Friday, August 2 -- Home bound

It was a rough night for two of the Belks. Sophie coughed most of the night and Dustin was still making bathroom trips. I still didn't slept that while with the coughing and the moving around in the night. Anyhow, we did our normal morning routine. We had our last breakfast today here at the hotel's breakfast buffet. I hope Sophie knows that her momma won't be cooking her all this food every morning for breakfast. She better get use to either fruit, dough nuts,  or cereal in the mornings especially on weekdays.

Then, we came back to do some skyping. We were able to skype the whole family this morning since we didn't have any planned activities this morning. This will be probably be the last time we get to do that since we are leaving this afternoon- yay! The family is so excited to see Sophie soon. David Ryan was talkative again during our skype time. I am so ready to give him a big hug and kiss. He told us to bring "his Sophie" to him. He played the piano for us and told us about his day.

After skyping everyone, it was time for me to pack. But, there was going to be a little problem named Sophie. She likes to help but she makes more trouble than actually helping. So, we decided since she likes taking baths and playing in the water, we will let her have a little playtime in the tub. Don't worry, there is a big glass window where you can see the bathtub from our room. We could see everything she was doing. We got everything packed, it some creativity though. We didn't have to buy a new suitcase. I just hope we pass the weight requirements or the airport will charge us extra. Sophie had a nice play time in the tub and we were successful in the packing. Sophie knows something is up, but she doesn't really understand what is going on. We will see how she does when we check into a different hotel room tonight.

After packing, it was lunch time. We decided to eat something safe. Dustin was feeling better, but we still didn't want to chance it. We ate at the Coffee Club which is across the street from our hotel and they have awesome hamburgers and french fries. We came back to the hotel room to take a nap. Dustin and Sophie are sleeping as I am writing this now. We will meet our guides in the lobby at 4:30 pm to pick up Sophie's Visa and then they will take us to the train station. Our train leaves around 6:40 and it should take us about 2 hours to get to Hong Kong. Then, a travel guide will meet us at the train station and take us to the Hong Kong airport where our hotel is located. After we get checked into our hotel tonight, we are left on our own. However, our hotel is adjacent to the airport, so we should be fine in the morning. Our flight leaves at 11:40 am. We should get to Chicago around 1:40 pm central time and our flight to Memphis should leave around 4:16 pm and we will arrive in Memphis around 6pm. We only have two and a half hours to get through customs and immigration, so I hoping and praying that we make our connection to Memphis. We are ready to be home and we ready to see our family.

(I don't know if I will be able to update more today, because I don't know about the internet at our Hong Kong hotel. If I don't update later tonight, I will update as soon as I can.)

Updated after we got home. Didn't have internet in Hong Kong:

After the naps, it was time to head out (Yay). We met our guide along with other families picking up their child's Visas. However, we were the only family leaving out tonight. The rest of the families were leaving Saturday. William ( he was the one who picked us up from the airport) was there to take us to the train station. We said our goodbyes and told everyone we would keep in touch. We all hugged our guide Catherine, she was really awesome. Then, we loaded up in the van with William. It was bad weather. William said we were lucky we were traveling by train because the airlines would be delayed. We got to the train station in like 30 minutes. William showed us where to go. Then, we just had to wait for our train departure. We waited 30 minutes. The security check was not as bad as in the airports. We just had to follow the locals when it was time to board because no one spoke in English, we could't understand the announcements. The train station was bigger than the Memphis airport. The train ride to Hong Kong was about 2 hours long. Sophie did well on the train, she just got antsy around the end and cried once. It was a nice scenic view of the countryside until it got dark. We arrived in Hong Kong at 8:30 pm. We had to go through customs and immigration when we arrived. It was no big deal again. However, while we were waiting in the immigration line I noticed the bag containing my tennis shoes was no longer attached to my suitcase. So, my tennis shoes are on some train in China now. I needed a new pair anyway. We just carried our own luggage on the train because it cost $100 RMB per bag to check them in. They had a baggage area by the door and an overhead compartment (where my shoes are probably still at).

Our guide from Lotus Travels (holding up a sign with our name) was waiting for us in the lobby. She had a van and driver for us. It was raining here also. It took another 30 minutes to get to our hotel at the airport. We got to see the city of Hong Kong. It was huge and looked really nice in the dark. Sophie fell asleep on the way there. Our guide helped us check in. The hotel in the airport was really nice. Our room was huge, I wish our hotel room in Guangzhou was this big, maybe we could have dealt with being quarantined better. However, their king size bed is the size of our full size bed here in the states- lol.

By the time, we got in our hotel room, it was bed time. Tomorrow we have to be in the airport 2 and a half hours before our flight takes off. I wish we had internet here in the hotel, I would love to see David Ryan in the morning, but I will be seeing him very soon.

                                                    Sophie's last breakfast at the China Hotel

                            The McDonalds across from our hotel.

                              Last time eating at the Coffee Club, we loved their hamburgers!

                                    Goodbye, China Hotel (our home for the past 2 weeks)

Thursday, August 1 -- U.S Consulate Appointment

Dustin went down and got us breakfast while I got ready and got Sophie ready. I didn't eat much, because I was so nervous about our medical check before our consulate appointment. There is a bug bite that I am afraid that may give us problems. We know it is a bug bite, because we saw the bug bite her while we were in the park the other day. However, our word is not good enough. We tried skyping David Ryan before we left, but we didn't get an answer. Hopefully, we won't get back too late from our appointment for we can skype afterwards. We have to get our David Ryan fix. The hardest part of this trip has been being away from our son.

We meet our guide Catherine and three other families in the lobby at 7:40 am. The first stop was the medical clinic, which is just down the street from the U.S Consulate. There was another family besides us that had to have their child (this family was even outside our quarantined group) checked out before we were able to go to the consulate. They called the other family into their examining room while we waited in the hallway. Then, two doctors walked over to us and started to look Sophie over. They didn't even call us to an examining room, they just checked her out in the hallway. So, they didn't have us undress her. But, they did look at that one bug bite that I figured would give us trouble for like 10 minutes. They even called over another doctor to look at. Really? All this for a bug bite. They lift up her dress and looked at her stomach. (See no spots on the stomach where the pox usually first shows up, and the spots that they studied on the first trip to the clinic were gone. Doesn't that count for something?) Even our guide came over and showed them her mosquito bites on her arm and they told her that they didn't care about her bug bites. Another guide from a different adoption agency even came over to show them her bug bites. (Come on people if it was chicken pox, she would be covered in pox and have a fever, it has been a week and no pox symptoms.) After all this fiasco, they finally said "she is okay." They handed us our clearance. So, anyone coming to China to adopt make sure your child doesn't get any bug bites because they are freaking out now since that one orphanage (not even Sophie's) had a breakout. Our guide said the U.S CDC is now being more strict on the Chinese with their adoption medical checks. We all rushed (actually running) out of  the medical clinic before they changed their minds. Oh, the other family's child was cleared too, they were freaking out on his bug bites also.

Then, we met back up with the other families who didn't have to go through another medical examination outside the building. Catherine, our guide, walked us over the U.S Consulate. She explained to us what we needed to do and where we needed to go once we got inside, because she is not allowed to go inside since she is not an U.S citizen. They are really strict about what you can bring inside their building. We were only allowed to bring one diaper and wipes in a clear plastic bag. So, no pictures of our process here, sorry. We had to show our passports before we even entered the building. Once we were all in the building for our appointment time, they all gathered us up and went over a few things about what to expect when you land in your port of entry and how your child becomes an U.S citizen. Then, they had us all to stand, hold up our right hand, and take an oath. After that, each family had to wait to be called up to the window and hand over some more paperwork. Now, the adoption is official in America's eyes. We had to wait until everyone in our group was done being called up, because Catherine wanted us to stay together. This whole process took about an hour and a half. Home Free! Now, we can relax, the most stressful and most important part of the trip is over!

We did make it back in time to skype David Ryan before he went to bed. He was very talkative. Every time we would tell him bye, he would tell us to wait a minutes and start telling us something else. He even blew kisses to Sophie and wanted her to blow him some kisses back. I can't wait to get these two together!

After skyping, we decided to try this Mexican restaurant, Tequila, that some of the other adoptive families suggested. We had to take a taxi to get there. It's funny, Mexican food in the US is cheap, but here it was the most expensive more we have had so far. For an appetizer, we got french fries nachos which were actually very good. Dustin had enchiladas and I had a beef quesadila. Sophie had french fries and a cheese quesadila. French fries came with all the kids' plates. This place was really good and they gave you a lot of food. Sophie is going to love the Mexican restaurant that we go to back home.

After eating, we took a taxi to Shamian Island to do some more shopping. We are trying to get some more Gotcha Day gifts for Sophie in the future. There is a tradition that parents give their adopted child a gift from their birth country on their Gotcha Day anniversary. Almost every store we went inside, the store owner gave Sophie a free gift. She racked up; she received a fan, another bracelet, retired old money, a butterfly hair clip, and a pin with one of their famous cartoons on it. I bought her another pair of squeaky shoes. (Satchers, the place to go for squeaky shoes is either Jenny's or Sherry's). Dustin started not feeling too well while we were out shopping. I guess the heat and Mexican food don't mix too well. Getting a taxi back to the hotel wasn't that difficult. It is easier getting a taxi when we you hang out by Lucy's.

When we got back to the hotel, we took a late nap. Sophie was falling asleep in the desk chair, so she didn't take no time to pass out. Dustin took a nap also since he wasn't feeling so well. I watched some TV while they napped. While they were napping, one of the non-quarantined families called our room to see if we wanted to go eat with them and some other families at this Mediterranean restaurant next to our hotel. I said yes.

We met the families in the lobby at six. It was about 7 families going. This restaurant had a big enough table to fit all of us at one table. Dustin and I ordered safe since he wasn't feeling too hot and I was still full from the big meal from lunch. We ordered the fruit plate and the vegetable dish. The fruit plate included watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and oranges. Sophie was happy with the watermelon, she loves her some watermelon. The vegetable dish was really good, they cooked the vegetables in butter. The vegetables included carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, peas, and onions. This is just what needed, something different and light. Sophie liked all the vegetables, however, we did find out that she doesn't like apples. Dustin said he was feeling better after this meal. Sophie was a big hit tonight at dinner. She was making everyone laugh at the face she makes when she drinks Sprite. There was a Chinese belly dancer that came out at the end of our dinner. Sophie seemed to like this. Then, it was time to go back to our hotel room. Time for Sophie's bath and bed.

Tomorrow I will be packing. We will leave this hotel around 4:30 pm to go to the train station. We will take a train to Hong Kong and spend the night in Hong Kong. We will be staying at the hotel at the Hong Kong airport. Then, our plane will leave that next day about 11:40 am and we will be on our way HOME! Our flight from Hong Kong to Chicago is almost 15 hours. So, we need prayers again for safe travels and my insanity with travelling that long with a rumbustious two year old. We are so ready to come home.

I don't know if I will be able to blog tomorrow or not. I don't know if we will have internet access in the Hong Kong hotel. If not, I will update as soon as I can after we arrive home and get settled in. See you soon!

I tried loading some pictures of tonight's group dinner, but my computer is not cooperating with me. I will try to go back tomorrow and add the pictures.

Pictures finally uploaded.

                                               Our Travel Group Dinner

Wednesday, July 31-- A Day at the Pool

Sophie slept through the night again in her pack n' play. She even let Dustin give her a bath last night, but she gave Dustin a little surprise in the tub. I thought it was funny, because David Ryan has done that to me a few times when he was little.
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Anyway we did our morning routine, getting our showers before Sophie woke up, eating our breakfast, and coming back to our hotel room to skype the family. We were able to talk to everyone this morning since we didnt have to be anywhere this morning. Dustin got to talk to his brother's family. I was able to talk to my sister; she said Zach can't wait to see her Saturday. We talked to David Ryan and his Grandaddy. David Ryan was good, he is ready for us to come home. I showed him the Chinese musical balls I got him and he told me to bring them to his Granny's house in 10 minutes (only four more days, buddy). We talked to my mom for a while and she was happy that Sophie was wearing one of  the dresses she got for her.

Today is pretty much a free day for us. There are some families that have their U.S Consulate appointments today and some families that are even leaving tonight.

We went to the pool today. Sophie loved putting on her swimsuit and sunscreen. She gets excited every time we leave the room. She loves being on the go. When we got to the pool, Dustin just jumped in with Sophie. Surprisingly, she didn't like the pool. We thought she would love it since she loves the bath. She cried while being in the pool. I sat at the edge of the pool and Dustin and Sophie came over to me. Sophie wanted  to sit by me on the edge. Then, she started diving into the arms of Dustin in the pool. She did this several times, she enjoyed that. Since it looked like she was doing fine now, I went to the lounge chairs to take pictures. I guess Sophie didn't like me being that far from her, so she joined me. Then, she started playing a new game where she would sit with me on the lounge chairs, run to her daddy in the pool, splash Dustin and herself, and run back over to me and dry her face with the towels. She had a ball doing this. Dustin tried getting her back in the pool, he got her in for a few seconds. Then, she wanted out to continue her "little game." We started to get hungry so we headed back to the hotel room. It was about one o'clock when we ate lunch. We decided to have those wonderful chicken sandwiches from Starbucks's again. Sophie picked herself out a fruit cup for her lunch. Dustin treated me to a blueberry cheesecake (yum).

Then, it was nap time. We had us a nice long nap. Sophie fell asleep watching a movie in between Dustin and me in bed. We were going to go back to Shamian Island for more shopping after our naps, but it was kinda too late to go the island and were afraid of more bug bites. We wanted to be safe rather than sorry since our big, important day is tomorrow with the U.S Consulate.We can tomorrow after our appointment. We just stayed in our hotel room for the rest of the day, I know exciting, huh !?!

For supper, we ate light, because we were still full from Starbucks's. Dustin just went next door to McDonald's. Sophie gets really excited when she sees her daddy enter the hotel room with food in his hands. We have now "Americanized" her, because she loves some chicken nuggets and french fries from McDonald's.

It is bath time for Sophie now. We are going to go to bed early tonight since we have an early morning. We have to meet in the lobby at 7:40 in the morning. The Medical Clinic is in the same building as the U.S Consulate, so they will check Sophie's body for any spots (chicken pox) first. If everything is okay, then we will proceed onto our consulate appointment. This is the final step in our adoption process. This is where the U.S will officially recognize Sophie as our daughter and she will be become an U.S citizen when we land in Chicago.The U.S Consulate is really strict. All we can bring inside is a diaper and our passports in a clear plastic bag. No cameras. Our agency guides cannot even go in with us. We have only two more days left here in Guangzhou. Wish us luck tomorrow, tomorrow is a very important day! Goodnight.


                                                        Pool pictures

                                        Sophie doing her surprise face

Tuesday, July 30 -- Shamian Island Day

Last night Sophie slept the whole night in her pack n' play. Dustin put her straight in it, she whimpered a little bit. She was standing in her pack n' play and falling asleep, you could see her little her hand nodding off. Dustin finally laid her in the pack n' play with no fuss from her. She slept through the whole night without waking up (Success!). I got up and got my shower in before she woke up. Dustin also was able to get ready before she work up.

We went down for our breakfast feast, we missed it yesterday. After breakfast, we did our routinely skyping with the family. David Ryan was in a good mood again and was ready to tell us what he did that day. He had Taco Bell, went swimming, and saw the movie Despicable Me 2. His granny is keeping him busy.

After skyping, we went to Shamian Island to do a little shopping and drop off some laundry. I am glad they deliver the next day. We bought gifts for our family and friends. We bought the traditional silk dresses, squeaky shoes, and some future Gotcha Day gifts for Sophie. Sophie is a good shopper. She loves to shop and she behaves while you are shopping. We were at one store and the shop owner spoke Cantonese to Sophie. She said Sophie is very smart. She translated to us some of the things that Sophie was saying like "don't touch, just look" and pointing to my camera she said "photo." Sophie was a hit at the shops today. Two different shop owners just gave her a bottle of bubbles and bracelet.

After doing a little shopping, we ate at Lucy's again. This time I got the cheeseburger and so did Dustin. It was very good. Their onion rings were very good. Sophie just shared with us. I think she will fit in just fine when we get back to the states. She has no complaints on American food. After eating, we walked around in their parks and garden area, which is very beautiful. This is where the brides come to take their pictures. One couple was having their picture taken and I guess Sophie was really interested cause she just walked right up in their photo shoot. We took many pictures around the island. And she loves taking pictures. She will stay still and sometimes smile. Taking the picture is easy, but getting the smile is harder. I can also get her to pose (sometimes). Then, it was time to get a taxi back to the hotel for nap time. It really didn't take Dustin long to get us a taxi.

Back at the hotel, we laid Sophie down for a nap and she was out in two minutes. She did do a lot of walking around the Island today. While Sophie was napping, one of our agency guides called and asked us if we would like to go on a River Boat Cruise tonight. Of course, we said yes! Finally, we are getting to venture off on some tours. Then, she reminded us of our meeting at 3 pm. Then, about 10 minutes later another one of our guides called. She said the CDC called her and had a list of questions for her to ask us. Questions like were Dustin and I born in the states, were we vaccinated for the chicken pox, what is our port of entry, etc. I asked her what time we had to go to the Medical Clinic tomorrow. She said we didn't need to go back tomorrow ( yay!), but they will still check Sophie over for spots the day of our Consulate appointment on Thursday ( boo!). Hopefully, no more heat rash or bug bites on Thursday. But, at least we don't have to make another trip and taxi fare tomorrow.

I went to the 3pm meeting so Dustin and Sophie can do more one on one bonding. This meeting was about what to do on our last day with getting to the Hong Kong train station, going through immigration and customs, and what to do with Sophie's Visa and paperwork. This was our exit meeting since some of the families are leaving tomorrow. I also found out at this meeting that there was going to be a group picture after the meeting is over. So, I had to rush upstairs and get Sophie ready. I wanted her to wear the traditional Chinese silk dress that we bought today. We made it in time for the group picture and it was a big group. I didn't really know how big the group was since we have been "quarantined." I am just happy and surprised that we were able to be in the group picture! Our friends from Idaho were on their way to leave for the States when we were headed to the lobby for the group picture, so we got to say our goodbyes. We took the group picture, it took a while for the guides to use all of our cameras giving all of us copies. The group picture didn't even include everyone, some families I think were sick. After the group picture, we went back upstairs to get ready for the River Boat Cruise on Pearl River on Shamian Island.

We met in the lobby at 6:00 pm. Two of the families from our group of  our "quarantined" six werent going. However, we had a new family from outside our "quarantined" six going with us. There were 10 of them and they are from Arkansas. It is so nice to get out and be with other adults. Our agency ordered Papa John's Pizza for all of us to eat on the cruise boat. After we ate, we went on the deck to sight-see and take pictures.
The River Boat Cruise was real nice and the kids enjoyed it. Our guide Catherine's thirteen year old son came with us also. He was our tour guide for the cruise, he did a good job. He may have a career with Holt in the future. He spoke English really well. On the boat, Sophie showed everyone her little personality. Our guide said Sophie is really smart. Our guide was also impressed how well Sophie has adjusted. She thinks Sophie will be talking in English very soon. We had a great time!

We got back about 8:30 pm, so it was time for bath and bed. When we got back, our guide received a phone call about one of the adopted children having a seizure. I don't think this was a pre-exiting condition or special need, so keep this family in your prayers.

Okay, it is bedtime for this woman. Tomorrow we pretty much have a free day. Then, Thursday is our U.S Consulate appointment plus a check up on her "spots" and Friday we leave for Hong Kong. Finally, Saturday we will fly home- yay! Not too much longer.

Enjoy the pictures!      
                                                          Success Again!
               

                                    Getting Sophie's name in Chinese Letters

                                          Pictures on Shamian Island

                                             Sophie in her traditional Chinese silk dress

                                                  Our travel group

                                           Eating pizza on the river boat cruise

                                             Pictures from the Cruise

                                                Waving "hey" to the passing boats

                                               three of the "quarantined" girls

                                                   Our boat

                        Sophie making new friends with the family from Arkansas

Monday, July 29 -- Day of Blessings

Last night was rough. What I mean by that is Sophie was a rough sleeper. She can't on kicking, kneeing, and slapping Dustin and me last night. She had me on the edge of the bed. I guess Dustin had enough so he picked her up with a pillow underneath her and placed her in her pack n' play. She didn't wake up, so Dustin and I did get some peaceful hours of sleep in before we had to wake up in the morning. I showered and got ready for a day at the clinic. Then, Dustin woke up soon after me. Sophie was still asleep. We are going to just eat granola and fruit bars in the room for breakfast this morning since we have to meet early in the lobby. Sophie finally woke up to us rummaging around in the room. She was like what I am doing in this crib thing. However, she didn't cry. We got her up and I noticed as I was getting her dressed for the day that she had a heat rash on her arm. Great, this is just what I need! The spots on her arm and on her back that the doctor pointed out earlier were gone though. Hopefully, the doctor will take that into consideration. We skyped Dustin's mom real quick. David Ryan was in a better mood. He even told us all what he did (his) today. Well, I think my nerves was getting to me because I was afraid what the doctor may say about the heat rash, so I said something to Dustin about him taking her. I thought he may be in a better state of mind and actually hear what the doctor has to say. You know us women we have a million of things going on in our heads at once. Plus, he needs some bonding time with her. She still won't let him hold her, so now she may not have any choice. Once (or if we ever) we get home, football season starts for Dustin and he will be gone a lot during the fall with coaching high school football, so he needs to bond with her now.

It was about time (9:30) for them to go to the lobby to meet the guide, so I started getting the bag ready for Dustin. Sophie knows this routine, she even got her shoes and put them on by herself and was waiting at the door. She loves to be on the go. Dustin and her went out the door and she turned around and said "momma" like come on momma lets go. I said momma is staying here and I  told her bye. She eventually said bye and seemed to be fine as her and Dustin headed out. While they were gone, I prayed and prayed that everything would be okay especially with the heat rash. About 11 am, house keeping knocked on the door. So, I decided to go downstairs to the lobby and hang out while they cleaned the room and possibly wait for Dustin to get back I ran into Catherine, one of our guides, in the lobby and she said Dustin should be back soon. Three minutes later, I see Dustin and Sophie get out of a taxi by themselves (what happened to the other family) and holding hands. I met them by the door and I told Dustin housekeeping was in our room. Sophie had a big smile on her face and said "momma." I picked her up. And I asked Dustin to give me the news. He said by the time they got to the clinic's room and had undress her the heat rash on her arm was gone (Praise God!). Dustin did say he made sure that he pointed out those two spots that they were concerned with before were gone. He said they did notice that. Dustin said after they looked her over they talked to each other for a very long time. The doctors said they will have to talk to the CDC before they can make their final decision. There isn't too much to tell you about this, because the doctors spoke Chinese and Dustin had a guide interpreting back to him. All he knows is that the CDC wants us to come back 24 hours (which is Wednesday) to be checked out again prior to our U.S Consulate appointment. So, we are still not in the clear. Pray for no more heat rashes or bug bites before Wednesday. The other families (including the little girl who they thought had the chicken pox for real) who had to come back today has their U.S Consulate tomorrow morning and they didn't really say anything to them either, so I guess it is okay for them to go tomorrow. We just want to be able to go home Saturday. We haven't been able to venture out too much out of our hotel and can't mingle with the other families. I also asked Dustin had Sophie did with just him and her. He said she was fine, she even let him hold her. When he was telling me this, he reached out to hold her and she shook her head no. She will let him hold her if I am not around.

It was lunch time for us when they got back since we didn't have our normal feast for breakfast. We decided to go back to the Japanese restaurant inside our hotel, because it was close and we were hungry. Plus, Dustin wanted that sushi platter again. I got the beef tips again and Sophie had white rice. Then, we came back to our hotel room for a nap, because we had to meet in the lobby at 2:30 for a tour to the temple for a baby blessing. Sophie fought her nap today, but after a few whimpering she finally went to sleep.

We met in the lobby with our six "quarantined" families, but two of the families were not going. So, it was just four families going and our guide David. The temple wasn't that far, we were there like in 10 minutes. We got a tour of this temple and at the end was the baby blessing. You had to take your shoes off before you entered the temple. We knelled with our babies and a monk said something in Chinese and sprinkled water on us and the babies. Our guide reassured us this doesn't interfere with our own religious beliefs. I know who my Christian God is, and I have already been praising him for clearing the heat rash at the clinic today. Then, they gave us 15 minutes to walk around on our own and take pictures. They were burning incense (plus it was really humid) and didn't go well with what I had for lunch. I was nauseated for the rest of day.

When we got to our hotel, we had David get us a taxi to the China Plaza, because we needed to get more snacks. On the way to the Plaza, I started feeling bad. I think the mixture with the incense and the crazy cab ride did it in for me. Thankfully, the cab ride wasn't that long to the Plaza. The China Plaza is seven stories. It is a mall with a grocery store on the 4th floor. We got more water, Pepsi (the Pepsi here tastes better than at home), baby smoothie drinks, Chinese candy for a gift, and more Oreo cookies. All of this cost $7.00 U.S dollars, couldn't have done that at home. It took a little while getting a taxi back. But, we eventually got one. We ran into one of the families that we are quarantined from in the elevator. The are from Idaho. They leave tomorrow afternoon, their U.S Consulate appointment was today, so they are good to go. They were also the first family to go through the newly located U.S Consulate. Once you take the oath at the U.S Consulate, you are good to go home. They give you your child's VISA the next day and then you can go home. That is why it is important that we are cleared on Wednesday from the Medical Clinic so they won't reschedule our Consulate appointment. Anyway, the other "non-quarantined" families are going on a river boat cruise tonight.

We just hung out in our hotel room for the rest of the evening since I wasn't feeling so good. We even ate in our room tonight. We had peanut butter crackers to save some money from going out to eat. We are having to pay taxi fare everytime we go to the Medical Clinic.

Sophie is starting to test the boundaries more and more. She wanted more cheerios after having two bowls already plus some gold fish and peanut butter crackers, so she wasn't hungry. She just thinks she has to eat all the time. We told her no and she cried bloody murder. She doesn't just cry but she screams this piercing scream at the top of her lungs. She doesn't like being told no and not getting her way. She better get use to this. Dustin and I left her and went in the bathroom to let her cry it out and guess what, she stopped crying. I think we will be having an early bedtime tonight. As I write this now, I am making her bath water. Hopefully, tomorrow we can go back to Shamian Island to do some shopping and more laundry, because I don't know when else we will get the chance. Wednesday we have to go back to the Medical Clinic. Thursday is our Consulate appointment. Friday we leave for Hong Kong (yay).These Medical Clinic visits has gotten in our way in doing any tours like the zoo.

So, today we had the baby blessing at the temple. However, we have had many blessings given to us by our Lord. The blessing of today that I am praising is the fact that the heat rash is gone and we are getting closer in being cleared to go home. But, the biggest blessing of all is that we are in China and we do have Sophie and now a family of four. Thank you everyone for your prayers!

                                         
                                                   Sleeping in the pack n' play

                                                   Baby blessing at the temple

Sunday, July 28-- Day of Leisure, Rain, & Pizza

We had to wake Sophie up again this morning. But, we are not complaining. Dustin and I are able to get our showers in and are able to get ready for the day. We woke Sophie up and she was all smiles. I guess she is getting use to waking up to us being here. She is starting to get the hang our of routine, because she knew it was time to go eat breakfast. She was all smiles all the way  to the buffet, she practically ran to the buffet. She does well sitting in a high chair, some of the adopted children don't like it and they sit in their parents' laps. I am glad she likes it, because she is a messy eater. Breakfast is becoming my favorite part of the day because we get to see more adults, English speaking ones that are going through the same thing we are and the food is great, too. This is about the only time we get to see the families from the other provinces, it is good catching up.

After breakfast, we came back to skype the families. The novelty of skype is starting to wear off of Sophie, she is not too interest in it as she once was. But, we still can get her to say "hey" and "bye" to them. David Ryan was a little ill (sleepy) when we skyped him. I asked him what he wanted us to bring him home. He said "Sophie." I don't know what to think about him. He seems jealous over skype then he says things like that.

Before lunch, we went down to the playground area. Don't worry, I sprayed Sophie down with OFF. We tried getting her on the playground set, but she wouldn't do it. I even slide to get her interested, but she still didn't want to do it. So, we walked around the scenic area. She liked watching the waterfall, we even took some pictures by the waterfall. Then, there were two adoptive families out there playing so she stood and watched them play for a few minutes. We decided to show her the pool since she loves the bathtub. She seemed very interested, but didn't try to get in the pool. One of the families from our "quarantined group" was there. Their son who is six was having a blast, but his new little sister didn't seem to like it. She just sat on the edge and watched her brother. Sophie watched the people swim in the pool, too. We talked with the family for a little while, then it started pouring down raining. Back to being quarantined in our room. By this time, it was lunch time. Since it was pouring, my lovely husband decided to go next door for us to get McDonald's. Every time Dustin comes in the room with food, she gets so excited.

Then, it was nap time. Nap time is going better, she even throw a fit today. For the most part today, we were stuck in the hotel room watching movies on HBO (thank goodness the TV has English channels). Sophie watched most of the Disney movie "Meet the Robinsons," this movie is about a little boy who lives in an orphanage and wants to be adopted (how appropriate). I got Sophie to play with her baby doll for 5 minutes. I don't know why the paperwork from the orphanage said she liked dolls. I hope by Christmas, she likes dolls or I have already wasted some money.

Since it was still raining, we decided to order Papa John's pizza for supper. It has been a long time since we have had pizza. The last time was at our fundraiser for Sophie at Lost Pizza Co. And it has really been a long time since we have had Papa John's. It took about an hour and a half for it to get here though, but it was delicious. Sophie had her first pizza tonight, and she liked it. Again, there hasn't been anything that this girl doesn't like to eat. She also saved her pizza crust to dip in the sauce just like her daddy did. As I was writing this, one of our agency guides called to remind us about the medical check tomorrow (please pray that we get clearance to come home as scheduled). Also, that one of us only needs to go that way that wont have to take a van only a taxi since there is another child and mother going. So, I guess it will be Sophie and me tomorrow. Dustin will get to explore, I guess. Also, planned for tomorrow is a baby blessing (nothing that interferes with our religion) at 2:30. Our guide felt that all that we (the quarantined group) have been through we could use a little blessing- lol.

I am not 100% feeling better, but I am getting there. Sophie isn't still answering to "Sophie" , we have to call her Weina Sophie to get her attention. Then, we will eventually drop the Weina. Again, there wasn't that much to write about since we were stuck in our hotel room today, but hopefully tomorrow will be more eventful, but not too eventful at the medical clinic. We want that part of the day to go smoothly.

I am going to get off her to get this girly in the bath and ready for bed. We have a very important day tomorrow. Wish us luck tomorrow!

                                           Sophie not getting her way

                                             Yum! Pizza time!

Saturday, July 27--A walk in the park

We had to wake Sophie up this morning. She likes to sleep in, which is a good thing. Last night, Dustin tried to move her from our bed to her crib, but she woke up and kinda whimpered. So, maybe will try again tonight. We down to breakfast and it was nice, because we got to see some of the families that we met in Beijing (this will probably be the only time we will get to see them-breakfast time). It was fun seeing them with their new sons and daughters. I just wish we could spend more time with them. After breakfast, we did our routinely skyping the family back home. David Ryan is now with Dustin's mom ("Granny"). He was playing the piano and harmonica for us. Seven more days and we will be home (pending the chicken pox scare).

We pretty much have a free day today. The only thing on the schedule today is a meeting at 3:30 (only one parent has to go) to do some paperwork and plan some tours. We went to the park (no playground, just a scenic area) that is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We let Sophie walk around the park to burn energy from being cooped up in the hotel room. While we were walking in the park, a bug bite Sophie, I was great now they are going to think this could be another pox spot. Then, it started raining on us, luckily we had an umbrella with us. We also ate lunch at a restaurant in the park called The Garden, it was suppose to be a western restaurant. However, none of the workers spoke English and the menu didn't have that many dishes from home. Dustin had some beef tip looking thing with peppers and onions. I had a steak, which tasted different from our steak in the States. Sophie had french fries which tasted more like chips. It was really expensive and wasn't the best food that we have had here. Sophie started yawning so it was time to go back to the hotel for a nap. She was even falling asleep as I was carrying her back to the hotel.

She cried  a little bit when we laid her down. Dustin and I also took a little nap. I was going to go to the meeting and leave Dustin with Sophie so they can bond (more on this below) since she is still not letting him hold her. About 3:15, I gathered up our documents for the paperwork meeting, and Dustin and Sophie was still asleep. So, I sneaked out. There were some families in the lobby from the Beijing group and they said they were going to the group dinner tonight and asked if I was going. Nope, we weren't invited, so I had to explain to them the "quarantine situation." They even separated our paperwork meetings, theirs was at 3 and ours is at 3:30. Then, it was time for the six "quarantined" families meeting. We filled out more paperwork, this is for U.S Consulate appointment (ours is on Thursday). Then, they discussed the chicken pox situation. One of the guides went to the orphanage that had the outbreak (not Sophie's). They said the first outbreak was on July 1st with one child. Then, a couple of children got it on July 5. Then, another one on July 12 and no one has had an outbreak since then. So, only about five children got the chicken pox and the orphanage children that did get the pox stayed in a different area that the 3 girls who were adopted into our group on Monday stayed. But, they are still taking precautions. And since Sophie has been in contact with these children like being in the same room and bus, we are having to be quarantined also. Plus, the two mosquito bites that concerned the doctors at the medical clinic. Our agency guide said as long as we make it to Monday and cleared, we will not have a delay going home. She recommends us staying in our hotel to avoid any more bug bites since they look similar to the pox here. I wanted to go back to Shamian Island tomorrow to do some shopping since we have another free day, but I rather be safe than sorry avoid getting anymore bug bites at least until Monday. So, if we are cleared on Monday, we probably can go back to Shamian Island later on in the week. I hope so, because I already told David Ryan I would get him something. Prayers are still needed. The one bite on her back has cleared up, but the one on her wrist is still there. Now, she has another one on her arm from the park today. One of the families from the Beijing group has let me borrow her Neosporin to help clear up the bites quicker. Hopefully by Monday, they will be cleared so we can be cleared to go home.They didn't set up any tours for us until we hear from the doctor on Monday. The other families are going to the River Boat Cruise Monday night, which we can't go. Being stuck in your hotel room stinks! I am so ready to go home after all of this.

Tonight we ate in our room again. Dustin and Sophie went downstairs to get sandwiches from the Starbucks. After supper, Sophie had her bath. Sorry I didnt write so much today, but there is only so much to write when you are quarantined to your hotel room.

Sophie is starting to really come out of her shell. I don't know where the orphanage gets the shy, reserved little girl from. But, she is shy and reserved in crowds and in public, but in the hotel room, she is loud and wild. She is also independent, she likes doing things her way and herself. She likes to help out. Today while walking in the park, she had to carry my camera bag.

While I was at the meeting, Dustin said Sophie didn't cry. She just said "Momma" about 50 times. He said he gave her an oreo cookie and she was fine. They were just playing in the floor when I came back. She was happy to see her momma though.

Goodnight, everyone. Not feeling so well, I think it is something I ate. See you again tomorrow.


                                                  Pictures from the park today.