I'm the Mommy!

See this sweet face? That is my kid. I know it, you know it, practically everyone I've ever met knows it. But she doesn't. She has no clue. This fall her whole world will be turned upside down and there is nothing that I or the wonderful nannies at Starfish and the amazing Amanda can ever do to prepair her for what is to happen to her in a few months. One day (hopefully this November) she will be packed up and taken to a building she has never been to before and handed over to me who she has never seen before. Then the people handing her over to us will leave. And there she will be....scared and confused. Babies at Starfish are so lucky to have volunteers of every race and language to help them grow up, so caucasian people won't be new to her. But I will, and so will my dad, and my mom, and her room, and her clothes, and the sights, sounds, voices, food, and routines. This breaks my heart.

All the training in bonding with a child you have adopted will in no way prepair you for the actual transition. I feel good that I know alot of what I need to know, and know enough to know I don't have a clue as to what this is going to be like. Will she cry for days straight, will she turn into a zombie, will she get sick, will she be okay until bed time and then have fits all night long? Can we just skip this part?

I know my daughter has made strong bonds with her nanny and her husband. That is a good thing. She is also being cared for by people who love her and she has many friends at Starfish - Jack and Mila. Because she has strong bond with them she should have a strong bond with me. But that just doesn't happen the instance she is put into my arms. The bonding takes work and time. She has to go through a period of mourning that can take minutes to months to start and minutes to months to grow through. She has to learn that I am the mommy. Unfortunately for my Dad this is the hard part. He will be traveling with me to China, but really can't hold, feed, or comfort Audrey unless I am unavailable....and neither can anyone else. I have to do all those things.

A lady once wrote about the bonding process this way: "Imagine you were married to a wonderful spouse and was as happy and as in love as you can imagine. One day you came home and all of your stuff was gone except a few possessions and your spouse tells you that you have to go live with a new spouse. He/she takes you to an office where another person is waiting for you. You have never seen them before and can't understand them because you don't speak their language. You also don't know why you have to leave the one and go to the other, and no one can help you understand. The new spouse hugs you and cries when they see you and tells you that they love you. They thrust new possessions at you and then pull out a camera and ask you to smile. They take you with them to a place you've never been and a town you have never been to, and then they wonder why you keep crying or won't smile, or eat, or play." Or, as I said to my friend Ashley about her 11/2 year old son Wyatt, "What if something happened to you and a familiy from China came and took Wyatt back to China with them - away from everyone and everything he knew.?" A little different when you look at it from those perspectives, isn't it?

I can't wait for you all to meet my girl. I know already she is the smartest, most talented, most beautiful little thing I have ever seen. I can't wait to show her off! But this bonding process, this new life - she needs time to adjust. There are some ground rules I need to establish for when we get home:

* Please do not come over. We need time to get used to this whole mom/kid thing.

* If you MUST see her - please call first. Not only will we be jet lagged, but we need the time to get to know each other and for her to get used to our routine and house. If I say no to comming over it is not because I don't love you, or I'm trying to hurt you. We just need this time to bond.

*Do not pick her up or take her from my arms. This will confuse her. If she comes to you and climbs in your lap or reaches or you, that means it is ok for you to take her.

*Do not feed her or give her snacks. Part of her learning that I am the mommy is that I am the provider of food and comfort.

* I will do the diaper changing....as much as I'd like to push that job off on someone else.

* Be understanding if she is having a melt down or is shy around new people. It will take some time to get used to all this new stuff.....plus she will be two years old.......so.......

* Also understand that the way we do things may not be the typical way most parents operate. I may carry her longer that you may think is necessary. She may also regress a little in her actions because of the trauma she has endured in this transition process. It may take longer to potty train her, for her to walk and talk, and develope...so please don't compair her to others her age.

Hopefully with following these guidelines she will transition quickly and then we can all pick her up, feed her, change her, and potty train her! Ok, maybe we all won't need to feed her.... :)

Audrey and her friend Jack!



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Audrey and her friend Mila!

Audrey and her nanny's husband!


I've also been trying to upload some video of Jack and Audrey playing but can't get blogger to upload. May do a new post when I get that figured out!



Audrey's Room and new photos!

 I want to start off this post with new photos. Once again people have been blessing me with photos of Audrey. Taylor - a gal that is volunteering at Starfish - has been in contact with me alot and she took quite a few photos of my girl. ( Taylor is the blond in the photos) She worked with her one day to get her to say "momma" and she did it! I am so thankful that Audrey is in a place where she is loved and paid attention to. Also, Taylor told me that Audrey was walking with help but she thought that Audrey has just not wanted to walk by herself yet.....hmmm.....could she be spoiled? My friend Tricia suggested they dangle a cookie across the room and maybe she will get up and go get it - not that she needs another cookie! I have also been in contact with Yonna. She and her family have been sponsoring Audrey and praying for her the past year. I did not know that you could sponsor a specific child, and I am so thankful that God has sent people ahead of me to watch over my daughter. Audrey is so blessed already! Every day I rush to the computer to see who has friend requested me on facebook and who has new information. Today I was contacted by two different ladies that make life books for the kids from Starfish. YAY!

oh look - she's eating

walking with a volunteer



saying mamma!

  


pretty in pink!

  
I just can't wait to squeeze those legs and cheeks!


This week I finally got  the room completed. Well, completed as much as it can be! I have a book case and a rocker to get yet...and a sweet baby girl to put in it, too! When I started this adoption process the designer in me planned the babies room first. I have never been a "pink" person and really didn't think about the color when I planned the decor of the room. I picked a soft light blue and brown with a metal bed and dark woods - this to the chagrin of my mother (she now loves the room and is ok with it not being pink). I had this design scheme in mind for the past 4 years. I didn't want to get started on the room without having an end in sight because I didn't want everything to just sit there and get dusty. Lasy year I got ancy and found a great sale. I lucked out because the crib I wanted ended up being marked WAY DOWN and got a great place for my baby to sleep. On a return trip I found a dresser and I started picking up pieces for the room along the way.
My dilema was in how to incorporate the colors, the furniture, and my ideas into a romantic, European inspired princess room. I first had to figure out where to put the stripe around the top. The room is unique because the door and window heights are all different...plus I had a cold air return vent to deal with - got that done by working with the negatives and just placing the wood right underneath the cold air return vent. Then I had to find the right stencil to create a feature wall to put the crib on - found one after hours of searching on the web. Then I had to get the molding chosen and put up - got that done by a family friend. Then the fun stuff. The folks helped and we got artwork and shelving put up to feature some of the dolls and toys I had purchased for Audrey over the last few years.
Here is how it looks so far:

my dream gun metal grey crib and princess canopy!

dolls and things I have collected or have recieved as gifts.

I can't get this to rotate but it is the dresser/changing table combo and round mirror.

can't get this to rotate either. The painting says "Audrey" in Chinese. The photo frame is awating pictures!

the bear says "Audrey" and the chinese girl is a bank

an organizing bag with Audrey's initials and a doll made by my friend Lynn North

I LOVE her room. Now to just get her in it.....

Split Pants, squatty potties, and Rude Questions!

First of all - I got some new photos and a video! I posted on the Rumor Queen website about my blog here and people just started comming out of the wood work by contacting me and hooking me up with people who are or have taken care of my daughter. Goose bump time - I lovely woman named Yonna contacted me and she has been sponsoring Audrey for a year! She and her family have been sending Audrey clothes and have been praying for her. Audrey is so blessed. I found out that she is getting stronger each day and that she is wearing 2T clothes - they are a little long for her but fit everywhere else. These photos are supplied by Starfish volunteers, the director, and sponsors:

Now onto the topic at hand. Over the last for years I have learned alot about the Chinese culture. I also have learned that as much as I know, things are going to be different that I expect. Everything from table manners to toilets, clothing to food - its all different. The way the Chinese raise their children is different as well. It is typical to give a child a fake name to "confuse" evil spirits when talking about an unborn child - so the spirits will not be able to find the child when it is born, ensuring good luck. The family will then give the child it's real name one month from the time the child is born. The Chinese are very supersticious and believe that the minute, hour, day, month, and year the child is born will be telling of what that child is and what their character will be. Belief about that child is found in their Chinese Zodia Sign. I am a Dog on the Chinese Zodiac. Dogs are loyal, creative, and dreamy....kinda like me! To find out more about your Chinese Zodiac Sign check out this website at http://www.12chinesezodiac.com/. This is for entertainment value only and not my true belief.

Did you know you can train a baby to be potty trained at 4 months? The Chinese believe you can! The Chinese diaper a child until around the age of 4 months and then babies traditionally wear split pants. The split pants are like buttless chaps and their little bottoms are free to the air. The babies are fed and after waiting about 30 minutes the children are either held over a pot or strapped to a potty chair and wait for the inevitable to happen. Sometimes the adult makes a hissing sound to alert the baby to let go. Here are some images of babies in split pants.

Can you feel the breeze - I think I would get kind of chilly! Parents also make their formula thick and cut a large hole in the nipple of the bottle so the mixture sort of falls out of the bottle - the babies rarely have to suck.
It is also common for children to publicly unrinate and other things in public. The chinese believe that childrens waste is pure and not harmful. There are horror stories of people going to upscale shopping areas and seeing a child being held by the parents over or near a trashcan or bush and letting it fly! But, I guess when you have to use a squatty potty a bush doesn't seem so bad. Here is a typical squattly potty that is found in most of Asia. I am so looking forward to using one of these (insert sarcastic tone here).

Sometimes the potties are nice like the one on the left, and sometimes they are a hole in the ground. Basically you just go in and assume the position, use it, and leave...notice no TP.

Take all of the people that live in Bethalto and put them all in the Schucks store. Can you imagine the chaos, the shoving and pushing, the yelling and impatience? That is what it is like to live in China. The Chinese have their own idea of personal space because there is none. Spitting is pretty common and alot of caucasians have been told to watch out or you might get spat upon. This is not out of rudeness on the part of the Chinese. We use a kleenex, they spit on the floor. I have been warned by many people to not be surprised, scared, or insulted if a Chinese person just picks my kid up, feeds her, or scolds me because of how I dress my daughter. The Chinese consider a child a treasure and people are free to play with them at will. They also believe children should be bundled or dressed in layers until an older toddler and feel the right to scold those that don't. Since I have lighter hair and lighter eyes I have been warned that lots of people will want to have a photo taken with me. In a land of darker skin and hair, a caucasian is a rare sight.
As lax as their personal space is, there is a formality to sharing dinner and showing respect. Do not accept a dinner invitation from someone if you do not plan to or cannot reciprocate with an equal value meal sometime later. The same with gift giving. It is rude to drink before your host does at the dinner table but it is ok to burp outloud. You also do NOT want to clean your plate because the host will continue to thing you are not full. You must sample everything but not take the last bite.
Here are some images of Dim Sum dinners. Don't be insulted if your hosts askes you why you are so fat or how much money you make. The questions are not meant to be rude, but a show of concern to the guest from the host!
I am so ready to experience this culture and ALL it has to offer. These mentioned are only a few of the cultural differences I will experience and do not encapsulate all that is China. I just have to remember not to drink the water, ask for no ice in my drinks, and only brush my teeth with bottled water in the blue label...not green.

My time, God's time, China time, and why is it taking so long.

"Have you heard anything about the baby? When are you going to get the baby? Why is it taking so long?" I have heard these question for that past 4 years. One of my favorite t-shirts of China adoption says "No I havent heard anything, No I don't know how much longer it will be, Yes, make it a double." When I started the process of adoption the wait time was 9 months. Within a year that wait time had grown to 4 years. I have been waiting 4 years, one month, and 27 days. If I had not found Audrey on the waiting list I would still have an estimated 2 more years to wait. I know the arguements and the frustrations, "if these kids need homes, why is it taking so long?" Here is the best answer I can give you: I don't know. All I can tell you is from what I have learned from my wait and what the Chinese government has done.
 I started the adoption process the summer of '06. After 9 months of paperwork from my agency, but mostly Illinois DCFS paperwork, I could send what is called a "Dossier" to China. That date is called  the Date to China (DTC) and mine is March 5th 2007. The dossier consists of DCFS approvals, fingerprints, paperwork and clearances from various state and international agencies. Once this has arrived in China your dossier is logged in the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA or now known as the CCWAA) and you are officially in line. That date is called your Log in Date (LID) and everything you do from now on is based off of that date. My LID is 4/4/07. All families that are logged in on that date have the same LID and form a group - my group with my agency started with 25 families from around the world. China adoption is not just popular in America, but several European countries participate in the process, too. Each month China releases a certain amount of children for adoption and how many log in dates that number of children covers determines how many days are matched in a month...otherwise called a "batch".

 China has some rules for adoptive families to follow and rules they themselves have to follow. For example, China says that 60 percent of the children in orphanages up for adoption have to be adopted domestically, the other 40 percent can go for international adoption. Private and government run orphanages have to follow these rules but have to pay for the process out of their budgets. Placing a child for international adoption costs alot of money and paperwork for an orphanage so only a few orphanages participate in the program.

 Once a batch of babies are released they are matched to families with their particular LID. When I started the process there was a 9 month back log. I started at a time where the perfect storm was brewing. There used to be many more babies available for adoption that there were parents in line for them and families were matched in as short of a time as 4 months. Soon, with word spreading about China adoption, many people started the process and soon there were more families in line to adopt than there were babies available. Some number have been tossed around like 3 - 400 babies v/s 1 - 2,000 families waiting. It now takes 3 - 6 months to get through on month of families. As of today, families up to June 30th of 2006 have been matched with their children. Next up is July 1st of '06 and no one is sure how many days of families will be included in this batch - history has been that between 3 - 10 days may be matched in this batch. Families that start the process are now being advised that the wait is currently at 5 years and that may or may not speed up.

 What has my dossier been doing this whole time? Sitting in the CCWAA offices waiting to be matched. As you know, last year I felt the call to look at the waiting child list and I found Audrey on that list on May 13th. My file has now been pulled out of our LID pile and is being processed with her file so I can get her in a couple of months. I hope it didn't get too dusty! :) My timing would have been that I would have gotten a referral for a child with in the 9 months I was estimated to wait. China time says nope - you must wait much longer that that. God's time said 4 years, 1 month, and 27 days was all I needed to bring you and Audrey together. And I think it is perfect. Here are some images I "borrowed" from other blogs about China adoption so you can get a little glimpse into what the CCWAA looks like.

        Files that are waiting to be matched with babies to create forever families!

                    Waiting files - mine is in there somewhere!

Each file is color coded by agency - you can see why it takes so long. All of those files are a family that is waiting for a baby and represents a baby waiting for a family.

Please understand that the people working in these offices love and care for the children just as we would love and care for an American child being adopted by someone else from another country. They do the best they can with what they have and really want these kids to have forever families.

What's in a name?

***WARNING: this post is not a slam against any name but an observation on 18 years of teaching and my choice in naming my daughter***
Ask any teacher, "are there any names that you would never name your child?", and we would all answer yes. You know them - those particular students that have taken a perfectly good name and attached to it angst, aggrivation, heartache, tears, and fear. For me the names James, Patrick, Stephanie, Brittany, Nick, and Marcus bring an instant cringe and heart palpitations. There was the year where I had 14 Brittany's and 12 Ashleys throughout the day (average 3 to a class), and in one class add to that 3 Dustin's, and 4 Blake's. Last year I had a class with 4 Breanna's all spelled differently with Dontavier, Daeveon, Devon, Dervon, and Demitrius who all insisted that they sit at the same table together. I've had some students with interesting names: Zenobia, Precious, Eunique, Ravi, Darkayan, Emprince, King Solomon, and my FAVORITE Excedrine. I've had twins named Lazarus and Lazorus, a student who only went by his nickname - Critter - and I never knew his real name, and students whose name I could never spell correctly...my apologies to Dominyque Ja'bree and Teresa Machejeweski (still not sure if they are spelled correctly). Sigh....we teachers' have a hard time naming our children.
When I began my quest to name my daughter, I had an uphill battle. I didn't want to go trendy, I didn't want to go unique. I just wanted a classic name, spelled in the classic way, and have it be a name that was not so common to avoid the problems previously stated. Having grown up with a name that was not common, I didn't have the problem of getting my work mixed up with others or being mistaken for someone else. That was until Shannon Blair moved here and was placed in my class....but that is a whole other story. I wanted a name that was just for her. I spent many an afternoon looking at baby name books, looking up names on line, and reading the birth announcements in the paper. I finally got a list together and started prioritizing my favorites.
I started with Chloe and Lily - but after looking at adoption announcements and finding that over half of the little girls adopted from China were named these two names, they were eliminated. I tried on Lydia, Lilah, Eliza, Emmory, and Josslyn. I looked at family names, biblical names, and historic names. I considerd Scottish names like Caris, English names like Phillipa and Camille, and floral names like Ivy and Poppy. None of these seemed to fit and my list got shorter. What a found on that shortened list was two of my favorite names Audrey and Tess. I've always like Audrey and Tess was from a character in a made for TV movie - I always remembered it and loved it. The name formed and it was perfect.
Audrey \a(u)-drey, aud-rey\ as a girl's name is pronounced AW-dree. It is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Audrey is "noble strength". Also the root, via Saint Audrey, for the word "tawdry", due to lace and goods sold at Saint Audrey's Fair in England.
Tess \t(e)- ss\ as a girl's name is a variant of Teresa (Greek), Tessa (English) and Theresa (Greek), and the meaning of Tess is "late summer".
I named my daughter 4 years ago without knowing anything about her. I then had no idea how old she would be, what she would look like, where she would be from, I picked and hoped that these names would fit her - and I think they do! I always planned then on adding her Chinese name to the names I had given her and that plan has stayed in place - but with a twist. My daughter has a Chinese name ( Xiao Wan) as well as an English name given to her by her foster home (Sally). These names have been added to the above and I think it is as unique as she is.
Sally \s(al)-ly\ as a girl's name is pronounced SAL-ee. It is of English origin. Variant of Sarah (Hebrew) "princess".
Xiao /she-ow\ comes from the Chinese origin. In Chinese the meaning of the name Xiao is: Early morning.
Wan /waan\ comes from the Chinese origin. In Chinese the meaning of the name Wan: Tender
Audrey Tess Sally Xiao Wan Norris - I like it! I hope that when her teachers call her name that they have good feelings towards her. I hope they can spell her name corretly. I hope she can live up to the meaning of all of her names.
Here are some famous people with her names:

Audrey Hepburn - actress

St. Audrey - Saint

Tess Daly - actress

Sally - Charlie Brown's sister

Sally Ride - astronaut

Sally Field - actress

Xiao He - hero for early Han dynasty

Xiao Wen Ju - super model

Obe-Wan Kenobi - Jedi Warrior

Shangguan Wan - concubine and secretary

100 Good Wishes Quilt

A tradition in China is to give a 100 wishes quilt to a new baby's family. I have looked forward to creating this quilt for 4 years and am so excited to share the tradition with you and my daughter. Here is the story behind the quilt:
To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It is a custom to invite friends and family to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. Part of the patch of cloth goes into the quilt for the baby, and the other part of the cloth can go into a creative memory notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.
This wish can be for something that would happen soon in the childs life, something that will happen later in life, hopes and dreams for the child, material things for the child - whatever you wish! I have seen some touching wishes as well as a funny one sent to a new cousin from a 10 year old cousin, " I wish you never have to wear braces." Here are some examples of typical 100 wishes quilts and the wishes given for the scrapbook.

I never thought I was much of a control freak - until now. I know I know.....go ahead and laugh you all. But when I imagined my childs 100 wishes quilt I couldn't quite stomach the fabric not matching. I decided to give the 100 wishes quilt a twist and chose a quilt pattern that I liked and had matching fabrics and patterns chosen specifically for that quilt pattern. Thanks to Jan McCormick and the Sew Sisters at the First Baptist Church in Bethalto for sewing this quilt and to Janene and Macey Allen for shopping for fabrics with me. What will happen with our quilt is at the baby shower, attendies will be given a note card with a piece of the fabric attached. They will then be able to write the wish on the card and return it so that it can be placed in a scrapbook for Audrey to read at a later date. The fabrics are a mix of reds, greys, tans, off-whites, browns, florals, polka-dots, stripes, and checks. It will be so beautiful when completed and Audrey will have it as a reminder of those who love her and wish her well. Here is a poem that was written to match a fabric in a 100 wishes quilt:
"Believe in rewards that await you, believe in the harvest in store. Believe that spring will awaken, believe you'll be sowing once more. Believe that there's a tomorrow, where no one cares if you can't dance. Believe in the future's promise, each new day brings a new chance. Believe you can make your goals happen, they're just dreams with a deadline attached. Believe that you have the power, believe that you're more than a match. Believe in a shared existence, you're not alone this is true. Believe that right now there is someone, who believes in the wonder that's you."

Where in the World is Xi'an and how do you pronounce it?

My baby girl is from the Shaanxi provence, the city of Xi'an (may also be spelled Sian). Pronounced like shee-an, Xi'an is in the middle of the country found with in the Yellow River Basin - she is a midwestern gal! Here is a map to show you where it is. For the provence look in the middle, just above the light green one. For the city, look for Beijing and head in a diagonal southwest direction. The city has a dot with a circle around it.

Xi'an is more than 3,000 years old and was known as Chang'an in ancient times. For 1,000 years, the city was the capital for 13 dynasties, and a total of 73 emperors ruled here. Xi'an is the undisputed root of Chinese civilization having served as the capital city for the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. With so much history within the ground the city lies upon, it is no wonder that there are so many historical ruins, museums and cultural relics to be found here. It was already influencing the world outside of the Great Wall of China as the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. Here traders from far and wide brought goods and ideas for sale and took goods and ideas back with them to their native countries. In present day Xi'an not much of its former glory remains within the city confines, due to the constant warfare and political changes that swept China particularly throughout the 20th Century. Today the city has a pleasant cosmopolitan flair to it and it is worth visiting for the famed Terracotta Warriors alone. It has often been said that, "if you have not been to Xi'an, you have not been to China!"
I had always said that I didn't care where Audrey was from, but secretly hoped that she would be from were the terra cotta warriors were so I could see them - and she is! In March 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in drought-parched Shaanxi province in northwest China unearthed fragments of a clay figure—the first evidence of what would turn out to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times. Near the unexcavated tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi—who had proclaimed himself first emperor of China in 221 B.C.—lay an extraordinary underground treasure: an entire army of life-size terra cotta soldiers and horses, interred for more than 2,000 years. The site is found on dry, scrubby land planted in persimmon and pomegranate—bitterly cold in winter and scorching hot in summer—marked by dun-colored hills pocked with caves. Over the past 35 years, archaeologists have located some 600 pits, a complex of underground vaults as yet largely unexcavated, across a 22-square-mile area. The site is a current dig and archeologists are finding new and interesting things everyday. It is rumored that there is a tomb complex that resembles the earth and had rivers of mercury running through the ground and lights in the ceiling to resemble the sky. Here are some images of the warriors!


 

There are also other historical things to see in Xi'an!

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. According to ancient stories of Buddhists, there were two branches, for one of which eating meat was not a taboo. One day, they couldn't find meat to buy. Upon seeing a group of big wild geese flying by, a monk said to himself: 'Today we have no meat. I hope the merciful Bodhisattva will give us some.' At that very moment, the leading wild goose broke its wings and fell to the ground. All the monks were startled and believed that Bodhisattva showed his spirit to order them to be more pious. They established a pagoda where the wild goose fell and stopped eating meat. Hence it got the name 'Big Wild Goose Pagoda'.

The Great Mosque
The Great Mosque in Xian is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China. According to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, this mosque was built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travelers from Persia and Afghanistan during the mid-7th century when some of them settled down in China and married women of Han Nationality.

The area is also known for its dumplings...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Forest of Stone Steles

Once the site of the Temple of Confucius during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), the Forest of Stone Steles Museum is situated on Sanxue Street, near the south gate of Xian City Wall. It was initially established in 1087A.D.. when some precious stone steles were moved here for safe keeping, including the 'Classic on Filial Piety' written by Emperor Xuanzong in 745A.D. and 'the Kaicheng Stone Steles' carved in 837A.D.. All together, there are 3,000 steles and the museum is divided into seven exhibitions halls, which mainly display the works of calligraphy, painting and historical records.

Muslem Street

Just as its name implies, Muslem Street is the hub of the Moslem community in Xian City, Shaanxi Province. This street is paved with dark colored stone with green trees providing heavy shade during summer; the buildings on both sides of the street are modeled on the styles of both the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasties (1644-1911). The main goods of these stores are authentic hand-making Moslem food which tastes very good. While still there are small stores selling the special local products of Shaanxi Province and yet others provide you with exquisite souvenirs. Can you say "shopping"?

So much to do and see - so much history. This culture is the heritage of my daughter and I hope to be able to see as much and document as much of it as I can for her. While we may NOT be hiking to the top of Mt. Huashan, we hope to do as many things as possible to learn as much as we can about where she comes from so that we can give her a connection to this area. I can't wait to explore this fascinating city with her! There is alot of information about Xi'an on the web if you want to learn more!