Reflections

I am amazed at how much Meghan has changed since we first adopted her. She is really starting to blossom and her little personality becomes more pronounced everyday. We are beginning to learn her signs and tastes. MJ and I have figured out how to trick her when we feed her. She loves mashed potatoes and Gerber's fruit mixtures (Banana, Strawberry, Apple mix and Bananas with mixed berries). She hates it when we feed her Gerber's vegetable beef dinner, turkey dinner, chicken noodle dinner, and vegetables. So, we put what we refer to as the "bad stuff" on the spoon first, then dip it into the mashed potatoes so that all she sees is the mashed potatoes. When Meghan likes something, she giggles and waves her hands in the air. It is really cute! We also know when she gets bored with something because she will wimper. In the past few days, she has started really letting us know when her diaper needs to be changed. She is also starting to put more things in her mouth, but we are still working on getting food to her mouth. She won't pick up cheerios and put them in her mouth. She will play with them, but not feed them to herself. We also learned that when we change her, to give her toys to play with! Otherwise she rolls from side to side and you have to chase her. We don't have a changing table, we just change her on the bed or floor on a mat. (Because we knew she would be rolling over soon and being first time parents, we did not want to risk her falling off of one and getting hurt.)

Meghan is also starting to stand up more. She loves it when we let her hold on to the couch with our support. She will pat it and if we put a toy on the couch she will reach for it. Meghan is also starting to roll more, but not rolling herself over yet. She will reach foward for a toy and roll on her side, then make it to her belly and push herself up. But, she gets easily frustrated after being on her belly for more than a couple of minutes. She cannot roll from her back to her tummy yet. She is really starting to play a lot more and is starting to favor some toys over others. We are amazed at her development.

The other day, I looked at her "Gotcha" pictures and I can't believe how quickly she has changed. When we first got her, she could not even sit up on her own and she was so tiny. Now Meghan is sitting up well on her and trying to stand on her own. She gained a pound in the first 4 weeks we had her and I am sure she is now up to at least 17 pounds. She is really beginning to fill out nicely. Meghan is still comfortably fitting into 9 mos. clothes and can still wear a few six month clothes. Meghan is now turning when she hears her name and talking more. She babbles when she is happy, or if we leave the room. When she wakes up, she babbles in her crib until we come. When we first got her, she would occasionally babble and she blew raspberries a lot. She still blows them, but only when she is bored.

I also looked back at all the pictures from our journey and now it seems like it was so long ago. It was such a wonderful experience and people have asked if we would do it again. We would, if the wait was not so long. We hope to take a heritage trip back to China when Meghan reaches an age where she will be able to remember the trip. I really feel for those who are still waiting. The wait is hard, but stay positive. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel and you really do forget the wait once your child is in your arms. I am sure people who are waiting hear this alot, and I did too. MJ and I just kept ourselves busy and tried to get projects done around the house. But, I never got caught up on my scrapbooking, so now I have to find time to do that which is hard, because Meghan comes first now. I still follow a rumor blog and other sites because it is part of me now. I pray that the wait time will get better. In the mean-time, I will post some things that we took with us to China that we did not need and things that we wished we would have brought with us.

• Ok, first things first, don't believe your referral paperwork. I think Meghan was weighed with her clothes on, because she was much smaller than what we were told. I wish I would have brought a couple of six month outfits and less 9 mos. outfits. I did not bring any 12 mos. outfits because I checked the weights for the sizes on the tags of her clothes and according to our paperwork, she was right at a 9mos. size.


• I brought her a pair of shoes. They were too big. Wait until you get to China to buy shoes for your baby.


• Bring lots of Ziplock bags, all sizes. They also make great packmates. You can put things in them and then let the air out. It helps you gain space. Oh, make sure you pack everything and anything (or only things that you really want to protect) in them. We had a bottle of formula opened during a bag inspection and they did not seal it rights and you guessed it, when we got home (after a 32 hour day) everything in the bag was covered in formula and get this: it was the baby's bag!


• Depending on the time of year you travel, don't bring a lot of clothes for yourself. Do the laundry service. Yes, the hotels are a little pricey, but trust your guide's advice. We did laundry 3 times when we were at the hotel in Nanchang. It was a tad expensive, but well worth it. When you get to Shaimain Island in Guangzhou, any one of the shops do it for a really good price. We did our laundry twice when we were there. They did a great job!


• I bought a pair of Skechers slip-ons, (they look like Mary Janes) and tennis shoes. MJ brought his sandals and tennis shoes. That was all we needed. The streets are not litter dirty, just spit dirty!


• If you are taking several electronics, bring a plug adaptor, all necessary power cords, and if you bring a laptop, make sure you get an adaptor for your laptop that will protect it from surges. We purchased one at Best Buy. Also, make sure you bring any cords that are needed to connect your cameras and stuff to your laptop. Some hotels also have their own "buisness" centers with computers. Some allow you to use them for free and some charge by the hour. We took our laptop and only had to pay for internet service (from our room) in Guangzhou at the White Swan. It was the best thing we took with us on the trip.


• Bring enough American cash (ones, fives, tens) to tip your guides and drivers. Our agency guides told us the protocol as to how and when to tip them. Our guides preferred to be tipped at the end of our stay with them. We paid a certain amount for each day all in one lump sum. We did the same with the bus drivers unless we were told otherwise. Sometimes we did not have the same drivers. We also needed ones for tips for the bell hops in the hotels. We left 1 U.S. dollar for each bag. MJ and I also brought a carton of U.S. cigarettes with us for tips. Many males in China smoke. This was much appreciated as an extra token by the bell hops and bus drivers.


• Do not buy your water bottles at the hotel unless you have too! They are way more expensive. (They match U.S. prices). Find a CareFour store or ask your guide where a local store is located. Water bottles are much cheaper. I think we paid .08 cents U.S. for per water bottle when purchased outside the hotel. They do carry name brand waters we are familiar with.


• If you go to Guangzhou, if you take travelor's cheques, make sure they are "American Express" some places will not exchange them! Also, try to exchange your American (foreign) currencies at the hotels. The lines at the banks are long and on the weekends, they will only change over 500 USD.


• Gifts, we gave them, but it all depends upon your agency as to whether they are required. We just brought some lotions from Victoria's Secret and items reflecting our state. MJ and I purchased some Texas things and my parents gave some things in our gifts from Louisiana. Don't stress over this!


• I purchased red gift bags and tissue paper from Wal-Mart. I also found thankyou cards with red envelopes and left our guides notes in them. Remember: Don't Stress Over the Gifts. The CCAA people don't even look at them.


• Bags. We traveled to China under the Chinese bag weights and bag allowance. We each had 1 personal bag, 1 roll on carryon, and 1 large checked bag slightly under 44lbs. (That is the Chinese bag weight limit). On the U.S. carriers, you are allowed 2 checked bags at 50lbs and the same carry on baggage allowances. We were fine with our bags and every airport had carts. When we were in Guangzhou, we purchased a second large bag to check. We were fine, plus unless you go home from Guangzhou through Beijing, you can check your bags at the U.S. international bag allowances and weights. If at all possible, try to get flights out of Guangzhou or connecting through Guangzhou to Hong Kong and then to U.S. It is all considered international. We had some people in our travel group who flew back home through Bejing and were not allowed to do this, as their flights were considered to be domestic (within China) still.


• Don't bring a stroller.


• It is up to you and your finances as to whether you want to purchase an extra seat for your child coming home. If your child is under 2 years and you decide not to purchase a seat and hold the child, make sure you get a paper ticket for your child from the airline. This is a requirement for international travel! We held Meghan in our laps and she did just fine. We traded her off. Sure the extra seat would have been nice, but in the end, it left us more spending money for souveniers on the trip. We survived!

Ok, my next post will be about what to bring for the baby or what not to bring. It is late. I hope this helps those of you who are trying to develop a packing list and get an understanding of what happens on the trip or what is needed on the trip. I know all those hints and tips I read helped me. I helped us prepare and have an idea of what to expect! Although, everything you do and what you chose to take is a very personal thing and should be adjusted to fit your needs. Stay tuned, baby hints, ideas will be posted next!