Sunday in Guangzhou

We started our Sunday off right by worshipping on Shamian Island.  It was a most powerful and moving experience. It definitely made me think of how heaven will be!! The service was in Mandarin & English. There were mostly Chinese people worshipping along with a few other adoptive families.  We had the chance to talk with a few of our Chinese sisters & brothers in Christ - wonderful time sharing the love of the Father among people of another country and culture.  

Love my big pink bow - Mrs. Jennifer!  Thank you :)

I was in tears from the moment we arrived at the church. Katie thought that was hysterical- thus the close up- thanks KT!

We did not find a red couch at the White Swan Hotel this time but we did find a pink chair!  We made this our new tradition. Lucy Rose was not liking the photo session so our pictures are not very good.

Note the bubbles in the photo - trying to coax a smile out of our girl. She was not having that!

Katie pretended to be a model - which is the current trend for Shamian Island - lots of models & photographers all around the island. We had fun despite the incredible heat & humidity!

Katie was a star today - lots of girls & guys asked to have their picture made with her. She had so much fun talking with all of these girls.

Lucy Rose's first taste of ice cream.  She definitely was not used to the cold temperature. It was mango ice cream which was quite tasty.

Katie & Lucy Rose bonding over soda at Subway!

Thanks Mrs. Lynne for my adorable dress : ). 

Making our way back to the hotel after spending all day on the island.  

Lucy Rose and I ate dinner alone as Katie has made a new friend from South Dakota & they were having fun at the pool.  This little girl ate chicken, broccoli, saltines, & nachos. Said no thanks to the fruit again. Baby steps!

A rainy Monday at Safari Park

Our Monday morning started bright and early at 7:30 when we left our hotel for the U.S. consulate. The adoption of Lucy Rose is finalized now by both the Chinese and the U.S. Governments.  Once we land in San Francisco, she will be a U.S. Citizen!  After our Consulate appointment, we headed to Safari Park. The weather was not ideal,  and it rained the. whole. time.  We had fun despite the rain and loved seeing so many of God's magnificent creatures up close and in mostly natural settings.  Our favorites were, of course, the pandas!

The only panda triplets in the world - Born right here in Guangzhou at Safari Park on July 29, 2014.  

The elephant show was very well done, and it provided shelter from the rain which was a nice bonus after walking for several hours in the nasty weather!  ( I was tired but not as tired as I look in this picture)

A Day of Firsts

Lucy Rose discovered today that she loves these Chinese sugared doughnuts and her Jie Jie, Katie.  Before today, Lucy Rose has only let Katie hold her for very brief periods of time before she started crying for me. As her trust develops, she is learning that Katie will not take her from me and that I will be here - every time. It is so sweet watching these two interact. They make each other laugh - a lot!! 

And she ate . . . A lot!!! Finally!  Lucy Rose loves ham and ate almost 2 pieces at breakfast and gobbled down a whole doughnut. We offered fruit but that was not to her liking at breakfast.  Lunch was in our room today with good ole Ramen noodles and banana - 1st fruit she ate for us.  Dinner was at Fadinio's pizza near the China Hotel - this was our 2nd meal there, and it did not disappoint. Lucy loved the Four cheese pizza and potato wedges as much as we did!

Katie loved having Lucy Rose fall asleep in her arms for a nap for the first time today. It was only 10:45 am so neither of us expected her to fall asleep - but she did.

1st time at the pool- Lucy Roses's bathing suit ( along with most of her current clothing, was way too big but better too big than too small!).  Lucy Rose never got all the way in, but she seemed to enjoy splashing around at the edge.

Another 1st - trying to climb onto the table. I think this picture sums up where our girl is- she is feeling confident with us and is ready to try new things . . . Learning to trust and perhaps love!

Shaman Island

My stomach is not feeling too great at the moment 😕 so this will be a brief recap of our day- we headed to Shaiman Island to do some shopping and had a great time. The island is by far my most favorite part of China.  Katie was here 8 years ago but sadly did not remember much at all.  We met a nice young man at the White Swan Hotel  who was so kind and helpful to us as we struggled to find a taxi to take us back to our hotel. I know the Lord placed Steven in our paths to help us in our time of need. The taxi driver who took us to the island did not use the meter and charged us double the fair rate. I knew it but was helpless to do anything.  Thankfully our ride back to our hotel was for half the price of the ride over.  

Lucy Rose is amazing us each day. She is already taking steps alone and can do amazing things with her left hand / 2 fingers!  She is not eating nearly enough though. For dinner, maybe 4 bites which were so tiny I should probably say 2 bites. Prior to adoption, her diet consisted of congee, watery rice broth, and bottles of formula. I am praying she begins to eat a more well balanced diet. Skittles and teddy grahams go down fine so she certainly has the ability to chew and swallow. She just isn't wanting to do much of it!  Please say a prayer for my tummy issues and for all 3 of us who have a touch of a cold and for Lucy Rose to start eating. Thanks for following along and for praying for us!

Day 4 - Medical Exam & Baiyun Mountain

Lucy Rose had her medical exam done today in order to get her visa to enter the U.S. Of course, she was not very happy about being poked & prodded by a stranger.  She is quite a peanut - 7.7 kg or 17 pounds and 76 cm.  She actually is smaller than Lilly was at her adoption but Lilly was 4 months younger & had a heart defect to explain her low weight. Hopefully Lucy Rose will put on some serious pounds once we get home. Katie has introduced Lucy Rose to Oreos & Skittles so far.

Next Katie and I decided to be adventurous as we have been quite bored sitting around the hotel so much. After we finished the medical appointment, we had our driver take us to Baiyun Mountain also known as White Cloud Mountain. I had never heard of it until this trip when I asked our guide to tell me of some places to visit that aren't typically on adoptive families itinerary. I am so glad we went - it provided some magnificent views of the city despite the smog!  We took a cable car up and walked back down. We certainly got our e excise for the day!  Thankfully we had no trouble finding a taxi to take us back to our hotel.

Missing the blue skies of South Carolina & definitely missing David & the children! Only 6 more days!