(Gary)

Today I went into the city to pick up the immigration packet while Lisa, Chun-Chun, and grandma spent the day on Shamian Island. Chun-Chun is coming out of her shell now. She had her first ice cream with mommy and grandma and later that night, her first boat ride. While I was in meetings all day, my little girl was laughing it up and having a great time. She's starting to play little games with us and talking more (even though we don't understand a word). We also had our "red couch" picture with a small group of people.

(Gary)

No pictures from today really. We had our Counsul appointment and the US Embassy does not allow cameras or cell phones so we had to leave them at our hotel room. I've included a few extra pictures from 12/30 (today as I write). We had to go into town twice. In the morning we had our appointment to swear that every thing on our documents were true. The great thing was that she was very well behaved the whole trip and waiting in the waiting room.

We came back to the hotel and had nap time which is always followed by tears when we wake. Lisa and I took a page out of the Chinese book for this one.

The Chinese have to be the "snackingest" people I have ever met. They may be very thin people. You can say that they eat reasonable amounts of food at meal times. However, they have a snack at every turn. The grocery stores sell the in huge bags. There are vendors on every street corner and lane hawking everything from corn on the cob to curiuos fried fruit looking balls on a stick and everyone is eating constantly.

On our second trip into the city I had a poctet full of snacks and just as I thought, we decided to cry. Stick a rice cake in our mouth and we were just fine (reader-please remember that my stock and trade as a special educator is operant conditioning so I am aware of the dangers here). Once at the Embassy our new waiting area had a play area which Chuen-Chuen enjoyed very much. It was nice to see her smile and pull me closer to help her play. After our oath as a citizen, the trip on the bus went much the same way.

I'll have to cut this off now as we are about to have a harbor tour at night.

(Gary)

Today was TB test result day. We started with (as usual) a big breakfast: congee, scrambled eggs, "fried milk" spring roll (like a spring roll with custard inside), bacon, mandarin orange, yogurt, potatoes, and two slices of watermelon. Then I had... After breakfast we always stop to watch the fish in the pond.

We had to meet our Holt representative at 2:00 so we took a walk around Shamian Island. Originally it was a beach that the colonial interests: British and French built into an enclave where the Chinese were not allowed. A canal was dug between the beach and mainland and two bridges built. In succeeding years, various nations built counsulates here. Today the US and Poland missions remain. We tried to have an ice cream at the Rose Garden Restaurant (even though it was in the 50's) but they took so long to scoop ice cream, we had to leave before it came out. Good thing they had Chun-Chun's hot milk out right away.

Back at the medical clinic, Chun-Chun's TB test came out positive. In China, at the age of two, all children are given a TB innoculation. That means that since they have been exposed to the virus, they will always test positive. Fortunately, her chest x-ray came out clear so we are in good shape (So there! Mean old CDC!). The sad thing is that some families haven't faired so well on this point and the CDC refuses to develop a policy to help families. You can find them all over the internet - another thing to write to your representatives in congress.

To celebrate we took a walk to the Kow Lun (sp?) bridge and Lisa and I had an adult beverage and Chun-Chun had orange juice at the Victory hotel. We got back to the White Swan very late for Chun-Chun's nap.

December 27, 2009

Today was a rather uneventful day in Guangzhou. A cold front had just come through, and it was rainy with highs in the 50's. We spent a lot of time indoors, and found the Swan Room for her to play in. There were four or five other couples there with their young ones, and we had a good visit with them. Xiao Chun was very reserved and pretty much kept to herself in the playroom.

Later in the day Roberta decided to go on the pearl and jade tour with one other family, while Gary and Lisa spent some cuddle time with their girl. We enjoyed a hot drink in the White Swan lobby, and then went to Susan's Place (highly recommended!) to pick up our laundry. We visited another shop close by and found another Chinese DVD for her, as well as a pair of pretty black shoes. To Gary's delight, they ended up being "squeaky shoes" (for children learning to walk). Lisa will have to find another pair of regular shoes for her. We enjoyed a watermelon juice and snack break at Lucy's and then came back to the hotel--enough of the nasty weather! It's hard to believe that we are further south right now than we are in Florida!

We finished up the day at the Cow and Bridge Restaurant, which is famous for its Thai food. Getting to the restaurant was somewhat of a challenge, as they have a lot of construction on Shamian Island. Next summer Guangzhou is to host the Asian games. At the restaurant Gary had braised beef in a curry sauce, while Roberta and Lisa ate fried shrimp cakes. Xiao Chun enjoyed shrimp crisps, warm milk, and pork congee.

Tomorrow we were planning a safari trip to see some pandas, but that has been canceled due to the cold weather. We'll have fun instead, making up our own agenda!

December 26th, 2009

Today is the day we go for our medical check. First, we had breakfast at the buffet downstairs--anything you could eat was there. Our girl has a great appetite at breakfast. I don't know what she'll do at our house when she'll have to settle for cereal and milk! She does love watermelon, but we insist that she eat her protein first. Afterwards, we met two other Holt families in the White Swan lobby at 10:30 in the morning, and followed our guide to the medical building. First, it was time to get weighed and measured--she weighed in at 27 pounds and measured 37 inches tall. Her 3T clothes are a bit long and baggy, but they'll have to do. Her hearing was checked (great!) and she enjoyed playing the little piano that was there. The doctor checked her all over and didn't even pause when looking at the Mongolian spots on her back. Then it was time to line up with all of the other families to get the TB test. Xiao Chun will come back on Monday to have it read. Since we are an I600 family, she was not obligated to get the required shots that the Hague families were having to get--that was a relief!

We went to a nearby park afterwards where she cautiously played on some of the equipment. She really wanted to play on the slide, but a lot of boys were running around and she was too scared. We stopped at a Starbucks on the way back to the hotel for coffee and a snack--again, eating like there is no tomorrow!

About 3:00 we met with Holt officials and filled out visa paperwork. We cannot say enough kind words about the Holt staff--they really take the time to walk you through the process every step of the way!

Before dinner we went back to Susan's Place. We found some pretty red silk material with dragonflies, which will be made into a dress she'll wear for her "red couch" photo. Dong, the owner of the store, was very helpful. We spent over an hour in his store, and shared some delicious tea with him before we left. Gary had been looking for a Sumi-e calligraphy set and found just the right one at his shop.

We capped off the night with a trip to Lucy's restaurant, not far from the White Swan. They have quite a variety of things and again, our girl ate well--milk, juice, scrambled eggs, fried rice, and pizza.

Sunday will be a free day, with an optional trip to the pearl and jade market.