It's my birthday...

...but I still can't sleep as late as I want to. Six-fifteen, no matter how late I stay up. Woke up this morning to a very foggy day. I can barely see any boats on the river. Last night we had our first real thunderstorm, although we've had lots of misty rain before.

Yesterday morning was the visa appointment we didn't have to go to. We did, however, have to stay in the room in case Connie needed any information from us. Good days do not start with 2.5 hours of 2 wiggly boys in a hotel room. As soon as we got the all clear from Connie we took them outside to wiggle across the island on a quick walk. I was looking for a silk comforter, which are pretty much impossible to find in the States, and there is a nearby "Department Store and Electronics City" about 4 blocks off the Island. So we walked there to discover that the "Department Store" part is very outdated, and instead it's 5 floors of cell phones, USB sticks, etc. I couldn't believe that there were more electronics every set of stairs we climbed. On the way down we found the escalators.

We had lunch in the "American" restaurant. I ordered chicken congee for Jed, and he poohpoohed the entire notion, now knowing there was much more interesting food in the world. He loves potatoes, and so his lunch ended up being apple juice and French fries. Oh well. Gus polished off an entire adult-sized grilled cheese sandwich. Dad ordered chili con carne and enjoyed it, despite talking trash about it the entire time we were waiting. As much as I would like a hamburger, it just isn't the same without lettuce on that bun (and we're not supposed to eat lettuce here, too many crannies for dirty water to cling to when it gets re-washed). Sigh.

During naptime Dad and I left for a trip to the wholesale pearl market. We are seeing a big difference in shopping philosophy: in the US, a mall has a lot of stores, with very few types of stores being repeated (and therefore not much competition). In China, a mall has a lot of stores selling exactly the same thing (like big bags of pearls, or cell phone cases) and a lot of competition. The Pearl Market is a six story mall full of jewelry wholesalers, and a lot of the stores look the same. Yet they stay in business. I found the simple freshwater pearl necklace I'd been looking for, and then wandered into the amber store to see pendants as big as my fist (beautiful, but probably awfully heavy to breathe under). Then Connie took us to a pedestrian shopping area (which stands on the original commercial center of Guangzhou, proven by a glass enclosure inside the main square that shows a piece of an old and an older city gate). There was an enormous department store where I found my silk comforter.

Dad and I both noticed something creepy, though, about the department store. All of the mannequins and practically all of the models on posters were white (and most of them were blonde). It's as if the brands we see in the US don't even change marketing for China (although they must, right?). What kind of body image issues are going to come up when the girls are pushed to achieve a look that is really physically impossible for them?

We arrived back at the hotel to find the boys happily destroying the playroom, and I ran to pick up the laundry before dinner. If we lived here, Jim would never do laundry again. I picked up 5 days of laundry for 5 people, washed, pressed, and folded, for $30. Wow.

Then Connie took us to her favorite local Cantonese restaurant (which is right across the street). We'd gone as a group a couple of days ago without her and enjoyed it, but this time she ordered for us and it was fantastic. Everything was delicious, even the mushrooms, which Jim and I always hate. The tea was fabulous, and the boys were diverted by the enormous live prawns and fish waiting in tanks in the front to be chosen for dinner. There's a saying that the Cantonese eat everything with four legs except the table; I saw a box of water beetles skittering around out front too. No thank you. But dinner was excellent.

Then bed for the boys, Jim did an ice cream run for the grownups, and we chatted until we were about to fall over. Today will be a calmer day.

Happy Labor Day

We had barbecued beef for breakfast yesterday in its honor. The rest of the day was not particularly restful. I am now writing with two wiggly boys on my lap, so please excuse any typos.

Yesterday we took a group tour to Six Banyan Temple, a Buddhist Temple named by a famous calligrapher around 1500 years ago for the six beautiful trees in front of it. The temple has now been absorbed by urban Guangzhou and the trees have burned down, but the temple area is still very peaceful and the boys got to wander around and explore it a bit. We saw a procession of monks (male and female) doing their rounds.

Then we went to the Jade Market. The Chinese believe that wearing jade makes women stronger and more beautiful. Traditionally a mother will give her daughter a jade bracelet when she turns marriageable age, and often the lady will never take off that bracelet. Well, when I tried on bracelets I discovered the differing philosophies. It would be possible to get the bracelet onto my arm, but because of the positions of the bones in my hands it would hurt a lot. Perhaps not.

After lunch I took Jim out to do some shopping. We decided on a beautiful water dragon tea set, a couple of silk jackets (I am size XXL-XXXL over here), a scroll of the Great Wall for Jed's room and a simple scroll of koi for us. Sent Jim back to be there for the end of naptime and did a bit more shopping.

After nap we hit the pool, and then went shoe shopping for the boys. Much to our dismay Gus's feet have passed the size at which they make squeaky shoes. But he was outgrowing his old pair and so we got him some non-squeaky shoes anyhow. We also picked up a couple of outfits for the boys to wear on Chinese New Year.

Gotta change the baby and get ready for breakfast!

Attachment Update

For all those of you wondering how the family is getting on, it's going extremely well. Jed is attaching great. Lots of eye contact. I feed him, he feeds me, lots of smiles. He is now so used to my being there that when he needs help to climb a tall stair, he holds his hand out for mine without even looking. He still prefers me to Jim, but has no problem with Jim taking care of him or being there when he wakes up. The three guys were in the playroom yesterday and Jed was so excited when I walked in and toddled right over for a hug, but it's not that he minded being with Daddy at all.

We had our first bath a couple of days ago (another thing I can't imagine going well without Gus around), and then played in the pool yesterday. At one point Jed just tipped over face first into the pool. We hauled him right out before he breathed in any water, and the look on his face was priceless.

The boys are in general getting along well. Gus loves having an audience, and we've given him lots of extra snuggles. He does get distracted by having Jed in bed with him, though, and sometimes tries to keep Jed awake to play. Jed, who only wants to sleep, scratches him and then rolls over, while Gus freaks out. Jed can sleep through (to date) half an hour of Gus howling right next to him (we guess an orphanage is probably a good place to learn to sleep through anything). Today we're going to try putting them in separate rooms for naps, since nighttime is usually much better. The trip is starting to wear on Gus, but he takes out his frustrations on us instead of Jed, which is brilliant. What an amazing little boy, who is so ready to be back home.

I did the recon on shopping yesterday and will start some of it today. Even in the tourist trap that is Shamian Island, everything is really cheap. Shamian reminds us a lot of Antigua, where we stayed with Gus for a weekend on his family trip; it's an old European-style city that has been turned into a lovely tourist trap with lots of foreigners. My two favorite things: 1) the deli next door, where the four of us ate for under $10 yesterday, and which also has ice cream; and 2) the fact that the Chinese don't seem at all to be bothered by chaos. There's still a lot of construction on the island for the upcoming Asian/Para-Asian Games, and lots of noise and dust, but the many brides having their pictures taken in the main park still look quite serene. And am I glad that I brought capris and skirts--to date I have seen exactly one Chinese lady wearing shorts. Not that I don't stick out, but at least I stick out appropriately.

The sun came out

It's a quiet day in Guangzhou today. I had a meeting this morning with Connie to get all my paperwork ducks in a row for our visa appointment on Tuesday morning (embassy workers get Labor Day off too); no problems there. Currently naptime. There's a deli next door to the hotel that serves what are essentially kolaches, and we've started having them for lunch. We're probably going to go take a swim after nap today. Rebekah is out scouring the shops on a reconnaissance mission.

Yesterday afternoon we went out and explored Shamian Island, which is about as large as a decent-sized shopping mall. The island seems to be completely dedicated to the noble task of taking money off of adoptive parents. Everybody seems to speak English at least a little here. One particularly enterprising shopkeeper named Jordan tried to ply me with everything from scrolls to tote bags to laundry service to a cute little traditional Chinese outfit for Jed, which he'd probably outgrow in about 2 days.

There are two famous restaurants on Shamian Island, neither of them serving Chinese food. We tried one of them yesterday: the Cow and Bridge. It's a Thai restaurant, not an English pub. Word to the wise: stay away from the ostrich curry. I haven't felt quite right all day today. Tonight we have a date with the rest of the CAWLI families to go eat at the other famous place, an American food place called Lucy's. We'll try to find some real food tomorrow.

Shots!

On Friday we decamped from Shenyang and had a leisurely 4 hour flight south to Guangzhou. Emerged from the airport into the first rain we've seen here, and it was worth the wait! Torrential downpours and rush hour traffic turned our commute to the White Swan Hotel from an expected 45 minutes into 2 hours. Once here, however, the hotel was gracious enough to upgrade us to a suite, so we're living large over here. 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a living room with a nice view of the Pearl River (the hotel is on an island). Slept soundly.

This morning was Jed's physical appointment. The clinic is within walking distance of the hotel, so Rebekah, Jed, and I along with our guide Connie and apparently EVERY CHILD IN THE PROVINCE went over there to get poked, prodded, and measured. They truly have it down to an science over there; despite all the kids, we were in and out in about an hour. I elected to be the bad guy, so I held him while he got his chest listened to (he has a pulse!), his ears examined (he can hear!), his height and weight measured (91 cm! 13 kg!), and 6 shots and a TB test administered (boo!). Every arm and leg got a needle or two. Jed took the shots like a champ, though. Didn't enjoy it at all, but he got over it quickly, and so far no ill effects.

Free day the rest of today and tomorrow, so we're going to go do some exploring. Later!

Headin' south

Tomorrow we hop on another China Southern flight to go to Guangzhou, our last major stop on this little adventure. We'll be there for a week. We go there because that's where the US has decided to keep their embassy. I'm sure there's a long story behind that decision, but I don't know it, and if you get right down to it I don't really care. (Man, I gotta stop writing these things right before bed.)

After the 2 days of punishing paperwork in a smoky 6th floor conference room (seriously, on a clear day the visibility is only about a quarter mile. Have you checked out the Shenyang scenery pictures? That ain't fog), the boys were about ready to jump out of their skin. So yesterday our guide Maggie took us to a local Shenyang amusement park. It was pretty dingy and run-down, like something out of Scooby Doo ("Let's find out who this ghost really is! Why, it's Old Man Murray, who runs the old amusement park on the edge of town!" "And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"), but it had this crazy indoor playground that the kids just adored. We spent 3 hours in there. It was a bunch of playground equipment stretched across 3 floors, with ladders, stairs, and slides connecting them all. Two trampolines, swings, and a ball pit. It was creaky, and I would have liked to see a safety inspection certificate, but it was just what the doctor ordered. The boys just had a blast in there.

That afternoon, Rebekah and Jed went to the local children's hospital to get an official reading on Jed's oxygen saturation level, which is something we needed to know to find out if he could fly without supplementary oxygen. It was good enough to fly to Guangzhou on, and there we'll confer with the pediatrician who's traveling in our group about the rest of the journey. The test ended up costing 11 yuan, or about 2 bucks. Not bad.

Today was a free day, with nothing official planned. So we took a taxi to the Shenyang Botanical Garden, which is a ridiculously beautiful fun place. Definitely a must-see for anyone traveling to Liaoning province. I really don't know how to describe it. Lots of small gardens with brooks and pagodas, lots of public artwork, a 2o0-foot observation tower shaped like a giant lily, oh and a really nice theme park. The theme park included something they called an "amusement bridge area", which is probably the best way to describe it. Take a river, and then come up with as many absurd and challenging ways to cross that river as you can think of, and then throw them all into the river. There were rope bridges, a line of rotating barrels, a zip line, a bunch of Tarzan-style ropes to swing across on, a giant hamster ball, etc. It was truly awesome, and if I were there without any kids, I would stay there all day. Gus was really disappointed he wasn't allowed to do much.

We got Jed's Chinese passport tonight, so we're all set to go. More to come from southern China, so stay tuned.

Put down the slinkies, boys, it's time for bed

We're now 4 days into our stay in Shenyang, and all is well. We're installed in a lovely hotel called the Trader's Hotel. We're still going to bed at 8:30, but now for a different reason. Jed is all ours now. We spent 2 long mornings in a stuffy smoke-filled 6th floor office of the China Civic Affairs office, filling out paperwork along with 4 other families with similar business in Shenyang. Jed spent the first day clinging to Rebekah for dear life. He neither cried nor smiled. By now, however, he's much more free with the emotions. He spends a lot of time playing with his gege (Chinese for big brother), and I think he thinks Gus is the coolest guy on the planet. Gus is really patient with him as well. He calls Jed "my little one", which is cute.

When he's not playing, he's eating. The kid's tossing back food like you wouldn't believe. And he's not picky, either. He must be putting on 5 pounds a day.

Wow. I just fell asleep in my chair. Time for bed. More later.