Wednesday 2/22/06 12:30pm

It is turning out to be a warm, muggy day here in Guangzhou. Very hazy, as are most days here and they were the same in Wuhan.

We went down for breakfast at 9am this morning and it was a madhouse...the noise of about 200 people eating, everyone shuffling around as it is completely buffet style, so everyone is running all over to grab their food. It was just chaotic and very hard to enjoy a meal, you just want it over with so you can leave.

At 10am, we met the other families and Shirley and headed off to get the medical examination completed, a requirement in order to get a US visa. Shirley made sure we walked fast as she saw other families gathering in the White Swan to do the same thing. Lucky for us, we were the first group there so got in immediately, whereas when we left, there were atleast 10-12 families waiting for their turns. The exam itself is very cursory; Sarah was weighed and measured...she is 78 cm long, but they did not give me her weight. She was then checked to see if her eyes followed a toy and if she turned her head when a squeaky toy was squeaked and if she heard some other music. Tongue depresser used to look in her mouth and I don't recall anyone looking in her ears. Then a doctor listened to hear lungs and heart, measured her head and checked over her body for any problems. That was it. The whole thing took about 8 minutes. I remember last time being so worried because Emily had a cold and thinking, what if there is something wrong, we won't be able to get her out of the country, home to the U.S. This time, we gave Sarah some baby cold medicine to stop her noise from running, as she has had a small cold (though most of the kids do have colds and did on our last visit to) and didn't worry about a thing. It was just a formality. It certainly is easier the second time around as we know what to expect...we were in the same rooms in the same building as last time and the exam seemed even shorter this time than it did the first time.

Shamian Island is really quite beautiful...lots of huge, knarly-looking banyan trees everywhere with Spanish moss hanging from them. Everything is green here, some palm trees, lots of bright colorful flowers. Lovely older buildings, manicured lawns and hedges between some of the buildings, and clean streets. Those living here have money, drive nice cars and there is an elementary school on the island with the children dressed in uniforms. We found a playground in the parkway, between two small side roads, as we walked home from the clinic; it had lots of new playground equipment and was new since our last visit. Funny thing is that all the older people on the island come out and use the equipment for their morning exercises. It looked like a health club for retired folks; they were using things that turn and twist to work our their arms and upper bodies, riding some of the equipment to stretch out their legs...it was amazing. I almost wonder if some of the equipment was really put there for adult use, rather than children, as it seemed to fit the adult body size quite well. It was unusual by Western standards to see so many adults out stretching and doing this. No tai chi, however, though we've seen that exercise practiced in a different park by the Pearl River, down the street from the hotel. Emily enjoyed running around the track and playing on some of the playground equipment. Sarah just wanted to walk, holding one hand, though she'd prefer to hold no hands; she continually tried to get out of our grip.

After coming back to the hotel to pay off some final hotel fees, Steve and Emily headed off to the local McDonalds, about a 20 minute walk away, and I stayed back in the room so Sarah could take a combined morning and afternoon nap; I'm expecting her to sleep for about 2 hours. I've got classical piano music playing on the intercom system in our room, have a quiet, air conditioned room and a computer, and am enjoying some time to myself...may even read a book. Then its rice cereal and formula for lunch and off to the streets to shop.

By the way, we have a great little eater on our hands. Sarah refused bottles back in Wuhan...I was a bit flustered at first, not knowing how we'd get enough liquids down her and knowing we depended on formula and rice cereal with Emily when we couldn't find other food. I even used the bottle the orphanage gave me with the slit nipple, but she only took that two mornings. I had thought the nipples I brought were too hard to suck, not what the children are used to in China...I put pin holes in mine and that didn't work. I finally started putting the formula in a sippy cup I brought, without the stopper in it. That did it. I gave my bottles, nipples and bottle liners to another family in Wuhan and decided bottles are done for. Now Sarah's drinking her formula again! And then you should see her eat at breakfast - a bottomless pit. Steve thinks she's going to eat us out of house and home. Congee (a rice and water porridge, very bland), steamed eggs, scrambled eggs, banana bread, white fish, watermelon (LOVES this fruit), oranges, bananas...she ate all this in one morning. The other night for dinner she devoured chicken, noodles, cooked mushrooms, bread, virtually everything I put in front of her. She likes to feed herself. However you have to watch her carefully as she isn't good about controlling her portions, especially with bananas. I let her hold 1/2 banana and bite it herself. I caught her with a two inch long piece in her mouth this morning and had to get my fingers inside to to get it out. Luckily she didn't bite my finger this time.

Emily, on the other hand, has become quite picky. Almost everything we give her, she takes a bit and tells us she doesn't like it. She then picks and picks and two hours later is hungry. We've used snacks to fill in, but she seems to be waiting now for the snacks to fill her tummy and just acts fussy at all the meals. We've had some talks about needing to eat when food is available (just like you use the restroom when one is available, especially a western style toilet), but it is hard for children her age to understand this. I can't wait to get home and cook her some healthy food that she likes to eat...something other than starchy foods like rice and noodles. Skim milk will also be another wonderful thing...we can only find full fat milk and none of us like it. (Mom and Dad, can you remember to pick up some skim milk when you come up?) : )

That's it for now. More later.