Just another day in GuangZhou

No obligations today, other than one of us being in our hotel room between 10:30 and 11:30 for a call from Lucy to let us know everything as ok (or not) with our visa paperwork. It wasn't much past 10:45 when the phone rang and we had the 'all clear'. Steve and children already were at the pool - Thea is now extremely enthusiastic about going to the pool and since her one suit was still damp, she even agreed to wear her two piece tankini suit, oh miracle of miracles. We puttered around the baby pool and the steps of the bigger section of the pool for about an hour before heading in to get showered and dressed to go out shopping.

I'm not into the high pressure sales and bargaining scene, it is just not my thing, so we headed to A Gift from China. We were the only people in the shop, which is a charity-run store that benefits orphans and disabled children in China, and there was a corner with toys for the the children to play with - which kept Steve distracted as well so I could shop in relative peace. We then went to the small park down the street, where Thea was undeterred by the heat and the fact her parents were turning into puddles. She tried out some of the exercise equipment and the slides, then we went to Lucy's Cafe for a late lunch.

Before sitting down to lunch we had to make a bathroom stop for Thea - the bathrooms in the park adjacent to Lucy's are all squat potties. I usually take Thea's shorts and underwear off and let her have at it - this time she planted her feet on either side of the hole and looked up at me and said, "How do I use this thing?" even though she's a veteran of at least three previous visits to bathrooms with no toilets.

After lunch we went back to the hotel, and since naps were not part of anyone's game plan, anyone under 48" tall, that is, Steve and Thea headed back to the pool. Micah and I hung out playing for a bit. He got his poop face on, but the phone rang and it was one of our group checking in about dinner plans. This gave me enough time to forget about changing Micah's diaper, so he let me know by going over to the table where the wipes, changing mat and diapers were, pulling them one by one on the floor and then sitting on the changing pad. At first it just seemed like he was in his usual investigate and destroy mode, but then it started looking like he was deliberately doing something, and he was. I told you he was a gastrointestinal genius.

After changing the diaper, Micah and I went for a walk to see if there were postcards available in the hotel shops. I went in for a couple postcards, and came out with two books of Chinese fairy tales and five postcards. The saleslady was still following me after I paid trying to see if I was interested in books about Hubei or ChongQing, postcards of Hubei. . .fortunately Micah was squirming and wanted to keep moving so we said thank you, but now thanks and moved on to the pool.

Thea and Steve were in the big pool, and she'd been brave enough to go with him to the waterfall - I got that advance report from the Cash family as we passed in the hall leading to the pool area. She is so proud of herself - and Steve was so happy to be out of the baby pool. Micah and I hung out for a few minutes and then went back into the hotel. He was doing a lot of walking - I walk backwards, encourage him to come forward and then keep moving out of reach. He'll take it up with his therapist later if this is somehow damaging to his little psyche. On the way back, right near the fish pond, he just plopped down and wouldn't budge. By the time I had him picked up and on the elevator, he was asleep so Steve and Thea went to Lucy's Cafe to see our group, but Thea fell asleep at dinner so Steve had it packed up and brought it back to the room. Micah shared her spaghetti and then Steve and Thea went out to retrieve our laundry. Dirty clothes for four people, accumulated over about a week, returned clean for under $18. I don't know what I am going to do when I have to cook, do laundry, and grocery shop again.

Tomorrow I've got to get a few more things done before starting to get organized for the trip home. I don't know if we get the passports and adoption certificates back tomorrow - since the Consulate appointment is late in the day, I'm hoping the stuff isn't returned on Thursday or I'll be shopping at the 7-11 for Tums.