Trip to China
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Sunday, July 8, 2007 Today is Sunday. Exactly one week with Ava Claire. We have found our rhythm as a new family. I really can not wait to bring her home to Ryan and Adam. Her big brothers will delight in the fact that Ava has already discovered Roy’s kryptonite. She pulls wads of chest hair and makes Daddy scream, to which she looks at me and laughs out loud. It’s loads of fun entertainment. We visited the Chen family academy this morning. It brought alive Pearl S. Buck’s “The Good Earth”. A school only for the Chen family members. Education, until the Qing dynasty fell, was a privilege. Something WE should all instill in our children. Later, Ava and Daddy went for a swim. I found out that dressing a baby in a swim suit was too complicated and Roy resorted to Euro swim fashion with topless baby swim attire. It’s fine, as she’s our exhibitionist anyway. I, on the other hand, went to the pearl market. Ava and I can’t wait to show you our new necklaces. One, I will put away for a special future birthday gift from her homeland. Several families went together for a Cantonese dinner, family style. Chinese cabbage, green beans, chicken with pumpkin sautéed in lemon, peppered beef with onions, exotic and intoxicating spices, topped off with Tsingtao beer. Incredible. I give Ava tastes of everything. I’m determined to have another adventurous eater. Then Ryan, Ava, and I can outnumber the other two when we vote for restaurants. To top off the evening, we strolled the streets of Shamian Island, which remind us of Savannah. The shop keepers go crazy for Ava giving her all kinds of free toys and offering to paint her name as a gift. They tell us over and over how beautiful she is. Her dimples win them over. She is known as a Jiangxi Jewel. I think those dimples have won over Daddy as well. He will have a hard time denying her anything. All week he has teased me about the required matching hair bows. But, tonight he had to buy her a hat to match her outfit, just because it was cute. Man, he’s in big trouble. His proudest accomplishment has been that he has taught her to blow raspberries. It’s their secret language. They should have it since Roy can’t speak Ubby Dubby. Okay, now she’s doing it to make him laugh in order to stay up late. I guess General Mommy will have to step in. More tomorrow from our next to last day in beautiful China.

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