China Girl

Just a quick post to let everyone know that they arrived safely last night before last at 5:30pm in Newark. We waited anxiously in terminal C. As they came out of customs, my heart started racing. As they walked closer toward us, I could see the top 1/3rd of a little head poking above the suitcases on the cart. Constantin picked Katerina up and walked towards me. She was tiny; smaller than I expected. She was precious. My heart was full of love and anticipation. He placed her in my arms and WHAAAAAAA; she cried and reached back for him. Shot down on the first try! Once they were out of the walkway, he placed her down and she began running all over the airport and heading for the elevator doors as they opened. She looked so adorable – so little, running, running, running – why she’s our own little Forrest Gump.

Once we got to the car, she wasn’t too thrilled to be put into the car seat, but as soon as the car started moving she was content. Constantin told me to put some music on, and sure enough, she started singing.

She was very wary of me at first and backed away each time I came near her. As the evening wore on, she began to tolerate me and even fed me some cheerios. She explored the entire house and played with a few toys. She loved her rocking chair and enjoyed climbing onto it, shaking her little body to make it rock, sliding off of it and started the whole procedure over again.

She went to sleep at 1:30am and woke up at 4am crying. After all, this was just her afternoon nap. Joseph was already up having breakfast and soon Emma joined us in the kitchen. And everyone was accounted for. She went down for her nap at 11:00am and I tried to wake her at 1pm to get her on the right schedule, but she was having none of it. I guess it’ll be a long night tonight. I had grand plans of taking her to the Westchester mall, parking the stroller in the sea of strollers outside City Limits while we had lunch, visiting Aunt Schmabe at Barnes and Noble. But no, it is now 3:30pm and she’s still sleeping. We are going to contact others who have gone through the same experience of bringing a child home from China and adjusting their schedule.

I saw some great photos in the camera which I hope we can download tonight so that I can post them on the Blog. No one brought a camera to the airport, but we took a couple of shots from my phone which I posted above. Once I can post the pictures we'll say Bye Bye to the blog because the real journey is beginning.

On The Move

It is morning in China and they are on their way to Beijing. Yesterday was the ceremony at the American Consulate with 40 other little Chinese girls headed to the USA. And what are the chances - another little girl had on the very same dress from Janie and Jack that Katerina was wearing for this special day.

After the consulate ceremony, they went back to the hotel and Katerina proceeded to walk in the bathroom and point to the bathtub. So, a bath it was. She loves playing in the bath. The crew went out to dinner at a Japanese (when in China.....) restaurant at the White Swan hotel. After dinner, Constantin took Katerina for a walk in the lobby and she was immediately drawn to the piano player; went over to him and did her singing bit. I think we may have a child prodigy on our hands. Brother Bob is already researching what guitar he wants to get for her.

Genius Child Alert: In addition to Bye Bye, she is now saying "Good Girl" and "Car".

Well, this will be the last post until after they are home and I will finally be able to upload a bunch of pictures. My biggest joy is that I did not kill Joseph's fish during this time no matter how hard I tried. I would continually walk past the fish tank and be shocked when they caught my attention. It was like I was seeing them for the first time, each time.

All is in place. The crib has been made up with the bedding. I had to run out today because I realized I didn't have a mattress pad. The changing table is in place with the lovely diaper pail beside it and the butt wipes close at hand - this will be a new one for me. I have never changed a diaper. The car seat has been installed in my car (thank you, George), the high chair is set up (thank you, George), the stroller is ready to roll (thank you, George). And our candles (electric) continue to burn in almost every window since Christmas awaiting Katerina's homecoming.


The Tradition of placing a Candle in the Window goes back to the Colonial times in the United States and back much further in time for other cultures. It is a Tradition practiced throughout the year. It symbolizes the warmth and security of the Family hearth and signals loyalty to Family members and loved ones who are not present in the home.

It certainly feels like Christmas and I can't wait to go to sleep so I can wake up in the morning to a very special day; Suzie's birthday!! That too.
Tomorrow I meet my daughter!
How awesome is that?
An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." Ancient Chinese Belief

Countdown to Home Begins

Only 1 more night in China before they begin their journey home. The night before last Constantin was trying to get Katerina to sleep at around 8:30pm. At 10:30pm he called me and said he had given up and they were having a party. They were all sitting on the floor, eating, drinking and watching TV. She was very wound up. (I found out later he had given her some cheesecake in the afternoon. I bet she's never had sugar before. Joseph recognized the sugar high immediately!) I could hear her laughing and singing in the background. Constantin held the phone to her ear so that I could talk to her and she did the RCA dog head tilt move. I doubt that she's ever experienced a telephone before. The first time she saw TV, she went behind the box to look for the people.

Last night Emma and Joseph went out for dinner with the group while Constantin and Katerina stayed in the hotel room eating grilled cheese and french fries - yes, french fries again! I think Constantin continues to order french fries because he enjoys her ritual of dipping the fries in ketchup and feeding them to him. She was unusually happy in the crib last night and was singing/talking up a storm for about an hour before going to sleep. She also for the first time took and hugged a small teddy bear that Emma bought her. She's beginning to feel much more comfortable and at home with them.
Yesterday they went to the cultural center for 2 hours of folk singing and dancing. During the performance of a highly respected singer, Katerina burst into song at the top of her lungs and the audience laughed.

Genius child alert: This morning, after Constantin put her socks on, she ran, got her shoes and brought them to him.

I last spoke to them about an hour ago (11am their time on Tuesday) and they were out for a stroll and shopping. Katerina becomes U.S. citizen today. At 2:30am our time, she will be sworn in. Wouldn't it be great if starts belting out "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy!"
Well, they leave Guangzhou tomorrow morning (Wednesday) and will make a connection in Beijing for Newark. All told (I verified it's told not tolled) they will be traveling for 22 hours to reach home. Hope they have lots of things to amuse Katerina. The balloons are losing some of their perkiness. I don't know if they'll make it. But the room and crib are ready. I spent this evening ironing the crib skirt, the window valence, washing sheets, etc. Bring her on - I'm ready.


She's apparently a picky eater and will enjoy something one day and not the next. At first, she loved congee and it was all she would eat. Then it was porridge. Constantin says she communicates what she wants by pointing. He takes her around the breakfast buffet and she points to what she wants. Lately, she's been eating cereal with soy milk, bananas, and orange juice. Unfortunately, there's no breakfast buffet at 38 Gordon Avenue so we'll have to come up with another system.

Monkey See Monkey Do

As each day dawns, Katerina becomes more and more a part of her forever family. She is bonding to all three of them. It's odd that I am so much a part of this and she doesn't even know I exist.

The flight to Guangzhou was fine, but on the descent, she started crying. We're guessing her ears were popping. It was a long walk from the terminal to the bus that would take them to the hotel but apparently, Katerina was having a grand time in her stroller. She was talking to everyone as she passed them by and people were talking back to her. We thought she was just talking Chinese goo goo gaga, but apparently, she is actually saying things as we've been told by the bilingual guide. One morning Emma was with her in the dining room of the hotel and Katerina was chatting away. Michael, the guide, told Emma that Katerina wanted to eat. Constantin said she must think the three of them are awfully stupid.

They arrived at the hotel late after a one-hour bus ride and went to sleep more easily than she has been. The next day they took her to a park which had a kids playground and she really enjoyed the slide. On the way back to the hotel she was singing in Chinese in the stroller and again, talking to people as she passed them. So far she has only picked up one English word/expression and that is bye-bye. She uses it whenever she or someone is leaving. She waves and says bye-bye. In fact, when she was talking to a guard in the airport, it was in Chinese, but when she was leaving she waved and said bye-bye. Isn't she brilliant??

She also loves to mimic. One evening Constantin had french fries and he gave her one after dipping it in ketchup. She spit it out. The next night he had french fries again, (what's up with that? Aren't we in China??) and a few times she picked one up, dipped it in ketchup and fed it to him. She also observed him wiping his fingers on a napkin after eating the french fries so she picked up a fry (no ketchup) and after eating rubbed her fingers on the napkin. I tell you, folks, this is a genius child!! 
Guangzhou is very westernized compared to Beijing and Nanning. Probably the Hong Kong influence. They are only 45 minutes away by Hydrofoil

Back Onlilne

After an evening of technical difficulties, my network is up and I'm back online. They are off to Guangzhou this morning (their evening), they actually should be arriving 8:30am our time. This is the final leg of the journey where Katerina will be issued her visa to enter the US. The US Consulate appointment is on Monday, March 20th and they will leave for Beijing and home on the 22nd. What's really neat is because of the time change their flight will only be 1 hour from Beijing to Newark. (If only it were true - I can't imagine 13 hours on a flight with a 17-month-old!!)

My staff, friends, and co-workers at JHHLS threw me a beautiful shower at work today. I walked into what I thought was our monthly department meeting; agenda in hand, handouts on a new policy, and of course some pictures of Katerina from China, to a chorus of SURPRISE. The room was beautifully decorated with balloons secured with baby bottles full of mints, rubber duckies floating in bowls of water, and of course a mound of presents. As soon as I receive the pictures I will post them. The warm wishes and smiling faces were just precious. These are the things memories are made of. A really great side benefit is that I have all these balloons for Wednesday. I hope they keep their buoyancy. I must've been quite a sight tooling up the West Side Highway filled to the brim with packages and balloons flying everywhere!

I then went to a lovely intimate wedding ceremony for a friend/co-worker. What a day for celebrations!

Guangzhou is the capital of the Guangdong province which used to be known as Canton (as in Cantonese). Read more Like Athens of Greece and Rome of Italy, Guangzhou also has a history of more than 2,800 years. There are a lot of interesting legends concerning its past. One of the beautiful stories which give the city its name Goat Town says that five gods riding on five goats brought the first grain to the city. So, it is also known as the City of Five Goats. Besides tales and stories, here and there stand monuments of the city's democratic and revolutionary past. The monument to the Anti-British struggle at San Yuan Li is in remembrance of the 1841 uprising against a British invading force. The Huang Hua Gang Park keeps alive the spirit of the 72 martyrs killed in a 1911 uprising against the Manchu dynasty. The National Peasant Movement Institute is the former cadre-training school founded and run by Mao Zedong and Zhou En Lai in 1925-1926. The Guangzhou Memorial Garden is in memory of those who lost their lives during the Communist Uprising in 1927.

I am working at home today awaiting the delivery of the "temporary" crib and changing table which is being loaned to us by the store where we purchased the nursery furniture until ours is ready. Off to work now. Will post more tonight after I speak to them.

One more picture of Katerina from the one batch I received. Hopefully, I will get more from Guangzhou.

Cry Baby

Katerina woke up yesterday in a great mood and even tolerated the torture of being changed better than usual. They took her sightseeing in the morning followed by a stroller ride in the park which she loved. As delightful as the day was the evening was a challenge. It was a "cry baby" night as Emma put it. Everything was wrong, nothing was pleasing her and no one could figure out what she wanted or what might be bothering her. Constantin said it was so painful and frustrating to not know how to help her.

When she gets angry or frustrated she walks away from everyone, faces the other way and plops herself down on the floor. She'll show them! Then someone walks over to her, reaches out their hand and she'll take it, stand up and go on her merry way.

Yet again, she did not want to go to sleep. I posted an Email to my Yahoo Group of adoptive parents from China telling them of the problem and someone replied that it's very common among Chinese adopted children to be terrified of going to sleep. They're afraid that when they wake up, you'll be gone. "Well, little one, for better or for worse, you are now with your forever family." With a stroke of genius, Joseph decided to put her in the stroller and roll her around the hotel suite to soothe her. It worked. She started to get sleepy and whatever she was holding in her hands started to fall to the ground one by one. Next, the little head started veering to the side and she was out. Ah, success; and she slept right through until Constantin woke her up this morning.

The dynamics of this group is a riot. Emma is in charge of changing and I'm told at one point she (jokingly) told Constantin and Joseph to "shut up - I'm in charge of outfits". She'd have tough competition if Schmabe was there!! Joseph is the one Katerina seems to have bonded to the most. Sure, Emma says, he's the fun guy. He doesn't torture her by changing, feeding, etc. Apparently, whenever Joseph walks into the room she smiles and lights up. And she doesn't want anyone to leave the room. When Emma left last night to go to her room (next door), she cried and looked behind furniture for her and eventually went to the door determined to will her back into the room. She's also a bit fussy about things. When she has items to play with, she lines them up just so and you can't disturb them. Constantin brought out the crayons to draw yesterday, but all she wanted to do was take them out of the box and put them back in. And if she put one in wrong (butt side up instead of point side up), she'd take it out, turn it around and put it back in again. Like mother like daughter! I told you they knew what they were doing when they matched us.

Finally

I was awakened at 1:00am to a wonderful surprise; pictures. And (drum roll) here’s Katerina! I only received a few and they are primarily from the first day with her little Mao face. I did replace yesterday’s posted picture as well with one of her with the balls. We have a picture of her with her favorite toy – the bowls & lids. We also have a picture with the cookie and the bib that she wouldn’t take off (and ended up sleeping in). I am going back to sleep now and will post more tomorrow.

A New Day

What a difference one day can make. Today, (it's evening there now), was the adoption. When they arrived at the Civil Affairs office they were brought to a reception room with the other 3 families and Katerina burst into activity. There were huge balls, as big as she is -the kind used for exercise - and she and the Ayres daughter were playing and laughing out loud having a blast. We found out later, during the adoption process, that Katerina and the Ayres daughter were in foster care together. They would spend their days at the orphanage and go home with one of the nannies. I understand that this is a practice in many orphanages once the girls are matched. I guess it's like a halfway house to help with the transition. The other 2 girls were not in foster care and seem to be having more difficulty. They are not very responsive with their families or their surroundings and are only quiet if being held. They scream if their parents try to put them on the floor to play. Maybe the foster care helped in developing self-confidence and a sense of well being.

Now that he knows about the foster care, Constantin is connecting a few dots. As they left the room yesterday, after receiving Katerina, he saw a few Chinese women in the lobby. One put her hands over her face and cried loudly when Constantin walked from the room with Katerina. We had seen this same reaction from a foster mother in a documentary that was following a group of adoptees - "The Lost Girls of China", but since he did not know at that time that Katerina was in foster care, he just noted it and thought it was curious. We have the name of the foster mother and will certainly reach out to her. I'm delighted to know that there was someone who especially cared for Katerina and someone to whom Katerina bonded in this way.

The adoption ceremony was great. Katerina in her party dress that was 2 sizes too big. Constantin said she looked like a gypsy. At the ceremony, an official held a clear box where you put your envelopes of money and you received your adoption certificate. The orphanage staff brought out a bag with all the items we had sent over in the care package and they had made an album of pictures they had taken of her. What a treasure. We were also given a lot more information on her routines.

Once back on the bus, Katerina followed Constantin in waving and saying "Bye Bye". Wow, I never thought I'd get so excited about "Bye Bye"!!

Back at the hotel, Constantin and Katerina took a nap while Emma and Joseph went to the 5- story Walmart. They bought a stroller and a soccer ball which Katerina and Joseph played within the room and had lots of fun kicking and throwing it around. Again, she was laughing out loud. Very delighted and pleased with herself. She seems to be adjusting very well to them. She's no longer scared and is much more at ease.

As I spoke to them this evening or morning depending on whether you're in China or USA, she was walking around with a cookie and would come over to Emma to hold the cookie while she took a bite. Then she'd take back the cookie and walk around until she wanted another bite.

She's apparently very possessive about everything she likes and will not give it up. She also doesn't seem to like change, but then gets used to it and doesn't want it to change again. When they put a bib on her to eat, she cried, but when they tried to take it off, she didn't want to give it up. She cried when they got on the bus but then didn't want to get off the bus.

It's so hard for me not to be there. I can't wait to speak to them in the morning to hear how the day was and at night when they're getting up and planning the day. I'm delighted to hear how well she and Joseph are interacting. Yesterday, not too much, but today they've done a lot of playing and laughing.

I have passed on everyone's blog comments and good wishes to Emma, Constantin, and Joseph. They send their love and regards. Ady, Joseph was looking specifically for comments from you. Without having any pictures, I'm really stretching it to find some graphic interest to post! As it has been so hectic, they did not want to trouble the other families who brought laptops, with requests to send out pictures. Now that the adoption is finalized I think everyone can breathe a little and we may have some pictures soon.

Well until the next update .........Bye Bye!

GOTCHA

The crew left Beijing at 7:40am and reached their hotel rooms in Nanning at 2pm.

Nanning is right on the border of Vietnam - only about 180 miles from Nanning to Hanoi.

At 2:30pm they had to be at the Civil Affairs Office to "receive" Katerina. After choking down some lunch they arrived and were brought to a room with the 3 other families adopting from the same orphanage. Other rooms were filled with families adopting from other orphanages. "They're here, they're here" someone cried out. And in walked a caregiver from the orphanage with the first baby; it was not Katerina. But the 2nd one was. And they recognized her immediately. She looks exactly like her pictures. The caregiver handed her to Constantin and she began crying and reaching out to the caregiver who held her hand. Emma said she can tell the caregiver loves Katerina by the way she looked at her, smiled at her, held her hand so gently and affectionately. Katerina was scared stiff, poor little thing. The other 2 families received their children and 2 (Katerina and another) were crying the whole time. The other 2 were apparently shell-shocked and were very nonchalant (until later I hear). They were all dressed in the same pink pants and jackets - Constantin said they looked like a soccer team. After everyone received their babies it was time to go back to the hotel; Katerina crying all the way.

Once in the hotel room, she began walking and walking and walking which calmed her down. She kept staring at her new family and not cracking a smile. (Constantin called it her Mao Tse Tung face.)  Very alert and responsive to her name Guo Cai. She didn't like the stuffed animals or the toys Constantin had brought with him. Emma brought out the plastic disposable bowls with lids I had packed and those became her favorite toy. She kept putting the lids on and taking them off. Standing up the whole time. Emma gave her Cheerios and showed her how to chew.

Physically she was clean, beautiful, had very dry skin (eczema) and a little congestion. I'm told she's very independent, not a moaner, strong personality and knows what she wants - they knew what they were doing when they matched us!

She cried when they changed her for bed and then she began walking and walking for an hour and 1/2. Mom went to her room to sleep, exhausted but happy and content. After all, this is her granddaughter!

Constantin put on the TV and she seemed to like it. They fell asleep (she in her crib between Joseph and Constantin's beds) and slept until 2am. Constantin awoke to her speaking in Chinese followed by crying. After soothing her back to sleep she didn't wake until 6am in the morning. It is now 8:00am there on the 14th and they have a 9am appointment for the adoption at the Civil Affairs Office. Apparently, last night was a trial run and they could give the babies back if they didn't want them. FAT CHANCE!!

She had congee for breakfast, but still no smiles. I was on the phone and heard her crying when Emma was changing her. Wow, she sounds like a baby!! I could hear Emma soothing her "don't cry little one" and smooching sounds. She's wearing a party dress today for her adoption! They then headed downstairs for breakfast but Katerina was scared of the elevator. I hung up as Joseph was suggesting they walk down the stairs. By the way, I understand Joseph makes a beeline for the door when Katerina poops. You can run, my boy, but you can't hide! By the time they come home, I bet he'll be an old hand at diaper changing.

It will still be 10 days before they're home. After the adoption they must wait for the passport - 3 days - then they fly to Guangzhou where the American Consulate is located and apply for a visa, more paperwork, medical exams, etc. Once they have the Visa, they can begin their journey home.

I am out of my mind not having pictures. I begged them today to try to find some way to send pictures. Apparently, Constantin can't send them from the camera phone because you need to be a Chinese citizen to subscribe to that kind of service. Huh????????? Some of the families brought their laptops so maybe they can take some pictures and Email them to me. PLEASE!!

SURPRISE!

Yesterday was a very busy day both in China and the USA. In China, the traveler’s were off to the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Dinner followed and then a performance by a group of Chinese Acrobats. I understand Constantin was ready to throw in the towel after visiting the Great Wall (in 12-degree weather) but Emma insisted on seeing the acrobats. Constantin told me this morning that he forgot what a “maniac” my mother was! As for Constantin, he’s having a hard time enjoying the touristy part of the trip because he’s focused on the objective and cannot detach himself enough to sightsee with abandon. Well, tomorrow is the day. They are taking a 7:30am flight from Beijing to Nanning Guangxi and after some paperwork will be “getting” Katerina around 3pm. (4am our time). When I go to sleep tonight, I will be looking forward to being woken up at 4am and participate as it happens. Hopefully, we’ll get some pictures.

The Summer Palace is the archetypal Chinese garden and is ranked amongst the most noted and classical gardens of the world. In 1998, it was listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Constructed in the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), during the succeeding reign of feudal emperors; it was extended continuously. By the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it had become a luxurious royal garden providing royal families with rest and entertainment. 

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China.




And on the home front, last night my fabulous friends threw me a surprise Baby Shower party (men & women). Now if there’s one thing I never imagined I’d have, it’s a baby shower. I guess because I never thought I’d have a baby. What made it extra special is that it was a great party, with most of my favorite people there. The original date of the party was February 11th, apparently and everyone was available, but a snowstorm put the kibosh on that. It was rescheduled and not everyone could make it. Missing persons of note are Constantin and Joseph! Even my mother was supposed to come up from Florida for the party, but as her card indicated, she was on a more important mission of bringing home the best present of all. In attendance were the Egnors (all 4 of ‘em!), Joanne (John was away at a conference), Teri, Chris & Kate, Lou & Dale, Larry, Gail & Kara and of course, Church & Suzie and Deb & George. Well represented in spirit was Florida; Jon & Sue, Diane, Merriam and Joan. Now I know why they call it a shower. I was literally showered with beautiful and thoughtful gifts for Katerina, good wishes, affection and most important of all, support; although I know the majority of the room think I am out of my cotton picking mind. But hey, they’re willing to go along with me on this exciting and wonderful ride. I am blessed to have such loving friends and family. What a lucky lucky girl Katerina is to have all these “Aunties and Uncles”; even one Grand Auntie and one Grand Uncle; who as usual were the hit of the party and always there for us on our very special occasions. These are the guys who flew down to Florida for 2 days right before Hurricane Wilma so that they could attend Emma’s 75th birthday party. (Do you think she’ll kill me for publishing her age on the Internet???)

Well, I can’t wait to go to sleep tonight. I feel like I did as a kid when it was Christmas Eve. …….And to all a Good Night!

Houston, (or rather Beijing) We've Made Contact

Finally!! I spoke to Constantin today. It was 3:30pm my time and 4:30am Saturday for him. He was calling me from the bathroom so as not to wake Joseph. He said it's been difficult adjusting to the time change. Duh, why else would he be calling at 4:30am? He thinks Emma is faring the best of them all. He said the hotel is beautiful and the rooms, particularly Emma's are very spacious. She got a deluxe King room which he claims is twice the size of theirs. She must've pulled the short straw.

Sightseeing on Friday was to the Forbidden City

HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE FORBIDDEN CITY 
In the heart of Beijing, the Imperial Palace remained the residence of the emperors for nearly five hundred years, from the 15th century to the early 20th century, and was the actual and symbolic seat of imperial power. Popularly known as the Forbidden City, it was built in the Ming Dynasty between the 4th and the 18th years of the Yongle period (1406 - 1420 AD).
FUN FACTS

1. The Last Emporer (1987) was the first feature film ever authorized by the government of the People's Republic of China to film in the Forbidden City.
2. Giacomo Puccini's Turandot was performed inside the Forbidden City for the first time in 1998.
3. Yanni performed in the Forbidden City. Yanni sure seems to perform in some very cool places! The Acropolis in Greece and the Taj Mahal in India being two others.

I've posted some pictures that I pulled from a website since I AM STILL NOT GETTING ANY PICTURES!! Constantin said he was going back to the phone store today to see what he can work out. When they leave for Nanning Monday morning, I'm guessing his major sightseeing in Beijing will have been the phone store.


Unfortunately, Constantin and Joseph missed the bus to the Forbidden City. They were in their room resting after the morning session, fell asleep and missed the bus by 15 minutes. The Energizer Bunny (aka Mom) made it. She's a trouper!

The air has been very poor because Beijing is being blasted by a sandstorm caused by winds coming down from Siberia. The air is a yellow/orange and it's hard to see and it's hard on the sinuses. Apparently this is a very frequent occurrence in Beijing but usually occurs in the summer. Imagine how delightful the 2008 summer Olympics might be for the field and track competitors.

Today they are going to the Great Wall. Only 2 more days till "Gotcha" day.

CHINA FIGHTS TO HOLD BACK DESERT SANDS China declared its first victory in a centuries-old war against the desert on Monday after a campaign to plant 12-billion trees in five years finally made a small green dent in an ocean of sand dunes and dustbowls. Every March, government leaders join three million people who take up shovels on tree-planting day.

Safe & Sound

They landed exhausted but safe and sound. Constantin has sent a couple of Emails from the business center at the hotel, but unfortunately, he can not get his phone to work for international calling. Cingular gave him a code to unlock the phone, and he purchased a new SIM card, but to no avail. If he can't get it to work, he'll have to rent one. The phone was also going to forward pictures to me so we don't have any yet. As long as he gets it going by Monday - "Gotcha" day!

Report from China: The plane ride was great, the food great, service good. The one complaint; he can not get a good cup of coffee. His last Email was at 7pm tonight (8am in China) and they were heading off to cultural orientation with sight seeing in the afternoon. They are with 3 other families who are adopting from the same orphanage and will be with them the entire trip. In the evening, they will be hosted by the OCDF (Our Chinese Daughters Foundation - who has organized the in-China itinerary) for a banquet. An additional group of families will be joining them who have previously adopted (girls are 7 or 8 years old) and have returned to China with their girls to learn more about their homeland. They call it a Heritage Tour. I can't wait to hear about it.

Wouldn't you know it that the minute the Electrical Engineer goes off to China I have electronics crises? My home phone is behaving quite strangely. It rings (last night at 3:30am) and when I pick up it's just static. So if you try to reach me at home you may get a busy signal or a banshee-like screech. My iPod stopped working also. Next, it will be the refrigerator, TV and washer/dryer.

Tonight I went to see a high school production of West Side Story. A friend of mine's son and daughter were both in it. Daughter played "Anybody's" and the son was a Jet. I enjoyed it tremendously. Shapes of things to come.

With no one at home to talk to, it's easy to keep blogging, but I will sign off now until I have more news to publish.

The Journey Begins

Well, they are more than half way to Beijing as I prepare this post and will land around 1:30am our time - 2:30pm Beijing time. I'm guessing there won't be much sight seeing today.

The house is so quiet it's eerie. Might as well enjoy it as it will probably be the last time for the next 20 years!

I've been following someone else's journey to their daughter from the same orphanage and the poor thing is having a hard time adjusting. I've been learning alot as I've followed several trips to "Gotcha" day and communicated with many adoptive parents via Yahoo groups over the past few months. It's good to know what to expect. And one thing we can expect is that Katerina will need the time to mourn her loss and all that was comfortable to her; as pitiful as that may have been.

"Gotcha" day for us is Monday and I can't wait to get those first pictures. In the meantime, the travelers will be going through cultural orientation in Beijing. (One of my staff cautioned me that they may come back in fatigues and waving a red flag) As long as they bring Katerina home they can come back wearing and waving whatever they please.

Countdown Continues

What a whirlwind it is at the Trantzas/Cerchiara home. Bob (aka Dad) left on Saturday for Florida after visiting with us for a month, Mom flew in on Monday (and yes, she had 2 large suitcases - one of which she calls a carry-on but we're not convinced). Constantin spent a few hours at the Chinese Consulate to get the Visas Monday morning. Stuff is all over the house in various stages of preparation for packing. Joseph's suitcase is almost half filled with diapers! We got our $3000 in crisp $100 bills today for the orphanage donation; I felt like we were making a drug payoff.

I discovered a whole new world on Saturday. I spent 2 hours in Buy Buy Baby getting necessities for the trip, such as, sippy cups, butt wipes, disposable changing pads, etc. YIPES! And boy were there a lot of kids in that store.

The crew will be leaving tomorrow morning at 8am to get to Newark for their 12:30pm flight. All are so looking forward to 13 hours in Continental coach. We tried to upgrade to business class but there were none available going or returning. Well, at least it's non-stop to Beijing.

Countdown Begins

ABOUT KATERINA
Born: 10/13/2004
Chinese Name: Gong Guo Cai
Province: Guangxi SWI: Pingnan

PROCESS TRAIL
Log In Date: April 22, 2005
Date of Referral: January 4, 2006
Travel Approval: February 21, 2006
Consulate Appt confirmed: February 28th, 2006

AND WE'RE OFF
Travel to Beijing: March 8th
Meet Katerina: March 13th
Adoption: March 14th
Consulate Appt: March 20th
Homecoming: March 22nd.

We are systematically (and frantically) pulling all paperwork together needed for the trip. Five copies of this, 3 copies of that, etc. Thank goodness that we organized all our documents so well back during the paper chase days. It's been relatively easy to pull everything together. Our agency, Heart-to-Heart, has been great, and our in-China facilitator Our Daughters of China Foundation is in high gear and a pleasure to work with. Constantin, Joseph, and Emma (aka Mom) will be leaving on the 8th. I think Mom's biggest concern is that she can only bring 1 suitcase and even at that, she needs to leave 1/3rd free for Katerina "stuff" as do Constantin and Joseph. Mom usually brings 3 suitcases for a 2-day stay because "You never know what you'll want to wear and what the weather will be like".