Friday (day 10?)

I am so confused on my days!

Last night we ate at a restaurant called 2nd Street. They are a little more expensive, but cater to Western food. Logan got chicken nuggets and French fries, Erich got a steak, and I got an odd version of fettuccini alfredo. Logan’s came with a fruit plate. We fed a little water melon and another kind of fruit to Maelynn which she seemed to like. We couldn’t order salads. It is not that they don’t have them. They actually have quite a few that sounded really good. However, they wash them in tap water which is not good for us. On the way ‘home’, Erich and Logan went to the playground. Maelynn and I went to a store called Jennifer’s. All the stores around here are named after the owner’s American name. Jennifer’s is a place that adoptive families take their baby extra’s before they leave. Medicines and what not are dropped off there and can be taken by future families if the need it. If we didn’t bring them eliminite cream, we could have picked it up there for free. The sales people follow you around the store. If you just glance at something, they show it to you and try to sell it to you. It is very annoying. There is too much pressure. You cannot just browse. I wasn’t going to buy anything, but on the way out, she pulled out a lady bug that plays a Chinese song and music. She smiled so big for the strange lady, that I bought it. I did have to bargain a little and was walking out of the store when they came down in price some more. Logan went to bed after watching Toy Story 2.


I was up at 4 AM again today. I am actually getting enough sleep. I go to bed between 8 -9 each night and get a nap each day. Erich has been dragging the last couple of days. He seems to be doing better today. I’ve asked him to post so you can hear his side of life, but he’s not interested. We miss our friends and family. This time next week we will be traveling home. The days are passing quickly, but I think it will get old soon. I don’t think we are going to the orphanage. Where this is disappointing, it is expensive and a very long drive. It would only be the 4 of us. The other 2 families are not interested in going. It would be very hard on Logan. It is a 5 hour ride each way.







Today we went on a tour. We went to Chen Clan Temple. It is one of the oldest buildings in Guangzhou. Then we went to the porcelain and jade store. It was very fancy and everything looked expensive. The bus rides are as exciting as the taxi rides. It is very common for a bus to do a U-turn. However, it can’t make it in one turn. The driver has to back it up and maneuver it a couple of times. It is interesting with on coming traffic. The scary part is that it happens so often and in both cities that I’m getting use to it!



Houston, sorry Cincinnati, we have a problem. Maelynn is rejecting the boys. She only wants Mommy. If I leave the room without her she cries. If Logan comes near her, she cries. If Daddy holds her, she cries. We are having Erich feed her and play her ladybug. It has been a long day and she gets heavy after carrying her for a while. She loves going for walks in the hall. However, she always leads me to the elevator. She wants to go, go, go.

Erich took Logan to the play room today and Maelynn and I napped. They also took our laundry again. This time to Jordan’s instead of Susan’s. We gave Maelynn a bottle and she seemed hungry still. So, we tried baby food. Boy, did she throw a fit. It was even a fruit mix which most babies like because it is sweet. We also tried it through a bottle.


For dinner we went to Pizza Hut. We had to take a taxi there. It cost just over 1 US dollar. It was inside a mall. The taxi man just dropped us off and then we had no idea where to go. We started walking and found an entrance. Then we just kept walking. It was a 6 floor (going up, that does not count the floors going down!) mega mall! WOW! It was odd because here around the WS hotel, all the vendors are out and talking to you. No one was talking to us and we were more in the Chinese world. On Shamaian Island, it is secluded and quiet. There is very little traffic and all the shop people talk to you. Anyhow, The Mall. Huge! Think of it was a wheel with 6-8 spokes. Each spoke was at least 6 floors and the size of one of our malls. But it was even more than that. There are tributaries that connect each spoke too! We went down one spoke and walked around the inside of the ‘wheel’ part of the mall. We passed one store who did speak English. She said to keep walking and go through the glass doors. At that point we didn’t know it was a big circle and kept looking for the glass doors. When we got to the store again, a girl escorted us to the right place. Now if we could have that kind of shopping at home. I didn’t actually get to go shopping. We were on a mission for food and the boys weren’t interested.

At dinner, Maelynn ate Cheerios. We worked on spoon therapy with her. I’d put a cheerio on the spoon and feed it to her that way. She did really well and was all smiles. Erich said the pizza tasted better than at home. Now we are back in the room. Erich got Maelynn settled down without her screaming. Hey, we are making progress! He and Logan are playing trucks on the floor. It is great to get this kind of family time. It has only been 4.5 days and I couldn’t imagine life without her.

Have a great Friday everyone! Don’t work too hard :)!!