Another Day in China

Mom & Dad enjoying lunch at Lucy's
(with Asher in the background)

Me and the boys

Playing at the park

Soldiers were doing training exercises in the park

Cute baby in the park

Dad trying out the exercise equipment

Asher and his new little friend

Now that's what I call a fully loaded bicycle!

Here's a perfect picture to describe what Asher is like..
One second he was hanging off that wheel and smiling, and in the time it took me to click the button, he was already on his way...

You can't go far without finding a Starbucks..

Asher being silly in one of the shops

Artist working on our granite etching

We went shopping.. =)

The boys enjoying some yummy maccaroni n cheese from Danny's Bagels

Our third day here in Guangzhou consisted of shopping, shopping and oh yes, shopping! Like I said before, the streets here on Shamian Island are lined with shops that sell about every type of Chinese item you could think of. You can find any type of silk dress, outfit or shirt in any color for any size! And if they don't have what you want, they'll just make it for you. Most of the Chinese silk dresses sell for as little as $7, but if you buy a lot of them you can barter them down to about $4-$5. There's also lots of squeaky shoes which sell for about $2-$5. Almost all of the stores sell the same thing so they are always trying to compete with each other to give you the best price.

We’ve found the best stores to shop at are Jennifer’s Place, Jordan’s, the Arts & Crafts store and the one right outside the White Swan (I can’t think of the name right now.)

After another wonderful breakfast, our guide Lily took Dad and the boys to the toy market in search of the $3 gameboy games sold there. With the boys gone, Mom and I headed out into the streets and started the shopping! I won't go into detail of all the things we bought since it would probably bore you, but we've got probably 10-12 bags worth of stuff and we will probably need another suitcase in order to get all of this stuff home. Since this is our last trip to China (at least for a very long time!) we are stocking up on the things we haven’t gotten yet and mostly buying gifts for our friends and family back at home!

If you ever find yourself in Guangzhou, make sure you head to Jordan's shop which is located right across from Lucy's and away from the hustle and bustle of the other stores. Jordan is a Chinese man who we met last year when we adopted Esther. His shop sells pretty much the same thing every one else's does.. but he's never pushy about selling his products like the other shop keepers are. At every other store we were in, we had about five or six ladies following us and any time you make eye contact with a particular item they assume you are going to buy it! Jordan is such a sweet man and he actually recognized me from last year, how funny is that? I'm sure he meets thousands of adoptive families every year, and to think he remembered me. =) So of course, we ended up buying several things from Jordan!

There are several parks in and around Shamian Island, so we took the boys to the playground to help them burn off some energy. Asher enjoyed playing with a younger Chinese boy who was there and the two of them had a blast running around. We did some more shopping before we ran out of yuan, so we headed back to the hotel and Dad took the boys swimming. Asher is doing great in the pool! You would never realize that this is only his third time in a swimming pool. He has no fear whatsoever, and just makes his way around the pool by hanging on to the side. Good thing he starts swimming lessons on Monday!

We ordered dinner from Danny's Bagels, which is a takeout restaurant here in Guangzhou that serves some of the best Italian food I have ever tasted! If you come to Guangzhou, you can download a menu off of www.dannysbagels.com and they will deliver to your hotel room.

We did have one unexpected encounter tonight! Mom ordered a few gifts from one store and we went to pick them up tonight. Dad negotiated the price a little, payed, and that was the end of it.. or so we thought! I found something at the next store that I wanted to buy, so I asked Dad if he would lend me $50 yuan, and handed it to the lady. There's a lot of fake money going around here, so the shop keepers are always checking the bills to see if they are real. Imagine my surprise when the 50 yuan bill we had just gotten back (as change) from the lady next door ended up being fake! I guess since my Dad had bartered her price down from what she really wanted, she was going to have the last laugh. Fortunately, because it had just happened and the lady was right there, Dad went back and caught her on what she had done. She must have felt embrassed! Good thing the other shop keeper caught that, or else we would have been out $50 yuan. That's the first time we've ever had anything like that happen.

As most of you know, Mom is quite a social butterfly so we have met lots of adoptive families! We’ve met families from all over.. most from America and even a few from Ireland! Some are here adopting their first child, others their second and some have kids already. I’ve noticed a lot of families here adopting special needs children too. Must be because the wait for a healthy infant has stretched to almost two years. It’s a good thing because the special needs orphans deserve a home just as much as the healthy babies do. Most children labeled “special needs” have medical problems that can easily be repaired like cleft lip and palate and heart defects. Both Esther and Asher have repaired cleft lips and palates and it’s hard to even consider it a special need! The only obstacles we will encounter are the fact that both of them will need another surgery in the future, and Mom & Dad will probably spend a fortune in orthodontic work too. Of course, they’ve already spent a fortune in orthodontic work on their biological kids’ teeth!! Esther and Emma see a speech therapist twice a week, and Asher will also.

Asher should be a poster child for special needs/older child adoption.. he has been great! Several people have already commented on the fact that Asher has inspired them to adopt an older child. Everyone we have met here cannot believe that we have only had him for a week. Most have assumed that we adopted him as a baby and are here visiting! As much as I miss adopting a baby, adopting an older child has been a breeze. He doesn’t need diapers, he can feed himself and he sleeps through the night! He has his moments, but all in all he’s doing great. I really can’t believe how easy his transition has been. We give all the credit to God and your prayers!

Asher is very good with younger children, especially babies. He is very patient and loves to share his toys with them. He’s especially fond of the younger kids around the age of four. I think that comes from the fact that his best friend Sophie is about four or five years old and they were very close. I can’t wait for him to meet Esther and Emma.. they are going to have a blast together.

There are also quite a few families here with their older Chinese daughters who were adopted as babies and are back visiting. That’s something we plan on doing in about five years when the girls are a little bit older. We want to bring the whole family and spend a few weeks in China visiting the kids’ orphanages and birth cities.

Tomorrow is our last day in China, so we’re going to enjoy it and bask in the fact that we will be heading home the next day!!!!