A Clear Sign

We are hanging in here in Guangzhou, a city more like New York than anything we've seen in China thus far. We are staying in the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in or ever will again which takes up 1/2 a city block. There is a high end mall on the bottom floor complete with a Starbucks where I have been sipping on my latte (oh, joy!) and enjoying time alone to blog.

Early yesterday morning Sinclair awoke with a slight fever, but after some Tylenol and a few more hours sleep, she seemed to be feeling better. She was babbling and smiling at breakfast and had a dirty diaper that did not cause any pain (thanks to the prune baby food). It was visibly noticeable that Brevin was feeling better as his eyes were no longer bloodshot or glossed over. Madison, on the other hand, woke up with a rash on her legs. Ugh! We think it may be an allergic reaction to the laundry detergent in the bed sheets, so she will be sleeping with her blanket from home tonight. Good thing I brought that Benadryl.

Sunday's activities were a trip to the 110 year old Chen Clan Temple which used to be used for ancestral worship and later an academy. It is now the Guandong Folk Art museum. Sinclair slept comfortably in the baby carrier with me while we walked around the museum. After that we went to a tea house and learned about proper tea-pouring and drank samples of several Chinese teas. Back at the hotel, we ate MacDonald's in our room and Sinclair went back to sleep for another 2 hours. She must have been truly exhausted! You can only imagine the overload she must be feeling after being yanked from her familiar and imaginably dull routine at the orphanage into this family of five who seem to be on the run every moment of every day with a whole bunch of other people. Despite being run-down and sick, Sinclair did manage to learn to wave hello. I can't believe she is changing and growing already; but we are so proud.

That evening we had a great view of the thunderstorm from our 13th floor rooms. It was really cool. The storm forced us to stay in for dinner at the hotel which is twice as expensive as the hotel-food in Nanchang--yikes. However, we had some wonderful entertainment by a Chinese trio who sang American songs such as "Sweet Caroline," and our request "Hotel California" which sounded like "Hotel Shawfa-phone-ya." Another adoptive family requested "Country Road," which was equally hysterical. The boys enjoyed getting Play-doh creations made to order by a master craftsman (Who knew Play-doh art could be a career?!). After dinner, Matt headed over to 7-Eleven upon which he was solicited on the street. It caught him off-guard only because of the ordinary appearance of the "business-woman."

Today was our US Consulate appointment and an afternoon spent on Shaiman Island. We actually didn't have to go to the Consulate ourselves, as Lineker and Amy were able to represent all of the families by delivering the paperwork we had prepared on Saturday. We just had to stay in our hotel room in case they needed to call us with questions. It was quite restful. On Shaiman Island we visited the White Swan hotel, the traditional hotel where adoptive families always stayed in times gone by and in which there is a beautiful koi pond and waterfall. Then I dragged Matt around looking in all the shops where deals can be made on everything Chinese. The boys each got a handmade wooden sword (surprise, surprise) and the girls all got traditional Chinese dresses. We also enjoyed talking in the plaza with the Landino family.

Sinclair's nose was not running nearly as much today, but I speak for all of us when I say, we are so ready to come home!