Sunday in Guangzhou

After a great day with Ty, the night was the worst. He moaned and groaned and cried…I think he had a fever from the shots. Motrin does wonders, but unfortunately I didn’t figure it out until 5:00am. We decided to start our day at 10:30 with our guide rather than 9:30.

Evidently, some big time government official from Pakistan is staying here at our hotel. Cordelia, our guide, warned us when we arrived that security would be heightened. It’s not a big deal, just when ever you enter the hotel, you go through check point a lot like an airport, complete with metal dectectors. Dan thinks it’s the President of Pakistan. I seriously have no idea, but I know it’s a high-ranking official because it’s a pretty good sized entourage.

The Housekeeping staff here is very professional. They come and make up your room, then another lady comes and checks to make sure it’s satisfactory. She also inspects the rooms after they are cleaned. I know this because I sat in the hallway today and typed so that Kacie could move around and sing and play while Ty and Dan napped.

We had another great breakfast, and then Cordelia took us to the Six Banyon Temple in Guangzhou, off the Shamian Island. It is a Buddist Temple, and we could have had a blessing on Tyson, but we chose not to due to our Christian beliefs. However, it was a fantastic visit from an educational and tourist standpoint. We saw a pagoda, and it was magnificent. Kacie was very interested and had many good questions. We saw many different Buddhas, Buddhist monks, people praying, and pretty much everything Buddhist. I always enjoy learning about other cultures, so from that outside standpoint, it was a great experience. It helps me understand more about my own beliefs and how grounded I truly am in my beliefs.

The biggest news of the day is that Tyson called me “Mama!” Of course it was in a stressful situation, but it’s almost like he’s reaching out to me more. We were getting out of the van, and the easiest way to do it is to have one parent get out, one stays in, and Ty walks to the parent outside the vehicle. This is the only reason he will walk. Well, I got out and Dan had him and he yelled, “Ma ma ma ma ma!” He did that twice today, and said it in other instances too. I told one family this, and they were floored! He might be small, but boy is he sharp!

I think Kacie has worn me out much more than Ty has today. She enjoyed the Six Banyon Temple, but she’s wearing out too. During Ty’s nap, I took her out shopping in the area and had a great time. I guess we weren’t gone as long as I thought we were. Ty doesn’t go down for naps quickly. I think he had playtime in his crib in the orphanage, so he thinks it’s playtime in his crib before naps and play time. He’s happy usually and doesn’t fuss too much, but it just takes awhile for him to go to sleep. So I have no idea what time he went to sleep. I had Dan stay with Ty so he could get a nap too—he needs it, as he was up with Ty a lot. I took over after 4:30 am, so I’m doing OK. So Kacie and I bought some t shirts and found Ty some “Squeaky Shoes” hoping that will make him walk more. Personally, I think they will scare him to death, but we shall see. We need to some major shopping when we get home. I have no clue what size his feet are. Maybe a 6, 7, or 8… he’s size 17 here if that means anything at all. So I have Kacie in the hallway, as she just can’t be quiet in the room. She is pretending to make music with her Yu-yo toy and fans. I think tomorrow I’ll opt for napping with Ty! She enjoys pushing the stroller, but we have to watch her because she nips people’s heels. Not good.

It is interesting to talk to other families here, some who have the same issues as us, others quite different. Sleeping is the biggest issue for all of us right now. The shopping is fun, but the shop owners are so aggressive, it does take the fun out of it, and they don’t make deals as much as I thought, but most stuff is already so cheap I don’t mind paying full price. It’s so hot, I can’t wait to get home to 70 degree weather.

We left the hotel room at about 5:15 so that Kacie could get some energy released with a trip to the park. This park is popular for babies to adults, as it has exercise equipment. In the mornings you can see people of all ages using the equipment. Kacie played on everything!

Tonight we met my friend Jackie and her husband Jeff and their son for dinner at Lucy’s. I’m sure Jackie and I will be life-long friends. I also met two other families in person that I had met on the RQ adoption forum, and that was so cool! One is even from WA! And another family that I met today from Idaho was there, as well as a family who adopted the same day as us from the same orphanage. We are all having our own celebrations and frustrations, but the support of these families is amazing. It was amazing to see us all with our children after waiting for so long. Ty did very well during dinner and even performed a little! At the very end he melted down, but it didn’t last too long.

The plan was for Kacie and Dan to go swimming, but on our way back to the hotel, it began raining with lightning and thunder, so that plan was out. But we had another great night with Ty. We played on the bed, and he has opened up to us so much. He vocalizes constantly, and I can actually hear his Chinese accent! It’s not the words that are important, it’s how he says the words. The biggest victory of the night is that he allowed Kacie to hug him and he played a little game where he would fall into her lap. Kacie is just beaming and so happy that we have turned this corner. He STILL won’t walk, but he will walk to us for hugs and to go get toys he throws across the room (watch out, the kid has an arm!).

Ty is in his crib preparing for bed. We are hoping he sleeps through the night! Please pray that his TB test comes out negative. Then we are off to the Safari Zoo to see Pandas, White Tigers, Giraffes, etc… Kacie has been so excited for this!

Thank you for your prayers and emails. In our darkest of times, it’s what has kept us going. Here are some pics from our day.