 |
 |
 |
|
12/9 #1: Marie was very unhappy going to bed the first couple of nights.
We wondered if she did not realize that everyone else was in bed too (as
she could not hear them) so we had her put everyone else to bed with us
and she went right to bed! |
12/10 #1: Can't a guy get some sleep in this household? |
12/13 #1: Uncle Dan came over and gave Marie a teddy bear (with a
light-up heart on its chest). Dan was given the bear by his dad so
it is very special as it comes from Grandpa Bisig. |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/8 #2: So this family photo says it all! Rachel taking care of
Marie. Micah wearing his "brother" shirt (written in both English
and Chinese), Adam right next to his little sister and Marie... ever
vigilant for Lady's presence (just out of the picture). |
12/8 #3: Marie eating some cheese! We just went to the store to
get her some comfort foods (cheese and drinkable yogurt). She is
not a picky eater... that is a good thing! |
12/8 #4: Marie just after getting into trouble for smashing the
cheese with her elbow (obviously our discipline techniques were not too
intimidating). |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/6 #1: Marie on the plane. She did great... got cranky before
falling asleep but otherwise was fine. |
12/7 #1: Marie and Micah cuddling on the couch... Micah was waiting for
this! |
12/8 #1: To say that Rachel is enjoying being a big sister to a
little girl is an understatement... she LOVES her sister! |
 |
 |
 |
| 12/5 #4: All of the families we traveled with. A great
group of people with very different stories leading to their welcoming
the newest member of their family. |
12/5 #5: One last meal at "Lucy's" restaurant down the road from the
hotel where we ate at least 8 meals over the past four days. |
12/5 #6: The hotel we have been staying in all lit up for Christmas.
The entire area is lit up with Christmas "stuff" and lazer light shows. |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/5 #1: Have you ever heard of "herding cats"? Well this
group photo of the 10 kids being adopted by our group was a lot like
that. Marie did great... front and center. |
12/5 #2: Marie waiting patiently as the kids around her get
held until that very last moment right before the photos start clicking. |
12/5 #3: Mommy with Marie inside of the hotel by the
waterfall... near the very expensive restaurant that we only ate
breakfast in as it was included. |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/4 #4 Lots of great statues in the area. This one celebrates
children. A line of kids is following an adult... Marie jumped
right in! |
12/4 #5 Another statue depicting the transformation of the "modern"
Chinese woman. 1800's, 1900's and the woman of the year 2000 (with
cut off shorts, midriff shirt and cell phone). |
12/4 #6 The were shooting a cosmetics commercial in town today...
had a couple of different roads closed down for quite a while.
What a production for a commercial! Now we know why the product
costs so much! |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/4 #1: The area around "The White Swan" was once the zone for European
consulates. The construction and amenities are very European. |
12/4 #2 Mommy caught a great shot of Marie just before heading down
the twisty slide. She is learning to sit so she doesn't fall down
the slide... a very good learn. |
12/4 #3: Marie in the "Friendship Garden". |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/3 #4: Marie attempting to take the stone ball out of the mouth of the
lion. As the legend goes, the one who does it takes possession of
the temple. You are all welcome to visit us here... she got it
out! |
12/3 #5: Denise and Marie in front of this rock carving... in
Chinese it says, "beautiful woman and daughter missing children in
Ohio." It was so weird how that worked out... |
12/3 #6: Mike and Marie in front of a tree. I know, it is not
a rock carving but the tree talked. |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/3 #1: Denise and Marie napping. |
12/3 #2: Mike and Marie throwing a coin into a lucky thing-a-ma-jig
(I forget the name). |
12/3 #3: Marie and some of the other babies were blessed during a
Buddhist ritual in this temple (we video taped it). |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/2 #2: Marie getting her temperature taken. The sign to Marie's
right is the eye chart for kids who can't read... point your hand as the
picture shows - (I'd fail this eye test with my glasses on!). |
12/2 #3: The blur by her right foot is a hanky-sack with feathers on
it (kind of like a badmitten birdie). Mom, we got you one so start
stretching... people work out here in the public square all the time. |
12/2 #4: Daddy and Marie "ruffling up" at the hotel. Marie has
learned the Johnson Family sign for "ruffling up" (wrestling). If
you don't know it ask Rachel, Micah or Adam... they know it (beware...
if you do it they will tackle you!). |
 |
 |
 |
|
12/1 #3:
Cindy with Marie at the airport... Marie's first flight was a couple of
hours later... |
12/1 #4: and she really did great! She played with her toys, paged
through the magazine and ate a lot of peanuts (she was signing that she
had to go potty the entire trip but made it just fine). |
12/2 #1: Today started with our group's medical appointments.
Here Marie is involved in the highly technical hearing test... play keys
on the piano with right hand while squeaking duck with left... the doc
thinks she has residual hearing (although that darn brain stem test said
otherwise). |
 |
 |
 |
|
11/30 #7:
The cultural center... the combination of the paint and lighting makes
it look like a mirage in the night. |
12/1 #1: A whole other meaning to the phrase, "Airing your dirty laundry."
Really cool laundry poles telescope in and out from the apartment
windows. |
12/1 #2: When we first received Marie and she was teaching us how to care for
her, we saw this sign and it became our mantra during the crying times. |
 |
 |
 |
|
11/30 #4:
Denise and Marie laughing at the funny face Marie had just made... we
started to see her personality today (for a little bit). |
11/30 #5: Denise, Marie and Cindy on stones above the pavilion mote. |
11/30 #6: The "new" Nanchang (on the other side of the river). Home of
more high rise apartments, hotels and business centers. |
 |
 |
 |
|
11/30 #1:
This site has been a culture and arts center for over 1300 years. |
11/30 #2: This is a model of the first pavilion built on the site... it was
destroyed and rebuilt 4 times (in accord with the rise and fall of
various dynasties). |
11/30 #3: The top floor has a stage for music and dancing. These
musicians were playing some really great stringed music. |
 |
 |
 |
|
11/29 #4:
Denise and Marie on the merry-go-round at the zoo... she was into it for
about two rounds and then was ready to get off. |
11/29 #5: Marie's favorite thing was looking at the "big birds" (we did not
know how to sign Ostrich so "big bird" had to do. |
11/29 #6: Both the Bengal tiger and the Puma had dogs in their cages... a new
meaning to the phrase "having friends for dinner"? |
 |
 |
 |
|
11/29 #1:
Feeding the fish at the Nanchang Zoo... |
11/29 #2: and man were there a lot of them! |
11/29 #3: Marie and Denise with our Nanchang Adoption Guide... Cindy.
She is a wonderful person who is working hard with and for us and Marie. |
 |
No new photos (11/27)... but you can read a new
journal entry if you would like. |
 |
| Denise with Marie "knocked out" on the CT scan bed... again, you
gotta read the journal. |
|
Marie crashed after a long day of walking, eating and more walking! |
 |
 |
 |
| Marie four hours later just after she stopped crying. |
Marie's lucky digit... her thumb (our Doc in Cincinnati wanted to see
it)! |
Denise and Marie in the Hospital... read the journal to find out the
nasty details! |
 |
 |
 |
| The number of people living in the major cities is
unbelievable! Row after row of high rise apartments. These
are in Nanchang outside the hotel. |
Denise in the lobby of "Gloria Plaza Hotel" in Nanchang just before
leaving to get Marie. |
Marie with caregivers just before she started crying... |
 |
 |
 |
| One of the many thrown rooms around the city. This
one was in the central part of the city to serve as a sort of resting
place for the emperor. |
Just a shot to offer some perspective - this area, all for the
emperor and his entourage, is huge. Elaborate construction and
well planned turns. |
The last emperor living in the "Forbidden City" had his wedding
photo taken at these intertwined cypress trees - it is seen as good luck
for couples to do the same. |
 |
 |
 |
| Denise in front of the "Forbidden City" - the emperor's
city - the picture in the background is of Chairman
Mao Tse-Tung. |
This is one of the 9,999 buildings that make up the "Forbidden
City". It was constructed over 600 years ago. |
The last feudal emperor lived here in the 1920's. This is the
mote surrounding it. |
 |
 |
 |
| Denise and our FTIA guide on Tiananmen Square |
Mike on Tiananmen Square in front of Chairman Mao's crypt |
The memorial for those who fought in WWII to help bring about the
"new" China |
 |
 |
 |
| Denise at the "Summer Palace" |
So this is our lunch (it was great) and that is a fried fish head on
the platter! We also had what we thought was called "Fried Puppy"
but it was actually "Pork Dumplings"... a little language barrier! |
The main Olympic stadium being built in Beijing. There is all
kinds of construction here to prepare for the 2008 winter games. |
 |
 |
 |
| The Emperor's "Summer Palace" - a major tourist site now
but at one time it was the summer home of the emperor and his family. |
This lake was man made for the emperor and family. |
Incredible architecture at the Summer Palace. Funds meant to
build China's navy were diverted to fund the expansion of the Palace. |
 |
 |
 |
| The great wall through smog and haze... the pollution in
Beijing affects even the mountainous regions. |
On The Wall... what a climb uneven steps and quite the incline. |
The Wall was begun over 2000 years ago. In the 1600's they
expanded the towers that you see so that they could mount cannons on the
top... I have no idea how they got the "stuff" up there to do it.
What a hike... |
 |
 |
 |
| Mike
checking out the views over Alaska. |
Views of Alaska... Beautiful! |
Our tour guide as we head to the Great Wall of China |
 |
 |
 |
| The
747 400 that we flew out on. |
Denise in the Detroit Airport's tunnel of crazy lights. |
The
tram INSIDE of Detroit's Airport. |
Tomorrow we travel to receive Marie! We will see what kind of internet
access we have so that we can get pictures our ASAP!
