Monday, February 12, 2007

Today we got up early and made it to the breakfast buffet before heading out to Shamian Island which was an area of Guangzhou which the French and British originally settled on a sand bank on the other side of the Pearl River. The Chinese were not allowed here for a long time and thus the area developed a European flair. It is quite unique and a nice change of pace from the big city atmosphere. It has tree lined streets and big sidewalks with stores lining the streets. It was here that we also had Lottie’s medical exam required before her consulate appointment on Wednesday. She did really well.

There were three different stations she had to go through to complete the necessary paper work. The first was where they measured her head circumference as well as making sure she had no problems with her arms or legs. The next station they took her temperature as well as her height and weight. Her temp was normal. Her height - 26 inches and weight – 17 pounds. The third station was the Ear , Nose, and Throat doctor who checked her hearing as well as looking at her ears and throat. At the medical exam she was actually laughing with some of the nurses. She did not particularly like the otoscope or the tongue depressor, but she tolerated it and did not even cry. All clear according to her medical exam!!

After the medical exam , we began our full day of shopping there on Shamian Island. We went in the first shop and over an hour later Shannon came out to find Battle and Lottie asleep on the bench. Shannon struck up some deals with the store clerks and she knew she must have gotten them as low as she could when they would have to go ask the owner for approval of the sale. Lottie had to give up her wheels for the afternoon as the stroller became the cart to haul all of the gifts. We ate at a restaurant called Lucy’s which has become popular with the Chinese adoption community.

After lunch we headed to the White Swan Hotel for the famed red couch picture. Seven of the babies from our Guangdong group were there for the festivities. They did amazingly well, and we got a picture with no tears and most all of them looking at the camera. We took pictures of Lottie with some of her friends as well as some individuals of her on the couch. It was quite the photo session and we were exhausted after trying to get these girls to stay still and get smiles out of them. Of course not too exhausted to do a little more shopping. We continued to shop for a few momentos to remember our trip by as well as to remind us of the land of our daughter’s birth. We also looked for a few keepsakes that would be meaningful to her in years to come. Over all a very successful shopping trip and a very enjoyable day. There were many photo opportunities today , so enjoy the gallery of pictures. We ended our day with a subway ride back to our hotel. Unfortunately, Battle had to haul the stroller loaded down with packages up and down too many flights of stairs to count.

We were worn out when we returned to the room. We have spent the evening eating a cup of noodles here in the room , playing with Lottie, bathing Lottie, feeding Lottie, going through our gifts and checking off our souvenir lists. As well as updating this site. We will look forward to a good night’s sleep and prepare for our tea room visit tomorrow, where they will share with us some of the history behind China’s culture of drinking teas. Lottie was a trooper today and continues to amaze us with her BIG personality in her tiny little body.