Almost Done

Pictures: our entire travel group (12 families) in the lobby of the White Swan; the 12 babies on the infamous Red Couch (Grace is in the top middle in a black traditional outfit. Grace is the oldest baby in our travel group).

It's strange to think that we have only two days left here in China, but it's stranger still to think that little Tong Min Wei has only been in our lives for nine days. We love her so much, and it's hard to think she's been with less than two weeks.

But, she's starting to show her 13-month-old-side. She's crazy. She's feisty. She's stubborn. She's squirmy. She was so scared those first few days that she sat in our arms in total silence. She might have smiled or played a little bit in the room, but we didn't have the slightest glimpse into the real Grace. As she feels more and more comfortable, she lets out the attitude. When we first met, the plane ride home seemed so easy. She was so mellow, so willing to sit and cuddle for hours. But, that scared little Grace is gone and crazy-girl Grace has replaced her. We're glad she's comfortable and out of her shell, but now I have nightmares about the travel home.

We were about as far from home as possible today when we ventured out to the Qing Ping market. We ventured down the spice market which was full of crazy spices like dried seahorses, dried starfish and dried scorpions. It all looked so exotic. We tried to get to the live pet market (which I am assured really is a pet market) or the live food market (which has the same things as the live pet market but with a different end result for the animals), but somehow, we ventured into a large pedestrian shopping center. After a stop for lunch (which included pineapple pie... yummy), we tried to head back through more of the Qing Ping marketplace, only to find us staring at our hotel, which in the end was a sight for sore eyes as we were completely soaked from the heat.

After a nap, we headed to the White Swan hotel for the customary Red Couch Photos. Anyone inside the China adoption community knows all about the White Swan and its famous couches, but for the rest of you: All American couples adopting from China used to end up at the White Swan hotel (and most still do) as the US Consulate was only yards away. And, so, a tradition was born. Now, the Consulate is a half hour away in good traffic, but the tradition remains.

After the pictures, we headed out as a group for a Pearl River Dinner cruise. China is very into neon outlining building and signs, so it was a very pretty cruise. The food was the worst in all of China, if not in all of Asia. If you are going to drop 25 dollars on the cruise, please know that, at best, you're going to score two free cokes and some pretty sites. You will need dinner before or after the cruise. Bret and I ducked into Lucy's where I ordered a PB and J with fries for three bucks. Best three bucks ever.

Tomorrow, we're planning on doing some final shopping (I just found out my favorite store takes AMEX), and we might even try to take Grace for another swim. We'll probably head out to dinner with a few of our travel companions for one last meal, as on Thursday, we'll be spending the night on our own in Hong Kong.

Again, like last night, I have an installment of advice for future adoptive parents, so if you don't fit the bill, your read concludes now.

Advice, Part II of III

9. Have someone else take video/pictures of Gotcha moment. Your baby deserves both of you to be present and ready. Someone else can capture the moment, and even if it's not captured perfectly, you'll never forget that moment anyway.

10. The rooms in China are on these strange switches, and at the JinFeng, it was all or nothing; we couldn't really find any dim lighting. I wish I had a small flashlight (I guess I could have bought one at Walmart). Also, we have yet to have a room that has a clock. If it weren't for watches, cell phones and laptops, we would never know the time. This is going to sound silly too, but the one thing I wish I had brought or purchased (now it's too late to deal with) is a solid pair of scissors. I brought a little Swiss army thingy, but we needed scissors constantly: cutting off laundry tags, opening any bag in China (like the formula bag; it's impossible). There have been so many times that a sturdy pair of scissors would have done the trick.

11. You can find most meds in China. The sick babies were given antibiotics almost immediately, and as far as adult meds go, you can find almost anything (Tylenol is called something like panadol), but there's no Aleve. Just an FYI. I packed some adult meds, have not used a one, and found most of it at any pharmacy (especially in the port city or Guangzhou).

12. The coffee in Hong Kong, Shenzen and Guangzhou is very tolerable, even good. It's more like an Americano from Starbucks, which I love, so coffee is no problem… except in Nanchang. There was NO solution I liked, so I had to drink a diet coke with breakfast to keep the caffeine headache at bay.

13. If you have a video Ipod, bring it full of shows and movies. It took me five nights to get through a movie, but it was kind of nice to have something to veg to for twenty minutes before bed.

14. I brought Grace one sweater. Mistake. I think you need several sweaters/sweatshirts, even in summer. There were several occasions where we sat right under an air conditioner, and she needed that sweater. Then, it would go to the laundry, and I'd be draping her in a blanket. An extra sweatshirt would have solved that problem. Again, why didn't I pick one up at Walmart?

15. At the JinFeng, you'll be in a room with a great bathroom, an adequate bed and desk space, and a little alcove for the closet. This alcove has a large counter space which worked like a champ for all the baby stuff, bottles, and diapers. We have a massive room now at the Victory, but I miss that large counter space to spread out all of Grace's stuff.

16. If you plan to blog, learn how to do an email post. In addition, you can't get to the rumor queen forums, so if you're planning on checking out things (like what to do in Guangzhou), you won't be able to find it in China. Print off any interesting stuff and bring it with you.