Sunday, November 25, 2012
Although the air is still damp, the rain is holding off and we
were able to enjoy some coffee out on the veranda this morning.
Delicious and so relaxing. While this hotel doesn't offer the
creature comforts of home like the last one did (no french
pressed coffee and HBO), it has a quaint charm (it reminds me of
the Herrington in Geneva). We all decided that it is better to
be in the heart of this relaxing island than in the bustle of
the city. Besides, the filtered water by the sink is such a
luxury that it makes up for a lot. Oh how we take for granted
clean water flowing free from the tap!
Today was a bit of a momentous day for me. Many months ago I
made Mei Mei a t-shirt with the intention that she would wear it
one day. It stayed in my sewing room for so long that at times I
doubted if it would still even fit by the time we got her. I'm
so happy I got the bigger size! As I put it on her today, I was
again reminded of how long the wait seemed, and how thrilled I
am that the way is over! None of us can believe that she has
only been in our family a week, physically that is, mentally she
has been with us for so much longer. She just feels like she has
been with us forever.
The sun never made it out today, but the temperature was so
mild. It was a great day for the zoo. We had heard the zoo
wasn't that great, so we all were really pleasantly surprised at
how nice it was. There were more animals out than at the zoo at
home. Taytum really seemed to like all the animals, and our
guide made sure she walked the whole time to get some exercise.
No strollers allowed! She has really taken to John and will only
walk if she is holding his hand. She had a huge melt down today
when he took a walk with Connor. But, when it's just the girls,
she loves them too. Shyla is just in heaven with her.
After the zoo we stopped for some lunch at a place I had heard
about through an adoption blog. It was called Tekila's Authentic
Mexican food. Authentic Mexican food in China? Well, it was
actually really good! I would definitely recommend it.
We went back to the room to rest up a bit and then finished our
day with a stroll around the island. With the warm weather and
the Palm trees, you could easily mistake Shamian Island for
Florida. We decided to head back to Lucy's for some dessert, but
had a few stops along the way. The first stop was for the jeans.
Success. Four pair of jeans washed and packaged up for $4. Not
too bad! The next stop was for squeaky shoes. Many kids wear
them here. They are soft, flexible shoes with a squeaker (like
in a dog toy) in the heal. Luckily, once the novelty of the
squeak wears off, it can be taken out. She loved them though,
and insisted on walking the rest of the way to Lucy's. We heard
her every step! :) Lucy's at night, and the rest of the
restaurants right on the river are all lit up with neon lights.
It's really pretty.
I really do want to come home, but at the same time, I am loving
being here. Being so far from home has a bit of a magical
quality that can't be attained on vacation in the states. The
time is really going by rather quickly. We have our US Consulate
appointment first thing tomorrow. Once that is done, we'll pick
up her Visa and our adoption will be final! Exciting!
If you get a chance, please write a note to Taytum on the
guestbook page. I know one day she will love to read all of the
well wishes she got before she even came home. |
Mei Mei!
Guangzhou Zoo
Watching the monkeys
At the zoo |
