Photos and Videos from Guangzhou

On Friday we flew from Nanchang to Guangzhou. The U.S. Consulate is in Guangzhou and this is our last stop before we fly home with the girlies. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel, which is very famous and terrific - essentially anyone who has ever adopted a Chinese baby has stayed here before traveling home, and the place is crawling with dorky Americans (and a few Europeans) wandering about with Chinese babies.

The hotel is amazing and Guangzhou is very cool. It used to be known as Canton (like in Texas where they have the Tradin' Days, only with Chinese people). Guangzhou used to be a British Colony and so it is more Western than Nanchang.

This morning a guy came up to me and said "Can I walk with you and practice my English?" We then had a conversation about basketball (he calls himself James because he is a big LeBron James fan) and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I really hate basketball. He didn't know anything about the St. Louis Cardinals or the glorious Kansas City Chiefs, so we talked about LeBron and Shaquille. He was very nice and his English was excellent.

In my quite limited experience I have found that the Chinese people I met are very interested and fascinated with the U.S. Of course I have only chatted with maybe a few dozen Chinese people here and there 1.3 Billion people in China, so I would need to speak with a few more before I could say for certain whether I am correct. But I am going to generalize and say that they like Americans.

Anyway, the girlies are napping (Woo Hoo!!!) and Kim and Jenny have gone to get pedicures or get their hair frosted or something, so I am taking this opportunity to post a few pictures, drink a clean, crisp cold Budweiser, and relax my aching shoulder.

By the way, thank you to everyone who has emailed us to tell us that you are following our journey here. We haven't really responded to the emails but they have been terrific and we appreciate the thoughts. Now, please go to Orbitz or Expedia or whatever and check into airfares - we need people to come to New York and help us with these kids. No way can we handle this on our own once Jenny is gone.

There really isn't much more happening here over the next few days until we get the final approval from the U.S. consulate. I will try to post more photos and videos between now and Wednesday when we fly home!

Thanks and junk.

And now, some photos:

Sally and Amelia in a Chair (in their World Champion St. Louis Cardinals outfits!!)

Close-up of Amelia
Jenny the Pack Mule

Good Advice!

Amelia on Her First Plane Ride

Another of Amelia on the Plane

Sally on Her First Plane Ride

All of the Families in Our Group

Mmmmm, Animal By-Products

Close-up Video of Amelia



Jenny with Both Girls



Amelia on the Bed at the White Swan Hotel



Me Trying to Teach Sally How to Make Fart Noises



Victory!!

And now, please enjoy this photo of a Water Buffalo

More Random Photos (and a Few Videos)

Today was very hectic and I haven't had a chance to think up more hilarious anecdotes. However, I did take a drive into the countryside today, and I saw numerous rice paddies and water buffalo, and my driver fell asleep no fewer (and I am totally and completely serious) than 50 times. One time I had to kick the back of the seat.

Another time he fell asleep while braking and the car (a manual transmission) actually came to a complete stop in the middle of the expressway. The translator was not particularly worried, and when I asked "Do you think he could use a nap or maybe some coffee?" her explanation was "No, he is just very tired when he drives long distances."

Well, in that case it is perfectly OK for him to fall asleep while driving 100 kilometers per hour. As I said yesterday, my Mother would have had a coronary. But the water buffalo were cool.

We are off to Guangzhou tomorrow to get U.S. consulate certification to bring the girlies into the country. By the way, Amelia cries less often than before and they are wonderful and beautiful and we are as happy as can be.

OK, now some photos and video.

Photos of the Happy Family

Kim giving Sally her first bath!



Video of Noodles Suchanek


Mike Kissing Amelia



Trying to Feed the Girls

The Galactic Peace International Hotel (with Dude on Moped)!!!

Jenny is AMAZING!!!

This trip has been fantastic but also exhausting, and we have only had these kids for 28 hours. Yesterday was crazy - I haven't changed a diaper since I was ten (I changed a diaper or two for my darling sister Sarah who is now 31 and probably thrilled to have me refer to her being in diapers). Apparently things have changed since then - when Sarah was a kid all you had to do after you took the diaper off was put her in the bathtub and swoosh her around.

Now you actually have to lift them up and use these little Windex fresh wipes or whatever and then wipe them off and apply proper ointments (I love the word 'ointment' and I almost never get to say it - same with the word 'lousy') and then let them air dry and then nurture them and focus on how this affects their self-esteem. Like I said - exhausting!

Fortunately, famous Enterprise Rental Car spokesmodel Jenny Hodges decided to come to China and save our lives. On about 100 occasions I have been sitting here with one kid or another and I would need something urgently. Almost immediately she would be there with a burp cloth or a new bottle or a frosty cold Budweiser. And if you know Kim, you know that she is amazing at so many things (volleyball, selling pharmaceuticals, telling me how many things I have to do differently now that we have twins) (1,209) but she has about as much experience with one-year old babies as I do (none).

So it would have been catastrophic if we had to do this on our own ("How many scoops of formula for each bottle?" "I don't know, two? No wait, I think it's nineteen" "Well, which is it?" "I don't know. Figure it out yourself. I am trying to figure out what these nipple brushes are for" "What do I do if she has snot running down her face?" "I don't know - wipe it off?" "Oh, good idea. I hadn't thought of that.")

Yesterday we had to go to about 8 different places (Civil Affairs Office, Notary, Police Station, Inspector General's office, Bureau of Land Management, Department of Ensuring that there are no less than 100 young women to work in every shop and scream 'Pretty Scarf for Lady' at you very loudly), and Kim and I had to carry these new youngsters.

So Jenny became our pack mule, carrying our diapers, camcorder, gifts for the various officials, sunscreen, toys for the babies, fresh water for the parents, two baby carriers, pickaxe, etc. Below is a video of Jenny singing an old prospectors song and being hilarious. Unfortunately you won't be able to really enjoy the video because Kim insists on videoing lengthwise, which is clearly not ideal for the viewer.

We are so appreciative of Jenny's assistance and guidance and advice and if we are half as good at being a parent as she is, it will be an absolute miracle.

Anyway, she has been amazing and we would be in such deep doo-doo without her. So please enjoy the following photo of Jenny with both of our two little girlies. Oh wait, there aren't any. Sorry. I just realized that she has been working so hard that she hasn't had time to get any photos. We will fix that just as soon as she finishes washing the nipples (thankfully, we figured out what the brushes are for. And just in time, too)

Since we don't have a picture of her with the girls, please enjoy this one of Jenny and Kim at dinner on Jenny's first night in China. This was before we made her lug all of our crap.

A Few Random Items

There is a Wal-Mart in Nanchang and it is absolutely insane and chaotic and beyond description. I went there yesterday and I couldn't have been more interesting to the locals if I had three eyeballs. I was stared at constantly and a few people even pointed. At first thought I had a big booger, but then I realized that they don't see too many blue-eyed, ruggedly handsome Westerners here.

One boy, about twelve, kept staring at me and every time I looked in his direction he would cower behind his older brother. I finally said "Hi, how are you doing?" The older brother said hello and asked me where I was from. I told him that I was from the United States. He was very charming and polite and replied "Oh, you are from the United States. You must be very rich. I am studying English and want to be rich too. Very nice to meet you."

As they walked away, his younger brother was jumping up and down like he had just seen a famous celebrity (I have seen Bernadette Peters about six times in NY) and you could tell he was asking his older brother to tell him everything that I said. It was very charming and interesting.

It also made me realize that the world is much bigger (and smaller) then you think. Nanchang, a city that I am certain none of you know anything about, was described by our Chinese tour leader as "...a small city of six million..." New York has 8 million and most people think New York is the biggest city there is. A small city? Hard to believe. Our last stop in China, Guangzhou, has 10 million people and is considered 'medium-sized.'

Also, there are about a million bicycles and mopeds and motorized scooters here, and I can't even describe the harrowing traffic. It's true. I can't describe it. But trust me - it is harrowing. My Mom would love it (not really, she thinks traffic in suburban Kansas City is the worst in the world. Her head would explode here in two minutes. Also, she is requiring me to mention that she didn't like the picture I used of her in an earlier posting. Sorry, Mom.)

So back to the Wal-Mart - Jenny and Kim went to the Wal-Mart today and took some video footage. The one below I would advise you not to watch, unless you have a strong stomach. Jenny is amazing, as you will learn in the posting titled "Jenny is Amazing" on this here blog. However, as a video artist she is not exactly Martin Scorsese. The video below is footage from outside the Wal-Mart in Nanchang, and if you didn't know better you would think that Jenny was operating a jackhammer with her free hand.

This video has actually been proven by top vomitologists to be as vomit-inducing as the 1974 version of 'The Chevy Show' at Six Flags - you remember the part where the Corvette is doing about 100 MPH down the windy road and almost slams into the car stopped at the sign ahead. This video is just like that, only without sports cars and without the crowd all saying "Ooooohhhh" at the same time. I'm telling you - it is shaky and if you have a weak stomach you should just skip to the next one.

So now that you have seen that, please have a look at Jenny's video of the fish market inside the Wal-Mart. She got footage of the live eels and turtles for sale, but was then accosted by a security guard and told to turn off the camera. This one is funny (and also possibly vomit-inducing, but for a different reason).

Other random stuff - Amelia apparenlty does not like to take naps. I, on the other hand, like for her to take naps. Below is a photo of me after I FINALLY (after six hours of carrying her!) got her to fall asleep. CRIKEY!!!!

And now, please enjoy a photo of Sally sitting in the chair.

Videos of the Girls





The first video when they came in the Civil Affairs Office





Me with Sally - Kim with Amelia (who is crying, surprisingly)



Amelia not crying

Both of us with Sally

Both of us with both girls

Say Hello to Sally (Pink Baby) and Amelia (Plaid Baby) Suchanek

This is the beautiful (and LOUD) Amelia Suchanek

And this is her beautiful sister, Sally Suchanek

This is Amelia with me on the bus - she is thrilled to be my daughter! (I don't know why I am pinching my nose - I must have had a lot of snot or something)

This is me feeding Sally

And finally, this is us with both of the beautiful little girls (Kim has Sally/Pink Baby)!!!!

Kim may write a bit later about how we came up with the names, but we decided on Sally and Amelia after considering a few other options. Amelia LOVES to cry, and Sally likes to cry only slightly less.

They are amazing and beautiful and I have already made numerous parenting mistakes. I don't know the lyrics to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" - my version says "Go to sleep and please don't cry So I can have a diet coke Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Stay away from boys until you're 25"

Not exactly the right lyrics, but it sounds the same to them.

I was going to post some video but maybe later. For now, please enjoy a photo of Kim trying to get Amelia to sleep and Amelia deciding that this is not something that is likely to happen (but they are bonding!)

Great Wall of China

On our last full day in Beijing we went to the Great Wall of China. I am not going to post too much aboot it (the Canadians say 'aboot' - silly Canadians!) because I am way too focused on heading to the Civil Affairs office in two hours and seven minutes to pick up our TWINS!!!

Anyway, the Great Wall was fantastic, but it was cloudy (smoggy) so you couldn't see too far. We went to the Juyongguan section of the wall, which is apparently less touristy than the Badaling section, which is nearer to Beijing.

I am posting a few pictures - what you probably can't see is that the stairs are terribly engineered. One step might be 18 inches high and the next two inches, and there are about a million steps. Kim, of course, went to the top without hardly breaking a sweat. Well, not actually the top. The top would be in Mongolia or something. But she went way up there. I made it about 2/3 of the way, but didn't want to show off by sprinting all the way up.

This is a video of Kim and Liz's Mom (Liz is one of the other families getting a youngster) as Kim met me coming down.

Here are some photos of us at the Wall. Again, I am too preoccupied to be my normally hilarious self, so please just have a look at the photos.

Looking up at the Wall

Kim near Mongolia or Tibet or something
Mike and Kim at the bottom

In case you were wondering, Kim's sister Jenny did make it to China, but her luggage didn't.

And finally, please enjoy this photo of Clean, Crisp Chinese Budweiser.

Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall

Our first full day in China we went to the Temple of Heaven, Tian'an Men Square, and the Forbidden City. To get to the Temple of Heaven, you walk through a huge park with literally tens of thousands of people who congregate there starting early in the morning. There are huge groups singing, playing hacky sack and a weird version of paddle ball, and doing several versions of Tai Chi.

The Temple of Heaven itself was quite cool and has something to do with the harvest. From there we went to Tian'an Men Square the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was very cool but they were doing a lot of construction for the Olympics, and Tian'an Men Square was gigantic. Apparently Chairman Mao is a big deal here. (I am trying to do the Mao face, but I don't think he wore sunglasses and a Cardinals baseball cap too often).

After the Forbidden City we did the coolest thing - we took a rickshaw tour through a Hutong. The Hutongs are a series of neighborhoods that are quite unique. There are a series of low-rise buildings around courtyards and each family shares a courtyard with four other families. The streets are very narrow and there are hundreds of people hanging out on the streets.

We got to go into a local family's home, and apparently a big thing to do here is raise grasshoppers for grasshopper (or cricket) fighting. I am a scaredy little frady cat when it comes to gross crawly bugs, so I wasn't thrilled with the direction of the conversation, but it was pretty fascinating. After he showed us his bugs I kept imagining things were crawling on my legs. I realized later that was just flashbacks from back when I was a hippy.
Here is a picture of us in the house with the local dude.

Yesterday we went to the Great Wall of China, which is, well, great. I don't have time to give you too much detail because we are off to Nanchang today. We pick up the twins tomorrow (Monday)!!!

Here is a short video of some people playing music near the Temple of Heaven:



More to follow later!

First Few Days in Beijing

We have been in Beijing for two days and are having a great time. Beijing is chaotic and crowded and quite fantastic. Our hotel is great and we have adjusted to the time change pretty well.

The first night we went out searching for dinner. We couldn't decide between the following:

Or this:

(if you can't see this very well, please click on the photo because it's very funny and my joke in the next paragraph won't make as much sense unless you can see the picture)

Or this:

I mean sure - who doesn't love deep-fried hump meat and duck intestines. And I came all the way to China to eat at the Sizzler. But of course, live scorpions on a stick are my favorite. I really couldn't make up my mind.

Eventually, we on settled on Peking Duck. This restaurant is the most famous in the world for Peking Duck and it was a very good meal. This is Kim with the dude that cuts up the duck carcass:
Yesterday we went to the Temple of Heaven, Tian'an Men Square, and the Forbidden City. Kim and I took a rickshaw tour of the Hutong area,where we sat in some dude's house and learned about Chinese cricket fighting. More details and photos to follow.

And we have decided on names but we aren't telling anyone until we post it here after we meet the TWINS!!

Please enjoy this photo of Kim.

I Hope

One of my favorite movies of all time is 'The Shawshank Redemption'. At the end of the movie, when Morgan Freeman's character is sitting on the Trailways Bus heading from Maine to Mexico, he says exactly what I am thinking right now: "I find I'm so excited I can barely sit still, or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel. A free man at the start of a long journey who's conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

Click for Clip

I hope these little girls love me as much as I love them. I hope I am a good father. I hope they have happy lives. I hope.

(OK, that was a little window into my emotions. Don't get used to it. And don't try to hug me.)

Packing, Moving, Getting Ready to Go to China!!

We have spent the past week or so moving things around our apartment getting ready to move our bedroom to the loft area of our apartment and set up the crib in our old bedroom. As a skilled carpenter and handyman, I was able to single-handedly disassemble the bed, move it upstairs, and reassemble it. Kim doubted my ability to handle such a complex mechanical task, but she should not have doubted my amazing talents.

I also used my master craftsman skills to put the crib together, which involved some colorful language and some deft maneuvering. The crib, which was lovingly donated by our friends John and Madeline, is fantastic and nearly brand new. It made me think about when Ron and Deedrick and I were kids - we were all put in a crib that was brought over from Germany in the late 1800s.

This old crib, which apparently came from an old prison, had long, rusty bolts and exposed sharp metal on which we regularly cut our precious little baby skin. We had to go to the hospital about every two weeks to get stitches to close the festering wounds and shots to cure our repeated bouts of tetanus. Occasionally we would ask our beloved mother, "Judy", if we could have a crib that didn't slice our precious, soft little baby skin up all the time. She would just smile and reply "Make some spit and swallow it" Or maybe that was for something else.

By the way, our schedule is now finalized - here is the deal:

June 13th - Fly to Beijing
June 14th - 17th - Sightseeing in Beijing - Great Wall/Forbidden City
June 17th - Fly to Nanchang in the Province of Jiangxi
June 18th - Meet the TWINS on their birthday!!!!!!!
June 18th to June 22nd - In Nanchang
June 22nd - Fly to Guangzhou to get U.S. Consulate approval to bring the TWINS home
June 27th - Fly to Beijing and then back to New York!!! The TWINS come home (Woo Hoo!!!)

I will have my cell phone in China and will have access to email and the World Wide Internet. Please check daily for blog updates - I will have some short videos, photos, and my thoughts on what is going on. A word of warning - I will try not to type weepy, goofball stuff, but I can't guarantee anything.


Thank you for reading, and please enjoy the short video below of Kim packing:

New York Stacie Threw Kim a Shower!!

Stacie and her Mom surprised Kim with a shower at the King's Carriage House on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Stacie was very sneaky and told Kim that it would be a small lunch with her Mom and Aunt Pat.

Kim was very surprised and thrilled that so many people were able to make it, including her friend Kristin all the way from suburban Cincinnati. DeYan made the decorations, and Stacie had pink and plaid cupcakes for all.

As a thank you to Stacie, I decided to post the following video:

Kim's Youth Group Barbecue

SKATE, Kim's youth group from Rutgers Presbyterian Church, had a barbecue on June 1st. DeYan made a delicious cake that said "TWINS" on top. She also made a cake just for me and I ate the entire thing - it was a chocolate marble cake and it was fantastic (see right). DeYan, if you haven't noticed, is a future superstar chef.

Also, as a special gift to our girls, all of the kids decorated sippy cups with Chinese words and symbols. Below is a short video of the kids unveiling the cake. As Hyman Roth said, "I want you all to enjoy your cake -- so, enjoy!"