Minor celebrities

When we visited the pavilion today we drew lots of attention. One thing we had heard before and experienced today is the wealth of assistance strangers will provide in relation to how one dresses their child. If your kid has any arm or leg skin exposed people will comment that it should be covered. I was carrying Mei and we had a blanket over her specifically for that reason, but when we sat down at one point a woman noticed one of her feet exposed. Unacceptable!

Apart from that advice, Stacey, the girls and I felt like minor celebrities. A number of other people visiting the pavilion wanted to take pictures of us.

At one point we were going into an area where visitors can pose for a photographer using traditional dress the emperor or empress might have worn. We wanted to snap a picture of the tourist who was in the outfit, but were distracted by some people who asked permission to take a picture of us. So we complied and then they started asking us to move a little this way and that for better lighting and suddenly there had to be 10 smart phones out capturing this magical moment for us. We probably disappointed a number of people who were not fast enough, but we decided to move on. People walk into walls when we are around.

Despite the odd attention, people have generally been very polite (if not behind the wheel of a moving vehicle) and seem enthusiastic. Could be worse.

On Monday with Nanchang's new city in the background.


On Monday Evelyn brought us to this pavilion which is considered the symbol of Nanchang. The city itself is more than 2000 years old and this pavilion was originally built by a prince around the year 600. He used it to pursue his interest in art and music, which was not valued by the emperor - that is why the prince was placed in what was a remote area at the time. Now the pavilion is one of the most famous historical buildings in this part of the country.

The day was overcast, so it was hard to get a good photo, especially using my phone.


Stacey and Fen next to a turtle with a dragon head.


This part of Nanchang is the new part of the city. The photo only shows a portion of the new buildings. All of this has been constructed in the past 11 years. The amount of development here is incredible. Our hotel is only 2 years old and crews are demolishing areas around here for more new construction.


Just got back from a swim at the pool in the hotel. There is a requirement that everyone in the pool wear a swim cap. No requirement it be so adorable. Stacey and I did not look adorable, more like coneheads. Anyway, both of the girls seemed to really enjoy the experience. Mei was kicking her legs together like a mermaid.

Out for a walk on Saturday evening.

Sunday morning entertainment provided by Stacey.

Sunday afternoon in a garden.  Stacey with Mei.

Nick and Fen in the garden on Sunday afternoon.

Another cute shot before bed.

This is probably obvious, but Mei is on the left, Fen is on the right.

All is well with us. We are just now working to get on a regular schedule for all of us. So far the girls are doing really well with their sleeping and eating. We have introduced a number of new foods from the breakfast buffet - sweet potatoes, eggs, noodles, bananas. So far they have not turned any of it down.

Mei seems to still be adjusting and maybe missing her foster mom. She likes to be held and while she is generally happy to go along with whatever we are doing, she can get overwhelmed. Fen is pretty smiley and tends to put up with a lot of our nonsense. She is any easy audience.

This afternoon we went for a walk in a garden we can see from our window. It is actually a private area for the apartment buildings next door, but the guard didn't seem to mind letting us in.

Our friend Samantha loaned us a couple of snuggies (I think that is what they are called) for walking with the girls. We brought them, but thought it would probably be too hot to use them. The girls actually love being in them facing out to see everything that is going on. That has made it nice for us to take some short walks around here.

When we are out lots of people come up to us to comment on the very peculiar sight they see. First, there are very few foreigners in this city, so from the start we are a spectacle. Then we have two Chinese girls strapped to us, who are twins. To top it all off (actually, our behavior must also just be really odd too), the girls have the thick curly hair. We heard that only 1 in 1000 Chinese people have curly hair. That is still a lot of people with a population of 1.3 billion, but still of interest. We see lots of slack jaws as people ride by on their scooters or walk without looking where they are going. Evelyn told us that if we go to other parts of the city people will stop us and ask to have photos taken with us. There may be a money-making scheme in this somehow. So far people have been very kind and have indicated the girls are lucky.

Fen napping.

Mei sacked out.

Fen in a sports car.

Mei in a sports car.

Mei and Fen with fake KFC.

Mei and Fen lounging.

Mei waking from a nap.

Gift from the provincial government

Yesterday the official who interviewed us from the Jianxi province International Adoption Services Office gave both girls porcelain cups. This will be a nice gift for them to appreciate in the future.

In the short time since we met Mei and Fen we have noticed some aspects of their personalities and wonder if these are indicative of how they will be in the long term.

Fen has been very outgoing and sociable. As we put her down for naps, she just wants to make faces with Stacey through the crib slats. She laughs a lot and loves the toy fish our neighbor Carrie gave us. She enjoys playing with things on her own, but also lights up when she can make eye contact with one of and cracks up.

Mei has a real intensity. When we first met, she was staring at me for the longest time without looking away. She was handed a set of plastic keys when we met and she held onto those for long periods of time as a security blanket. She likes to be snuggled and she also seems to be at a stage where her tactile interest is really high. She was fascinated with the nylon bib we used on her last night. It also took a long time to fall asleep last night since she was exploring the feel of the headboard and different fabrics in the crib.

We can't expect they are behaving as they would normally since they are under high stress, but hopefully they will begin to relax with us soon.