Still in Guangzhou

Pagoda at Liu Rong Temple

Oranges and Coca-Cola offerings

One of many statue "illustrations" on the grounds of the Chen Clan House

Burning incense at the temple

A monk bows and prays

Troy, checking the fire hose at the temple

Just one small piece of thousands of granite decorations,

covering the roof tops of the Chen Clan House

The gate to the Chen House

Laney, being very good on a hot and long day of walking

Still in Guangzhou

Today was a very interesting day! The day began with Laney & Daddy sleeping in. I was up, showered and make-up on, but they were both still asleep at 8:30. Laney does seem to enjoy sleeping late. She doesn't go to bed until around 9:30 or 10, but she will sleep almost 11 hours. Not exactly the schedule I'm accustomed to with babies this age, but it's fine with me.

We again had breakfast at the hotel. There are all of these delicious and unique fresh fruits on the buffet, but I haven't tried any of them yet. We have not been sick the entire trip, and I'm convinced it's because we've been careful to follow the basic rules...bottled water, no fresh fruits or veggies, no ice, and wash our hands a lot. I miss ice so much!

After breakfast, we went back to our room and waited. Our guide was to deliver our Visa packets and applications for Laney at 10AM. We were told to wait by the phone from 10-11, in case there was a problem with the paperwork. Jason said, "If there is no call by 11, you are free to go. Everything is fine." At about 10:40AM, our phone rang. My heart stopped and I stared at Troy. The phone rang again and I picked it up. It was Jason, calling from the Consulate. He said, "Just calling to tell you everything is perfect. No problems!" I was so irritated that he called and scared me like that (LOL!), but thankful it was all okay.

After 11, we were free to roam and we did some more shopping for our children. I wanted to pick out dresses for all of my girls, and I found some really beautiful things at several of the shops. We ordered and picked up more gifts for our family and then went back to lunch at my favorite place to eat in China...the Cow & Bridge. The wait staff now knows me and I can honestly say I will dream about the food there when I return to the states. The shrimp spring rolls are the most delicious things I have ever tasted, and the curry dishes are outstanding. Everything is a bit spicy for Troy, but he is being a fabulous husband by letting me eat there every day. Laney loves their noodles. Thai food in Guangdong...it's a marvelous thing.

When lunch was over, we went and grabbed some bottled water for our back packs and restocked Laney's suplies (diapers, wipes, bottle, thermos and the ever present little cookie "bombs"). The bombs are her favorite! They're like the Chinese equivalent to Gerber puffs. They are small, vanilla-wafer-flavored cookie biscuits that melt quickly on the tongue. We're buying a gigantic package of them before we leave.

We met Jason at 2:00pm and left for an afternoon of sightseeing. First, we went to a local temple...the Guangzhou Liurong Temple (also called the Six Banyan Temple). This particular temple was founded during the Song Dynasty (around 500AD). The pagoda (almost 15 stories tall) is absolutely gorgeous and 1000 years old. The temple enshrines three large Buddhist statues--the biggest copper Buddhist statues existing in Guangdong province. We watched the monks walking around, doing their duties. We listened as people gathered to chant with the monks, and leave incense and light candles. We skipped the Buddhist blessing for Laney, but we did spend some time there...just soaking in the atmosphere and asking our guide questions about different things we were looking at. One thing I noticed were large trays of peanuts by each Buddha. I said, "What's up with the peanuts?" He said they are left there by women who want to become pregnant and want to have a boy child. Interesting. Is there no end to the male obsessions and patriarchal tradition in China? As a Western woman, I think that is what I struggle with most here. It is clear, even from my interractions with the men in stores and cabs that women are not treated as equals here.

When we first entered the temple, we noticed many beggars outside the gates. A man with no hands, holding a tin cup with the stumps of his arms, beseeching me for coins. A man with curled and knarled legs, pushed himself in a small cart and actually bumped into my legs several times, crying out for money. One woman, who was propped against a tree when we entered (with no arms and very withered limbs), apparently got knocked over by a bicyclist and landed in the street. She was howling (I think both from pain and anger) and created a huge scene. The police came and didn't seem concerned about her, but concerned that she was causing a traffic jam. They kept screaming at her to get up (meanwhile everyone around was either laughing or just walking by) and she finally rolled herself out of the street and lay by the tree again. It was very difficult to watch. She was filthy and sweating and injured. I wanted to run over, shove the police out of the way and help her up myself, but Troy had a firm hand on my shoulder and our guide acted as if this sort of thing happens all the time. He just shrugged it off and said, "Beggars..."

It frustrated me to see all of the gifts and offerings being brought into the temple and laid before the statues of Buddha. Pyramids of apples, oranges, towers of orange soda and colas(yes, soda and Nestea...very reminscent of Joe vs. the Volcano), candies and nuts. All of these things offered to a statue of copper..., and yet, there just outside there was this woman who was howling in the streets, emaciated, injured and laughed at.

After the temple, we went to the Old Chen House. Locally referred to as the Chen Ancestral Hall, it was built during the late 1800s. It is the largest and apparently most beautifully-preserved traditional building in Guangdong Province. We really enjoyed our time at this scenic spot. Troy shot lots of video throughout the temple and this house, so we can share our visit with our family.

We ended our day by visiting a government-run folk-art/crafts shop. Unlike the other stores we've visited during our time here, this store does not allow any bargaining. And the prices were quite high! But it was interesting to watch the craftspeople at work...carving jade, ivory (can't take that back with us!), porcelain, etc.

When we returned from our long day, it was nearly 5 o'clock. We grabbed some dinner and we've been hanging out with Laney for the evening. Tomorrow, we have the whole morning free (we'll spend it packing!) and then we have our appointment with the U.S. Consulate at 3:00. We will take our oath and then all of our legal work will be finished! Laney is already our adopted daughter, and then we will be able to obtain her passport (complete with visa!) and bring her home. Tomorrow is our last day in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Day 3 (pictures)

Guangzhou Day 3

This morning began with another breakfast here at our hotel. The buffet at the Victory is not nearly as extensive or upscale as the one we enjoyed at the Wharton in Nannning, but it's more than adequate and Laney has actually found a few things she likes here. She eats fried rice, meat congee (rice porridge w/ bits of boiled chicken), honeydew melon, and croissants! She doesn't really drink anything besides water or her baby formula, but we're trying to teach her to drink from a straw in the hopes that we can coax some fruit juice into her. She is so petite that she doesn't fit into most of the highchairs. This was a problem in Nanning, and she spent every meal in my lap. However, here at the Victory, they have these puffy pillows they use to prop the young babies into the highchairs. It's perfect for Laney and makes her feel much more secure and comfortable. She has been a happier baby at meal times here because of those great pillows.

After breakfast, we met our guide (and the other CCAI family, Betsy & Jeff and their son James) in the lobby and we all left to go to the Medical Exam. This was a very interesting experience. Extreme brief exam, touching on all of the basics (ears, throat, temperature, hearing, vision, heart beat, etc.) The clinic has an entire area just for the adopted children. The nurses were nice and I'm proud to say Laney's temperature was normal and she weighed in at a whopping 14 pounds! Then we waited for the doctor to examine her. He checked her heart beat. Looked in her eyes. Removed her clothes and examined her legs and arms and measured her head. He was very quiet and serious and kept checking and rechecking her records. I was beginning to get very nervous. He motioned for our guide to come in the room and began speaking in sober and fast words. Our guide was talking at him and I had no idea what they were saying. Jason, our guide, says to me, "The doctor wants to know if she can walk on her own." I said yes. "Can she babble a word or two?" I said yes again. The doctor kept frowning and looking at the paperwork and I asked Jason, "What's going on?" He just kept talking to the doctor who finally signed everything and said goodbye to us. When we got into the waiting room I asked Jason again, "What is he upset about? Did he hear something with her heart? Is she sick?" Jason smiled and said, "No, no. He was just confused. Your paper work is marked "Special Needs" but he doesn't seen anything wrong with your baby. I explained to him that she is growth delayed and he said small isn't a special need. This baby looks fantastic."

Whew!! I was relieved. She does seem healthy and perfect to us, and I was thankful the doctor didn't find anything wrong with her. In fact, just the opposite. He was very suprised and a bit peeved that Laney was even earmarked as "delayed." Oh and I forgot to mention, Laney was a complete angel through the whole exam. Smiled and was completely cooperative...never even wimpered. We were so proud of her!

After the medical exam (and a quick stop for Visa photos) we were free for a few hours. Troy and I did a bit more shopping and then grabbed lunch at my now favorite restaurant in China, The Cow & Bridge. It's Thai food and it's heavenly. We had a nice lunch and then Troy took Laney back to the room for a nap, while I ventured out to the bank to exchange some money. In Nanning, we were spoiled. Exchanging dollars into yuan was very simple. We simply did it at the hotel reception desk and they gave us an excellent exchange rate. Here in Guangzhou, the hotel offers a poor exchange rate, and so the bank is the best option. I asked my guide which bank I should go to and Jason said The Industrial & Commerical bank. Okay, that's where I went!

Let me preface this next bit by saying that whatever the exchange rate at the hotel is, it is worth it. I have a new found respect for the banks in America and competition! This bank had 5 windows available with clerks. Two were closed (the clerks were there, but they had signs up saying something like "Next Window" or "Busy" or something.) Two were open and operational and one was just for stock market/commerical banking. I walked in and they were helping customer 80. (There was a kiosk that printed numbered tickets). I hit the button and my ticket pops out with number 191. How long can it take, I thought to myself. Well, the answer is a VERY LONG TIME! I sat in the bank for over 90 minutes. It was like the DMV at home...but not as fun. No magazines, no tv, I couldn't talk to anybody, etc. Whew, was I ever bored! People were actually napping waiting for their turn to go the window. Finally my number came up and I marched up to the window and they helped me. About half-way through my transaction, a woman comes in from the street and gets all upset because she had left and missed her number! I was 191 and she was 189. She ran up to my window and was trying to ask the clerk if she could slip in after me (at least, that's the gist of what I gathered). Suddenly the bank guard comes up and starts yelling at her, shaking his head no and pointing her to the number kiosk. She had waited that whole time with me, missed her number by about 4 minutes and had to go and get another number (number 297). I guess it pays to sit still like I did.

By the time I returned from my long sojourn to the bank, it was time to meet our guide and head to the jade & pearl markets. We really enjoyed this time shopping. We walked through the old herb/medicine streets of Guangzhou and saw all sorts of intriguing things for sale...live scorpions, dried frogs and seahorses, mushrooms of all varieties, live turtles and chickens and rabbits and dogs....) My kids would have loved it! The pearl market was fun as well. I bought four beautiful strands of excellent quality white pearls and had them knotted into four bracelets...one for each of my daughters on their wedding days, and one for Colby's future wife for her wedding as well. It was so interesting to watch the women separate the pearls and knot them by hand. Troy also helped me pick out a beautiful necklace for myself! Next we went to the jade market and I bought a few things there as well. By this time Troy and I were so tired, and Laney was really ready to play and be out of her baby carrier. I had carried her for the first 1/2 of the trip in my mei tai carrier and then I switched with Troy.

We got back to the hotel and did a few errands and then had dinner with our friends, Betsy & Jeff, and their kids. It was a full and fascinating day! We are doing another day tour tomorrow...visiting a local temple and the arts/crafts market, in the afternoon. In the morning, our guide is delivering Laney's Visa application document packet to the US Consulate Adoption Unit. We are to wait in our room from 10AM until 11AM in case there is any problems with our paperwork. When 11AM rolls around, if we have not heard from him, it means all is well and the visa is being processed. We hope we do not hear the phone ring.

I'm off to fix Laney's bedtime bottle. She is fussing for me and I'm off to cuddle and hold her. What a wonderful thing!

Photos from Day 2 in Guangzhou

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!

Guangzhou Pictures

The Nanning Airport

Common in China's airports...many, many fresh fruit stands

Laney enjoying her in flight boxed lunch.
Notice the foot up on the tray. She LOVES to put her feet up on anything!

This sign is in our hotel room and it made us laugh!

The wording is pretty funny. We keep saying, "Please -- Scatter!"

Happy to be in Guangzhou!

Eels?

Fresh fish?

Troy and Laney, joining a statue family

Beautiful Shaiman Island...every where you see pedestrian walkways, gardens and statuary.

Goodbye Nanning, Hello Guangzhou!

We got up early this morning and finished our packing. We met our guide at 10:45 and headed to the Nanning airport. Leaving Guangxi was hard. We loved it there, and we felt a certain sadness as we left. Laney's home province is beautiful and we can't wait to return.

Michael, our guide, was absolutely fantastic. We were so sad to say goodbye to him! I gave him a huge hug and told him we would email and write. He really loved Laney too and kept giving her final pats and hugs. So sweet!

I was interested to see how Laney would do on the plane, but she did fine. It was only an hour mind you, so the perfect "test" flight. She loved the boxed lunch we were served and munched her way through that for most of the flight.

When we arrived in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, PRC we were met by our next CCAI rep, Jason. He is a short, energetic guy -- full of tips and helpful notes. We feel like we're in excellent hands...which is good since Michael spoiled us so.

We're staying at the Victory Hotel on Shaiman Island. Shaiman Island is a very picturesque area located on the Pearl River. The island is quiet and peaceful, with loads of shops and markets catering to Western travelers and adoptive parents in particular. We had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel, The Cow & Bridge. It's Thai food and it's very, very good. I had some of the best chicken red curry w/ coconut milk I have ever eaten. Laney gobbled up the rice and Troy was happily eating his way through chicken satay and peanut sauce. The best part? They do take-away service very quickly, so we were able to grab it and bring it back to the hotel to eat. Laney is like any 18 month old...not thrilled with sitting in a high chair during a long meal.

There is another CCAI family here with us. We'll be doing all of our appointments together. Betsy (the mother) and I have already spoken chatted through email/loops, so it's nice to have a friend here. Another CCAI family arrived last night, but they're a bit behind us in schedule. They get their baby on Monday.

Tomorrow we apply for Laney's Visa. We have her passport (received that our last night in Nanning.) She looks so cute in her passport picture! LOL!

We're having some issues with uploading photos tonight, but we'll hopefully have that fixed tomorrow so check back in for a large batch of photos. I do have a new video link ready. It's Laney walking in the Nanning airport this morning as we waited for our flight. She continues to amuse and amaze us. What a treasure! More to come tomorrow.

Two New Videos

Getting Dressed

Giggles

Just click the titles above to view the videos. Sorry I was not able to embed these directly, will try to get blogger to cooperate tomorrow.