I truly suck and I aplogize, to those who come here regularly and have been disappointed with the lack of posts, i promise to make up for it very quickly. I have a multitude of back entries from our time in Beijing ready and waiting. I just need more than a 2 minute block at the computer in order to get them up. For now I will leave you with the final post from Tatyanna's website and a promise for many entries and a few photos in the next week or so. :)

May 11 - As I type this entry, the suitcases are stacked against the wall, waiting for the last of the laundry before they can finally be closed. The dr. has been in with the meds that Tatyanna will need to continue and has authorized the removal of her IV. It's official, we are going home tomorrow. Truthfully, this time I don't have the eager sense of anticipation of last year's departure. While I miss my family and home, the break from reality has been a much needed reprieve. For a few moments I am allowed to have hope, to believe that we can fight the demon that is Batten's. At Tiantan Puhua, we are surrounded by people who want to try, who work incredibly hard and believe that they can make a difference. The results of the last few weeks have far exceeded our expectations, I saw my daughter walk across the room, unsteady, but completely unaided, I heard her say “love you” as she gave me a hug. Those moments alone made the entire trip worth it. To all who have helped make this trip possible and supported us on our journey, we thank you from the bottom of our heart.

In these tough economic times it's important to follow the "3 r's" a little more closely. Buying products that allow for versatility, and are easily re-used can easily help to keep a little more change in your pocket.... and no one seems to have mastered the art of that 2nd "r" quite like the local silk store. Finally, a shirt that the whole family can enjoy:



from the very smallest member

to the largest

Easter eggs....

Every day we order pretty much the same thing for lunch...some sort of meat, some sort of vegetable and jidan chao fan (egg fried rice). Not exactly adventurous but with 2 little kids, one of whom has certain dietary requirements, playing it safe is sometimes the way to go....at least at the beginning of our trip. Everyday at some random time before lunch, the specified food arrives. We generally request 1200 for delivery but in reality it may appear anywhere from as early as 1045 to 1215. See, there is an element of adventure after all!
On this particular day though, things got a little mixed up....slightly lost in translation and our staple jidan chao fan turned into this:

Truthfully, I have no idea what exactly it is, how the eggs were turned a purplish brown colour or what turned them into a jelly like consistency. Trent and I thought that it seemed a rather fitting mistake given the nature of the day, but the kids? They failed to see the humour.

We are finally here in Beijing! I'm not sure whether I was more excited that the temperature was 27 C when we landed with not a snowbank to be seen or the fact that we survived another landing at the Beijing airport. I have no idea what it is about that landing but it always seems precarious at best. There were actually audible gasps from a majority of the passengers during a couple of moments. Fortunately the landing was even worse on our first trip so I think that I managed to pull it off looking calm and collected.....white knuckles aside.
Once we arrived back at the hospital we were greeted with some excitement from the staff that remembered us from our first trip. I've got to say that it was really nice to come back to a familiar place and within the first hour we were off to the corner store to pick up the kid's favourite snacks and drinks. It's funny, it's been an entire year since we were last here but it doesn't feel like more than a week or two. Here's hoping that the girls will settle in and adjust to a 13 hour difference quickly!

It's funny how you can be both excited about a trip and dreading all that it entails. In early April we will once again be making the trip to Beijing for a second round of treatment for Tatyanna. Initially our plan was to follow her original doctors to the new hospital that they have recently established. Lured in by the idea of a potential new treatment involving a gene therapy component as well as the shiny newness of the facility, it was an easy sell to a set of desperate parents. Then, as it so often seems to, the proverbial rug was yanked from beneath our feet and we were left wondering if we had made the correct decision after all. The lack of information regarding the new therapy was disconcerting and logically it didn't add up. My slightly unused scientific mind finally started thinking of the right questions and when the answers didn't match up to our satisfaction we really started to wonder if we had made the right choice. After several conversations with respected people in the Batten's community we decided to completely alter our course of action and will be taking Tatyanna back to Tian Tan Puhua. It was not an easy decision but for the first time in the last month, I feel good. All of a sudden there is a sense of peace that things are the way they should be. We know the treatment protocol at Tian Tan and we know the outcome. It's not a cure but the changes that we noticed in Tatyanna were substantial and it went a long way to increase her quality of life over the last year. We are familiar with the staff and the surrounding area. While I agree that there is a time when you should push the envelope, I don't think that for us, this is that time. There's a huge difference between a viable working therapy and something that is still highly experimental. I'm all for trying something new if it makes scientific sense but the new therapy just didn't fall into that category. I do however strongly believe that gene therapy will ultimately be the cure for Batten Disease, I just don't believe that anyone has that cure yet.

Gradients of relaxation while travelling....

Bejing airport....notsomuch


Vancouver airport....perhaps a slight improvement?

Winnipeg, Sheraton 4 points hotel.....Ahhh....

And then there were 6

When we left Canada as relatively unseasoned and unpracticed travellers we had a modest 3 suitcases plus carryons in tow. Today, after spending 7 weeks away, we will return home attempting to juggle 6 suitcases. Add that to the carryon baggage and 2 small children and it should be an interesting kind of day. Suitcases...they are like rabbits.

a minor inconvenience.....

I have come to the conclusion that the keyboard is the most under-rated component of the laptop. Much discussion is given to CPU's, motherboards and the like, but one becomes quickly aware of just how essential a working keyboard is when they are stuck in a foreign country and said component decides to "take its own vacation." Due to our recent mechanical difficulties, this will be the last "in type" update before we arrive home. I will try to provide you with some photo updates over the next couple of days so please feel free to fill in your own stories and captions to go with the pictures. It will probably be more entertaining! I can access email at all the usual addresses but since any responses will either have to be typed on the iPod (and sent when it can get a connection, which is rarely) or by painfully cutting and pasting the letters from other sources (which I have done and can't say that I enjoyed), the chances of you getting a reply will be fairly small. I feel bad about this, really I do and want you to know that I truly appreciate emails and will get back to you as soon as I can.

The good news is, we get to go home early!! Tatyanna had her last injection on Tuesday and as such, we are able to go home on the 27th of May. Because we were expecting to have another 10 days, the weekend will be filled with last minute sight seeing and packing up our room. The girls are more than ready for the trip back to Canada and when Lexi was told that we would be going on a bus ride to the night market this evening, her response was a very emphatic "NO...I'm going home on a plane." To which Tatyanna added "and go to Build-a-Bear!"

Since making a list of thing that I miss would pretty much be stating the obvious and go on for far to long, I thought that I would change things up a little.



Things that really can't say that I've missed:


1. It has been approximately 6 weeks since I have read an article outlining the exploits of Britney Spears or discussing the many children of Brad and Angelina or wondering about the whereabouts of Suri. I'm ok with this. My world has come not come crashing down without hearing the latest celebrity gossip. In fact, I think it might be a better place. I will however be honest and admit that there is fairly good chance that I will pick up a People magazine for the flight home. 15 hours of intercontinental travel with 2 small children is hardly the time for intellectually stimulating reading.


2. Springtime in Manitoba is bi-polar at the best of times. I can honestly say that I can do without the 2 months of sending the kids to school in T-shirts one day and parkas the next.


3. Filling the truck up with gas. Taxis are plentiful and super cheap in Beijing. To hire a driver to take us to the great wall, a 2 hour drive, wait around for us until we are ready to leave and then drive back to the hospital, the cost is 700 RMB. That works out to about $100 CAD. Most of the time we simply load Tatyanna's chair onto the bus and go wherever we need to go, for the unbeatable price of 1RMB.....that's $0.14 CAD.

4. Paying the sticker price. It's significantly more fun to ask the price and then see just how low you can actually get the item for. Trent and I are far too competitive though and it's almost become a game to see who gets the better deals at the end of the day.

5. Meal planning. Once in a while I sort of miss cooking, but then I just sit down until it passes. When things are chaotic, it's kind of nice to wander down to the cafe, request the "lunch special" and know that it's going to be both healthy, and fairly decent tasting. This however doesn't apply to fish. When Sam comes to the room wondering if we would like fish for dinner, the safest response is to just say no.

6. As much as I love my dog, that warm, fuzzy feeling does not extend to the various substances that he tends to produce. Great Danes are large dogs and as such produce large messes. On a bad day, they can leave a slime trail that would make a snail green with envy. There was nothing in the "Great Dane Puppy Guide" that gave any indication that I would one day be cleaning slobber from off the ceilings.

lost in translation

It's funny but I don't remember these discs having this title when I bought the same versions in Canada.
For an even funnier and much more extreme example of "interesting" translations,please go here: http://www.rahoi.com/2006/03/may-i-take-your-order/ We have actually seen menus similar to this on a much smaller scale. It keeps things interesting.

It's almost kind of sad how excited we got to see/hear Tatyanna counting again. Prior to our trip to China, I can't remember the last time that she was able to do that.

Censorship...it's what's for breakfast

It's funny, while I can update my blog from China I can't actually read it once it's been published. Not that I would really want to, I rarely read it over for editing purposes before hitting the "publish" button (I'm sure you've probably noticed that one), but it also means that I can't read a majority of my "regulars" either. Live journal, blogger and an assortment of other sites with seemingly innocuous titles have all disappeared into to void of "Internet cannot display the webpage" My morning coffee routine is just not the same....but that might also have something to do with the fact that it now consists of a cup of instant Nescafe and not a perfectly perked cup of Peruvian Chanchamayo or the like. Now when I get home, not only will I have to wash 15 loads of laundry (the older 2 kids are at their dads for 8 weeks) I will also have to catch up on 8 weeks of missed blogs. This could take a very very long time.

"I'm going home....I'm going to school to see Keirnan and Skylar!" Lexi emphatically announced as she stood poised at the room door wearing nothing but her sister's pink sneakers and a white plastic shopping bag containing all of her clothes, slung across her back. A magnetic story board with its assortment of princesses and pretty dresses was in one hand and a colourful plastic pony in the other.

I think it's safe to say that she's had enough! I wish I was closer to the camera because that was truly a "kodak moment" Her feelings echo those of everyone around her, but this is only the halfway mark....there are still 4 long weeks to go.

Just a couple of photos.....

This one will be sure to make anyone with any sort of nursing experience cringe. This lovely, and somewhat archaic, glass bottle IV is hung daily with the instruction of "Only half" Once the liquid reaches the halfway mark in the bottle, we then ring the nurses to switch medications. Sometimes they give us a line, sometimes not.


Every time I walk by this sign I'm left wondering, "what kind of stuff..."

Some things that I have noted since being here that probably won't appear in any sort of travel guide:

1. Later -this means the person will get on said task immediately and be back before you have time to finish changing your t-shirt

2. Later Later - this is slightly longer than later...could be 15 minutes, could be an hour or two. It's hard to say.

3. I know - said once, it generally means that they do in fact comprehend whatever it is that is being said

4. I know I know - the more times that "I know" is said, the more you can be assured that they really have no idea what you just said. Generally though, the individual will be remembering the sentence and translating it later if possible.

A Day in the life

6-8 am - this is quiet time...and the only real time in the day that i can catch up on emails etc. Nurses generally begin their rounds at around 630, cleaning staff is in by 730. The hot water doesn't get turned on until 7 ish so it's often a rush to get showers in for Trent and I between 7 and 730.

7:00 AM - Mmmm....instant coffee. The only real sort of coffee to be found is espresso beverages at the cafe. Nobody drinks perked coffee. It's all instant....and comes complete with "cream" and sugar.

8:00 AM- Morning meds....there is also noon meds...4pm meds...8 pm meds...and IV meds. It's all good fun! (that was sarcasm...trying to convince a 5 year old to take consume a pharmacy a day is a little difficult)

Playing is a good way to start the day! The dr. usually comes in at this point and tries, to no avail, to engage Tatyanna in some form of conversation. The constant poking and prodding has left her a little wary of anyone wearing white. Her usual attitude is very much one of "if I don't look at them or talk to them....maybe they'll just go away" It's a little frustrating for everyone. The dr.s here are amazing! I wish I could bring the medical staff home with me.

930 AM - As soon as Tatyanna leaves for therapy with her dad, it's shower time for Lexi

930 AM - At Occupational Therapy/Speech

Playing with the fish with the OT therapist. OT is Tatyanna's favourite therapy.

1030 AM - Rainy days = much computer playing and TV watching

11:00 AM - Physical therapy. Tatyanna doesn't really like PT as she is made to do things that she doesn't want to do...and always gets sent out with homework.

We still haven't figured out if she's in room 12 or room 21 and we know that is says Tatyanna....we are also fairly certain that what's written after her name reads "the one with the bratty little sister" in Chinese, but we can't be sure.

12:00 - Lunch is generally rice...or noodles...or sometimes, if we are feeling particularly adventurous, rice and noodles.

1:00 pm - Pearl/Hongqio Market - My first kid free moment of the trip thus far! A great many of the buildings here are being renovated or restored for the Olympics. Within a few months the city will be a totally different place. It's kind of fun to watch the transformation!

This is one of the allies that branch off the lane leading to the centre. The lane is truly a fascinating place and seems to be its own micro community. The lady that cleans our room informed me that the second second door in is her home. What are the odds of that happening?! I've got to say that I felt a little strange, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

11:am. & 3:00 pm - "The Food Lady" - She comes around several times a day to see if we want to order anything from the menus seen in her arms. It's interesting to see what we get sometimes as she doesn't speak any English and half the menus are in Chinese. Usually, we just order dinner and make our own breakfast and lunch. Dinner for 4 here generally costs us less than $100 RMB ($15 CAD)

1:00 - 4:00 - Today because I am out, everyone feels sorry for Trent and stops by to help out. These are 2 of our favourite people here and have really gone out of their way for the girls.

6:00 - Dinner! We actually found a menu that said "No MSG" on it. I wouldn't be surprised if this will be our first MSG free meal since we've arrived.

Rice and curried vegetables. Yummo! (Actually, I believe that Rachael Ray is really the only person who can get away with saying that.)

6pm-9pm - IV meds. The time is variable and depends on the number of meds on that particular day and when we chose to have Tatyanna sit quietly. Usually we start earlier in the day as numerous bags of fluid equals numerous trips to the bathroom.

9pm - Once the kids are sleeping, Trent and I pretend to watch T.V. We have the entire series of Firefly as well as Season 3 of the unit. If you watch an episode or two of one, then the other, it's kind of like being at home....sort of.

Cost of cab fare from Tiantan Puhua hospital to the Pearl Market - 13 RMB

Cost of hand carved dragon stamp at market shopt - 55 RMB

Cost of ink to go with hand carved stamp - 10 RMB

Husband's expression when he finds out that you paid a total of 65 RMB when he paid 300 RMB for the same thing 2 days earlier - priceless.

***

Today I was actually able to leave the centre, sans kids, for the first time ever. To say it felt good would be an understatement. I went to a nearby market with an Australian woman who is here helping her sister for a few days and she taught me the all-important art to bargaining. She is truly the master but by the end of the day, she was impressed with my mad bartering skillz. I've got to say, it was the most fun I've had in a long time and I'm sure that my dreams tonight will be filled with calls of 'lady...hey lady....i have good price, just for you....i offer you good deal..."

***

A photo heavy "Day in the life" post should be up tomorrow. I can't actually participate in livejournal's ditl community as that particular site is censored by the Chinese government.

Nothing intelligent here today.....I am much too tired for that...

April 11, 1:05 A.M.

-Did you know that when you go to the blogger homepage to log in, it's actually written in the language of the country that provides the internet service? Fortunately, the layout is the same so navigating my way around wasn't too difficult. This example carries through to the rest of our stay here thus far. Brand names have taken on a whole new level of importance. Coke still looks like Coke even when it's written in Chinese. I can truly appreciate that. It's funny how we often take the ability to read and write for granted. When you become suddenly immersed in a different culture, symbolism, commercial or otherwise, takes on a whole new level of importance. This point really deserves it's own post but there is simply not the energy for that at this time. I have slept a total of 7 hours since we woke up at 5:00am on the morning of the 8th and there is no coffee here. Tomorrow, I will go out and buy myself some coffee....I hope.

-Pizza here is not like pizza at home. It comes with things like broccoli and does not have tomato sauce. It actually has a lovely little side of Heinz ketchup....which Lexi got quite excited about....because in her world, food is simple a side dish to her ketchup.

-Milk comes in bags, with pictures of cute little cows prancing across the surface.

-Tomorrow I get to attempt to explain why there is no way in hell that I will put my child on tegretol again. I will seriously abandon the treatment and go home before I let this happen. My other thought was to simply dump the offending capsule in the toilet and simply say nothing. We'll see what happens I guess. (Tegretol is what Tatyanna was on last summer and it caused a dramatic increase in her seizures)

-China is very much a "dr. knows best" country and although they try to accommodate my requests for things like drug lists and my refusal to administer anything to my child until said list is in my hands, it is something they are not used to.

-Chopsticks are a multipurpose tool. The shower wasn't draining properly this morning and the maintenance guy showed up, chopsticks in hand. Unfortunately they do have their limitations and he was forced to send for more tools to get the job done.

-Tatyanna and Lexi have become instant mini-celebrities and attract a significant amount of attention whenever we go any where outside the room. Actually, the room itself isn't particularly safe and we had a group of nursing students (?) show up to check out the new arrivals. Lexi is currently developing a rather diva like attitude. This will need to be taken care of before it gets any worse. I half expect her to show up with an agent and a ryder with her demands any day now.

-Everyone here is amazingly friendly and helpful. There are no bitchy nurses and they all try really hard to understand what our needs are. I'm not used to this but appreciate it a great deal.

-The only other Canadian family leaves tomorrow. Almost everyone else seems to be either from China or the UK.

Just a quick note to let you know that we made it! It's now 3:49 a.m in Beijing but everyone's internal clock reads 2:49 p.m. Jet laggy children are not fun children. I should be able to update more later!