The Open Market

We went back to the medical office to have Shae's TB test read and everything
was fine. Karen, Jared and Shae went back to the hotel as I went with the group to tour the open market. We started at the pearl market and then stopped by a DVD store where I purchased some Chinese/English Disney DVDs for Shae and Jared. I also, purchased a few DVDs for Karen and myself. They were only $1-2 each. After that we went to where the exotic food was sold and I tried fried scorpions. E-w-w-w, yum, they tasted like potato chips (not chicken). On the way back to the hotel, we went through the pet and herbal medicine markets. Karen and Jared went shopping later in the afternoon and had some good mother/son time. We went to dinner, as a family, and ended the evening with our traditional ice cream. [We definitely have two "carb/fruit" kids; they both eat a lot of fruit and bread at breakfast and they order noodles every night.] The transition hasn't been easy, but we are having a lot of positive experiences as well. Shae is speaking more and more english (we sang the alphabet song together today), she will ask Jared to take her hand when walking, and most importantly she is allowing us to comfort her when she is sad or upset.

Sightseeing in Guangzhou May 16

Yesterday we went sightseeing in Guangzhou. Our guide Helen took us to a family temple that has been taken over by the government after the communist
revolution, and then to a government store to buy souvenirs, and then also to the local grocery store (like a 3-floor Wal-Mart). The temple was beautiful and the sculptures were very meticulous and ornate. The government store is where you can purchase high quality merchandise. Everything is guaranteed unlike the merchandise you get in the local shops. We returned to the hotel and then went to Lucy's (western food) for dinner with the other families that we are traveling with. We ended our evening with ice cream from "7-up," as Jared calls it, or otherwise known as "7/11." It's not Dairy Queen, but it will do for now.

Guangzhou, Finally

We made it safely to Guangzhou, our final stop before our flight home. Shae experienced her first plane ride and did fine. There were a few times we thought she might be sick, but she came thru with flying colors. We are staying at the White Swan, which is a very nice hotel. The only drawback is that the rooms are small and smell musty. The lobby has a 3-floor waterfall and a Coy pond. Jared and Shae spent over an hour today watching the fish and waterfall. The day started with a wonderful breakfast and then it was off to have a passport picture and medical exam for Shae. Shae had to have a TB test and Karen said she didn't even whimper when the needle was inserted. The rest of the day was ours to enjoy. Jared, Shae and John spent most of the afternoon watching Scooby Doo and playing with each other. I think everyone had a great time. A bunch of us decided to treat ourselves to a foot massage. This was one of the most relaxing times of the whole trip (and very inexpensive; 70 minutes for $10!!). We decided to go out to dinner as a group tonight and chose a Thai restaurant, and we were not disappointed. Shae had a big bubble bath tonight and she went crazy. She was putting bubbles everywhere; on the wall, on her body, and on my head! Just having a good time. Lastly, Jared and Shae spent some time looking out our 14th floor window and watching the neon-lit boats on the river. She was pretending to snatch them and eat them up. This made Jared crack up. We had a good day!

Sightseeing in Xi'an and Free Time May 13

Today was our last full day in Xi'an City as tomorrow we pack-up and head to Guangzhou for the last leg of our trip. We went sightseeing in the morning which included stopping at a Buddhist temple which was more like a garden. The temple was nice with the old Chinese buildings and the beautiful gardens. It was a place for quiet meditation. We walked the garden, Jared and Shae had their names written in Chinese and English (which we will frame in the States), and Jared rang the large bell. Jared surprised the Chinese men with his strength. Then we went to the Jade market to find out how to tell high quality jade from low quality jade, and of course to shop. After this, we went back to the hotel and had free time. We went swimming, but Shae didn't want to go into the pool. She was cracking up every time Jared would go under water and pop up someplace else. For dinner we ventured out to the Pizza Hut down the street, which is the nicest Pizza Hut we have ever seen. Then we ended our day with ice cream from Diary Queen!!! (Our favorite place) :) Shae's personality is starting to come out in leaps and bounds. We thank all the people who have been praying for us, and continued prayers are very much appreciated.

Wednesday - May12,2010

The last 2 days have been better with Shae as she has warmed up to us. Today will be a telling sign as we will be seeing Amanda at the hotel to give her supplies we have brought for Starfish from a supporter in Texas. Jared, Shae and John were having a ball last night running up and down the hallway throwing a beach ball around. They all stayed up to late and are pretty tired today. We have a family free day so just relaxing. The weather has been pretty good as only today has it rained. The smog and pollution is very bad in both Beijing and Xi'an but we are coping. The Terracotta warriors were very fascinating to see and the farmer that found the warriors was in the muesum signing books. I'm attaching some pictures to view.

Terracotta Warriors - May 11,2010

Yesterday we went to visit the Terracotta warriors. We started at the factory where the Terracotta warrior souvenirs are made; these are of a higher quality than what the local farmers sell at the discovery site. We then went to see the actual Terracotta warrior discovery site. The pictures and video do not do justice to the actual magnitude of the site. We walked all of pit 1 which has the largest number of warriors. We also saw some archeologist digging and cleaning new pieces of the First Emperor's army. We, as a family, had a great day; lots of laughing which felt SO good. Shae is warming up to us more and more each day. This was a long day of walking and Shae walked almost the whole way. What a trooper. Once back at the hotel, we went to eat dinner and Shae started calling us "Ma Ma, Ba Ba, and Ge Ge," when we would go up to the buffet. We found out that she has a good set of lungs. :) Today is a free family day to rest and enjoy each other; what a treat compared to the non-stop running.

Transition Day

Shae woke up this morning peacefully. We only had about a five minute episode of crying in the morning on our way to breakfast. This was a great improvement over last night. We thank everyone for their prayers for our family. We went back to the Civil Affairs Office to finish the adoption paperwork. Our interview was with the Director's assistant and wasn't that bad at all. Then Jared and I went on a Xi'an City adventure looking for an adapter to Jared's DS as his broke in Beijing. We saw a lot of what we would call back streets and it was interesting but I kicking myself as I didn't have a camera. Karen and Shae went to get her passport together and get some supplies for the room. Then we went out to eat as a group and had some wonderful food. Then we just went back to the room and gave Shae a bath and watched a movie. This was such a better day for all involved.