Resort Life

This morning at breakfast, Doug asked me what day it was. I thought about it for a minute, realized I had no idea, and turned to Jerry. He looked at me blankly, and said, "Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?" Then we both started laughing, because it was such a weird feeling not to know. I think Doug thought we were nuts.

Doug and Ryan are watching the goldfish in the lobby pond after breakfast.



Today was a lovely, relaxing day, with no "adoption business." I think it has finally sunk in how good we have it here at the White Swan. Here is the view of the Pearl River from our room.



While the kids & Jerry played in the room this morning, my mom and I did some more shopping. Doug's shirt says "ge ge", which means "older brother" in Chinese. We wanted him to wear it yesterday, during our pictures, but he refused.



Zoe has really found her legs in the last day and a half. She is walking all over the place. Click here to see video of Zoe walking with Doug and Katie.

For lunch, we went to a delicious Thai restaurant around the corner. After Zoe napped, we headed to the pool, which is right on the river, and really beautiful.





I am sure neither of the girls has ever been in a pool before. Molli took to the water right away, and began splashing around. Zoe took a little bit longer, but was soon splashing and laughing.









A few days ago, Don discovered this BBQ/buffet dinner out near the pool. He said it smelled wonderful, so we decided to try it tonight. There was a spread of raw meat, fish, and vegetables, you picked out what you wanted, and they grilled it for you. There was also salad, baked potatoes, fresh fruit, and delicious desserts. It was the perfect night for sitting outside, enjoying the cool breezes off the Pearl River, watching the boats go up and down, and eating great food. We learned Zoe likes creme brulee, but is not so fond of baked potatoes!



The blue lights in the background (below) are all along the other side of the river.



Tomorrow is our last full day in Guangzhou. We have our consulate appointment with Zoe in the afternoon. We all miss home, but I think we are going to miss this place when we leave!

A Proud Grandpa

Marie and Joe have been sending their "impressions" of our trip to family and friends via e-mail. Here is an excerpt from one of Joe's e-mails that I particularly enjoyed:

Speaking of cute, I really haven’t spent much time giving you
my impressions of the reason for this trip, Molli and Zoe.
As a very proud grandpa, I obviously think that we got the
best two babies in the hotel (and there must be over a hundred
here).

Their progress reminds me of time lapse photography where a
flower blossoms before your eyes.  I think that when these
kids are first turned over, they’re somewhat traumatized by
the event(who wouldn’t be?) and they shut down somewhat.
But as they get used to their new situation, they “blossom”
quickly, showing “new” skills and personality by the hour.

Both are now walking, babbling (a few discernable words like
“mama”), smiling, mimicking your movements and interacting
with all of us.  They come to me with open arms and a big
smile – adorable, lovable and (yes I guess I can use the
word) cute. Some of the babies here seem to have locked onto
a single person and won’t let anybody else near them.  Some
new parents(for them this adoption is their first and only
experience with a baby) are having a hard time with them
crying a lot and doing what babies do.

I can’t exactly claim that Molli and Zoe like me best, but I
am the only one of our group where they can rub my face with
gray whiskers and pat my round belly. Grandpas are special
that way.

Joe