We flew out of Hohhot yesterday morning and got to Guangzhou mid afternoon. It was about a three hour flight. We found out Caleb gets airsick (NOT fun!) so we will be giving him Dramamine like crazy on the way home! We didn't need any more anxiety about that trip so please please pray that we all survive it!!! Here he is checking out the planes while we waited to board.
Our guide for our time here in Guangzhou met us at the air port and brought us to the beautiful Garden Hotel. This place is like something out of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." I've never stayed anywhere like it. Our agency has a special deal with them. They send all their adoptive families here and we get an awesome rate and first rate service! They gave Caleb a little backpack with a stuffed panda bear and a couple treats in it! We have a suite which consists of a small living area, a bedroom with a king sized bed and a crib, and a nice large bathroom. We are on the thirteenth floor, but I believe there are 30 floors. It is absolutely huge! We ventured out to explore it a bit last night and got totally lost! There is a playground and indoor playroom for the kids, a pool, several restaurants, shops, offices, a few foreign consulates and a spa right here in the hotel!
Guangzhou is a fun city. It is like the "Miami" of China. It is in the far south and already feels like summer here. There are palm trees and tropical plants and humid air. The air in Hohhot was VERY dry. I never thought I'd miss humidity but my skin and hair were terribly dry in Hohhot and I am glad to be in a place that feels somewhat more like I am used to. The city reminds me of pictures I've seen of NYC. I've never been there, but Guangzhou is HUGE and has very tall buildings, very diverse people everywhere and lots of electronic billboards. Within walking distance of the hotel there are LOTS of American restaurants, like McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Subway, Haagen Dazs, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Aaaaahhhhhh. So nice. (In Hohhot, we had none of that. Our guide in Hohhot showed us two restaurants, both had mostly Chinese food and no one who spoke English, so we mainly ate in our hotel all week.)
This morning we had Caleb's medical appointment and Visa photo. Each child must receive medical clearance to leave China. Caleb had to see a nurse for height, weight and temperature and then have a "physical exam" by a doctor and an "ENT" exam by another doctor. All said he looked great and healthy! He cried when they checked him but they didn't do anything that hurt. I think he was scared and just didn't like being held down so they could examine him! After the medical exam we went to the grocery store to get some diapers, wipes and a little food for the hotel room. Now Caleb is napping and Steve is doing paperwork with our guide for our Consulate appointment.
Cheering up afterward with some crackers in the stroller we are renting from the hotel for the week.
And just in case anyone needs a stiff drink after the medical exam, there is a wine vending machine in the lobby.
We have some fun excursions our agency plans for us here in Guangzhou. Since we are waiting here until Caleb's visa is ready (we can leave Wednesday) they plan some fun things for us while we wait. Tomorrow we get to go do some shopping and on Monday we visit the Guangzhou Zoo!!! Tonight we are doing a group dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. I have heard a lot about it from other adoptive families who have been here. Our group has been looking forward to going there together since we planned our travel! We have added one additional family to our Lifeline group this week. They were in a different province the first week but will be with us from here on out. There are four Lifeline families here now but also LOTS of other American adoptive families with other agencies. It is fun to converse with people in English and have them understand you! This morning we chatted with lots of other adopting families at the medical clinic. We all have such a comfort level with each other even though we are strangers! Just the reason we are here and the fact that we are American and speak the same language is huge! Also, we've connected with lots of these people over Facebook in various Chinese adoption groups. So fun to meet in person all the way on the other side of the world!!
Caleb continues to do well. He seems to really know we are mom and dad...at least as far as his concept of that goes! He reaches for us, does not seem to want to go to strangers, etc. At the airports, many people came up to him and spoke to him in Chinese, but he always turned to Steve or me and wanted to stay with us, which is a good sign at this point!! We keep skyping with the kids at home and showing Caleb their pictures. I just can't wait for them to meet in person! They are going to love each other so much! Caleb blows them kisses over Skype but doesn't have much attention span to sit and chat!
I haven't had much chance to take a lot of pictures of Guangzhou and the hotel yet, but I will post them soon as it is really beautiful and there is lots to see!! It has been rainy or overcast so far but I'm hoping for some sunshine soon. Recently, "The Amazing Race" aired a couple episodes from here in Guangzhou. We don't watch that show, but a friend texted me when it was on and we watched one of the episodes. It is fun to see some of the sights that were featured on that show right here in person!
Also, big shout out to Steve. He is here in China during March Madness and UK and UofL were playing each other in the sweet 16 at home while we were at the medical clinic this morning. It is torturing him but he is not even complaining (much)!! He's really putting the family first as he always does and I'm so thankful for a man who consistently does that. He is amazing. I am so thankful for him I could NEVER do any of this without his love, support, and help!!! (And GO CATS!!!)
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