HOME!! Safe & Sound!!

Well, we made it home, and everyone is doing well!! We're still a little tired, but overall, we're doing pretty well.

We arrived in Ithaca around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon. Surprisingly, all of our flights were on-time, or even a little early. A lot of people have not had good experiences with Northwest Airlines, but I have to say that we were both quite impressed with the trip and NWA. The meals were all actually pretty good (it seems like all we did was eat and drink), service was great, our luggage made it everywhere on time and in one piece, and we made all of the flights on time or early (and no, I'm not getting paid by them to post this!!). On the way back from Tokyo to Detroit, we were able to get bulkhead seats (the front seats in our section of the plane). This allowed us a little more room, and a basinet that hooks to the wall in front of us so that Hannah could sleep a little (see photo above). We weren't able to get a ton of sleep, but we got some, and watched a few movies.

When we arrived in Ithaca, we were happily greeted by our welcoming committee, made up of Alex, my parents, Uncle Pete, and our good friend Jenn who offered to take pictures for us (Thanks, Jenn!!).

We came home to a decorated house, complete with a "Welcome Home Hannah" banner across the front porch. The banner also included hand prints from friends and family, and a paw print from Maggie, our next door pooch. It was very cute, and it really made us feel that much better being home. My colleagues from my office also sent a basket with a huge teddy bear, along with nice gifts for us, Hannah and Alex.

Today (Thursday) we got Alex on the bus, and spent most of the day unpacking. Hannah is doing well, but like us, is still trying to get adjusted to the time change. She slept okay last night, only getting up a few times to eat. Last night, my mother cooked dinner for us, and after dinner, we got the kids ready for bed and had coffee. We put Hannah in her exersaucer (a walker without wheels, to those of you who don't know), and she played for a few minutes, then fell asleep...standing up.

We all greeted Alex when he got off the bus this afternoon, and a few of our neighbors came over to meet Hannah for the first time. It was great seeing everyone, and they are all so good to our family!!

So, Darese and I have started a list of things we REALLY missed while we were in China (besides our family and friends, of course). Things that we take for granted every day, but weren't able to enjoy for the past two weeks. Here it is:

- Real drinks -- like coffee, diet Coke (their Coke Light just wasn't the same). There was a Seattle Coffee in our hotel, and I'm glad to report that a small cappuccino in China still costs more than a gallon of gasoline in the U.S.

- The ability to take a shower without having to worry about getting water in your mouth.

- The ability to brush your teeth without having to use bottled water.

- The ability to go to the water faucet to get a drink of water in the middle of the night (okay, you see where I'm going with this.....)

- We certainly won't miss seeing things-on-a-stick at vendor booths on the streets.

- Food that wasn't taken out of the tank and killed 20 minutes before we ate it.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Our plans are to relax for the next few weeks, and maybe start putting up our Christmas decorations right after Thanksgiving. Darese starts back to work part time in mid-December, and I'll start back part time in mid-January, so if all goes well, we'll be able to start Hannah in daycare February 1. We're planning on being at my parents for Thanksgiving, so if anyone will be there, we'll look forward to seeing you there!! Until then, best wishes!!

Joe, Darese, Alex & Hannah

Day 11 - Guanzhou

Well, today was the big day!! Hannah had her official swearing in at the U.S. Consulate here in Guanzhou. Well, since she had a hard time holding her right hand up, and repeating after the official, we actually did the swearing in for her. It was pretty informal, but very fun to see over 50 families all in one spot -- all with little children!! Hannah will now become an official U.S. Citizen when our plane touches down in Detroit tomorrow.

We were the first group to the consulate. Then, one by one we started hearing little squeaky shoes coming down the hallway. It really was pretty cute.

We did a little more shopping today, and walked around the island. I can honestly say that I think we are all shopped-out!! You know it's bad when you walk up and down the street and the vendors start saying hi to you by name!!

We're just finishing up with the packing now, and we think we just might make it with our original luggage!! That would be quite an accomplishment for us!!

Well, that's all for now. This will be my last posting until we arrive home. I hope you've all enjoyed reading about our journey as much as we have had actually experiencing it. China has been amazing, and we really hope to come back again someday so that Hannah can see her homeland.

Thank you all for your kind words of support!! Everyone's comments and well wishes really helped this trip along, and gave us the support we needed to make it through. We can't wait to see everyone, and introduce you all to Hannah!!

See you soon!!

Joe, Darese & Hannah

Day 10 - Guanzhou

Today was another day off, as our guide had the appointment with the U.S. Consulate here in Guanzhou to turn in the paperwork. So, we had to stay in our room from 10:00 am to noon, just in case there were any problems. Fortunately, everything was fine, and we met up with everyone for lunch at Lucy's. Lucy's is a cafe right down the street from the hotel. We've eaten most of our meals there because it's fun, simple, and really informal (which is nice with all the kids).

We got to talk to and see Alex and my mother this morning. Alex seems to be doing well, and I think my mother is holding up, too. Hannah was still asleep when we called, but she woke up in the middle, so they were able to see her. We've also been showing Hannah pictures of our family, so hopefully the transition will go smoothly. We really think Alex is excited about meeting his new baby sister. And Hannah has a lot of playful energy, so we're sure they'll be great together!! Hannah has even bought a few new toys and souvenirs for her new big brother.

Darese, Hannah and I walked around quite a bit today. We did some shopping at some of the local shops. We want to be sure we have some really good memories of Hannah's home country as she grows up. There are many, many families here with children. Basically, when families from the U.S. adopt children from China, the last stop on their journey is Guanzhou for their Consulate appointment. And, they typically have to stay about 3 or 4 days while their visas are prepared. Since everything went fine today, we'll go to the Consulate tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon for our swearing in, and will pick up Hannah's visa & passport that will allow her to travel to the U.S. Once she touches down in the U.S. (in our case, Wednesday afternoon in Detroit), she will officially become a citizen of the United States. Yeah!!

Tonight, we all went on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It was really nice. The buffet was okay, but the atmosphere was great. After dinner, we all went up on the top deck to enjoy the scenery. The weather was beautiful, and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was a nice way to wind down our trip.

Bill, Jill and their family leave tomorrow right after our visit to the consulate. It's been so nice to be able to meet these families, and share our journeys together. The other two families each had already adopted from China before now, so we were really fortunate to be with them, as they provided some great insight on what to expect (as well as how to deal with blue mouth disease!! Yes, I can poke fun at myself, too!!).

Well, that's all for now. Tomorrow night will probably be my last entry for a while. We leave here bright and early Wednesday morning, and arrive at the Ithaca airport around 3:30 Wednesday afternoon (assuming everything goes okay). Our flights take us from Guanzhou to Tokyo, then to Detroit, then in to Ithaca.

Hope everyone is well!! We look forward to seeing you soon!!

Joe, Darese & Hannah

Joe in China...and at Cornell...at the same time!!

For those of you who know me, you know that I’ve always bragged about having the greatest job in the world, with the best students and colleagues. Well, on Sunday 11/13 EST, there was a concert at Cornell – Collective Soul and Lifehouse. I was really sad not to be able to be there with them, especially since this was the last concert for the current executive board, and the first show I’ve missed since beginning my job at Cornell 9 years ago.

While checking my email messages this morning (China time), I was pleasantly surprised to see some photos from the show, with me there!! I even got to meet one of the bands!!

Thanks, so much, to everyone for thinking of me, and including me in the show!!

Joe






Me with the guys from Lifehouse. I've been working out....












With our agent Mike, and his fiance who, ironically, just moved to the U.S. from China.












Keeping an eye on things (I really wish they would have found a better picture of me!! But actually, this is freakishly the way I look on concert days).










With our caterer, Kerry. I hope I ate okay!! It sure doesn't look like I missed any meals!!

Day 9 - Guanzhou

[Darese writing now]
Well, after yesterday’s blue mouth disease scare, today was calm. Oh, Joe didn’t share that fun story yesterday? Well before dinner, Hannah had rolled over and bumped her mouth on something. She was fine, but as Joe was checking on her, he realized that the roof of her mouth was bright blue. He kind of freaked out and thought we should immediately find the hotel doctor or call the pediatrician at home. I suggested we at least check in with our friends here first to see if we might be missing something. When we called Jill, she asked if Hannah had been chewing on anything as her daughter Kailee puts a lot of things in her mouth. She had previously been playing with a blue tag on our luggage, and the mystery was solved – it was a piece of bright blue tag. Needless to say, Joe is still being teased about the awful blue mouth disease!

Today our guide David met us at 10 AM and we headed out for a little touring. We went to a beautiful Buddhist temple in Guangzhou, the Six Banyan Tree Pagoda, where a monk blessed all of the girls. It was very sweet and the girls were very quiet during the ceremony. From there, it was off to more shopping. We went to a large mall/marketplace and saw jade and pearl wholesalers and many different types of shops. The trip ended with another visit to Pizza Hut!

This afternoon we visited a lot of the little shops around the hotels. They very much cater to the visiting families and offer many great deals on wonderful Chinese clothes, arts, crafts, and pretty much anything else you want.

[Joe writing now]
Okay, Darese is done writing from now on. I actually just came in from enjoying a Cuban cigar with Bill, one of the other new dads. It was really good, and sure beats those cigars we smoked in high school and college that used to burn your mouth!!

It looks like Darese covered the day, and the blue mouth thing WAS a big deal when you're dealing with a 10 month old from a country that you'd never been to before, so please give me a break with that, okay??

Tomorrow, our guide will deliver all of our paperwork to the U.S. Consulate here in Guanzhou. It will be a big day for us, and we're hoping everything goes smoothly. Assuming everything is fine, we'll have our official swearing in on Tuesday, and pick up Hannah's visa then.

We didn't take a lot of pictures today, but here are a few. We hope everyone is well, and look forward to being home Wednesday afternoon!!

Joe and Hannah (and Darese, too, I guess)

Day 8 - Guanzhou

Today was our first full day in Guanzhou. After breakfast, all three girls had their medical exams. I’m happy to say we all have very healthy and happy babies. Hannah weighed in at a little over 17 pounds, and is 27 inches tall – she’s the smallest of the group. The medical exam was relatively painless. Basically, we go to three stations: one where they check height, weight and temperature (and Hannah did NOT like having a thermometer shoved….under her arm!! What did you think I was going to say??). The second station was to check hearing, throat, ears, eyes, etc. And the third was chest, heart, etc. We were in and out pretty quick.

After the medical exams, we met with our guide, David, to complete all of our paperwork for Monday’s meeting with the U.S. Consulate. This was fine, too. After that, we went to lunch at a place called ‘Lucy’s’ and walked around a few shops, and went to see the White Swan Hotel. The White Swan is a beautiful hotel, and is where we were supposed to stay, but plans got changed at the last minute. We’re all sort of upset about that. One of the traditions of adoptive families is get the picture of the girls taken on the red velvet couch at the White Swan. So, all three families went over and had the pictures taken with the girls, and then some family pictures. It was quite fun!! It was an experience trying to get all three girls to look at the camera at the same time. I have new found respect for photographers!!

We walked around a few more shops, and bought Hannah a few pairs of squeaky shoes. These are sort of Chinese children’s thing, and are very cute. She and Eva are wearing their new shoes in the picture. We also bought Hannah her own ‘chop’ which is like a rubber stamp with her Chinese characters on them, along with her English name. The shops around here are quite nice, and really cater to adoptive families. There are a lot of clothes, jewelry, and other goodies that are really hard to pass by.

Tomorrow, our guide is taking us to a shopping area nearby. It should be pretty fun, as we’re all having a really good time buying things (like that would be hard to do anyway, right??).

All three girls are doing really well. They're all eating great, sleeping really well, and have really come out of their shells. They're all taking on their own little personalities, have wonderful smiles and laughs, and it seems like they're all bonding really well with their forever families.

Well, that’s all for now. Hope you enjoy these latest photos. We’re all doing great, and can’t wait to see everyone next week!!

Joe, Darese & Hannah




It was a messy lunch!!












The girls on the red velvet couch, with big sisters Olivia and Kaleigh. Ever try to get 5 girls, ages 7 and under, all to look at the camera at the same time?? I failed miserably with this shot!!












Daphne with Olivia, Eva, and her parents.













Jill, Kaleigh, Brianna, and Bill.


















'Got my squeaky shoes...life is Good!!'














So we went to put Hannah down to bed tonight, and here's how she said 'nope, not ready yet!!'

Day 7 - Chongqing/Guanzhou

Today was a travel day for us. Since we needed to have our luggage packed in the morning, we decided to do a simple breakfast in room, and then we had a bigger lunch with the group. Our guide then took us to the Civil Affairs Office and picked up the girls’ passports. After that, we went to a flower market. This was interesting. Our guide took us down a few alleys where people live and grow their flowers and shrubbery. At the end, there were 2 alleys that were basically outdoor pet stores. There were mostly dogs, but a few cats. Most looked to be in really good shape, and were barking quite a bit, so we assumed they were pretty healthy. Not sure about the custom here, but most of the poodles we saw were painted….some with green bodies and orange legs, others with just painted ears. It was…well….interesting, I guess. In the picture, you can see the one with green legs and ears, and the other with a yellow body and orange legs.... looked a little like 'Big Bird.'
Hannah did great on her first plane trip. She slept almost the entire ride. We got to the hotel around 8:30 pm, and are settled in for the night. Here are some pictures from the day. Tomorrow, Hannah gets her medical exam, and we get most of our paperwork ready for the consulate appointment on Monday.

Hope everyone is well!!
Joe, Darese & Hannah







Darese and Hannah relaxing at the Chongqing airport before our flight. Can you make out the Disney Princess blanket? She has her matching sneakers on, too!











This is our Chongqing guide, Jin, posing with a beautiful flower arrangement. They were really something. We watched one guy start one, and it was quite amazing to watch.















Another family from our agency's group, Bill, Kaleigh, Jill, and Brianna on the plane. We believe Brianna was in the crib next to Hannah at the orphanage.











When we got to the hotel in Guanzhou, Darese and I had some peanut butter cups while Hannah had her bottle. She saw Darese eating hers and wanted some, too!!

Day 6 - Chongqing

Today was a day on our own. After breakfast, we took a walk around the hotel. They have a beautiful garden area on the 10th floor that leads outside. It had a little slide and play area for kids, and was very peaceful.

Then, we took a walk around the hotel. Just outside this hotel reminds us a lot of Times Square in Manhattan -- tall buildings, tons of people, large shops, flashy signs, and huge TV screens, with a large clock tower right in the middle. Most of the shops are either clothing or electronics (lots of cell phone stores). It was foggy, again, but there wasn't much to see past the buildings, anyways. We went to a 'Children's Place' store and bought some socks for Hannah. 'Hello Kitty' and Mickey Mouse are pretty big here for kids. We also went to a tiny shop that sold chopsticks. We bought a few sets -- the man there was very nice, so we took a picture with him.

Today was a milestone day for Hannah -- as far as we know, today was her first trip to McDonalds!! She had a great time, and chowed down on some squash (not provided by McDonalds, but the Ithaca Target, I believe). Darese got a Happy Meal because she had heard they had better toys here...they were....she was happy (so, the meal worked!).

After lunch, we walked around a little more. Hannah is definitely teething. She's taking great naps, eating everything, chomping on our fingers (and her own), and has a runny nose every now and then. Darese and I enjoyed a really good cup of latte at a local coffee shop.

We had our last big dinner in Chongqing tonight, and our guide joined us this time. He's a real nice guy -- young, only 22 years old, so we've all been teasing him about finding a nice girl to settle down with, and he gets really embarrassed.

We leave for Guanzhou tomorrow afternoon, and then just a few days after that, we come back home!! We can't wait!! We talked to Alex and my mom again this morning (our time). He got to see Hannah in her pink 'Madagascar' pajamas....

Well, that's all for now. Here are a few pictures from today... Enjoy!!

Joe, Darese, & Hannah










Bouncing with mom in the lobby of the hotel, while trying to stick something in her mouth....















Daphne and Olivia celebrate Eva's first trip to McDonalds.
















Us celebrating Hannah's first visit to McDonalds.

Day 5 - Chongqing

Today was a very relaxed day for us. After breakfast, our guide took us to People's Hall. This is an outdoor park-type area, and is quite beautiful. There were many people doing Tai Chi in the yard. Many people bring their kids just to run around and play. There was quite a large military presence in the park, which was interesting. The buildings and landscapes were absolutely beautiful, and very clean.

After the park, we took a long, bumpy drive to what is known as the oldest part of Chongqing. Basically, we walked down a few long alleys while people stared at us. We took it all in, but it was a true culture shock to many of us. The shops are unlike anything we've ever seen before, and, of course, the people there were very curious about us. Hannah and the other girls like to suck their thumbs/fingers. Apparently, this is a big no-no here. We got yelled at by a few older Chinese women who actually started pulling the girls' hands out of their mouths. This was tough to get used to, but fortunately, our guide watched over us and took real good care of us.

After that, our final stop for the day was a park where our guide grew up. His grandfather ran the park, and it is located in the highest spot in all of Chongqing. It was quite nice. We were able to go into the 'Three Gorges Project' museum. Chongqing is located at the intersection where the Yangtze and Jai Ling Rivers meet. In 1992, the National People's Congress passed a resolution to build the Three Gorges Project, currently known as the largest construction project in the world. Basically, they're building a huge dam to supply more power to the surrounding communities. It's a pretty remarkable project. When the dam is complete in 2009 (after 17 years of construction), many communities and cities will have been demolished, and hundreds of thousands of people will have been removed from their homes, and forced to find new places to live. There's a large mural in this museum that depicts the project. The artist, Mr. Liu Zuozhong, documented many journeys throughout the area, and developed a long map/book with many wonderful details. We actually got to meet him at the museum, and had him sign a book for Hannah. He signed it all in Chinese characters, including her Chinese name, and wrote 'Memories of your hometown.' It was pretty neat.

As we were leaving the museum, we ran into hundreds of school children, all dressed in the same warm up suits. They were all in a vocational/sports school preparing for the 2008 Olympics. Their warm ups all had the 'Beijing 2008' Olympic logo on them. These kids were remarkable!! They ran up to all of us, posed for our pictures, shook hands, and were all really anxious to practice their English on us --'Hello, how are you?' and 'Where are you from' and 'What is your name' -- as we were leaving, they started parading to their buses, and marched past us. Every one of them smiled and waved to us and said 'Good bye!' It was really fun, and I'm sure we'll be seeing many of them on TV in a few years!! Bill, one of the new dads in our group (with the red backpack in the photo) tried to teach the kids how to give 'high-fives.' They were all having a good time, as you can see.

After lunch, we were on our own. Hannah took a great nap, so Darese and I just relaxed for a while, and caught up on some emails and news. Our guide went to the notary's office this afternoon to pick up our paperwork, and dropped it off tonight for our review. We got Hannah's official birth certificate, our adoption certificate, and her official abandonment certificate. We'll need all of these when we go to Guanzhou Friday to complete the process. Our guide was really nervous with the paperwork, as they can make or break a family's trip, so he wanted to make sure everything was perfect...we're really lucky to have him, as he is great to work with, and very good with all of us.

Tomorrow and Friday are free days for us, and we fly to Guanzhou Friday afternoon. We'll take it easy tomorrow, maybe go swimming or walk around outside. The weather is really steamy and foggy, but not as bad as we thought it would be. There were some shops we saw tonight that we might take a look at tomorrow. We definitely want to buy some things for Hannah from her home area. We went to lunch at Pizza Hut tonight. After walking around the old alley today, and seeing 'things-on-a-stick', none of us really wanted to venture too far away, so we decided to play it safe.

We've been able to video conference with my mom and Alex a few times since we've been here. The first time was perfect, but the past few times have been pretty choppy, breaking up quite a bit. It was great to see Alex, though. Today he was showing us his new library book. He and Hannah got to meet each other, too, which was really nice. We know he's doing fine, but we really do miss him, and we know he misses us, too.

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and we continue to miss you!!

Joe, Darese, & Hannah



Here's a nice picture of Daphne, holding Eva, and her 7 year old Olivia, who has been a wonderful big sister helping mom.

Pictures from the orphanage

Hi everyone -- After Darese and I received our referral for Hannah, we sent a care package to the orphanage through an on-line company (www.blessidkids.com). The care package included a panda bear and pink blanket for Hannah, and some candy, nuts, and other goodies for the nannies and other caretakers. It also included a disposable camera. We included a letter to the director thanking them for taking such good care of the children, and asking them to use the camera to take pictures of Hannah in the orphanage. Unfortunately, some institutes just don't have the staff to acommodate these types of requests. However, we were really fortunate in that we got the camera back, along with Hannah's pink blanket and panda bear. The blanket and panda bear don't seem to have been used at the orphanage, which is fine. We have to imagine it would be quite difficult to keep track of what toys belong to which child.

Our guide helped me find a camera store across the street from the hotel to get the film developed. I asked him to ask if we could get the photos put on a CD -- a pretty reasonable request, I thought, since there were 5-6 computers sitting there. However, this certainly was not an upscale camera shop. Our guide shouted back and forth with them for a few minutes (when I say shouting, it sounded like they were actually yelling at each other). Finally, he turned to me and said 'Yes, they can do that.' Total cost for developing, printing 22 pictures, and putting them on a CD in 30 minutes: about $4.00.

Anyway, here are some photos from the camera.





Hannah's report indicated that she liked music and TV, so I guess it was appropriate that they took a picture of her in front of the TV.












Hannah in her crib.










Hannah in her walker...it looks like she's outside on a patio, or something.














In her crib again. We're not sure who the other child is....she wasn't one from our group.











Here's Hannah with her crib-mate, Brianna. Brianna is part of our group, and is the daughter of Billy and Jill from Albany.