Monday,
September
24, 2007
SWIMSUIT EDITION
We're having a great time here in Guangzhou. Seriously.
Today we embarrassed Nola by putting her in her frilly bathing
suit and parading her down to the Garden Swimming Pool. As much
as she likes baths, she wasn't quite sure about the kiddy pool.
Maybe because it's more water than she's ever been exposed to,
or maybe because it was kind of chilly. Regardless, she sat
contentedly on Mama's lap and we played with cups and bath beads
(Erica wins the Grand Prize for forcing a few bath beads on me
the day before we left and showing me how they stick on skin.
Priceless.)
Then it was naptime, initiated by a walk in the stroller.
Then it was time for oatmeal. I would suspect it was Nola's
first oatmeal. I wanted it to be a good experience for her as I
foresee a lot of oatmeal in her future, so we cooked it up in
the room and I sang the oatmeal song to her as she ate it. This
picture is just one in the series that I like to call "The
Oatmeal Series". These were some very very good times.
Then we were scooted off to the pearl market where we bought a
strand of pearls for Mama and one for somebody else when she
gets older...but I'm not saying who because it's a secret. Mama
also bought a strand of aquamarine and some other pretty stones.
And they were all very inexpensive. Very very inexpensive. We
also had some fun changing Nola's diaper in the public restroom
and we learned a very important lesson. Very poopy diaper + very
nasty restroom = good times!
After the pearl market, we took a stroll down the shopping
street with an interesting mixture of the old and new. There
were apothecary shops tended by wrinkled men with the smells of
incense and herbal remedies wafting out of them, and right
around the corner we watched teenagers luring people into their
sporty shop by chanting and clapping. We bought Nola another
pair of stylin' Chinese shoes. These have lights in back of
them!
Then, with barely enough time to run up to the room and drop off
our loot, we were whisked off to the Pearl River cruise and
dinner buffet. As an appetizer, Nola shared her Cheerios with
her friends at the next table and then we moved on to seaweed,
noodles, duck and tofu that looked amazingly like pork. At
first, Nola couldn't quite understand why we were letting her
stand on the railing, right over the water. Then she realized
there was a window there. It's nice to see she's not completely
fearless.
And today she discovered that Papa can throw her up in the air.
I'm pretty sure that sealed the deal. |
Good morning Guangzhou
Sweet thing in the mirror
Relaxing in the garden pool
Quite possibly Nola's first oatmeal experience |
