Medical Exam

Today, Christmas Eve, we had the medical exam that is required for Macey to receive her visa to enter the United States. I have to say that it was a breeze. Well, there were a lot of families there and some of the lines we had to wait in were long. But Macey was a total trooper...not one tear! Of course, she has been having regular checkups at the SWI for almost 18 months so I guess she is used to it.

Here's the biggest news...SHE IS 27 POUNDS! OMG! I knew she was heavy but she weighs almost as much as her 3.5 year old sister. She has been eating a little less the last few days. I think she finally trusts that we are going to feed her regular meals, there is no need to eat until she pops. :)

Tonight we are having dinner at JM Chef for Christmas Eve. I'm told by another mom that they have good chicken and green beans there. Kevin has been pondering having snake but we saw them alive in the place today and I think he may have changed his mind. Plus it was 200 yuan (about $27) and he's too cheap for that. Ha! I guess we'll see.

Have a lovely Christmas Eve back home! Here are medical exam photos:

Swan Room

Last night before dinner we took Macey to the Swan Room, a playroom sponsored by Mattel in the White Swan Hotel. This was our second visit there and she was definitely less tentative this time around.

To my amazement and pleasure, her favorite toy in there was the lego/mega blocks! Why is this so neat to me? Her big sister Lena LOVES these too!! She would build "towers" all day probably and they would reach the sky if we had enough pieces.

This may mean they can play for hours together with these things OR they are going to be fighting over them all the time! LOL!

I just had to share the photos b/c she was just having a grand old time and laughing her head off! Oh and just a note, she seemed afraid of a little plastic horse Kevin tried to hand to her. That should be interesting b/c she's getting a Little People farm set for Christmas!





















Merry Christmas Eve from China!!

Chen Family Temple

This morning we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the White Swan!! Yippee! After breakfast in Nanchang for six days, it was a welcome site. :) After that we went on a tour to the Chen Family Temple. From the internet... "The Chen Family Temple, also known as Guangdong Folk Art Museum, was built in the 1890s and has nine halls and six courtyards. Its windows, door frames, and pavilions are lavishly decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures. It is now the largest and best preserved and decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province. The decoration combines wood carving, brick carving, stone carving, clay sculpture, ash sculpture, brass and iron foundry, grotto, new year painting, and other art forms. The special historical, artistic, and scientific aspects of the temple have made it an important attraction in Guangzhou."

While we were there, Macey wanted to get out of the stroller and walk. Well she ran all over the place! We had to chase her around. She was so excited to be out exploring. Eventually I had to carry her in the sling, which she wasn't too happy about at first.

After the Chen Family Temple we went to a government store and I bought a few things for folks back home. Then we had lunch at Lucy's. Macey is a fiend for corn on the cob so I ordered a side order of that for her. It comes on a stick and she has obviously eaten it before because she knows exactly how to eat it. She ate almost two small ears by herself, plus some of our guide's noodles and my sweet and sour chicken.

I'm trying to get her to nap now but the crib has little balls on the side that remind me of an abacus. She thinks they are fun and she plays with them instead of napping. She is going to be quite a toot when we get her home, just like her sister. But I can't wait!!

Here are today's photos:

Hello Guangzhou!!

No photos today...sorry!

This morning we flew from Nanchang to Guangzhou. I was so happy to see it!! Last time, we were in Guangzhou the entire time as Lena is a Guangdong baby. So I really felt at home on Shamian Island after two weeks there. Plus, it's so much more relaxed here and of course caters to adoptive families. Nanchang was nice to visit but Guangzhou is more my style. We already had lunch at Lucy's and are relaxing for a few hours.

Macey was a trooper on the plane, laughing and playing with the barf bags LOL! It was a very turbulent flight. Kevin fekt sick. But it was just over an hour, so very easy.

We have nothing planned tonight and we have a tour tomorrow. Medical exam is on Christmas Eve and we are going to try to go to church.

That's all for now. Pictures tomorrow..I promise!

Teng Wang Pavillion

Today is our last day in Nanchang. It is a cool place to visit, but we are ready to go. Flying to Guangzhou tomorrow will mean we are one step closer to home and to Lena, who is anxiously awaiting Macey's arrival. We are missing Lena terribly!

Last night we just stayed at the hotel and relaxed. Macey loved these gross cucumber chips!



Today is has been very rainy again. Our driver told our guide today that before we arrived a week ago, it had not rained in Nanchang for 4 months! But when it finally does rain, it usually rains for many days. Lucky us, huh?

We went this morning to Teng Wang Pavillion. It is a 12 story building that was originally built in the 1400s. It overlooks the Gan River, which runs through Jiangxi province. The pavillion was used as a watch tower when it was originally built. Now it is simply a tourist attraction. It was beautiful there.











We are just napping and resting now. Tonight we will pack up and get ready to leave. We leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. to fly to Guangzhou. We have 7 nights in Guangzhou before we head home. You know the saying, "Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder"?? We are very fond of Houston and our house with pink carpet right now!

Bye bye Nanchang, Jiangxi!

Elephant Lake Park

Last night, our guide Veronica took us to a restaurant right next to the hotel. Can I just say YUMMY?!?!? It was such good food. We had fried rice, broccoli, shredded pork and a beef dish. The shredded pork was served with little tortilla-like bread, cucumbers and onions and you eat it like little wraps. It was my favorite. Macey ate a TON! I already realize that we will have to regulate her food intake when we are home. I think that if she sees food still on the table, she thinks she needs to be eating. We'll be leaving all food on the stove and bringing her a plate with the appropriate amount of food. We'll also be having her tested for intestinal parasites as many children in China have them. She has a big belly!! :)

This morning we went to Elephant Lake Park. It was beautiful. There's a
huge man-made lake and we saw many men out fishing. We also saw people doing tai chi. Finally near the end there is a Daoist temple that was just amazing. We were glad to be outside again and not couped up inside. Afterwards, we had lunch at a place called Prince Music Cookout. It was very good also, especially the green beans and potatoes.

I have to say that I am having a much better food experience this time than last. I don't know if my tastes have changed or if I'm just open to more things. Or maybe the food really is just better this time. I am ready for Western food though!

Here are photos from last night's dinner, Elephant Lake Park, and lunch today:

BIG dinner!!


Yields a BIG belly!


Elephant Lake Park and Daoist temple...beautiful!


















Today at lunch...I LOVE this pork on a stick!

Around Nanchang

Since we are the only family with GWCA in Jiangxi province, we have a lot of flexibility of what we can do each day. Today we were supposed to see a pavillion of some sort. But the weather has been very rainy and cold and we've been a bit couped up in the hotel. Finally today is nicer, both dry and warmer. We wanted to spend time outside and see some of real Nanchang. We talked to another family at breakfast that went to a "free market" yesterday. It is kind of like a flea market in the states. So our guide, Veronica, took us there and then we just walked all around that part of Nanchang. We bought a few things (Tom & Jerry PJs for Lena and some Mickey Mouse hair bows for both girls) but we mostly just enjoyed the morning people watching. Macey is sleeping now and we might go to a park later today.

We had McDonald's for lunch today. It was really yummy! Macey loves french fries like her jie jie. We all tried sweet taro pie there...very good!

Here are a few photos from last night and today:

Macey in her bathtub...she's not too fond of washing her hair yet!


I love my hair bow and sunglasses!


With our guide Veronica:


First trip to Macdonald's:


Mommy and Macey in Nanchang:


Mommy, Daddy and Macey in Nanchang:


Sights of Nanchang: