Saturday, January 23, 2010

Guangzhou is fantastic! We woke up this morning and Tia was happy and content. We were excited to check out the breakfast buffet. It did not disappoint!! We enjoyed the comfort foods of home and it tasted great. Most of the dining room was filled with families that are adopting children. The setting is beautiful with the indoor waterfall just beside the dining area and a view of the Pearl River on the other side. We have to remind ourselves that we are still in China because we see so many Americans.

It was been wonderful to see the rest of the families in our travel group that had traveled to Shanghai to pick up their children. Most of these kiddos are age 4 and up. As we bump into them through out day we are meeting their new additions and exchanging stories of our experiences.

This morning at 11 AM we had an appointment at the adoption medical clinic. All children need to be examined in order to obtain their visa to enter the US. It was a small area packed with people. Tia showed us that she doesn’t like unknown people poking around at her. She was really scared and screaming for the check stations. The good thing is that she calmed down almost immediately after we were finished. No problems with the medical. She doesn’t have any conditions and she doesn’t have a fever or a cold. Thanks for praying because we have all remained healthy thus far. Kassidy has a cough but we think it may have to do with all of the smog.

The White Swan Hotel is located on Shamian Island which is a small area separate from the city of Guangzhou. Shamian Island is currently under remodeling as many of the buildings have scaffolds of bamboo and workmen working on them all day. Walking down the street reminds me of Savannah Georgia with the moss hanging off the trees.

We enjoyed dinner with friends at the famous Lucy’s Bar and Grille. Lucy’s serves an American menu and is well known among adoptive families. The food was good and we even enjoyed apple pie and ice cream. It has been fun socializing with the friends that we have learned to know on this trip. Our daughters will always have a special bond because they knew each other before they knew us.

The shopping is really fun in this town. There are many little shops that hope to sell items to the adoptive families. Kassidy and I went out shopping for a bit when Tia was napping. We bought her and Tia matching red silk Chinese dresses. We also found lots of squeaky shoes in various colors and sizes. We are hoping to be able to go out and shop for pearls sometime in the next few days.

Something special happened today for Shawn. Tia has been hesitant to allow Shawn to carry her. Today she reached for him and did not cry when he picked her up. I was so happy to see the joy on his face. It will be really nice to take turns carrying her. My arms will get a break!! Kassidy was able to hold Tia today for the first time also. Ever since we’ve been with her she wants Kassidy to play but not hold her. Everyday we experience new bonding with her and its really neat to see her letting us in. We’ve had some very sweet moments today.