Day 9 in China - The Lindsey day started early today as it seems Hope is a very early riser! For the past two mornings she has gotten up at 5:00 am and it sounds like she really isn't a morning person, just an early riser! They are preparing for their day and getting ready to go down for breakfast, Tara says breakfast has suddenly become her favorite meal of the day, she can get all kinds of 'normal' food . I've advised Tara and Dirk that we are on the brink of a riot and need pictures ASAP to calm the natives so Tara will try to get some sent this morning before they leave for another group trip and will definitely send by the end of the day (that means pictures posted for sure by tomorrow morning Texas time!!) As we were talking on the phone I could hear the girls chattering in the background, Tara was interpreting for me, seems the twins are trying to teach Mom and Dad some Chinese! More later --

UPDATE - Well, obviously Tara found an opportunity to get to the business center to get some pictures sent, aren't they great? I'm hopeful that everyone is able to see them; I chose to include everything she sent so we could all get a good idea of what fun they are all having over there, even though some are a bit dark.

The group trip was a visit to an ancient Chinese temple but seems that they weren't able to spend much time seeing the sites because all of the locals were too interested in seeing and being seen with those celebrities called "The Lindseys"! Between the twins and Dirk's height, they were quite in demand for being touched, patted, a hand shake, even a thumbs up but what they were most interested in was having their picture taken with Mom, Dad, and the twins. Everyone wanted to be photographed with "The Lindseys".

The rest of the day was spent playing with the girls and oh yes, they had a seamstress visit their hotel room where they were all measured for some new 'outfits' -- guess we'll just have to wait and see what that's all about -- somehow I just don't see Dirk in those Chinese pajamas :-)

Update to Day 3 - I received the pictures from Day 3 (Great Wall etc) a couple of days ago but haven't had a chance to post them, had more important pictures to get posted, so I've now added them to the site. You can view them on Day 3 in China.

Day 8 in China - Well, as you can see, no new pictures!! Not for lack of trying but there seems to be a problem getting Tara & Dirk's laptop connected with a network cable, wireless seems to work great but the hotel doesn't have wireless so we still don't have an easy way to get info and pictures. Tara has promised to get back to the Business Center and will send more pictures tomorrow.

We'll just have to do with 'words' and use our imaginations a bit. Seems that after that initial period of crying, the girls have really taken to both Mom and Dad now and are going great! They had their meeting at the Chinese Civil Affairs Office where they asked if Tara and Dirk were happy with the girls (I THINK they said yes :-) and their names, occupations and ages and that was it. They are now just waiting for the girls' Chinese passports and they will be finished with the Chinese side of the adoption.

Dirk also said the girls had experienced a monumental milestone in their little lives today --- a visit to WALMART!!! They went wild with shopping and spent 280 rmbs (that's about 35 dollars US). They checked out the fresh fish market in the store and Dirk says they really mean FRESH! the fish were alive and in tanks, jumping out of the tanks and flopping all over the floor. The girls kept pointing to the fish and other food and trying to tell Dirk and Tara something, unfortunately they have no idea what. They enjoyed the fish show and moved on to the toy department where they got some dolls, toys, coke, water, and snacks. They say people come up to them everywhere staring and smiling at them and some even come up and shake their hands. We knew the people of China are very appreciative of families adopting these babies and are quite taken with seeing twins.

Back at the hotel they visited a play room set up for the children. Tara says the girls' personalities really came out and they've been different ever since. She said they really had a great time playing together and the girls laughed a lot and loved the balls to jump and play in. Seems Hope might just be left handed as she was throwing balls with her left hand -- however she was holding her new baby doll with her right hand so who knows. Both of the girls seem to really love playing with their baby dolls, Hope tries to put her bib on her baby and Faith likes to cover hers with a blanket. Sounds like they were well loved and nurtured during their time with the foster family.

Dirk seems to continue enjoying the Chinese food but Tara is really missing some good old American fare. She wants a steak and loaded potato, Mexican food, good hot sauce and chips and ICE in her cup! The girls continue to be great little eaters and Tara says while they will eat the rice cereal and congee, they really prefer regular food and love all types of fruits. Dirk said he saw every type of fruit and vegetables imaginable in Walmart so maybe they've been exposed to a variety.

Tomorrow they will be doing some site seeing as a group but Tara couldn't remember where. They will also be doing more shopping and will visit the porcelain shops, Nanchang is well known for their porcelain. They said the others in their group are all very nice and all of the other babies are adorable and are younger than the twins who seem to be a real hit with the group and everyone else at the hotel. Tara says of course none of the others are dressed as cute as theirs and no hair bows! can't even tell they're girls ;-)

Tonight Hope wasn't feeling well and was a little fussy but Faith was enjoying her new toys. She also was trying to get into Dad's billfold -- she's a fast learner! Mom and Dad are having a great time getting to know their little ones but Dirk says he's ready to get these two little Chinese girls home to Texas!! I know we all are ready for that too. They've promised they will send pictures tomorrow from the business center. They did have an opportunity to check the blog earlier today and read all of the great messages from everyone, they were very happy to hear from so many -- keep those messages coming.

Day 7 in China - GOTCHA DAY!!!
These are the beautiful Lindsey Twins, Faith Marie and Hope Marie
Update at bottom of this post-


This has been quite the eventful day (and night for us back home waiting for the pictures)! When they got the girls, Dirk has Faith and Tara has Hope. And you can see the girls aren't too happy to be there! Tara said they were very scared and cried loud and a lot but after they got them to the room they settled down and seemed more content. They have really taken to Dirk but aren't too sure of Tara just yet. Tara of course immediately dressed them up and they all went for a stroll through the hotel. Hope has the big white bow and Faith the smaller blue one (Tara says they don't seem to mind the hair bows at all, good thing too!) They talk to each other and share cheerios and like to hold hands. They seem very happy to finally be with their Mom and Dad who seem to be quite taken with them too!!

They have not gotten their computer hooked up yet in the room and Tara couldn't get to her email so please bare with them regarding messages until we can get this latest technical difficulty worked out -- Mimi has to return to NYC today so it might be tonight or tomorrow before we get that done. Please continue to send comments and well wishes as they will be able to see them soon.

Aren't they beautiful!!!!

UPDATE: Another conversation with Tara and Dirk - the girls are doing great, still seem to be more comfortable with Dirk but are warming up to Tara. They've had dinner and are great little eaters, especially Hope who seems to like everything! They are potty trained and drink from a sippy cup. They interact with each other very well and share their toys, at least for the most part -- but NOT with Dad! (Dirk tried to pick up one of their toys and Hope promptly spanked his hand :-) They are enjoying watching their Cinderella video but Faith seems more interested in her cell phone (takes after Mom and Mimi already!!) They weigh in at a big 22 pounds and are 32 inches tall - Tara says their 12 month clothes fit fine but thinks they may be in 18 months soon, especially if they keep up their eating habits. They love to go walking and want to hold your hand, very tight. They loved their bath and were getting ready to go down for the night. They took an hour and a half nap earlier and slept very well in their cribs, but we'll see how that holds out for the night as they are accustom to sleeping with their foster mother. Mom and Dad say "they are perfect and beautiful", they are VERY happy and excited to finally be able to hold them in their arms.

Tara and Dirk have taken lots of video but we will probably have to wait until they return before we get a peek at those -- hopefully there will be more pictures tonight or tomorrow. I'm signing off and headed to the airport, enjoy those pictures!

Day 6 in China - Well, the last day btt (that's before the twins) is coming to a close for Tara & Dirk. They met the rest of the families from their group and "enjoyed" another great Chinese lunch. They also learned that they will be getting the girls at 11:00 Tuesday morning (that will be midnight Monday night for us). They leave very early tomorrow morning for Nanchang where they will meet the girls so were off to bed.

Technology is wonderful, they spent time today at the local Starbucks sipping coffee and checking their email, reading all of your great messages and best wishes. Don't forget that you can send them a message from the Blog by clicking on one of the Comments links and then select Anonymous as an identity. This way you don't have to get a log in. Don't forget to leave your name etc at the bottom of your message. We have also been talking with them by phone most every day. It's much easier and cheaper to call China with a calling card but calling from China is much more expensive.

Tonight they enjoyed a Western Buffet (that's not a cowboy buffet, just American :-) They were able to have steak which made Tara very happy! They have finally sent the "missing" pictures from Day 3 but I didn't see any pictures taken from the top! Guess we'll just have to wait for those certificates but I have heard there is a lot of counterfeiting that goes on in China so who REALLY knows. I will post these pictures later today.

Only one more sleep for Tara and Dirk before they get the twins and we won't even have to do that -- time is wonderful when they have to wait through a night and we'll get to see them (through pictures) before we go to bed tonight. They have promised they will call and send pictures as soon as possible after the get the girls so I will post as soon as I have them.

T Minus 15 hours and counting --------

Day 5 in China - Today Tara and Dirk travel from Beijing to Guangzhou where they will meet up with the rest of the families in their group adopting children. They enjoyed one more traditional Chinese meal at lunch and then it was on to the airport for their flight. Tara says "and I am so ready for a steak and loaded potato right now!" Guess she's having second thoughts about Chinese food and chop sticks being a great way to diet. She is looking forward to Guangzhou where there is a McDonalds next door to their hotel.

October 1 is National Day in China. It is the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. There used to be grand parades in the squares of the major cities in China but today celebrations usually take the form of parties in amusement parks by day and fireworks and grand ensembles during the evening. Most Chinese take the entire week off and celebrate so this week in Beijing has been most interesting (and very crowded). There were only four people in their group and they said their tour guide was great and they have many good stories to tell when they return. Humm.......

Only two more sleeps til Gotcha Day!!

Day 4 in China - Today started with a visit to a Hutong. This is a traditional Chinese community that consists of a small street between two courtyards. They were able to spend time with a Chinese woman in her home. Then it was on to the Silk Factory where Tara says she didn't buy a thing as she was told you can get much better prices in some of the other cities they will be visiting. Next they were off to the Forbidden City, called Gu Gong, in Chinese. It was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties and construction of the palace complex began in 1407 and was completed in 1420. They also visited Tiananmen Square, built in 1417 and was the front door to the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is probably best known for the student demonstrations in 1989.

Day 3 in China - Today Tara and Dirk visited the Great Wall. They claim to have climbed to the highest point in Beijing and have certificates to prove it! What I don't have are pictures as they couldn't seem to get them sent -- wonder if that is just a cover up? I have included some pictures of the Great Wall so we can at least see what they visited and if they ever get the 'real' ones sent, I'll add those as well. They said they were eating only Chinese food and only with chop sticks and plan to be nice and slim when they return home. Are having a great time and looking very forward to next week.

UPDATE - Finally, we have the 'real deal', pictures from Tara and Dirk's Day 3. They visited a Jade Factory, the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, and a Tea House. I've left the other pictures of the Great Wall that should display below these.

Day 2 in China - Today Tara and Dirk visited the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. They also visited the Pearl Factory and had a foot massage and finished up their day with a great dinner of Peking Duck. Sounds like they are really getting into this China thing. They are having a great time! Most of you know Tara is a woman of few works unlike her Mother, and since this is the Mimi not the Momma writing this, I'll add more info about the places they have visited later today. Tomorrow they visit the Great Wall, their tour guide is really keeping them busy! Just a few more days to Gotcha Day -- can't wait!!!

Still waiting for technical difficulties to be corrected in China before we get pictures from Tara and Dirk but thought I would add these of the twins that were received with their Referral. These were taken when the girls were about 1 year old so they will have grown a bit but until we get the real deal next week, you can check these out!

Day 1 in China - This is just a quick update with more to come later -- Tara and Dirk arrived in China today (middle of the night Wed morning for all of us). They flew over the North Pole and were able to get some pictures so hopefully we'll get to see those soon! They were having some technical difficulties with their internet connection in the room and sent the message from the business center of the hotel so hopefully they will be able to get that resolved and get on with keeping us updated and entertained.

Keep checking back for updates as I will post as I get messages and hopefully pictures. And by the way, if you want to send a message to them there is a Comments link at the end of each posting that will allow you to leave a comment and an email will be sent to them as well -- don't forget to leave your name so they know who sent the message.

This is the Mimi Not the Mama posting - I will be posting for Tara & Dirk during their trip and will try hard to stick to the facts as they send them to me without my editorials. But no promises :-)

They're Off!!
Just one slight issue - when they got to Chicago to board the plane for Beijing they had no seats and the flight was overbooked! They were able to get seats just prior to boarding and are in flight at this time. They will be arriving in Beijing 10/4 at 2:25 pm China Time (this is 10/4 at 1:25 am Texas Time). The flight is 13 hours and 22 minutes. Hope Dirk can squeeze those long legs in because they are in center and window seats.

I'll post as I get updates and pictures, hopefully they will be able to send them on a regular basis.

Just one more week til "Gotcha Day" when they get the twins!!

Thought you might like to get a glimpse of
where our girls are from.