September 17, 2008

Jade is able to sit up on her own now. She has enjoyed the "Swan Room," which is a play room at our hotel sponsored by Mattel. She doesn't know how to play with toys - but she is starting to learn. She doesn't grasp many things, and does not feed herself. Her hand coordination has gotten much stronger in the past week, and her legs are very strong. She pulls herself to a standing position, but still doesn't crawl.

She is just starting to like a bath, as long as it is a quick one. She will learn to like long baths like mommy! She has mongolian spots on her lower back and bottom. These look like black and blue mark,s but they are typical of skin on asian babies. Our guide tells us 95% of the babies lose these before they are grown - 5% keep them for life. Some children have them on their face, so we are lucky hers can all be covered by clothing.

I am still trying to teach her to say "mama," but so far no words.

This morning we had to wait in the hotel until 11am to be sure our adoption documents were all accepted. We got a call at about 11:30 from our guide saying our documents have all been approved at the embassy, and tomorrow we will take the "oath" at 2:45PM. After that, there is nothing more to do. She is ours!

 

 

We have heard the news that there is a typhoon about to hit Japan. We have to change planes in Japan on Friday morning. This will be Thursday night in the USA. Please keep us in your prayers. We don't want a delay. All of us want to come home so much. I miss EMILY!

I like to cross my fingers.

My feet aren't as big as they looked in my referral photo!

This afternoon we went shopping with Ann of Red Thread China. She knows all the best shopping places and can get the best deals. We really enjoyed Ann! If you are coming to Guangzhou, give her a call. In Guangzhou her number is 13560415351. She went through piles and piles of pearls and picked the very best ones for us. I had 3 necklaces made for Megan, Emily, & Jade and earrings to match. They are all hand knotted and of the best quality.
Ann also looked through several jade bracelets and found the one with the best clarity for me. I love it! I can't imagine trying to maneuver these markets on my own. She showed us all the "fakes," and then took us to the authentic.

Waiting adoptive families should consider bringing all the cash you wish to spend. Using your credit card is a pain. Most places don't take it, and those who do want a 3% surcharge. Getting a cash advance is a long painstaking process as well and a 3% surcharge is added. The cash flows faster than you would think!

Tonite we had dinner at the Italian restaurant in town. The end of the name is Vita. Sorry, I can't remember the rest. The food is very good. Prices are about the same as home. Things in China are not cheap in my opinion. I suppose you could eat inexpensively if you ate more of the local fare and didn't seek out American food.

At any rate, the costs have been more than we anticipated.

I spoke with a shop worker today who told me she earns $600 RMB per month. That is less than $100 USD. Phil was told the "average" income for the locals is $2400-$3000 per year. We really don't know how fortunate we are.

Phil babysat this afternoon so we girls could go shopping. I can tell Jade has had fun, and she is all worn out!

Tomorrow is our last day in China.

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