Pink Eye and Qingping Market

This picture is supposed to be at the end but I can't figure out how to move it. This is for Harrison and Logan. Our guide says they are not lizards, turtles or frogs. But she couldn't tell us what they are. So this may be the closest thing we can find in China to a dinosaur.

At the waterfall in the White Swan Hotel

The amazing Qingping Market. Loved it!

Live scorpions that people buy to add to food. Yikes!

So many interesting things for sale.

Everywhere we went there were these cute puppies for sale - as pets. They were so cute I wanted to pick them up and love on them but we were warned not to touch any of the animals by our guide.

Interesting sky-line.

I've never seen so many different kinds of turtles.

Baby chicks

More cute pics of puppies -these are for you Sis.

And yet more turtles.

At the central mall area. It was very crowded but we loved it.

Inside the mall area.

So today did NOT start out well. I woke up and immediately realized there was something wrong with my eye. I was pretty sure I had pink eye! I couldn't believe that I'd picked it up. I am a crazy hand-washer and neither Haylee nor Kevin have it - only me! What? So I called our guide around 8:00 and woke her up - ooops. She told me to go to the White Swan clinic - a prospect that I wasn't thrilled with due to the fact that I have not heard good reviews. But it was close and open and I wanted to get something for my eye asap. The clinic held true to its reputation. The doctors were very nice but we had a hard time communicating as they spoke no English. They called someone on the phone and I told them what was wrong and then handed the phone to the doctor. Then she took me back and looked at my eye and gave me some medicine. The whole visit and medication was 100 yuan - equivalent to $15.00. Now if the medication works than I got a deal! I felt rather annoyed that I'd come down with it and have felt a little blue all day. But thankfully it is something where I still feel well. We just are trying to be very careful not to pass it around. Me and Kevin spent some time this morning wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes. At 9:40 I walked back up to the White Swan again and met Cordelia and two other families to work on our consulate paperwork. They are all very nice and all are from Washington State. There is another interracial couple - she is from Indonesia - and people keep trying to speak Chinese to her as well. They have a two and 1/2 year old and then another woman is just here with her baby. She is 17 months and from Beijing. She was there with her whole family - 3 other kids and husband - for the last two weeks. The husband and kids headed home when she came to Guangzhou to finish up the process. In Beijing they require a long time period so I was feeling better with the 7 days required in Guangdong.

After the paperwork was done we headed to the Qingping market. It is just over the bridge and not far away from the island. It was so interesting! I loved it. There were just a million stalls selling all kinds of interesting things. The live scorpions were awesome! People buy them and put them in their drinks. The poison is supposed to be good for rheumatism. A little further on was the pet market. There were so many cute dogs and a million varities of turtles. There were birds, chipmunks - which people have as pets here, and little rodents. It was fun but we were careful not to get too close. Then we crossed the street and entered a higher end mall area that sold clothing, embordiery and food. It was very big and modern and crowded. It was very fun walking through. Me and Kevin have been seeing these signs for a restaurant called Kung Fu. all over Guangzhou. It has a picture of Bruce Lee as the logo. We asked our guide about it and found out that it is Chinese fast food. We decided to try it for lunch. It was very disappointing. We had these little short ribs with bones and something so fatty that even Kevin couldn't choke it down. While we were there Haylee was sitting on my lap and all of a sudden I looked down and it seemed like she was trying to chew on something even though we hadn't given her anything to eat. I pryed her mouth open with some effort and she has one of the little spare rib bones!!! She had managed to grab one off the tray. Me and Kevin are really going to need to sharpen our baby skills. It has been awhile and we are RUSTY. She has also fallen off the bed - on Kevin's watch. But then he is quick to point out that when I cut her nails I manage to clip a bit of skin and it wouldn't stop bleeding. We are slowly getting back in the groove. We have been having a hard time getting her to drink anything other than her formula but today we finally figured out how to get her to drink some juice - we just added warm water and she was happy. She also is starting to drink a bit of water but only if it is room temperature. That is how most Chinese people enjoy their beverages. Hoping that my pink eye recovers soon and that I don't pass it to Kevin or baby. Wish me luck!

One more week!

Every morning when Haylee gets up she goes to the cabinet that has her toys on top of it.

Ready for the bath!

Enjoying breakfast

View of part of the breakfast buffet from the staircase balcony.

Haylee loves to look at herself in the mirror. She will spend a lot of time making faces at herself.

We sent some of our clothes out for laundry. They returned them to us nicely folded in these individual bags. It was fairly cheap but it still adds up. Definitely less expensive than baggage overcharges.

Fish tanks at the JM Chef restaurant. This is the second time we've been there and we never see any other westerners. I think they are afraid of the front window.

Haylee eating in her "high chair". It is not very secure but it works.

Kevin's meal. It was pork with a very crispy skin. It was good but it was not a favorite.

This was mine. It was fried pork and vegetables. It tasted just like bacon only better. So yummy and sooo not good for you.

Another interesting statue of women. Not sure if it is supposed to be grandmother, mother, daughter or the same woman in different ages.

We did some more shopping this evening and as we walked out of the shop we heard what seemed to be fireworks. It was actually this guy in one of the courtyards whipping this top. It was really interesting to watch and very loud.

Haylee walking but not really wanting to. She kept standing in front of us and lifting up her arms for us to carry her. She is starting to get heavy.

Just being cute.

So today we didn't have much to do. We were supposed to do our consulate paperwork but Cordelia called and asked us if we would mind doing it with some of the other families in the morning. It was fine but these lazy days are kind of hard. It makes me think about home and miss my kids. It is much easier when we are kept busy. I think it has been hard because there have been so many families arriving and departing at different times that it has been hard on our guide to accomodate us all. This morning after breakfast we were able to skype with the kids. They are having a good time with grandma and grandpa. My mom has finally had to get tough with them and things are seeeming to go well. It is such a long time to have to ask someone to watch your kids and I'll be forever grateful for their willingness to help us out during this time. We spent most of the time in our room, resting and playing. There are only four channels that are in English - CNN, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and a movie channel. We are glad for the entertainment. We have been living lives of leisure. The hotel has maid service twice a day. I don't know what we will do when we return home and have to make our own beds and wash our own towels. We've been spoiled having a driver and a guide to do all of our paperwork and plan our days for us. Tonight we went out to dinner at that restaurant that we really enjoyed. It is so funny because they don't speak a lot of English there so they keep trying to communicate with Kevin in Chinese and they are so confused when he doesn't understand. The food was good again but close to the end of the meal the table next to us started smoking. Surprisingly so far, the smoking hasn't bothered me too much, but this time it was too close. I couldn't wait to get out of there. We did a bit more shopping. Kevin is getting so used to people trying to speak Chinese to him that he doesn't understand when they are speaking English. At one store the girl said "I have good quality"really fast. Kevin said, "English only." I had to laugh because he hadn't understood what she was saying but I had. I told him that she was speaking English and he felt a little embarrassed. We have bought a lot of stuff and it is fun shopping. A lot of it is probably junk but it is fun junk. I feel so bad for all the shop owners. It doesn't seem very busy right now and there is a lot of competition.

Haylee is doing great! She is very funny. Right now she is sitting in her crib just talking to herself. She makes us laugh. Sometimes it is hard to know what she needs. We are just trying to get to know each other. We are feeling like we are in the home stretch and hoping that time will fly as we complete the last steps necessary to bring Haylee home.

PS Stephanie in OK - I'm hoping you might be reading this. I got some pictures for you. I don't have your email but I sent a message through chinaadopttalk.com with my email. Please contact me so that I can forward them to you.

Orphanage Visit

Some pictures of Dongguan City

Entrance to the orphanage

One of Haylee's nannies. She was very nice and sweet but Haylee was NOT happy to see her.

Bathing area. After seeing this I'm so surprised that Haylee is willing to take baths.

Haylee's crib. It doesn't feel like home any more.

Staying for lunch for "old times" sake.

Attempting to feed Haylee the congee the "right way". In layers.

Laundry facility. I cannot even imagine how much laundry they have to do. The washer and dryer were huge.

Outside the orphanage.

Haylee with Director He. Less than a week ago she was crying to come to us. Now she is crying when she goes to Director He.

This is the spot where Haylee had her referral photo. It is in a courtyard in between the orphanage and the home for elderly care.

McDonalds!


So today was our orphanage visit. We had to wake up early because Director He had asked us to come around 10:00 so that we did not interupt the children's morning schedule. I was very worried about how Haylee might react going back to the orphanage. I thought it might be an emotional experience so Kevin gave her a father's blessing before we left. The drive is about an hour and 1/2 from Guangzhou. We were surprised when they picked us up in a van. It was large and comfortable and gave us a lot of room to spread out. Dongguan city is very nice. The center medians of the road are so well kept with flowers and trees. It is a very modern city. I was expecting a lot of factories, etc. But the city, where the orphanage is located, is very modern and nice. We drove to the entrance and got out. Mrs. He came running across the courtyard - apparently she had been waiting by the gate for us. She was very kind but worried that Haylee would not be warm enough. It drives me crazy how many clothes they think babies should wear. She already had a jacket and shirt but to be polite we added another jacket on top it. Mrs. He tried to hold Haylee but she quickly began to cry and hold her arms out for me. Mrs. He gave her back and she immediately calmed down. It was really my first time that I realized just how attached she has become to us. We went upstairs and visited the babies. It was so very sad. There were so many of them and all in cribs. We visited two floors and every floor had a couple of rooms and every room had maybe 15-20 babies. There were all so cute. There were a few that completely stole my heart. There were two little boys that just smiled and smiled at us every time we talked to them. There was a beautiful set of twin girls. The director joked and said "do you want to take them home?" I would totally have snatched them up if I didn't think I would have been stopped at the door. We met Haylee's nannies and they were very sweet. They wanted to hold her but Haylee started to cry. She was definitely not happy to be there. A couple of people had asked me to try and get pictures of their babies. Unfortunately I could only get 2 of the 4. (If you asked for pictures on the blog please check the messages on your blog for my email address.) The director said the other two had been moved to the medical center. I was so sad. One of the only things that got me through the wait were the kind people who got me pictures of Haylee. I was hoping that I could return the favor. I am still very disappointed. While we were there they started serving lunch. A large bowl of congee. The director spent a lot of time telling us home to make it. It smelled a lot like chicken and rice. They gave Haylee a bowl but I was quickly informed that I was not feeding her right. The best way is in layers, moving in a circular motion around the bowl. I didn't see what the difference was but I tried to do it the "right way". She liked it alot and it seemed much better and higher quality than the congee we have purchased in the restaurants. She ate quite a bit. We didn't get to see much of the orphanage but I do feel like over all I had a good impression. It is not a good place. In fact it is very sad. But I do feel like the nannies and director do the best they can with so many children. I am hoping that all the babies will not have to wait long to have families. It was emotional but I am happy with the way that Haylee handled it. She was content as long as we were holding her and after we left she seemed relieved with no lasting effects. We also drove to Haylee's finding spot. Since one day this information may be very personal to her we have decided not to share it. Afterwards we went to McDonalds for lunch. I do not like McDonalds and rarely ever go there but going to McDonalds in China is an interesting experience. It was actually better than it was in the states. I had a cheeseburger and pineapple sundae. The cheeseburger was good but very peppery. Kevin had spicy chicken wings. They were fried and yummy. I made Kevin go back and get some more to share with me. Haylee liked the french fries. On the way back home Haylee had a very hard time sleeping although she was very tired. When she has a lot of stimulation it seems to affect her being able to go to sleep - which isn't surprising. Once we got back to the hotel she took a nap. We are just going to take it easy for the rest of the day and evening. On another note I used the squatty potties today - twice. I was very proud of myself as it is no simple feat for us westerners. They really aren't as bad as everyone says. I'll have to remember to get a photo for those of you who many be curious. Tomorrow is another quiet day. We just have to do some paperwork for the consulate. I want to say thanks to all those who leave comments. It has been fun to read what you have to say. We are missing all our friends and family but this has been a wonderful experience. Tomorrow will mark one week left. Time has gone by quickly. Haylee is so funny and we are falling in love with her more each day and can't wait for everyone to have a chance to meet this sweet little girl.

Toy Market and Medical Exam

Outside the medical exam center.

Inside the exam rooms for adopted children. The flooring was interesting. It had little pictures of bears with balloons that said "happy birthday".

In the first room Haylee was measured. She weighed 18.2 lbs. She is just a little girl. But if she continues to eat like she has than she will put on the pounds in no time.

In the next phase they checked her mouth, ears and hearing. She passed them all - I guess.

In the last phase they checked her heart and skin.

Some of the beautiful shops that are along the street. These were very colorful and pretty.

Outside the "toy market".

Me and Cordelia outside the mall.

A beautiful catholic church on the busy streets. If I remember correctly Cordelia said it was built in 1830. I hope that is right.

The only word I can think of to describe the toy market is overwhelming. I have never seen anything like it.

Haylee tries her first ice cream. Yummy. They have these ice cream bars called "Magnum". They are good. I've had one for dessert two nights in a row now.

Today we had a bit of change in plans. We were going to go to the Qingping market but Cordelia called and asked if we could change plans. There are some other families coming into town and she wanted to take them there as well and so we will wait until Saturday. Since it did not appear to be a very busy day at the medical clinic, we decided to do that. We were happy because we like to avoid the crowds. The clinic is on the island so it took us only a few minutes to walk to it. Once inside we went to room marked "examination room for adopted children". We were the only ones there. Off to the side are three separate rooms. In the first one they weighed and measured her. Then they checked her hearing, mouth and ears. They told us she has a cleft palate - which wasn't a surprise. Then they checked her skin and heart. It was all very short and Haylee didn't seem to mind at all. She did start to get a little said when they laid her on the table and took off her clothes but she quickly recovered when I was able to get her dressed again. Since we weren't going to the Qingping market we decided to go to the "Toy Market" instead. But it was much, much more than that. We took a taxi and then went into a mall. It had four floors with rows and rows of stalls selling everything you can possibly imagine. There were stuffed animals, purses, alarm clocks, models airplanes, towels, blankets, jewelry and every trinket you could ever imagine. It was so overwhelming. I don't think we were much fun to shop with because we didn't purchase much. It was just too much stuff to decide and lot of it was junk. We did find a few things but often times the things we wanted were only sold wholesale and so we were unable to purchase it. We walked around and around. You could seriously get lost in there. We wanted to take more pictures but Cordelia told us that in China it is considered impolite to take pictures of individual store fronts. Even if we were able to take pictures it would hardly have done it justice. I have never seen so much stuff crammed into so much space. Haylee was getting restless but she loves Cheerios and that kept her happy for a while. Eventually she went to sleep. There was another market down the street that Cordelia told us about so we walked along the street. There were so many different vendors. Everything you could possibly imagine from spices, dried seafood, beans, fruit, etc. It was fascinating but some of the sights and smells were a little much for me. It was a lot of excercise and by the time we were done I was exhausted. I'm not used to carrying around a little baby. Cordelia sent us home in a taxi. By the time we got back to the hotel I felt like I could barely walk. We ended up taking a nap. Then we went out shopping. I bought Haylee a beautiful white dress. I was thinking she could maybe wear it when we take her to the temple to be sealed to us. I hadn't seen it anywhere else on the island and I thought I was getting a good deal. But the next shop we went into we saw the very same dress and it was 5 yuan cheaper. Kevin is not wanting to buy much but I want to buy everything. I figure it will be a long time before we get back to China. It is fun to go into the shops and look around. And quite frankly, it is our only past time. Tonight we went to Lucy's again. We were going to go to another restaurant but we took a look at the menu and it scared me a bit. Nothing looked good to me. At Lucy's, Haylee tried french fries for the first time and I'm happy to report, that like most food, she loves them! She is starting to really warm up to us. She will walk over to me and put her arms up. She loves to be carried. She is really belly laughing and smiling for us although for everyone else she only gives a blank stare. Last night I was looking at some pictures of the kids that mom sent - thanks mom - and she got excited looking at them, clapping her hands and talking. I think she will like having siblings.