Today was our first full day in beautiful Guangzhou. Our hotel and the consulates actually reside on Shamian Island which is connected to the mainland by three bridges. Shamian Island is a 44 acre sandbank on the Pearl River that was created over a century ago outside the city walls as a protected settlement for foreign merchants. Since much of the architecture was done by Europeans who built their mansions on the island it has a very colonial look to it. Much of it was renovated recently so it is very beautiful to walk through the gardens and parks and see the old architecture.
First thing today we got to enjoy the authentic western buffet they have at The White Swan. Kyle was excited to see some old favorite foods re-appear here - things we haven't seen since we left San Francisco. As usual we had to cut off Lu Lu from breakfast and whisk her of to her Visa photo and medical exam appointment. We walked to both of these and on the way we saw many Weddings' pictures being taken - around 7 or 8 - We were told later this was a lucky day for weddings. Lu Lu did well in her Medical appointment and only fought it when the tried to check inside her mouth.
After getting back to the hotel we were surprised to find a complimentary going home Barbie in our room. This Barbie is made by Mattel exclusively for adoptive parents staying at The White Swan hotel and includes a Chinese baby which Barbie is holding.
Everyday we are seeing more and more new stuff from Jia Lu. Today was no different - she really started to move around a lot more and walk around using various objects for support. It is so exciting to see her motivated to come over to us and to see her starting to really connect and bond with each of us.
6 comments:
You can tell that she is really bonding. I love this picture of the two of you gazing at each other.
Dear Kyle I hope you have A good
time in China and have fun with
your baby sister
from Kaden
That's a great picture of Kyle.
Sure miss you , Kyle. (but glad you're having this experience)
That was funny about Linnea holding her arms out to her Ba-Ba. Very sweet. You all look happy...I'm not at the airport yet, but I'm ready!!
Love ya.
How thrilling hearing all about your adventures. History, sights and family stories. We have it all! We would suggest you stay there a few months and give us more blogs.............but we miss you all and we want to meet LuLu and of course Barby! (Enjoy your warm weather. It's 48 deg and raining, hard.)
I am proud of Kyle hanging in there throughout the whole experience. I can remember what it is like to be away from "familiar food" for extended periods of time and then experiencing that moment when it returns as an option.
Hi to you all!
Your comments, descriptions,and photos, have been wonderful! Thanks for keeping us all informed!
What a great trip your're having! And it's obvious that Linnea is becoming happy with her new family.
Glad to know that she's becoming physically stronger too -- so quickly!
Looking forward to your return!!
Love, Kathy and Bob
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