July 3rd-

Hi Kasey!! I just can't stop typing stuff! Here it is officially July 4th, and we are so grateful to live in the wonderful nation we do!! This morning after breakfast we decided to go exploring again. Our guide told us where the Muslim quarter is and we actually found it, it was within walking distance. SO cool!! There is actually a sizable portion of Chinese Muslims in this province. It was like we were in a movie. We walked up and down one street and took a lot of pictures. We bought a bag of roasted walnuts, they were everywhere. They put all the walnuts in this big turny thing that roasts them and then they take them out and hit them one by one with a mallet. You buy them like that and you just crack them open and eat them. They are really good!! We were quite the oddity, a couple of Westerners with a Chinese baby in a stroller taking pictures. At lunch today a guy at a nearby table asked us if our baby was Chinese. We said yes and hetold us the baby was very lucky. That made our day because we get so many hostile stares. I must say that I am quite the proficient at chopstick usage. I am really impressing myself. Dad however, is not. He has to have a fork. Mason eats really good off my chopsticks, I guess that's how he's always eaten!! Well, it is check out time! Take care honey!!! mom

July 4th-

"Things here are good. I love Guangzhou! The province we were in before (Shaanxi) was dirty and unbelievably crowded. Here it is quiet and clean. There are tons of trees lining the streets and it looks like there was a British influence in the architecture, big tall colonial style buildings, lots of pretty colors - it is beautiful. There are big public squares in each block where elderly people do tai chi each morning. The hotel is right on a huge river, you can see out the windows each morning at all the ships, etc when you eat breakfast downstairs. The hotel reminds me a little of the Embassy Suites in PR, remember the big waterfall? The hotel is the nicest one I've ever been in, especially compared to where we just were. All of the adoptive families stay here because the consulate iswithin walking distance so they cater to us. We gather here from all the provinces where we get our babies. There is a great big playroom filled with toys, etc for the babies to play in - Mason went completely nuts. It was so clean and had thick nice carpet. I keep saying things are so clean here, but Beijing and Shaanxi were so dirty. This morning was the medical examination. It was kind of an amazing sight seeing dozens of gringo families with their little Chinese babies walking the few blocks to the medical clinic. It is the coolest seeing all these families loving the heck out of these babies. Alot of them have special needs like Mason; some cleft palate and orthopedic issues mostly. The medical clinic was like a well-oiled machine, I thought I would cry when we walked in and it was beautiful and modern and air-conditioned. There were tons of medical personnel and they got all of us through quickly. The doctors spent a lot of time lookingat Mason's leg and fingers. They all spoke Chinese, but they were so nice and helpful. I think Mason is used to getting his leg messed with. He got a clean bill of health and he is current on all his shots. He will probably need a surgery or two on his leg - it is amazing how he tries so hard to walk on it now. There is a little Chinese laundry shop right by the hotel, we were so glad to take all of our dirty clothes there, the hotel laundry is so expensive - no more washing and wringing in the hotel room!! After the medical checkup we found a cute little restaurant (can I mention that it was clean and air-conditioned) and we had Western food!! Dad has been so happy today and is hardly even sweaty. The temperatures have been close to 100 degrees, you can imagine how that affects Dad - the only thing that has kept him sane is gallons of water and Diet Coke. We have stayed in the air conditioning today mostly and feel that we have died and gone to heaven. Oh, sooo funny - the babies had to have an official picture for their visa. I had given Mason some Benadryl for a rash and that put him to sleep. He was so out of it I couldn't wake him up for the picture, I propped him in the little chair and his eyes were closed while he was sitting up, (I wassupporting him with my hand). They finally got him to open his eyes for a second and they quickly took a picture. Everyone was dying, it was so cute."

July 6th-
The days are starting to run together here! Sorry I didn't write yesterday - keep posting for blogs, I want to have a record of picking up baby brother. We have been all through with official adoption business since the medical checkup, it is just waiting for his visa, and then going to the consulate and doing the interview and oath on Thursday. Mason's little Chinese passport picture is so dang cute I can't stand it, they took us to a little photography studio and they put a little jean jacket on him for his picture, dad says he looks like a Chinese gangster - he actually does, a very angelic gangster though. I took him to the pool today while dad got a foot massage (1 hour for 10 bucks!!) and Mason loved the pool. At first he was scared, his first time in a pool, but soon he was splashing and going nuts. He kept dipping his face in the water and then laughing hysterically. He kept kicking his swimming suit off, we finally just freestyledit, they don't do swim diapers in China. This morning we went to the jade and pearl market - our guide was so helpful, she told us which stalls to go to and how to figure out if the prices were fair. Dad was done after about 2 minutes, but he stuck it out with Mason till our bus came; I just shopped!!! Oh this is so cool, Mattel makes a special Barbie just for Chinese adoptive babies, and they give one to each family. It is distributed solely by Mattel at this hotel since most of the families stay here. They left ours in our room, but it is a Barbie with a China baby girl! Maybe I can sell it on ebay!! Oh, Kasey we met another family today in the play room and their little adoptive girl (5 years old) has a port wine stain on her leg with a lot of vascular issues just like yours. She was considered special needs and abandoned as an infant. I'm glad we kept you!! I gave them your doctors name and answered their questions. They talked about howrare the condition is and how little they've found out about it! I almost forgot, we were at the Buddhist monastery the other day and dad heard some people speaking Spanish. He went to say hello and it was a family from Spain. They had adopted two girls several years ago, and were back visiting and showing the girls their homeland. Dad was so excited to speak Spanish in the middles of China - it was really cool. They were so excited for us, and their two girls were just cuties. It is very apparent how the attitude between baby boys and girls is different here. It is rare for an adoptive family to have a boy instead of a girl(I didn't realize how rare), and almost all the Chinese people that stop to talk to Mason comment on how lucky we were to get a boy. It is kind of sad aspect of Chinese culture. Our guide talked about how boys are more valued that girls. I was surprised that she addressed that issue. Anyway, I am so glad that so many of these babies are getting homes where they are just adored! It is so fun meeting all these families!


July 6th-

"Hello wonderful children!! Funny story. In China there are stautes of Buddha everywhere, he is the founder of Buddhism. Anyway, he is a very large rotund fellow, always smiling in the statues. So yesterday Dad goes out to buy a t-shirt since he sweats through like 5 shirts a day in this 100 degree weather. The shop guys looks at him and goes - I have one just for you - it is Buddha-size!! We laughed. A lot. Mason is getting ready to go to the pool with dad, we will try to keep his suit on him today! Have fun in Island Park!! We love you!! Moo and Poo and May-May"

July 8th-
"We are very ready to come home. We fly to Shanghai tomorrow after we visit the consulate and get Mason's American passport! We stay in Shanghai for the night then it is off to the US!! Yeah! Mason continues to slay the ladies (moms actually), with his cuteness. He is also a little tyrant. Most of the little orphanage babies are aggressive and independent - we love wathcing them play. We took the group pictures of all the babies and Preston couldn't resist pulling the tempting pigtails on the little girl beside him. She was very tough and there was a little baby fight, we were all hysterical and taking pictures. He took a few steps today by himself, then he got scared and collapsed. At lunch in the restaurant dad laid him on the floor to change him - the diaper came off and he promptly peed gallons all over the floor. I will say nomore. I went on a walking tour yesterday of the herbal market of Guangzhou. Very amazing. Dried scorpions (and live ones), dried seahorses and lizards and snakes etc. I will post some of the pictures that I took. The guide was pointing out all of the stuff and what they are used for. I learned how to have beautiful skin, cure a headache, cough, and cold, and last but not least, increase the bust size. I'm sure a lot of these cures actually work, but I was very grateful for modern pharmaceuticals. Mason has had a worsening rash so we went to the little clinic right here in the hotel. The very kind Chinese doctor looked him over and said it was eczema. She prescribed him some cream and then gave us little paper packets of vitamin C powder that they made up just for Mason. It was very cool. Here's the amazing part - the visit and the meds totaled 60 yuan, or roughly ten dollars. The cream has nearly cleared up his skin, he wasitching himselftill he bled - poor baby. OK, this will be the last blog post, we are so excited to see everyone! Taek care honey!! Mom"