Day 12 - Baby's first airplane ride

Today we left Nanchang and flew to Guangzhou. In a way we were glad to leave because it meant we were one step closer to being home. But on the other hand, our guide Evelyn took such wonderful care of us that we will miss her so much. We took some last group photos in our hotel and made our way to the airport.

We were a little nervous about Ivie's first plane ride. You really take for granted the value of a carry-on bag until one of your carry ons is a diaper bag. It had to be extra-special prepared. Nowhere to obtain needed supplies at 30,000 feet.

Ivie was great all the way onto the plane. She was great through take off. She was great through about 30 minutes of a 1 hour and 15 minute flight. Then all heck broke loose. She was way off schedule, late for both a bottle and a nap. So she started to cry, and Cry, and CRy, and CRY!!! But Ivie wasn't alone. A lot of the other girls were crying, too. It was like our own little symphony. Some of us parents had to walk our litle girls up and down the aisles of the plane to calm them down. Ivie and I walked up and down about 6 times, and by then she was calm. By the last 5 minutes of the flight, Ivie was asleep. We thought that photo would perfectly capture her first flight.

When we landed the theme of our adventure through the airport to our luggage was poop. As first-time parents we're learning a lot about poop. Baby poop comes in distinctly different forms. The forms we've been used to so far are the (a) normal poop (self-contained within the diaper) and (b) the "blowout." Now, the blowout isn't any fun. We'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, blowouts require far more, uhm, cleanup. Ivie led us on a parade of a different poop from the gate to the baggage claim, (c) the small poop nugget, again, the title should aptly describe it. These are fine, requiring minimal cleanup and minimal time. But Ivie left three poop nuggets for us on the way to the bus. And let me tell you, poop nuggets smell no better than options (a) or (b). So they need to be dealt with right away. So we held up the rest of the group getting on the bus.

Our new guide for our brief stay in Guangzhou is Grace. She is very nice. Unfortunately, it will be for Grace how it will be for the quarterback who follows Brett Favre--a no-win situation. Following Evelyn will be nearly impossible.

Guangzhou is much different than Nanchang. First, it's about 3 times as big. Second, it doesn't feel like China at all. It feels more like Cancun. It is very hot, about 86 degrees when we landed about 4:30 p.m. Also, because every American who adopts a Chinese child must go through Guangzhou, it is packed with Americans and therefore it is distinctly catered to Americans. We had burgers, fries, and shakes for dinner. No such thing in Nanchang. While the food there was excellent, 10 straight days of Chinese food was enough for one stretch.

Our schedule for the next few days is as follows. Tomorrow we take Visa photos of Ivie and take her for a medical exam. Then we meet with our guide to fill out Ivie's Visa paperwork. Then, the moment we've all been waiting for, the group "red couch" photo. Long ago, one of the first groups of adopting families wanted to take a group photo at this hotel (called the "White Swan"). They borrowed an ornate red couch. Well, taking group photos on the red couch has since become a tradition, so much so that the red couch is roped off to the public. It is a very special moment for any adopting American group coming through Guangzhou. We are very excited.

Wednesday Ivie's Visa application will be delivered to the U.S. Consulate. We will then take a group trip to the pearl and jade market (Renee has been waiting for this trip). Thursday we will have a group city tour and then will travel as a group to the U.S. Consulate to take the citizenship oath on behalf of Ivie. She will then have the U.S. government's permission to travel to the United States on an immigrant Visa. Once she passes through customs in Chicago, she will be a United States citizen.

Friday we leave early for home. We arrive at Mitchell Field at approximately 3:15 p.m.

So that's our schedule. We will post each of the next four days. Thanks to everyone for all the well-wishes.

Scott, Renee, and Ivie