Saturday in China

Well, what a delightful day we had. We went down from breakfast this AM to discover about nine new families with their babies had moved into our hotel. It is so much fun to see babies from other agencies with their families. So, the breakfast buffet at the China Hotel is a little nutty, but lots of fun.

Maggie had an almost normal eating day. She actually had some of her bottle each time it was offered, ate congee at every meal and ate 1/2 container of pears this evening. Then, the topper, she actually sipped a bottle of water with me. She only took 4 or 5 sips, but it was a breakthrough for her. In the past, she expressed no interest in water. I am hopeful this means juice or something else liquid is in our future. I swear I considered giving Maggie some of my diet coke at lunch, that is how desperate I am to get fluids in this child. However, I refrained from the diet coke and was very surprised to find a nice wet diaper when I got back to the room. So, Maggie is doing much better. It is just really weird to have a kid that won't drink anything.

We spent the day at the park next door to the China Hotel and walked up to the 5 Goats statue. Apparently, this is a very famous landmark in Guangzhou. I don't know why I didn't see it on the last trip. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here, so it felt great to be outdoors for a couple of hours. After the walk, a few of the Dad's even played a pick up game of hacky sack with some of the locals. It was a very nice meeting of two different cultures. Of course, while the Dad's played hacky sack the Mom's were getting scolded for underdressing their kids, but that is to be expected in China. And best of all, Maggie's Dad emerged from Hacky Sack without a knee injury.

Maggie continues to blossom before our eyes. She is quite a little nut. Tonight at dinner, she was squealing, pounding, smiling and even gave her dad a little head butt. (This is the ultimate sign of affection from Maggie.) However, she also cried when he sat next to her in the cab on the way home from dinner, so two steps forward and one step back. We are also discovering Maggie is quite chatty. Maggie's Dad's hope of a quiet one was completely dashed today. She jabbered non-stop for about 2 hours this evening. She apparently had a lot to say, unfortunately we just couldn't understand it. She still will not willing allow anyone but me to hold her. It is a little exhausting and it allows her dad to skate, but it feels like she is starting to trust me, so I am glad.

We are also deciding Maggie and La Nina are going to make a great pair. I think La Nina is going to really enjoy Maggie. Maggie is very active, which is perfect for La Nina. Maggie will love following La Nina around and imitating her. We are starting to really look forward to seeing them together. Of course, we miss La Nina so much, but we know we would have never made it through the first two days with Maggie if she were here.

That is it from China. Tomorrow we are going to the Buddhist Temple to have the babies blessed. It should be another fun day. Go Bears!