Our Last Day in Beijing

Our stay in Beijing has been very interesting. We were awakened by the sounds of thunder this morning, and the day looked to be dark and gloomy. We decided to visit the Capitol Museum (art and cultural exhibits) with Mike and Sue. The weather improved steadily and by the time we exited the museum, the sun was beginning to shine through the deep layer of smog that seems to persist here. Since the threat of rain lifted, we headed to Tiananmen Square.

The square is enormous, and despite a crowd of tens of thousands, there was still enough room for a few Beijingers to fly their kites. Lucky for us Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum had been closed for a couple of hours so the enormous crowd that typically gathers for that had dispersed. As has been the case we were approached countless times by peddlers trying to convince us that small Chinese flags, socks, wristwatches with Chairman Mao depicted on the face were necessary for our very survival. In one such case I saw a man accosted by one peddler who appeared to be holding him at sock-point until he might agree to buy. I didn’t see the outcome of this stand-off as my attention was diverted by the cries of “DVD, Sir, DVD!” I laugh about it now, but when you are approached like this every 30-50 feet it gets bit ridiculous… Despite all that, this is a pretty amazing place, and it’s a small price to pay for the little blessing that awaits us.

After our little sight-seeing trip, the two of us decided to get a few gifts from the Friendship Store. Along the way we talked about how we were feeling a little overwhelmed that in little more than 24 hours we would be new parents holding and caring for our daughter.
We returned to our room just with just enough time to get ready for dinner & our trip to see the Chinese Acrobats. We tried a few new dishes that were quite tasty, including chicken-feet which someone of our group ordered (the menu said chicken legs…not so tasty).
At dinner, the subject of tomorrow’s events got everyone talking. Everyone seemed to share the same feelings of excitement and anticipation, but also the fear of the unknown. We quickly finished our dinner and returned to the hotel just in time to meet our guide for the trip to see the acrobats.

The Acrobats are absolutely incredible, and a must see when traveling to Beijing. We just spent the last hour and a half packing our bags for tomorrow mornings flight to Nanchang (the emotions are running high knowing that in less than 24 hours the moment we have been waiting for as a couple will soon be here, our wait is drawing to a close and tomorrow Tanya becomes a mother and I become a father! Tomorrow there will be tears of joy!

~Maddy’s Daddy

Beijing Day 3

Today was our Great Wall adventure. The whole group went on the trip to see this work of magnificence. It is so hard to describe what it’s like to not only be in China, but to stand on this marvel of human engineering that runs about 1500+ miles. It was a little foggy so it was hard to see very far, but what we could see was absolutely breath taking.

We also made a few stops at the Jade Factory & a Tea Room for a tea ceremony/teaching. It was very interesting to learn about the different types of teas & what each type helps with physically. Being the land of tea, China offers so many different varieties that it is hard to choose which ones to take home. Since our baggage space is limited & we are already overweight for our in-country flight on Sunday we will have to defer that choice until we reach Guangzhou.

As a way to recover from the hike up to & on the wall, we had a foot massage tonite at a place about a block from the hotel. The was quite an experience! We are now fully relaxed & ready to go to bed.

I had some time alone on the wall today to reflect on the upcoming event & the impact that is will have on my life. It is so unreal that after all of these years we are finally becoming parents. I try to imagine how things will be but it is just so hard to fathom at times. We are so excited to meet Maddy & are counting the hours now until that blessed event happens. The countdown has begun & we are under 48 hours now!

Beijing Day 2

Today we took a Hutong Tour thru old Beijing in a rickshaw. The Hutongs are old houses that were created during the Yuan, Ming, & Qing dynasties. They are basically courtyard houses that have 4 sections that were divided by a person’s importance in the family. It was fun to be part of the rickshaw traffic jam that happened at a few points.

We also ventured out to the Summer Palace which was much further than we thought. We were pleasantly surprised by this attraction and spent a couple of hours walking around looking at the beautiful lake. This palace was built by the royal family as a get away. It is situated on Kumming Lake & is beautiful. There is so much beautiful art work is incorporated into the walk ways & buildings. The whole place would take at least a day or more to see as it is 290 hectares.

Our whole group is now here & tomorrow is the first time we will all do something together. Only 3 more sleeps until we see Maddy.

Beijing Day 1

We arrived safely in Beijing & have been out seeing the sites. We are having issues with posting to our blog so hopefully we will be able to find an internet café where we will be able to upload information. Today we ventured on the Beijing Subway to see the Forbidden City. Seeing the city was fun but I think getting around & seeing the day to day life in the city is even more fun. We had a laugh at a sign on the metro that showed a bloody finger as a warning sign not to get too close the door as it closes. I have taken a picture of this. We have also been hit up by ‘art students’ who are looking to hawk their art & their professors’ art. It seems legit, but after being hit up 3 times & looking at 2 ‘galleries’ we decided that it seemed a little too good to be true. The last one we went to we really got the high pressure sales pitch along with an offer to write our names in Chinese calligraphy.

The rest of our group is arriving tonight so hopefully we can all meet up tomorrow for dinner. We are planning to do a Hutong Tour tomorrow & visit the Great Wall on Friday. Only 4 more nights until we get to Maddy. It seems so unreal that we are so close!

Ready to go!

We have less than 48 hours before we leave on our trip of a lifetime. Let me say that travel by itself is not for the faint of heart, but preparing to travel to bring a baby home is way more work than I ever imagined. I have been recording 'Survivor China' & have only had a chance to see one episode but I am imagining us in our own 'Survivor' type situation. Can 2 adults survive 2 + weeks in China lugging 90 pounds of luggage around adding a baby to the mix all while staying in 4-5 star hotels? I mean really, how much stuff do 2 big people & 1 little person need?

We packed only to weigh our suitcase & discover we were over in one bag & quite under in another. We had to shuffle everything around & try it all over again. The net result is that we are still over by Chinese intra-country standards but we are hoping to beg for mercy at the airport in Beijing when we leave for Maddy's province. Maybe showing them her picture will help our plight.

Our itinerary is here: http://meetthehintons.blogspot.com/2007/09/we-have-travel-dates22-day-count-down.html

We are not sure how successful blogger will work in China, so please visit our main website: www.meetthehintons.com & hopefully between the 2 we can keep a log of our journey. Thank you in advance to all the people who have said they will be praying for us. Also keep the other 4 families in our group and Tracy & Adam in your prayers too.

Showers of Blessings

The weekend of October 5th we had 2 baby showers. One was Saturday with the family and the other on Sunday with our church family. Both showers had a bit of an Asian flair to it and it was fun to see the creativity at work.

At our family shower, each guest got a book mark on it with the Chinese Red Thread saying that reads: "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.” This poem has become so real to us as we get closer to leaving for China & bringing Maddy into our family forever.

At our church family shower there was a matching game where each guest had to match the Chinese character to the English word. It was fun to see the guests look at the characters and find how the meanings of the words are actually incorporated into the character drawings.

My work mates also gave me a shower on 10/17, it was a Red Egg & Ginger Party themed after the Chinese tradition done at one month old for the child. The family usually hosts a party when the child turns one month & announces the baby's name along with giving gifts to the attendees. My shower featured a Red Egg shaped cake along with red boxes that had gifts for the attendees (red jelly beans).

We are so blessed to get so much support from so many people. We got some beautiful gifts, but more importantly we felt so much love from so many people. We are constantly amazed at how God shows His love for us through so many people and in so many ways.

Maddy is 8 months old today

Madison is 8 months old today. This should be the last milestone that she hits without her forever family. We found this poem somewhere & thought that it was appropriate for this very occasion.

Kisses in the wind
We hold you in our hearts and touch you in our dreams.
You are here each day with us, at least that’s how it seems.
We know you wonder where we are... what’s taking us so long.
But remember child, We love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, We blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hands until we can be with you.
We promise you, our darling, We're doing all that we can do.

Very soon, you’ll have family of real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, We blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And the angels bring the kisses that we send to you each night.
--Author unknown