Journey to A (vol. 5--Things we needed in China)

Originally written 5/6/08 (Kurt is showing A the scrapbook that has the pictures of our house, her brothers and sister and the pets.)

(When A was ready to play she would look for daddy. She loved this balloon.)

(We bought this ball at the Chinese Walmart. We took it to the park and A had lots of fun playing with daddy.)

I know a lot of times it is helpful to hear from others what things they found extremely helpful to take with them to bring home their child. Please remember we were bringing home a 3 1/2 year old.

Things we took and were glad we did. . .The sticker book that A was enthralled with. Every spare moment in our hotel room she was playing with it. The blow up balloon. She LOVED this. I would have to say if she had the choice between the sticker book and the balloon, it would have to be the balloon. Because it blew up we could easily deflate it and pack it when it was time to travel. The photo album with pictures of our other children, home, and pets so she would be familiar with them when we arrived home. Snacks--this is pretty self explanatory, A really took a liking to Pringles. Peanut Butter--we had a few lunches in our room and would get some rolls and jelly from the breakfast buffet and take them to our room for lunch. I am not a seasoned traveler and I soon tired of the food that I could not name or recognize so this was good for me and easier on the budget also. Dresses--because she was so tiny, I was not sure what size to take her. The 3T Capri's were way too big around the waist. The 2T shorts I bought at Walmart were a perfect fit. The 3T dresses were a hit. If asked what A wanted to wear it was always a dress. She loved dresses. A backpack for her to keep her things--she latched onto that backpack and wanted to take it with her everywhere we went, especially if daddy had his backpack. Safety pins--for the clothes that didn't quite fit. If they were just a little big I could safety pin them and they would still look okay.

Things we took and did not need. . . Pull-ups--we were told that she was completely potty trained, but we didn't know if the language barrier would cause problems. We did not use even one of these and I gave them to another family in our travel group. She always told me in plenty of time and we had no accidents. Sippy cups--she could drink from a cup very well and liked to use straws. She would chew on the straws though so when we gave her a sippy cup she just chewed up the lid. The stuffed dog--she wanted nothing to do with this. She still is very unsure of dogs in general but at least has gotten used to the stuffed one.

Things we bought while in China . . . Bendy Straws--A  liked straws so much and a bendy straw would fit down in the water bottles we took with us everywhere. Child size silverware--The silverware there was much, much too big for her tiny hands. Medicine--We took a very limited supply of medicine with us and both Amilynn and I got sick. A small ball--we bought this at the Walmart and it was small enough to pack in our suitcase. Amilynn loved to play with this ball at the park with daddy. A toy phone--Amilynn loved playing with it. It had a long strap on it that she would put over her head so she could wear it around her neck like a necklace. She took it everywhere. A small magna doodle that played music when you pushed a button. This was great for her while in China, but soon broke once we got home. It was very cheaply made. Gummy fruit snacks--we tried while at the Walmart to ask Amilynn if she wanted certain things. I think she got easily overwhelmed, but she did indicate to us that she wanted these. She enjoyed them as an occasional snack.