First Family Days
Well, it’s in the wee hours of the morning and I can’t sleep, so I’ll take advantage of the quiet and catch you all up on the last 36 hours. First, thank you all for writing your e-mails and keeping us posted; it means a lot to us to know that you’re watching our trip. Be aware that I am able to post to the diary but cannot actually look at the website itself, so any goofs will be fixed when I get home. Hopefully, all Liann’s pictures came out okay.

Okay, catch up time. First, a little about Chongqing. It is a beautiful city, very hilly, with cleaner buildings than Beijing (i.e. less evidence of the air pollution on the building walls), and much less sprawling than Beijing, although as you recall from an earlier post, most of Chongqing’s population is made up outside the city itself. Our hotel is stunning; Greg and I are clearly outclassed by the joint, although Liann looks perfect in it.




So yesterday we traveled two hours to Fuling to the orphanage. The countryside is so beautiful, with great spans of green hills and mountains, dotted with rural houses. Fuling is a hilly city as well; the orphanage lies down at the bottom of a steep hill. I actually did not realize we were there, until someone pointed out the crowd of people standing at the gates of the orphanage. Apparently, adoption days always pull a crowd of locals, who smile and wave at the babies as they leave. It’s very sweet.




We had thought that we would go into the babies’ crib room and very systematically be called to receive our babies. Zhou also had to check on the next groups’ babies, so as a group of them was brought out to the courtyard, I thought it was the next month’s babies ready for their pictures. Then Zhou asked, “Does anybody recognize this baby? It’s one of ours!” with a big smile on his face, and then more and more of the babies began appearing with their caregivers in the courtyard, all wearing the same yellow-green outfit. I spotted Liann pretty quickly and walked over to her and asked “Ai Yu?” to the caregiver, who nodded and began saying “Mama” to her and pointing to me. Liann repeated “Mama” and looked at me, but began to cry a little. Greg came over then and held her; she went immediately to him and began to reach for his face and pat his cheeks. Definitely going to be a daddy’s girl, I think. Then I was able to hold her, and there were no more tears. I think all of her caregivers came over at one point and held her and talked to her; it is clear she was very loved by them, and I was happy that they were able to say goodbye to her and she remained okay. Really, for the most part, all the babies in our group did beautifully; a couple of the babies were very sad and cried, but I think all of them had rallied by the time we left the orphanage.

We had lunch in Fuling and fed our babies for the first time. I must tell you, Liann likes to eat. She was DIVING for the spoon of steamed egg that Greg was feeding her, and telling him in no uncertain terms when he was too slow with a sharp babbled syllable. It was a riot.

Then we traveled back to Chongqing to get our adoption decree and have our family picture taken. We had a lot of wait time in the meeting room in the office to start to get to know our babies. Liann seems to be a pretty good-natured baby; some of the other babies were mightily entranced by her key ring and tried to grab it; she would reach for it, but then move to another toy. It did not seem to be a big deal to her. Give it time. More about Liann – she’s very curious and inquisitive, and shows evidence of it by either sticking out her tongue and curling it up over her upper lip, or sucking in her upper lip; she loved riding on the bus and looking out the window. She also was not bothered a bit by her bath (which I have read is often a sticking point), but liked the water. She does smile, but she’s such a cheeky girl that she can’t smile very wide. It’s adorable. And she seems to be the talker of the bunch; she’s got this deep booming voice and loves to say “mamama” and “dadadada.” Greg and I are clearly hooked.

This morning we went shopping at a local department store for baby items – diapers, extra blanket, etc. It basically looks like a Kaufmann’s, except that there’s a drug store and a grocery attached as well. You pick your items, get a ticket for them, take the ticket to the cashier, pay, take the ticket back and get your item. It was a lot of fun just doing something local and normal. We had many people approach us and pat Liann’s arm or make “cheek” blow up faces and smile. One elderly woman approached us and scolded us for having her too warm! (Quite a switch – normally people are scolded for keeping them uncovered). We figure this afternoon we’ll wander to the bookstore after giving her lunch.

A Day of Uniting
Okay, everyone – This is going to be a very short text, because (a) we are exhausted beyond all measure, and (b) we know you only want to see pictures of our newest addition anyway. I promise to post more about this wonderful day tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of Liann Aiyu Downs!

The Temple of Heaven and other sights
Well, today was a jam-packed day, and as I sit here on the plane to Chongqing, I feel very lucky to have been able to see these parts of Beijing and look forward to being able to show them someday to our children.

We started off the day at the Temple of Heaven, a mammoth park with different pavilions and temples hundreds of years old. The park was just lovely, with grand courtyards abutting copses of cypress trees. The scale of the temples was so grand, and the designs so symmetrical and balanced that without knowing any history of the place, I immediately felt joyful and uplifted. But even better than the design was the chance to see so many local people enjoying the parks. We saw groups of all ages doing tai chi, dancing, playing hacky-sack or badminton, playing music in the pavilion, and doing water calligraphy on the courtyard squares. People truly enjoy each other's company here, and seem to have a lot of fun being together. It was one of the most special places I've ever been to of all the things I've been blessed to see. Oh yes, and Greg discovered heretofore untapped haggling skills in purchasing souvenirs; we may have created a monster.







Following the Temple of Heaven, we went to Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City. Our guide Zhou was actually present in Tianenman Square on June 4, 1989 and gave us his account of that day. He believes that changes have been made for the better since that time. The Forbidden City has 999 rooms, which were at one time occupied by the emperor and his concubines. Again, it was as much fun people-watching as seeing the architecture. There is a great deal of scaffolding and renovation going on right now, I would presume in preparation for the Olympics in 2008.



After the Forbidden City we went to a Silk Factory where we saw silkworms do their work. Oh yes, and bought outfits for Will and Liann.

After lunch we trekked to the airport and as I write this we are in the air heading for Chongqing. I have butterflies in my stomach thinking about meeting Liann tomorrow. It's hard to conceive (no pun intended) that such a huge life-changing event will happen so suddenly, without the benefit of the gentle transition of having gut-wrneching contractions every two minutes for a day. Say some prayers for us that Liann isn't too traumatized by the whole event.

And on that cliff-hanger of an ending, I'll sign off until tomorrow.

P.S. With our airline meal tonight, we had a Fuling pickle! A good omen, and tasty too.

The Great Traffic Jam of China
Well, we got into the hotel last night about 2 am, beyond tired. The hotel is lovely, big spacious rooms and firm mattresses. Mmm. However, because ALL of China is one time zone, the sun is UP in Beijing by 5:15 am. But the few hours sleep felt like gold.

After a Western style breakfast buffet at the hotel, we were off on a 1 hour ride to the Great Wall of China. Impressions of Beijing: Huge, sprawling, LOTS of construction; traffic is CRAZY. Greg, who generally likes to drive in new places, has vowed never.

However, as soon as you leave the city, these absolutely stunning mountains rise out of the mist/haze; green carpets of trees on red rock. And then there's the Great Wall. Fast facts about the Wall - construction began in the fifth century BC and continued to the 16th century. It covers over 6000 km across China. We were on the Badaling Pass, where most of the tourists go. What a workout; there are stretches where you're walking up 40 degree slopes. It was glorious. The weather was perfect, about 80 degrees with a nice breeze. It's definitely one of those experiences that no matter how hard you try with the pictures, it will not equal the live experience of seeing that structure juxtaposed with those stunning mountains.




After the Wall, we travelled to a cloisonne factory which was attached to a Friendship Store. I've never been a huge fan of cloisonne, but seeing how labor intensive and how many different variations I've never known about, I gained a new appreciation for it. As evidenced by the souvenirs we purchased at the Friendship Store, doing our part to bolster the Chinese economy.



We ate lunch at a restaurant adjoining the cloisonne factory. It was fabulous. Dishes kept arriving on a lazy susan, with delicate jasmine tea. The highlight for me was the soup - peppery but not hot, with bits of sundried tomato in it. And amazing fish.

On the way back to the hotel, we got caught up in a traffic jam. Someone had had an accident on the highway and traffic was tied up a mile back. But it was an entertainment experience in itself watching the traffic flow creatively from the three lanes as shown by the painted highway lines to the 4 and 5 and 6 lanes created by the enterprising drivers. And I was very impressed that with all the merging and flow, it all remained very civil. Very few honks were exchanged.

After a short rest, we left for a Chinese acrobatic show, which (between the lengthy periods where my eyes had involuntarily closed) was very well done and quite entertaining.



In thirty-six hours, we will cease to be merely tourists and be that most fearsome of combinations, the tourist-parent!

A Day in the Air
Friday, June 3 6:45 am (feels like Ohio time Thurs. 6:45 pm)

As I write this, we've been in the air for our LA to China flight for approximately 2 hours and I have to say, it hasn't been bad at all. I will try to jot how I feel about 11 hours from now - we land in Shanghai in about 12 hours.

The day started out a little stressfully. Despite Greg having called to make our Continental seat assignments, we checked in to find that the flight was overbooked and we had no seats, so were technically flying standby, along with one other EAC couple. EAC was called and you could practically hear them go into full-alert mode - Bwoop, bwoop - sirens blaring. I was fully prepared to cry on cue, but fortunately, there were sufficient volunteers and we got seats with no problem.

Landing in LA, it was overcast, and my immediate impression was - "I have to pee, my head hurts, and I'm hungry." One bathroom, three Excedrin, and a fish taco later, all was right with my world again.

We got onto the China Eastern flight uneventfully, and here I sit, making my first entry. The flight so far has been fine. Our EAC mates all seem very nice; everyone is as excited as we are. We all stared at the toddlers and babies on this flight going to China with their families and "Aaaaw'd" as one.

6/3 - 5:40 pm (5:40 am Ohio time)

Well, we have about an hour to go until we land in Shanghai, and even then it's not done - then we have a 2 hour flight to Beijing. But having weathered 11 hours in the air, I have to say, I thought I was going to feel a lot worse than I do. The plane has actually been fine. The seats don't have the little tvs, but they have POWER, so that I could plug in my Palm Pilot and play marathon Scrabble with Greg. Current tally: Greg 1, Toddie 1, Tie 1. We did manage to sleep a few hours as well. Food was healthy and yummy. So until tomorrow, zai jian (goodbye).


Saturday 7:00 am

Just a quick update – we do not have our cell phone yet, Penny and Bill and Will, we will call as soon as we get the phone and/or figure out how to use the international line from our room!

We have an Itinerary!
The Itinerary for Chongqing Group

Date Arrangement & possible Activities
June 2 Thursday. Leave LA for Beijing via Shanghai by MU586.

Flight: Continental CO0735
Dep: CLE, 9:00am
Arr: LAX, 10:49am
Notes: Boeing 737-800, Breakfast, duration 4:49

Flight: China Eastern, MU586
Dep: LAX 1:30pm
Arr: Shanghai, 6:15pm, June 3
Notes: Airbus A340-600, duration 13:45

Flight: China Eastern, MU586
Dep: Shanghai, 9:50pm
Arr: Beijing, 11:50pm
Notes: Airbus A320, duration 2:00

June 3 Friday. Arrive in Beijing, 11:50pm
Stay at:
Holiday Inn Downtown Beijing
Tel.: 0118610-6833-8822
Fax: 0118610-6834-0696

June 4 Sat. Visit the Great Wall. An acrobatic show in the evening.

June 5 Sunday. Temple of Heaven, Tiananman Square, Forbidden City. Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. Visit a silk factory. Then go to the airport to Chongqing,
Flight: Air China 4142
Dep: Beijing, 5:10pm.
Arr: Chongqing, 7:30pm.
Notes: Dinner, Boeing 737, duration 2:20
Stay at:
Marriott J W Chongqing
Tel: 0118623-6388-8888.
Fax: 0118623-63809425

June 6 Monday. We will go to Fuling 9:00am to get babies at 9:00am. The one way trip will take about two hours bus ride, and back to the city for adoption registration in the afternoon.

June 7 Tuesday. Relax, bonding and do some shopping in between.

June 8 Wednesday. Visit the Zoo to see pandas, back to the hotel by 1:00pm.

June 9 Thursday. Visit the Three Gorges Museum and back to the hotel around 1:00pm.

June 10 Flight: China Southern, CZ 3416
Dep: Chongqing, 4:40pm
Arr: Guangzhou, 6:20pm.
Notes: Boeing 757, duration 1:40
Stay at:
Victory Hotel
Tel.: 0118620-8121-6688
Fax: 0118620-8121-6062

June 11 Sat. Do babies medical in the morning. Walking distance. Fill the paper for visa process in the afternoon.

June 12 Sun. Visit Jade, and Pearl Market, shopping and sightseeing.

June 13 Monday. Appointment at 11:00am, and only Zhou will go.

June 14 Tue. Parents need to go to the U.S. Consulate in the morning for a short ceremony. Zhou will get the visa in the afternoon.

June 15 Wed. We are leaving Guangzhou for Shanghai by CZ 3609, Dept.time 10:00am. Arrive Shanghai at 11:50am. Then make MU 583 connection to LA at 2:55pm. Arrive in LA at 11:30am the same day.

Flight: China Southern, CZ 3609
Dep: Guangzhou, 9:50am
Arr: Shanghai, 11:50am
Notes: MDC MD-82, duration 1:55

Flight: China Eastern MU583
Dep: Shanghai, 2:55pm
Arr: LAX, 11:30am
Notes: Meal, Airbus A340-600, duration 11:35

Flight: Continental CO0566
Dep: LAX 3:05pm
Arr: CLE 10:24pm
Notes: Boeing 737-700, Dinner, duration 4:19


All times are local.
China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, so 6pm here is 6am the next morning in China

Here's a picture of Liann sent to us on Mother's Day -

The Place where You Live
China's a pretty big place, and just like any other pretty big place, it's provinces and regions are distinct and have their own unique identities. Given that, I thought it might be helpful to those of you who are following our journey to know a little bit about the region where Liann was born.

Liann is living at the moment at the Chongqing Fuling First Social Welfare Institute. If you're interested, there's a terrific website created by families of children adopted from Fuling called "Fuling Kids International" (www.fulingkids.org).

In China, Fuling is a district in the Chongqing Municipality. It has a population of slightly more than 1 million people in 2941 sq. km. (according to Wikipedia). Chongqing (which means "double celebration") is one of four of China's provincial-level municipalities; while provinces (like Hunan or Sichuan) are the most common type of province-level division, China's four municipalities have the same administrative level as a province. Beijing is another of China's municipalities, for example. In theory, municipalities are large cities; but Chongqing is an example where the rural population is greater than the urban population. Chongqing has over 32 million people within its borders, most of them living outside of the city, over hundreds of miles of farmland. In 2004, Chongqing ranked as the 10th largest urban area of China.

Chongqing is located in central China, at the edge of the Yungui Plateau, and is intersected by the Jialing River and the upper reaches of the Yangtze. It is very hilly, and gets very hot and humid in the summer; Greg has seen a quote calling it "China's furnace." The controversial Three Gorges Dam, in the Three Gorges area between Yichang and Fuling, has been under construction since 1994; its reservoir began filling in 2003 and is expected to be complete in 2009; it will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world when it is complete.

Culinary-wise, Fuling is known for the "Fuling Pickle," made from a large, radish-like vegetable. Chongqing is known for its many different types of hotpots. A hotpot has a soup base, usually very spicy. This pot of boiling soup is placed in the middle of the table, where diners put a variety of vegetables and meat in it to cook and eat.

So all told, I think the region where Liann was born is going to be fascinating to see and learn about first-hand. And I can't wait to taste the hotpot.

Introducing Liann Aiyu Downs
Hi everyone -

Greg, Will and I received our packet from China on Monday, April 18, 2005 containing pictures and information about our daughter, Fu Ai Yu. Here are her vital statistics:

Name: Fu Ai Yu (to be called Liann Aiyu Downs)

Her name translates as "Love-Rare Treasure" or loosely translated, "Precious treasure."

Birthdate: June 23, 2004

Orphanage: Chongqing, Fuling Social Welfare Institute

Weight at time she was found: 6 lb. 10 oz.
Height at time she was found: 20 in.

Current weight (as of 4/20/05): 21 lb.
Current height (as of 4/20/05): 27 1/2 in.

If you're wondering, the way we know this is because the orphanage provided our agency, EAC, with updated measurements and pictures taken on that day.

So without further delay, here are the pictures.

Here's the smaller picture, showing her trepidation. . .

And here are her updated pictures too.