toSusanna

Home - and about town

2008-11-22T15:43:00.003-05:00

Well, I must admit, I was pretty proud of Susanna on her first two plane trips. While she was not particularly impressed (or even remotely observant) of take offs and landings she did a fine job of entertaining herself in flight.This may not be a big deal for a 40 minute trip from Gangzhou to Hong Kong, but 15 hours from HK to Newark is something else again! She slept for the first two hours, and the last three, and for the middle ten, she ate, "read, " watched Curious George and Fantasia, and did hours upon hours of "Lets see how many ways we can roll around in one chair." My personal favorite was lying down on the seat, turning round in a full circle (with her back on the seat_ and then raising her legs up against the back of the chair and doing a chair version of "snow angels." I decided it was basically chair aerobics. No crying, or demanding to get out; and I did take her for an occasional bathroom trip and cabin walk. She did have a problem with her ears on the descent, and looked truly unhappy, and as soon as the wheels landed- she got sick,(Yes, boy; you know exactly what I mean!) So Susanna entered the US in dirty clothes and a little worse for wear (mom too, based on Susanna's landing!) but all is well. She and I had to wait in the non U.S. citizen's line for immigration, but it was painless, and after I handed in her papers, she became a US citizen (For the 24 hours from Consulate to Airport, she was a legal immigrant.) I should receive her papers in 45 days.
She seems very happy with her new digs, but was fairly horrified with her two feline siblings. (OK, to be specific, she saw them and started shrieking in mortal terror...) but she has recovered She now looks both ways before entering a room, and runs past the gingerly if she sees them. If she and I are reading and one comes too close for some petting, she glares at them and begins to yell at them in Cantonese. Fun times.

She and I basically basically slept through the night, except the cats kept waking us both up. (Yes, she went to bed in her own bedroom without any problems, but the cats kept pushing her door open, she would cry, I would get up to comfort her, shoo them away, close the door (but not shut it) and the whole thing would start again two hours later.) The cats usually sleep with me, but for the next few nights, they will have to hang out in the rest of the apartment and be banned from sleeping quarters until they get the concept.
This morning we were out and about doing errands and getting a visit from her grandparents. She enjoyed the cold weather (for her winter is usually 75 degrees!) and was quite sociable in all neighborhood stores. We even bumped into a Lower School student! Some neighbors visited last night,and we are visiting a friend across the street later today.

So all is well, and this will most likely be our last post. A final thanks that will never be big enough to Nan who truly saw me at my worst a few times on this trip. ( becoming a mom was easy; becoming a mom while dealing with a different land and culture occasionally proved- um-- stressful to t this goal oriented individual!) Mom and daughter are both well and happy and ready to begin (resume) a normal life here in the states- and we are well on our way.

Oh,and one final thing: for the LS boys w ho tried to guess-- the first US state we passed over was Alaska. We flew north to Tokyo, up by the Aleutian Islands, over Alaska, across Montana,and the Dakotas, down toward Michigan and and and then down to NYC flying south from Buffalo. The trip was about 9300 miles.
And for those who wondered, as we passed over Alaska, I definitely made a point of checking- but no, I could not see Russia from my window.......)

Home in America at Last!

2008-11-22T07:23:00.002-05:00

Some Photos for the Boys!

2008-11-20T08:43:00.003-05:00

Susanna's Chinese Passport

2008-11-20T08:33:00.004-05:00

one more Guangzhou photo!

2008-11-20T07:49:00.002-05:00

Photos of Guangzhou

2008-11-20T07:21:00.001-05:00

A Note or Two from "Auntie Nan" !!!

2008-11-20T06:59:00.006-05:00

As a very lucky witness to this amazing journey, it seems fitting that I add a note or two to all of Laurie's wonderful entries. It has been an experience of a lifetime and I feel so fortunate to have been along for the ride. Susanna is one lucky little girl to have such a marvelous Mom. And, in true "Auntie" form, I have to say that Laurie has herself one gorgeous, smart, sweet, and enchanting daughter. I have found it hard to take my eyes off her. So, New York, be on your toes 'cause here comes Susanna!

Laurie has already uploaded some of the shots of Susanna that seem to capture her well. I am going to upload some additional shots of Guangzhou so that you all might get a sense of the city. It is a city of contrasts. It has made me want to revisit China and see more of it sometime. If I do return, however, that experience can never come close to this one. It has really been something!

The photos include the lobby of our hotel (with waterfall!), a night shot from the Pearl River cruise, Shamian Island where our hotel is located (itself an interesting mix of 19C. colonial European architecture), shots from around Guangzhou including a visit to the amazing Qingping market, a large pedestrian shopping mall, and - Browning boys take note - some local high school boys in jackets and ties!

Our Final Day in China

2008-11-20T05:04:00.006-05:00

Well, the actual oath taking was pretty anticlimactic. Lots of children playing, babies crying, and a man in front droning on and on. Lots of moving from this line to that line to get her visa and passport. But on the way the way back, we drove around the city, watched the sun slowly set, and Susie seemed to be quietly waving "bye bye" to her first home. She had her hand up at the window,and was looking at absolutely everything. It made me more than a little wistful.

This morning, we went to a Chinese market, and saw snakes, scorpions, cats, dogs (I did NOT do well with the latter two...) chickens. you name it. Susie was fascinated by it. Mom wanted O-U-T! (She cannot take seeing cats and dogs on cages!) For the boys- I will eventually upload the pictures of scorpions and snakes for you-!

Wish us well on our long journey home. This entry is short, as I need to pack, but I will update you on our first weekend home. And that will be that for this journey! And this blog.

(PS: I have started packing and it has made Susie VERY upset and scared, She does not understand we are going somewhere TOGETEHR! Tomorrow may be a LONG day!)

Guangzhou

2008-11-19T08:13:00.003-05:00

Last night, Nan took a night cruise around Guangzhou. She reports that what we thought of as Guangzhou, our tiny, picturesque, Shamian Island filled with cobblestones and palm trees, is nothing whatsoever what Guangzhou is really like, It is a huge, bustling brightly lit city that is so beautifully lit up at night, and is so major a metropolis with so many new skyscrapers and condominiums, it took her breath away and she can't wait to come back. And this is a woman who has travelled all over! WOW! The pictures did not really come out, but it is an extraordinary city! To say where we are staying is Guangzhou is like saying Little Italy is NYC. There is just SO MUCH MORE!

The boy who helped me understand my video camera!

2008-11-19T08:09:00.004-05:00

One of the two birthday girls

2008-11-19T08:06:00.002-05:00

Birthays Books, and paperwork

2008-11-19T07:34:00.009-05:00

Dear Browning LS Boys
OK, Boys, just a quick word about the importance of following directions. When you want to adopt a child, there is lots and lots and lots of paperwork involved. Sort of like a thousand worksheets or homework pages. It can be a little confusing, and when you go to get your child, you have to make sure it is all correct- NO MISTAKES! Your guide helps you double check everything and will help you with corrections, just like a teacher will when you go over a test.
Well guess what?? Out of all the families in our group- only TWO families managed to have NO MISTAKES on their paperwork- and everything was in order for the US Consulate. One other family-and YOUR LOWER SCHOOL HEAD! See?! Your teachers are right w en they make you check and double check your work over and over again! (By was I impressed with myself!!)

Tomorrow we go to the US Consulate to pick up the children's visas and passports and take the oath of citizenship (for them) You see Susie is absolutely my daughter in the eyes of the Chinese government (as of last week) but until we get through our visit at the Consulate, she is not a citizen or my daughter (YET) in the eyes of the US government, That is what happens tomorrow. This should be pretty cool. Her citizenship actually becomes official when we land in NYC.

Now, that birthday party I told you about? Kind of a bust for Susie. I forgot she is still terribly unsure of anything new, big, loud, etc. And well- that is sort of what a birthday party is. And if you think about it- she has never been to a birthday party in her whole life! So this first one was kind of overwhelming. She refused to get out of her stroller, did not want to put on a crown, was afraid of the balloons-- but boy oh boy did she manage to overcome her fears a when it came to birthday cake! She wolfed that thing down! She will find each birthday party she attends easier and easier. Good thing because her mother LOVES birthdays!!!

Actually, Susanna has been out of sorts all day. She has been pulling her stroller lid down so I will not look at her, she has been refusing to do things she usually agrees to easily, and she has just been plain cranky. But guess what? I am VERY HAPPY about this! This means she is beginning to become more comfortable and relaxed and show me what she likes and does not like. For a three year old, she has been acting like a six month old for about a week- today she was acting like a two year old- so she is almost acting her age! And guess what? She has started to say some words in English today! I was showing her pictures and pointing to things and saying their words, and she is now trying to repeat the words and point to the, Now, she has created some of her own words, but that is just fine. She can (sort of ) say crib, "Boom boom" (for drum) and meow (for cat) She can say "cup" and "cheese". She also points to the pictures and says their names in Chinese. Between you and me, she is doing a much better job of picking up the English words, than I am at picking up the Cantonese words! For those adults who know the play, The Miracle Worker: "Mrs Keller! SHE KNOWS!"

Right now, Susie is sitting in her crib, not wanting to got to sleep, because she is busy looking at her "word book." It is OK by if she wants to read in bed!

This and that

2008-11-18T07:36:00.003-05:00

I have decided for now, it is too self indulgent (and too long!) to publish additional videos of our daily life in China, i,e naps revsited, fun with food etc. Here are two additional shots of Susie and Mom, but enough! Tmorrow, we have a birthday party for two in our group- one big sister turns five, and one new daughter turns one. I supplied balloons! ( brought from NYC, but I couldn't tie them!)
We have one problem. You know how I said Sidou has taught herself to use a fork by watching Nan and me? Now she sees us using chopsticks and is trying to imitate that too with VERY LITTLE SUCCESS! But she is refusing to a) let me help, or b) give them up. Could prove interesting!!

Blocks anyone?

2008-11-18T07:22:00.002-05:00

China----

2008-11-18T07:07:00.001-05:00

Just your basic party dress----

2008-11-18T06:59:00.002-05:00

What on earth???

2008-11-18T06:53:00.003-05:00

Susie's absolute favorite place to eat---

2008-11-18T06:42:00.002-05:00

Before we know it----

2008-11-18T04:03:00.005-05:00

Dear Browning Boys,
It is hard to believe it is just a little over two days and we will be on our way home. It makes me a little sad to think of Susanna leaving the place where she was born and where her history is, but I am also excited for her to come to America and New York City. I will be very busy following all of your good advice!
Now- more challenges:

1)When we leave Guangzhou, we will take a quick 40 minute flight to Hong Kong. Can you find Hong Kong and see how close it is to Mainland China? We will leave for Hong Kong around 7:30 Thursday evening, your time.

2) Next, we will take a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong to Newark. We will leave around 10:00 at night on Thursday, NYC time. Do you recall the odd way I traveled to get from NYC to China? Looking at a map, what way do you THINK we will travel to get home? What US state will we go over first?

3) Do you think we will spend more time over the Pacific Ocean or more time traveling across the country? Can you figure out how many miles there are from China to NYC? Does that help? What do you need to do to figure this out?

4) We will arrive in NYC around 2:00 on Friday afternoon. If NYC is 13 hours behind China, what time is it in China when we land?

SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON!

Ms G

Chaos on the Red Couch-- and this is barely half the group!

2008-11-18T03:47:00.007-05:00

For those who love Irony---

2008-11-18T00:09:00.002-05:00

Whenever we go to have a meal, Nan and I ask for chopsticks. Susanna "asks" for a fork.

What is wrong with this picture??!!

More pics and videos to come---

At the doctor's

2008-11-18T00:04:00.005-05:00

A Day of UTTER indignities! (SSG reporting..)

2008-11-17T07:26:00.003-05:00

1) Mom thought it would be fun to see if I like to play in the pool. She put me in a bathing suit, brought me to the pool, and slowly introduced me to the water. It was TRES COLD! She was chatting with another mom, and smiled when she heard me shriek with delight. It took her awhile to notice it was actually shrieks of terror! It will be a while before I try that wading pool thing again.

2) Mom had me in Nan’s room so she could check her email. I had to use toilet. Mom was chatting with Aunt Nan and hadn’t truly focused on the fact that she had not brought the seat that I like to use. It took mom a sect to realize that I was using my arms to hold myself up so I would not fall in, and that my eyes were filled with tears. Score two for mom!

3) Today we all had to go to the medical clinic to get a clean o bill of health before traveling to the USA. Something about communicable diseases and the US government not liking them- I dunno; well- it DID NOT GO WELL. First they needed to weigh me. I had to stand on scale. ALONE. Without Mom. She trued to comfort me, but I was scared. VERY scared. Next, Some lady called an ENT needed to test my hearing- I did NOT LIKE THAT one bit. But the next thing was worse. She needed to look inside my mouth. I held my mouth tight as hard as I could, but she forced it open with some wooden stick, and I SCREAMED AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS! I HATED THIS! I could not stop crying, and then- as Mom was trying to assure me it was all right I heard her whisper to Nan- “ This is about to get much worse.. the next room is where they are going to take her clothes off and give her an exam. I knew this HAD TO BE BAD, so I started screaming louder right then and there just to get ready. Mom was getting lots of looks of pity from the other adoptive families, which did not really thrill her. That last room was pretty bad. I also heard Mom whisper to Aunt Nan- “ I don’t like the looks of this doctor- she looks mean.” What Mom keeps forgetting is that while I do not speak English, I am perfectly capable of knowing what she says and how she feels, so I took her cue and just started crying louder and longer. Mom got me out of there as fast as she could, but I pretty much ACTIVELY ignored her for the rest of the afternoon. At dinner, I refused to let her feed me, (S he kept dropping food on me anyway, she was so rattled by that stupid clinic…what rookie!) I kept giving her "the look", and at one point when she tried to kiss me, I sat up straight, glared at her, and absolutely turned my back on her. You know what really stinks? When I did this, I swear I heard her and Nan laugh. This was a bad, bad, bad day. At bedtime, I let her read to me and give me a bath, but I kept up the glares for good measure, before bed, she started tickling me, which made me laugh A LOT- which now has me angrier EVEN MORE! HARUMPH!

Tomorrow is BIG right of passage for adoptive families. It is The RED COUCH DAY. The whole group gathers us kids on a big red couch for a picture. Everyone who comes here does it. Many families put their kids in traditional dress. Mom decided not to do red (she remembered I came in a traditional red outfit and recalled how I felt about seeing the sneaker a few day go, so she thought it would upset me) but also will not do pink, cuz she says it is something called a cliché, so she got me a gorgeous green silk Chinese dress. I Look stunning in it—but I am not sure if I will cooperate or not—I may still hold a bit of a grudge on principle; we shall see how I feel.

Never met a muffin she didn't like! First Starbucks visit.

2008-11-17T02:11:00.003-05:00

The first "documented" smile! (Thanks, Nan!)

2008-11-16T05:15:00.003-05:00

The Zoo--

2008-11-16T05:08:00.003-05:00

While, we did feed the monkeys, and Miss Bean was NOT sure about THAT at first... Mom was utterly devastated when she saw dogs all chained up in in the petting zoo-- but boy did she go pet them! Miss Bean did not want to pet the Oxen, but surprised herself when she was down in the monkey pit. Sounds scary, but many kids did it.
What a zoo!

How could I forget the Great Wall??!!!

2008-11-16T04:17:00.008-05:00

Dear Browning Boys: Several of you asked for pictures- how could I forget?

Here are some questions for you. I do not know the answers, but perhaps you can tell me when I see you.
A) When was it built?
B) How long is it?
C) Can you really see it from space? (I know the answer to this one!)

They say, it was built to protect China from attack by enemies. Honestly,between you and me, why anyone would climb up this high and then want to attack anyone, is beyond me. Also, they say the emperor insisted that it was at least "ten horses wide." I am not at all convinced it is that wide in spaces. I guess they sort if fudged it, thinking "Who would really know?" (Don't try this with your teachers- they ALWAYS know.)

SO-- here you go!

Ms G

A good, quiet Sunday

2008-11-16T02:40:00.003-05:00

I had asked Veronica to call the orphanage to get more information for me. For example, was Sidou chatty there? There original paperwork describes her both as very shy and quiet, as well as outgoing and extroverted. Before she could get back to me, I figured some of it out- and Veronica confirmed it. She is enormously outgoing and extroverted- but only once she is very comfortable. Otherwise, she is sort of hypervigilant and shy. Last night, she decided she would watch CNN with me, rhather than go to bed too early When I suggested otherwise, she giggled, tossed several stuffed animals my way, and tried to do a somersault in her crib. Many times. She put her hands on eitehr side of it, climbed the head board and tried to keep going, Um...OK.
Yet, she is terrified of going into Nan's room, and is much more reserved with her. For those of you who know Nan- how absurd is THAT!
Nan, by the way, is the unsung hero of this trip. No matter how cranky I get, she remains teh center of calm, and contineues to keep a back seat, never asking to hold or play with Sidou, unless she seems ready for it. She has absolutely allowed thetwo of us to connect- no easy task, when clearly she would love to see what I am seeing- and deseves to. But Susie seemed to be able to connect to me from the start- even when we saw her Nannies in the lobby of the Civil Affairs Office after they left her, she just clung to me. Very sweet- and a but odd!
Today, as Nan has a cold, and Susie needed quiet, we hung out here. She has chosen to alert me of several things today. A) She is perfectly capable of putting her OWN shoes on, thank you very much. B0 She has now figured out how to use a fork. (must be form watching Nan and I- I certainly never tried teaching her!) I had started out by feeding her,then putting finger food in front of her so she could eat it herself, but as of last night, she just picked up an a ult sized western fork, the proper way, no less, and now will only use a fork when eating. Now mind you, this includes food that is not really meant to be eaten with a fork. Her preferred method is to pick up all food, quite delicately, place it on the fork, and then bring the fork politely to her mouth- and then shoveling the whole thing in before anyone takes it away.

More pics later this evening.

All sorts of interesting progress!

2008-11-15T06:59:00.003-05:00

Hopefully, the videos work. Watching them I can see how far Susanna has come in less than a week. She is starting to really "wake up." She is, among the last of the children to rally and come out of her shell, but she has had more reason than most to stay in a bit of a cocoon.
Everywhere she goes, she is accompanied by the large stuffed caterpillar that she had with her in the video when we first met. She is also a little horder. If she gets it in her hands- she will not let go. This has resulted, in at times, at least three or f our things being clutched to her for dear life- a sippy cup, a stuffed animal, a toy, and a cracker-- etc. She is also a neat freak! (YAY! Anyone who knows me will understand this!) She gets distressed if her hands are messy or if food spills on her outfit, and she will gingerly try to clean it up before I see it. If there is mess in front of her where she is eating, she will surreptitiously try to make it disappear- quickly -and check to see if I have noticed.. I have a hunch, they were less than tolerant of mess at her former place of residence.

In any case, I am learning more and more about her. Small things will certainly upset her, but she tries to hide it. Yesterday was very poignant. Se was quite chipper when she awoke- just a little before me, She played in her crib, and then we read, played ball, banged drums, you name it. She was giggling and smiling and then I got her dressed. I put on the Yankees outfit, and then put on the sneakers that she wore when we met. In a nanosecond, she went from Miss Smile to Very Quiet, She was looking at the sneakers, and her eyes filled with tears. Needless to say they came off super quick and will not re appear.

I also received a small album of photos from her nannies and a disposable camera which I had developed. It gave me a much better sense of her life before we met, and I will certainly share them with her one day.

But progress is progress, When I fist got her stroller, she cried and did not want to go in it. Now, she marches over to it and waits, staring at me impatiently. "Home, Charles!"
I also heard her voice for the first time today, No words yest, but lots of laughter, sounds, and giggles. She now also eats with a fork or chopsticks- sort of. I have been feeding her, but tonight, she got bored and took matters into her own hands, While Nan and I chatted, we noticed Miss Bean pick up a Western fork and try (without touching the food!) to get the food onto the fork and then bend down and suck it off the fork. It was pretty funny.

We went to the Zoo, and I thought it would be pretty cool. But she still shuts down in front of anyone but me. And lots of activity in large group is just too overly stimulating for her right now. Too much to take in from where her life was less than a week ago. So, tomorrow, I have decided we will skip the group tour, and she and I will just hang out by the pool and in the room for a day. She does so well when there are no distractions- I do not want to force her.

Now- one last things, You know how this place is adoption Central? I have been waiting for it- and it arrived- A Barbie. A Tall, Blond, Barbie holding a Chinese baby. Tomorrow, during our down time, I will have a serious Chat with Miss Bean and explain that Anything Barbie is like Anything Pink and MUST BE BANNED FROM HUMANITY. And maybe then we will break Barbie's head off.

The Video(s) -- Maybe??

2008-11-15T02:52:00.002-05:00

Try this: copy this link, and view them in ASCENDING order... Let me know if THIS works!

http://vimeo.com/user936734/videos

WHADYA MEAN NO PLAY OFFS????

2008-11-14T08:20:00.002-05:00

For Coach West- and all my Boston pals--

2008-11-14T08:17:00.003-05:00

Today we went to a Buddhist Temople and were blessed by a monk., When I found out this was happening, I dressed Susie accordingly- I figure these guys could use a blessing too!

Boys- we have our eyes on you!

2008-11-14T08:15:00.003-05:00

Our Guide, the UNSTOPPABLE Veronica

2008-11-14T08:11:00.003-05:00

Who does everything and anything for us, including and not limited to trying to fish out a pair of eyeglasses FROM a lake when a dad dropped them and then taking him to get a new prescription when i the glasses were obviouslyy gone for good!

To the boys---(and otehrs- but don't tell them!)

2008-11-13T00:44:00.008-05:00

Dear LS boys:
I think some of you have seen or heard about part s of my online journal, so I thought I would add another entry just for you. (3G, I think you goit my response, and 2H, thanks for writing! I trust you are treating Miss Henry well! I miss hearing you on the other side of the wall....)
Susie is doing really well. She is still very, very homesick for the place she used to live (do your remember I showed you the picture of it?) so she is not really herself yet. I met her nannies (one of them was also in the pictures I showed you) and it was super obvious to me that they loved her a whole lot, so I can see why she might miss them and the friends she had been with. Imagine if you suddenly had to change schools with no warning? BUT: She is very, very brave, and knows that it si perfectly all right to cry when she is lonely.

Today we went to a place called the the Juntai Garden. It is really like a great big park with beautiful waterfalls and statues and flower gardens. Susanna dealt with it, but was, frankly not all that impressed. I am not sure she is really into scenery. I put her hand in the water at one point, and she looked at me as if to say " now why is a smart lady like you doing something as dumb as this?" Later on I tried to get her to feed the fish. (These fish were HUGE! They were a sort of catfish- goldfish, and were the size of my arm!) I put some fish food in her hand and and showed her how to dump it into the pond. Again, she looked at me as if I were just alittle nuts.
She DOES like to put the mail into mail boxes and garbage into garbage cans. I am particularly pleased about the first one, because you know how important I think it is to write letters!

As you may remember, I told you that Susanna's Chinese name is Gao Si Dou. Well, Gao is actually the family name (last name) and everyone at the home she lived in had the same one. It is for the town her orpanage was in, Gaozhou ("GOW ZHOW") Yesterday, when I was applying for her passport, I found out what Si Dou means, and I have to tell you, I am a tad perturbed. In the province she comes from, Si means Miss. (Like Miss Gruhn) Dou, means Bean. So her name means Miss Bean. At first, I thought they asid it means "Mixed Bean", and I got very upset and said, "YOU MEAN MY DAUGHTER IS NAMED AFTER A SALAD????" ARE YOU JOKING??? I just had misunderstood, because of the accent, but ,. between you and Me, I am not sure about Miss Bean either. I think, they are thinking that beans grow into sprouts, and she has as teeny tiny sprout on her right hand (nothing serious, it will come right off...) but still, I was hoping for something a little more-- I dunno something with more GRYTTE!

Our group here is very interesting.,There are lots of big brothers and sisters who have come to meet their new younger siblings, which means they are missing about two weeks of school. Which also means they have come with lots of homework. One 11 year old boy is going to help me with a video my friend Mrs. Lomabrdi made of when Susanna and I first met. When he found out I was a division head, however,-- he was a little less interested in hanging out near me- can't think what the problem is---- can you?

We are staying the Province of Guangdong, in the city of Guangzhou. (GWONG ZHUO) China has provinces, the way the US has states. Our hotel is right on the Pearl River. I bet the 2nd- 4th grade boys could find that on a map. It is in South eastern China. The Pearl River is the third largets river in China. It is really beautiful where our hotel is, (And today I saw a Browning dad here on business- but I do not think he saw me...! He was too far away, so I could not shout...) with lots of palm tress and abnyon trees, and walks and promenades and statues. Our hotel has lots and lots and lots of families here who are adopting children who need homes (like you have) so everywhere you look, people are learning to be parents, pushing strollers,, carrying bags, playing with their children, etc.

Right now, Susanna is napping. She loves to sleep and she loves to eat. She is also very well behaved. No matter what is going on around her, s he just looks up at me and sees what I want her to do, She is very good about brushing her teeth, and while she prefers that I feed her and hold her cup, she she is good about doing that herself as well. She played a little bit of soccer ball with me today, but I had had to remind her how.(Coach Watson would have done it better, I am sure...) She did that where she used to live, so it made her a little sad, but then she remembered she liked it. She also likes to be read to, but she DOES NOT LIKE stories about families yet. The pictures definitely make her sad, so I am saving those for later. She also seems l to like music, although they told em she does not. I trued turning on Chinese cartoons for her, but she just looked away, Then I noticed, by mistake, that she really likes to watch and listen to Chinese Opera! GO FIGURE! Mrs. Warner would be impressed! Speaking of Mrs. Warner, she also got Susie a little tambourine and drum set and mariachis- which Susie likes to play with-- so I am afraid I may have to have a little talk with Mrs. Warner when I came home next week...
Gotta run. She is awake and grumpy! Will write again soon.
Love, Ms Gruhn

Teddy bears and sunglasses

2008-11-13T00:35:00.006-05:00

Shopping and passports

2008-11-12T07:22:00.006-05:00

First of all, as some of you have seen, I posted the videos to the blog- and nothing happened. The bad news is that means my friend, Hamilton, is right after all- and I need to re-think how I do it it. I do not like it when Hamilton is right. Ever. The good news is that a 12 year old boy on our trip can help me- so hopefully soon. I know a video is only as good as it's availability to be seen- be patient!
Susanna slept through the night again. Actually, she sleeps like a log and will eat whatever is put in front of her. She can't get enough.
The orphanage said she was toilet trained- well, OK, if they say so, But in my opinion- not so much! Ah well- all in good time. They clearly thought she was. When I undressed her our first night together, she had on pants, shirt, jacket- and socks and sneakers. No diaper, no underwear!
Today, some major shopping needed to take place, as I had to get her some clothes that fit-and well- maybe a little something else. The pictures tell it all.
Susie remains the saddest little girl in the world. as well as one of the sweetest. On a bus today, surrounded by screaming babies, she sat quietly by my sides, as she did for almost an hour at the passport registry place. (needed to get her registered for her Chinese passport so she can come home!) But she becomes terrified if I go out of the room, and she wails as if her world is ending. At other times, her eyes just fill up with silent tears and she holds on to me for dear life, refusing to let go. It is all very obvious as to why this is happening ,if you know her rather unique history. Time will help her. She is always willing to be comforted, and is often in need of it.
One final note. I was in China 28 years ago. China had just opened to the West-and wherever we went- we were stared at. It was a combination of curiosity and bewilderment. Yesterday, I noticed many passengers on a public bus staring at our group as we got on our bus with our children. The stares were different this time. Curiosity, confusion, recognition, and an embarrassment. They were looking at the children. Enough said.

PS: OK, I am in one foul mood right now, I cannot work with the Flip video program,and now, I am,for some reason, unable to upload pictures to Blogger. I will try again later. I apologise for this. It will be corrected shortly or in the morning.

Maybe Nan is more tired than she thinks---

2008-11-11T05:03:00.003-05:00

Just now sitting in Nan's room, Susanna seemed so sad--so Nan looked at me and said, maybe she would like a c-o-o-k-i-e.... wait, a minute.. why am I spelling it?
(Think about this one...!)

GO NAN!

This little girl is in our travel group- and has decided she is EVERYBODY' S big sister- except her new sister

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Watching her nannies who cared for her for a year- walk away

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The nannies telling me about her- uh-- in Cantonese!

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Her caregivers- they adored her and wept when it was time to leave.

2008-11-11T04:48:00.002-05:00

An interesting start--

2008-11-11T00:57:00.005-05:00

Today, was the official adoption, after a a 24 hour period of "Harmonious Adjustment.' All went well the 24 hours. Susanna was definitely very, very sad, but easily comforted. She slept all night long and did well this morning. She ate VERY well! She got a little weepy when I got her dressed, and absolutely everything was swimming on her. I got clothes for a two year old, and- well- forget it. Maybe 18-24 month old will do it, We are going shopping later. Yes- she is 3.5. we think!(Remember the fact that her clothes are too big- it figures later in this story)

Anyway, her eyes filled with silent tears, and she looked like she was saying "Can't SOMEONE put me in clothes that fit?? Who IS this dame??"
I was amused, but puzzled, because I felt she should at least wear clothes that fit on the day we become a family- but what are you gonna do? I put her in a tee short and skirt- and off we went. Back to the Civil Affairs Office

We had our official family picture taken, and then an interview. It seemed like an auspicious moment. So- I was bit puzzled when this woman walked in- and burped. LOUDLY. I decided this was some sort of test, so I did not react. And it happened again. She explained she was not feeling well. I offered a TUMS, which was turned down. The interview went like this:
Question
Burp
Answer
Question
Burp
Answer.

I did not smile.

When she finished, she congratulated me, informed me this was official, that Susanna is now legally mine, and I thanked her, promised to take very good care of my daughter, stood up, picked up Susanna--- and Susann's skirt fell off.

Folks- you CANNOT make this stuff up!

Pictures and video to follow tonight. (I do not have wireless in my room- so I am on a limited schedule when I can use Nan's computer--!)

Guess Who Came to Dinner!

2008-11-10T07:54:00.004-05:00

Susanna has been her for a little under six hours- we have a great videa and many, mnayoics, this is just a quick tease!
All went really, really well! Her nannies all cried when they needed to leave her- and they were the only nannies who did. The clearly loved her very, very much! She is definitely terribly sad and scared, and every now and then realizes something is terribly different and starts to cry very sadly and silently- and then she screams! But she quickly calms down. She is also eating up a storm, enjoying being read to, watching Chinese cartoons, and hugging her stuffed caterpillar- which came with her.
I will send more pics and the video within 24 hours.
Lots of love from Laurie and Susie

Quick Heads Up-

2008-11-09T22:33:00.004-05:00

I know I promised videos, but Nan and I have been practicing for almost 2 hours, and we cannot get the Flip Video to upload to the blog. And I am not sure I want to send it to YouTube or any other address. If we can make it work, great, if not- stay tuned for pictures!

Laurie

Let's cut to the chase--

2008-11-09T05:51:00.005-05:00

OK Folks, I do have lots more pictures to post, (I haven't even sent you the Great Wall ones yet) and I will promise to post more sightseeing- fear not, but let's stay focused, shall we? Let's remember why we are here.

It is about 7:00 pm in Guangzhou ( we flew down here from Beijing this morning) and tomorrow I head over to the Civil Affairs Office at 3:30 pm (2;30 am Monday morning your time) to meet Susanna.

(THE NEXT PART MAY OR MAY OT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG STUDENTS- teachers, you decide!)

I am excited, nervous, worried calm, you name it, but mostly, I just want to MEET HER! Veronica, our guide gave us a firm lecture about what to expect, and I was and am prepared for that. Susanna may be very, very frightened, angry, withdrawn, you name it After all, tomorrow morning she will be woken up , dressed, fed a big breakfast, and will then be put on a bus with her nanny and driven six hours to an office in a different city, where she will be brought into strange room and handed over to me. At the same time, there will be many other children in a similar situation. She will have been taken from her friends and nannies and everything that has been familiar to her for about a year. She will be placed in front of a stranger who looks /sounds/smells/nothing like she has ever seen before and put in a situation where she cannot communicate her needs. Who would be shut down for a few days?
Veronica was very helpful in explaining what we might expect and why it was normal. She also stressed this may not happen at all. She also talked to us a lot about the current situation in China in terms of children in orphanages, children who are and are not available for adoption, why this is, etc. Now please note- this is NOT how we spend our days! But as we get closer to the big day, I am sure she wants us prepared and to have a sense as to what might occur!I think most of us have already though t it through. After all- in some cases, we have been waiting for 2-3 years!

I will send pictures and video and let you know how it goes.

Guangzhou is breathtakingly beautiful. Reminds me of New Orleans. Reminds Nan of Viet Nam. Our group, which now almost 20FAMILIES, had a final meal together tonight, before many more younger people join it!

Today was sunny and in the mid 70's . Very green, very lush. Enough said. Beijing was also really beautiful in the Autumn, but as mentioned---BRRRRR!

Who's In charge here???

2008-11-09T05:44:00.002-05:00

The Forbidden City

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A whole city for one family???

Olympic Memories?? (By nght anyway.. look closely!)

2008-11-09T02:04:00.001-05:00

A new way to travel----

2008-11-09T01:55:00.003-05:00

These dudes were blocking' our bus! check it out!

Lunch, anyone??

2008-11-09T01:49:00.002-05:00

Our Group!

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The area and Tianamen Square

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Our hotel and hotel lobby in Beijing

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The Holidays have arrived early-- sort of!

A great (but COLD) day in Beijing!

2008-11-08T15:28:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Nan, and absolutely no thanks to me, we have some really awesome pictures of our day in Beijing which I will upload later today As is par for the curse, I did not wear nearly warm enough clothing (well, Nan did not either!) We thought sunny and in the fifties would mean a jacket/sweater would be fine. Well that may what the forecast said, but overcast in the 40's was more like it! It reminded me of the time I went to one of the first Yankee games of this past season - with a sweater- and it was in the forties- hopefully Susanna will have better sense than I when it t comes to dressing for the elements! Apparently, two days ago was the "first day of winter"in china (as opposed to December 21 in the states..) Would have been nice if someone had told all of us that!
Pictures to follow-

Few more

2008-11-07T07:52:00.006-05:00

Plane pix and some Beijing

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Pictures from Plane

2008-11-07T07:00:00.004-05:00

I forgot to tell you in my earlier post;. At the end of our journey today, one of the flight attendants announced it was the first leg of the last trip for our captain- who had been flying for this airline for 27 years. His family was on the plane, and they would all fly back on Saturday,and then he would retire and specd more time with them. We all applauded him for his great work!
Now- just some shots from the plane ride--

We're here!

2008-11-07T05:02:00.005-05:00

Dear Browning LS Boys- especially 4th grade;
Do you remember when I showed you how we would take the plane to China- traveling across the US, and then over the Pacific Ocean and into China? Well. Quick Quiz: is there a way a plane can fly from NYC to Beijing if it only flies North and South? YUP! If you fly over the North Pole!!! ( I looked for Santa, and could not see him, but I did see the Great Wall of China from the air, however, and that was almost as good...)
My friend Nan and I had a great flight. It was very smooth and the 13 hours went pretty quickly. We followed some information from the flight deck, and for most of the flight, while the plane was nice and cozy, it was -90 degrees outside!! No wonder Santa stayed inside!!
We will post pictures later, after Nan gets back from the grocery store!
As soon as we got here, we met another one of the families who will be adopting a five year old girl. They are here with their eleven year old son. We are all being taken very, very good care of by our Guide, veronica. Veronica will help us with everything we need to do while we are in Chian to make sure we come home quickly with our new families. One of the first things she did was to tell me that Susanna is healthy, is doing well, and knows that I will be coming on Monday to meet her. I have sent Susanna some pictures of her new family, plus a few letters I wrote her, plus one or two "care packages" and Veronica tells me she has received everything. We shall just have to wait until Monday to see if she really does understand why I am there!
OK- Pictures later!

At the Airport

2008-11-06T10:04:00.002-05:00

First things first. My math is wrong as usual. Nan tells me Beijing is 13 hours ahead- not 12- so adjust your thoughts for those "big moments" appropriately!

We are at the airport- boarding in about 80 mintes- Here is one of us passing the time- pretending to be calm!

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..."

2008-11-05T22:36:00.009-05:00

And for those of you not old enough to appreciate the reference--- my sympathies!
In any case, it looks like all systems are go! "Houston, we will soon have lift off!" We are a group of about 12 families, some of whom have arrived in Beijing already. (Smart people, they are going to get a leg up on jet lag!) In about five days, 12 children, girls and boys aged 10 months to 10 years will have new "forever families." Of these twelve traveling families, who are coming from all over the US and the world, including Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, France, and Germany, among other places, there are eight older siblings, including older girls adopted from China a few years ago, and some much older teenage brothers, In short, there will be about 20 children in this group, ages 10 months to 16 years. Browning Boys, this should be quite a fun field trip for them!
So now-- all I need to do is convince one of my cats to get off the luggage, get a good night sleep, and then head to the airport, after I pick up my friend, Nan!
Depending on options, the next entry may be at the airport- or it may be in Beijing, sometime Friday night or Saturday morning Beijing time, depending on Internet options. In any case, I will be in contact over the weekend---(Note: Beijing is 12 hours ahead of the US...)

Exciting times: The US has a new president, and in a little over two weeks, we will have 12 new citizens!

The next 17 days - Key moments

2008-11-04T21:08:00.004-05:00

Nov 6 Leave for airport at 8:15a (EST)
Plane Leaves for Beijing 12:15pm (EST)

Nov 7th Arrive in Beijing 3:00 PM (12 hours ahead of EST)

Nov 8th Tour Beijing

Nov 9th Fly to Guangzhou 7:40 am (Beijing time)

Nov 10th Meet Susanna at Civil Affairs Office 3:30 pm ( 3:30 am EST)

Nov 11th Deal with Adoption registration 10:00 am (Beijing Time)

Nov 17th Get her passport 3:30 pm (Beijing Time)

Nov 18th Get Visa picture and do medical exams 10:00 am (Beijing Time)

Nov 19th Go to American Consulate; hand in all documents

Nov 20th American Consulate Interview 3:00 am (Beijing Time)

Nov 21st Flight from Guangzhou to Honk Kong 8:20 am (Beijing Time)
11:25 Plane leaves for Newark (Beijing Time)
1:50 PM (EST)- As the Wheels touch down , Miss Susanna Sidou Gruhn becomes an American Citizen and....we are home!

Four Days and Counting-----

2008-11-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

Last week saw a wonderful farewell party, hosted by Emily, and an extraordinary surprise by my colleagues at work. Susanna received some terrific gift certificates by the faculty and the PA, as well as a membership to the Children's Museum. Finally, the Lower School Boys created a book of advice on how to be a good mommy to a little girl- and really, who else to guide me but boys aged 6-10? It really is priceless, and will be such a memento. Some of my favorites pieces of advice range from "Do not feed your baby French Fries" to " Teach her to speak English and then get her a room!"
And now, it's almost time to pack!

Susanna's room- well, part of it!

2008-11-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

The Bon Voyage Party

2008-10-27T22:02:00.001-04:00

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Timeline

2008-10-24T21:40:00.000-04:00

December 2005-
-Decide to adopt (after thinking about it for five years)
January 2006-
-Research domestic and international options
-Decide on International
-Look at four countries: Vietnam, Guatemala, China, Kazakhstan
February 2006
-Research Agencies for the above countries
February 6th, 2006
-Apply to several agencies
February 10th, 2006
-Hear from all agencies- no openings for single applicants- one has an opening from Vietnam
February 11, 2006
-Great Wall China Adoption Agency has an opening for China
February 14th, 2006
-Send in formal application to GWCA
-Begin Homestudy Process
Late February, 2006
-Initial fingerprinting
-First Homestudy visit -Begin paperwork process
March 2006
-Continue paperwork, including medical reports, financial reports, recommendations, affidavits, and countless forms
-Second Homestudy Visit
April 2006
-Third and Fourth Homestudy visits
-Homestudy Complete!
May 2006
- Send in I-600 (petition to adopt an orphan) to US Government
-Receive Fingerprinting appt.
-Get fingerprinted
June 2006
Receive I 171 (petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative)
-Take pictures for Dossier
-Send in full dossier to GWCA
-GWCA reviews dossier and approves it
July 7th, 2006
-DTC! (Dossier to China!)
July 14th, 2006
-LID! (Log in Date!)
I am told it will be about one year..... the wait begins!
May, 2007
-Apply for the Waiting Child Program in addition to waiting for an infant...
July 2007
-I am told it will be about 18 months..... I am 12 months in.
September, 11, 2007
-Receive a possible referral from GWCA
October 11, 2007
-After much consideration and heartbreak, return the referral
December 2007
-Homestudy and paperwork expires- begin renewal process
January, 2008
-Renew all paperwork and fingerprinting process from 18 months earlier
-The wait is now over 2 years. I am 18 months in.
February 2008
-Receive new I 171
February- July, 2008
-Wait and wait and wait and wait.. The timeline is now extending to over 2 and half years. I am not even two years in.......
July 13, 2008
-Receive another referral (1 day short of my 2 year anniversary)
July 14, 2008
-Take papers to two pediatricians; receive conflicting information.
July 15, 2008
-Accept Referral of Gao Si Dou, a three year old little girl with two small medical needs.
- Send in LOI (Letter of Acceptance)
July, 2008
- work on a name, end up rejecting a list of 20 names that I had been considering for 2 years!
- Susanna Sidou Gruhn is named. (After a brave, funny, practical, and very resilient cousin)
July 28, 2008
- Receive PA! (Pre-Approval)
July 31, 2008
-Receive LOA! (Letter of Acceptance from China)
-receive updated information and more pictures
August 11, 2008
-Send in LOA (Delayed as I was on vacation)
- Decorate and set up Susanna's room
August 28
-Receive Travel Approval!
September 2008
-Receive itineraries, countless forms to be notarized, packing lists, etc
- Get tickets and visas
October 2008
-Our travel group grows from 3 families to 12! There are 12 children coming home, ranging in age from 10 months to 7 years. There are 8 additional children traveling with these families, ranging from 4 years to 16 years.
- Shop, shop, shop!
- Collect finances and forms needed to go to China
Review and review again forms needed!
October 18, 2008
-Sue Wareck, the cousin Susanna was named for, dies after a brave and valiant battle with bone cancer
Oct0ber 27, 2008
-Emily Boland hosts Bon Voyage Shower for 25 friends and colleagues!

2008-10-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my journey!

2008-10-24T21:18:00.001-04:00

Hello Everybody,
As I get ready for what will certainly be the trip of a lifetime, I invite you to join me. This blog will be a short one, lasting really just as long as my journey, to China and back. Its purpose will be to allow those who wish to, to travel to China with me. And most importantly, to meet Susanna and travel back with us!