More Shopping and the Consulate Appointment

Today we took a taxi back to Shamian Island to do a little more shopping. We're been back and forth between our hotel and the island a few times now and using the taxi is pretty easy and only cost around 3 dollars. We managed to blow through the money we had exchanged in a couple of hours.

Before going back to our hotel we sneaked into the White Swan's play room. You need a hotel pass key to get in but there was someone in there so we just knocked and they let us in. We spent time in this room with Gabby and found that a few of the toys were still there. Lydia's favorite were the musical toys

At 2:30 we had out appointment at the American Consulate, this is when Lydia's visa paperwork is processed and we have to take an oath. The oath is part of the immigrant visa process and for adoptions the parents take it on behalf of the children. The oath basically says that all of the information provided by us is true and accurate. This time around was a little different from Gabby's adoption in that we had to go up to a window in the consulate and present our passports as a final check that we are the correct people and match the copies included with the submitted forms. It wasn't easy sitting in a big room with dozens of babies trying to pick out your child's name, especially when the first thing heard was a muffled 'Wa Wa Wa'... 'Wa Wa Wa'... turned out they were just testing the speakers and not calling for anyone but eventually they called Huai Xin Chun and we got the final 'okay' on our papers. A short time later everyone stood, repeated the oath and it was all over.

Tonight we also had the option of going on a Pearl River Dinner Cruise, and it was the perfect evening for the event. Our guide had already given us the heads up on the deal 'out of ten, the cruise would be a 10, the food around an 8' and that was a fairly accurate description. Lydia tried her best to eat all the noodles she could, and I tried my best not to end up wearing them. I pitied the people at the next table and Lydia was quite intent at staring at them with a face covered in noodles!

After dinner we went outside onto the third floor of the boat to view the scenery and enjoy the night. The whole thing lasted about 90 minutes and was just the right length to keep the little ones entertained before it was time to get back on the bus for our hotel.

Another busy day and Lydia was great through everything. As we get close to the end of our journey our thoughts turn to the long flight home - we're hoping that Lydia keeps up the great behaviour for the long day ahead.

In the taxi on the way to the Shamian Island.

Playing in the Swan room.

This place is fun!

Dinner cruise.

Enjoying an after-dinner cracker.

Lazy Day

We had a lazy day on Tuesday. Our CHI coordinator, Elsie, went to the American Consulate to submit our paperwork. While she was at the consulate from 10:30 until 11:30 we had to stay in the room in case there were any questions about the information we had submitted. 11:30 came and went without any calls so our paperwork was good. By that time we were ready for lunch and a nap so the day went by quietly and I think we all appreciated a lazy day to rest up.

At 5 pm though we met our whole group in the lobby for a group photo. Trying to get so many families together and co-ordinated though is no small feat but we managed to get a couple of good photos.

For dinner we went back to "Food Street" in the hotel and ordered some noodles for Lydia. I think she had been missing the flavors of China and she inhaled the noodles and managed to wolf down three bowls.

Checking out her pretty dress in the mirror.

All the moms... and two dads too.

The whole group.

Just us... but I think Lydia had tired of the photo shoot.

Finally coming up for air while eating noodles.

Jade and Pearl Shopping

Today we went to back to the island that the White Swan hotel is located for a little more shopping while other families had to take their children (who are older than 2 years old) back to the medical office to get their TB shots read.

Then we all went to the Jade and Pearl market for more shopping. It was the exact same stores that we went to before with Gabby, but again, lots of construction going on. We found the same earrings and necklaces for Lydia that we purchased for Gabby for them to have when they graduate high school and get married. Dinner was just a quick sandwich in the room with of course Lydia's favorite fruit.....bananas.

She was so good today while Mommy went shopping, she strolled along with Daddy. She is excited to get into her stroller when we open it up in the room because she knows we are going someplace....preferable to eat. Many people in our group commented on what a patient baby she was, she was content in her stroller and on the bus...but Rob was quick to tell them that the secret to a happy Lydia is a BIG bag of Cheerios!

Picking out some pearls.

Lydia's happy so long as the cheerios and crackers keep coming.

Finding a piece of jade.

The Jade Shop.

Embroidery Shop.

At the Mall

Waiting for the bus to take us back to the hotel.

A Walk in the Park

Yesterday we went to a park nearby the hotel. It was a short walk via an underpass to get across the busy streets. The park was beautiful, the weather steamy and the mosquitoes biting! Half way through the park was a playground for adults, lots of exercise equipment busily being used by Chinese people. There were traditional exercise bikes, parallel bars, rowing machines and the like but there's something odd about seeing a grown man trying to use the monkey bars!

In the afternoon we had paperwork to complete for the U.S. side of the adoption, then we splurged on the dinner buffet at the hotel. The salad was great and Rob enjoyed having lamb, beef curry and quail wrapped in bacon. Although the quail was mostly bones and far too much effort for the meager amount of meat. While the amount of fresh seafood, meats and fruits was great the number of desserts was amazing. The chocolate tarts were the best but there were lots of different 'shooters' - sweet concoctions in shot glasses. The desserts alone were worth the price.

Lydia meanwhile found a new favorite - cold potato salad and couldn't get enough of it. So much so that she picked up the spoon and started feeding herself. It's amazing how fast she is learning new tricks.

The entrance to the park, our hotel is the distance...The China Hotel-Marriott.

Enjoying a steamy day in the park. Notice the fogged up glasses. :)

Lydia and Daddy among the palm trees.

Mmmmm...a big girl eating a big helping of potato salad with a big spoon!

Playing in the room

We have found that Lydia loves to sing and march. Whenever Kara sings a song to her, she tries to sing along and dances. Tonight she put on a performance of her own while waving her new Chinese flag that one of the shop owners gave her for free! Enjoy!

Medical and Shopping on Shamian Island

The U.S. immigration requires a medical as part of the adoption process, so we found ourselves back on Shamian Island to get Lydia's photo taken for her visa, and to complete her medical. When we adopted Gabby in 2005 we stayed on Shamian Island at the White Swan hotel and this is where our bus driver dropped everyone off today for the medical. Many memories of our time with Gabby came back seeing the familiar places on the island.

Just across the street is the photo shop for the visa, and they were also selling strollers which was the first thing on our list to buy. After the all of the photos were taken it was time to walk to the medical building. The short walk showed us the many changes that are taking place on the island. We had read that there was lots of construction going on and the reports were correct. Many of the sidewalks were torn up or flooded and we had to backtrack a few times picking the stroller up and carrying Lydia across some of the less stroller-friendly sections.

The medical building was crowded with lots of families. There didn't seem to be any order to the process, the instructions were that there are three stations for ENT, height/weight and surgical and you can go in any order. The rooms and the process were familiar and we were done quickly with no problems, the height/weight station told us that Lydia is 19.8 pounds. Lydia of course didn't find the process quite to easy and she screamed through most of it.

Once done with the medical we had some free time to go shopping. This is when we really saw how much had changed. Many of the shops we remembered have gone. Jennifer's place was where we purchased the most from with Gabby, but the shop looked gutted and empty. We were sad to not find the places we remembered but there are still a few shops around. Since the adoption traffic is down many of the shops have stepped up the hard-selling tactics and have people out trying to draw you into their shops. We were led into one shop where they closed the door behind us - quite off-putting and we didn't spend much. Other's like Jordan's place are very nice, the owner was great and now that we've looked around we're planning on going back there before we leave. Seeing all the construction and the change in the atmosphere of the island we're very happy to be staying off the island at the China Hotel.

Before meeting back up at the bus we went inside the White Swan hotel to look around and remember our time with Gabby. We found the 'red couch' and where we took our group photo - fond memories of our time with Gabby five years ago.

Back on the bus and Lydia soon few asleep. On the way back to the hotel we could stop and go to a grocery store so many of the families split up, Kara went to the grocery store and I stayed on the bus to go back to the hotel. Getting off the bus made Lydia wake up and she just played in her crib rather than take her regular nap. Kara came back with a new toy for Lydia - a cellphone. It's very loud and says the same couple of lines in Chinese over and over... but Lydia loved it and played very hard that night.

After such a busy day and a couple of days off-schedule though Lydia didn't want to go to bed last night. I think she's having too much fun in the room and does not want to stop playing. We had screams for around 30 minutes before she finally dropped off.

Waiting in the rain outside the photo shop.

Lydia in her new stroller.

Medical Room

Inside the White Swan Hotel

Arrived in Guangzhou

Arrived in Guangzhou late last night. Got into the room after 11:00 pm. Lydia did great on the plane, it's amazing what a big bag of cheerios can do! She didn't sleep on the plane but was out after being on the bus for about 30 seconds.

We have the medical this morning so we're expecting lots of screams from all the babies. Thankfully our paperwork was filed before recent rule changes and Lydia will not have to get a load of shots today.