We have had Hannah for exactly one week and it is amazing the differences we see in her already. She has made excellent progress in every developmental area and has already bonded with both of us. Proof of what constant love and attention can do for a baby.
One thing that continually amazes me when we are out and about is the mass amount of people...EVERYWHERE! It is evident wherever we go that China is the most populated country on the planet. And even in a city of over 12 million people we still stand out as foreigners, and foreigners with a Chinese baby are guaranteed to draw attention. Intense staring is obviously not a cultural taboo in China...there have been times that people have literally stopped their bicycle on the side of the road to sit and stare at us while we wait to cross the street. It really doesn't bother me...I just stare back. I don't take it as rude, it's just normal here.
The past 2 days have been rather uneventful. Yesterday we visited the Chen family Temple in Guangzhou. It was yet another amazing sight. But the heat and humidity made it almost impossible to enjoy. Hannah wasn't a happy camper. I snapped a few photos of her yesterday but she is quickly losing interest in standing still long enough for a photo opportunity. She loves to be down and walking now. She is a baby on the move. She is taking a few steps on her own but mostly needs a hand to hold onto. She has finally figured out to grasp our fingers and off she goes.
Today I went shopping with a Chinese lady that has created a business taking adoptive families shopping. I went with 3 other ladies and she took us to the local markets (but not anyplace we could have ever managed on our own). She does all the bargaining for us and we got some incredible deals. I couldn't believe how much cheaper things were with her than they are here on the island (where our hotel is located). I now know where everything that says "MADE IN CHINA" is stored - here! I could not believe the massive amounts of STUFF. I forgot my camera so I didn't get to take any pictures. But I don't think pictures could have captured the reality of all that was offered for sale. It was a unique experience.
In the afternoon our group went to a local temple to have their babies blessed by a monk. We opted out of this ritual...something about having our baby blessed by a Buddhist monk didn't settle right with us. After that we went to a supermarket. This in itself is an adventure (it has a lot to do with the mass amount of people I mentioned earlier).
Hannah is not feeling well tonight. She has a bit of a fever and I think a cold. She fell asleep early and then I realized that I did not take one single picture of her today! Tomorrow is the first time in 2 weeks that we don't have to be somewhere early in the morning. We are hoping to sleep in a little, but who knows what time Hannah will wake up.
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