Copenhagen Trip - Day Five, Part Two

Everyone needed more rest after naptime, so I popped down to Netto for some ground beef, pasta sauce, and rotini, and put together dinner here at the hotel.

Afterward, no one was up for another train ride, so instead we walked over to the harborfront to see today’s cruise ships pull out of port. The rain really started coming down hard so we took cover under a tree. The gals were wearing hoods, but I had the umbrella, so I ventured out to take some shots...

Several reproduction sailing ships puttered by with dinner parties going on

We found a few more statues along the cruise ship dock, including a pair of elephants. The shops here are open every day so perhaps we’ll visit tomorrow night to buy grownup-size T-shirts and other souvenirs. Remember I said earlier that most shops are closed on Sundays - these cater to the international travelers. Prices that we could see through the windows (everyone was closed by the time we were there) weren't too bad compared to downtown.

Our neighborhood after a rainburst, with the sun coming out brilliantly. The condo buidling attached to our hotel is hosting a midsummers' eve party tonight - the families there have put up a party tent and bouncy house for the kids, have a couple big grills going, and are having a cosy, neighborly good time together.

Kung Fu Panda 2 opened here on Thursday and the movie posters are everywhere. Wynn's thrilled of course - she saw it a couple weeks ago in the States - and can't help but show off her kung-fu moves...

Tomorrow is our last full day here. In the morning we think we’ll be going over to Malmo, Sweden for a look-around. Tomorrow night we'll pack our bags and get to sleep early...

Also, we’ll be celebrating not only Fathers Day, but this will also mark four years since Wynn joined our family!

Yes, I Remember

We make a point of frequently talking to Wynn about China, adoption, and the day we became a family. These things have been part of the conversation at our house from the moment we got home two and a half years ago, so Wynn's familiar with the story and the terms. (She hasn't reached the age yet where she realizes that most of her friends' first moments with their families were different than hers, but that will come.)

Here's tonight's bedtime conversation between the two of us. (Picture her with a snotty nose and watery eyes from having a cold.)

Wynn: Remember when I was a tiny little baby? (Holds her fingers up to emphasize tiny, as if she were the size of spool of thread.)

Me: Yes, I remember. You were so tiny.

Wynn: Remember when I was in China?

Me: Yes, you were in China, and Baba and I were here.

Wynn: And you said, "That's our girl. Let's go get her!"

Me: Yes, we saw your picture and knew you were our daughter. We came as fast as we could.

Wynn: And when Baba picked me up -

Me: Yes, Baba carried you back to the hotel room in China.

Wynn: And I cried on Baba.

Me: You did cry.

Wynn: It was 'cause I didn't know who you was yet.

Me: Yep, we knew you were our daughter, but you didn't know who we were.

Wynn: I didn't know yet, but now I know. You Mom and Baba. (big smile)

Past and Present

On this date, two years ago, we became a family.

Last night I read through our blog posts from that time; I smiled (and teared up a little) as I remembered those first few days of discovering one another.

As is our custom, we had pizza and Cheerios for dinner tonight - just as we did for our first family meal together in China. As she sat there slurping down her chocolate milk and making goofy faces at me - the latest of which I call her "great Norma Desmond" look - I couldn't help but think about how far we've come. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that there was a time when she wouldn't even let me hold her, even though I know it's true.

Today was also what Wynn calls a "girl day" - when I'm home for the summer, and she stays home from daycare. The big excitement on this day was that it was Wynn's first time going to music class at the MacPhail Center.

Now, I happen to be sick as a proverbial dog this week - we've been taking turns with the stuffy nose, low-grade fever thing, and it's my turn at bat. But I managed to take enough Tylenol and decongestant to get us over to Minneapolis and through our first class.

Wynn was oddly shy for much of it. Maybe it was the unfamiliar people and surroundings. Or that she wasn't quite sure whether I was staying or leaving. In any case, instead of pretending to fly around like a woodpecker, Wynn wanted to be held by Mom. So I held her, and we flew like a woodpecker together. And it was fun.

Near the end of the class, the teacher brought out a parachute to play with. Wynn got one look at it and started jumping up and down, "Oh, I like THAT!" And any hint of shyness disappeared.

3 weeks from now, we'll be right up there

Good news on the passport - I called the NPIC at 8 am Friday morning (which apparently is the right time to do it; was on hold for only a minute) and they confirmed receiving Wynn's Certificate of Citizenship. Processing has resumed for her passport.

Also good news with the germs; this cold seems to last only a few days. I'm feeling much better compared to mid-week, and Ann seems to have only suffered a glancing blow. Wynn would appear to be getting better too (although some mighty sneezing has taken place this morning.)

We head out on Monday the 29th, and return on the 4th of July.

Coming up this week is Gotcha Day, the 2nd anniversary of our coming together as a family. Hard to believe it has been that long!

--Scott

Milestones

Tonight, as I was watching Wynn stand coloring at her easel in p.j's, I thought about how big she's getting. Her feet seem to grow every day, and she is so sturdy, strong, and confident. So different than when she first entered our lives back in China. 

Tomorrow Wynn turns three. This year she understands what a birthday is and has been excitedly talking about getting cupcakes to bring for her class at school. When I told her that a birthday means you get presents too, she asked, "From Santa?" (That's what having a birthday close to Christmas'll do.) 

When I asked her how old she was at dinner tonight, she held up two fingers and said, "Two." 

"How old will you be when you wake up tomorrow?"

"Three!" she said and held up the correct number of fingers.

I realized, after doing a bit of math in my head, that Wynn's third birthday signals another milestone for us as a family: We have just reached the point where more of Wynn's life has been with us than was without us. :-)

February Visits

Earlier this month, in what we hope will become a Chinese New Year tradition, we got together with two of the other Minneapolis-St. Paul area families who traveled with us in China. How wonderful to see how the other kids are adapting and thriving!

We posed them on the couch in the same manner as the famous "red couch" at the White Swan Hotel back in Guangzhou. Wynn is the smallest and youngest, at 2 years. Her fellow Guangxi Girl, Jenna, is two and a half, lively and bright. ( She's sort of a sneak preview of how big Wynn will be this summer!) And Josh, from Anhui province, is 3 years old; quite a gentleman and already speaking fluent English.



We are also talking about a summer get-together for our one-year Gotcha Day celebration!

Another special visit took place last weekend - a "make-up" for Wynn's recent birthday (the colds and flu going around hit our household hard in January.) My folks came up from the southern metro with a gift that Wynn will get a great deal of use from once the snow melts!



We've already taken her on a couple rides around the block, and she loves her trike (even if she can't quite reach the pedals.)

Photo Special Edition!

Smog in Beijing


Beijing Traffic

Us at the Airport in Beijing


The Bus We Rode to the Tarmac


The Highway into Nanning


View of Nanning from our Hotel Window


When They Handed Wynn to Ann


The Part They Warned Us About


First Time Wynn Sat on Mom's Lap with No Tears


The Whole Family by a Rice Paddy Outside Nanning


The Scenery in Guangxi is Amazing!


The View from The White Swan in Guangzhou


Wynn Flapping her Arms for More Tomatoes


Favorite Jelly Flavor: Strawberry


Reading with Baba


She LOVES the Remote

2 Hours to Toddler

We met with our facilitator, Hannah, at 10:30 this morning to work on Chinese adoption documents. There is one other family from CHSFS here with us (also from the Twin Cities!) so the paperwork was completed in just half an hour. Hannah answered our questions and spelled out the schedule for the next several days, and then we went to lunch.

At our paperwork meeting this morning, we got to see new pictures of Wynn - taken just a few days ago. She has quite a bit more hair now, and, for the first time we've seen, has kind of a skeptical look on her face. The picture will be her passport photo, so we're going with the story that her expression is more about the fact that she was being posed in such a particular way by a stranger rather than an indication that they gave her the news that WE'RE going to be her parents. :-)

We also got to hear a bit from her updated file - some notes about her personality, feeding and sleeping schedules, etc. They describe her as being a bit stubborn and say that she cries for a long time when she's mad. (Ann's mom is smiling right now, because that's pretty much a word for word description of Ann as a toddler.) Apparently, sometimes you do get a child who's "just like you."

It is now 1:45 in the afternoon. We will leave the hotel to get Wynn at 3:20. Ann is trying to get some rest; I am too nervous.

We're glad to have the computer here, but trying to download photos last night crashed the darned thing. We'll keep trying, but you may have to be satisfied with narrative rather than pictures until we get to Guangzhou.

Wish us luck!
(and patience)