Mystery Photo answer and another thought, "The Circle of Life"

Sunset at Apache Springs....Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico

The answer to the final mystery photo was "Dried Up Sea Horses". I have NO clue what they can be used for. But the amount of "dried" items that you can find in China is far reaching and bizarre, to say the least. You try not to stare, but you just can't help yourself. It's like a train wreck, you just keep looking no matter how grotesque it may be. So if anyone knows what this might be used for, please let me know.


My phone rang yesterday afternoon and I answered it even though I didn't recognize the call. Not something that I usually do, but I felt that I needed to. It was my neighbor calling to congratulate me on my new daughter. She was sweet and kind and loving, but I could hear something in her voice. So finally I asked her how she was doing and she told me that her sister had just passed away from leukemia. She was devastated and sad and heartbroken. But she took the time to call me and say how very happy she was for all of us.


She went on to say that seeing the Celebratory Balloons welcoming our daughter home on our mailbox reminded her that another little life was here to love and cherish and grow in this place we call home. She said that it was a blessing for her to see those balloons and it lifted her spirits at the precise moment that she needed it.


Thank you God for Kelly! Hold her family in the palm of your hand and give them peace and comfort during this difficult time in their lives. We praise you for showing her that the gift of life is always a soothing balm for a hurting soul.




Please keep my friend in your prayers!

Doctor Visits, Transition, Domestic Bliss & Spicy Girl

We've been home a total of four days now. Things are still in a bit of a fog...jet lag and all.

We visited the pediatrician on Friday. I finally got my wits about me and called Friday morning. I don't know why I'm being so hard on myself, I had only been home 24 hours. But since I was so "laid-back" during this adoption (Elise's appointments were all made BEFORE I left for China), I had not one appointment made. Fortunately, they squeezed us in on Friday afternoon. The appointment was during nap time, but I took it anyway. So, off we went, just me and Amelia. Elise stayed at home with her big brother.

Let's talk about that for a minute. Tucker has been home since we arrived. Matthew is at a leadership conference in New York and won't be back until Wednesday to meet his new sister. Elise is THRILLED to see her Gu Gu Tucker! The squealing and running and glee that this house is experiencing has definitely brought things out of the dormancy it has felt over the last two weeks. Hello Home! WE'RE BACKKKKK!

Although the squeals can be unnerving on little sleep, it's good to hear them playing and laughing and enjoying one another. But the best thing was when I arrived home at around 2 p.m. and found Tucker and Elise asleep on the sofa.....draped over one another. What a picture of love....my heart wanted to burst.

Teens show affection sporadically, the older they get, the less cool it is so kiss mom or give mom a hug. But with little sisters, you can kiss and hug and love all you want. That's cool and it's also a "chick magnet". Yep, Elise has been toted around by her brothers for the simple reason of attracting chicks. It's rather cute to see the girls swarm around him when he has her.

Sweet...sleeping Prince and Princess

Amelia received six, yes six, shots at the pediatrician. YIKES!!! I was totally unprepared for that. But I gotta say that she took it like a champ. Barely cried at all. I guess she's used to the needles for all that acupuncture she received in China. She weighed a little under 20 pounds (5th percentile), 29.5 inches tall (15th percentile) and her head is 18 inches round (37th percentile). Now tell me, why do I always get kids with a big head???? The doctor asked a bunch of questions concerning "on target" and I answered yes to all of them. So he said she looks good. He did order labs to have done and Amelia was kind enough to grace the office with one of her infamous bowel movements while we were there. After that little event, the doctor ordered a liver test too. Don't know why, don't care. Let's just get this runny stool fixed!!!

As for the shots....I NEVER watch my kids get shots. I close my eyes or look the other way. It works well for me. I don't get queasy or weak at the knees nothing! It's a beautiful thing for everyone involved. But now, the shots all make a kind of "click" when they are administered. HOLY COW....so six "click" later, I think I'm gonna fall over. Geez!!!! I couldn't get out of there quick enough.

I like the high chair....Elise didn't even care that she was using it! Break through????

Amelia is adjusting well to her new surroundings. She even is starting to reach out to good ole Gordo and try to touch him. Of course, Gordo could care less. He's such a gentle beast! That's why I love him so. Gordo was not too pleased with me when I returned. He totally snubbed me, wouldn't come up to me...NOTHING! I guess he was ticked off that I was gone an entire month this summer. So I gave him a big steak bone after dinner the other night. Needless to say, I'm the favorite master once again.

I also taught her to sign "please" and more". She's catching on quickly. I have to get the sign launguage DVDs out that are age appropriate for her.

We have an exersaucer that we have been putting her in so she can exercise her legs a bit. I probably mentioned that she has no muscle tone in her legs. But her arms are a different story. This girl is strong. I watched her try to lift herself out of the exersaucer the other day. It was rather disturbing!

Amelia does crawl, but it's not a pretty crawl. We have witnessed her new move that we have dubbed "the worm". Do you know the move I'm referring to? It's the worm dance move that people do across a dance floor...they literally roll across the floor in a teeter-tooter type of move. Amelia does that...it's rather hilarious. Since we have hardwood floors, she can fly! It sure gets her from point A to point B quickly!

Spicy Girl....Amelia is from Sichuan Province...home to the famous hot pot meal. This is a very spicy way to prepare food that Sichuan is famous for. You can see that in this blog...we enjoyed that one night. So when I tell people where Amelia is from I always hear, "Ah, she spicy girl!" So I take that as she will like spicy food. Well, after being home four days and experiencing a different side of Amelia, I'd say spicy has to do with her temper. Yes, she has quite the temper. WOW, can this little girl WAIL! It's unbelievable. She was such a good sleeper in China and as I expected, it went out the window in a hand basket when we arrived home. She will scream her head off when we put her to bed. The first three nights have been horrible. Up at 1:30 or 2: 30 a.m. and not really going back to sleep at all. She can be comforted and quieted down. But as soon as she is laid back down, the wailing continues. It's been a real battle of wills, let me tell you. I think it's safe to say that little Miss Amelia SiYuan was a bit on the spoiled side in the orphanage.

The bad part is that she is sharing a room with Elise and she's also waking Elise up. We are not fans of co-sleeping. I know many people do it and it's great for them. But it's just not for us! We have a king size bed and sometimes I don't think it's big enough for just me and Steve. Let alone, adding a toddler to it. We tried letting Elise sleep with us over the last few nights. But that was a complete disaster. She thinks it's playtime since Baba and Tucker always throw her on the bed and play on the bed. Not a good thing at 3 in the morning. Consequently, we made the decision to move Elise's bed into our bedroom, for the time being. It fits quite nicely into the bay window in our room.

Nap times have been just as disastrous over the last few days. Amelia is sleeping little and Elise is falling asleep and sleeping for several hours in the middle of the morning/afternoon. I'm not sleeping much either. Thank goodness I have the new Harry Potter book to read in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, I finished it yesterday (only two days after I got it), so now I'm looking for more reading material.

So, last night was our first attempt at the new sleeping arrangement. Steve put Amelia down at around 7:30. She was literally falling asleep in his arms while he was outside introducing her to the swing set. So he carried her up to her bed and she fell asleep without a peep. I think I smell the problem...MAMA!!!! Elise slept in her bed in our room.

Results....Amelia slept until around 1:30 a.m., I went in and rubbed her back and she fell back to sleep. I think she woke up again, but I didn't have to go into her room at all. Then I heard her again at around 5:30 a.m. I got up, made her a bottle and gave it to her and she just now got up at 7:20 a.m. I'm also not a fan of bottles in bed, but that was part of her routine in China. A bottle at 6 a.m. and breakfast at 7:30 a.m. So, I'll continue with the bottle but I'll also start to water it down a little over time (thanks for the tip Karen!).

Elise woke up at 5:30 and was moving around in bed, hitting the handles on the furniture and talking to baby. I finally got her up at 6 a.m. and we came downstairs. She watched some Dora and ate some cereal and strawberries. Again, another success! Let's just hope it continues tonight.

I even slept most of the night and I feel pretty good today. Since I was up so early, I decided to start on the heap of ironing that is waiting for me. So, with a cup of coffee in hand and my Rowena iron, started the task at hand. Now, doesn't that just paint a photo of domestic bliss. Now if I only had my pearls on and a nice apron and a pound of bacon cooking on the stove, I could be June Cleaver! Those of you who know me well are laughing your heads off right now. Go ahead, I find it humorous too. I know what you're thinking too!

Amelia has an appointment with a doctor on Thursday to discuss her feet. I'm anxious for that appointment and getting this problem fixed. Keep that in your prayers.

I also ventured out to BabiesRUs yesterday to buy another stroller. We need a double stroller now since Elise still rides in one and enjoys it. So, I toiled over that decision for awhile before purchasing the one you see below. We'll have to kick the tires on this today and go for a stroll around the neighborhood this morning. Getting out will be good for all of us.

New stroller!

Elise is trying to help with Amelia and she is playing with her so much more. She plays pretend feeding with her and it's so sweet! She's coming around. I think it's done her a world of good to be back home with her "stuff". She's even sharing with Amelia. I think it helps that Tucker is playing with her. When I left for the store yesterday, there was a "tent" errected in the family room with Tucker and Elise inside planning sometime sinister, I'm sure.

I left the house with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Jet Lag couldn't steal that moment from me. I tucked my new daughter into the car seat and off we went with Christian music floating through the car and no worries about any Chinese cab drivers cutting me off in Black Betty. Bet she would win that one!!!!

Home Again, Home Again

jiggety jig! I always say that when I pull into the garage, no matter where we have been. Today, when we pulled into the garage, Elise shouted it out. It warmed my heart, made me smile and every so thankful to God for carrying us home safely!

Yes, we have returned to the Good Ole US of A with a brand new American Citizen, Amelia SiYuan Wells.

The flight went rather well. We got to sit in bulk head, so we had a bassinet for Amelia to sleep in. My camera died right before we left (not a shocker since it was on it's last leg anyway), so I wasn't able to get a photo of her in it. But she did sleep for about 6 hours of the flight~not bad! Elise did fairly well too. Once again, I'm not too impressed with China Southern service. The attendants will serve the dinner and promptly remove their uniforms in to street clothes. You don't see them again until the last two hours of the 12 hour flight, when they are serving breakfast. The seats in premium economy are very nice though, I will say that I am very glad we did fly that way. It made the long, long trip a little more comfy.

We had a 4 hour lay over at LAX to get through immigration and customs. No problem, we thought. Last time, in Detroit, we made it through in less than an hour and to our connecting flight. Yes, there was some running and some rude, American comments (made by myself, again, another shocker) made to the baggage handlers in Detroit. But we made our flight. We thought we would have not problem. Needless to say, it was a problem. We waited in immigration for Amelia's paperwork to be processed for almost two hours, another hour in the line to get through customs and then a nice, 15 minute walk to the United terminal to board our flight to Chicago. There was no time for anything to eat, to change the clothes (and I'm tellin' ya, I felt like I had been on the Trail for 4 days without a shower, ICKY!), NOTHING! By the time we got to our gate, they were boarding the plane and we were about the last ones on. LAX is a nightmare. I recommend anyone avoid it at all possible. Don't put yourself through it or if you do, make sure you have more than enough layover to make your connecting flight!

I purchased a new car seat for Elise and had planned on using her old seat for Amelia. I messed up and did not order the new car seat BEFORE I left so Elise could start using it before Amelia got here. Needless to say, she wanted NOTHING to do with the new seat. She jumped into my car and got into her car seat, buckled it and sat there quietly while we loaded the truck. This from a child who literally WAILED for the entire 15 walk from terminal to terminal in LAX. She was so bad, that EVERYONE was starring at us. I just smiled and kept trudging along. So Amelia sat in a car seat that was WAY too big for her. Hopefully we'll get this ironed out soon enough.

I expected a battle from Amelia when she sat in the seat, but she only cried a little. I recall that Elise SCREAMED the entire drive home from the airport.

In Elise's Big Girl Car Seat....

We arrived home at around 8 a.m., just an hour short of a 24 hour travel time. I have never been so happy to see an air strip in the middle of corn fields in my entire life. My very good friends, Karen and Gayla and my sister, her husband and my dad, were all at the airport to welcome us home and offer us rides. The only snag in the entire trip was that our luggage did not make the flight from Chicago to Dayton. Did I mention that we had less than an hour to make the connect at O'Hare airport? But we did in fact make it and I had time to get an iced coffee and an egg mcmuffin from McDonalds.

There were balloons in the mailbox welcoming us home! I'm not sure who put them there, but thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. No older kids were home though....one was at school and the other is in New York at a leadership conference. Tucker got home around 11:30 and finally met his new sister. Amelia was rather somber with him, but I think that's because she was tending to some business, if you know what I mean.

Sitting in the high chair. Elise doesn't seem to mind Amelia using this.

Naturally, we all fell asleep at around 12 noon since it was midnight in China. I think we slept about 6 hours, so sleep will be difficult tonight. That's o.k., I've already been to Barnes and Noble and have the new Harry Potter book that I could not find in China. So, I'm ready for the 3 a.m. wake up call to come and play!

The luggage arrive while I napped and I've unpacked and started the laundry. I'm saving some of it for the early morning, jet lag that is bound to hit. All of the gifts made it and did not break thanks to my husband superb packing skills.

Groceries have been purchased and I'm ready for bed. Hopefully I'll get a few hours of shut eye before either one of the girls wakes up. This is going to be a long week, at least it was with Elise. We'll have to spend as much time as possible outside. The Wesley's, our neighbors, did have gifts for the girls. It was very sweet and Elise was so glad to see her Tia Bella and Gray Bomb! She talked about them all the time in China.

As a final note, I would like to thank everyone for the emails. Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem and I didn't receive many of them while in China. There must have been some kind of filter in China that would not let them through. So, if I did not respond to your email, then it is safe to say I did not receive it. I would like to ask you to resend it to me now that I'm home. I know it's too late, but I'd love to have them for Amelia's life book keepsake. Thanks!

Time for a nap! I'll have some final thoughts on China and the trip tomorrow.

Farewell Guangzhou....Farewell China

WHITE SWAN LOBBY... Beautiful

Well, our bags are packed and ready to go. I think I have enough clothing packed for the flight. I can only hope that we don't have any major accidents on the plane trip....praying we don't!

It's hard to believe this trip is almost behind us and we are getting ready to head to the Consulate for our "swearing in ceremony". Which basically will consist of a bunch of Americans, huddled into a very cramped room, an American will walk in and say they are all beautiful child. He'll have us raise our right hand and swear that all the information that we have submitted is correct. We'll say yes, end of "ceremony". Thank you for the VISA, Yippee, let's head home.

Red Couch Photo

We had one disaster today. We realized that we did not have Elise's backpack. Yep, Dora is MIA. This is a disaster of epic proportion. ALL of her coloring books, Leap pad, crayons, magna doodle, etc. GONE. I thought my head would explode. We did a HORRIBLE job keeping track of our carry ons on this trip. TRIP HINT....make sure each person is assigned the SAME carry on for the entire trip. It makes life easier. FORTUNATELY, we have located the backpack. We left it at the hotel check in and they are delivering it to our room at any time. Disaster averted!

Here's a question for you....How many Chinese people can you fit into an elevator? I ask this because the Chinese has NO personal space. You can be crammed into a vator and they'll keep getting on. It's unbelievable. The Americans laugh about it, talk about it and compare stories. The best I have heard is the Chinese man who literally straddled some one's stroller. It's almost like they don't realize another elevator is coming. It's the same thing with boarding an airplane. All I can think is, "It's the WHO concert all over!" Everyone runs to the boarding gate at one time and the rush is on! Do they think the plane will leave without them? They don't wait for the light to go out when the plane stops either. As soon as that sucker hits the ground and slows down, you can hear seat belts unsnapping and overheads opening up....'CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK'! What's the big hurry? The plane isn't going to take off again with them on it. I just don't get it!

Precious Chinese Art at the WS

We had a last minute POWER shopping trip. After that trip, we had to return the piece of luggage that we previously bought for a bigger piece of luggage. Sad but true. I'm happy to say I think I have everything. Oh yes, I could have bought more, but I didn't! I controlled myself a little bit. I'm sure I'll get home and wish I had bought more. We will not return for a very long time and it will probably be with our good friends, Tim and Debbie Summerford. We have missed them a great deal on this trip. I think I talked to Debbie four times...each time we had several laughs and giggles. It hasn't been the same without them! Tim and Debbie, start planning that Heritage Tour for about 10 years from now!

I've packed peanut butter sandwichs for the flight since the food is always questionable...our luggage is almost ready to go and we are going to grab a quick bit before we finally check out.

This will be my last post from China. As I type this my heart aches a little for leaving. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be going. But I'm sad for these Chinese children and the heritage that they are losing. Almost all of them will never know any more than what their parents know from their finding ads. A few lucky ones will discover more, but not many. I think of the parents of these children and what they must be thinking. Do they know their daughters and sons are leaving and going to a home in a country so much further away. A country so very different than theirs. How often do they think of the child that they gave up? I pray their choice was made for the child to have a better life and future. That's what the Chinese say to us, "Lucky little girl!" We say, "Lucky family, lucky parents!" "We are the lucky ones"!

During our last trip, I knew I would return for another child (I hadn't let Steve in on that information though). It wasn't as hard to leave! This time, I know this is our last child and final adoption. We won't be back for a long time. I'm good with that this time! So is Steve, if if I wasn't good with it, he said too bad!!!!

So this lucky family of now six, will board a plan to carry another Chinese daughter to a country, a home, a family and a ton of friends that waits to welcome her into the folds of their lives. A family and friends ready to love her and help her to be the best and most she possibly can.

CLICK CLICK...THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! My ruby slippers are on, my eyes are closed and my heels are clicking. I can smell the coffee on the stove! (That's what Granny would always tell me when I would ask her, "how much further till we get there?" She would say, "I can smell the coffee on the stove, Sissy!"



See you in America everyone! Thanks for following us. Thanks for the emails! Thanks for the love and support. It made life easier here, it brought home that much closer and it chased the homesickness away every single time someone sent us an email or comment!

Mystery Photo #12

Hint....just keep swimming...

Answer to Mystery Photo #11...beetles in the market. Don't know what they are for, don't care to know either!

Last night in Guangzhou

Our last night in Guangzhou was spent with our new friends...the Steins and the Reichs.





We met Nicole and Joseph at Lucy's for happy hour. Lucy's is great since it backups to a park and the kids can run around and blow bubbles and stuff. Joseph is from Amelia's orphanage and he is in almost every photo that the orphanage took. It was so sweet to see them together again. Amelia immediately recognized him and reached for him....again so very sweet.





First we had a great breakfast at the White Swan breakfast buffet. We "load-up" at breakfast since we don't know what we will be eating after that. The food is so, so scrumptious at the WS. They are meticulous too. Like the lady that is walking around with tweezers that picks up the empty butter and jelly containers from the table. I guess everyone needs a job.

In front of the waterfall at the White Swan

The "carp" in the White Swan fish pond

We hit the White Swan swimming pool to relax and beat the heat. It's very hot in Guangzhou, humid too! It's rather funny since all the people at the pool are Americans with adopted children. It's fun to sit and talk with all the families. All the other families in our group are at the Victory, so we don't see them much.

White Swan swimming pool

Please pick me up....

Waiting for the sunscreen...

HAPPY HOUR AT LUCY'S.....

Baba and his girls...

Bo Bo and Yuan Yuan (Joseph and Amelia), best buddies

Smiling for the camera, but holding hands first!

We had our best dinner yet at the White Swan Barbecue. It's a barbecue buffet that is outside by the pool, right along the river. There was beef, pork, seafood, lamb....absolutely any kind of meat that you could want and then veggies too! It was DELICIOUS! We pigged out (pardon the pun!). It was so relaxing even if it was hot.

The atmosphere was wonderful as we ate our last dinner in China. I watched the cruise boats going by and wondered what the people on board were doing and thinking. Were they like me, sitting with my Chinese daughters waiting to head home to their new country. Then I look at these beautiful gifts from China, my two girls and am thankful for the opportunity that the People's Republic of China has so graciously granted out family.

Then the moment is broken by a wail for more rice or ice cream. Then it's back to the task at hand...feeding two girls and myself. Life doesn't get any better than this.

Big and still ALIVE...shrimp anyone???

The White Swan at night...

Along the Pearl River


Lucy's Bar at night...

We leave tomorrow evening. There will be shopping and packing to do. Our swearing in ceremony is in the afternoon. Then it's off to the airport for a 9 p.m. flight to LA. I've got my ruby slippers and I'm ready to slip them on and start clicking the heels together. There's no place like home!!!

Good night from Guangzhou....

Mystery Photo #11

This reminds me sooooo much of something from Survivor....



Answer to Mystery Photo #10...This is my beloved Magnum Ice Cream Bar! I LOVE THESE things....it's better than a Dove Bar, by far. I highly recommend you eat one while in China!

Orphanage Photos

So many things can go through your mind when you see these photos. I encourage you to look at the faces of the children. Look at those smiles...they are very happy and content children. The only thing any mother could ask for.

Sleeping Beauty...

I sent two cameras to the orphanage in a care package for Amelia. I did get the two cameras back and she came to me in one of the outfits that I sent her (it fit, the other one was way too big).

I hesitated to post some of these photos. The methods they employ for physical therapy are very different than ours. I post these photos with one caveat....no matter how misguided you believe this to be, I believe they are doing the best with what they have. The nannies were very loving to Amelia.

Mystery Photo #10

I first discovered this in Europe. Imagine my delight when I found them here, two years ago. Not available in the US...

Answer to Mystery Photo #9.....if you look closely, there are several boxes on this moped. They are shoes! So, I call this a traveling shoe salesperson! I know it's weak, but I thought it was funny!

Medical Exam...CHECK

For the second morning in a row, I have woke up to sunshine. Yes, good ole sunshine. Something that I did not see in Beijing or Chengdu due to the amount of pollution. I actually know which way is East now.

The White Swan sits right along the Pearl River. We have a great view of the river traffic right outside our hotel room window. We sat in the lobby last night, right around sunset and watched the boats go by. One thing you can say about the Chinese, they love their neon lights! As you can see from the boats....

Cruising on the Pearl River outside the White Swan

Today was the "medical exam". For those of you who have been here, you know why I added the quotes. This exam is necessary for the child to get a US VISA to leave the country. It is performed by Chinese officials in a medical facility. This facility has a special room for the examination of Adopted children. You have to pass through the stares of the Chinese people that are waiting in the front of the offices.

We should be used to the stares by now...the first night in Guangzhou, we are walking down the street and a Chinese man is trying to get his son to stand beside me and take a photo. But he's trying to do it on the "down-low". So you know me....I stop him and say, "Hey, let me pose for that shot!" I stand there beside the poor young man (who is mortified by now) and smile nice for the camera!

Matching jammies

We walked to the Victory hotel and then to get VISA photos taken. Amelia sort of smiles for this photo. Unlike Elise who was wailing her her VISA photo. After the photo, we walked to the medical office.

Playing Mahjong

I missed this part of Elise's trip...I was lying of the floor of our bathroom (with Tucker) suffering from food poisoning. I got the scoop on the trip, but I wasn't sure what to expect.

Waiting for our turn....

First stop, was a lady that checked Amelia's feet. She seemed to be concerned that there had been some surgery. Of course there hasn't. But her feet are a bit scared up from the braces that the orphanage put on her. We haven't been putting them on her as tight as they did. When we got her, her poor little feet were purple from lack of circulation. We do leave the braces on her when she tries to walk so she stays on the flats of her feet, or sort of. Anyway, it will be good to get to an orthopedist. After some "hub-bub" over that, we moved on to the weigh in.

This isn't so bad....YET!

Well, Amelia did not like being taken out of my lap and being weighed and measured. As a matter of fact, I'm not so sure how they got a decent weight and measurement. But according to them, she weighs 19 pounds (which I can confirm) and she is 28 inches long or 73 centimeters. So for a 16 month old, she's below the 5th percentile on both. Well, at least she's consistent.

Getting ready for the weigh in. Elise is very interested in this part and what she has to say.




Wiggle, wiggle, squirm, squirm

Next was the hearing test...or sort of. There was a squeaky frog and a keyboard. I had to make Elise "stand-down" over the keyboard. She was vibrating with excitement thinking she was going to get to play with it.

Hmmmm...what is this thing?

All I can say is that the wailing and gnashing of teeth began. First, it was the ears. Hated that part. Second was the tongue depressor~nasty stuff I tell you. I can say that all "fresh" exam tools were used! I made sure they came out of clean wrappers!

Squeaky frog is not impressing Amelia!

Worse part...checking the throat!

We did stop at a small park on the way back to the hotel. Elise was thrilled, there was a slide. But we didn't stay long since the temperature is 102 degrees and the humidity is 80%. Amelia had fallen asleep by now and Elise needed lunch and a nap.

Couldn't tell you what this is. But Elise liked it!

Hoorah! A slide!

The troops are napping now and I've promised Elise a bubble blowing session when she wakes up. We have another free night, probably find the Papa John's and eat there. Who knows what we'll do. I'm dying for an American Hamburger. I'd like mine to moo at me when I bite into it too. That ain't happening here!

I need to hit the electronics store and buy a few things. We will probably head there later. Only two more sleeps in China till home!

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO Guangzhou

Ni Hoa!

We finally arrived at the White Swan after about an hour on the bus. Everyone else from our agency is staying at the Victory. Why stay at the White Swan you ask? Well, for me, I wanted to get Amelia the "Coming Home Barbie" that is available ONLY at the Swan! It's a special deal they have with Mattel and they offer every adoptive family one when they stay here. Plus, the White Swan will be undergoing renovations this year and rumor has it that they will be shut down for about 10 months beginning in November. I've yet to ask any employees about this, but I plan on it.

Getting here was a challenge since our driver seemed to not know where he was going. He did perform a few, exceptional U-Turns that quickly impressed me! That is until I realized that he was in fact lost and went the same why twice before realizing that he was going the right way the first time. The disturbing part about all of this was the fact that Steve is sitting on the bus, telling the driver where he should be going. How does he know where he's at? He was here two years ago, for two weeks. He surely can't remember! But he does and he was right about where to turn and everything. Steve is a human GPS! I wonder where the button is to mark the waypoint in his system?

We get to our room and we have the same room as last time, only two twin beds. We did score one of about 5 rooms that have an adjoining door. We will miss the convenience of a suite, but a suite is an extra $200 a night...YIKES! The Victory has nice suites, but not a Barbie and the breakfast buffet is not nearly as nice as the Swan.

As soon as we got our bags to the room, I walked to the mini bar to check out the drink situation. I wanted to fall to my knees and weep...there was a COLD bottle of Chardonnay in the frig. After commandeering a bottle opener from the hotel staff, I had a nice glass of wine while unpacking. I say "nice" since I have a devil of a time locating Chardonnay in China. Red wine is very abundant, but not white. Don't know why either. So the frig is COLD here. We had to request ice at the last hotel since the frig didn't seem to work well. Again, another bonus at the Swan.

On bended knee when I saw this!

Elise slept through most of the unpacking. She zoned out on the bus and we had to put her in the stroller. I think she slept like this for about an hour.

Panda watching over his sleeping master.

Happily playing in her crib while we unpack.

Dinner was the next order of business. We headed to Lucy's Bar and Grille. Another location that is frequented by adoptive families while in Guangzhou! Again, I scored another glass of Chardonnay and we enjoyed sitting outside (although it was warm) and let the kids run around in the park that adjoins Lucy's Bar. It was a nice and relaxing evening and something that we desperately needed.

Relaxing at Lucy's Bar and Grille


Ice cream and Coke Light (FINALLY)!

This morning was "consulate paperwork" morning. We dined at the famous White Swan buffet and Elise was enthralled with all the fish in the fish pond. I gotta say, those suckers are HUGE! I'll post photos later. The one I took is not very good! Then it was off to the Victory Hotel to complete paperwork. That lasted about an hour and then we walked back to our room. It is HOT, HOT, HOT here.

Playing in Amelia's crib.

Completing Paperwork

Elise and I ventured out to the pool to see what was going on. It's beautiful and we'll have to head down there later. It's very hot and the pool will be a welcome activity.

The White Swan Gardens...

Finally, when we did return to our room, we found the Barbie that I was hoping for. The best part is that we scored TWO Barbies since we have two rooms! We got two with Elise's trip, but I gave one to another family that had an older daughter with them. Not sure what I'll do with this one, I'm thinking EBay!

Coming Home Barbie

The girls are doing great! Elise plays with Amelia more everyday. She is still a bit jealous and wants to ride in the stroller when Amelia is in it or wants to be carried when I'm carrying Amelia. We've borrowed another stroller in Guangzhou, so Elise can have her own stroller. But there are times when it doesn't matter.

Amelia still favors me. She gets rather crabby and throws herself around when she's tired. But she's sleeping great and sleeps all night her in crib. I had to wake her this morning at 7:15 a.m. since we had a meeting at 9:30 and we needed to eat breakfast before we went. I'm sure the sleeping will be rough once we get home. The jet lag will throw a wrench into things. But I can at least tell that she won't mind sleeping in the crib by herself.

Elise is even taking naps. I think she's suffering from jet lag still! Amelia just laid down in her bed and fell asleep. Isn't that dandy! Keeping my fingers crossed that continues. Maybe Elise will fall asleep too!

We passed on the Guangzhou Zoo today...not a very good zoo in my opinion. It's something we didn't really care for the last time we were here. So, we're relaxing in our room while it's so hot and we'll head out later. I'm thinking Danny's Bagels tonight and shopping!

Trying to get a picture...it's tough sometimes!