Two important trips in Guangzhou...

We are winding down another day. We had two items on the agenda today. The first was shopping for "baby essentials" (at a store called - what else - "Baby Essentials") and the second (the more "official" of the two) was getting Madelyn's passport.

Most of the girls have pretty bad colds with runny noses and lots of congestion. We stopped at the medical clinic in the hotel last night after dinner with 2 other families to get the girls checked and get some medications. The Chinese doctor was wonderful and obviously sees a lot of babies. Fortunately, Madelyn was the least sick (no ear or sinus infections!) The doctor prescribed some medications, some traditional Chinese and some "modern day" antibiotics. I can't tell you the last time I watched a pharmacist mix medicines with a mortar and pestle. Madelyn likes it and has taken it well, though we think it makes her a bit a sleepy. It seems to be working though so we can't complain.

We started the day today with Breakfast at the buffet where we always run into other families from our group as well as getting to know families from other travel groups. The restaurant is beautiful and over looks the Pearl River and has a view of the waterfall in the Atrium. Megan likes waffles and LOVES her hard boiled eggs!

We then boarded the bus for our first shopping trip. We went to a busy part of the city with shops everywhere. We started at a multilevel store that carries everything you can imagine; similar to a WalMart store. We bought diapers, formula, toys, etc. The best part was the conveyor from the upper to the lower floor. They can't use escalators since you have to get your shopping cart down as well. They use a "moving sidewalk" type of system that is pretty steep so the carts have special wheels that lock onto the conveyor to keep them from rolling down hill. Megan thought that was way cool! I thought it was "way cool" that there was a Starbuck's right outside the grocery store :)













Then we went to a department store specializing in baby "stuff." It was way too cramped and crowded for my tastes but we survived. The best thing we bought was a pen for Megan that has 8 different colors of ink. (You can tell I was less than thrilled with this stop). We did run to McDonald's for a snack, though (can't remember the last time I had McDonald's, either). I had a small hamburger and tasted just like the ones we get at home. Still the best french fries anywhere in the world; literally!

We returned to the hotel for a couple of hours before getting back on the bus to get Madelyn's passport. We spent over and hour of waiting for less than 5 minutes per family to get the paper work done. We were told we could not take pictures in the government building so there are no pictures to show. Needless to say, there were a lot of people waiting...

We went to dinner with our new friends tonight at Lucy's, a restaurant we will visit often while we're here. They have outdoor seating where the older girls can play and they cater to western tastes. We then walked to some of the shops while Madelyn slept in her new stroller. Lynne ordered a handmade silk blanket for Madelyn and bought the girls matching silk dresses for Chinese New Year. We also dropped off the disposable cameras at the photo shop to get prints made of Madelyn's last couple of months at the orphanage. We can't wait to see the pictures and will share a few with them either on this blog or on the Picasa photos site.

We had one other big break through today. We had a POOPIE!!! They told us it usually takes 2 days for the babies to have a bowel movement due to the stress and the change of formula. We were given some herbal tea supplements to use if necessary. We don't need them - hurray! Madelyn had a dirty diaper tonight. That will most likely be the last time I get excited about a poopie diaper! ;0)

Tomorrow is our first site-seeing day and we are heading off for a garden and park visit. We are hoping that we will get back early afternoon and have some time to relax as we have not had a day yet where we weren't running from one thing to the next. It is supposed to warm up into the mid 80s over the next couple of days and I am looking forward to taking Megan to the pool.

We love getting comments and emails and appreciate all of your love and support. We still covet your prayers as we have many days ahead, a long trip home, a baby getting over a bad cold and Megan working through what this all really means and how her world is changing. She has been a real trooper and loves her baby sister (even though she isn't always happy with Mom and Dad).

Until tomorrow... Matt