Pink Baby and Plaid Baby: 6/24/07

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Finally in New York with Our Girlies!!!

We got back to New York on Wednesday night and are exhausted. I already put some of this in an email but will repeat it just because I am too lazy to write anything new or clever.

We left our hotel in Guangzhou on Wednesday at 6 AM, which is 6 PM Tuesday night NY time, and we got home at 9 PM Wednesday night. 27 hours of travel with kids, but it wasn't so bad - we upgraded so we had big business class seats, and Amelia slept almost the entire time. We were going to get a picture of Jenny holding the babies and the diaper bag while sitting in a middle seat in Row 48 next to two big fat dudes, while Kim and I sat in Business Class drinking champagne and enjoying our complimentary hot towels and foot massages, but we never got around to it. In case you were wondering, we all sat together - no middle seat for Jenny, although she did get flirted with by a businessman in the aisle seat next to her.

I did not got a picture of it, but for a while Kim and Amelia were sleeping in the same seat, Kim on her side with her arm draped around Amelia's head, and Amelia sprawled out (she's a sprawler) on her back - it was the perfect visual for the end of the trip. We were very nervous about how long it would take for the girlies to bond to us, but at that point on the plane I was certain that they already knew that Kim was their Mommy (Crikey - did I just type that? We are parents!!!!).

Stacie and Gene Corcoran, along with DeYan and Laura, met us at the airport and brought us home. I thought I took some photos of them welcoming the girlies home at the airport, but I only got one - DeYan made a poster for them that says "Welcome Home".

Stacy O'Malley, with her kids and her Mom, surprised Kim at the airport and came to see them the next day. The girls needed a little time to wind down once we got home, but seem to already like our cats and the chandelier in their (formerly our) bedroom.

DeYan was very helpful once we got to our apartment, as it was quite frantic when we walked in - she is going to be such a good friend/big sister to our girls and she was so excited to meet them. I am sure they were excited to meet her too.

We are trying to adjust to the 12-hour time difference (the girls were up until 7 AM on Thursday morning and Sally slept no more than an hour in a row until aboot 2 AM - why didn't anyone warn me that this parenting thing would have an impact on my twelve hours of sleep per night?).

Stacy O'Malley, her mother, and her two kids (Austin and Taylor) came over, and we all went to Central Park for the first time ever with the girls.

Stacy O'Malley and her Mom with the girlies

Taylor and Austin with us in front of Belvedere Fountain in Central Park

Today (Saturday) our friends Howard and Nancy Moseson came in from far-off suburban New Jersey. Their brought their adorable kids, Sarah and Sean, and again we took the girls to Central Park - we are trying to get them into a routine, but so far our only routine seems to be allowing us no more than 20 minutes of sleep in a row (but they are very cute and happy, so we are OK with it) (Sort of).

The Moseson Family

The Mosesons were also kind enough to let us borrow their crib (Howard also put it together, which was quite nice of him) - we had hoped that Sally and Amelia would sleep in the same one but all they did was kick each other in the head, sort of like Ron (my brother, not my Uncle) used to do to me when we were younger (I think I was about 12). So we now have two cribs, two sleeping babies (for the moment, at precisely 7:21 PM on Saturday), and I am now going to have a glass of wine and fall asleep, hoping not to be awakened by crying babies.

By the way, we have these remote deals so that we can hear them crying or coughing if we are in the other room, but now I can't be certain if what I hear is actual crying babies or I am hearing phantom crying babies that aren't really crying. That's a ripoff because if I wake up and they are crying, then I have to wake up and deal with a screaming baby.

If they aren't crying, then I go right back to sleep until about 7 minutes later, when I wake up again wondering if I am hearing real cries or imagined ones. I find this to be completely unacceptable and I wish someone who has a ton of kids, like my sister D;lasdfkj, would have warned me aboot this. But no - she was too busy throwing cotillions for Natalie's graduation and causing her husband Joe to be beleaguered. But I am sure I will get used to the phantom crying, just like I have gotten used to snot and boogers and drool and fart sounds (I am kidding - I liked that even before I had kids).

I am now going to relax and pray to Jesus and anyone else that will listen that the girls sleep until morning. Below are some other photos (and a few videos) from our last day in China, our trip home, and our first few days in New York with the beautiful girlies.

Thank you and junk for reading all of this self-absorbed piffle and for all of your emails and messages. I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure and our wonderful new family and stuff.

More Photos

Photos on the Famous Red Couch at the White Swan Hotel

Amelia is So Cute it Warms My Heart

So is Sally

At Belvedere Fountain in Central Park

Kim Feeding Sally in our Cool New High Chairs

A Couple of City Kids

Amelia and Horse

Kim with Sally in the Hippie Sling Gizmo Walking Home from Central Park

Videos

Mike with the Girlies

Video of Amelia in Central Park with the Hula Hoop Dude

Another Video of Amelia in the Park

And now, please enjoy this video of my new favorite song:

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Home on Wednesday

We are leaving Guangzhou tomorrow morning (Wednesday) morning for a three-hour flight to Beijing, a 3 hour layover, and then a 14 hour flight to Newark. Kim has been packing for a while and I just bought two cool pieces of Chinese furniture - a carved wood trunk and a terrific shelf unit. I am bushed and we are heading to bed, so I don't have time to write much tonight.

Today was cool - we did pictures on the famous red couch at the White Swan (the kids were in their traditional Chinese clothes we had made), and then went to the US Consulate to take our oath that our kids will be good Americans and eat three meals a day and pay their taxes and stuff. It was very cool - our kids are U.S. Citizens the minute that we go through immigration in Newark. There is literally a line you cross once the immigration dude says you are OK, and at that moment, they are citizens. Very cool.

I must now go to bed, so here are four photos of the beautiful angels in their Chinese clothes (we were going to take one final Pink Baby/Plaid Baby photo right before our trip to the U.S. Consulate, but Sally decided to take a giant whiz on my shirt, so her pink pants weren't quite right for the photo - sorry):

The Girlies in their Chinese Clothes

In Front of the Waterfall

Amelia Relaxing

Sally on the Red Couch

And now, please enjoy the only existing photograph of Jenny with the girlies!!!

Monday, June 25, 2007

First Day Ever in the Pool

Today was sort of a waiting day with nothing official, which is good because it meant that we got to wander about on our own schedules. We went to Starbucks (YUCK), walked down a few side streets, did a little shopping (the food in Jiangxi is quite spicy, so whenever a Chinese person finds out the girls are from that province, they say "Ah, spicy girl" - it's quite funny), and best of all, went swimming with the girls.

I know that I will probably have many times with these girls where I say "This is my happiest moment ever", but taking Amelia and Sally swimming for their first time ever is, at least for right now, at the top of the list.

Amelia has not been particularly thrilled with the bath situation, which of course makes me think she might be part French (rim shot). But hilarity aside, she just hates getting in the bathtub, so we weren't optimistic aboot (as the Canadians say) her enjoying the pool.

It turns out that we were wrong - she loooooved it (should that be spelled 'loooooved', or 'lovvvvvved', or 'loooovvved'? I just don't know). She went right in with me and was as happy as ever. She even made motorboat sounds in the water (with her mouth, thankfully). I swam with Amelia, and then with Sally, and then with both. Sally put her face right in the water and blew out her nose (she's a natural!).

Swimming with the girlies was just terrific and while in the pool I says to myself, "Self," I says, "You may live another 100 years but you will probably never be able to do anything better than what you are doing right this second." So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

Here are a few more photos and videos from today:

The Only Toys They Will Play With - A Water Bottle and A Packet of Huggies

Amelia FINALLY went to sleep, so Kim decided it was the perfect time to
engage in some flash photography (Isn't she cute??)

Me with Both Beautiful Girlies (and a big goofy grin and about six chins)

The Happy Family in the Pool

Sally and Amelia Having the Best Time Ever!!

Me and Amelia in the Pool

Kim and Sally in the Pool

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Buddhist Temple

Today (I think it's Sunday but who knows?) we went to a Buddhist temple, which was fascinating. The main area had three giant gold Buddhas and there was a Buddhist monk doing a ceremony there. After he finished he did a traditional Buddhist blessing for the kids - it was very cool and the monk arranged with the Buddha to ensure that our kids are happy and funny and good at some sport that will make them millionaires many times over.

Below are some pictures of us at the Buddha temple: