Guangzhou Day 1 - The White Swan

Our first day here in Guangzhou and ohhhhh what a difference. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel which caters to the adoption crowd very well. The Hotel is located on a small "island" but really only divided away by a small canal that circles about a 6 block by 6 block radius. The area is full of restaurants and stores... and not nearly as crowded as Nanchang. For those few that have visited the White Swan before you will recognize the picture above immediately! Today we had medical appointments for the babies and have a ton of paperwork to fill out for our Consulate appointment on Monday. I wanted to take some time today to talk about the food here in China but first, Janice wants to talk all things Leah and would like to give you the latest and greatest !

First, I should say I think the babies were well cared for in the orphanage. When we received Leah on "Gotcha Day" all seven of the babies were freshly bathed, and were bundled warmly in nice clothing. After talking to the other moms who had been to China before to adopt, I know this is not always the case. The orphanage director gave each family a beautiful hardbound book that documented each child's stay in the orphanage with photos, writing and good wishes for the child's future. I have since had it translated by Karen, our CCAI rep, and it is truly a wonderful gift. We have also had a couple of opportunities to talk to the nannies and ask questions. All of the babies are on the thin side, but I am certain the orphanage did the very best it could with the limited resources it has. Leah weighed less than the orphanage indicated, and also only has 2 teeth instead of four like we were told. However, overall, she is in great shape...nothing that a lot of love and plenty of nutritious food won't take care of!

As far as food goes, I do not think the babies were given solid food in the orphanage...if they did, it was very little. For the first few days, Leah would grimace everytime I would give her a little steamed bun or congee. There was no way she was going to let that pass her lips! I have since resorted to Stage 1 baby food, and I am relying on the picture on the jar, since the labels are completely in Chinese. Every day she seems a little more receptive to solids. Today at breakfast she had a little strawberry yogurt and tonight she would take some egg soup broth. However, her little stomach doesn't hold much...she usually just drinks 4-6 oz of formula at a time.

We brought plastic stacking cups for Leah from home. She is almost always holding one of the cups, it seems to make her feel more secure. She is also a big time thumb sucker! I honestly don't know how she had access to her thumb in the orphanage, because when we visited it, all the babies were so bundled up with clothing and blankets, their arms stuck stiffly out to their sides! We have found that many of the Chinese women do not approve of her sucking her thumb. She has actually had it pulled out by these women! We have been told it will make her thumb ugly and very small at the base. It has been suggested to put ginger on her thumb to make it taste bad. I don't think we will be doing that!

As far as toys go, we only brought three, and they continue to amuse her. It really does take very little to make her happy!

Leah is a great sleeper. She sleeps solidly 9-10 hours per night. During nap time, lights are on, Lauren & Alex go in and out of our room and she sleeps through it all.

Leah had a cold when we received her on Sunday, as did several of the other babies. She has had congestion in her chest since then and I can feel a "rattling" in her chest and back. We have given her some over the counter medicine from the Chinese drugstore, but I haven't really felt like it has helped. Today, we took her to the doctor in the hotel and the CCAI rep, Grace, interpreted for us. The doctor said she has the beginning stages of bronchitis and gave us four medicines to give her. We are to give her these medicines for 4 days, shouldn't antibiotics be given for 10 days? I'm looking forward to getting back in the U.S. and seeing our regular pediatrician.

Leah is a different baby than when we received her on Sunday. On the first day, she was very quiet, but we did coax a smile out of her. She didn't make a peep when we put her down to sleep. On the second day, she laughed for the first time. Since we have had her, she is constantly being held, kissed, and played with by one of us. She has decided this is a very good thing indeed! We laugh at how quickly her whine turns into a smile! It's like a switch has been flipped. Now, she sometimes fusses when put down (and if distraction doesn't work, she is immediately picked up.) Now, she will sometimes fuss when put down to sleep, and if her back is rubbed, she will fall asleep easily. We truly see her personality emerging. She makes a really funny fish face, and has recently started to squeal. She is somewhat of a goofball! I figure we can "unspoil" her later if the need arises. Considering her past circumstances, I don't think there's such a thing as giving her too much love and attention right now.


We all feel so blessed to have Leah in our lives. I am really appreciating this time of being able to focus on her so much...no laundry, cooking or driving all over the place that is typical of my daily life. Thank you again to all of our friends and family that have offered all of their support during this time. We appreciate all of you!! Here's Brad again:


OK... first I should mention the "Canary in the Mine". We have ours when we travel .and her name starts with J. Generally, the first one to get hit with any digestive issues is Janice.... so we really do have our own canary. Jan gets sick and we all start being a little more careful. We are on day 7 here in China and I am happy to report that not a single stomach cramp among the troupe. She swears it's the Probiotics she has been taking.... Which is remarkable actually since we are not able to drink the tap water or really use it for anything without boiling it first... not even ice in drinks. Our guide here, Grace, even warned us away from salads and the like in the restaurants. But I digress!

Now....the food in China. If it flies and is not an airplane, if it swims and is not a submarine, if it has four legs and is not a table or chair.... then "game on" for the Chinese locals. This is NOT Hyperbole. The following is not for the weak of stomach or mind..... you have been fairly warned.





This picture to the right shows one of the items available each morning at our breakfast buffet in Nanchang. I want it duly noted that this is "diet" fry intestines.





We weren't really sure what sort of avian animal this was to the left.... we just called it ebony and ivory.





Fried bird feet must be all the rage.... we saw piles of these in a couple of different places. Like french fries I think.





and this?..... Well, we just have no idea. it was in the local grocery store.





Evelyn told us that Chinese feel that if you eat certain parts of animals it will make your parts more healthful. You eat heart and it makes your heart stronger... you eat the eyes and it helps your eyes... etc.

I think that the apple fritters I like at Starbucks make my apple fritter more healthful.