Day 12 - June 11, 2007

Howdy All,

Sorry for the late post. I fell asleep last night before posting, and then we had to rush around this morning and I ran out of time. So here goes:

Micah's new first for the day actually began last night. The idea of a spoon going into his mouth is a totally foreign concept to him. He HATES it. So, last night I put him on his back on the bed and force fed him about 5 small spoons of pears. Most of it came back out. Then this morning we got a bowl of congee (kind of like a rice porridge) to try the whole spoon thing again. This time, he LOVED it! Probably has something to do with the fact that they have been feeding him congee and formula from a bottle at his SWI. He acted like he had been eating with a spoon for weeks instead of this being only his second time. He still needs lots of work on getting the food off the spoon and into the back of his mouth. That will come with practice. We just have to revamp our expectations to that of a 5 month old learning to use a spoon rather than a 15 month old who should be feeding himself.

Next on the agenda was a swelteringly hot visit to The Yuntia Botanical Garden. This was an immense park with some of the most exotic looking plants that I have seen. It also sported such common plants as sunflowers and roses. I am attaching a variety of shots from our walking tour because words just can't describe how big and beautiful this place was. Unfortunately, my shots won't do it justice either because once again, it was very hazy. We spent 2 hours wandering around, ooh-ing and ah-ing over the landscape. Once note of interest. David, our guide, told us that this is a popular place for newlyweds to come for their wedding pictures. At one point after hiking up a 200 yard hill (straight up into the air - it rivaled the Great Wall for vertical climb), with sweat pouring down our faces, backs, fronts, and noses, we came upon a couple dressed in their full-up wedding best - beautiful gown, long pants and sleeves, etc. - getting their pics done. We wondered how they had managed the climb without passing out from the heat. We continued up and over the hill, and then started down the other side. Midway down, we met another couple making the hike to the top of the hill. This bride had her gown hiked up to her waist, and they were walking very, very, very slowly. I was fanning myself when they passed us. The girl looked at me in my shorts and t-shirt (with something very close to envy on her face) and said, "We are even hotter than you!" We all laughed. No, I didn't get a picture of that. Todd was very disappointed - it was a very funny sight!

Later, back at the White Swan, I fed Micah yet another bottle. The kid is obviously feeling much better because he downs these bottles in record time now. With a full tummy and the hiccups, we proceeded to have a really fun play session. I have posted a cute shot of him laughing. I think I almost got a belly laugh out of him. I would classify it as a strong guffaw.

Next was lunch at Lucy's - they serve American, Mexican, Italian, Chinese . . . pretty much everything. It is the haven for all the adoptive families who are craving some simple back-home kind of food. It is also the site that provided our picture for today's "What did we eat" question.

We finally got to go out shopping. Yippee! We have this great system worked out. We all go into a store, look around, then Todd and Micah go out and sit on a bench while I spend another 30 minutes in the store, I go out, wake them up, and then we head to the next store. On the rare occasion that we buy something, we gather everything up, then Micah and I head outside to cool off, and Todd swings into action - boy, he's good. This whole bargaining thing is totally embarrassing to me. I don't know why?!?! It is totally expected over here, but I'm just not comfortable with it. I think my dad would love to be here doing this with Todd. The 2 of them together would be able to buy the White Swan for a mere pittance!!

Dinner was at The Cow and Bridge - a Thai restaurant that we have been to before. Really good food. Good enough to get us out to walk the 3 blocks in a torrential downpour. (I noticed this morning - Tuesday morning - that the river has all kinds of trees and bushes floating down it. Evidently, southern China has been getting some monsoon type rain. We have escaped so far, although there is flooding in some parts of Guangzhou)