The day started yet again with a trip to our hotel breakfast buffet. We sit in the same spot each time - right by the high chairs with the Albright family next to us. Randomly we seem to end up at breakfast together. If you get there early enough, you can snag one of the elusive bananas!
We had an hour to kill before meeting Mary, so the kiddos once again played in the hallway. We found an English speaking news station and saw that the stock market has taken a dive since we left for China. Yikes! We had the benefit of our adoption costing $500 less and the Yuan continues to fall against the dollar.
Today we went to August 1st Park. It reminds me of Central Park, an oasis in the middle of skyscrapers. The park was full with people walking, dancing, doing tai chi, Chinese yo yo, practicing calligraphy, working out on the exercise equipment (those things are everywhere), and roller skating. All kinds of activities. The park also had an amusement park with a carousel, conquistador ship, roller coaster, ropes course. No one was really in that section, but maybe it is busier in the evenings. KaiLi cried towards the end of the walk. She had already been walking around, had had snacks, and water. The only thing we could figure is that she was tired? And she did finally fall asleep in the stroller.
We went back to Papa Johns for lunch today but opted to dine in. They have a full menu vs just pizza. Courtney, Brandon, and Mary walked over to Walmart to buy a few things while we waited with the kids for food. My spaghetti wasn't as expected. Instead of a tomato-based sauce, it seemed more carrot-based. But the rest of the food - pizza, chicken wings, fries, and hash browns were good.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for naps. Everyone feel asleep today, including MeiLin! We had a quick snack and then propped open the door. Macy was the first to come over. MeiLin and KaiLi were coloring and playing with stickers so she joined in. Aftewards, all of the kiddos resumed their running of the halls. We emailed Gladney to confirm that we would be on the same floor at the Garden Hotel in Guongzhou as the Albright's. Gongzhan already emailed back that he would confirm this with our guide, Jack. Yeah! But the other non-Gladney family is staying at an extended stay next door. They are taking an early bullet train to Guongzhon tomorrow. After hearing about the small area for luggage and seemingly stressful boarding process, I am okay with our 1 1/2 hour flight instead. Mary got us a late check out, and the bellhop is picking up our bags at 2:30. We are going to pack tomorrow after breakfast. I forgot to mention our story about packing for Nanchang while we were in Beijing. There was a scale in our room so we could confirm that our largest bag, which weighed 47 pounds heading out of the US, was below the 44 pound weight limit for our 1st inter-country flight. Brandon first stepped on the scale to weigh himself. He then picked up the bag and stepped on the scale again. Yeah, the scale didn't go up that high! So then Brandon tried putting the luggage on the scale in a variety of positions to weigh it, but each time, it covered up the numbers. So we ended up winging it and just hoping that we were within the limit. Thankfully, Brandon packed successfully!
It was room service, baths, and then bed after the last hall party. KaiLi cried a bit when going down, but fell asleep in about 10 minutes while Brandon stayed in the room with her. Not too bad! Praying that everyone has a good nights sleep for tomorrow. Not sure how KaiLi will handle the traveling!
Congrats on working through the puzzle of KaiLi! You guys are champs. She seems to be getting more acclimated. MeiLin is in great spirits and contributing to the successful transition taking on a leadership role. That is awesome - best wishes on the flight.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to read this! You are a handful with the pen Angie! :D
ReplyDeleteAll the very best to the kid, and to you all. Its lovely yo see you all together!