This is long but part of the reason for the blogging is to share with Chloe when she is older.....

Gotcha Day and Adoption Day

As I am writing this, we are watching American Idol and Chloe is lying in her crib playing with 2 packets of tissues.  Oops, she just got one open.  Ok, she should be sleeping but instead she is ripping bits of plastic and shredding tissues.  Parenting 101!

I can't remember if I wrote it and I can't see the blog but Monday March 22 was our Gotcha Day which we will celebrate every year- the first day we met Chloe.

Tuesday March 23 was the day the adoption became final.  We all went back to the Civil Affairs Office (The Norwegians were there too).  First they took a family photo which goes in her file.  Then there was a swearing in ceremony.  We had to swear that we would not abuse or abandon Chloe and that we would raise her as our own.  More photos were taken and for a small fee we will receive a bounded book with pictures of the ceremony, photos from the Chongqing SWI (Social Welfare Institute), and photos of the city of Chongqing.  Then we officially became Chloe's parents.  We then had to go up to a window, pay some other fee while an office worker looked at a picture of Chloe in her file then stared at her in person to make sure we were given the correct baby. And the man REALLY looked- her looked at her photo, then really looked and stared at her face until he was sure we were given SiWei .  Someone asked Lee earlier how we knew we were getting the same baby- well, there you go.

Toddlers  

Last night Chloe had trouble falling asleep and was agitated.  Tonight she played in her crib for an hour and a half before she fell asleep.  She poked her fingers through the holes in the mesh until I squeezed them, then she let out the cutest giggles. She is really quite charming.  So curious about everything-she still loves the mirror and if we give her a cookie or a toy, she walks over to the mirror to see how she looks with it.  Then more giggles.  Now we have all of her toys in an empty suitcase (We even walked to a Toys r Us yesterday) and she loves to open it up, take something out, put it back in.  She loves a Curious Buddies DVD and points the remote at the TV.  I bought a little backpack that was Anna's and she loves to put that on as soon as we get ready to go out.

Chloe is very active.  She spent the first two days extending her arms to me, then to Lee, to me, then back to Lee.  We carry her around a lot but today she did sit in a cart at the grocery.  She loved it.  Back to the activity level....We were used to Anna who, even at two wasn't a big runner or climber.  This kid is wiry and squirmy.  We are told this may be temporary....I hope by temporary they means she will sit just fine and sleep during the 14 hour ordeal in the sky next week.  UGH!

Chongqing and food and downtime

So, our guide Michael is showing us around Chongqing and taking us shopping but it's been raining now for a few days.  On Friday we fly Guangzhou where we have more appointments. We went to a grocery store and checked out the potato chip aisle....I love to check out the flavors in other countries:

lime....cucumber...roasted chicken.....kiwi......Italian red meat sauce........Yummy! 

We usually eat at the breakfast buffet in the hotel, then get ready for a little excursion..an appointment or a trip to the store.  Yesterday we bought formula at a grocery and m&m's with Chinese writing on the bag for Anna.  We also stopped at a book store and bought some things for both of the girls.

There are a few English TV stations but we mostly watch Star World.  IT plays random American shows like My wife and kids, MOnk, Heroes, WHose Line is this and when we are lucky Raymond, KING OF QUEENS, American Idol, letterman.  We have lots of time for playing with Chloe in the room.  We are mostly calling her Siwei for now.  It's funny, when we met her nanny I asked what do you call her?  She said FengSiwei (which I learned is pronounced Shway, not See-way but See-way is easier!) .  So it's like calling someone SmithJohn all the time so that's the way we've been addressing her...so formal!  FengShway...stop climbing on the bed and please decorate the house!

Missing Anna

Ok I have really been missing her badly..that and the rain have made this a long week but it's better.

We FINALLY spoke to Anna tonight.  We've been having communication difficulties- once she wouldn't get on the phone, once she was sleeping.  Then we couldn't find a phone that uses the cards and Skype wouldn't work.  Tonight we  called home from our room.  Anna is having a blast with my sisters and my cousin and my mom and everyone else.  She is going to expect Burger King, McDonald, manicures, presents and more when we get home.  They are totally spoiling her.  She wouldn't even talk on the phone- she just said "eh" .  What the heck is "EH?"  At least I heard her voice.  I've been missing her terribly.  Only 9 more days and I get to hug her and she gets to meet her little sister.

Stares

In Beijing Lee and I got a lot of stares.  No big deal.  THe funniest was when we went to a very local restaurant- it was packed, bright and very loud.  We were clearly one of the few americans that have been there.  Our guide dropped us off, ordered us food and left.  So the waiter puts down a big bowl of noodles and vegetables.  Then he put down a small blob of brown stuff.  Lee thought the blob was for the noodles.  So I utilized the WW salad dressing technique- dipped my chopsticks in the blob and pulled up some noodles.  The waiter walked over without a word, grabbed the bowls and vigorously mixed the blob and the noodles.  Thank you sir, the whole meal is quite delicious.  We were seated at the window so eventually a group of older Chinese men gathered to watch the Americans eat and use chopsticks.  They really just sated there for about 10 minutes.  Reminds me of my days in Japan when young people would stop and ask to take our pictures.  Ah, fame.

Now that we are in Chongqing, the largest city in China we still get stares.  It's not exactly a tourist stop.  Most people stop and look at the two babies.  Some say "lucky baby".  We were warned that women would zip up the babies jackets or pull up their socks if they thought they weren't warm enough.  The land of Grandmas!

Yesterday at breakfast we met a business woman from Manhasset!