Grand Guangzhou

Today was another day to relax and wait for our consulate appointment which is Tuesday.  So we headed out with our guide and three other adoptive families to do a little shopping.

It rained everyday we were in Chongqing so this is really the first sunny day we've had with him.  He squinted in the sun so we tried some sunglasses on him.  They lasted long enough for us to get a good laugh and one funny picture.

Pearl market:

Mobile Sugar came juice stand.  I really wanted to try it but someone who had before said it would not be a good idea.  I didn't ask any more questions.

We visited the Chen Essential Hall which is a beautiful building built over a hundred years ago as a school for the Chen family.  Now it serves as a museum and market where artists create beautiful Chinese art.

This artist only paints using his hand and finger to apply the paint.  He uses a small brush pto sign the art but that's it.  It was fascinating to watch him.

Here's a painting of The Great WAll he did while we watched.  Everything was applied by placing his hand in the liquid ink and stamping different parts of his hand and fingers on the paper.

Brad took the kids (we have three now!!!) on a snack picnic while I ordered 'chops' for each of them.  Chops are special hand carved stamps made of jade.  I ordered one for each child with their English name on top and Chinese translation name under it.  James has his Chinese name (Li Jiao) under James.  It's something unique to China that we wante each of them to have.  I'll post a picture when I get them tomorrow.

This is a very exciting moment right here! James watching his first ever Alabama football highlight!  He really seemed to like it and could tell how excited we were to hear Bama had won.  He was glad he hadn't worn his crimson all day for nothing.

Later we had a nice walk around our hotel's garden on the way to the pool:

Today is officially the day I realized we have a two year old again.  Mainly because I only did about 6 different activities with James all day but we did them 87 times each.  We opened and closed that door over and over and over. We flipped on the bed over and over and over.  We picked up the stacking cups he threw down over and over and over.  It's amazing how much more you enjoy it when you know it doesn't last forever.  Or maybe I just have more patience because this is the first day he really did it. :)

Either way, I'm so thankful to have a two year old again.  So precious, so funny, so cute, so innocent, so full of wonder.  So thankful.

Great Guangzhou

Yesterday, Friday, was another traveling day.  All three kiddos played in the room while Brad and I packed all our bags up.

Cutie patootie here loves just about any and every toy we give him.  And while he is still content to sit and play, he is also starting to really be busy.  We are so grateful that he is starting to feel more comfortable with us to be himself.

His smile is quite possibly the cutest I've ever seen.  And this is his smile when he has something in his mouth...Which is most always.  Have I mentioned how much he eats?  Constantly.  Which I'm very happy about because I'd much prefer him eating lots than not eating as some children do during this stressful time.  Yet I'm also sure his is a reflection on his changing circumstances as well.  He eats all the time because he can.  At his orphanage we saw one nanny feeding lunch to all the toddlers out of one bowl.  All 5 or 6 of them stood at her feet waiting their turn for another spoonful of rice.  I do believe that James was well-fed there but that he was never secure about how much food he'd get or when it he'd get fed.

So for right now, we'll happily let him eat all he wants. :)

Ok, on to traveling.  We sat in the Chongqing airport for several hours as our flight was delayed a couple of times.

Can I just stop and brag on these two?!  This trip is not for the faint, the weary, or the wimpy.  These two have had to wait in more lines, try more new things, and have been asked to be patient more in the last 10 days that in the last 10 months.  They have done it so well and with very minimal whining.  They continue to politely pose for pictures with strangers and they truly adore their little brother.  They are really missing their own beds, space, and toys yet the continue to have fun and roll with whatever we tell them we'e doing for the day.  I'm so proud.

These two were happy about some Chinese McDonalds- our first since being here.  

We got to our hotel in Guangzhou around 11pm Friday night.  It was late and we were sooooo tired.  

It had been such a long day and late night that the girls stayed with brad while I took James to his medical exam.  This exam is conducted by Chinese government but is a required step to get our US Visa.

He has no idea what's coming. :(  

The doctor spoke Mandarin to him so he seemed to understand what he was going to do and was fine with it.  Honestly though, he was probably content because he was in my lap.  I'm so very, very thankful that James wants to be with me.  He definitely feels secure and safe when I'm holding him which is such an answered prayer.  If someone takes him away this happens....

Just look at that red face!

He didn't mind his ENT visit at all - maybe because he got to sit in my lap or Maybe because it consisted on looking into a flashlight, doctor looking in his mouth and hearing the doctor squeak that cute bunny toy on his desk.  Eyes work? Check.  Mouth work? Check. Ears work? Check. Done.

He also had to have blood drawn to test for TB which was no fun.  He held his arm up for me to kiss it the rest of the day like a little wounded solider.

We got back, went to the store, picked up fried rice for lunch and met Brad and the girls in the room.

Then I had to go to a paperwork meeting with a few other families who are here at the same time.  My friend Amy took this pic to document what really might be the LAST piece of paperwork I'll do for this adoption.  4 trees and 20 months later...we are almost DONE with paperwork! Whoop whoop!

I also have to stop and brag on James.  Can you believe that he is standing by himself listening to music on an iPod with his sister!  That sentence would have been impossible to say just 5 short days ago.  He has been so brave and so resilient as he has endured such tremendous change this week.  We can't believe how much progress he has made emotionally and physically in less than a week.   We wish all of you could be here to witness it as we do.  Now it hasn't been without challenges but we are counting everything as pure joy right now because We are amazed and so thankful with how well he is doing.

We ended the day with MEXICAN food.  I guess you could say that Mexican food is American food to our family we eat it that much.  So we were so thrilled to get super full on chips and salsa.  It was super yummy.

A wonderful day.

Today was just what the doctor ordered...relaxed and fun.  It also turned out to be the Day of Many Firsts for James.

First we headed with the other adoptive family and our new wonderful friends The Abells to the very lovely Chongqing Zoo (James' first trip  to a zoo).  Guess what we saw?

Yep!!  Pandas!

Sweet, beautiful, plump panda bears.

It really is such a pretty zoo.

Random statue- sweet picture.

Roll Tide!  (I just had to)

My view.  He is being tickled by the palm leaves..pretty sure it was his first for this too. 

Afterwards, he was carried by Daddy for the first time to his first trip to see the Papa. (John that is).

This guy loves to count and organize.  So he did both with every single puff we brought.  

Remember Monchichi's?  They are STILL cool in China.  Along with Hello Kitty, Dora, SpongeBob, and now Minions from Dispicable Me.

 

So we went back to the crazy store to buy swim caps...more on that later.  I got to take some pictures this time.

These are giant grapefruit that come from the WanZhou area.  You can by one like these that have been gentley carved into bunnies to give as a present or to enjoy it as a centerpiece before eating it.

You can also touch all the raw meat in order to select just the right cut.

Or pick up a tentacle to try.

Many of the little creature in these shells were still moving around.

But they weren't moving bear as much as the fish and eels in these tanks.

These poor little crabs were all tied up and couldn't move at all.

Thank goodness for the 5x5 glass cube these BULLFROGS were in or they'd just hop away.

You can imagine how horrified my frog-loving girls were to see the frogs.  Lillianna asked me (in all seriousness) if we could please buy them all so no one could eat them.  'Thats so mean and unfair!'

I asked her to think about how all these chickens felt. :)

I almost bought some chicken feet to make keychain souvenirs but I realized I didn't bring my hot glue gun to China.

I love the giant bins of rice.  I kinda really love this store.  Seriously, four rows over from the chicken, you can buy a man's suit.

Then we went for ice cream and we tried the green tea flavor which LaLa and I thought was delicious. Ebug...not so much.

Up on the wall- instructions in using the fire extinguisher.  I love the super friendly, cartoon character.  Most public signs are like this- designed for 6 year olds to read.  Which is really funny on the highway.  I saw one that indicated the height of an upcoming bridge...by showing a cartoon giraffe driving a car.  Love it.

Jiao Jiao missed this 'first' since he was snoozing.  Good thing the Parsons eat a lot of ice cream!  He can try it tomorrow.

Can you tell me what's funny about these elevator numbers?  Oh, I'll just tell you.  There's no 4.  No fourth floor or 14th or 24th.  The number 4 is that unlucky in China.  So glad I'm the third daughter.

This guy woke up and was so happy to see his cars.

Homework time!

And then Swimming time! See why we needed the swim caps.  Except we couldn't find them so I bought shower caps and then we acted surprised when the hotel pool lady explained the difference.  She felt sorry for the children of such confused parents and let us swim anyway. 

James actually has one because our friends let us borrow it.  This was a big first for him since his first time in a big bathtub was just a few days ago.  He had been sponge bathed in a sink at the orphanage.  He LOVES the bath!  He just sort of liked the pool.  I think he takes after his Mom who also prefers warm water. 

Then we came back for a quiet night in the room.  James really started coming out his shell by scooting, crawling, and cruising all over the room.  He also LOVED for me to stand him on his head and flip him over.  He would crawl up the my lap and then bend backwards for me to ease him down to a head stand a flip him over and then he lays there and giggles.  Then gets up, still giggling and crawls back for more. He is loving all the physical activity he is getting!  We are loving how much he loves it!

He looks so big and (so cool) here.  Big deal for him to be standing all by himself. He's still very wobbly in his foot so I've got to be there...he falls easily.

We stayed up so Lillianna couldfacetime with her 2nd grade class in Arkansas.

Isn't technology wonderful?  They were so cute and have been so excited for Lillianna and for James.  What a blessing!

Another wonderful day for us.  We are so grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.  No doubt they are carrying us through this adventure.  We are loving our time here but starting to wish we could be at home wth James.  We leave Friday afternoon (China time) and fly to Guanzhou China where we will be til Thursday the 24th.  We are there to pick up James' US Visa so he can travel back to US.  Won't be long til we will really be home!!