Day 11 and 12

Blogger was shut down for a day. They said they would be shut down until after the Olympics. So I posted on My Space yesterday. That address is myspace.com/carnationsarebeautiful. You can check that out for days 11 and 12.
Jinnae had a doctor's appointment. She is in good health and weighs 17 pounds.
I found the Made in China t-shirt for Jinnae. I thought it was funny. She wasn't so excited about it. :)
Life is good.

Day 10 - YunTai Garden

Today we visited the YunTai Garden. It was a beautiful place. There were many plants, flowers, trees, waterfalls, and streams. It was all decorated for the Olympics as well.

We had a nice stroll through the park. It was very hot. We all sat down for a treat afterwards. Rick and Jinnae had ice-cream and I had a bottle of water.

In the afternoon, we had to do about two hours worth of paperwork to get Jinnae's visa. Then, as I was holding Jinnae, she went to the bathroom on me! How it came out of the diaper, I do not know! All of a sudden a stream of water was flowing down her leg and onto my skirt. It must be the generic diapers I bought here. So, we gave her a bath and this time she was ok with it. She was laughing because I was cracking up over the situation. At least we weren't in a rush to go anywhere when it happened.

This evening we ordered Papa John's pizza for dinner. We then went shopping around the island. Shopping is different here because you can negotiate the price. Rick is good at that. :)

All in all, we had a great day!

Day 9 - Chen Family Temple

Today was the first day it rained since we have been in China. We visited the Chen Family Temple. After that, we went to a jade store.

In the afternoon we rested and then we went out to eat at a Thai restaurant called The Cow and Bridge. Rick ordered roast goose red curry and bird's nest with coconut milk. I ordered fish cakes. Jinnae had steamed eggs. We all enjoyed our meals.

In the evening, we went shopping. It was fun!

Jinnae loves when her dad tickles her and does a great big belly laugh. It is so adorable!

Jinnae is getting her fifth tooth in. It was a little painful for her today. She was a real trooper though. Love and miss everyone.

Day 8 - Flight to Guangzhou

Today Rick, Jinnae and I had to get up early, get ready, eat breakfast, check out of the hotel and quickly get on a bus to the airport. After checking our bags and going through security, we got on our plane with 5 minutes to spare. Whew! I wasn't sure how Jinnae would do with her first flight, but I had nothing to worry about. She loved it. She looked out the window, took a nap, and was very happy. The only time she was cranky was when we were at a complete stop waiting to get off. She definitely doesn't take after her mommy on flying. By the way, Rick was very helpful in getting Jinnae ready this morning - he did a good job but as you can see, forgot to snap one

snap. :)

When we got off the plane, Jinnae had a very wet diaper, I took her to the bathroom to change her only to find out there was no changing table or any counter space. So, I then took one of our suitcases and used it as a changing table right in the middle of the airport. I got some funny looks but she needed her diaper changed. I notice being a mom has made me less worried about what others think, you have to do what you have to do.

We then took another bus to the White Swan Hotel which is on an island. It is very humid here, and we did not see the sun at all today. It is very smoggy. This hotel is very nice. After settling in we went for a walk and got some dinner at a restaurant called Lucy's. This restaurant had both Chinese, American and Thai food. Rick ordered a Thai spicy pork and I ordered a cheeseburger. Yea, cheeseburger! Jinnae enjoyed mashed potatoes just like her Aunt Sally. This evening we had a knock on our door and the hotel staff delivered us some chocolate. Life is good.

Today was very busy and we are quite tired. We look forward to getting some good rest tonight.

Hello Fourth and Fifth Graders!!

Hi Fourth and Fifth Graders!

How are you doing? I miss all of you. I look forward to your meeting Jinnae. I expect that you are behaving well for Mrs. Medema and getting good grades.

I found a bakery here today. They do not sell chocolate just lots of breads, cookies, and vanilla cakes. I found this cookie with a little bit of chocolate on it. I would have bought one for all of you but they would get smashed in my suitcase. I will get you a different special treat. :) Tell Miss Sjaarda and Mrs. Medema I said, Hello! or Ni Hao! (in Chinese). I do not know how to say hamburger in Chinese. I just had to point at a picture so they knew what I wanted.

I will see you in a few weeks once we get back and Jinnae gets settled. Jinnae will have to adjust to our time. She will think she is supposed to sleep during the day and stay up all night. That won't be good for her mommy. :)

I care about and miss all of you.

Good-bye! (Zai Jian!)

Mrs. Pulaski :)

Day 7 - The People's Park

This morning we went on a trip to a beautiful park called the People's Park. It was very nice. Jinnae found her first boyfriend there. A little boy was smitten with her and followed us through the whole park helping me push the stroller and making sure Jinnae was ok. His grandma quietly followed. Then we drove around a lake called Elephant Lake because it is shaped like an elephant. We are going to have a busy afternoon of doing paperwork and packing. We leave early tomorrow morning to the province of Guangzhou. We will try to update the blog once we get there. We are looking forward to staying in the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. They have a room with lots of toys for children. Jinnae will like that. We also hope to do lots of shopping. Please pray that Jinnae's first airplane flight will be very smooth. Love and miss everyone!

Day 6 - A Countryside Village in Jiangxi Province

Today was an eye opening and humbling day. We visited a village similar to the one that Jinnae was born in. The fathers were rice farmers and the mothers took care of the home. The homes did not have running water except for an outside spigot. There was no indoor plumbing. There were chickens and dogs running around. There were no modern farm machines. Oxen and bulls pulled the farm equipment around. As I walked through the village and visited the people, I cried. I am thankful Jinnae's biological mom carried her to term and delivered her. I am thankful that she loved Jinnae so much she made sure that someone found her at the bus station. I know she wanted a good life for Jinnae. I know that she did not want to give Jinnae up but had to due to China's oppressive family control laws. Rick and I are thankful that she is now a part of our lives.

The people were very friendly. They loved looking at Jinnae. They didn't like that I had her in shorts. They believe babies need to be completely covered even though it is 80 degrees and humid. They forgave me though. :)

I am glad that we visited the village. It will be good to be able to share with Jinnae someday the type of home she was born in.

In the afternoon we went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch called The Music Cookhouse. All the food choices were on plates in a refrigerated glass case. We looked at them and chose what we wanted. I thought the fish looked good but I knew it wasn't cooked and the head would be left on so I opted for the chicken and rice instead. Rick ate a beef, tomato and egg dish. While we ate, musical performances would occur every 15 minutes. Jinnae loved this! She loves music and watching dancing.

We then rested in the hotel and Vicki was so happy to find out from our guide, Kelly, that there is a McDonald's here and they deliver to the hotel. The cheeseburger and fries were great! Rick and Jinnae just shook their heads at me, they do not care for such food. :)

Tomorrow we will be doing paperwork and visiting a park.