Guangzhou Day 2

Hello friends! Today I met with our CCAI guide, Jason (very nice, polite and organized fellow!) and worked on Laney's Visa application. I had to fill out about 8 forms -- all featuring the cumbersome and repetitive format of all US government forms. It took about an hour, but we got it all finished and Jason will submit it to the office tomorrow.

After that we went and did a bit of shopping. I'm continuing to buy small but fun souvenirs for my kids. Shaiman Island is FILLED with stores catering to tourists, and there are many, many things to choose from. For lunch we ordered in from a local deli called "Danny's Bagels." I ordered a small pizza (with sun dried tomatoes, garlic & basil) and Troy ordered cheese ravioli. It was delicious and a nice change of pace from the local Chinese fare. Although the food on our trip has been great, we were ready for a small taste of home. It was nice.

Laney doesn't eat a lot (she is a peanut! LOL!), but she is in love with the Gerber puffs I brought (I should have brought more!) and she is quite taken with a local flavor of Heinz baby food (Tomato & Salmon paste). If you know Troy, this will be particularly funny to you since the two foods he hates more than anything are fish & tomatoes. LOL! But she thinks it's so tasty. They don't sell that at home (nor any fish flavored baby foods..yuck), so she is going to have to change her palate a little. This morning at the hotel breakfast buffet she gobbled up small bits of hard boiled egg and buttered toast. She is still very much a bottle-fed baby, and we're beginning to slowly transition her to American formula (Enfamil ProSobee). She has been on a Nestle formula product (Nestle2) here in China, but it's not very nutrient/protein enriched. We didn't change her diet at all the first week as she was going through so much change already. Now, I'm working on introducing the new formula in small ratios.

I have to tell you all our funny/frustrating moment last night. I'm unpacking all of our suitcases and loading things into the wardrobe and dresser. I spent about an hour getting all the clothing and toiletries situated and something seemed to be missing. What was it? I kept looking around. I was so tired, but I kept thinking, "Something is off." Finally I said to Troy, "Where are Laney's clothes?" He just stared at me. "There in there, they have to be." I said, "Troy, the suitcases are empty. Where are her clothes?" We both realized at the same moment. We had left ALL of her clothes at the Wharton Internation Hotel in Nanning!! Troy thought I had packed them. I thought he had emptied her drawers and packed them. Neither of us had. We called our guide, Jason and he called Michael in Guangxi. Thankfully, Michael is AWESOME and immediately called the hotel, located all of the items (the staff had found them and put them in a box) and he shipped them to us here in Guangzhou this morning. They should arrive on Wednesday. We went out today and bought Laney two more outfits to get her through until Wednesday. Oh, and extra socks. LOL! So Laney's adorable wardrobe will be traveling through the Chinese postal system for the next few days and hopefully it will all make it back. How embarrassing! Talk about crazy parents. LOL!

Many of the families who stay on Shaiman Island, here in Guangzhou, stay at the famous White Swan hotel. We chose the Victory Hotel and we are very pleased. We have a business suite -- sitting room/parlour area, two full bathrooms and a large bedroom with a king-sized bed. (No more Lucy & Ricky for us!). The price is extremely affordable, the rooms are clean and nicely appointed and they have convenient reverse osmosis systems for drinking water -- both hot (for bottles/tea) and cold. Very convenient! And a lot of money saved on bottled water. I would definitely recommend the Victory without hesitation. I would, however, recommend upgrading to the suite if possible. The standard rooms are small and by the time you get to Guangzhou, it is nice to spread out and have more room to play with your baby. I had considered booking our rooms at the local Westin (we love their Heavenly Beds...and the beds in China are sooo hard!), but that hotel is located nearly 50 minutes by cab from Shaiman Island and we knew we wanted to be on island...close to the shops and away from the busy city traffic.

One other note about Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the 4 largest city in China...with 12 million residents. It is also the 3rd worst city for smog in China. The skies are so hazy and filthy you cannot see the sun. I don't know if the high humidity levels trap the pollution and smog in, or if the pollution and smog create a block and that is what makes it so humid. EIther way, the skies here are not beautiful. Even in "bright sun" in the early afternoon, the sky is a thick, hazy orange color and you can't even see the tops of the buildings because of the dirt in the air. It sort of gives Troy and I the creeps. If you suffer from asthma, I don't think you'd do well in this city. We've felt fine, but it certainly makes us thankful for the clear blue skies and sunny days at home in KC.

Troy and I were talking last night about this whole experience. What an amazing ride it has been and how blessed we are feeling right now. Laney is just so cute and her sisters, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and great-aunt are going to love her! We are missing our house and kids so much!

Tomorrow is Laney's medical exam and photo appointment for her visa. I don't think she'll be very enthused to see the doctor, but we shall see!

I wanted to add that I appreciate and love all of the emails and comments. I can read your comments (they come via email) but with Blogger blocked I can't respond. For those CCAI families who are waiting and have emailed me with questions about our process, the hotel, pictures etc., I will try and get back to you when I can in Hong Kong. Someone (forgive me, I can't remember who!) emailed me and asked if there were any other children in the photos with Laney from the Guiping SWI. There weren't any other kids in the photos. I'm sorry! I wish there were. I think the director/nannies try hard to limit the photographs of other children, besides the one they are featuring.

Okay, that is all for today! Much love to each of you. Tomorrow, the medical exam and photos. Two more steps toward bringing Laney home!