Playground and Medical Exam

Okay, so I meant for this to post yesterday which talks about what we did Tuesday and some Wednesday. Pictures are not possible right now until I figure out how to compress again so use your imagination for now. I will have John occupy Longji a little later so I can spend more time figuring this picture thing out.
 
 
Yesterday (Tuesday) late afternoon we visited a nearby playground and let Longji run wild a bit. It seemed like he was having a good time. Our guide took us by a department store so we could pick up some shorts that fit. We also picked out a pair of sandals to wear around the hotel and pool area. He won't walk barefoot on the tile in the room. It is too cold. We snacked for dinner because lunch was so big and then turned out the lights at about 9:00pm. Longji, however, was restless and could not fall asleep for about an hour. He then proceeded to kick John and I all night long. I think he runs marathons in his sleep. We had to drag him out of bed this morning for breakfast. He was not interested in waking up or skyping his sisters and grandmothers. After yet another fantastic breakfast we headed to the clinic for his shots and TB test. Our guide explained to him where we were going and his reply was "I'm not sick." He is very shy and argued with everyone about taking off his clothes. He did fine, however, with the ENT exam and height and weight. As you can see, he stood on the machine like a soldier. He did not do so well on the eye exam so I guess we will add a visit to the eye doctor on our to do list when we return. As far as the TB test and two shots...he was not at all happy about these. Thankfully he only had to have two shots. We return Friday to have the TB test read. We took him to the playground in the hotel and then had noodles for lunch. We had a 2:30pm appointment for his Visa and then we went to another department store for socks and underwear. He fell asleep in the van because we skipped his nap today. Back at the hotel we had him try on his spiderman swim trunks we bought while he was sleeping. We are going to try and visit the pool tomorrow. I will say this, he is more comfortable and more independent every day. The "test the boundaries" thing is beginning. He had the first signs of a temper tantrum when John changed the channel on the television. We really hadn't watched any tv since we have been here and today we put it on just to change things up a bit. He quickly realized we weren't having that. We're not exactly brand new at this...Tonight we are headed out for a little gift shopping and some authentic Chinese cuisine. I hope everyone is enjoying our journey and the pictures! We miss everyone back at home and can't wait to introduce Longji to everyone.

Day 2 in Guangzhou

Today we had our first breakfast with Longji. He is an eater. We actually have to stop him from eating so he doesn't get a stomach ache. The White Swan Hotel has a waterfall and "pond" inside near the breakfast buffet and Longji went crazy over the fish. I posted a picture of him and Ba Ba telling the fish hello. It is amazing how much English he knows. We met our guide, Kelly, at 9:30am to head back to Civil Affairs for paperwork. Again, so many families so it took a while. Poor Longji's shorts kept falling off so we had to tie the backpack straps to his belt straps to keep them up. We actually carried him a lot when the backpack was off because his pants would literally fall down. And he insisted on wearing his superman sweatshirt in the non-air conditioned building. It was very warm. Once we finished at the Civil Affairs office, which he did great waiting for, we headed to the grocery store for noodles, water, snacks, soy milk and toothpaste. My tube of toothpaste was confiscated at the airport so we have been using Longji's toothpaste. I don't care for the candy flavored toothpaste very much. We also grabbed lunch and brought it back to the hotel. The three of us shared fried rice (real fried rice), noodles and a variety of steamed buns. Longji kissed the package of buns. He loved them. One thing he loves to do is share his food with us. It is amazing how generous he is. I was unpacking groceries and he insisted I sit and eat. He is extremely outgoing and shy at the same time. Oh, and he can't stand to tke anything out the play with until he puts the other toy up...that's my boy!

Gotcha Day

Hello all! Sorry it is taking me this long to post anything. We have been crazy busy hanging out with our little boy. Our Gotcha moment was pretty smooth. Longji showed up in his pajamas we sent in one of his care packages. Apparently the nanny who dressed him yesterday morning did not realize they were pj's. We received a book and cd along with a gift from the orphanage and Longji's American teacher sent a letter with tons of school work. Priceless! He did get a little upset when the nanny said goodbye, but he fought back tears the whole way back to the hotel. He was trying to be brave. We went to dinner at Lucy's and then tried to settle down for bed. Poor thing had an upset tummy and we ended up cleaning up a mess around 8:00pm. I think it was a combination of no nap, too much food and candy, and too much excitement. He did sleep between John and I. Before turning off the lights he took off my glasses, folded them up and put them on the nightstand next to the bed. I about lost it. He is very bright and he does know a lot of English. Last night at Lucy's he saw a picture of a motorcycle and named it! We were in shock. This morning we are heading back to the Civil Affairs office to complete our paperwork. Yesterday there were about 60 families there. It was chaos! Hopefully it won't be as crowded today. Then we are headed to buy some clothes. Everything we brought is way too big. He can't take a step without his pants falling off so we have to take turns carrying him. I will include pictures, but in no particular order because I am not sure how to. I will say this, I feel like God has prepared his heart for us because this has been really very easy so far. Praise God!

Pictures

Okay, let's try this again. I posted earlier and now I am attempting to send some pictures again. We met a family at breakfast and the husband had some tips for e-mailing pictures. Four and a half hours to Gotcha!

Beijing adventure

Okay, so this has been a whirlwind adventure since we arrived Friday afternoon. Our plane landed in Beijing late afternoon/early evening and we have been moving non-stop since. Saturday morning John and I woke up at 5:00am...we just couldn't sleep in. We went to the breakfast buffet at the Poly Plaza, our hotel, and then met up with our travel group for the tour. The buffet was awesome and there is a picture attached to show how much food was spread across the buffet table. At 8:30am we headed to the Forbidden City. According to our guide, there are 15 million people in Beijing. I believe it! We dodged cars, vans, taxis, bicycles...you name it, to get to the Forbidden City. Following this adventure, we toured Tian An Men Square and then headed to the Jade Factory. We then had a group lunch and headed to the Great Wall with full stomachs. Now, don't forget that most of us are ready for a nap at this point because we are still adjusting to the time and we have already walked miles touring the Forbidden City and Tian An Men Square. The Great Wall was probably the most magnificent site I have ever seen. Four of us decided to climb pretty high and this was no easy task, but we are certified Heroes! I had to hold on to the railing the entire time...going up and back down. I am not a big fan of heights! After the Great Wall, we drove through the Olympic Village and took pictures of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube. Jeff, this photo is for you! (if it works) By the time we returned to the hotel we were hungry again so a few of the families decided to venture out in search of pizza or a KFC. Instead we stumbled upon an Outback Steakhouse! Let me say this...I did not eat! John and I finally went to bed at about 11:30pm last night and then we woke up this morning at 4:00am. We had to meet in the hotel lobby to catch the airport shuttle at 5:45am. I was a little disappointed we were not going to the buffet again, but I hear the White Swan which is where we are for the rest of our trip, has an even better buffet.
 
Our flight was delayed a bit and we arrived at noon here in Guangzhou. It feels just like home, hot and humid. We are going to walk around a little, grab a bite and then get settled in early to get ready for the big day. Hopefully, we will be able to post pictures tomorrow of Adam Longji!Happy Mother's Day everyone!

 

Great Wall

One quick picture before we go to bed. I hope this works. It is almost 11pm here and we have to be up at 4:30am to get to the airport. Pray for safe travels!

We made it!

Well, after the longest flight of both of our lives we finally made it to Beijing! We were so exhausted yesterday we just stayed in the hotel and tried to get to bed early. Although our sleeping clocks are all messed up. We are spending all day touring so we will try to post some pictures tonight. We are heading to breakfast this morning and hopefully we will find some coffee somewhere! We are so excited to be here and we can't wait to meet Longji on Monday. The clock is ticking...