Ni Hao From Guangzhou!

After a long day of traveling yesterday we made it to Guangzhou.  I am so glad!  This means we are getting closer to coming home, and it is so much nicer here!  That last day in Zhengzhou was getting a little depressing. There were some great people there, but it's such a busy city with not many pretty things to look at and terrible air.  You look out the window of the hotel and just see yellow sky.  Guangzhou is very green and tropical and muggy.  It's in the 60s to 70s here.  They have air conditioning which is a first since we've been here (at least that has been turned on).  In Zhengzhou those last few days up on the fourth floor were very warm, and the day we took the bus to the aquarium we all thought we'd pass out from the heat and mugginess.  When our driver finally turned on the air at our request Jer said it smelled like they filtered it through a dirty gym sock.  Speaking of dirty gym socks, we don't get the laundry we sent off as soon as we arrived back until tomorrow at 5 p.m., so it's slim pickings around here.  We didn't bring that much to begin with.  We are staying at the China Hotel which is a Marriott, and it is very fancy and nice.  I'm sure it's the biggest, swankiest hotel I've ever stayed at.  Our room is beautiful and modern with no smoke smell and there is a beautiful pool, gardens, etc.  It is an enormous hotel. Guangzhou is a much more westernized city.  Don't get me wrong this is very much China but there are lots of foreigners here and every US adoptive couple passes through here for their consulate appointment so there are lots of Americans with Chinese babies around.  Even though we got here late last night and everyone was exhausted we had business to attend to this morning.  Our local guides are Grace and Jocilyn, and they are great.  They speak amazing English.  I continue to be so impressed with our agency and how efficient and organized they are with every step of this extremely complicated process.  We didn't eat lunch or dinner until we got here about 10 pm last night so once again we had to hit the McDonalds which is right across the street.  On a very strange note, Jer got solicited by a prostitute both coming and going.  He said the lady asked him if he wanted a "lady massage" and then tacked on "with the sex."  Seriously.  After discussion today it appears that happened to every man in our group that ventured out last night.  Nice!

First thing this a.m. Leah got her picture taken for her visa.  She was one of the few babies that didn't pitch a huge fit.  She seems to be adjusting so well.  In fact, she has been babbling mama a lot but tonight when I was getting her ready for bed she put her hand up by my face and said it, and I think she meant it for me!  So sweet.  She is so smiley and darling.  She is eating like crazy.  She sits in her high chair to eat and sleeps in her crib very well.  She likes the tub and is so happy and friendly.  She has learned to wave, give fives, and blow kisses.  We love this cute girl.

After breakfast we headed on the bus to get Leah's medical exam.  Every adopted child has to do this with the Chinese government.  It's quite silly really because many of these kids have known medical conditions already, and they don't treat them anyway.  It's just a formality prior to them leaving the country.  There were three stations, and you cannot imagine the pandemonium!  There were so many kids there--not just our group.  The kids get an ENT check which consists of squeaking a toy by their ears, shining a light in their eyes, and looking in their ears and mouth.  They get measured and temperature taken and a "general physical exam" which consists of the doctor basically looking them over.  The Chinese nurses were wearing full on nurse dresses complete with hats and masks which freaked most of the little kids out--Leah included.  This used to be done out on Shamian Island where the White Swan was that everyone stayed but now it's been moved closer to where we are currently staying (I've heard our hotel is much nicer than the White Swan was, but I do know it had a fun location and lots of adoption history).  It took several hours for everyone in our group to be completed but that's one more thing done.

Tonight many members of our group went to dinner at the Macau Restaurant in walking distance of our hotel.  It's much easier to walk here because scooters are outlawed.  They serve Portugese/Cantonese food, and it was really good.  After we headed with two other families we've become friends with to do a little shopping and get some ice cream.  Richard and Katie are here from Tennessee with their two boys Trey and Wills, and they adopted a little girl named Poppy (she's in the picture with Leah).  Matt and Carrrie are from West Virginia, and they adopted Andrew who is their second Chinese son.  He's darling.  It's been fun getting to know some new people.  I will miss them when this week is over.  Leah ate her first ice cream ever.  She pulled a face like it was a lemon.  I think it was because it was so cold.  Once she warmed up to it she loved it!