Guangzhou update

It's Monday night and now we're in Guangzhou. This is were the US Consulate is and where we will go through the paperwork to get her visa. We arrived Saturday night and immediately went to see a doctor at a clinic in the hospital. He noticed that she had a sore throat and put her on some Chinese medicine and vitamins. What's a parent to do except trust the doctor. Good thing we did. Whatever he prescribed, it seems to be working. Last evening the "old Maryn" that we got a week ago started to return. She started drinking more and her happy personality returned. The diapers are not 100% back to normal, but we're getting closer.

Yesterday we filled out all the paperwork for our visa and hung out at the hotel. Oh. And we shopped. For dinner, we all went out to a Thai restaurant and the language barrier became a little problematic. Caleb and I ate some chip-like things that were made of shrimp (that we're both allergic to). Thank goodness for Benedril. We're both fine. We also got together for pictures in the lobby of the hotel. Wait til you see these pictures. Did I say we went shopping? At one of the stores we're having a dress made for Maryn (and Mom) and the owner let us borrow a dress for the picture. To emphasize, wait til you see these pictures. What a doll! In the evening, Caleb and Josh finally wore me down and we went down to play pool (the one with the table and balls, not water). I'm sure they'll be wanting to play every day (if allowed).

Today (our Monday) we spent the morning in the pool with a waterfall. Quite nice. It was really nice given that it's close to 100 degrees during the day (and real humid). Sherry's stomach was bothing her a little at lunch time so the boys and Maryn and I went to Lucy's for our American Classic Hamburger (with Cheese). It's the first burger I've had since we left and it was goooooood. :) After lunch, guess what we did? Four letters. Starts with "S" and ends with "P". Shop. It was actually fun and everyone (including me) got something. After that, our group marched over to a clinic for the baby's visa physicals. We've had her a little more than a week and now she has seen three doctors. Too say the least, that is not a profession she loves at the moment (Sorry, Bob & Kim). She got through it without any problems and exercised her lungs. After that, we went off into a less touristy part of the city with another couple and their baby. It was quite an experience. There was one section where we were trying to guess whether the animals were pets or food. The final vote was for pets. While on the topic of food, Caleb and I stopped by a restaurant this afternoon and saw sand worms (think 8 inch, fat worms) and water beetles out as meal choices. We passed. Back to this evening ... so we wandered around and landed at a huge outdoor mall that was just booming with people. Yes, there really are a lot of people in China. We did some window shopping and then ended up at Papa Johns. It was good to look at your food (and menu) and know what you're getting. Maryn got a hold of a bread stick and she just munched away. She wasn't too happy when it got small enough to choke on and Daddy had to take it away. On our way back to the hotel, guess what we did? Yup. Shopped some more. Before we leave, we're going to have to buy another suitcase. :(

Thanks to all of you that are faithfully reading this, commenting and praying. At this point, please pray for Maryn's complete recovery, that all the visa processing will go smoothly, and that we get well rested before the long trek home. Sorry it took so long to get you info ... internet access (that was remotely reasonable) was hard to find.