The Linton Zoo & Kid-Isms

Sissy and I took the littles to the Linton Zoo last week.  We had a warm and sunny day and this was our first real “outing” since we’d been home from China, other than the store, the doctor and church.  The Linton Zoo is about a half hour from where we live and a nice way to kill half a day.  The entrance fees were a little bit high for what is actually there, I thought, but it was nice.  I would describe it as a lush park in the woods with a few animals here and there, versus a zoo.  It lacks the commercialism of a larger zoo – there wasn’t someone trying to sell you a cheaply made trinket every 100 yards and there was only one small snack shop. 

Picnics are allowed.  There are several picnic tables near the entrance, but there are also tables throughout the property.  We ate near the front, which was nice because we could take our cooler back to our car easily, but had we waited to eat and ventured in a bit further before setting lunch out, we could have eaten in full view of the lions.  That would have been cool. 

The zoo has a few big cats – I counted four lions and two tigers.  They have several varieties of small monkeys, to include a separate lemur exhibit that you have to pay an extra 10 pounds a person for.  We were tempted – but that was a lot of money for 4 people, probably equivalent to 70 U.S. Dollars.  That wasn’t in the budget this time, and we’ve heard no feedback on whether it’s worth the money at all.  The sign promised some really up close & personal lemur experiences, and I’m not really sure how much of that was hype.  I’m also not sure that my boys would be up for that much up close & personal lemur experiences. 

 

In addition to the monkeys and cats, there were several birds (we met one parrot who could say a few words in a weirdly human voice and that was pretty entertaining) zebras, kangaroos and wallabies.  They had a small reptile and bug area that wasn't very impressive.

And let us not forget the very sexually active large tortoises.  Hubs and I took Doodlebug to this very zoo last year and were treated with the sights (and sounds) of two tortoises (is it okay to call them turtles?) “doing it” for lack of better terms.  I do try to keep this blog PG-13 but if you have never seen two turtles in this position (think turtle style), you’re really missing out.  The sounds are sounds you wouldn’t expect to come out of a turtle and no, I don’t know which turtle was making the sounds.  Anyhoo…when the kids and I visited last week, guess what we saw.  Same thing.  I can't tell you if it was the same pair of turtles, but it was total de je vu.  I didn’t see anything on the website about special turtle entertainment, so maybe we just got lucky. 

The Linton Zoo has a very nice woodsy feel about it and I felt very comfortable letting my littles run around and burn off some energy.  It wasn’t like a big city zoo where a child could get lost in the crowd and it was great for all of us (although I think Sissy may have been a tiny bit bored).  They had a great playground tucked in the back of the zoo and we spent quite a bit of time just letting the boys slide.  One other “con” I didn’t mention was the lack of an “on site” toilet.  You actually have to leave the zoo grounds to use the loo, which really isn’t that big of a treck, more of a minor inconvenience.  Also, the ladies did not have a changing table.  They did last year when we took Doodlebug but it has mysteriously disappeared from the wall. 

If you have an afternoon to spare on a semi decent day, check this place out (assuming you are somewhere in the East Anglia area of England…otherwise it’s not worth the trip).  http://lintonzoo.com/

 

Kid-Isms

My littles are a lot of work.  They really are.  Getting them dressed, fed and bathed is an art (or science) that I’m still working on.  Taking them out together, especially by myself, is something I am just beginning to feel comfortable with.  Comfortable meaning not totally terrified.  

Doodlebug is really exploding with language.  When he completed his “early intervention” visits just after his third birthday, the therapists told us he was slightly language delayed but they attributed it to not being a native English speaker and having to catch up.  I’m pretty sure he almost has…if not, he is pretty close.  Here are some of the funny things he said this week:

“Too Loudly!”  Doodles likes to tell Peanut he is doing everything “too loudly”.  I’m not sure what exactly he thinks his bro is doing too loudly.  Breathing? Peanut is really not a loud kid.  When Doodlebug complains (loudly) about the “too loudly”, the only thing “too loudly” I hear is Doodlebug.

“You’re a turkey!”  Just a couple of weeks ago, this was “you turkey” but now he’s grammatically correct.  We all take turns in our house being the turkey.  If you are giving something he wants, odds are, you are NOT the turkey.  If you’re standing around with ice cream in one hand and candy in the other, Doodlebug is probably not going to tell you that you’re a turkey.  “You’re a turkey” is usually his standard retort for something you’ve said that he doesn’t like. 

“Oh my [leg] [feet] [finger] [head] [back] [insert any other body part here]!”  To say Doodlebug is a little bit dramatic is an understatement.  If he grazes any part of his body on anything (such as brushing up against a doorframe), it’s an event that just falls short of major surgery.  There is just something funny about hearing a three year old complain about their back. 

Peanut did it”.  Poor Peanut is responsible for most misdeeds, spills, and mischief around our house.  Interestingly enough, Peanut was responsible for wetting Doodlebug's pants. That kid has skillz and I'm not usually one for alternative spellings.

Peanut's language is exploding, too, which is  amazing considering he’s only been in our family 7 weeks and had not heard more than a couple of English words spoken, ever.  If anyone in the waiting process of international adoption or anyone contemplating it has gotten this far in this (probably boring to other people) description about my kids, do not sweat the “they won’t speak English” part.  Truly.

Seven weeks in, Peanut seems to understand most things we tell him.  He follows instructions pretty well and knows several English words and phrases.  He can also count to 5 and point to about 10 of his body parts when asked stuff like “where is your nose?” 

His phrase of the moment is “that way”.  Peanut will use this to indicate where he wants to go when we’re out walking (or driving – he and Doodlebug are huge backseat drivers) or to indicate where something is if you ask.  For example, when I ask him where his hair is, he points to the top of his head and says “that way”.  Good enough. 

Peanut has been a huge eater since we brought him home.  It’s been no secret that there wasn’t enough food in his life before we showed up and it’s been both a joy and a sadness to see how he relishes food.  That said, now that he’s started to figure out that he’s not going to be hungry, he’s started to be just a little discriminating.  I’ve been trying to get more fiber in to his diet, and I had the bright idea to mush up some canned pears and put them in to his oatmeal.  I didn’t mush them up enough, apparently, because he picked each and every pear piece out and lined them up on the table.  When I discovered this, he pointed at them, made a face and said “pee ew”.  Well, then.  He likes fresh pears well enough (although all fruit is “apple” at this point) but the canned pears in the oatmeal apparently were not acceptable.  He’s also done this with his lima beans out of the mixed veggies.  Can’t say I blame him there. 

Peanut is big on knowing where everyone is at the moment.  He always looks for and asks after anyone not present in the home.  He has started to say “Didi school”, “Sissy school” and “Daddy work” when those three aren’t around.  He is very big on “family togetherness”.  He seems to get a little concerned when one person leaves the house or when we take him somewhere and someone stays behind.  We also get this reaction when we’re out in public and we split up, even when one of us scoots over to the next aisle in the grocery store to grab something.  I can see he’s starting to become secure with the fact that we’re a family and he seems to understand that we will all end up in the same place eventually, even though we’re not doing the 24/7 togetherness. 

Peanut has started making the rounds at the base hospital.  He’s got so many appointments over the next 30 days that I’m having trouble keeping everything straight.  Unfortunately, I see quite a few doctor appointments in his near term.  More unfortunately, he is scared to death of any type of doctor’s office or anything he perceives to be a doctor’s office.  I took him to the base chapel for a meeting and we went from reception to a conference room with two “strangers” and he started hollering up a storm…I guess he thought it was an exam room and it took a bit of time to convince him otherwise.  He was still suspicious until we left, though.  Even benign things like the blood pressure cuff freak him out.  He got very upset at the brief medical exam we had to undergo to exit China and every medical situation we’ve been in since has elicited the same reaction.  I wonder what he’s been through.  Since we have been Peanut’s parents, he’s had to get two shots and have two blood draws.  He’s been examined by two different pediatricians.  There is much more to come – he has four specialty appointment in the month of October, plus another follow up with our regular pediatrician.  Hectic!  He is worth it though, and I know we are on the road to getting him healthy. 

Sharing – my boys have very different approaches to sharing.  For Doodlebug, “share” is a four letter word.  The other day, I gave them a bowl of orange segments and said “OK boys, you have to share this”.  I know, that was super dumb of me.  There was no bowl shortage going on in my house and I don’t know what possessed me to do anything other than to use two equally sized bowls and distribute the exact same number of orange pieces to each child.  Doodlebug’s idea of sharing is to hold the bowl and dole out orange slices (or apple slices, crackers, whatever) to Peanut one at a time.  If Peanut wants to hold the bowl?  Forget it. 

Peanut is the exact opposite.  If I give him something, he wants the same for Doodlebug.  We use Skittles at our house for potty training.  Every time Peanut uses the potty, he gets a skittle.  Every time, he always wants one “for Didi” whether or not “Didi” was anywhere near the potty himself.

So that is where we are.  One successful outing to the zoo under our belts.  The sharing is coming along.  We are starting to figure out what our new normal is and it feels pretty good. 

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Pack Like A Pro For China!

I have two China adoption trips under my belt.  Sooooo, I’m the self-proclaimed subject matter expert when it comes to totally awesome China packing. 

Disclaimer #1:
I’ve traveled a bunch.  I know a good many first-time adoptive parents traveling to China may be taking their first trip outside the United States.  I recently read the blog of a mom who had never flown prior to leaving for China to go and get her sweetie.  Those of you who have a few trips under your belt can probably relate well to my packing tips.  Those who are “newbie” travelers, take my tips with a grain of salt.  Nothing is more important than your comfort and mental well-being on a trip like this.  If you really think you need a separate suitcase for food and two tubs of Clorox Wipes, don’t let my recommendations sway you from what you feel most comfortable with. 
For packing, I operate under three basic principles.  Ready? 

1.   Less is always more.  Always, always, and always. 
2.   China is not the moon.  It is not the end of the world.  If you forget something, you can do without or buy it there.  It’s TWO WEEKS people.  Deal. 
3.   The only thing you “need” is yourself, your paperwork and travel arrangements (a place to crash and a ticket home).  The rest can be negotiated and improvised. 

Disclaimer #2

I have only been to China in the hot part of the summer.  The part where it is hot every-stinking-where in China.  I can probably coach you through winter packing if you’re unsure, but I have never been to China in the winter. 

Disclaimer #3

I have only adopted toddler boys in diapers who are off the bottle and not on formula.  I know nothing about Chinese formula versus US formula, or cleft bottles. 

Luggage & Such

·        Never have more than one checked bag per person

·        Consolidate when you can (mom and dad share a suitcase, brother and sister share a suitcase) and/or mish-mosh everyone’s stuff in all the checked bags (as in EVERYONE traveling has at least one outfit packed in ALL of the bags, so that no one is totally left in the lurch if one bag is lost/delayed.         For our last “very awesomely packed” China trip, we had four people leaving and five coming back.  We took 3 checked bags and packed a cloth duffle inside of one of the bags that could be used as an additional checked bag on the way home. 

·        Use packing cubes.  We used these:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/eBags-Packing-Cubes-3pc-Grasshopper/dp/B0013KGELU/ref=sr_1_1/280-8696324-3812369?ie=UTF8&qid=1380138229&sr=8-1&keywords=ebags+packing+cubes

Each family member/traveler had their own color cube, so it helped cut down on digging through suitcases trying to find our stuff.  It also helps cut down on potential over-packing (as in you give your loved one/travel buddy X number of cubes and say “all your stuff has to fit in here”).  I find the cubes to be more of an organizational (OK, some might say OCD) tool versus a compression tool, but the bags compress a little.  I’ve heard of people doing the vacuum sealed thing to save space in their bags, but that won’t minimize your weight and the air WILL leak in at some point, leaving you a mess on the backside of the trip.  TRUST ME on this.  I vacuum packed for a cruise once.  It was great while packing to go/unpacking once there but a nightmare trying to repack to go home.

·        Each adult took one regular backpack and each child took their own mini backpack.  I used these for the littles:http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/mackenzie-backpacks-blue-camo/?cm_src=AutoCSLPIP These little packs can hold a change of clothes, a snack and a few toys and can be comfortably carried by a mobile toddler. 

·        Each traveler should have a complete change of clothes (if wearing jeans, a clean shirt and a clean pair of undies) and a small toiletry kit in their carry on.  This will eliminate “funky-ness” if the flight is delayed or give you a clean change if your three year old spills spaghetti on you during the in-flight meal.  Really, can you believe they actually put marinara sauce on the kid’s meal? 

·        Travel light.  I cannot stress this enough.  Consider your new blessing on the flip side.  Are you going to be able to juggle your suitcases, etc and a new child (plus any you brought with you) while sprinting through the airport trying to make a gate that you’re late for?  It is soooo much better to be mobile than to be prepared.  This is A LOT of traveling and A LOT of moving around, people.  You don’t want to have a caravan of bulky stuff.

·        Strollers – I am a BIG FAN of taking a stroller to China or buying one there (assuming of course that you have or are adopting little ones).  For our first trip, Lee and I talked about taking a stroller, but hesitated to do so because on the trip over, we had no child with us.  How would we explain that to the airlines?  We were afraid of “uh…where’s the baby, you crazy people?”  Looking back, I think we would have managed without being charged (or sent for observation), but we didn’t take a stroller, nonetheless.  We did, however, buy a stroller for Zack about thirty-seconds after meeting Zack.  I exaggerate…but just a little.  My twenty-six pounds of burning love cried for an hour upon meeting me and then fell asleep on me in exhaustion.  Twenty-six pounds of sleeping dead weight kid is no fun.  We high tailed it to the closest Wal-Mart and bought a stroller.  On our SECOND trip, we took a double stroller.  A MAC truck of a double stroller, at that.  We were allowed to gate check it most places we went and it was a great luggage catch-all when we had one rider.  Even when we had two riders, we had a bin underneath and the handles (stuff can hang from there) to lighten our loads a little.  Thinking about taking a stroller?  Do it.  Loved, loved, loved having our strollers both trips.  There are places in China that are not stroller friendly, but your guides will let you know what they are.  Your guides will give you the briefing on “what to bring tomorrow” and you’ll have the opportunity to ask yes or no on the stroller.  Two trips and our guides never steered us wrong. 

·        We also took one Ergo carrier both trips.  It was a little tricky on the second trip with two littles who both wanted to be carried, but we made it work.  We loved having the Ergo.  It stayed in our checked luggage (didn’t take up much space/weight) on the way there for Trip #1 and squished it in a backpack for Trip #2.  We got the heavy canvas carrier that holds up to 45 pounds and really like it.  It’s a “man friendly” dark khaki and Lee has never complained about wearing it, which he might have done if it had had cutesy butterflies or something.  Honestly – DO-OVER ALERT – I wish we’d have grabbed a second for our second trip since Zack had some jealousy issues and wanted to be carried, also. 

To Flip Flop or not to Flip Flop?

·      “You can’t wear flip flops in China…because of the garbage”

·      “Bring flip flops to wear inside your hotel but don’t wear them outside because it’s unsanitary”. 

·      “People pee in the streets of China, so better not wear your flip flops”. 

To my flip flopping sisters – flop on.  Unless it’s snowing.  Then you’re just silly.  Or from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (go Lions…hey…they need the love, right?).  The garbage anywhere in China that I’ve been is no worse than any other major US city.  And if you see garbage…well for Heaven’s sake, woman, don’t step in it.  People do pee in the streets of China.  Usually young children who aren’t fully potty trained.  These children usually pee (under their parent’s supervision) into some sort of street drain.  If you have visions of your delicate flip flopped tootsies wading through rivers of pee…well, you’ve not been in any part of China I’ve been to.  I would not recommend flips for any sort of long-day stuff that resembles hiking.  FYI, the Great Wall is CLIMBING STUFF.  Truly, it is.  Wear good shoes.  But, for dinner or a casual walk about town, flips or sandals are OK.  In SUMMER, people.  Take your cues from the locals. 

Kid’s Clothes

·        For each trip, we took 6 outfits per child, PLUS a pair of long pants and a hoodie (we were coming from summer in China to what passes for summer in England). 

·        We brought shorts and tee shirts and two pair of PJs for each child. 

·        DO OVER ALERT – we’d have definitely brought more dry-weave stuff.  Our second summer in China was crazy hot and our boys’ cotton t-shirts were drenched after just a short time out in the sun.

·        We did not bring shoes for our new child.  Each of our kids came to us in decent shoes that fit.  We bought new shoes in Guangzhou for both and saved the “Gotcha Day” shoes.  Had our kids come to us shoeless, we’d have felt comfortable asking our guide to take us to buy them.  Don’t second guess the shoe sizes…totally not worth the space it takes up in your luggage.  Buy there.

·        For our first adoption (2 year old) we brought about half a pack of diapers and bought the rest of what we needed in China.  Warning – Chinese diapers seem to be less absorbent than American diapers (even if they say Pampers or Huggies on the packaging), so save your American diapers for long days out or the trip home.  For our second adoption, we took Pull Ups and night-time diapers for both boys.  Zack was mostly potty trained but we didn’t feel like dealing with underwear, accidents and the mad rush to find the closest potty “right now”, so Pull Ups it was.  We’ve heard that it is hard to find Pull Ups in China, but we saw them everywhere in Wal-Mart type stores/supermarkets.  So…we ended up taking a truckload of Pull Ups.  When we pack Pull Ups or diapers, we take them out of the package and pad the perimeter of the bags with them.  For me, this is the most space saving way to pack them. 

·        As it turned out, Kyle was way smaller than we’d been told, so we ended up having to buy all new clothes and diapers for him, anyway.  We had LOTS of extra Pull Ups

·      Other Kid’s Stuff

·      Toys – do NOT take a ton of toys.  Don’t waste the space in your luggage.  Obviously, if you’re traveling with kids on the way over, you will have to take something for them to do – I totally recommend electronic entertainment.  Zack watched movies on our tablet or slept most of the way to China.  I took a few small things for him to do in his backpack as well, but everything fit in to his little kid sized pack.  For toys to give your new child or toys to play with in China, a couple of simple things such as stacking cups, a toy cell phone and a couple of toy cars was plenty.  The kids will most likely want to play with something they are not supposed to or something other than a toy.  Neither one of my kids was remotely interested in a stuffed animal or lovey while in China.  While we were in Jinan (Shandong Province), Zack and Kyle were most interested in playing with small, plastic coffee cups that we’d taken from our dinner trays on the flight over (shhh).  Also, keep in mind that kids coming from an institutional setting may not be used to having a lot.  Kyle wasn’t used to having anything and didn’t need or know what to do with a lot of toys.  Even Zack, coming from a foster home where he was fairly spoiled was well entertained with just a couple of things.  And…referring to basic principle #2 – buy stuff there.  You can buy all sorts of cheap kid’s stuff in China.  If you’re trying to economize on space, consider a blow-up beach ball.  It weighs next to nothing.  We took this both times and it entertained our children for a whopping 10 minutes, tops.  It might work better for you, but bottom line, an entire bag full of toys, coloring books, Play Dough and stickers…not really needed. 

 

·      Clothes for Me

·      I took six outfits this last trip, plus what I wore to travel in – slightly more on my first trip.  I took four dresses, two skorts and one reversible knit skirt.  I took four tops that could be worn with any of the skirts, two of them were dry-weave. 

·        I took 2 pairs of PJs and enough unmentionables to get me through the trip…lots of people say they wash this stuff out in the sink, but really, these don’t take up much space.  Really large granny bloomers might, but I won’t go there. 

·        I took 3 pairs of shoes each trip (could have gotten by with two).  This last time I took Skechers Mary Janes, not quite likes these but almost (and I actually have these shoes, too, super comfy)

http://www.skechers.com/style/13564/skechers-gowalk-legacy/nat

a pair of Ecco walking sandals (bought several years ago) and a pair of “nicer” flippies.  I mostly wore my Mary Janes.  They were sturdy enough to trek the Great Wall and cute enough to wear with a skirt or dress for an official appointment. 

·        My travel outfit was a light sweater and a maxi dress.  Light, but kept me warm on the plane. 

·        I favor things that all go together or really splashy (stain hiding) prints. 

·        Thoughts on looking cute – It was hot and we were busy.  I wore my hair in a bun or ponytail most of the time & took no hair appliances (BTW, every hotel we’ve ever stayed in while in China has a hairdryer).  I also took a ball cap, but only wore it a couple of times.  I took a small makeup bag and a few pieces of jewelry.  It does make me feel better to make an effort, even though China was not a fashion show or a place I had to “show face”.  I still liked being able to feel put together.  I am of the mindset that families should make an effort to dress nice for official appointments – and that is any time you will be meeting Chinese officials for your adoption.  For the guy who was wearing jorts and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off for Gotcha Day – shame on you.  ‘Nuff said.  

·        You can do laundry cheaply in China.  You can also wash stuff out in the sink (more of a reason to bring dry-weave or “travel” clothes – check out www.exofficio.com)

·      Toiletries

·      All hotels in China will have shampoo, body, wash, lotion, and toothbrush/toothpaste.  Many will have conditioner, razors with shaving cream, and other amenities, such as Q-tips, cotton, laundry powder, sewing kits, and bath salts. 

·      For me, I only took my Olay face wipes, the lotion I normally use on my face, my razor (gotta have my own) and some deodorant.  I also took some scented body lotion that pretty much worked as my “stink pretty” for the trip.  All of this, plus my makeup and other stuff, such as tweezers, scissors, nail clippers and my jewelry bag fit in to one makeup bag.   There is a picture below. 

·      I took what I felt I needed to get through the trip.  If you leave something behind, don’t sweat it.  You can buy most any sort of toiletry item in China.  I’ve been to only 5 cities in China – not a huge amount of China travel compared to some – but I’ve never not been able to find what I was looking for if I needed it.  I’ve bought foot powder, cold medicine, baby supplies, and nail polish remover at a Chinese Wal-Mart, or equivalent.  I recently read someone’s blog who talked about how much the Chinese people smelled and that deodorant wasn’t sold there.  My experience was different, I’m happy to say.  I didn’t smell any funky people (other than possibly Americans in my travel group who’d been out and about sweating all day) and I saw deodorant for sale in several places.  To each their own, I guess.  

·      Miscellaneous Really Awesome Stuff I Was Glad I Had

·      I took my Thirty-One Large Utility Tote and Retro Metro Weekender in my checked luggage.  Both sat on the bottom of the bags, took up no space and almost no weight.  The LUT, I used as a laundry hamper while we were in China and could have used it as a pool bag or shopping bag if I’d have wanted to.  It kept our hotel room less cluttered and it made taking our laundry down for washing easy.  The Retro Metro was an additional checked back on our way home.  It held dirty laundry and freed up luggage space for the things we bought in China. 

·      Baby Got Bags – I took all sizes of ziplock bags and lots of plastic grocery bags.  I stuffed these in to every cranny of my luggage.  These have all sorts of uses.  Sealing a dirty diaper is a HUGE one.  All Chinese hotels come with these itty bitty powder room sized trash cans and liners are apparently a Western luxury that have not caught on.  The little plastic (un-green) grocery bags are great to keep your garbage from stinking up the hotel room.  We used baggies to contain toiletry items, to organize hair clips and jewelry, to take dry cereal (hello, free baby snacks) from the breakfast buffet, and to store wet or smelly clothes that didn’t get washed/dried before you have to move on to the next leg of your trip. 

·      Tide Pen and pouch of laundry detergent.  We did send out for laundry twice during our last China trip.  Having laundry sent out, even if it’s through the hotel, is cheaper and easier than dragging an extra suitcase.  And…nicer than wearing dirty clothes.  We did rinse out some things in the sink in our room here and there.  Another reason to bring dry weave stuff!  In cooler weather, I imagine you get more mileage out of your clothes, but in the summer (especially in the South) your clothes are done after one day (assuming you’ve gone outside at some point). 

·      A Ziploc bag of Clorox or Lysol wipes.  I used to laugh when I saw these on all of the “packing lists”.  I’ve actually seen adoptive moms in China “de-germ” a surface before allowing their darlings to interact with it.  I’ve heard of adoptive moms “re-cleaning” their “yucky” Chinese hotel room.  Please.  Anyhoo…I am the least germophobic mom you’ll ever meet.  So.  I have no idea what nervous Nellie’s spirit took over my body when I packed this bag of disinfecting wipes, but I am SO GLAD I did.  One of my boys had a nasty diaper accident.  No, I didn’t Lysol my child (yes, it was briefly considered) but it was a huge mess in our hotel bathroom at night and I’m glad I had a way to clean it up.  I only used a couple, but man-oh-man, I am so glad I had a couple to use.  Had I not had these, I would have had to call housekeeping and it was nice for all of us to avoid that. 

·      A small bottle of Downy Fabric Refresher.  I used this to spritz on our “encore performance” clothing (which there wasn’t much of because of the heat), to release some of the wrinkles in our packed clothes and as a bathroom air freshener. 

·      Medications

·      We were not able to get “preventive” Rx meds.  We really didn’t need any, either time, but on my next trip to China, if we have the opportunity to get them, I will take them.  Whoa…did I just type that?  Well…I’m still in the post-adoption PTSD stage, so maybe I’ve got a little keyboard Turret’s going on.  That said, we did take a pretty extensive medical kit with a little bit of everything in it.  Here is a picture of my bag, along with my cosmetic/toiletry bag and our "laundry hamper".  The big purple paisley tote folds flat and is light.  Sits in the bottom of my suitcase.  :

I take my black medical bag everywhere I travel, and even if I don’t need something out of it, someone with me usually does.  Yep.  I am the Girl Scout with the Pepto or the ear drops, every time.  I don’t really bring a huge amount of anything I don’t take on a regular basis, and if there is something I do take on a regular basis, I bring it plus a week’s extra supply – you never know when you might get delayed.  Ha. Ha. Ha.  I also take a few first aid supplies – nothing fancy, but a few bandages and some antibiotic ointment, for sure. 

·      Electronics:

·      Get a Panda Phone.  Google it.  This is a Chinese cell phone rental service that drops your phone off at your “entry” hotel and allows you to return it at your “exit” hotel.  It is meant to be for local calls in China, NOT to call/text your family back in the US.  For that, get a calling plan or use Skype.  We felt better/safer with having a way to connect to our hotel/our guide while wandering around in China.  We didn’t use our Panda Phone a bunch but it was worth having.  For each trip, it cost us about $50.00 to have/use during our stay in China. 

·      Use a Zuni Router.  I’m not electronics savvy enough to really explain what that is…but you should totally take one.  We didn’t have a wireless router on our first trip and did on our second and it made a difference.  We were ALWAYS able to get on the internet and always had a strong signal.

·      Get at least 2 VPNs – and make sure they work before you leave.  We used Express VPN and Panda Pow.

·      We took (on our most recent trip) a laptop, 2 tablets, a kindle and 3 smart phones.  Does seems like a lot, but we did have a lot of kid stuff loaded on the tablets and I liked having the keyboard to blog.  I used my Android phone quite a bit to look at Facebook and to post brief updates. 

·      We did not take a power cord/converters.  We wished we had but we were all right without. 

·      Food and Stuff

·      If you have a blog or a pack list that includes a disposable tablecloth (so your kids can play on the floor of the hotel without getting dirty), a set of dishes, packets of oatmeal or macaroni and cheese cups – I have (nicely) poked fun at you.  Ditto for any kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies and utensils.  But…follow your gut.  As I said above, I did pack Clorox Wipes and I’m ever glad I did. 

·      There is food in China.  Eat it.  Unless you are super picky or on a special diet, just go with the flow.  We took a few pop tarts, bags of trail mix and granola bars, mostly because our Beijing Hotel did not include breakfast and to “pay as you go” breakfast would have been about $25.00 per head.  We could have just as easily gone out to 7-11 and bought some snacks/quick things to eat.  We were always able to find Western style snack food and things that we recognized and felt comfortable with.  For quick meals in the room, there are so many noodle bowls for sale in China, and even things like peanut butter and Ritz crackers are there.  I’d never pack food, but I know a lot of people do it. 

·      HOWEVER…we did pack quite a bit of “Starbucks Via” individual coffee packets…although there were Starbucks everywhere we went and they could have been snagged along the way.  Most hotel rooms have tea bags but instant coffee is hit or miss.  The coffee at the breakfast buffets is mediocre.  I need coffee upon waking so that I’m not evil.  When it comes to packing, I generally say there is a difference between a want and a need, and yes, friends, I NEED my coffee.  Ask my family.  They’ll explain it to you. 

·      My Bottom Line:

·      Enjoy China.  Enjoy every second, for the amazing opportunity you have to be in the birth country of your child. No matter how crappy your trip might turn out to be, that still may be your only memory of your child's birth country when they sit on your lap later on and say "tell me about...". 

·      Allow yourself to think in the temporary.  Your China adoption trip is not forever.  Get through it.  If you forgot your deodorant or the hotel breakfast buffet doesn’t meet your expectations…deal.  Tread water.  This is a small pocket in your “real life”.

·      Pack light.  Pack what you absolutely must have and don’t worry too much about “what if”. 

·      Prepare to have a great, crazy, wonderful, at times stressful and uncomfortable trip.  Real life and real bonding/attachment begins when you are HOME.  Tread water and get through China.  If they don’t have your exact brand of Pringles or if you forget your eyeliner – you’ll be OK.

Cheers, People.