Day 7 started out much the same as our previous days in Xi’an, though we knew it would be the last day of this particular routine before rocking Ben’s little world with his first plane ride and a complete change from what he had come to know as “normal” the last several days..  After waking early and taking turns working on the blog and working out, we accomplished quite a lot before the little man woke for the day.  We headed to breakfast and talked to the kids on FaceTime as they got ready for bed, and it was good to see them all in good spirits and doing well.  They absolutely love seeing their little brother in action, and we hope that their brief interactions will build a little familiarity for Ben before arriving home to his boisterous welcoming committee!

Ben seemed a little more particular at breakfast then usual and didn’t seem interested in trying much besides noodles, toast, and cheerios (turning his head away as we offered other things in very normal “toddler” fashion).  This kiddo sure loves his carbs, and we’re happy to let him eat whatever makes him comfortable for now…though we are seeing that it may take some work once we get home to help him expand his little palate.  But he was cute, engaging, and affectionate as ever, hiding his cheerios and giving us his adorable “where did it go?” expression, and then leaning in as we tickled under his chin and rubbed his head.  We’ve noticed that he really enjoys this kind of silly play and seems to crave affectionate touch…another sign that he’s definitely a Haley kiddo!

After breakfast, we went on our usual excursion through the hotel, with Ben happy to lead the charge!  It made us smile to see his confidence building as he toddled about the lobby, venturing to new places and taking on the challenge of stairs, while charming all around him.  He definitely has an independent streak and shows little fear as his tiny legs take him as fast as he can go…looking back occasionally to giggle at us. It was a leisurely start to the morning, but now it was time to head back to the room and get packed for our day.

Packing was a bit of a challenge, as we had made ourselves quite comfortable in our little hotel room and had also been told just the day prior that we would have a 60kg combined luggage weight limit on the flight to Guangzhou.  Thanks to our military weight waiver on all flights to and from the States, we had not shown much restraint in our initial packing process.  Ben was amazing and played independently around the room while we shuffled things around and loaded up.  We couldn’t help but pause every now and then to join him in his play zone and take some photos of how sweetly he was entertaining himself.  We had arranged for a late check-out and knew that naptime was going to be essential, given the long night ahead.  But we had underestimated the situation and Ben’s discernment on what was going on. He is so smart and perceptive…he knew that something was up and fought naptime for a full hour before giving in (definitely a first).  Thankfully, we were able to talk the front desk into giving us an additional 30 minutes so that Ben could get a full hour of rest, but he was noticeably anxious even after his naptime.  We grabbed a quick lunch at the hotel and then headed to the airport with crossed fingers and prayers for a smooth journey ahead.

Once we had checked our luggage (with no additional fees thanks to Don’s expert re-packing initiative!), we said goodbye to Sherry and our driver and gave them gifts of appreciation for taking such good care of us during our time in Xi’an.  Ben seemed to settle once he realized we weren’t going anywhere without him and decided he was ready to take on the airport, no problem.  It amazed us that he was not more intimidated by his surroundings, but he charged on full speed ahead and only fussed when we discouraged him from walking on the moving walkway 😉  We found a little Hello Kitty play area to burn off some energy before our flight…we absolutely love that Asian airports tend to have these little areas for children, as they are a lifesaver for parents.

Once we boarded the airplane, Ben sat cooperatively in his seat and enjoyed fastening his safety buckle securely on his lap, several times.  As the engines roared for take-off, Ben looked at us and we looked at each other wondering how this was going to go.  But after smiling reassuring at him, he continued dropping cheerios into an empty water bottle as before without a care in the world.  The flight went amazingly well, and Ben found endless entertainment in the simplest of things, including the overhead lights, the cups served during the drink service, and peekaboo with the sickness bags ;). Such an amazing little boy!!  Two hours passed quickly and we soon found ourselves in Guangzhou with our new tour guide, Gloria.  By the time we made it to the hotel (almost midnight our time) Ben was exhausted and showing his age in full force.  He insisted on walking on his own like a little drunken sailor and proceeded to walk into a glass door and then fall at the reception desk, scraping his temple.  The poor little guys was pretty much done from there, and we got him up to the room as quickly as possible, where we waited for the staff to deliver the crib we had been asking about since our arrival.  After giving him a bottle and cradling him like an infant (which we have found to be the most effective soothing technique for him so far), he went straight to sleep.

Saturday (Day 8) started early as we had medical appointments for the kids and needed to meet in the lobby by 8:30AM.  We headed down for breakfast and couldn’t help but be impressed and slightly overwhelmed as staff waited to greet and direct us at every corner to the dining room.  Once there, we were guided through an enormous breakfast buffet to a private room, where we met the rest of our group.  There was a table and high chair waiting just for us, with special plate and utensils for Ben. At this point, we got to meet the rest of the group from our agency, who we had missed touring with in Beijing over Thanksgiving and who had been adopting children in other provinces while we were in Xi’an.  There were 3 additional families…Seth & Amy (with 3-year old Lily), Zach & Holly (with 18-month old Lydia), and Kevin & Jonna (with 2-year old Claire and 2 biological children with them, Drew & Kate).  Interestingly, we are the only family from our agency adopting a little boy on this trip.  We liked the new families immensely and are excited to get to know them over the next several days.

We had a quick breakfast (where Ben ate little besides toast and yogurt despite the incredible variety available), and then headed downstairs to meet our new tour guide, “Helen.”

Helen is quite a character!  She’s an older Chinese lady who has been in the “tour guide” business for over 30 years.  She’s no-nonsense and very vocal; her approach can be somewhat humorous.  On our way to our medical appointment she said something to the effect of, “We get to hospital and you follow Helen.  My name is not really Helen, but call me Helen because you cannot say my name.  You go to fifth floor and you do what Helen say.  No negotiate.  You say you want to be with baby for “bloody” test (this is the TB test), and hospital says you cannot.  You are not first family to adopt, and you are no special, so you wait outside.”  You get the picture.

The hospital was clean and modern, but the appointment was obviously a formality, providing virtually no insight into Ben’s medical condition. The primary purpose appears to get a reading on the presence of tuberculosis ahead of getting a US visa.  Ben was a little timid as we got to the hospital and became very upset at the first 2 of the 5 “stations” we had to visit.  He settled as the appointments went on, and by the time he went in for his last TB test (the last appointment because it is painful) he was a total champ and didn’t even cry!  While at the hospital, we found ourselves running into a number of other adoptive families using other agencies.  Many of the same families are staying at our hotel, which has made this part of the process really fun, feeling a bit more like a social stop with a few obligatory appointments. With Helen’s direction, we were in and out of the medical center relatively quickly.

After the hotel, we made a quick shopping trip to a Chinese Wal-Mart.  It was familiar, yet different.  Rotisserie chickens hung from the ceilings with tanks of live fish, but there was a familiar organization, floor plan, and range of products.  We stocked up on diapers, got a few new toys and some grocery items for the week…Ben was a total shopping champ!

We headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest time.  With our late flight and early medical appointment, it was a short night for us all.  Helen used the bus ride to share a little about Guangzhou.  The city lies just north of Hong Kong (a city that is perhaps more familiar to the western world) and is the third largest city in China (after Beijing and Shanghai).  Guangzhou is one of largest urban areas in the world, with the city proper being home to over 14 million and the surrounding urban areas housing over 44 million (not including nearby Hong Kong).  Guangzhou is the economic and cultural capital of Southern China and a large portion of the population speaks Cantonese as opposed to mainland Mandarin. While written Chinese is virtually the same, the spoken languages and dialects can be quite different and the Mandarin phrases we were finally learning now need to be completely relearned.  After visiting both Beijing and Xi’an, we noticed the immediate cultural differences just from walking around.  Guangzhou is more international and more “western.”  Helen explained that, culturally, Southern Chinese traditionally say that the emperor “cannot see us for the mountains.”  The end result is that Guangzhou is more “comfortable” to the westerner.  We can walk down the streets and not get the kind of stares we received in Xi’an, as we aren’t the only Caucasians to be found.  We get fewer stares with Ben, as it appears that folks around our hotel are used to seeing adoptive families awaiting visas.

 

After a good nap time, we walked around the hotel.  It is a Marriot property, and is quite extensive with restaurants, shopping, playground areas, and even a Starbucks downstairs.  Since it was so late, we stayed in the hotel for dinner, enjoying a more “American” style meal with Ben to begin transitioning him from solely Chinese cuisine.  He continues to be a bit of a picky eater, which our friend, Jen, (in our adoption group) claims from her research is a good indicator of bonding/attachment.  We’ll take her word for it, but we still intend to work on expanding his little diet as soon as we get home, once we’re past the “survival” phase.  He did try couple bites of cheeseburger and creamed spinach, which was encouraging and of course went to town on our French fries, which he also hid in his bib for a couple good games of “hide and seek” 😉

Bedtime/bathtime routine went pretty well, with Ben still finding some enjoyment in bathtime with less fussing with teeth brushing and going to sleep.  After talking with some other adoptive families today, we’re feeling increasingly encouraged about Ben’s adjustment and especially his naptime/bedtime routines.  Steady progress!

On Sunday, we will take a short tour of a local art museum and take a group photo with our adoption group.  Monday, we will go on a short shopping adventure and we should get the TB results back (prayers here, as positive results could delay us!).  Tuesday is our visa appointment, where we complete the last step in being able to travel home.  Wednesday is a built in buffer day for visa/health issues.  We’ll use that day to pack and prepare.  We depart Guangzhou for home on Thursday.  Definitely a countdown at this point to getting this little guy home to meet the rest of the family!