UPDATE!! :)
"Mason is a magnet everywhere we go, he is so cute and funny everyone comes up to talk to him and smile, though we do get some rather unfriendly looks - I'm not sure why. This afternoon we went to the ginormous mall across the street for lunch (I bought you a couple of pretty jade bracelets) and thought we would live on the edge and eat at the food court. We kept trying to order food, it was all pointing and gestures, and they all kept gesturing at us to go somewhere else. It turns out that at the food court
you have to go put a deposit on a food card and then put money on the card and then go buy food with it. We did that and then we hadn't put enough money on the card so they couldn't give us the food - we were quite the freak show. Dad finally got enough money on the card, brought it back and we got our plate of weird noodles and dumplings. Then dad returned the food card and got the deposit back. It was pretty good and Mason loved it. By then we were exhausted so we came back to the hotel and Mason and I crashed while dad went and toured an old bell tower with another couple - he said it was pretty cool.
Tonight our guide took us to a nearby restaurant and we had all kinds of Chinese dumplings - they were delicious. Food here is so cheap, our portion of the bill was only 8 dollars!! After that we walked through a huge outdoor market, it is crazy - cars driving on the sidewalk, people just part and let them through. I got a gorgeous silk tablecloth that we won't be eating on anytime soon. We also got Mason a cool little Chinese drum that he has been banging on. I didn't bring him very many clothes because I didn't know what size to buy, and he keeps blowing out his diapers, so I have to wash out his 3 little outfits each night and hang them up. I keep looking for some clothes for him but I can't find any.
Tomorrow we go see the terra cotta warriors, I am so excited. Mason loves the bus rides, he stands up by Dad and bangs on the window and talks. . . really loud! He still prefers Dad, today he cried when he left for a minute - he loves to yell "Dadoo" over and over. I think Dad is sending some pictures to you later, right now he is doing his portion of the days laundry, which is rinsing and finding a place to hang everything. I hope everything is wonderful with you there - we miss you guys but we are staying so busy, when we are in the hotel room we mostly just play with baby Mason, he is so funny! He really wants to walk and is trying so hard, he can walk with our help, but his left leg is still situated a little funny and his knee only bends a little. We are very excited to get him to an orthopedic surgeon and get him fixed up."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Here's a couple of updates I got today. Looks like they have their hands full with the little kid! He was so meant to be with us. pretty sure we are pro's at handling tazmanian devils.
" We went to Civil Affairs this morning for interviews and paperwork. We were there for 3 hours. The other 3 families have little girls, very quiet and calm, just sitting in a parents' lap and holding their dollies. We have monstro the wiggle worm!! He doesn't sit still for one second! We ended up pushing him in the stroller up and down the halls, he has never been in a stroller before and he loves it. He also will walk around forever while you hold his little hands. He doens't walk on his own yet, his leg is a little kooky. We are excited to get it all fixed and have him running in non-stop circles.
He is very partial to dad, he tolerates me when necessary but will cry for dad if he is there. That is why dad is so pooped, he had to keep him entertained the whole morning. He and Mason are both sacked out!! It is funny all the kids have a parent they like - the loser parents (as we call ourselves) are the errand runners etc, because we can leave the baby. Kase, he is so dang cute and funny, we are head over heels already, just like we were with all you kids. When we went to pick him up he was the very last one to come in the room. I thought I was going to die, I was so anxious and nervous and excited. He cried at first, but then he went straight to dad and never looked back. The orphanage people were so nice and helpful, telling us what they liked and you could tell they loved the kids.
OK, things I have learned about China. 1 - you need to take your own toilet paper to the bathroom - I will comment no further. 2 - make sure there is a Western toilet available, otherwise you are squatting into a little trench. 3 - Don't drink the water, don't even let it run in your mouth in the shower, or rinse your toothbrush by accident. 4 - I will quote our guide here: "do not cross the street on foot or you will be killed." There are underground tunnels at major intersections that we can use. 5- Babies here wear what are called split pants. They are literally bare-butted. When they need to go the parents just let them go on the ground and then they clean it up. We saw a parent in the Forbidden City holding his kid over the garbage can so he could poop. Dad took a picture of a baby in split pants, I will have him send it when he wakes up.
This afternoon we have to go do more paperwork, and then we have the evening to ourselves. I think we will go and try to find real Chinese food. This province does a lot more noodles than rice, which made me happy, maybe we will find some good noodles. "
"Hello big sister! It is Tuesday morning, 6am. Yesterday was a busy day. We spent half the day at the Civil Affairs office being interviewed and signing paperwork. Mason got very tired, but hung in there. He got to say goodbye to his caretakers from the orphanage, and actually blew them a kiss! He is a clever little dude. We returned to the hotel and he got a nice nap, me too. In the afternoon it was back to Civil Affairs to get the official paperwork; Mason is ours!!!! Then it was off to the province police department to apply for his Chinese passport, so we can actually take him with us. We went to a nice restaurant for dinner and fed Mason noodles. He knows to slurp them right up! One of the other kids, a 3-year old actually eats with chop sticks! The rest of the week will be here in Xi'an, waiting for the passport. Today is a shopping day, tomorrow is a tour to see the Terracotta Warriors (too cool!) Thursday is a tour of the Big Goose Pagoda. "
" We went to Civil Affairs this morning for interviews and paperwork. We were there for 3 hours. The other 3 families have little girls, very quiet and calm, just sitting in a parents' lap and holding their dollies. We have monstro the wiggle worm!! He doesn't sit still for one second! We ended up pushing him in the stroller up and down the halls, he has never been in a stroller before and he loves it. He also will walk around forever while you hold his little hands. He doens't walk on his own yet, his leg is a little kooky. We are excited to get it all fixed and have him running in non-stop circles.
He is very partial to dad, he tolerates me when necessary but will cry for dad if he is there. That is why dad is so pooped, he had to keep him entertained the whole morning. He and Mason are both sacked out!! It is funny all the kids have a parent they like - the loser parents (as we call ourselves) are the errand runners etc, because we can leave the baby. Kase, he is so dang cute and funny, we are head over heels already, just like we were with all you kids. When we went to pick him up he was the very last one to come in the room. I thought I was going to die, I was so anxious and nervous and excited. He cried at first, but then he went straight to dad and never looked back. The orphanage people were so nice and helpful, telling us what they liked and you could tell they loved the kids.
OK, things I have learned about China. 1 - you need to take your own toilet paper to the bathroom - I will comment no further. 2 - make sure there is a Western toilet available, otherwise you are squatting into a little trench. 3 - Don't drink the water, don't even let it run in your mouth in the shower, or rinse your toothbrush by accident. 4 - I will quote our guide here: "do not cross the street on foot or you will be killed." There are underground tunnels at major intersections that we can use. 5- Babies here wear what are called split pants. They are literally bare-butted. When they need to go the parents just let them go on the ground and then they clean it up. We saw a parent in the Forbidden City holding his kid over the garbage can so he could poop. Dad took a picture of a baby in split pants, I will have him send it when he wakes up.
This afternoon we have to go do more paperwork, and then we have the evening to ourselves. I think we will go and try to find real Chinese food. This province does a lot more noodles than rice, which made me happy, maybe we will find some good noodles. "
"Hello big sister! It is Tuesday morning, 6am. Yesterday was a busy day. We spent half the day at the Civil Affairs office being interviewed and signing paperwork. Mason got very tired, but hung in there. He got to say goodbye to his caretakers from the orphanage, and actually blew them a kiss! He is a clever little dude. We returned to the hotel and he got a nice nap, me too. In the afternoon it was back to Civil Affairs to get the official paperwork; Mason is ours!!!! Then it was off to the province police department to apply for his Chinese passport, so we can actually take him with us. We went to a nice restaurant for dinner and fed Mason noodles. He knows to slurp them right up! One of the other kids, a 3-year old actually eats with chop sticks! The rest of the week will be here in Xi'an, waiting for the passport. Today is a shopping day, tomorrow is a tour to see the Terracotta Warriors (too cool!) Thursday is a tour of the Big Goose Pagoda. "
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Here's the latest update!!
"We picked up Mason yesterday (Sunday) evening. At first he would only come to me, and was suspicious of mom for a couple hours! But we finally got back to the hotel, gave him a nice bath, and mom rubbed lotion all over him. That did it. He is SO cute! He is super active, and talkative. His little left leg has some orthopaedic issue that makes it bend funny, so we have a little cast he has to wear a few hours a day (he hates it) and we will have some work to do with specialists when we return. Right now (Monday, 6am) he is still sleeping (he fell asleep at 9:30 - takes after DJ!). Today we get to spend a few hours with Chinese authorities to finalize their end of the adoption and get baby's passport.
"We picked up Mason yesterday (Sunday) evening. At first he would only come to me, and was suspicious of mom for a couple hours! But we finally got back to the hotel, gave him a nice bath, and mom rubbed lotion all over him. That did it. He is SO cute! He is super active, and talkative. His little left leg has some orthopaedic issue that makes it bend funny, so we have a little cast he has to wear a few hours a day (he hates it) and we will have some work to do with specialists when we return. Right now (Monday, 6am) he is still sleeping (he fell asleep at 9:30 - takes after DJ!). Today we get to spend a few hours with Chinese authorities to finalize their end of the adoption and get baby's passport.
Visiting China has been interesting to say the least. You can't drink the water, so you boil it or use bottled water. We have the benefit of having a guide to take us everywhere we go. We haven't been too adventurous with eating. The hotel does a nice western-style buffet for breakfast, and for dinner we have found McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut - almost like home, but Pizza Hut offers weird toppings like tuna and squid."
china is anti-blog... :(
Hello hello everyone! This is Kasey, the oldest Hansen hooligan child :) I was asked to update the blog for the parental units while they are in China. I'm...pretty excited about it. And since this is a record for the ages about little Mason and our journey to him, I thought I would speak for the other children in saying that we are SOOO excited about getting this little baby. I remember when I saw the first picture of him. Mom and dad had not officially decided he was our baby. But when his cute little chunky cheeked face popped up on my laptop I knew without a doubt he was ours. I cannot wait to meet him. So anyways. Here is the little update I got in an e-mail from my mom yesterday.
"Hello! It is 4 am on Sunday but dad and I can't sleep because it is actually 3 pm on Saturday!! We actually collapsed at 7:30 last night so that is probably why we are up so early! The Great Wall was killer. It wasn't a leisurely stroll, it was straight up!! It was 90 plus degrees and we were both drenched and dying. So cool though. The Forbidden City was neat, though the beggars were very sad, and they kept touching me. Most of them blind or missing limbs, etc. The group we are with are very nice, all adoptive parents like us. We all get our babies today, we are flying to our provinces this morning. One couple comes with us and gets a little girl from the same orphanage. China is cool, but very dirty and polluted. We are also getting stared at constantly. I guess we do stand out. We ate at McDonald's last night, it was delicious. I thought Dad had died and gone to heaven. We took lots of pictures of the Beijing McDonald's for DJ. We
aren't able to access our blog here, apparently the Chinese government has decided that blogs are a tool of subversion so they are not accessible on the internet. Whatever. We are so blessed.
We also went to a cloisonne factory yesterday. Cloisonne is a kind of enamel/pottery technique that originated in this area. We bought a really cool Christmas ornament and a beautiful little tea set. I am on the hunt for your DVD's, though Dad is having an attack of honesty and tells me I am on my own!! Take care honey!!! Love, Mom"
And here is what I got from Dad today :):)
"All is well here. We flew from Beijing to Xi'an this morning. We are with two couples who are also adopting babies from this province. We get to pick up Mason in just a couple hours! Let me know if you have any trouble. LOVE, POPS
Well there you are people. Hope you enjoy it. THere surely shall be more to come. Until next time!
"Hello! It is 4 am on Sunday but dad and I can't sleep because it is actually 3 pm on Saturday!! We actually collapsed at 7:30 last night so that is probably why we are up so early! The Great Wall was killer. It wasn't a leisurely stroll, it was straight up!! It was 90 plus degrees and we were both drenched and dying. So cool though. The Forbidden City was neat, though the beggars were very sad, and they kept touching me. Most of them blind or missing limbs, etc. The group we are with are very nice, all adoptive parents like us. We all get our babies today, we are flying to our provinces this morning. One couple comes with us and gets a little girl from the same orphanage. China is cool, but very dirty and polluted. We are also getting stared at constantly. I guess we do stand out. We ate at McDonald's last night, it was delicious. I thought Dad had died and gone to heaven. We took lots of pictures of the Beijing McDonald's for DJ. We
aren't able to access our blog here, apparently the Chinese government has decided that blogs are a tool of subversion so they are not accessible on the internet. Whatever. We are so blessed.
We also went to a cloisonne factory yesterday. Cloisonne is a kind of enamel/pottery technique that originated in this area. We bought a really cool Christmas ornament and a beautiful little tea set. I am on the hunt for your DVD's, though Dad is having an attack of honesty and tells me I am on my own!! Take care honey!!! Love, Mom"
And here is what I got from Dad today :):)
"All is well here. We flew from Beijing to Xi'an this morning. We are with two couples who are also adopting babies from this province. We get to pick up Mason in just a couple hours! Let me know if you have any trouble. LOVE, POPS
Well there you are people. Hope you enjoy it. THere surely shall be more to come. Until next time!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Finally on the way!
The day has finally arrived! What a busy day yesterday was! Details, details. At this point I don't think we left anything undone. We are so grateful for everyone that has helped us make this happen. The kids are staying with friends and the animals are being cared for by friends, amazing. We are in the airport now, waiting to board our flight to Portland. Then its off to Narita (Tokyo), then to Beijing. Only about 18 hours total, ugh! As you know, I am not a small guy, and coach is not my friend! Soon we won't have to tell people we are still waiting for our baby!
Funny, because of work I haven't had to pass through regular airport security for 12 years. But for this trip I'm a regular joe. So my new knee sets off the metal detector, and its off to processing! Stand like a scarecrow while a guy passes a wand over every inch of me. Then my bag got searched because I had an aerosol container larger than 2 ounces. So this is how the rest of you live?
Charise has made me promise to be a good photographer, and I'll do my best. We will try to post photos and information regularly - See ya!
Funny, because of work I haven't had to pass through regular airport security for 12 years. But for this trip I'm a regular joe. So my new knee sets off the metal detector, and its off to processing! Stand like a scarecrow while a guy passes a wand over every inch of me. Then my bag got searched because I had an aerosol container larger than 2 ounces. So this is how the rest of you live?
Charise has made me promise to be a good photographer, and I'll do my best. We will try to post photos and information regularly - See ya!
On The Way!!
The day has finally arrived! Charise and I are checked in at the airport (MSP) waiting to board and begin the long flight to China. We are so grateful for the many people who have offered to help us with this adventure! The kids are staying with friends, the dogs are with friends and the cat and fish are in the good hands of friends, amazing! So today we get to stop in Portland, then cross the Pacific to Narita (Tokyo), and from there to Beijing - about 18 hours all together. Funny, because of work I haven't had to pass through regular airport security for 12 years. So wouldn't you know today my new knee sets off the metal detector, and off to processing I go! Stand like a scarecrow, "are you sure this is a metal knee?", then search my carry-on, "what's this, We have a suitcase just for baby Mason - how long has it been since we had to take diapers with us? We will try to update the blog daily, unless we can't find internet service out in the middle of China. I promised Charise I would be a good camera boy, to make sure you get a taste of our jouney. So here are my first efforts. See ya!
Monday, June 15, 2009
travel plans!
The travel agency called to day and we have our tickets!!! We leave on June 25th and return on July 10th. There will be a fair amount of intra-China travel; we land in Beijing and tour for a day, then to Shaanxi where Mason is - after that it is Guangzhou where the consulate is, then to Shanghai and home from there!! A total of 2 weeks of traveling, Mason will be a seasoned traveler by the time we get home. I bought diapers and wipes today for the first time in over 8 years. I've never been so happy to buy diapers! Now it is time to make arrangements for everyone while we are gone. Kids, dogs, cat, we'll get it all done!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Solid travel date!!
We got an e-mail last night confirming our official travel date! We are leaving the 26th of June. We will miss the Daw family reunion this year which is a bummer - but getting our little caboose will be well worth it. We are busy getting the rest of our paperwork and visas ready, but there really isn't much left to do but pack right before we go. We will be gone two weeks, till the 10th of July; the kids are all staying at friends houses. We will go to Beijing and then Shaanxi to get Mason; after that we go to the consulate in Guangzhou. Back to Beijing and then home! Lots of traveling - Jim is hoping to try many Chinese dishes while we are there, and of course I will take every opportunity to shop, mostly for Mason though! We will post updates and pictures while we are there, it will probably be the only trip to China we will ever take so we will take as many pictures as we can!
Monday, June 8, 2009
travel update
Good news today!! The travel specialist from Great Wall (our adoption agency) called and said that our province had approved our travel. Each province is handling the flu scare separately and allowing travel at their discretion. Shaanxi is the province where Mason is and they have allowed us in!! Yeah! The exact day isn't set but it will be either June 26th or July 10th. Our appointments are currently being made and all the arrangements are being set up; they will send us on whichever date fits best. Time to go buy a car seat!!!!
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