The Many Moods of Silas

What a difference a day makes.  Silas woke up Friday morning all coos and giggles.  He was a completely different baby from Thursday!  Amazing what some sleep and baby tylenol can do (thanks, Tiffani!).  He hasn't had much interest in breakfast the last two days, though.  Perhaps because he prefers crunchy foods on his tender gums.   In any event, he only wants to eat Cheerios.  The restaurant chefs in our hotel are so nice.  Every morning they make a special steamed egg (which is something like an egg custard) for Silas, which he usually loves, but the last two days, he isn't having any of it.

After breakfast on Friday, we headed out for some more sightseeing to see the Yangtze River Bridge.  Of course, once we got into the van, Silas was starving.  Good thing mom and dad loaded up the diaper bag with juice and snacks.  But, by the time we got to the bridge (about a 40 minute drive), he had eaten everything we packed!  Thankfully, Susan, our guide, jumped out at a grocery store and ran in to buy us some bananas and crackers.

We are sure glad Silas is feeling better.  Wish I was.  Not sure if it's the air quality or whether the allergies have morphed into an infection.  Unfortunately, none of us are sleeping very well with me hacking all night long.  When our guide heard my cough Friday morning, she insisted on stopping at a pharmacy so I could get something.  At that point, I was willing to try just about anything.  So we went into the pharmacy and she spoke to the clerk who took us to the cough medicine section.  They didn't carry any western medicines, but a lot of the packaging looked derivative of American medicines.  I asked about a package that looked like the famous green and black Robitussen package.  She said, "That's for cough."  I said, "Great!  That's what I need!"  Then, Susan pointed to a different package, and said, "This one is better."  I asked what was in it, and she said it was herbal and worked great.  I was skeptical, but bought it anyway.

We got back into the van, and Susan suggested I take some medicine right away.  Brian concurred (poor guy is so sick of hearing me cough every 5 seconds).  So I opened the bottle and took a swig.  (The outside of the bottle was marked so I knew how much to take.)  It tasted disgusting--like a liquified Ricola--but it was amazing and worked almost immediately.

Once I started feeling better, Susan started telling me what was in this magic elixer.  "It's got ginko, some orange peel, and a little bit of opium."  What!?!?!  Opium!?!?!  Apparently, small doses of opium are considered "herbal" in China.  Unfortunately, the last two times I have tried to use codiene (derived from opium) cough medicine, I have had an adverse reaction.  Sure enough, as soon as we got to the Yangtze River Bridge, I started experiencing similar side effects:  sweating, back spasms and crushing chest pain.  Unfortunately, the effects don't subside until the drug wears off--about 3-4 hours.  As we were leaving the bridge, it became apparent that there was no way I was going to be able to continue our tour to the brocade museum.   The good thing was, having experienced this side effect before, I knew I just needed to go back to the hotel and lay down until the drug wore off.  We all went back to the room and took a 2-hour nap, which we all desperately needed.

Today, we awoke to that same happy baby.  We're very relieved that seems to be his default setting. :)  He woke up a little early so we brought him in our bed with us.  He rolled around and made faces and eyes at us and cuddled.  It was just adorable.  After breakfast, we went to the Nanjing History Museum and to the Nanjing Brocade Museum.  Both of which were very interesting from a cultural perspective.  Nap time brought another brief melt down.  This one only lasted 8 minutes, as opposed to the 45 minute one from a few days back.  That's progress!

We're all getting a little antsy in this small hotel room.  Looking forward to moving on to Guangzhou on Monday morning, with hopefully a bigger room!

Sightseeing and Teething

For the last two days, we have had nothing official on the agenda, so our guide has taken us to see some of the sights in and around Nanjing.  Here are some photos of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum,  Xuanwu Lake Park, and a nearby Buddhist Temple.  It was nice to see some of the culture and natural resources of the area, but the pollution here is horrible.  Today was a bright sunny day, and you can see, the smog makes it so the sky is always gray.  My allergies were bad when I got here, but my cough has gotten worse each day.  I'm hoping Guangzhou has some cleaner air!

Aside from the sightseeing activities, much of today was spent consoling our new son.  As luck would have it, he has a little bit of a cold and is cutting his one-year molars this week!  You can see by the red cheeks and wistful expression that he's in a bad way.

Nap time was pretty rough as he was inconsolable for about 45 minutes straight.  Daddy held him as he screamed, squirmed and kicked, while Mommy tried to hide her own tears.  It's tough because, at this stage, we're still trying to figure out if there's something wrong or if he's just grieving the loss of his nannies and friends or both.  By tonight he was better.  He had a bath without too much crying, and went to bed pretty peacefully.  Much like last night, though, the quality of his sleep isn't great.  So, we're expecting a bit more of the same tomorrow.  Poor guy....

Another Amazing Visit

The second amazing visit on Tuesday was the visit to Silas' "finding place."  We were very excited about the possibility of seeing the place where Silas was found, but weren't sure our guide would be able to take us there, or if the place had been described sufficiently by the officials to find it.  As it happened, our guide did locate and was able to take us to the finding place, which was about an hour outside the city of Nanjing.

We drove to an area outside the city where factories dotted the landscape.  Our guide told us that the people of the Xixi District were most likely to be factory workers, which gives us some insight on the possible background of Silas' biological parents.  We drove into Xixi District, and luckily, got lost.  I say "luckily" because in getting lost, we were able to see much more of the district than we would have.  It's hard to find words to describe what we saw.  The living conditions in general were deplorable--shockingly so.  Even the most blighted areas of the US don't compare to the level of poverty that these folks endure.  There is no grass, only dirt yards, which were delineated by high concrete walls piled 6, 7, 8 feet high with bags of trash.  Many houses were crude concrete structures, kind of like row houses, that did not even have glass in the windows.  While we are sad that Silas' parents felt the need to abandon him, I shudder to think what his future would have held in Xixi District.

After asking three locals for directions, we finally found the spot which was actually located in a commercial district in the "nicer" part of town.  Here it is:

These are shots up and down the street:

And the street sign:

The surrounding environs in the shadow of the factories:

Dixon, Party of Three!

It's official! At least in the eyes of the Chinese government. Wei Wen Chun is now Silas James Dixon. It won't be final in the U.S. until we land in LA on May 7. But, as far as we are concerned, it's official! Today, we went back to the civil affairs office and met with an official and a notary. We had to tell them why we wanted to adopt, and promise never to abuse or abandon our child. Then we had to sign a few papers, give our fingerprints, and we were done! There were some other foreign families with their adopted babies, as well, which was pretty cool.

Photo with Coco, the orphanage director, and the nanny supervisor of the orphanage, who brought us some very lovely Chinese mementos for Silas.

Sitting with the civil affairs person during the interview portion of the proceedings.  

Finalizing paperwork with the notary.

After Civil Affairs, we were able to go visit Silas' orphanage.  I think this was the part of the trip I was most nervous about.  And it was completely unfounded.  What a wonderful visit!   

The nannies fawned all over Silas when he returned and he ate it up with a spoon.  Apparently, he was quite the charmer during his stay there.  They described him as "very smart" and "popular."  Music to a parent's ears!  :-)

This is the room where Silas used to sleep.

And the card on his crib bearing his picture and vital statistics.

Silas definitely had a "favorite" nanny, and she carried him around during our entire visit.  He loved it!  I know he's going to miss her.  I'm glad she offered to pose in this picture with us.

The entrance to the orphanage.

The orphanage director's office.

Statue in the orphanage gardens in front of the rehabilitation center.

Family photo.  Silas was upset because his favorite nanny had just said goodbye to him.

As you may recall, in February, we were so delighted and appreciative when a family we met online traveled to Nanjing and offered to take some photos of Silas for us.  The pictures we received from their visit was a life line of sorts as we waited to bring him home.  Since then, we met a few other families with babies in Nanjing, and we were able to pay that favor forward today.  We met three children whose families will be coming for them soon, and sent their parents some new pictures of their babies.  That felt good.

We had another amazing visit today, but that's a subject for another post.  Time to get the boy up from his nap.

Introducing Silas James Dixon!!

Here he is!  Our little man.  We met at about 2:40 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2010.  The meeting couldn't have gone better.  There was a little bit of crying when the orphanage director handed him to me, but the tears quickly dried thanks to a Cheerio bribe.  He is taking it all in.  Getting to know us.  But, he's doing amazingly well.  He loves to eat, loves riding in the stroller, gets a little bit fussy when he's tired, and sleeps like a log!  Did I mention we are completely in love?

Here are some pictures of today.  I'm sorry they aren't better.  The camera came in second today.  So, most of these photos came from the video camera.  But we will get better with time, I'm sure.

Silas arrives at the Civil Affairs Office in Nanjing.

Silas with Coco, the orphanage director.

Ba-Ba meets WenChun!

Hello, gorgeous!

Nothing better than a baby laugh!  He was a riot tonight!

So handsome.

Flirting.  Such a sweetie pie he is.

After bath and a long, crazy day, Silas and Ba-Ba are ready for bed.

Big day tomorrow!  We go back to the Civil Affairs office to sign some more paperwork, and then it's off to Silas' orphanage to visit the nannies and some of the children.  I've had three adoptive parents ask me if we can get some updates for them, so that will be on my priority list.  I was so grateful when Sherri did that for us, so it's a pleasure to be able to pay it forward.

Two Flights Down...

One flight to go! We survived the 6-hour flight to LA and the 13-hour flight to Seoul, and we both agree. The second leg was far better than the first. We were pretty frazzled up until that point. The flight to LA was an hour late leaving. We knew that, once we got to LA, we had three hours to deplane, get our bags, go to the international terminal, check in, and clear security. A one-hour departure delay was not good news. However, somehow the pilot made up time in the air so that we were only 20 minutes late arriving. That was a relief--until we got to baggage claim. We waited impatiently for 45 minutes.  No bags.  I marched down to baggage services, and explained we were trying to make an international connection.  The agent was very nice and told me that all our bags had made it to LA, but they still hadn't "dropped.". Great. I went back to join Brian at the carousel, and heard someone say our flight's bags were on a different carousel!   Sure enough. There were our bags two carousel's down from the one marked with our flight number going around and around. We grabbed our bags and took off sprinting to the international terminal (three buildings away) with three pieces of luggage and four carry-ons. We made it! Checking in at 11:00 pm for our 12:20 flight.  Big relief!  Until we saw the security line.   It looked like the line for Space Mountain!! Thankfully, after twenty minutes winding through the rope maze, after our flight had been announced as "boarding," an Asiana ticket agent pulled us out of the line and fast-tracked us. If she hadn't we might still be there! Brian and I were impressed by Asiana all around. They did a great job of making sure that what could have been a miserable flight was actually pleasant.  They provided two meals (with actual silverware), a snack, juice and water throughout the flight, hot towels, slippers and eye masks, complimentary toothbrush and toothpaste, and on demand movies.  And  that was in coach!!  Brian talked the flight attendant into letting him take a peek into business class.  According to him, it was like a five star resort.  He said, "It was so peaceful up there, and it smelled like daisies!"  Truly, from our perspective in coach, Asiana made Delta look like a Greyhound bus!  Kind of a shame that no American airlines seem have that kind of service anymore.


We are now sitting in the airport in Seoul (without any doubt the most immaculately clean airport I've ever seen) waiting for our last leg--a two hour flight to Nanjing.  Can't wait to get there and see our boy, probably tomorrow, but maybe tonight!

 

Brian in Korea looking remarkably fresh after 22 hours of travel....

And the crash shortly thereafter.  He's actually snoring!

We're Outta Here!

Today is the day!  We're leaving for China in a few short hours.  Including layovers and flight time, it will take us approximately 31 hours from the time we leave until we land in Jiangsu province.  Sure hoping we can get some sleep on the plane!

Thank goodness for one of our online friends, Jennifer, who is also adopting a boy from Jiangsu, and who is in China now.  She has given us invaluable reports from the ground to let us know exactly what we can expect when we get there.  From weather reports, to fast food reviews, to tips on how to soothe our grieving boy, we're very grateful for her advice!  I'm hoping we'll get the chance to meet her and her family in person when we get to Nanjing on Sunday.  We've been fortunate to have met so many kind and generous people during our adoption journey.  It's pretty awesome.

Why You Should Leave Comments

I thought I would take a moment to mention why we're keeping this blog in the first place.  I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but we wanted a way to memorialize our journey to Silas, and create something he can enjoy when he gets older.  I found a great website, http://blog2print.sharedbook.com, that turns any blog into a printed hardcover book.  The book will include photos, and any comments to our posts.  So if you want to send a little message to Silas, please feel free to add a comment to the blog.  (Just not on this post.  I'll probably exclude this one from the book.)  You don't have to include your email if you don't want to.  Just log in as Anonymous, and type away!  Be sure to type your name or initials at the end of your comment, though, so we'll know who it came from.

One Week Until "Family Day!"

Next week at this time, we will be united with Silas.  In the adoption community, the day adoptive parents first meet their children is called "Gotcha Day."  I have to admit, I don't really love the connotation of that term.  I think it implies that we're snatching our boy away with a "gotcha!"  Some people have co-opted the term "Metcha Day," which is a bit softer, I admit.  But, I think we'll be referring to the day we first meet Silas as "Family Day."  Our Family Day is currently scheduled for Monday, April 26, the day after we arrive in Nanjing.  However, depending on the staffing at his orphanage, we could see him as early as Sunday night.  That would be amazing, but we're preparing ourselves for a Monday Family Day, just so we're not disappointed.  :)

4 Days and Counting....

Hard to believe we're four days away from the journey of a lifetime.   It's also hard to believe we could be more getting more and more excited with each passing day.  We're getting tons accomplished in preparation for the arrival of our son.  Yesterday, we stocked up on more clothes for Silas, installed car seats in both cars, picked up some curtains and a hamper for the nursery, washed all of the bottles, sippy cups, plates, spoons, and formula and food containers, and washed two loads of Silas' clothes.  Not bad for a Sunday!

Keep Your Ash Away from China

Ok, so, its not like I really need more to worry about.  Not with 6 days before we leave for China.  Nevertheless, I find myself checking the news every hour to see if there is any indication that the volcanic ash from Iceland may drift its way over to Asia and ground our flights.  So far, I haven't heard anything to that effect.  Poland is about as far as anyone is predicting it will go.  Honestly, it would be quite a story to tell Silas, "We would have been here sooner, son, but there was this volcano....."  Right, Mom.  Right.

8 Days Until We Leave for China??

I may have to take the ticker down from the top of this page.  Every time I sign into the blog, I suffer a mini panic attack as the days count down, and I feel less and less ready.  Actually, if I take the time to think about it, it's remarkable how much we've been able to accomplish in four short months.  But, of course, there's still a ton of stuff to do.  Thankfully, my last day of work is tomorrow, so I'll be able to devote the weekend and most of next week to packing and making sure we are fully equipped when we get to China.  Even if we're not, we expect to be able to find most of what we need in China.  We're staying exclusively in urban areas.  In fact, our hotel in Nanjing has a mall attached to it with a McDonald's, a Starbucks, a Sephora, and a Nine West!  So, while things will be very different over there, it's not going to be as much of a culture shock as it might be if we were going to a more remote province.  

Baby Shower, Part 2

Today was a wonderful day for a baby shower!  As coincidence would have it, today, three of my dear friends threw me a beautiful shower brunch in their signature style.  As it always is when the girls get together, it was a really fun day, and I was overwhelmed by the congratulations and words of support.  Our pending journey and the arrival of our little boy both became a little more real today.  Thanks everyone!

Skype

As we try to cover every base in preparing for our big trip, we have come to the conclusion that we are probably going to have to rely largely on the internet for communications while we are in China.  We will have at least one laptop with us, and wifi is available in our hotels, so we will certainly try to keep this blog updated while we are there.  We have signed up for a Skype account, which we can use to chat live (with our without video) from our laptop.  I can also use Skype to make calls from my I-phone when I'm in a wifi zone.  Skype is free if  you are talking to someone else with a Skype account.  But, we will be signing up for a monthly international usage plan so we can use Skype to dial outside phone numbers when necessary.  We'll also have our cell phones for emergencies but at $2.00 per minute, those calls will be short.  :)

 

If you need to reach us while we are away, you can always email us.  But, if you have a Skype account, or plan to get a Skype account, email us your user name.  Just remember that China is 12 hours ahead of east coast time.  ;)

Our boy!

Just putting up some more pictures of Silas so they are here on the front page.  We can't get enough of his pictures.  ;)

First Baby Shower--Surprise!!

Today, I was completely surprised when my team at work threw me a baby shower.  It was such a surprise I almost didn't show up!!  Seriously, I was late this morning waiting for the man who is baby-proofing our house, and was resigned to missing our weekly team meeting.   About five minutes after the meeting was set to start, I got an email from one of my bosses asking if I was "around this morning."  I told him I was running late, and that I was on my way in.  He then asked if I could be in by 9:15 for an "important meeting."  By then, I was already there.  I walked into the office and my whole team was seated in the boardroom waiting for me with food, presents, cupcakes.  I was mortified that I was late for my own party, but so grateful for such a sweet and thoughtful group of co-workers.  We are humbled by the kindness and support we've been shown since we started this journey.  The sheer number of people who have told us they are excited for us, and looking forward to meeting our son is overwhelming.

How's THIS for timing?

Today, we received the final piece we needed to set our travel dates and buy our plane tickets.  Coincidentally, it is also the third anniversary of our "Log-In Date," the date that China first received our adoption dossier and put us on the list to wait...and wait...and wait. 

Well, our wait is over!  We're going to China!  Looks like we will fly out April 23 or 24th (depending upon the flights we can get).  We'll have to be in province by Monday, April 26, 2010, and our appointment at the consulate in Guangzhou is May 4, 2010, and then we'll be home.  Just in time for Mother's Day.  How's that for some timing??   :-D

Finally!!

We have our travel permission!!  Our agency called this morning to say they received a fax copy of our TA.  They are contacting the U.S. Consulate tonight to see if they can get us an appointment in the first week of May.  If so, we leave in 3 weeks!