Passing The Test

Today was a big day - we had to go through a series of medical exams in order to take Jemma out of the country. We were all herded into the "Examination Room For Adopted Children," and one by one had to meet with 4 individual doctors. Hearing was the first test and the doctor blew bells and whistles from all different angles. Jemma turned for all of them, no probs - yay! It was a little difficult to "keep quiet" as the sign suggests, with a battalion of screaming kids getting pulled and probed.

What a Mug!

We've been calling Jemma, "Bug". It came out of nowhere but it just seems to fit. We've even written a song about her that goes something like this, "Bug, bug, bug, bug with the mug" and it goes on and on with rhyming words like snug and rug and hug, etc. She loves it! She's also fascinated with whistling - it's a sure way to calm her down.

Sisters, Aunts and Uncles

Meet Michayla, daughter of our dear friends, Mark Brown and Nicki Genovese - whom we met during the adoption process. Michayla is a gorgeous girl from Changsha, in the Hunan province, which means she's a "spicy girl." She can certainly suck down a bottle faster than any kid we know - 2:20 is the record. It takes Jemma 10 to 15 minutes to get her formula down. The nipples at the orphanages are all cut with large x's in order to feed the babies faster. Even still, Jemma likes to take her time and savor the flavor. Jemma and Michayla had their first playdate yesterday and it was a big success - a stare off, a foot pull and clanging toys. We look forward to many more playdates with Jemma's extended family.

The Six Banyans Buddhist Monastery

On Monday all the families brought their babies to a Buddisht Monastery for a blessing by the monks. Incense and chanting filled the air, peppered by the occasional scream from a baby and the clicking of cameras. Even with 38 babies and their parents being blessed, there still managed to be a sense of calm and serenity. The monestary was very beautiful with many shrines and even the heat and humidity couldn't dampen our spirits - just our shirts.

Guangzhou - The Final Stretch

We are back at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, and again, it’s not our favorite, but we’re being troopers and looking on the bright side. If Jemma gets sick we can make a batch of home made penicillin from the mold in the bathroom. No, no, it’s not that bad but we’ve been spoiled with such upscale hotels everywhere else. Also, the beds are super hard here and we long for our tempurpedic swaddle back in Los Angeles. But then we remember how Jemma was in a hard crib, shared with another baby yet, for 8 months. The crib beds are so hard that the girls get bald spots not to mention flattened heads. It’s very upsetting. We weren’t able to see her orphanage due to the measles outbreak, which is both a blessing and a curse. I’m sure we would have been upset by the conditions but it would be nice to have had a context for her whereabouts these last 8 months. The important thing is we got her out of that place and in time, she’ll come to trust us and let go of any nightmares or terrors she’s developed as a result of such emotionless, rote living. When we asked the director of her orphanage if she liked to play with toys in her bath he said, “There’s no time to play with toys in a bath at an orphanage.” It’s probably more like a dip on an assembly line, but then again, who really knows. We hope one day to go back to Gaoyou and see her hometown. The city itself is supposedly very beautiful. We’ll hang onto that thought for now because otherwise, it’s too painful to keep thinking of what was, and much more exciting to look into her beautiful face and think of what will be.

Angel Baby

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Jemma had another great day today, not to mention two enormous nuclear poops - we found Jimmy Hoffa in one of them. Perhaps we should cut back on the prunes…

Stairway to Heaven

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

To get to see the good Dr.’s tomb, you have to put yourself nearly into one by climbing these steps.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

We’re standing in front of the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the People’s Republic of China. Below was a gorgeous park, filled with Sycamore trees and a ton of giant dragon flies.

Stick ‘Em Up!

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

They put children on these rides. Enough said.

Scary Rides!

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Outside of the pearl factory was a disheveled amusement park. Looks like fun... ?

Mao... Wow!

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

The best thing about the pearl factory was the portrait of “the great father” made entirely out of pearls. Enough to warm any commie’s heart.

Pearl Schmearl

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

We were taken to a pearl factory today and learned that there could be as many as 50 fresh water pearls inside an oyster. Then we were immediately hustled into a store and hawked into buying mediocre freshwater pearls. A saleswoman was literally attached to my shoulder the entire time. Needless to say, we walked out empty handed.

Wrapped Around Daddy's Finger

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Tooth Hurty

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Our Little Pioneer

Our Little Pioneer
Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Something's Afoot

Something's Afoot
Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Doozy Girl

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Jemma loves her snugli wrap and tends to fall asleep in it whenever we go outing. Her eyes are rolling back into her head, here.

Baby Go Boom Boom!

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

The adopted girls are historically constipated the first few day with their new parents. This is a source of great anxiety as well as ice breaking conversation with the group. "I diluted apple juice", "We gave her raisins," "She ate prunes", etc. There was a countdown going and out of 10 babies 4 still hadn't had a movement and Jemma was one of them. After two apple juice and water bottles and a container of prunes, Jemma finally decided to do the deed, in the middle of dinner! Only Americans adopting Chinese babies would celebrate this action so effusively, in a public place.

The Crowds Gather

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Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

We went shopping today at Confucious Temple, which is a huge outdoor market. In addition to clothes and chochkees there were lots of pets - especially turtles and crickets! Everywhere we go we are celebrities with our Chinese babies. People openly stare but I like to invite them in and I try to communicate as best I can. They really love talking to us and I love being a celebrity. I pretend that John and I are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Upsy Daisy

Upsy Daisy
Originally uploaded by The Lawlers.

Jemma opens up to us more and more each passing hour. She's all giggles and smiles now - a different temperment from the serious, contemplative girl we first met. Now she wants to play, play, play. She's come to the right place.