Yong Xiao Yu is now Ellison XiaoYu Elizabeth Knight- a member of the Knight family with a wonderful mother and a Big Sister Extraordinaire!!!!!!!

The rest of today has been all about eating a sleeping. We ate a good lunch in the hotel- Ellie tried Dragonfruit, scraped apple, and other items, and then that was followed by a nap for everyone. And then... Bowling!!!!!! The Dolton Hotel has bowling lanes on the 6th floor, and I had promised Jordan we would bowl- she has never been. The smallest ball they had was 8 lbs, and we worked together to find a good method for Jordan to roll that 8 lb ball. She could get the ball out of the return, carried it to the front of the lane, then kneeled down on her knees and pushed the all down the lane. Her first attempt didn't make it all the way down the gutter, so we had a bit of Snooker Bowling: I tried to knock it in with another ball, but then the sweeper only caught the first ball, and we had to fish the second out. However, Jordan got all her other balls down the lane/ gutter: total score- 14!!!! YEA JORDAN!!!!!!!

After bowling we visited the playroom on the 30th floor, and followed that with some playtime- Ellie is finally starting to open up. She is giggling when Mommy plays Feetsies, loves how Mommy honks when an empty water bottle touches Mommy's nose, and boy can Ellie EAT. We just returned from dinner where Ellie demanded (in her adorable half-cry way) to be fed continuously- dragonfruit, a bowl of congee, noodles, meat from Mutti's Spaghetti Bolognese, broth from Mommy's wonton soup. Jordan and i elected to have the buffet again- I am addicted to the braised greens station, where you grab a bowl, fill it yourself with the noodles of your choice (I like the glass noodles, although rice is good too), I add some tofu, and then a selection of greens- they have about 8 or 9 kinds, of which I am partial to the pak-choi, 2 kinds that I don't know the names, and the cilantro. SO YUMMY!!!! They braise them for you and add broth, takes about 5 minutes, and it is divine.

Ellie is having bathtime with Mommy and Jordan (they want family time- especially Jordan, who just wants it to be the 3 of them), so we are flipping channels. We did catch the Duke v. George Mason game- here in China- it was great to catch some ACC action even if it was on tape delay, and a huge surprise since we only have 2 English channels- BBC news, and HBO.

Tomorrow is shopping at the department store and relaxation time- and hopefully, time to discover more of Ellie's personality as she opens up!

I have one more post about yesterday, but...

I thought it was more important to tell you all:

We are leaving to meet Ellie in 5 minutes!!! Then 30 minutes to the office... Ellie-time at 10am!!!!!!! (9pm Sunday ET!)

Hong Kong, Part 3

On Saturday, Dec 9, I woke up at about 5am again- despite the wonderful beds, I could not sleep much. It was just as well, because this was the day we would join up with other CCAI families in Hong Kong and tour! We were scheduled to do the morning tour, which meant being up and ready to go by 7:45am. So we got ready, headed downstairs to the hotel's "Cafe Allegro" (thank goodness we has breakfast tickets included now as part of the group package) and ate. The Cafe did a fabulous buffet that mixed Western and Chinese style foods, and I partook of the chicken sausage, chocolate rice krispies (to which I added walnut and banana), an omelet station (eggs, cheese, red peppers, and bacon), and fresh fruit (pineapple and pears). I touched maybe 1/10 of what they had out!!!! Dad, you would love this, from the moment we got on EVA Air, every restaurant, to here, they always have a pot of tea already brewed, just like coffee! Perfect for us hot tea drinkers.!

We skidattled upstairs to finish freshening up and made it back downstairs to join the tour. On the agenda: Victoria's Peak, a ride in a Sanpan to view some of the world of fisherfolk, a stop at the Aberdeen Jewelry company to see how jewelry is made (with an option to purchase), a visit to Stanley market (crazy mix of shops in alleys- we opted to rest at the DeliFrance and have a snack), and last but not least, lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant. My favorite was Victoria's Peak, because it was such an amazing view that you couldn't capture on camera because of the fog (smog)... our guide, Matthew, showed us 2 pictures taken on extremely clear days- one 6 months ago, and one his grandfather took 52 years ago. It's amazing, because there are mountains and water that you wouldn't even guess were there behind the gray veil. The pagoda (I know, that's Japanese, not sure of the Chinese name) was lovely (see left), and the greenery was fascinating in it's beauty- I'm told Hong Kong is on a parallel with Cuba- which would explain the temperatures being so very warm.

I also enjoyed the Sanpan ride- although it really drove home how very wealthy much of the US is. Alot of the fisherfolk live and breathe their whole lives on the boats, and many of the boats are run down, and pieced together. Almost all are lovingly cared for no matter how shabby, and a very few are quite nice. We saw just about everything onboard you could- dogs, potted plants, washing machines, stoves, etc. The ride was a peep into another world, and at least I felt a little too much like a voyeur... but it was a good insight to have.

I didn't purchase anything at the Aberdeen Jewelry Co. although I was tempted by a jade and gold filigree bracelet, some pearls, and the diamonds. Mom and Caroline also resisted- even for Hong Kong, the prices were a little too high! We wrapped up at the Dim Sum restaurant (the Jade Terrace) by sampling shrimp dumplings, fried rice, noodles, fish balls (me, not so much), and other items. We finished up with some of the sweetest watermelon I have ever had- YUM!!!

We returned to the hotel, and after getting Jordan down for a nap, Caroline, her friend M., and I ventured out to find Caroline's tried and true jewelry store, Mabel's. We found where it should have been, but it apparently has gone away- so no jewelry for me! We did decided to walk down to the harbor and along the Avenue of Stars (famous Chinese and Hong Kong actors and actresses have stars there) and it was just an amazing view. I didn't have my camera with me during the day, but tot he right is a shot of the harbor later that night- just beautiful!!!!!!!! We also saw about 8 women getting married, the dresses were gorgeous, and it was an amazing setting. We made a pit stop in the little underground shopping centre their, and low and behold we found a little store and bought ADAPTERS! I was able to get back and charge my computer, and it was happy- you could almost hear the little battery breathe a sigh of relief!

After returning, we rested a bit, then went out and ate dinner at the same Thai restaurant (Nara) as the night before... not as good, we thinking it was a different chef, but it got us through. We walked back down to the harbor for a moment, then headed back and promptly crashed... because the next day was Sunday, and that meant it was the day to fly to Changsha in the Hunan province!!!! And that meant in less than 48 hours Caroline and Jordan would get little Ellie.... HOORAY!!!!!!!!

Hong Kong, Part 2

This is the remainder of what I wrote at 4:15am yesterday... I'll work on what happened yesterday on today's plane flight (hopefully)... [EDIT: Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures this morning, I'll try again from Changsha... we'll be leaving for the airport sometime around 10am with the CCAI groups] [EDIT 2: 8:00pm Changsha- got the pics to work!]

It was time for DisneyLand! We navigated from the Tsim Sha Tsui stop on the red line, transferred nine stops later to the orange line, and several stops later at Sunny Bay, we transferred to the special train that Disney has to take you to the park- complete with Mouse-shaped Windows, plush blue bench seats, mouse shaped subway handles if you were standing, statues of characters, and pictures of Walt. We got out (both Jordan and C, were SO excited- so was I!) and headed in to pick up our tickets at the little automated dispenser terminals. HK Disneyland has only been open for a little more than a year, and it’s the size of Kings Dominion or Carowinds- and only about $38. It has a mini version of Main Street, Sleeping beauty’s castle, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Adventureland- perfect for a day trip. We rode almost all the rides we could in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland- I took Jordan and C. on the teacups and had a blast. We also rode Dumbo (which broke half way through the ride- it wasn’t me!), Winnie the pooh- much like the Florida Snow White ride- the Autopia cars ride, and the kids went on Orbitron (a lot like Dumbo) with M’s brother Ch. And mutti, while Caroline, M., and myself went to Space Mountain- Fabulous! Caroline and I got to ride in the very front by a fluke, and that was spectacular. HKD is not only smaller, so the lines are nothing like Disney World, but Fast Pass works great! So we literally waltzed onto several rides with almost no wait, including the Mountain. We also stumbled on the parade and had a great view, and the girls loved it. We purchased some souvenirs (how can you not buy something that says you were at Disneyland in Hong Kong to show off to your friends in the States?!?!?!), C. crashed in her mother’ arms, although Jordan stayed awake like a trooper- she only had one mule moment before we rode Buzz Lightyear (I scored 231,600 points- Level 4, I’m a pilot!) but made it through and hung on tile we left the park at 6pm (our last ride was the Jungle River Cruise, our only foray into Adventureland- the girls were too tired to push beyond that, and so were we!) We navigated the trains back to the Kowloon hotel (this time packed with folks on their way home from work)- Jordan was so tired at one point when Caroline and she were standing up for lack of seats, Jordan curled up on the floor of the metro- I wish I could have gotten a picture of that).

We grabbed two cabs at about 7pm to get us to the Regal Kowloon- and these drivers drove like the ones in Cairo did, Completely making up lanes and dashing in between lanes to get around cars, trying to cut people off and avoiding an accident every 5 seconds the vehicle was in motion- it was more adrenaline pumping than Space Mountain- but we got to the Regal in one piece and again checked in, and a porter lugged our bags up.

The Regal is VERY nice, and the rooms are quite large here, and best of all Santa and the snowmen are accompanied by pigs!!!! Mutti and Caroline had told me that when the beds made up the same and again very comfortable. After taking a quick birdbath, Mutti, Caroline, Jordan, M., C., and myself (Ch. Elected to stay in) ventured out in search of food. Low and behold across a little square that our hotel opens onto, we found a Thai restaurant. Little but elegant and charming, I ordered Pad Thai, and it was FABULOUS… just yummy yummy yummy, and I ate every bite! Jordan was by this point pushed past her limits, and we knew it, and she fell asleep on the bench seat before her rice ever came. After a wonderful meal we returned back to the hotel, I showered again, and we hit the bed at 9:20pm.

The buildings around the little courtyard are all high rises (20+ stories) and they all have huge light-bright style pictures on them- I will try to get a shot tonight- of Santa and snowmen, and presents, and “Merry X’mas” even… and they came 4 years ago to get Jordan, Santa’s sleigh was pulled by goats… so I remembered, than this coming Chinese New Year transitions us into the Year of the Pig (or Boar)- the year for Caroline, Mutti, Meema, and Charles! So I expect a lot of the Christmas decorations will show pigs as we go through China- it is so cute! And Hong Kong is decked out for the holidays- ornaments and trees and lights everywhere. The radio has an all Christmas station that plays beautiful Christmas music by the Viennese boys choir and other classics. We even listened to Bing Crosby sing at DeliFrance. We are definitely not missing out on the season by being here in China!!! (EDIT: Except for cookies... I am craving X-mas cookies like you wouldn't believe, especially the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies mom always makes... I love the dough for those as much as the cookies!)

Well, that’s about it for now, I’ve managed to waste an hour by typing in the dark. We have to be ready for our tour at 7:20am (EDIT: that was on 12/9), so I’ll probably go downstairs and eat breakfast a little after 6am since it’s included in our stay here. We will be touring Victoria’s’ Peak, so hopefully I’ll have some great shots of that too!!!
Love to everyone!!! Charles, I get the panda phone on Dec. 10, Sunday, which is actually Saturday evening for you- but probably not til close to midnight your time. I’ll still probably try to call you, and will leave you a voicemail letting you know when I’ll call again J. I love you!!!!!!!! Daddy, we miss you SOOOO much and I can't wait to see you again!!!!!