It's been a few days.....

Sorry for the delay in keeping you all updated.  Things are going very well here in Guanzhou (and it's nice to finally have blue skies....no blue in Beijing or Zhengzhou due to all the smog).  Mishiah is doing much better physically (no more cough or congestion).  She also starting to warm up to Lucius more and more each day as well.  On top of that it appears she is starting to get more comfortable and feel more secure every day.  This morning she woke up early so Lucius bathed her and took her to breakfast for some father/daughter bonding and by this evening she was also laughing an giggling quite a bit at Haniah and Azriah's antics.  However, if Megan is in the room she still has to keep her eyes on her and not let her get out of sight...and if she's not completely occupied she wants to go back to Megan....small steps...day by day....she is opening up more all the time, but it will take time to earn her trust and help her feel secure enough to completely come out of her shell.

It's about midnight here as I update the blog and we have to leave for the US Consulate before 8 am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning to get our applications in, so Mishiah's VISA will be ready by 4:30 Thursday afternoon...in time for us to take a van ride to Hong Kong.



So here are a bunch more pics:




The 4th floor outdoor garden and play area at the hotel:

The indoor play area at the hotel:

It may take a little while for Mishiah to catch up with the boldness of her "role model" big sister...might not be a bad thing if she doesn't!

 The last of the ramen noodles (which we had almost everyday for lunch or supper until we ran out this week). Thank you Johnna for the suitcase full of food and snacks....it's been a lifesaver as most of the credible restaurants are actually as pricy or more than back home

French Toast for breakfast

The view from our room... the green roof with the plants on it just past the pool is the roof of McDonalds.  Close.....a little too close.

More pool time....Mishiah loves splashing around in the water (even though most of the time she's just splashing right back in her own face).

It's not all fun and games....Monday was hospital check-ups for everyone (that was loads of fun).

Shamian Island....nice place to walk around and relax.  A lot of nice little shops with very inexpensive gifts to take back home.  Not sure how taxi drivers make a living in China...20 minute ride was equivalent to about $3....and gas in China is about $5/gal.

Mishiah's favorite place to hang out (on Mom).

Picture Day.
No red couch photos since the White Swan Hotel is undergoing major renovations....lots of photos nonetheless.

Our travel group.  We've been with 8 other adoptive parent(s) the entire time we've been in China.  Two others just joined us in Guangzhou since they adopted from different provinces.

Trying to get a group photo of the 12 newly adopted kids (most of which don't exactly understand the words "sit still and smile").....entertaining, to say the least.  

Any guesses on who the clown/diva of our family is......

Did we mention that Mishiah is a slightly messy eater?

One of the men in the group remarked that he had not had the privilege of listening to the lengthy dinner discussions of "young women" before (apparently he was quite amused).