Almost ready

We leave Columbus on Friday, March 2. We arrive in Cambodia on Sunday, March 4. Okay, so we're going with the rotation of earth, but it's still a long trip...

Wrapping it up

Well, our last day in China has been relaxing so far. It's a beautiful day on Shamian Island, sunny and about 80 degrees. After breakfast, Xiu Dan took a brief nap, and then we hit the pool. The water was a bit cold for Kori, Xiu Dan and I, but Chien and Pak jumped right in. We dipped our toes at the kiddie pool, and spent about two hours chatting with other families who are also in China to adopt kids.

We had a nice lunch at a restaurant we'd visited earlier in the week. We worked a little bit with Xiu Dan on the hand sign for "more." Her usual manner of banging her hands and shrieking when we're not feeding her fast enough wasn't working out so well for us. The girl loves to eat, and has found very few things she won't happily gobble. After lunch, we hit a coffee shop for cappucinos and mango shakes.

After picking up a few more souvenirs, we returned to the hotel, exhausted from all of our hard work. Xiu Dan crashed pretty quickly, the boys watched some X-Games skateboarding competition on the tube, and Kori and I dozed briefly. It's 4:35 p.m., which means that we'll be getting up in 12 hours: very, very morning for the McCollum clan.

The end of our trip has left me with mixed emotions. I'm thrilled to be returning to friends and family; it's time for us to start our lives together in Columbus. But I feel a twinge of regret. We're taking Xiu Dan away from China. She's losing something of her identity, and no matter how hard we try, she'll never really have a good chance to learn Mandarin or feel completely 'Chinese.' I remember being misty-eyed when as our plane took off with Chien from Vietnam.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and eating at my own table after a month on the run. Living out of suitcases can be fun, but only for a while. Unfortunately, I'm going to be massively jet-lagged and absolutely beat for my monday morning presentation. Yeah, that's right. I have a major presentation on monday at 10am. I usually love presenting, and I genuinely like the client, but I'm afraid I might not be at the top of my game. Oh, well. We'll see.

Kori and I put together a list of China-related topics I should address. I don't know if I'll have time, but I promise I'll try to post my thoughts on everything from traffic to manners to urban planning shortly after I return. In short, I've loved this trip, and I love China. I love the way my boys -- and girls -- have travelled. Very few breakdowns and many, many wonderful moments. Thanks for all of your prayers. We'll see you all soon.

Speaking of seeing you soon, our plane arrives on NW 1691 from Detroit at 4:22pm Saturday. You're welcome to meet us there if you wish, and/or show up at our house for a few minutes afterward. I promise we'll be happy to see you, but I can't promise we'll be very engaging hosts; I doubt I'll feel like cooking, and I may fall asleep immediately upon arrival. You can open up a bottle and toast us if you can hear over the snoring. Otherwise, you can all see Xiu Dan at Central Vineyard (meeting at Calumet Christian School) on Sunday morning at 10am. We may sleep through the entire service, but we wouldn't miss it for the world!

Starfish

Starfish
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Seahorses and scorpions

Seahorses and scorpions
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Croaked

Croaked
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Shopping arcade

Shopping arcade
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

We need more of these. Pedestrian streets, not McDonalds...

Deer hooves

Deer hoofs
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Market

Market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Door

Door
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Doors

Doors
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

You've got mail

You've got mail
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Market street

Market street
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Soon this scened will be dominated by a huge skyscraper.

Market street

Market street
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

People really couldn't seem to understand why I wanted to take pictures of their neighborhood.

Man with trumpet. In chicken suit.

Man with trumpet. In chicken suit.
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

It makes perfect sense. To someone.

Illegal tiger paw sales

Illegal tiger paw sales
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Apparently it enhances male 'vigor.' Doesn't do much for the tiger, though.

Coffee and tiramisu on Shamian Island

Coffee and tiramisu on Shamian Island
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Lost in Canton

Until about noon, my prospects for an interesting walk in the city looked dim; an ill wind -- the fringe of distant typhoon Chanchu -- was blowing through Guangzhou. Umbrella-inverting gusts and stinging rain had already nixed my plans for a half-day photo safari, so I left all of my camera equipment at the hotel when we went to lunch. As we ate, the winds died down, and the rain subsided. We enjoyed yet another fantastic meal, I paid the bill and parted ways with Kori, Xiu Dan and the boys. They headed back to the White Swan, I set out across the bridge, off Shamian Island and into the weird and wild world of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou -- formerly Canton -- was the first port in China to trade with the West, and it is still the heart of the Chinese economy. Today, Guangdong Province generates nearly 30% of China's annual gross domestic product. I'd suspect that most of my clothes, electronics and household accessories were made not far from here. Modern capitalism is alive and well on a massive scale in 'red' China.

The first part of this afternoon's adventure, however, took place on streets that look pretty much like I imagine they'd have appeared a century and a half ago. Exiting the island via a pedestrian bridge that crosses a thin strip of water and a wide city street, I found myself a few steps from a gigantic, 3-story herbal medicine market encompassing an entire city block. I spent a half hour or so wandering around, admiring the astonishing array of dried fruits, roots, animals, leaves and odd items whose origin and use I could only imagine.

There were literally thousands of products I'd never seen before; long stringy things, broad and flat scratchy things, things that looked chewy, things that looked scaly. I couldn't tell whether some of these substances were animal, vegetable or mineral, and wouldn't know whether to eat them, smoke them, rub them on my skin in a poultice or drink them as a tea.

The smells were equally unfamiliar ranging from mouthwatering to miasmic: meaty aromas from giant mobiles of long, oily jerkies, fresh herbal fragrances from huge sacks of dried chamomile and rose buds, heady musks from endless piles of star anise and ginseng mingled with the fetor of funky, freaky foodstuffs from worlds I've never imagined.

From there, I wandered into an old, old neighborhood -- the winding streets with ancient shops reminded me of some old version of China I've only seen in movies. The fortune tellers and curio shops of my imagined Canton have been replaced by little stores selling nuts and bolts and hinges and spools of wire; so many shops selling such odd assortments of products. One appeared to sell nothing but used faucets, another only stocked doorknobs.

Pressing further into the city, I stumbled upon a street selling all kinds of aquatic critters -- water snakes, turtles, crabs, spotted lobsters the size of my cat, frogs, water beetles -- and buckets upon buckets of live scorpions. There must be a huge market in China for live scorpions. Scorpions and padded bras -- they're on sale everywhere.

After a mile or so, I spotted a familiar but unwelcome sight: an immense McDonald's 'restaurant.' The McD's marked the entrance to a large pedestrian street lined with stores selling all sorts of clothes, none of which appealed to me. I have enough dress shirts, and I don't like the styles favored by Chinese youth. When one is my age, one doesn't look good in pastel t-shirts covered in English slogans like "Style. Fashion. Free. Fun." Nor am I in the market for another padded bra. I finally spotted a tea shop. I bought a couple of small teapots to prove that I had actually been shopping for three hours.

I walked for about 15 minutes looking for some familiar landmark that would lead me back to Shamian Island. I finally decided that I was completely lost and that Kori was probably wondering if I'd been Shanghaied. I flagged a taxi which drove for about 20 minutes before reaching Shamian Island and my hotel.

Returning to Shamian Island from the city is sort of like stepping off some turbo-charged escalator -- it takes a few moments to get one's bearings. Shamian really is beautiful, even if it doesn't seem very Chinese. We had a fantastic Thai dinner at a riverside restaurant tonight. We watched the sun set over the Pearl River, and enjoyed some great family time.

Tomorrow is our consulate appointment. Very serious stuff -- no cameras, no backpacks, no smiling -- but it's all just formalities. She's ours, and we're coming home on Saturday. 'Nuff said. If I have time and the weather permits, I'll try to retrace some of today's steps with a camera and a couple of lenses. The markets were cool, and the old streets are just dying to be photographed.

I'll get caught up, um, later?

I'm going to try a more detailed post sometime between now and tomorrow. It's been difficult finding time; we're trying to experience everything at once -- Guangzhou, Shamian Island, the baby -- it's difficult to make time, it's also difficult to get all of my thoughts together.

I also hope to take a photo safari some time today or tomorrow -- a couple of hours without the kids; just me and the camera. I'd like to remember this place, but it feels like we're speeding through at a bullet's pace. A couple of quick thoughts.

Guangzhou city: It's huge. Given our time, we won't get much of a chance to see Guangzhou; we'll probably visit a few markets.

Shamian Island: Calm, peaceful, a little fake-feeling. Infested with ladybugs (adoption-related inside joke).

White Swan Hotel: Big, fancy, filled with too many people adopting kids to make us feel like anything more than consumers at this point. The 12 clubs and restaurants are all too expensive to enjoy; one of the bars has a $10 cover charge. The gym costs $10 each time you use it, and the in-house laundry is criminal -- $2 for a kid's t-shirt, $12 for a skirt -- only the very rich and the very dumb use the service here.

I'd love to get to know the city, its people and restaurants a lot better, but it's just not going to happen on this trip. And we're ready to get home to see all of you. Just a couple more days and one very, very long plane ride with a squirmy, assertive child in our lap.

At the park on Shamian Island

At the park on Shamian Island
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Both the U.S. consulate and our hotel are on Shamian Island, a former British concession back when Guangzhou was known as Canton. The island is now home to a bunch of consulates and offices of foreign governments. It's peaceful and very European-feeling.

Xiu Dan's medical exam

Xiu Dan's medical exam
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

The exam is required by the U.S. consulate.

Yeah, Xiu Dan hated the exam

Yeah, Xiu Dan hated the exam
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Roots and such

Roots and such
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Chinese pharmacy

Chinese pharmacy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

In China, there's a blurry line between food and medicine. All of these items are used to make soups and tonics that cure various ills.

Box O' Turtles

Box O' Turtles
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

This was one of about 20 varieties of turtles for sale at the market. They're usually eaten in soup.

At the market

At the market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Examining the various wares

Teapots

Teapots
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

I bought one of these. They're very cute.

The market

The market
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Just over the bridge from Shamian Island

No comment

No comment
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

When I get home, I'm going to raise a toast to all of you, my faithful blog readers!

Pak loves his sister

Pak loves his sister
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Update from Guangzhou

Hi.

We're in Guangzhou. Everything is fine, but I don't have time to post. That will come soon...

The apex

The apex
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Well, it's mother's day, our last day in Nanchang. All along, we've wanted to ride Jiangxi Province's newest attraction -- the world's largest ferris wheel. At more than 50 stories, this sucker is huge. Driving to the "Star of Nanchang," it doesn't look so big until you realize you've been driving towards it for 5 minutes, and you still haven't gotten that much closer.

Up close, it's pretty impressive. Apparently three other cities in China are in the process of building even bigger ones. I can hardly imagine that.

It took about 30 minutes to make one full revolution. Chien was a bit nervous, but we all got through it well. 50 stories. That's one big ferris wheel.

Yes, it's very, very tall

Yes, it's very, very tall
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

That's one big ferris wheel

That's one big ferris wheel
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Inside the gondola

Inside the gondola
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

World's tallest

World's tallest
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Happy mother's day

Happy mother's day
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Another delicious meal in Nanchang

Another delicious meal in Nanchang
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Jiangxi cuisine is yummy

Jiangxi cuisine is yummy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

I wish I had these recipes; I'll try my best when I get home.

Some quality time at the hotel

Some quality time at the hotel
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Seriously, this girl makes me laugh.

Seriously, this girl makes me laugh.
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Thoughts from Nanchang. From Kori.

The boys just left to have some big boy fun. They have been cooped up in the hotel room doing baby things for several days now, so I took them to the play room at the hotel so they could wrestle and throw balls and run around and now John is taking them out to see the city lights on the 20th floor and to a nearby coffee shop for a drink and card game. Xiu Dan is asleep. She ran around with us today and didn't get all of her afternoon nap so she was tired. I thought I would write some of my thoughts from Nanchang.

When I think of Nanchang I think of the worst sore throat I have ever had and of my daughter. Both very memorable. The sore throat felt like knives stabbing my throat repeatedly every time I swallowed or even breathed. I could not eat much and drinking even water hurt. I was taking an antibiotic in case it was strep and all the Motrin I was allowed. But after 5 days it has finally subsided. It is just a little sore now and I have a runny nose but I am feeling much better. 

All that clouded the first few days with Xiu Dan. She was definitely very bonded to her foster mother for the first 6 months of her life and then her nanny and the orphanage director for the last 5 months. She grieved and grieved. It was terrible. She would push me away and cry whenever I got near. I had visions of her never letting me close, now being sick did not help the emotions either. But after 3 days she finally began to bond to me too. Now she wants both me and John the same. She is so much happier now too. 

It is really neat to see her personality begin to come out. She is silly. She likes to make faces, stick her tongue out, and make noises like vibrating her lips or clucking her tongue. She loves to play. We brought these stacking cups and she loves them. She bangs them, puts them inside each other, and stacks them up. She sits in one place to play. My boys were always on the move. They never sat still for more than 2 minutes at a time and always needed a new activity. She is quite content to sit and play with the same toy for 30 minutes or so with very little interaction from anyone. She loves her brothers. She just sits and watches them. She waves her arms at them and kisses them. They have been so sweet with her too. They play with her and get her to laugh. She loves to cuddle. She always wants to be close to us. She loves to have us hold her and she hugs and kisses so much. She really seems to enjoy the hip carrier we have too. She likes how close it holds her to us. She loves her blanket. She is a girl after my own heart. She likes to rub her blanket up to her lips and mouth. Some times she sucks on it and other times she just rubs it on her mouth. I used to do this when I was little. She is happy. She always has a smile. She is stubborn. She wants what she wants and she wants it NOW! But that is being a baby. She is verbal. She loves to make sounds. She says ma ma and da da and ba and ak and nnn and aaaaaaa. Not really to or about anyone but it is a start. She loves the water. Baths are so much fun for her. We haven't done the pool yet (the one here is not heated and even Chien says it is cold) but I am sure she will love it. She loves to look at her self in the mirror (she makes faces). She loves looking at the computer. She is a very deep sleeper. Once she is asleep she can sleep through anything. I am in love with her.

My boys are wonderful. They have worked so hard on school work lately. They are more helpful with Xiu Dan than I thought they would be. They love to hold her and get things for her. They truly love her and feel that she is an important part of our family. They could do without all the crying, though. So many people have commented at how great the boys are and how well behaved they are. They have been very flexible and willing to go everywhere we have had to go and do all the boring things.They are enjoying seeing all the new things and experiencing China. They haven't complained once. They are so fun to be around. I love them so very much. They are the best boys in the world.

My husband is wonderful. He is the best dad ever. He loves to play with the boys and with Xiu Dan. He loves to experience new things with them. He loves to talk with them. He loves to dream with them. He changes diapers (more than I have). He will bathe the kids. He will hold them and ease their fears. He will wrestle with them. He will read to them and put them to bed. He is silly with them. He loves them so much.

Tomorrow is mother's day. My first with 3 kids. the best 3 kids in the world. I am getting tea in bed and a mango drink at a cafe later in the day. Who could ask for anything more?

Answers for Mrs. Hall's class

Pak,

We can't wait to meet her! She is the cutest peanut we ever saw!!!

Thanks so much for sharing these with everyone. The class all said "AHHHHHH" when I showed them this.

We saw your giraffe and Chien's Peek-A-Chue in the bed with Xiu Dan. That was so nice of you all to share with her. She has the best big brothers any girl could ask for. I bet you spoil her just a little bit.

Madison: "When is the baby's birthday?"

June 7

Ben: Does she cry a lot or is she happy more?"

She's happy more.

Since we are into measurements these days, the class wants to know how tall she is and how much she weighs.

9.5 kilograms and 70 centimeters.

Bridgette: Does she talk?

A little. She says, "Buh" and "Duh" and "Mmmuh."

What does she call you?

I think I heard her say, "Ak."

Can she tell you and Chien apart?

Um, not yet.

Well, we have got to go! Talk more later. We have to get our pledges started and then we will be reading a new book Hannah placed in the library for her birthday book. You will have to read it later. 

We miss you bunches!

I miss you too, very much.

Love and Prayers are with you all today!

Mrs. Hall and class 

--

Posted by Anonymous to Beautiful Red at 5/12/2006 06:13:26 AM

A rainy day in Nanchang

It's been a chilly, rainy day in Nanchang. This morning, we headed out with the Roths and with our guide to the Public Security Bureau to get the girls' Chinese passports. The procedure took about ten minutes; the documents had been prepared prior to our arrival. All we had to do was verify our identity and sign some papers.

After that, we visited a shop nearby to buy some of the porcelain for which Jiangxi province is famed. We bought two full tea sets, one of which we will save to give Xiu Dan when she is older. We learned a little about the invention of porcelain and its importance in Chinese culture, history and economy. Apparently, it was first fired in Jiangxi about 10,000 years ago and was refined over a few hundred years. Porcelain, gunpowder, paper, printing, the compass and noodles -- all are Chinese inventions.

We returned to the hotel, gave Xiu Dan an bottle and put her down for a nap (she slept way too long, and we're paying for it now. It's after 9pm, and we still can't get her to sleep). The boys did homework while Kori and I watched Sumo and drank tea. We kind of skipped lunch, so we ate some dried fruit and crackers we bought earlier in the week.

At about 3ish, Xiu Dan woke up, and we decided to go shopping. The weather had cleared up a bit, and we hadn't had a chance to fully explore the 'walking street' filled with shops about a mile away from the hotel. We made dinner plans with the Roths and hit the road. Unfortunately, the rain decided to give an encore, and we got soaked. After a good dinner with the Roths, we came home, exhausted. Xiu Dan got a bath, and we put her down to bed. Repeatedly. After a few moments of peaceful repose, the kid would start shrieking. We've decided not to play hardball on bedtimes so early in our relationship, so we've been getting her up to comfort her when she screams.

I brought her over to the computer -- which she loves -- to do a video chat with Patti Simmons. About 30 seconds into it, Xiu Dan reached down and grabbed the left option and command keys. She ripped them both clean off. I got them back on, but the option key is jacked up. The shift key seems funky now too. Grr.

It's 9:25, and Xiu Dan just fell asleep. Finally. I'm praying it lasts, 'cause I'm exhausted.

G'night.

I think I can, I think I can...

I think I can, I think I can...
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Woman, thou art loosed!

Woman, thou art loosed!
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Mary at the passport office

Mary at the passport office
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Laura Roth, Sofia, and Grandma Nancy

Laura Roth, Sofia, and Grandma Nancy
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Afternoon nap

Afternoon nap
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Response to Miss Burby's class

Chien,

We hope you are having an amazing time.

I am. I'm having fun buying souvenirs. I visited Xiu Dan's orphanage yesterday.

How's your sister?

She's good.

Do you think she's cute?

Yes. She has a very round head.

Have you gotten her to laugh at you yet?

Yes. She has a teeny, little giggle.

How's your mom feeling?

Better.

We miss you and can't wait for you to get back.

I miss you too.

We worked on our name poems and thought of you. Here's a poem for you. We hope you like it.

Cool Kid

Huggable and helpful

Invincible at races

Excellent at math and handwriting

Nice

Thanks. I didn't think I was very good at handwriting.

Emotional day

This morning, we joined the Roth family and Mary, our guide, on a van trip to Zhangshu, the town where Xiu Dan lived until Monday morning. After about an hour and a half of expressway, we turned off onto the paved, but very bumpy road that took us to Zhangshu. To be honest, I was surprised; the city is much bigger than I expected. Drab, but bustling, Zhangshu is home to about 800,000 people; hardly the tiny burg I had pictured.

When we reached the city limits, our van pulled off the side of the road to meet the orphanage director, who would drive ahead of us to lead us to the facility. Again, I was surprised -- the orphanage was a rather large, 5-story complex right in the middle of town. It could have just as easily been a small office park. We passed through a small gate, and parked the van. There were actually two sets of buildings that belonged to the facility, and they were separated by a small, park-like garden. There were old men and women lounging around in front of the buildings, and I asked if they were caretakers. Our guide told us that the orphanage shares the site with a convalescent home, and also with a residential facility for mentally handicapped adults.

With Kori toting Xiu Dan and running the video camera, and me snapping photos, we followed the director up a set of stairs in the building on our left, and found ourselves in a large play room. Inside there were about a dozen babies and about 7 or 8 women, nannies. When the ladies saw us, their faces lit up. "Dan Dan!" they exclaimed, and they rushed forward to pinch Xiu Dan's cheeks, to tickle her belly and to tug on her feet. Xiu Dan grinned broadly, but didn't reach out to any of them.

After a few moments, the director shooed us along and led us to a reception room, where we exchanged pleasantries and asked questions about Xiu Dan's history, likes and dislikes. The orphanage staff was pretty evasive, and didn't tell us anything more than we had already learned. We asked if we could see where the kids slept, and the director nodded. He led us across the courtyard to the other building, and up a flight of steps. Along the front of the building was a balcony hallway that led to a series of little studio apartments. Our guide pointed to one and said, this is Xiu Dan's room. The main room was small but tidy, and had a handful of toys, four green walkers, and some baby clothes hanging to dry on a line.

Off the main room was a small kitchen, a tiny store-room and a bedroom with one adult-sized bed and three shiny metal cribs. The director pointed, and our guide said, "That one is Xiu Dan's." We walked over, took some pictures and touched the crib. Chien picked up the little pillow and hugged it. A middle-aged woman dressed in a red and white striped shirt -- our daughter's nanny-- came in the room, and came to Xiu Dan, arms extended. Kori flashed a glance over to me, and we both nodded. Xiu Dan was reaching out to the woman, and we decided to give them both one last hug. Xiu Dan giggled and hugged the woman. After a few seconds, Kori took our daughter back. Xiu Dan cried briefly and then settled back into her mom's arms.

After a brief visit to the Roth's daughter's room, Mary told us it was time to leave. We all got back into the van and left, possibly forever. About a block from the orphanage, the van stopped, and Mary pointed to a small alcove in front of a building, and said, "That is where they found Xiu Dan." We took pictures and video, and moved on. A few moments later, we paused at another building where the Roth's baby had been found.

Sobering, this adoption thing. What a mix of sadness and joy. Both Chien and Pak were affected. I think that this trip is helping Chien add details to his own story. He's picturing his own orphanage (which we were never allowed to visit), his own nanny, his foster family and his birth mother. The only pictures he'll ever have will be in his imagination, and will probably always be colored by this trip to Zhangshu.

Xiu Dan seems no worse for the wear. I'm sure the visit was confusing for her, but she's continuing to bond to all of us, and has given Kori a lot of loving today. I'm still the one she turns to when she's really sad or tired, but she's coming around. 

We took a few pictures and some video, but I think we're going to keep those private for Xiu Dan, her family and close friends. Right now, all of the kids are sleeping peacefully. I pray that God is speaking words of truth, comfort and security to them in their dreams, and I'm glad we'll all be together as a family in our little hotel room when they awake.

Xiu Dan's nickname of the day...

... pork chop.

The orphanage

Tomorrow we're taking a two-hour trip to Xiu Dan's orphanage in Zhangshu, a town so small, I can't find it on my map of China. It should be an interesting trip for all of us. Hopefully it won't be too traumatic for Xiu Dan. I'm praying it won't set us back on our bonding. We'll see.

We think it's important for us to take pictures of the orphanage for her so she can have that part of her life story when she gets older. We may or may not be able to go inside. Chinese officials are very guarded about their institutions, and the Chinese media never talks about orphans or adoption. Maybe that's why we get so many strange looks wherever we go in China...

We have pooped!

For a while there, we thought that Xiu Dan would never poop. Three days in, and she was still feces-free. We surmised that all of the solid food we had given her was going directly into thigh production, but apparently she does have a fully functional colon.

We did a little research about Chinese potty training, and we discovered that we can 'facilitate elimination' by setting her on the potty, lifting her knees and making "ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-ca" noises. Amazing, these Chinese babies. No wonder she was grumpy all day. We didn't know how to poop her. After about 10 seconds of "ca-ca-ca," she started to grunt, screw up her face, and well, you get the rest. Woohoo. We don't have to go the suppository route. Ew.

Anyway, Xiu Dan is now asleep, and the boys are getting ready for bed. We had a pretty good dinner tonight. Eating out in Nanchang has been more challenging than anywhere else we've been in China. Neither the menus nor the waiters speak English. Some have pictures, but at one restaurant, we actually had to do animal sounds to indicate what kind of meat we wanted. We now bring along a handy Chinese phrase book, which actually works better than just looking at the menu pictures. Tonight, for instance, we just looked and pointed, and were a little surprised to find that what looked like sliced beef, was actually sliced intestines of some sort. Tasty, but kind of gross. Also, the little pictures didn't show the chopped up frogs ended up in our fried noodles. No problem. We're all exceeding our recommended caloric intake anyway.

Pray that Xiu Dan attaches fully to Kori; it's flattering for me, but a bit of a drag. I'm tired of holding her all of the time, and Kori isn't getting all of the love she'd like to receive from the girl. Oh, well. We have lots of time to work on that.

At some point, I'll try to write down some of my thoughts about China as a nation/society. A lot of great things, a lot of not-so-great. That having been said, we're in love with the country and its people despite its shortcomings. To slightly modify the old saying about churches, "If you find a perfect country, don't go there -- you'll screw it all up."

Xiu Dan and some Norwegians in the playroom

Xiu Dan and some Norwegians in the playroom
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Pak and Xiu Dan in the playroom

Pak and Xiu Dan in the playroom
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Brass lions at Tengweng Pavilion

Brass lions at Tengweng Pavilion
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Tengweng Pavilion

Tengweng Pavilion
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Various Nanchang literati from the past

Various Nanchang literati from the past
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Nanchang's Gan River

Nanchang's Gan River
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Not quite bonded

Well, Xiu Dan is doing pretty well. We've spent all day around the hotel, just hanging out together. We've found that Xiu Dan is definitely a daddy's girl -- to a slightly frustrating extent. She shrieks every time I leave the room, or pass her to Kori, and she clings to me with the same vise-like grip she used to stay attached to the orphanage director yesterday morning. 

We've also discovered that Xiu Dan has a temper. She's quite assertive, and gets frustrated when we can't figure out exactly what it is that she wants. Boy can she scream. In the words of Strongbad, she's like a Japanese cartoon: her "mouth is extremely small when it's closed, and ridiculously huge when it's open." The only thing she's missing is bright blue hair and really cool robot boots.

Kori's feeling some better, but her throat still hurts a lot. No one else has gotten it -- so far, so good. We're going to go out to eat in a while and then give Xiu Dan her first bath with us. We're trying to get as much skin contact with her to encourage the bonding process, especially between her and her mom.

Just chillin' today

Thank you all for your comments and warm wishes. We're so blessed to have so many friends who care about us and about our adoption adventure. Andy, I would pay cash money to see you do those cartwheels.

And since you all seem to care I'll continue on with all of the details.

 Xiu Dan slept through the night, and woke up happy and ready to eat at 5:30. She's only cried a little occasionally, when one of her family members leaves the room. She's definitely bonding well. Kori says she's a daddy's girl. We're going to just chill around the hotel today to give Kori a chance to recuperate and Xiu Dan a chance to get to know us all in the safety of a non-familiar place.

A few cool things we're learning:

•  Believe it or not, she appears to be about 95% potty trained. Take of her clothes, hold her over the toilet and make a ssssssssssssssssssss sound, and she tinkles. Sweet!

•  I think she knows us by name. We say, "Where's Mom?" and she looks at Kori. "Where's Dad?" and she looks at me. I'm not sure she can tell Chien and Pak apart, but that's okay. Neither can 85% of the white people we meet in America (not to mention, inexplicably, a few of the Chinese we meet here).

•  Per the orphanage director's suggestion, patting her on the back helps her to calm down. That's good to know.

•  Video conferencing via iChat is the bomb. Skype is great, too.

•  We've discovered that she hates transitions. If one person puts her down, she cries for a while. Gives her back, she cries for for a while. The only thing she likes consistently is for daddy to hold her. :)

And a clarification:

• We didn't exactly pick the pink outfit for her first pictures. It was one of the only outfits that fit her. She's chubby!

In mama's arms

In mama's arms
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Happy now

Happy now
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Not happy now

Not happy now
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.

Cuddling

Cuddling
Originally uploaded by John McCollum.