Rainbows and Arks

The boyz have an insatiable appetite; did I mention this in China?!

Well, Isaac knows when to stop, but Jonah can get "sick" and continue like there's no tomorrow. We don't allow him, of course!

His table antics are a source of great pleasure and laughter at suppertime. Tonight we didn't have the usual fare of eggs or noodles that the boyz so love. Instead we had a choice entree of tuna casserole or sea bass with star anise, Greek salad with stuffed vine leaves, fried mini bokchoy with fenugeek, and we topped it off with a choice of fancy yoghurt or brownies. This is it, I said to myself, they're sure to find something that they don't like...



The boyz went mad! The fish (ee-ee in Mandarin) was a hit! The salad (romaine, green onion, heart of palm, black olives, red sweet pepper, cucumber) all went down the hatch without a hitch. Jonah asked if the olive was a grape. No, I said, it's an o-l-i-v-e. After about three attempts to say the word, he swallowed it without knowing how to say it properly or knowing what it was. Hummmm, he said! Eh-gar! (which means Look!) Wheels!, as he holds up a slice of cucumber...



The greens are a smash - anything green really. Hold the salad dressing, thank you very much. If there is salad dressing, Isaac shakes it off and says, Mama, Mama, it's dirty!

The tuna casserole was called a cake because it had the golden bread crumbs on the top. They chose the yoghurt instead of the brownie; it's better for you too. Once Jonah was finished his yoghurt, he went over to Isaac with his mouth open! After Isaac was most generous in giving him a quarter teaspoon and said, No more! Slightly disgruntled, Jonah proceeded to relick the tops of the yoghurt containers!

In the end, they had to be told that they couldn't have any more. We don't want any sick little boys!

One little antedote that I found rather amusing: during the salad Isaac kept playing with a U-shaped piece of red sweet pepper. I asked him what it was. You remember he only has two consonants /m/ and /h/ so I wasn't sure if I had heard it properly. Did you say rainbow, Isaac?! Where did you see a rainbow, sweetheart?! He was looking for an answer and I knew that he hadn't seen a real one. So I said, Did you see one on TV? His face lit up shaking his head. Yes! In a movie? I asked. Yes, he said. Which one?

I thought he said car. But then I realised he had said ark! Do you mean in the movie Noah's Ark. Yes, he said!

I couldn't believe it! He's only been home 5 months, he saw that movies five times and the last time was a month ago and he remembered the word rainbow...and ark!




Amar, I said, imagine all the things he would say if he knew we would understand him! I can't wait for him to start speech therapy. When he meets new people he acts shy, but he isn't. He's mature enough to know that there's no point saying much when new people don't understand him.

Lordy, help us then! When it's just us, he never stops talking! And... if he were to know that we did understand him?! Yackity-yack-yack!

Just like Mama. TTFN! Ta ta for now!

Some Favourite Inside Activities

I thought it worthy to share some of the boyz favourite activities. Of course, they can't all be explained in one posting, but I shall give it a go!



First of all, right now, horses are very hot. About a month ago we went to a friend's farm to go horse sliding and Isaac was bitten by the horse bug! For much of the day he is a horse. He eats oatmeal, a horse's favourite food, he jumps and runs on all fours, etc. The craze has even overcome his brother, Jonah. Here we have Jonah in the horse costume. A unicorn, ya say?! Not! This is a horse!



Secondly, we have the airplane, made popular by the trip from China and the impending trip to Newfoundland this summer. As you can see, Jonah is very focused!



What is an airplane without a helicopter?! After all the propellers go very fast and there is one in the movies CARS and OPEN SEASON. Hey, helicopters are everywhere! Here is the pilot, Isaac, and co-pilot, Jonah, in their elevated seats of importance (notice Isaac has four pillows, while Jonah only has three!).



Isaac is using his binoculars (or spyglasses!). Is he checking for enemies or other wildlife?!



Ah but, Nai-nai (grandma) calls and everyone has to say hello and "I love you, Nai-nai!"



Just as she hangs up, Isaac becomes the helicopter and starts to lift off the runway!

This has been less than 30 minutes in the imagination of two little boys!

Bring on the Spring!

I show the boyz pictures of the house and garden in the summer with flowers and green grass, but they hardly believe it! I assure them, yes, indeed there IS grass underneath that snow and there will be flowers too! Isaac smells the flowers on the computer screen; he gets so close that I'm afraid he might lick the monitor! The boyz can't wait for the spring!



As my dear friend Sue would say, "We're getting cabin fever!" Yes, indeed we can't wait to go out and breathe the fresh air. It was last October when the boys came home. They had been used to 20+ degrees Celcius so the found it nippy here at +5. Nowadays, +5 is warm weather! As soon as the temperatures dip below 0, out comes the beach ball and bicycle and we have a great fun in the driveway (too much snow in the backyard yet!)

Five Months Home!

I can't believe that we have been home for five months already. I have come back to this blog a number of times to think about whether or not I should continue. To be honest, the flaming really bothered me for quite a while. It took the shine out of my heritage, but it didn't take the shine out of my boyz!

They are doing so well that it's just amazing! The first two weeks we were simply out of commission because we were all sick with differing bugs/infections. Then reality hit - I am the mama to two boys! I'm still surprised when anyone calls me a mom.

The boys speak to each other in Mandarin and English, all mixed up. I was surprised how quickly Amar and I learned "baby Mandarin"! We have had about 25 medical appointments in the last five months. Most of them is just to check and make sure they are fine in different areas.

Isaac has seen a cleft team in Montreal and he won't need surgury until he's eight. He will start speech therapy in April. He is an absolute delight. Smart as a tack! His language is excellent, but we have difficulty understanding him at times because he has only two consonant sounds. His vowels are all intact. He has an incredible imagination and loves to sing and talk to himself. He's the life of the daycare, the real thespian.

Jonah has grown so much since he's arrived. He's taller and heavier than his older brother, which can cause confusion! He has the most delightful smile. If I hear him laugh in another room, I have to check out what he's doing immediately because it probably isn't good! It is taking a while for us to get eye contact with him and to have him look at us when he talks, but this is improving. He's very manual in that he plays with everything around. He hangs letter magnets on towel racks and loves to hook things together. Amazing, really. We were told that he has a heart murmur, but during the ultrasound this week the cardiologist said he couldn't see a hole. Great news! He said that everything looked fine. Eventhough I am seeing a surgeon for his chest, it was purely cosmetic. Mama ain't interested in "cosmetic" unless it's on the face. It ain't so I ain't going there. If Jonah wants to fix it as an adult, he can choose to do it then. Amar and I have peace with that decision.

Wow. So many things have happened that could just melt your heart! I love it when they climb up unto my lap and cuddle. Or when I go to pick them up at daycare, they scream and run towards me and say "whoa!!!! mama!!!!!" and kiss and hug me! That's the best! As time goes on the love gets bigger and bigger. Oh yes, and the boys love to dance the jig and sing!

Bye For Now!

In about 24 hours we will be boarding our flight to Montreal and we can't wait! It's been a great adventure... an adventure of a lifetime. Although it's only been two weeks, I feel that we have known our boys a lifetime... They're so precious to Amar and I, it's awesome..

The next time we will write will probably be from Canada. I'd like to thank you for your comments and e-mails. Each time I logged on, they were a treasure to find. Hope to see you all soon!

Bye from China!

A Trend

There seems to be a trend that strikes me as kinda funny. First I need to explain that my husband, Amar, is Aryan (Chetri caste) ... in "loose" terms he looks East Indian, but he isn't. He's Nepali. As I have posted earlier, I am a typical-looking Newfoundlander. (Our picture is in an earlier post.) Anyway, I've been asked quite often by Chinese ladies if the two boys are brothers and if they are both ours. Of course I say yes. They smile, and say that the boys don't look like me... they look like their father... "Amar," I say, "The Chinese think you're Chinese." "That's possible," he replies, "A lot of minorities here, you know."

I smile to myself... Geez, they're making us feel right at home...

Is She Going Out Like That?!

Today we went to the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. The boys were delighted and didn't want to leave! Before leaving the hotel for the zoo though, I took a quick shower. Five minutes into the shower the boys started banging on the door, turning the knob and shouting Mama! Mama! I told them that Mama was there, everything was OK, I would be out soon, calm down, etc. This was to no avail. Finally I decided to open the door a crack, clad in a bath towel, to show them that Mama was safe and sound and needed just a few more minutes. When I did so, they looked at me with genuine concern, quietly shut the door and turned talking in a local dialect with about 20 sentences all starting with Mama. Here is my "loose" translation:
- Did you see Mama? Did you see what she was wearing?
- Yeah, and she's all wet.
- You don't think she's going to go out in that, do you?
- Geez, I hope not. She'll perish with the cold...

Hello Hollywood, Here We Come!

Yesterday we went to Tiananmen Square and were overwhelmed by its size - man, it's huge! The boys were hungry. (Are we surprised?!) At one point we stoppped and gave them a bag of Chinese potato chops to share. When we turned around again a few minutes later, there were 5-6 people in a circle around the boys taking pictures (click, click...) Outside the inner circle of photographers there was a circle of about 20 people watching with wonder the boys - big smiles all 'round. Then a lady pointed to herself and to me, asking if I would pose in a photo with her and the boys. "Sure, why not," I said. (I turned around and jokingly siad to Thomas, that we should charge 10 yuan a photo!) It turns out that many Chinese tourists there had never seen a Westerner before!

Summer Palace

Today we visited the Summer Palace of the emperors. We walked along the waterside taking in the beautiful structures and workmanship that must have taken years to build and create. The view was spectacular. Of course the boys thought the view of the popcorn container was great too. It kept them moving along the long corridor. Wherever the popcorn went, the boys trailed closely behind! (We have a great picture!)

The boys talk to each other in a regional dialect of Mandarin. They talk constantly. We think they understand each other most of the time, but are not sure. They also call each other on their imaginary cellphones!!! The chatting becomes very vocal when there is excitement around, like taking a ride on a big boat with a dragon's head (which we did today). Everybody in the vicinity knew the boys were excited because they talk so loudly and there's nothing we can do to keep them quiet! And do you think they get attention?! I am surprised at how many Chinese know the word "twin" in English! "Twin?" they'll say, pointing to each of them. No, I say. And the more the boys act up, the more the people are charmed by them. "Good naughty," they say. If the boys are dressed the same, the attention doubles... What a set of charmers mom has!

Thanks, Thomas Li Zhu!

I just wanted to offically thank our fabulous guide, Thomas (aka. Li Zhu) for posting the last few pictures from his home because I couldn't at the hotel.

Thanks, Thomas!

(I'll introduce you all to Thomas with a photo once we're back in Canada.) I think we have seen the last of our pictures online. You'll have to use your imaginations from now on!

at Pool with Baba

Waiting for Mama to get off the computer

Isaac at Nanning Airport

The Great Wall and Skittles

Today we went to a pearl factory where we picked out two identical, very reasonably priced strings of pearls for.... the boys' future wives. (I know, I know, mama is a hopeless romantic!)Our guide, Thomas, said that we were thinking for very far in the future. That's true, I said, but we believe that our lives are planned and these here boys were chosen and set aside just for us. Then, it makes sense that their wives have already been chosen as well. Yes, he said, I understand, with a big smile.

Then we went on to the Great Wall. It was magnificent! The boys weren't all that impressed though. Jonah had eaten his candy at the Pearl factory and set his sights on Isaac's Skittles, which Isaac had preciously and slowly been eating throughout the course of the afternoon. And, b'ye, did Jonah want those Skittles! Every time we tried to take a picture of the boys on the wall, Jonah's eyes would be glued to the bag of Skittles in Isaac's hands! Life is tough, eh?! Every time we take a picture of them together, one is looking up, around, down, at the Skittles, has his eyes closed.... You get the idea.

How fortunate we are though that our two boys both have special needs, but they are perfectly healthy. Not even a cold, a sniffle, a cough, or a pain. Gee, and all the meds I brought... I'm NOT disappointed!

Amar just got back from the grocery store across the street and he took Isaac with him. Amar came back without 60 yuan and with two bags of groceries. What did you get? I asked. Nothing, just water. Isaac picked up everything else... In the bags were noddles, yogurt, biscuits, buns, fruit candy, chocolate, gum and, of course, two varieties of Skittles... Tomorrow the fun continues....!

In Awe

Tonight I was watching them eat. They were sat quietly on a big bath towel in the middle of the hotel room eating noodles and I just watched them eat... I was in awe. We've come this far to get our boys and here they are right in front of our eyes, our boys; it's so hard to believe sometimes. It's amazing. They are beautiful. Just eating noodles on a bathtowel.

Just a Note

We are having techincal problems. We just spent about 30 minutes running around trying to get an image on for you guys, but it isn't working so I think we'll proceed with text from now on. We have lots of pictures of baba with the boys, but we'll have to post them once we're back in Canada.

The boys are crying for breakfast, so I'll keep this short. They are doing much better. They get along better and are attaching to the "other" parent.... slowly, but surely. We try to keep to a regular routine and that works well.

A funny thing happened yesterday. We were in the Beijing airport and saw a car on display. I told Isaac that mama had a car like that one. He didn't seem to understand. So I asked the guide to tell him. "No, no," Isaac said, "I don't believe it!" I told the guide not to tell Isaac that Baba has a car too because that would be really pushing it!

Mama is a Newfie and a Newfoundlander

Well, I'm very surprised today to see what some have said about the Newfie comment. Oh well.

For the record, I (Melissa/Mama) am a Newfie and a Newfoundlander and very very proud of it. Those of you who know me,know this. I thought about mentioning before, but thought that people had a funny bone. I guess mudder has to be careful about such comments. Sad...

Now, I am not here paying 2 Yuan a minute to talk about this....

Jonah is a Newfie/ We're Starved!

I'm having trouble with the Interent connection here at the hotel. I've been trying to post pictures and write texts, but either the Internet isn't working or Explorer isn't, or the pictures don't come up on the screen. So while I'm here, I'll post for now, but leave the pictures for Beijing, as we're going there tomorrow anyway.

Jonah is definitely a Newfie. How do we know this? He's rough and tumble, and he's afraid of the water. Do you know why Newfies don't know how to swim? It takes longer to drown.

He was so rough and tumble that we had to start discipling him already. We didn't want to do this during the trip, but the fact that we are adopting two at a time makes it such that we have to be careful of both of their adaptations. They have a new mama and baba and brother. You do not hit your brother, or take his toys. No, you can't do that because if you do, your brother will want to and we can't have the two of you doing that... (You get the idea.) Jonah is finding this the most difficult, but since the new measures have come in, his behaviour has improved quite a bit.

The second point of today is that the boys are STARVED! Today at supper, Isaac (that's the quiet obedient one - sort of), after eating noodles and wonton soup, insisted that he was still hungry. We ordered four more dumplings for him and while he "waited," he stood on his high chair, with his spoon hanging form his lip, pointing frantically to any waitress who came by, pointed to himself, pointed to the kitchen, and to himself and then to the table. This went on for about 15 minutes. There was nothing to do but laugh. The boy is starving, don't you see?!

And where was Jonah, you ask? Amar took him for a walk so he wouldn't even see the dumplings... Jonah, if left to his own devices, will eat and eat and eat until he gets sick and throws up. So, we have to stop him. Thank God it's just food and not the drink!

Jonah's Finding Place

(Sorry that that this is on its side... I can't read the Mandarin to fix it!)

Anyway, we got a chance to meet the lady who found him... She was so happy to see him!

"He takes me to a safe place because He delights in me..."

Our boys get a second chance just like Jonah did because we are so precious to Him...

Isaac's Finding Place

Coming here and talking with people has made us come to a greater understanding of what happened. It doesn't mean we agree, but we must try to be understanding.

Isn't he precious?