Day 6 and 7 Nanchang/Guangzhou

Hi There - I sorry I haven't updated.  Travel days are busy and pretty much impossible days to blog.  I almost couldn't even post tonight because we couldn't get the internet to work.  So, mom, PLEASE don't worry - internet can be sketchy at times...It is a miracle that I'm having success with this tonight!!!

So, on our last night in Nanchang, we went got a cake for Gwyndolin for her birthday.  We sang Happy Birthday to her and let her "have at it" with her cake.  She had NO interest in heating it!  She just kept hitting it.  Funny.  The next morning, Gwyndolin and I went out for a walk to get some video footage and pictures of Nanchang.  It was a very sad feeling to think that this is where she is from and we are taking her away.  It is very hard to explain why it makes me sad, but it does.  Our walk was wonderful.  The ladies were all out shopping and buying vegetables.  A couple time we were surrounded by ladies all wanting to see Gwyndolin to give her a thumbs up.  (Thumbs up is usually a way that they communicate to westerners that they are happy for the baby to be able to go and have a better life.)  There was one group of elderly ladies that were sitting at a picnic table and when they saw us, they just started clapping - it made me cry - don't know why.  Here is this precious child and she is MINE!  What a gift!  Before heading back to the room to pack for our flight, I went into the little market to try and find SOMETHING for Gwyndolin to take from her home province (there just wasn't anything in our neighborhood that fit this category - the stores were all just practical stores.)  I found a little ball that is a globe and all the countries are labeled in Chinese and over China it says "I love China."  The love is actually a heart.  So the ball along with some pencils with Chinese writing was all I could drum up.  While getting in line, one of the ladies that was shopping was so sweet and got me a bag to hold all the many pencils I was buying and she actually made me get in line ahead of her - something that is practically unheard of.  Usually, Chinese people try and get to the front of the line even if that means taking cuts.  The kindness I felt from all the Chinese women that morning really touched me.

So, the rest of that day was spent going to the airport and flying to Guangzhou, checking into the hotel, getting dinner etc.  Guangzhou is BEAUTIFUL!  It isn't really "true" China, but it is so easy to function here!  You don't have to worry about getting run over by cars, bikes, and scooters and it is virtually smoke free - which is a welcome surprise!  We have a suite here at the Victory Hotel and we LOVE it!  It is very nice and spacious.  Today, we went and got Gwyndolin's visa photo taken and then she had her medical exam that is required by the USA and then we did a bunch of paper work.  At the doctors, she got a clean bill of health.  Fully clothed with shoes and socks on she weighs 19 lbs.  My guess was about 20 lbs. so I was close.  She is wearing both 6-12 months and 12-18 month sized clothes.  The 6-12 month clothes fit her best but we can get by with the 12-18 stuff too if they are forgiving (leggings that we can roll a little.)  She is just perfect for our family!  She is a crack up and such a love.  She loves being held.  She is actually getting more comfortable and is happy sitting on the floor playing with her toys now which is nice.   For a couple of days, we had to have our stomaches plastered to her back if she was going to sit down.  She is pulling herself up so we figure she will be walking within a couple months.  She loves to look at us and has no problems looking at us in our eyes - which is HUGE.  She is comfortable with skin to skin contact too.  We are just so fortunate with all of this.  She loves to reach and touch your face when you are giving her a bottle.  O.K., I got off on a tangent there.... only one of us had to do all the paper work, so Todd took all the kids up to swim at the roof top pool.  It felt so good to them as it is really warm and humid here!  Gwyndolin loved it too!  The hotel actually has a little kiddie pool that is literally inches deep that she enjoyed sitting in.  After the swim, we came back to our room and munched on some of our food that we brought for lunch and we got Gwyndolin down for a nap.  The rest of the day was spent doing some shopping.  I found some itty bitty panties for Gwyndolin, however, she has been peeing in her diaper which is a relief.  I was worried, she might just sit there and hold it and hold it and be in pain if we couldn't put her on the toilet.  We are still letting her sit on the toilet when we can though because that is what she is use to, but it's a relief she will use her diaper too.  We went out to dinner at Lucy's (those of you adopting friends know this place well.)  I had Thai egg plant, the boys split a huge T-bone steak, and Todd had a smoked duck pasta.  Gwyndolin munched on her puffs, cheerios, soda crackers, and bread.  She also ate a little broccoli from her brother's dinner.  I tried to feed her some baby food squash, but she wanted nothing to do with it!  Can't say I blame her.  I can't wait to get home to make her some real baby food.

Tomorrow, our China Coordinator (Michael - the son of Chris) will be taking us on a tour to a family's house.  We will get to see how a normal Chinese family lives which will be a ton of fun.  We are really looking forward to this!  If weather is good, we will also see another Buddhist temple.   It rains a lot here.  One minute it will be dry and the next minute it will be thundering and pouring, then 5 minutes later it will be dry...CRAZY!  The thundering is SO loud - it isn't like thunder in California that's for sure!

Here are some pictures from the last couple days...

Gwyndolin looking at her cake.

After cake and heading to the bath.

On the streets of Nanchang.

Shoes for sale on the streets of Nanchang.

Produce on the streets of Nanchang.

Streets of Nanchang

The elderly ladies that clapped for Gwyndolin.

This man was cleaning his greens and feeding the scraps to his chickens.  On the streets of Nanchang.

These ladies were cleaning long beans at a picnic table on the streets of Nanchang.

Ladies in the market - Nanchang.

Happy Gwyndolin

Gwyndolin not sure what to do with a french fry.  She never did eat it.  At Lucy's.

Eating at Lucy's

Daddy and Gwyndolin snuggling in the morning.

Gwyndolin getting measured.

Gwyndolin getting weighed

Getting ready to see the doctor.

Our travel group with Chris.

Gwyndolin sitting in the kiddie pool with daddy.

Trayton in the pool.

Kallen on the pool deck.

The boys playing computer games in the room. Guangzhou.

Trayton watching a man paint with his fingers. Guangzhou.

Gwyndolin all tucked in for the night.