Maggie Makes Four!: November 2004

We Made It!

Two plane flights and 16 hours later, I am happy to report we arrived safely home a few hours ago. Maggie did ok on the first flight into Hong Kong and was fantastic on the second flight into SFO. Flying directly into SFO was the best decision we made.

We were greated at the international arrival area by Auntie, Tio, La Nina, Nana, Papa and Uncle Mike, Aunt Kristen and their gang. The most wonderful site in the world was La Nina screaming 'Daddy' snd running to greet us. It took her a few minutes to realize that the stroller I was pushing contained her sister. When I introduced them, La Nina put her chin on the stroller tray and spent a few moments just looking at her sister. It was so cool. Then she said, "hi Maggie", in a very gentle, soft voice. It was the sweetest greeting a sister could give her new sister.

The entourage helped us get the luggage to the cars, then Maggie had her first ride in a car seat. She promptly took a nap. Good for her! Then we came home. Nana made us a "Thanksgiving Dinner" that hit the spt. I have missed both Christmas and Thanksgiving adopting my girls. And Thanksgiving bothered me more. No Turkey on Thanksgiving was just wrong.

Maggie is doing great. She is jet lagged, but that is to be expected. She really seems to like the house, which is good news as she really hated the hotel room. She enjoyed playing with her sister and her auntie and she seems like a much happier, relaxed child in just a few hours at home. Amazing what a difference a few hours can make. Must run, the princess calls!

Baby Maggie Mom & Dad Arriving Today

As I write this Maggie and her Mom and Dad are closer to America then they are to China!! They are due in at around 5:30pm and as of now their flight is on time!!

La Nina has opened her last gift and undone the last rung on her paper chain. This morning we were sitting together watching Dora the Explorer (of course) and she asked me if we would still be friends after Maggie came home and I move back home. I informed her we were better then friends, we ARE Family!!

The final injury total for Project La Nina is as follows: One Time Out for not brushing her teeth when Auntie asked. Well, not so much for that, but for saying "Never" and appearing demon like when Aunte insisted. Two Princess bandaids: One for a mysterious toe ailment and another to match Auntie's when Auntie cut her thumb. Three Days with Pete which is about all Auntie can take. Four I want my Mommie's for everytime La Nina was told no!! And Finally enough Dora the Explorer shows, books and toys to fill an entire Dora the Expolrer outpost on the moon.

Tio and Auntie have enjoyed our time with La Nina. When asked how we are surviving we can both honestly say, coffee. I always made fun of the women driving around town in their minivans, with a latte in one hand, a cell phone in the other and their screaming children in the back. And then last week I was in the minivan, in line at the drive thru espresso, on the phone with Tio with Carly in the back demanding crackers. I hung up with Tio looked at La Nina and started dying of laughter. I was one of "THEM".

La Nina has been a joy (when not crying or whining). She has enjoyed telling Auntie that "Mommy doesn't do it like that". She has a smile that lights up a room and a giggle that could make anyone laugh. Her hugs are like no hug I ever ever gotten. She is persistent, intelligent, loving, creative, saucy and silly (Just like her Mommy). And just like her mommy she is going to be a wonderful big sister. All that said, this was the best form of birth control ever! (Sorry NanaPapa)

As Dora the Explorer would say.. WE DID IT!! LO HICIMOS!!

The Last Post from China

Well, we are about 1/3 packed and trying to decide if we can make it home
with the luggage we have. Our room is filled with piles of clothes,
souveniers and things we are leaving for Group 97, who are staying 5 more
days.

Today, the group went to White Cloud Mountain. We went to the Aviary and
the Bird Show. Since Maggie is still a Mommy's girl, I had to carry her in
the sling down the stairs and up the stairs. I was wiped out after our
visit. After the bird show we let Maggie run around a little bit and then
came back to the hotel.

Daddy and Maggie spent an hour running errands while Mommy slept. Maggie
had a semi-rough night last night and I didn't sleep much. So, the nap was
wonderful. Maggie is doing fine with Daddy when Mommy is not an option.
However, if Mommy is around, Daddy is still out of luck. Believe me,
'Project Daddy Love' will kick off as soon as we get home.

Our time in China is almost over. While I am so happy our family will be
united in 36 hours and our daughters will meet, I am also sad. China
adoption is such a magical process. You fill out some forms, wait around,
stress out, pack, repack, pack again, then fly 14 hours. Then the fireworks
begin when you are handed your child. But the beauty is while you see your
own daughter's transformation the most dramatically, you also get to see the
transformation of 20+ other incredible little girls. You learn so much
about their stories and it is so sad to know that when you get home, their
stories will continue to evolve and you will only get the cliff notes. I
hope our group stays in touch. It is really a good group. And I have
really enjoyed getting to know all the little girls and their new families.
I know that Maggie was in the orphanage with a bunch of terrific kids and
they kept hope alive for each other.

How do I know this? Maggie has a little habit. She almost always sleeps
with at least an arm or a leg outside her crib. Given the way the baby room
was configured, that means she was able to touch the girls on either side of
her. Those girls are in this group. Their names were still on the cribs
when we visited. So we know that those girls provided Maggie with the love
and comfort she needed to survive her wait. That is what makes all these
girls so special to me. Whether it is that they were crib neighbors or
playroom buddies, these girls are a part of Maggie's history and are now
apart of our history. And we hope that history continues to unfold.

I will write more once we are home. But for now, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

We have plenty to be thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving from Eric, Julie and Maggie in China!

More rice wine for my friends!

McKinley (Carly's barber) on the dance floor with dad Kirk

Daddy and Maggie on the dance floor

Roger and Macy, with Elizabeth filming in the background, on the dance floor. They're resonsible for www.macyday.blogspot.com

The guys singing "I Am Woman." Not a dry eye in the house

China girls singing karaoke with Jimmy and Maggie

Mom follows suit with a shot right after Maggie passes out from her shot...

The party has started- dad knocks back a shot of rice wine

Our beloved China team!

Maggie with mom in her new Chinese top with the Li Bai poem with the inspiration for Carly's name in it

At the farewell party with Maggie and her pink tutu

Our team photo of group 96 and 98P with our Suixi girls

Group photo of groups 96 , 97 and 98P under the welcoming glance of Deng Xiaoping

It's Official! We passed the Consulate Appointment Today!

Happy Thanksgiving. Hard to relate to all the cooking while sitting in a
hotel room in China, but I hope someone saves us some turkey!

Today was Group 96's big day. Our paperwork was submitted to the US
consulate early this morning by Norman and the China Team. We were told to
stay either in our rooms or in the breakfast area until 11AM. And trust me,
we all obeyed. If there is a question, you want to be available to answer
it. The first priority is getting this adoption completed.

After 11 we were free until 3pm, when we had to go to the Consulate for our
swearing in. To kill time, Maggie, her Dad and I headed to the Jade Market.
A very fun place to visit that we missed last time in China. It was an
amazing scene: Loads of jade, crammed into small shops situated in narrow
alleys. Usually two or three people worked in each shop and it wasn't
uncommon to seek cover in a shop when a hand cart filled the alley. It
really made you feel like you were really in China. We spent two hours
wandering the alleys, shopping for souveniers and people watching.
Definitely, something you shouldn't miss. It was an unforgettable
experience.

We made it back to the Hotel in time for a diaper change, bowl of rice
cereal and some fruit, then it was off to the lobby for the bus ride to the
consulate. Compared to the last time we were in the consulate, it was very
uncrowded. Only 30 families had appointments today due to the Holiday
tomorrow. We had to take Maggie up to the window so they could verify she
was the baby in the picture. Maggie slept through the whole viewing in my
sling. Then we took a very brief oath in which we just agreed all our
paperwork was true. There are no pictures of this event as cameras are not
allowed in the building. Security threat. Maggie only opened her eyes when
everyone clapped at the ended of the oath.

We decided to stay out on Shaiman Island to shop and had dinner. We picked
up a few more items to take home and had a wonderful dinner with a few other
families. It was really a delightful day.

Maggie is doing great. She was a trooper all day today. I just stick her
in the sling and go. I can last a couple of hours at a time without a
break. That is about all she can last too without running around, so it
works well for both of us. My only complaint is that we both get hot with
her in the sling. Maggie's walking skills are improving dramatically by
the day. She is all over the place and pretty steady. From refusing to
walk to a very steady walk in a little over a week is just amazing. We just
adore this amazing little girl.

Tomorrow we need to start packing. We need to figure out if we need to buy
another bag to get everything home. Scary! Again, Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally, by popular demand, the Suixi girls in their Hop Yard onesies, with Norman (aka Max).

And last, but not least, a phone call at about 10:45pm our time (6:45am in Pleasanton) to talk with Carly and Auntie and Tio

...And for mom to write all about our day (the lollipop provides the extra sugar necessary to stay awake)

After a long day, it's time for dad to post pictures to the blog...

Maggie crashes hard after a rough day of shopping and swearing (under oath)

In front of the waterfall at the White Swan Hotel after a successful trip to the US embassy!

Mom and Maggie in old Guangzhou around the Jade Market

You Only Get What You Can Handle!!

This is my mantra for this trip. Boy, Maggie is a wild card. She is a very happy, nutty, silly baby 90% of the time, but that last 10% is something else. She has some quirks, this baby. The biggest is: Maggie will go to no one but me. No one. The China Team (our guides) speak to her in Cantonese and she hides her face in my shoulder. She will not let anyone hold her for more than 10 seconds without shrieking and throwing herself violently in my direction. Her Dad can hold her on occasion, but he must be walking and it isn't fool proof. In case you aren't reading between the lines: I am on whenever Maggie is awake.

Maggie is very active. It is as if she is making up for all that time she spent in her crib, right now. Today. She is going to get in a year's worth of activity. Today. She wants to walk everywhere. She loves her squeaky shoes and enjoys nothing more than squeaking around in them using me as her pull toy. (I think I need to lose those squeakers.) She is always at the edge of her stroller seat, looking for a way to get out. Incidently, she did get out while she was strapped in. We were in our room, getting ready to leave. I heard this loud crash, followed by crying and sure enough, Maggie had crawled out and fallen down. I had the 5 point harness on her, so this was quite an accomplishment. This activity level coupled with the fact that Maggie will not go to anyone but me, leads to exhaustion. I told Maggie's Dad tonight, I am afraid of my family leave. This kid is going to wear me out! All that said, the impish grin, wild hair and absolute silliness leave us loving her more everyday. You can't help but to love this kid. Trust me.

Maggie's Dad is a big help. He bravely takes over Maggie whenever I must have a break. He has done countless hall laps with Maggie in the stroller to settle her down. He carries all of our stuff, since I usually have Maggie in the sling. I am completely dependent on him for food. He gets me food at the buffets, he goes out to get the take out, he orders from Danny's Bagels. Thank goodness he is so supportive and doesn't take any of Maggie's favoritism personally.

We finished up all the US paperwork today. Our facilitator will take it to the embassy in the morning. Our appointment to complete the US process is at 3pm tomorrow. After that, Thursday is a waiting day as the US embassy is closed for Thanksgiving. We get our Visa to head home on Friday. We can't wait to get home with our little spitfire and introduce her to her big sister. We know they will get along famously after "an adjustment period". That is it from China for now!