Greetings from Guangzhou

We have finally arrived at the last stop of our little China journey-- Guangzhou!!!  Home of the U.S consulate.  So this is where our final paperwork will be done and by the time we leave on Thursday we will have a passport and visa for Kaylee.  Guanzhou is actually on an island so it has a very tropical feel and warm weather.  So if Nanchang was like New York City on crack - Guanzhou is more like a Florida beach town.  We are staying at the White Swan Hotel which is where everyone who adopts from China stays during the last part of their trip.  Therefore, there are all of these little shops around the hotel that cater to westerners who are adopting.  There is even a Starbucks!!!! and yes, we have already been there.  Today we went to the pearl market.  Envision a shopping mall with merchants who sell nothing but pearls.  Our guide took us to her favorite shop and we got to watch as they strung the pearls we bought.  We purchased a string of pearls which we had made into a necklace and earrings.  Most everyone in our group chose the colored pearls as opposed to the traditional ivory pearls.  So Kaylee will have jade from Beijing, porcelain from Nanchang (which is what the Jiangxi province is known for) and pearls from Guanzhou.  Also, Kevin purchased a set of chopsticks to be used for special occasions such as when we celebrate the Chinese New Year with Kaylee.  Evidently Chinese people have everyday chopsticks and special occasion chopsticks just like we have dishes for everyday and china for special occasions. 

Kaylee is doing well despite some of our ill attempts at parenthood.  She seems to be getting more comfortable with us each day and allowing us to see her true personality.  She seems to be a happy baby, but we have had some meltdowns.  Usually though it is our fault-- we don't have her bottle ready, we interrupt nap time, or it takes us too long to get her onesie off over her head.  In the short week that Kevin and I have had the honor to be Kaylee's parents, we have learned some valuable lessons-- never allow a bottle or anything that resembles a bottle to be out in plain sight for the baby to catch a glimpse of or she will think it is bottle time even if she just had a bottle 15 minutes ago.  Also, it is very important to never ever be caught without snack food such as cheerios and each time it seems that a meltdown is imminent start shoveling the snack food in the baby's mouth.  I am not saying this is the best way to win parent of the year award.  We have just learned this is the best way to survive 2 weeks in a foreign country with a new baby.   Interestingly enough, turns out Kaylee's favorite food thus far is banana bread.  Yep, turns out banana bread is a main staple on breakfast buffets in China-- at least breakfast buffets that cater to westerners.

It is hard to believe that our China journey is winding down.  When we first arrived in this amazing country on April 1, we were given a pretty long itinerary including scheduled tours, paperwork, governmental appointments, etc. but we have almost come to the end of our list.  Actually, the few things left are the good things.  We just received word that everyone's Visa paperwork was approved without any issues so tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday) we go to the U.S Consulate to take the group oath.  Then, Wednesday morning the babies in our group take their red couch photo at the hotel-- I know most people don't know what that is so I will comment more on it in my next blog.  And then Thursday, we come home-- a family of 3!!!!

Well, I had the choice to post pictures of all of the temples we have been visiting in China or post more pictures of Kaylee-- Hope you don't mind, but I chose to post more pictures of our baby girl!!!