Still sweating in Guangzhou!

Ne Hao! I think that is Chinese for Hello! I probably spelled it wrong but at this point I don't care! We are finally in beautiful Guangzhou, China. It is really gorgeous on the island. We are staying at the infamous White Swan hotel which blows the White Rose in Wuhan out of the water! Our room overlooks the Pearl River (which is the 3rd largest river in China). It reminds me of home minus the Vegas style lights on the mainland. Guangzhou reminds me a little bit of New Orleans in that there are shop-lined streets and lots of Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The humidity, I'm sure, rivals New Orleans. It is definitely not as hot here as it was in Wuhan, but the humidity takes the cake. I am sweating in places I didn't know you could sweat. When we return to the hotel room we are soaked to the bone in sweat. It can be miserable but we are acclimating to it.

Lilli did fantastic on the plane ride from Wuhan to Guangzhou. She loved take-off but the vibration of the plane took over and lulled her to sleep. I was grateful as there were two screaming babies. I hope she does well on the long plane ride to Chicago. It is a 14 hour flight. We tried to book an extra seat, but the flight is already booked. I'm really dreading the long flight with the spicy one. (We have dubbed our travel group as the Spice Girls because of all of our Hubei babies and the 'tudes they are showing.)

We arrived at the White Swan at about 10:00 P.M. It had been a long day of traveling. Lilli was a trooper. She kept herself entertained most of the time and the other times we were shoving Cheerios down her throat! Ha! When we got to our room, there was a fireworks display going on over the river. It was a spectacular sight. Lilli was captivated and squealed with delight. We held her in the window and she watched in fascination. The loud noises did not bother her a bit. Even the vibrations of the windows didn't phase her. I'm telling you, she is a little daredevil!

The buffet this morning was the best food we have had since we've been in China. There were so many selections. I did miss the the multi-colored ox tripe and the preserved duck feet however! Ha! I had two BIG slices of french toast that were so fluffy! I was in heaven. I can't wait to get back to the states and have a steak with a baked potato and to be able to eat a salad. I like rice and noodles, but I am ready for American food made in America! We had lunch at a place called Lucy's today. It is an American grill. I ordered a Hawaiian Chicken and Pineapple grilled sandwich. It was decent. Everybody else had a hamburger and most really enjoyed it. We got a grilled cheese for the girls to split. Lilli's buddies Brenna and Hope liked the grilled cheese. Lilli wasn't too sure anbout it at first, but she ended up chowing on it. These girls have probably never had cheese (Angela, take deep breaths). We had pizza in Wuhan and Lilli liked the bread and sauce, but pulled the cheese off. I think the melted cheese on the sandwich may have been more to her liking.

We still can't get Lilli to take any formula or milk. Tonight I made some formula and sweetened it with sugar and she took one or two sips and was done. She also doesn't like many vegetables. She ate two or three bites of carrot at lunch today and ate a piece of celery. I bought a jar of mashed veggies tonight at the "grocery" store so hopefully she will eat that. We have also discovered that she really doesn't like sweet things. (I know, Angela, she is going to have a hard time fitting in to this family--no cheese or sweets!) We had dinner at a Thai restaurant this evening and ordered sweet and sour chicken. She took one bite of it and handed it off to Todd. What she enjoyed was the spicy curry chicken and some shrimp. They brought out these things called shrimp biscuits and I thought they tasted like something I would feed my goldfish. Lilli and her buddy Hope loved them! They were cramming them in their mouths. What a sight! These girls are bottomless pits and will eat all day long.

One thing I have discovered that I really like is bean paste. It sounds horrible but there are so many ways you can prepare it. Lilli loves it too. I must learn how to make the dumplings that she enjoys so much. Most of the ones she likes are stuffed with meat. She is definitely a meat and bread kind of girl. I can't wait to give her mashed potatoes (Michael don't worry--I won't be making them!)

Things are going fairly smoothly. I am ready to go home but I think I can persevere a few more days. We only have four full days left. In a way it is kind of sad to leave her home but it is definitely time to get her home and into a routine. I need my routine, too! I'm done brushing my teeth with bottled water and doing dishes in the bathroom sink. I miss my puppies, too.

Tomorrow we visit a Jade factory and go to a Buddhist temple. They will perform a blessing over the babies if we want to.

We did some shopping today. We bought an outfit for Lilli (a Chinese outfit) for when she is a little older (probably 5). Todd loved it and went in to haggle the price. I have bought Lilli 7 pairs of shoes! We have three pink pairs, two white, one lavender, and a pale yellow. She also has the pair that she came from the orphanage in. They were way too big. She is so petite that she wears the smallest shoe size available. The shoes are dirt cheap here so I can't help but buy several pairs!

I know there is more that I want to write, but I need to go to bed. Oh, we had our medical exam today and Lilli weights 19.3 pounds and is 29 inches long.