Rainy Day

Jin Bei woke up quite content this morning, which made us all smile. She did well at breakfast too. This morning was our Consualte appointment. So our guide, Helen, dropped off all our paperwork for us. This meant we had to hang out in our hotel room until 11:30am, just to be sure there were no problems with our paperwork.

After Helen called us to confirm everything looked great, we decided to head over to Shamian Island to drop off laundry and do some shopping. Since it was raining pretty hard, we took a taxi over. Jin Bei decided she wasn't interested in mommy holding her today. So Baba had his work cut out for him. We dropped off our laundry and then got some lunch at the Deli Shop. I had a delicious spicy beef soup. Jin Bei thought it was delicious, too, as she helped me finish it off. Although she was not in to me holding her, she at least let me feed her. So I wasn't totally in the dog house.

After lunch, we headed over to Sherri's Place and Jenny's Place to buy some squeaky shoes and dresses. We bought Jin Bei several dresses and squeaky shoes in different sizes. We also got Caleb a Ch*inese gong, and Patrick picked up a few plaques for his office.

Since the rain had let up some, we decided to walk back to the hotel through the pet and spice markets. I really enjoy this time, as it gives us a glimpse into the real daily life of the Ch*inese people. Jin Bei let me hold her in the carrier on our walk back, but she didn't fall asleep. But since she was so tired, we thought we'd try to lay her down for a nap. To our great surprise and relief, she willingly laid down on my chest and went right to sleep. What a moment!

At 5:45pm, we met up with our group and Helen to try some dim sum. Julie and Derek invited another family they met in their province. So there were 4 families in all. Helen did a great job ordering for us. Jin Bei tried everything I fed her. She didn't like the shrimp dumpling or the jelly vegetable "thing" local to Guangzhou. But she devoured her fried rice, the bok choy, and the spring roll. All in all, we had a lovely evening.

Tonight at bedtime, we experienced our first....first night of absolutely no crying! It was awesome. Jin Bei was a little roudy when we got back to our room because she was so tired (and had quite a full belly!) She went potty and then got changed into her PJs. She grabbed her pink teddy, climbed up into bed, and reached for the devotional book and settled herself in. It was quite precious. She thought she was pretty funny, too. Since she was doing so well with Patrick today, we thought she should lay down on his chest. And she did so without crying! As expected, Caleb got a bit jealous. So we eventually transfered Jin Bei over to me. And shortly afterwards, the whole crew was asleep.

Today was one of our best days with Jin Bei as far as her tantrums go. That, of course, makes Caleb happy...and Mama and Baba too. She also had no potty accidents. So we're really proud of her. Tomorrow morning, we will attempt our red couch photos at the White Swan hotel. Then in the afternoon, we will head over to the consulate for our oath ceremony. It's hard to believe we only have 2 more days here in Ch*in@. Although I'm anxious to get back home, settle into a routine, and start homeschooling again, I am already missing Ch*in@. Every time somebody asks us where Caleb is from, and we tell them Guang*zhou, their faces light up. This city is so very special to us. It's where we first became parents almost 3 years ago to the most precious, loving boy ever. We are so grateful to this wonderful country for entrusting their children to us. We are truly humbled.

Since it rained a lot today, I didn't get to take too many photos...just a few at bedtime. So I am including a few photos from yesterday at the Six Banyan Tree Temple.

Our kids doing what they do best: eating Pringles and watching "Pleasant Goat"
Mama and her precious girl at the Six Banyan Tree Temple
That candy sure is yummy
Licking the candy wrapper clean
Spilling water all over herself and wondering how she got all wet
Playing with my lens cap
Beautiful girl
Just precious
So tired
Getting ready for bedtime devotions
Being silly at bedtime