Day 4 with Princess Livi

Oh my gosh, what a busy day. We haven't stopped since going to breakfast. We went to 3 main places today. The first one was pretty close as it is actually inside the hotel. It's a playroom called the Swan Room and it's with is great space for the kids to play and interact with others. We happen to be the only ones in it this morning but that was fine with us. We stayed for about an hour and Olivia was loving it. She loves playing with balls. She was sharing them with us and keeping 2 for herself at all times.

By the way, we tried the stroller again today and she started to cry a bit at first, but then stopped and was fine the rest of the day. I loved my friend, Sue's, suggestion to use it to go to a positive place nearby so that she won't associate it with the Dr. again. That worked great and she was fine all day after that. We have to go back to the Dr. tomorrow morning just for a bit so they can check her arm where she got her TB shot. We're going to carry her there this time. :)

After the playroom we hopped in a cab and went to a shopping area that our guide had suggested. It is called Grand Buy and it's HUGE. I find myself saying that a lot, but it's true. Everything here is hustle and bustle and crazy busy and big.

We got a few things at the stores, including way too much candy at a cool candy store where Jay got one picture before the lady scolded him for taking photos of her store. Whoops.

I kinda snuck around a corner of a store and had to take a picture of the rows of boots for my sister. She loves shoes/boots whatever. She would be in heaven, and if you look at the price....they were only 89 Yuan a pair. That's about $11. Heaven I tellya.....heaven.

We left Grand Buy to get back to the hotel by 2pm to meet Lucy who was taking us on a sightseeing tour. We went to a place called Yun Tai Garden. To say this place was beautiful is a total understatement. It was breathtaking. 2011 is the year of the rabbit, so although to most of us looking at the pictures we'd think it was decorated for Easter, it's obviously not. It will have the rabbits all year until next year when they will redesign it to go with the animal of 2012.

It had lots of natural beauty........

lots of exotic flowers and trees......

and many fun kids' characters.

It was really a great place to visit. Just nice to be in a relaxing place vs. what we've been around lately. Today's gone really well and, as usual, we're exhausted.

Tomorrow is another adventure waiting........

3rd full day with Livi

This morning I decided to take some pictures of Olivia's breakfast. It's pretty boring looking, not much color, heck.....not really much flavor....but hey, it's what works for her. She's actually not crazy about the hotel congee and mostly just picked at her steamed bun this morning.

Today was the 4th day in a row where we had to be somewhere for an appointment. This time it was the doctor for Miss Olivia.

I got her bathed and dressed and looking adorable for her appointment.

The clinic is only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel so our guide met us here and we walked over together. We are using a stroller from a local store who lets parents check them out for free for the whole time they're here.

We got there and didn't have to wait at all even though it was crazy busy....there was a separate area with a sign saying it was for adopted children and we were the only non-Chinese people there so we must have been able to go to that area right away. She had to do 3 things.....see the ENT who checked her out for about 2 minutes, got weighed and measured (which she did not like at all), and then saw a Dr. to get a pretty simple check up.

He noted that she had a Mongolian spot on her lower back and bottom, which I had seen the first night we had her. Luckily, I had just found out about those at our agency before we left or I would have thought she had bruises on her back and butt since that's exactly what they look like. The last thing she had to have done is a TB shot. They did this in her forearm and oh my goodness was she upset. She got so worked up that when the nurse put down the needle and went to just swab her arm, Olivia kicked her.....good. She wanted no part of that woman near her again. Actually, it made me realize that she will probably hold her own just fine when we get home to all those brothers. hehe....

On the walk back, we did some shopping at some of the places on the island. We got her some squeaky shoes....a must for any child in China.....2 dresses, and something for her to wear at her upcoming Baptism. I'm super excited about that outfit, it's so pretty.

After lunch and some quiet time back at the hotel, we ventured out again to do some shopping. When we walked out of the hotel and went to put Livi in her stroller, she started crying harder than we've heard her yet. We couldn't figure it out, she was just fine when we used it yesterday and this morning. All we could finally think of was that she was thinking we were going to the dr. again. That was the last time she was in it. That must be it because she just screamed and kicked to get out. Needless to say, we took her out and carried her. I brought a Snugli thing here with the intention of using that to carry her, but she is one heavy girl. All those updated totals we got about her height and weight were totally accurate. I know there was a few of you who questioned whether or not it was, but she's a big girl so we really need the stroller for long days out and about. Hopefully, she will do better tomorrow.

Today was really the first day we've bought much. We had gotten a couple things in Beijing, but nothing since. We went into this one shop that had some great buys. The more I looked around, the more I ended up getting. I needed to get out of there. The funny thing is that in all these places the people that work there follow you around and suggest things left and right. I can't just go and look at some rows of dresses, they will instead start pulling them off the rack and tell me how much and how I should get several for her. This is everywhere. No matter what place, Beijing, Guangzhou, a mall, a small vendor, doesn't matter....they all do the same thing. You can't really just browse in peace. If you even hesitate at something, they pick it up, show you 4 more colors and sizes and lay them all out for you. Sometimes it gets a bit annoying, if I’m being honest. But, then I know that this is a different culture and they do things differently here. I'm sure they think they are being helpful and that this is what you want. The place I spent a while at today, the girl was very cute. She was showing me all sorts of things and actually I was asking her about a lot of stuff too.....like what things were or what they meant. I left there with some cute t-shirts for Livi. One that says Mei Mei (little sister) and one that says "made in China". I mean, how could I pass those up. And for about 25 Yuan a piece (that's about $3.50 each)....it was an easy buy.

The whole area surrounding the hotel is just beautiful. I love how quaint and peaceful it is....nothing like the craziness of Beijing.

We passed a Starbucks....

and a Kindergarten.......

and even an elementary school where we could hear all the children playing in the gym. It made me really miss the boys.

The best part of the day was when we went to Jordan's shop. Remember when I mentioned meeting Jordan? He came up to us on Monday before we got Olivia and told us to stop by his shop so he could write out her name in Chinese for us for free. Well, we went and we were there for over an hour and a half. This guy was a riot! He did Olivia's name beautifully while we looked around his shop grabbing a few things here and there, then we got talking. And let-me-tell-ya, this guy can talk....a lot. But, it was great! He was hilarious and just about the most animated guy I've ever met. He told us all these stories about when his shop used to be next door to the Polish Embassy and near the US Consulate. At one point, Jason noticed the open book in front of him and although it was all in Chinese, somehow Jay asked him if it was a Bible. Jordan said yes, it was and he said he was a Christian. We told him that we were too. Well, you'd have thought we just told him he won the lottery. He stood up and hugged Jason and I both and said Oh, God bless you....oh, that's wonderful. Then he went and hugged Olivia and said 'she will be Christian too' He was just so excited to hear that. He talked about his church near his home and how he reads the Bible in between customers because it gives him energy for his soul. He was just a great, great person. I wish I could have recorded that whole conversation so you could see him. What a neat guy. On a side note, we found out there is a Catholic Church only a few blocks from the hotel. It has daily mass, so we will go on Sunday morning. That should be really interesting because it will be in Chinese. I wish I could take the flip with me, but I don't think that would be very reverent. :)

So, before I sign off I have to say that tonight I actually ate something Chinese. I ordered sweet and sour chicken at Lucy's. It was actually the best thing I've had there yet.

Jason also ventured away from the traditional western menu choices and ordered.......enchiladas. hahahaha!!

Anyone wanna guess what our little princess ate?

Day Two with Miss Olivia

It's been 48 hours since we met our little Livi and I can honestly say it's gone better than we could have even imagined. I realize this may be a bit of a honeymoon period, but I really think this wonderful disposition of hers is here to stay. She is the sweetest thing ever.

She fell asleep last night about 10pm and didn't wake up until 8am. She didn't wake up looking scared this morning like she did yesterday. I can't remember if I mentioned this, but she was shaking so much the first day we got her and yesterday morning that I actually became worried that there may be something wrong with her rather than just being afraid. She was visibly shaking to the point where she could barely hang on to anything. Last night and today though she hasn't done it at all....this makes me relieved and sad at the same time. Relieved because I know it was because she was afraid.....and sad because I know it was because she was afraid. Poor little thing.

Today, she has been so much fun. She has been playful and smiley. She's interacting with us more when we play with her.....like pointing to stuff she wants, copying us when we are doing something, and smiling when we play with her. It's all such great signs that she's starting to trust us.

After breakfast (which she didn't eat much of but did have some.....I was smarter and started her with buns and congee this time) we decided to brave the streets and go do some shopping. We asked a couple at breakfast (there are a lot of other American couples here for adoptions as well) where a good place to go was. We told the bellboy at the front of the hotel where we wanted to go so he could tell our taxi driver. After that, we just get in the cab and hope he takes us to the right place. He did, but it was on the other side of the road and we didn't realize that at first. So, we roamed around the streets and vendors for a while looking for the place the couple at breakfast had described....and after about an hour, we finally found what we were looking for. A huge mall about 5 stories high. What you can't even see in the picture is that there are hallways going deeper between the stores...this place was enormous and you can get lost in a heartbeat. I was thinking though that if I were someone who did bead work or made jewelry, I'd be in heaven. The amount of beads and gems and strings of God-knows-what were ENDLESS. I mean endless. It was utterly amazing how many stores there were that carried, basically, the same thing.....and tons of it.

At the far end of the mall we walked out to what looked like a Times Square of China. It was big and loud and busy, full of huge ads, and it was very cool. We had some lunch at McDonalds....why not....and then headed back to our hotel. We had to show the taxi driver our room key since it had the name of our hotel in Chinese and then, once again, got in and hoped he was taking us to the right place.

At 3pm we met Lucy, our guide, and went to the police station to apply for Livi's passport and get her photo taken for it. She's gonna have her own little passport......am I the only one who thinks that is just stinkin' cute?

Since getting back at about 4:30, we've just been hanging out in the room. We aren't walking around outside because it's been raining and cold all day. We decided to order in Papa John's......I know, Helen, we're in China.....haha.......but hey, there's comfort in pizza from home. Jason actually walked over to Lucy's (the restaurant, not the guide.....hehe) and got some chicken congee to-go. What can I say, she has very particular.....and narrow....taste. Hey, it works. He got 2 bowls and she ate 1 1/2. It's almost 8pm now and she's been playing sooooo great all evening. Just checking out all her new toys and learning what they all do. She and Jason had the cutest play time feeding the baby's their bottles. She was adorable and Jay was eating it up.

She's just been a total joy and we've so loved watching her get more relaxed with each passing hour. I can't wait to see how much she continues this way in the week to come.

Day One with Miss Olivia

It's our official first full day with our Miss Livi and she's been great. Last night we gave her a formula bottle all warmed up and that did the trick. She just didn't like that the water I was trying to give her earlier was room temp.

So she had a bath........

a nice bottle.........

and then fell asleep in my lap.

I wondered if that was the first time she'd ever been cuddled to sleep. It won't be the last, this I know. She slept from about 9:30pm to 6:30 this morning which was wonderful! I actually was wide awake at 5:30 (I know, soooo not like me, but it's been that way every day since we arrived) and read for a bit before she got up.

I could tell when she woke that she had forgotten where she was. She looked frightened and unsure. I picked her up and held her for a while trying to reassure her and remind her of yesterday's events. I gave her a bottle and we got ready to go eat. At breakfast, she was not liking what I picked out for her. The congee was gone for the moment, so I got some warm oatmeal with a little syrup....she didn't like that. I tried some scrambled eggs....the face she made was priceless. I gave her some cut up banana.....she couldn't spit it out quick enough. So, by the time the congee had been refilled and I got her some, along with some steamed buns (two things we know she likes), she did not trust anything I was trying to put in her mouth anymore. She just turned her head and refused to even try. Okay, mom....lesson learned. Fill her with the things she knows and likes first.....then try the new things. Got it.

We met our guide, Lucy, in the lobby at 9:30 to go back to the Civil Affairs Office and do some paperwork. That only took about an hour and then we were back at the hotel by 11:00.

When we got back to the room, I gave her a bottle again with some rice cereal in it. I'd love to give her more food stuff, but at this point, I'm going with what works so she can get her nutrition. She fell asleep and I put her down for a nap.

About an hour later, she woke up and seemed upset. I picked her up and noticed she had a messy diaper. Then I realized she had a VERY messy diaper. It also occurred to me that she had quite a fever. Her cheeks were pitch red and she was steaming. I got her cleaned up and changed and tried to give her some Tylenol. She took it okay, but she wasn't crazy about it. I just held her and she fell back to sleep again.....this was at about 1:30....and she slept until 4:30. I was glad she slept so long, even if it does mean we might be up late tonight, because of her not feeling well....she needed the rest. Well, she woke up like a different girl. She has been totally fine. No fever, no diarrhea and more smiley than we've seen her yet. She's really being playful too......she loves the musical doll from Aunt Mindy. Talk about a difference from just a few hours ago. I'm so glad. I would have hated to have her stay sick for a long time. I really think it's just a response to everything that has happened to her in the last 24 hours. It's been some pretty heavy duty adjusting for this little one. And with so much still to go, I just hope we can make her feel safe and loved. She's just precious.