Day 10-Finally, Guangzhou!!!!!

  Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province, China
Sunday, December 3, 2006

Hello again! Sorry we missed an entry yesterday but it was a quiet day and after doing THREE full hours of paperwork I was fried so crispy that you wouldn't have wanted to hear what I had to say. We had to do everything to get our documents together to come here to Guangzhou so that we can get Maillie's visa to enter the United States. All that hoo-ha starts tomorrow with appointments at the clinic so that a doctor can certify that she's healthy, and at the photo shed so that we can get her head shot for her visa. But first thing tomorrow we have the very special "red couch" photos at the White Swan, where we're staying-more about that tomorrow.

So today Maillie had her first plane ride when we flew out of Nanchang and went further south right to the China Sea.

We're staying at the infamous White Swan Hotel a five star that is known for housing adoptive parents and their girls while they wait for their appointment with the Consulate, which is our final step before we can get approval to take Maillie home to North Andover. It's a beautiful hotel and the whole area is very much like being on a Disney property. When we look out our window at night (Mike changed our room so that we overlook the Pearl River) all we see is riverboats all lit up, paddling along with music playing, and the entire shoreline looks just like Las Vegas all lit up like Christmas. It's such a different atmosphere than the province we were in...when we go outside it's about 80 degrees and there's a band playing outside the hotel. Everyone in our group (those who aren't sick-more on that later)is just so happy to be here because it's one step closer to being home with our daughters. It also helps that we all feel like we're on a Caribbean vacation.

Mike came down with a respiratory infection on the plane coming here, probably caught from one of the other parents. None of the girls are sick but at least one parent in each family is sick as a dog. We had Dr. Alan who is traveling with us take a look at him and he's started Mike on antibiotics. He's also taking Maillie's Dimetapp so hopefully he'll be up for cruising around tomorrow. So, tonight Maillie and I went out alone to check out the 'hood and boy, did we have fun. Please note the lovely dresses she's sitting in the middle of in this picture, just a small sampling of the damage we did. At 5 bucks a piece who can resist? Yes, you read that right and they are really cute!



Then we went to the deli/bakery that's part of the hotel and shared a garlic roll and a strawberry cream cake. We had so much fun, and I told her that we'd be doing lots of bakery/shopping trips when we get home. Need to introduce her to the essentials early! Then we came home and we're taking care of Daddy now.

Last entry I put a picture of Michael on and he was so happy that Maillie was thinking of him, so Baby Doll here's another message from your little sister along with a picture! And guess what Michael? There's a driving range in our hotel and Daddy says he can't wait until we get home so that you and he can go to Golf Country. Good luck in your golf lesson today!!!! Only four more days and we'll be home! Love you, love you, love you lots!


We've taught Maillie to say "hi" and she was taught to wave in her foster home so now whenever we go out she waves and says "hi" to everyone. So far, her personality is good natured, bubbly, very friendly, and a little bit stubborn. She loves to be catered to which her Daddy loves to do, and I keep telling her that will stop as soon as he goes back to work. That's when Mommy Boot Camp starts. She already loves to pit Mike and me against each other. When she eats she loves to tip the saucer over which of course Mike thinks is so cute and so talented and of course I don't, so I put my hand out yesterday and said "no" and when she did it I took the saucer away. When I gave it back to her, she looked right at me, then picked up a big clump of rice and threw it on the floor, looked at Mike and started laughing.

Oh, Mike just asked me to tell you all that I've been teaching our guides swear words, and they just love it. I started with our guide Vanessa, and she was so funny writing them down along with a definition. It's a lot of fun coming up with the good ones that are kind of stupid like "wise ass", and they really get a kick out of it. We had to leave our wonderful local guide Jenny behind in Nanchang. Here it's so "American" that we don't really have planned meals together anymore or trip meetings and updates. It's more of a vacation feel, and you can hang out with those you want to now. Trips are optional, dinners are on your own, etc. The only time we get together as a group of seven families now is when we join the other ten families and all seventeen of us do things that are related to paperwork. We're doing all the optional trips, starting tomorrow night with a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.


Hope that you're all doing well and getting ready and excited for Christmas. We left the day after Thanksgiving and figure that by the time we come home all the houses will be decorated for the holidays and trees will be up-what more of a welcome could Maillie possibly have than that? So special! Love to all, LM&M XOXO