Monday afternoon thoughts from China

Good afternoon! It is now Monday afternoon here in China. Cece is napping behind me in her crib and Rich is off to the toy market to find some good deals. Cece is doing great! She is eating well. So far, her favorite things to eat are bananas and the yogurt drink. She naps pretty easily in the afternoon for about 2 hours. She has been waking up a few times at night, but will usually go back to sleep within a half hour. She is just a little doll and is starting to be more social with others. She definitely is social with other children, as we've seen when she's had the chance. One thing she does not like now is water for baths or swimming. She did like swimming the first time with Rich, but the next time he tried to take her, she was upset. She did not like baths from the first day she was with us and that hasn't changed. She screams and tries to get out of the tub the whole time. So we do 60 second baths! Lilly, our guide said to try her in a smaller tub, so I tried to give her one in the sink, but without success. I'm sure when she is home with her big sisters in the tub, she will enjoy it!

Yesterday, Rich took her to the church for Mass. I ended up there late and it was standing room only. It's pretty awesome to be able to follow along in our english missal while the people are reading and speaking in Chinese. Then we headed off with our group to the toy market. There are actually 5 families here that are from our same agency. They are from all parts of the US, so it is fun to chat with them and meet their children. One family adopted a 10 year old and they brought their 11 year old daughter. The girls are getting along amazingly well! Very fun to see them interact.

We also went to the Pearl Market plaza yesterday. It just amazes me to see all the people there. It was Sunday afternoon, so it was packed. We stopped in at the KFC for an ice cream cone and there was only standing room and long lines. Angela, one of our guide's daughters, decided to accompany our family so she could practice her English. She is only 12, but does a great job. Then last night we went to Lucy's for dinner. It caters to the Americans with it's cuisine. We met a gentleman there that was from Germany but has been teaching English and German in China for 4 years. Such a diverse group here.

Today I did some local shopping around the hotel for Chinese outfits and Chinese gifts to bring back home. It's always fun to see the "very special" and "good quality" deals that abound! Tonight we are off on the Pearl River Cruise. It's hard to believe just 3 more days and we will be coming home to our daughters who we miss very much. Blessings to all, Karen

Dinner at Lucy's (Real american food! She loved the chicken congee)

More fun and smiles at the Swan Room

The adopted kids (in our group) on the famous red couch!

Here's the group from our agency (small world)