Day 11 2nd full day in Guangzhou, Sunday, August 14th

Scarlett had another great night of sleep. I’m really hoping this carries over when we get home (after dealing with our clocks being flipped upside down, that is). By now we’ve figured out her sleep habits, so I’m hopeful.

Nathan turned off my alarm clock and went to get us Starbucks while us ladies got our beauty rest. He woke me up at 7:45 and said, “there’s your Starbucks.” See? Why on earth would I want to go back home after that?! I’m getting pampered over here. I don’t have to lift a finger! Ha!

We called to say hi to the kids quickly before heading down for breakfast. They were on the other side of the world getting ready to watch a movie and go to bed. The kids weren’t too interested in talking to mom and dad- they wanted Scarlett. I love how she looks at them and interacts over video chat. She sticks her tongue out or makes other faces to see if they’ll mimic her. She’s such a hoot!

We had a delicious breakfast of noodles, veggies, and fruit (Nathan got an omelet, too). Oh I also had bacon because well, when there’s bacon to eat, you eat it. Man, I love the breakfasts here. I’ve said that so many times, I know!

We met Helen and the rest of the group at 9:30 for sightseeing. We went to the Folk Arts Museum and the Chen Chen Ancestral hall/academy. It’s all the same place. The architecture and art pieces were amazing to see- ivory carvings, wood carvings, ceramics, porcelain, and embroidery. Just things that you look at and think, “how?” Helen introduced us to an artist that specializes in calligraphy and carving stamps (many Chinese people have stamps with their name carved- they collect different ones because different carvers have different styles). We got Scarlett’s Chinese name done along with her birthday, and when/where we got her. It’s really a special thing that she can have forever. We also got her the stamp that we can give her for a birthday. These are the kinds of things that we need to get while we have the chance! The Chen Chen hall was beautiful- there were a lot of courtyards, pavilions, and long corridors. The bonsai plants were pretty, too. The carvings and paintings on the building were also something to see!

After the museum, we headed to a store where we got matching dresses for Addison and Scarlett and t-shirts for the boys that say big brother in Chinese. We also got Scarlett a plush doll- that can be a 2^nd birthday gift. I wanted a dress for myself, but they were super expensive.

This store also sells tea and tea sets. Tea is huge in China. They drink hot tea many times a day for health and healing. We had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a traditional tea demonstration, and it was the perfect thing after our hot morning at the museum. Nathan was starting to feel nauseous from some heat exhaustion and dehydration. The tea definitely healed him. I sat Scarlett on the bench and she was captivated by the lady preparing the tea. When she started pouring it, she clapped her hands and said, “yay!” You could tell she is used to drinking hot tea. She blew on it, dipped her finger in it and sipped it ever so elegantly. I loved watching this so much. There’s so much to learn about our daughter. I’m amazed every day at the new things she shows us. It’s pretty neat to see how comfortable she is with us. If a stranger comes to say hi, she fusses and comes to find mom or dad. This is great, and means that she knows who mom and dad are. A big attachment and bonding step. When she wakes up in the morning, she doesn’t look at us with a confused or concerned expression like she did for those first few days. Now, she smiles and talks to us. Goes in for a kiss and gives us hugs. I can’t wait to see those first kisses for her siblings!

We sat and enjoyed 3 different kinds of tea. It took about 30 minutes or so. We then purchased a few bags of tea to bring home with us. Helen had ordered us food at a place close to the store and we took it in the van back to the hotel where we ate on the floor of our hotel room. It was a nice little family moment- eating out of to-go containers on the floor. Scarlett did great with this. She’s just an amazing eater!

We laid her down for a nap after lunch and I worked on my blog. The blog and journal are proving to take most of my free time when we’re not out and about. I’m also reading a book. I wish we hadn’t packed the big DVD player. We’d have more space to bring home souvenirs. We’re pretty packed full as it is!

Naptime went well and then we ordered some Papa John’s for a quick dinner in our hotel before meeting the group again at 5:45 to head to our night cruise. I was so excited about this because I’ve seen pics of other adoptive families doing it and it just looks amazing. It’s been a rainy evening, and the rain came and went during the cruise, but it was still a beautiful sight. All of the buildings and bridges lit up as we cruised down the river. Helen had gone home this afternoon to make us noodles and dumplings to snack on. She’s such a sweet lady. And her noodles were amazing. I’ll need to get some recipes for the family to eat together when we get back! We can practice using our chopsticks and we can drink our hot tea! I can’t wait for that! We loved this activity! As we got off the boat, it was pouring and we all got soaked! It was a pretty funny sight- all of us running and jumping in the van, with water dripping down our faces and our clothes pretty wet! 

 Tomorrow morning, we have our consulate appointment. We have to meet Helen at 7:30 (this will be our earliest morning since being in China). This is the final major paperwork thing we have to do before bringing Scarlett home. It’s a big deal! Tomorrow she gets the seal of approval to become a US citizen as soon as we land in Dallas on Wednesday!

Today I realized that we only have a few more nights in Guangzhou. This is an amazing city. I like it better than Guiyang. It’s much bigger (18 million, Guiyang was 4 million), but it’s more spread out and developed, so traffic isn’t as crazy and there aren’t scooter/bikes everywhere. The sidewalks aren’t packed, so we can actually walk side by side. The Chinese people here are more used to seeing Americans, so there isn’t nearly as much blatant staring. I wish we had more time in this city to explore. Maybe someday we can come back. I’d like to go to the top of the TV tower- that would be amazing. After our last full day here tomorrow, we take a 3-hour van ride to Hong Kong where we’ll stay for 1 night and fly out the next day at 2:30. 3 more nights of our journey. That’s it. And a 15-hour flight… But, we’re not talking about that right now!