A closing post with a few beautiful photos of Nina and Mia.  We were able to do 2 photo sessions.  The first for Nina's 1st Birthday on March 3rd.  The second was for Sister photos. So beautiful! 

Nina at Home

Nina at home

We have been home for a few weeks...the jet lag is over and Nina is settling in nicely. 

 

 

Mia went back to school on the Friday after we were home.  She was very excited to go and see her friends again.  Mia so wanted to introduce Nina to her friends and so we went in for "show and tell" and Mia did a presentation with a few items from our trip. Of course, Mia chose this oufit for Nina to wear to meet her friends.

Tony made friends with Nina right away.  We call him "Funny Tony" because everytime he walks by Nina laughs at him.  Sweetpea is just now deciding to enter the same room that we are in.  She spent much of the last 2 weeks in Mia's room.  I have caught Sweetpea sitting in Nina's room looking at the crib (no worries she can't get in it although she has taken to hiding under it).

Nina is now sitting up by herself and she can now sit from laying down.  She holds herself up on her belly on straight arms and can pivot around. She will put weight on her legs and will enjoy her Jolly Jumper when it arrives.  Nina started to eat solids the weekend we arrived back.  A little fruit mixed in with the cereal did the trick.  She will also hold a Mum Mum cookie and eat it.  Nina says mama, dada, nanan, nina, ia (for Mia) and cat.  She is working on 2 top teeth coming through (hopefully in the next week).  Nina weighed 8.4 kg and measured 72 cm long at her doctor visit.  A few of our favorite pics from the last few weeks...

Silk Factory and Forbidden City

Teresa has sent another report from Beijing. They fly home on Tuesday, so this is probably the final set of pictures, but I'll post a link so that you can follow their plane as they make their way from Beijing - Toronto - Halifax. Here's Teresa's post:

Yesterday was a silk factory, Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City. 

Mia loved the silk factory.  She was fascinated by the whole process of how they make the silk.  We were able to see the worms and the cocoons. A single cocoon with one worm can be unwound into a single thread.  The double pods are meshed together and so they are used for quilt fill.  Beautiful items!  You can see Mia holding a cocoon and helping to make a quilt.

Tian’anmen is the largest square in China.  It is surrounded by the government offices, the south gate, the National museum and to the north the Forbidden City.  Many soldiers and people in the square but Mia and her friend Willow were happy enough to skip.  

The Forbidden City is a 3 hour tour...in January...in the cold.  But we powered through and saw the offices, living quarters and Imperial garden of the Emperor.  Nina still needed to eat and so she had a bottle about midway through.  One is not a true China adoption parent until you have prepared a bottle at a tourist site, prepared a bottle on a moving bus and changed a diaper in a Chinese washroom at a tourist site.  

Today was a free day.  We went to a dumpling restaurant for lunch.  10 of us ate for 300 rmb (about $50) and it was delicious! Then off to the “New Market” where we found some great deals and some aggressive sales people trying to sell us tourist items and knock off name brands. Fun!!

Tomorrow we pack.  We need to leave the hotel at 12:30 to get the baby visas and get to the airport.  I hear snow is predicted for Tuesday in NS. 

Beijing - The Great Wall

 Here's Teresa's report on what they've been up to in Beijing. They are busy!

We have had a couple of busy days!  Our first full day in Beijing was spent between the Canadian Embassy and the SOS medical clinic.  We needed to complete the Canadian paperwork and drop everything off at the Embassy so that the baby visas would be ready by Tuesday. We left the hotel at 11:30 and the bus did not get back until 5:00.  A very long day at a clinic!  Nina actually had one of the first appointments and so after we were done we left Peter at the clinic so that he could follow up at the Embassy.  Nina’s weight is 8.25 kg, she is 72 cm long.  So length is great, weight is a little low.  All the paperwork is in so now we wait.

Yesterday was a big day...  a trip to the Great Wall!  Along the way we stopped at a government owned Jade factory.  If you buy jade here it is real, anywhere else you take your chances.  I have included a photo of a worker craving jade.  Peter wanted everyone to see the $350000 jade Budda, it was too heavy to get home so we did not buy it :)  

At the Great Wall Teresa and Nina stayed at the first tower while Peter and Mia set off for the top.  It was a beautiful day with no wind so we enjoyed exploring and enjoying the view.  Peter and Mia had a very steep hike up on very uneven steps.  They made it to the top!  You can see the pictures that Mia took from the top.  Teresa and Nina were waiting at the bottom with an “I climbed the Great Wall” medal for Mia and she had her picture taken.   

Our guide told us that Mao said anyone who climbed the Great Wall is a hero...so Mia and Peter now think they are heros. :) We had a well deserved lunch of Chinese food at the Friendshop Store (government run store).  On the way back we stopped at a spot where you can see the Olympic Bird’s Nest Stadium and the Water Cube.  It was quite smoggy as you can see so the photos were not that great.

                   

Mia Answers Questions

In the comments to Free Day in Nanchang, Mia's classmates sent her an update of what they've been doing in class while she is in China along with a few questions.

I've copied the questions below along with Mia's answers.

Mia: Thanks for writing, I have answered your questions.

 

Lucas wants to know if you are near the Great Wall of China? 

Mia: We are about 1 hour away from the Great Wall.  We are going to see it tomorrow.  I will post pictures.  

Andy wants to know what Mia’s favourite food that she is enjoying? 

Mia: I like the dumplings and steamed buns at breakfast.  We just had a great pizza from Pizza Hut!

Meadow had a question about animals in China and what animals do they sometimes eat. (I think that she means that perhaps they eat something that we would not consider eating.) 
 
Mia: There were live frogs in a grocery store and my friend Willow is going to try snake.  There is lots of dried duck hanging everywhere. So gross!!

Isaac wants to know if Mia can bring some chop sticks back. 

Mia:  Yes, we can!

Delana is anxious for you to return home because the class misses you. 

Mia: Thank you, I miss all of you too!

Caleb N-A wants to know what you like about China the best? 

Mia: I liked the Tengweng Pavillion in Nanchang. I liked the shape of the building. I will bring in my keychain that I bought at the Pavillion.

 

Caleb D wants to know if you made any friends in China?

Mia: I have 3 new friends from Nova Scotia here to meet their new sisters. Willow, Cieara and Yulan are my new friends.

Madison wants to know how to say “Hello” in Chinese? 

Mia: Hello in Chinese is "Nihao".

Lindy and Makaila say Hi.
 
Mia: Hi back to you!