Gotta have Shades

Today was a super good day. Charlie got home from a business trip and everyone (mama most I think) was super glad to see him. I can tell that I switched my philosophy once we hit the one-month mark of being back in the States. I used to be anti-television for kids. I still am, but decided that allowing her to watch a show while I was cleaning the kitchen for 15 minutes was better and more productive than her screaming every time I put her down. We watch Ni Hao, Kai Lan, which is a cartoon by Nickelodeon that is about the cutest little girl and her friends. They say things in Chinese and she says that everything is "super...fill in the blank". I find that I am saying that we are super happy or everything is super good or that something is super yummy...I originally heard that on the Legally Blond movies, but now I am repeating it because there is a little cartoon kid saying it in my house every morning! Makena really does respond to the Chinese though and (for those of you who are interested) the new Kai Lan's Great Trip to China episode is really great and talks all about things that kids would be interested in about China.

Anyway, Makena and I have our first playdate tomorrow with a mom and daughter that we met through the adoption community. We can't wait (and really hope that they will understand why our house is not quite as organized as we would like!)...

Just showing off her new tooth...boy, that was sure fun!

Just chilling in my cool ride...walking Scout and Boo!

My shades might not be Dior, but they stay on!

Fun Day

We are on day three of Charlie's out-of-town business trip and decided that we should get out and do something fun! Makena did not have the best night sleep (super fun...ugh!) and she consequently fell asleep on our morning dog walk. She was back up and ready to go about 9:30am. I am bound and determined to find all of the fun local activities for kids. Today was our second attempt (the first was The Little Gym - great fun, and we are planning to enroll in the fall semester). We headed to the Children's Museum. It was terrific and the tot play area was just what the doctor ordered. After about 20 minutes of not wanting to leave my side, Makena ventured out on her own! There was a ball toy, lots of tunnels, puzzles, legos, cars and scooters, and a bunch more that were the perfect size for the 2 and under crowd! After mama's knees needed a break, we walked around through the bigger kid stuff and know that we will spend many years going to the museum. There was a real fire engine, police car, airplane cockpit, train, nascar car, and postal truck - and that is just the vehicles! They also have a media room where the kids can pretend to be a newscaster and a creative room where they can finger paint. It isn't perfect, but everything in the place allows for learning and creativity! The only drawback? I forgot the camera...I know, I know...shame on me.


After spending two hours zooming around the museum and eating a big lunch, Makena crashed. When she got up her hair was crazy, so we put it in one of those little ponytails on top of her head...too cute! She won't let us put a bow in her hair, but didn't seem to notice the ponytail! That will be a regular hair style for her as her hair grows out. She walked a LOT tonight too...she is so proud and is just adorable as she wobbles across the floor.

We haven't planned anything exciting for tomorrow yet and this is one of those typical thunderstorm weeks, so we'll have to stick to inside fun. I need to check out Kindermusik - maybe we'll give them a call!

Just because...

...there is nothing quite like a kid in overalls.

Our 2 "Oldest"

Scout and Boo had a big day today...grooming! Really it is just a bath, but we like to glam it up a bit and call it their spa day. They came out of the vet with their bandanas and big smiles to see mama and Makena. Simply adorable! We are still "in love" with both of them and our lives would not be as full if they hadn't joined our family. I cannot say enough about how proud we are of our pups...especially, Scout. Their patience with Makena and with us as we grow as first-time parents continues to amaze me. Scout will not jump up on Makena; Scout will let Makena pet her; Scout will sit and wait for Makena to throw her toy (about three inches!) and then "chase" it and drop it back for Mak to throw again! Boo is dealing with a helmet on her head because of some odd allergic reaction, but is otherwise doing well. Boo is still a loaner, but she is pretty patient with Mak and is definitely getting used to having a little human in the house! Scout's 3rd birthday is next week...I see a big treat in her future! BooBoo will be sure to get something special too!

The view from the table during dinner time...they both sit and patiently wait for food playtime to begin!

Scout with some pretty creepy camera eyes...

Boo showing her bashful side...

Cool Kicks...

Every girl needs to have cool kicks. Makena tried on (or Mama put them on...whichever way you want to view it) real kid shoes today. She wears a pair of walking sandals from Stride Rite every day, but today we threw caution to the wind and tried on a pair of high tops...I think she liked them!

You can also get a glimpse into our half finished playroom! Complete with awesome toys from a bunch of awesome friends and our new toy bins (now child safe thanks to Charlie!)...

Lessons Learned - Part 1

We've learned so much in the last (almost) two months that it is simply crazy. At the beginning of June we were a rather naive couple getting packed for China. While we had purchased the recommended formula, we didn't know how to actually make it (that might sound ridiculous, but it is very true!). I am going to try and remember some of the things we've learned during our journey...

1. Now I know why people buy the giant packages of paper towels! You can never have too many!
2. If you put half of the water in the formula bottle first, then the formula, then stir, then add the rest, it will be much better than if you add the powder first. Also...while we didn't do it, never shake the bottle if you can help it. We ended up using the swizzle stick from the hotel bar to stir the formula.
3. American diapers far out perform Chinese diapers, but neither make a baby smell "fresh" if they are not! Also, pooping is an event to be celebrated...no matter where we are :)!
4. She will inevitably fall asleep right as we arrive to our destination - today, we headed on a 5-minute car ride to Target and she fell asleep while we were parking (but this afternoon I drove around for 30 minutes trying to get her to sleep and she screamed the whole time!).
5. Toddlers are involved eaters. They haven't enjoyed their food until it completely engulfs them and covers their hair, face, hands, and sometimes even their feet.
6. If your daughter isn't dressed in head to toe pink, everyone assumes that she is a boy (we don't care, but it is really funny when they look closer and realize that she has on a dress).
7. Sleep is fleeting. Take it when you can get it and remember...patience when you wake up for the 15th time of the night (and no, I am NOT exaggerating) is a virtue!
8. Running the dishwasher on a schedule really makes a difference in my life! It might sound silly, but if I run it after her last bottle of the night everything is clean when we wake up for breakfast.
9. Our playroom is a lifesaver. Anyone who wants to stop by and play with some great 1-year-old toys, we would love the company!
10. Taking a ton of pictures, which we do, doesn't do anyone good if you don't share them! We are working to be better about posting them...

Boating

We made it to the boat (finally, as Charlie might add) and Mak did a great job! There wasn't even the hint of a tantrum until we changed her out of her wet swim clothes, and frankly, I don't like that much myself! We will definitely be going out again soon.

Our best purchased, gifted, and borrowed items

Somebody asked me the other day what were some good products that we could recommend. Below are a bunch of the ones that we LOVE.

First and foremost...a day/night video monitor...we cannot say enough good things about it!

A really nice stroller...we bought the Quinny Buzz stroller for walking around the neighborhood and the local parks. It has real tires and is the best ride for Makena. It's easy to push and goes over the nature trails. We've got tons of hills too, so this was definitely a good buy!

Two booster chairs...we bought the Fisher-Price Healthy Booster chair for her to eat in at the table. I'm not a big fan of the huge high chairs and our kitchen table is gathering height so the traditional ones wouldn't work. We ended up buying another one (primarily to have an extra tray for the house), and are able to use it in restaurants. She is so used to the chair that there isn't the usual going-out trauma that we experience if we don't bring it. And...they are inexpensive!

A great lullaby mix...our friends gifted us a copy of the mix that they made when their son was little. It is the greatest mix of lullaby music, and it isn't the usual baby stuff. I find myself getting sleepy while I'm trying to put her to bed if I have the CD on. Thanks, Miss Marne and Mr. Jason (and Max!)!

The Baby Bjorn Travel Crib...is the greatest invention in the world of pack and plays. Not only is it super portable, but she can't hurt herself if she falls. There is no metal that she can hit and it isn't some obnoxious color palette or character theme! Thanks, Grandpapa and Grandmama!

A rubber duck bathtub...we "invested" in the $10 blow-up duck tub and found that Makena is in love with her tub! Even after we empty the water out she will stay in the tub until she is shivering. Even the bottom is full of air, making it (apparently) very comfortable on her little tush. It also doesn't use that much water. Awesome...

The Toddler 411 book...for those of us parents who start with a one-year-old, this book was a lifesaver! We struggled a bit in the beginning, but got a lot of knowledge from that book once we got home.

I know that there are a BUNCH more things, but I need to get some things done before she wakes up from her nap. Charlie is on a business trip, and I'm so proud that I was able to vacuum the house while holding Makena and fending off two Jack Russells that aren't big fans of the vacuum!

Fun at the Brown house!

Makena is walking a few steps now, and combined with Scout and Boo fighting over a stuffed dinosaur, you can see what a day is like at the Brown house!

Catching up

We are working to catch up with friends and family right now...someday we'll get adoption announcements out (hopefully before she turns two!). We spent July 4th at our friend's beautiful pool...and took a family portrait! It was a great time (although we left way before fireworks).

Some things we've learned about our little girl...she loves guacamole more than her previously favorite food of watermelon...she does not like any girly things in her hair...she loves the dogs and they usually love her (although Boo is a bit moody right now)...she is a swimmer at heart...she loves to kick a soccer ball around the house (and uses both legs! Yay!)...she is learning how to use a fork and spoon, but is more adept at eating off of chopsticks...she can pinch like no other...she loves looking at trees out the car window...she claps along to the radio...her screams of joy could crack glass...she recognizes herself in pictures...her favorite book is Eight Little Monkeys (thanks, Lauren!)...she just learned how to walk in circles (holding our finger) and will do that for hours...her favorite toy is a play cell phone that we bought in China...she loves taking a bath so much that she will stay in the tub until the water is gone and she's shivering - I'll still have to deal with protests!...there is so much more but it's definitely past my bedtime. She usually wakes up about 10:30pm (she's not the best in the sleep department!), so I better get ready! Love to you all...

A Day in the Life

This is officially our third "normal" day. Here is what that means to us...
Wake at about 4:45am for a diaper change and try to get her back to sleep. Get officially up at 7:00am and have breakfast (eggs, banana, and oatmeal - usually). Suit up Scout and Boo for our walk and put Makena in her cool stroller. Enjoy the neighborhood and then play at home. Around 9:00am or a bit later, Miss Mak gets cranky and so formula it is...followed by an hour nap. We play, eat lunch at 12noon, walk the dogs again, and play some more. She starts to get cranky again around 2:15pm and so formula and a nap it is. She wakes up between 3:00 and 4:00pm. We play some more (go to the pool?) and walk the pups about 5:00pm. Dinner is usually at 6:00pm and we play until it is time for bath, bottle, and bed around 8:00pm. She sleeps fitfully at first, and tends to cry in her sleep. After 10 days at home she only needs us to go into her room a few times between bedtime and 4:45am. Yay! Stop by anytime and join in the fun (but PLEASE, don't ring the doorbell!).

A new kind of accomplishment...

Well, today I am officially without employment. As someone who has always worked, it is very strange to not have an income! I am used to conducting training and working on mult-million dollar projects. Yesterday, my biggest accomplishment was teaching Makena how to move forward on her new scooter. She figured out the backwards after a few minutes, but kept running into walls (and chairs, and dogs...). It's a different kind of accomplishment, but it felt great nonetheless.

A little video...

One of my goals for the coming week is to document our first week home...there were good times, great times, and bad times. We ended our first week together having those great times (and the first round of vaccines is over finally, so the bad times are over for now!). In the meantime, here is a video of Mak on her second night at home...and the dogs that didn't know what to think!

Our First Week Home

Tonight marks our one-week anniversary of Makena's US citizenship. It's been a great and very long week.

Sunday was Father's Day - Makena and I splurged and got Charlie take-out food from PF Chang's! We also let him sleep all day, and in between naps, he also controlled the remote. I did all of the laundry from our trip. It is one thing to leave mail and items from a trip laying around, but I think that the clothes absolutely have to be washed! Monday was more of the same. A trip to Target and such. It's funny though...I really felt like people should be stopping me and asking what I was doing with a kid! I know that sounds funny, but everyone just assumed that I was her mom and for whatever reason, that felt very bizarre. That feeling will pass, but for right now, wow. Not what I expected.

We spent a couple of hours at Mak's new pediatrician on Tuesday. She got down to her diaper and ran (with help, of course) all over the office. Her squeals of joy could be heard throughout the building...as could her screams of terror when they measured her and gave her the required vaccines. Boy oh boy, was she showing off her lungs. Charlie had to go on an "emergency" business trip to Chicago that night, so he had left for the airport shortly before they administered her shots. I was on my own for 36 hours with Mak and the pups. While at the doctor, they also discovered that she had a nasty ear infection, so they prescribed her an antibiotic. She seemed fine as we headed home from the drug store, but she had me fooled! We took our baby Tylenol every four hours at the direction of the doctor...her fever started about 8pm and went up and down for the next 24 hours. She screamed for most of the night. My girlfriend, Kate, showed up for a new mom pep talk later in the evening and was AWESOME! She didn't even comment on the fact that we had simply spread all of our stuff all over our house...unpacking wouldn't happen for at least another day. I am so lucky to have her! It was no sleep for me on Tuesday night, but we still managed to get the dogs walked and a few naps in Mak on Wednesday.

Makena got to go visit Charlie's office on Thursday. She put on her Hollywood look and showed off for all of the folks...she walked around, played with toys, and smiled at the big semi-circle of people watching her. We are truly blessed with a wonderful little girl. We did get good news on Thursday - a negative TB test! Woohoo!

On Friday we went in for a hearing test and for bloodwork. Anyone with a child knows all about taking a kid for bloodwork, so I won't go into that trauma. The hearing test was very interesting...Makena wasn't thrilled about it, and did have some trouble. We are heading back in a few weeks to get retested and hoping that after her ear infection clears up that she will have better luck! To make up for the bloodwork (during which Charlie was the mean one that held her down...cheers to cool dads!), we took her to Toys R Us. Makena had a great time and ended up picking out a ball. A $1.79 ball, which really made her penny watching parents happy.

We relaxed over the weekend and went to the pool on Sunday. Mak LOVES the water and really thinks that she can swim (we really don't think she can), and after her ear infection is all cleared up, we will definitely let her try! Charlie heads back to work full time tomorrow...wish me luck!

The Ride HOME!

With few exceptions, the actual experience of being on an airplane for 16 hours is just as bad as anticipating being on an airplane for 16 hours. Then add a toddler. Good times...

Makena did great. After all, she's one and made it through the entire flight with no serious head trauma, no baby vomit, only about 15 minutes of screaming, and half a package of snacks strewn about in our seats (floor, foot space, seat backs, aisle, etc.). There were 350 movies to watch, and the only thing that I could get her interested in was the Clifford the Big Red Dog tv show...and she watched for a grand total of 15 minutes! Not that I condone children watching television, but come on! Only 15 minutes of the entire flight?!?

After the joy of the flight, we waited for our stroller on the jetway. To no avail...after the crew exited the plane, they finally called down and the guy said that he wasn't bringing them up (all two strollers on the plane) because it was raining, so we had to head inside sans stroller and stand at the end of the foreign visitors line. What an odd feeling...Mak was sound asleep on me as we waited in that line. When we got up to the "window", we handed over Makena's sealed brown envelope that we received from the American Consulate. The gentleman was very kind and got everything finished and stamped her passport. She was a citizen! Wow...it only took eight months of paperwork, three and a half years of waiting, two and a half weeks in China, and a whole lot of love to get our baby girl to the US. What a crazy feeling....our plane to home was delayed by a couple of hours, but it didn't matter. We were back in the US and Mak was official!

Day 14 (actually, 16): Hong Kong

We made it home on Saturday night, but before I forget all of the details, I wanted to record a bit about our time in Hong Kong. On our last day in Hong Kong, we started the day as a family of 3 at the breakfast buffet. We tasted the usual Chinese fare; the difference came when Charlie had to leave shortly after we got there and I was on my own (in a nice restaurant in a very nice hotel) with Mak. She is a great kid, but even a great kid is not really welcome in a nice restaurant in a very nice hotel! We made it through and headed to the room. That is the moment that Mak decided to really crawl! She got up on her knees and crawled across the room while we were looking at the map (she was very helpful as she concentrated on which subway to take)! It was great to catch that moment...then came the question...What to do with our time? Packing really wasn't an option with Mak looking on, so I picked her up and we headed to the mall at the bottom of the hotel. There was a toy store, so we picked out some fun toys for our airplane trip. Then it happened. She got hungry...ugh! What to do? I know that sounds like a silly question, but this was to be my first attempt at restaurant eating alone with her.

We picked a restaurant and after discussing the fact that I needed to sit next to my daughter instead of across from her (she's one!), they put us in the back booth in the back room. The waiter gave me a booster seat for her to use as well. Booster seat? Don't you have to be a little bigger than 20 pounds to sit in one of those things? Oh well. We made it through with only a few minor mishaps and had to ask everyone to move so that we could get her little umbrella stroller out of the restaurant. We were not the most popular. But we did it! Wow...the feeling of accomplishment from something so seemingly simple!

In the evening, Makena got to meet some of her American friends who were also in Hong Kong for work. She was a little show off, and even did a good job at dinner (coincidentally at the same restaurant we went to for lunch!). Packing took forever, but we had the international weight limit of 50 pounds per person. Yippee!

As we head home...

It's Friday night and I'm packing for our trip tomorrow. What a wild ride over the last two weeks! We have so many stories and so many pictures...and we can't wait to get home! Hugs and kisses to everyone!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Day 13: Hong Kong

We made it! We almost missed our train, but caught it with minutes to spare. Makena got her first passport stamp and I realized just how long Saturday's flight would feel! After only 2 hours, Makena was completely stir crazy. Wish us luck!

Charlie headed into work following his McDonald's fiasco trip...once you decide that you need McDonald's, nothing else will do! Mak and I just hung out and then got ready for dinner with one of Charlie's work counterparts. They brought their two kids and it was great fun! Makena did great.

Tomorrow is totally open for Makena and me, so who knows what we'll end up deciding to do! Who knows...maybe Disney?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Day 12: Guangzhou

Today we received Makena's US Visa, which means that once we land in a US airport, she will become a citizen! Yay! And she screamed through much of the oath that we had to take...it was a good day. We spent the morning walking through a traditional Chinese herbal market that is only about a five minute walk from our hotel. It was quite repulsive at times. I won't get into it, but if you are interested, Charlie has some photographs to prove that we aren't lying. I'll just say that they had snake wine, and that was at the upscale place!

 

It was so hot and humid today that we headed to the pool after our walk. What fun! Makena's friend, Sophia, went too and everyone had a great time. I took Mak back to the hotel room early so that I could get her a bath and get her fed before she fell asleep (we had our consulate appointment at 2:40), and when I got to our room we were locked out. So I got to head down to the front desk in a bathing suit complete with a wet and shivering child, all the while trying to explain that my key doesn't work to someone who doesn't speak  English.

 

We went through all of the steps at the consulate, and then it was time for our group to say good-bye. We split into two buses...one going back to the hotel (us) and one going straight to the airport. Even though we didn't know any of these folks two weeks ago, we've formed a tight bond. We became parents together. Our daughters all had similar first year experiences. We adventured through China together. We've got 11 families to add to our Christmas list and 11 families that we need to send notes to on a regular basis. It was sad to say good-bye, but it also meant that we were that much closer to going home ourselves. This whole experience has been quite surreal. We leave for Hong Kong tomorrow on the 9:50 train and I am on my own with Mak for the next two days. Charlie is working and has business dinners (although I think that Mak and I might get to at least eat with them) Thursday and Friday, then we head out on a direct flight from Hong Kong to Newark on Saturday at 10:25am. The flight is 15 hours and 35 minutes. I'm not concerned about the flight from Newark to Greensboro - I've done that a bunch of times. It's that long one that really frightens me! Then we will be back home. Wow...hard to believe it's already been two weeks! We're coming home Scout and Boo! We sure do miss you! 

Some random thoughts...

Over the  last two weeks, we've had some random things come up. For example, I started my day count a day off...it's actually day 13 today, not 11. When we landed in Beijing, they wouldn't let anyone stand until they came  through and scanned everyone's foreheads to make sure that no one was sick on the plane. The Great Wall is more like a giant, incredibly uneven, staircase that goes on forever! There hasn't been a single clock in any of our hotel rooms. We were touched by swine flu, but came out just fine. Each room we've had contained two twin beds for us. Our room looks like our suitcases exploded - time to pack again tomorrow. Makena sleeps with one of us since she'll knock herself out on the crib bars. We've been exposed to chicken pox, and are assuming that Makena is fine - no sign yet and a pediatrician appointment is already scheduled for next week. Makena was kind enough to share her cold with both of us...Charlie got the sniffles and I lost my voice. There haven't been very many vegetarian options at dinner lately - I'm pretty hungry! We wash dishes in a plastic shoebox that we brought filled with just-in-case medicine using the remaining boiling water each time we make Mak a bottle. Chinese formula smells like candy. Charlie changed his first diaper yesterday! We love American diapers...the Chinese ones, not so much! We bribed a friend who was traveling to Hong Kong this week to bring us some more American diapers -- he is our hero and we can't wait to see him! We have no idea how we are going to fare during our 15 hour 45 minute flight from Hong Kong to Newark (all we know is that we'll have enough diapers!)...it makes both of us nauseous just to think about it! We love China and could stay for a much longer time - I just wish that we had access to a dishwasher, a washer/dryer, and a diaper genie!

 

Nothing important, just some thoughts...I'm off to bed now and am looking forward to a fun last day in Guangzhou at the American Consulate and at the herbal medicine market!