Mark probably read the headline and immediately called the lawyer to begin divorce proceedings. But the girl is into shoes and she deserved them. You'll see why...
After we got back from breakfast, we saw the window washers at work on our 26-story building. We're on the 12th floor. The poor guy was sitting on a small swing, dangling from a rope!!! Sheez!!! No way!! The girls loved it and kept waving to him through the window. He looked a little uncomfortable and then swung away like Spiderman.
We headed for the Mattel playroom in the hotel and met the nicest family. They were stuck in Beijing for a week in quarantine for swine flu!!! They looked really tired and just wanted to go home. Can't blame them. What a rotten experience. Ke Xin and Olivia love the playroom. Ke Xin did her typical thing - she took all the toys and put them in straight lines. She had fun, too, so she does know how to play and make messes.
At lunchtime we went out and picked up our wash and the orphanage pictures. It turns out one disposable camera was from the orphanage and one camera was from her foster family. They look like a very nice family - very happy. I know they have to be missing Ke Xin and wondering how she's doing. Again I felt how rotten it was that we were not allowed to visit the orphanage. I wonder if the orphanage would pass a message to the foster mom if I contacted them? Ke Xin's little foster brother was in several pictures. He will be going home next month and living near us in Louisiana. I know it's important that we keep them in contact.
After lunch it was the time we were dreading - the trip to the clinic to check the kids' TB skin tests. Ke Xin had developed what appeared to be a bruise at her injection site. One of the other families in our travel group is here for their 3rd time and they told us ahead of time that we would have trouble at the clinic. Ke Xin and Justin both had positive results and had to get chest x-rays. (Ke Xin remembered where she was and barred her teeth, growling at the nurse.) We were very anxious. If the x-ray showed TB, we could be stuck here for months while they went thru treatment!! The x-ray tech was ready immediately and was actually very nice. We got immediate results, too. Both kids' lungs were clear!! Thank Heavens!!! We celebrated with a stop at Starbucks and new squeaky sandals for Ke Xin. She really gets excited any time she sees shoes. She is rough and tumble, but she's also "all girl". She likes dresses and shoes for sure!! She was so excited she stomped around in the street with the sandals on, listening to the squeaky sounds. What a hoot! She was SO proud. Mommy was just relieved and happy to be almost done with this journey. Our Consulate appt is on Wednesday and we take the oath on Thursday. Then we begin the journey home.
The outdoor pictures are just some shots of Guangzhou. Like I said, it is so much like Savannah! One building is under renovation and all the scaffolding is bamboo. There is a large playground down the center of one of the drives. But it's not for kids - it is all workout equipment for adults. There were many people using the area when we walked home from the restaurant tonight. And some of the young guards were out doing drills this afternoon.
Another thing we saw was a photo shoot for bridal dresses. White bridal dresses! So western! In China, white is the color of mourning. They usually wear red. But, the gowns were beautiful and it was fun to watch the models.
We had Italian food tonight, cooked by a real Italian cook. It was delicious, so... I think I'm gaining back the weight I lost in Zhengzhou. Maybe we'll just do Subway tomorrow. After we shop. Yeah! We have our own guide who will take us to the pearl market and help us get good deals! That should be fun. And then we have the river dinner cruise at the end the day. No paperwork, no doctors!!!!
I still can't see the blog, so I hope it doesn't look like a disaster. Mark said someone commented on the stroller. It is a Fisher Price imitation of the Sit N'Stand stroller. I picked it up at Big Lots. You don't need it if you have only one child, but if you have two - it is great!! Little feet get tired and whiny really quick, so you can load everyone up and go at your own pace. The only problem we've had is at airport security. They keep trying to send it through the scanner like a duffle bag. It won't fit. Then they act like I've loaded the hollow frame with C-4. Eventually we get through. Most of the Chinese stare at it since they don't have double strollers here. We get lots of comments. Ke Xin loves it. She acts like she's in a limo. I hope she'll feel the same way about her new car seat...
Love all the photos! Too funny that you took that mans pic, hanging outside your window!!!
ReplyDeleteI bought Lia squeaky shoes while in China, and she was so sad when her feet could not be forced into them anymore! If you really like them buy some larger ones for home. They are more costly in the states.