Day 13: Guangzhou - Pictures, gardens, and playdates

It's starting to hit me that we will be headed home soon. I still find myself not believing that any of this is real. I wake up and look to my left to see the tiny little person still there and wonder when her parents are coming to get her. I suppose it takes time to get used to the idea of a permanent new person in your life.

As Kevin previously mentioned, I found Nora's sleep button and evenings are so very much easier now. We have a nice little routine. I have to quickly strip Nora of her clothes as the tub fills up before she can try to climb in the tub, she splashes around for 20 minutes or so, then it's dry-off time followed by a quick rubdown with lotion while Kevin heats her bottle. Even though she chugs down her formula in about 1 1/2 minutes she is asleep by the end of it. I rock her gently for a few minutes, carefully lay her on her back and it's night night for baby. Other than waking for a diaper change and the occasional night terror, she sleeps soundly in spite of my coughing.

I am feeling a bit better and finally got some cough syrup tonight. Apparently, you can get Robitussin in China. Of course, the instructions are all in Chinese, so I may have overdosed by accident...we'll see.

Today was blissfully underscheduled. We met in the lobby of the hotel for family pictures with the babies in traditional Chinese dress. I have to say, Nora in a red qipao with squeaky shoes and a little silver bracelet that our friends bought her was pretty adorable. She was in high spirits right until the cameras came out. Then she decided she was no one's performing monkey and immediately put on her serious face. No tears, though. After that it was time for a nap, then a quick lunch before a playdate with her little friend Shawn. The two of them are hilarious together and today was no exception. The 6 of us all have a good time together and opted to go to a nearby garden that had the best sign ever.

We enjoyed the nice weather, moderate humidity, and clean air while strolling though a beautiful garden and talking about what we are most excited to go home to and what we will miss most about China. The unanimous vote was not having to go out for every single meal. These kids seem to eat all the time and trying to come up with a place to eat 2-3 times a day is a bit taxing, particularly in this area where there aren't a ton of options.

By the end of the walk, the kids were pretty tired, so we gave them some snacks and rest time before Kevin and Jim ventured to a nearby takeout place for a very tasty dinner. A big thing of pork noodles and dumplings costs a whopping 30 rmb, or just under $5 US, so that is a bonus. We've had people ask us about food, so I will try to answer those questions. No, we are not sick of Chinese food. It is delicious and has so much variety that I don't think I could get bored after only 2 weeks. It probably helps that our breakfast buffet is huge and includes western options as well. My favorite things have been the sweet and sour chicken we had in Zhengzhou, steambuns in Beijing, and four season green beans in Zhengzhou. Basically anything we ate in Zhengzhou was amazingly good. We haven't eaten anything crazy, but we've eaten whatever someone puts in front of us. The food hasn't been terribly different than in the states. Less thick gloopy sauce and no neon pink colors. The taste is fresher and better, though.

After dinner we let the two littles run around together in the room. They decided today was the day they should form a band together. We discovered the other day that Nora is a pretty good imitator of noises and pitch. Shawn would make a little noise, then Nora would make the same noise, which set them both to giggling. It went on like this for a while and the "songs" became louder and higher. Then they set up their drum section in the bathroom, banging on the toilet lid until Nora decided to be a good friend and show Shawn how to open the lid and stick your hand in the water.

It's been great to be able to have a bit more of a routine and set some structure for Nora. I'm sure once we get home it will be even better. I was going to write more but my cough syrup is apparently a nighttime formula and has kicked in. Maybe I'll have Kevin finish up.