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 2nd
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!
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.