Day 9 Together- Guangzhou Zoo

Today we woke up and had breakfast in our hotel.  We then met in the lobby for a big group picture.  There are 7 families with Lifeline (though one opted to stay at a different hotel), 3 with Small World (one is at a different hotel), and 3 with IFS so that makes for 11 families in our group at the hotel and 13 families total in our group.  Again, I cannot say enough how wonderful it has been to get to know these families better and to see them with their new child.  For some, it is their first child and for others, it is their 11th or 12th and many in between.   It is wonderful!

 Evan giving a high five to Presley.

 Presley and Piper- forever sisters!

 Lena and Presley

-Learning that I can finally get Lena to wear a headband (she prefers the barrettes/bows), 

but they don't stay on too well!

After the group picture, we drove back to the medical building to have the TB test read.   I went in with Lena alone and Rick and Evan stayed on the bus- they wanted just one parent to go inside.  The place was even more packed than the day of the medical exam.  It was just a quick glance.  Everything was just fine and we were free to go back down to the bus.  The bus then took us to the Guangzhou Zoo.  Now I had not heard too great of things about this zoo so I didn't have high expectations.  It was no city zoo we have at home, but it was a decent size and there were many animals and neat landscapes.  It was clean.  I think the issues some may have had were with the number of animals per area/cage and that some of the cages are smaller and there is not much area for the animals to roam or things for them to do.   I did not see the caged dogs that I had heard about, but maybe they were there.  There was supposedly some raccoons on exhibit too according to the map, but we did not see them.   Our guide first had us go around the zoo via a zoo-mobile.   We made stops to get out and look at the pandas and the lions and leopards.   We then were able to walk around for a little over an hour and check the place out on our own.   We enjoyed our time there.  We skipped out on the optional lunch and headed back to the hotel. 

 Red panda aka Lesser Panda

 Zoo map to prove that there are raccoons at this zoo!

Kids were swimming in this little pool at the zoo in their underwear! :)

 One exhibit is to feed pigeons and there are some HUGE pigeons here!

 White tiger

From the hotel, we headed to the subway station and went under the street and up the other subway entrance to cross the street that you are not able to cross any other way.  Lena was in the BEST mood!   She let Rick hold her and was smiling like crazy!  LOVED it! :)  When she was walking, she was actually kind of skipping...a little extra bounce in her step.  When she is a happy little girl- it gives us a glimpse into another side of her and something to really look forward to seeing develop.   She is
adorable!

 Before going out!

 The inside of our hotel- lobby and first couple of floors.

 These didn't turn out so great, but she was SO happy coming down the staircase!

 Her smile was just precious!

 Our hotel from across the street.

 Friendship Store across from our hotel.

 That sign that says- Trust-Mart is the Wal-Mart.

 The fish for sale inside Wal-Mart.  There were open top freezers with processed chicken legs in them that you could just grab out and put into a plastic bag. 

We went to the Friendship Store and went up the escalator to all four or so floors, but we did not see the grocery store that had been mentioned...just high end shops.  Maybe we were in the wrong part of the Friendship Store.   We then walked out and headed a few streets over to the TrustMart, which is basically Wal-Mart.  You would never have guessed by the outside or the small sign.  It was a maze inside- we walked all over and on many different levels.  We got some diapers and some snacks and drinks.   We saw fish of all sizes in tanks (to eat).  We brought our own bag this time. :)   We then headed back to the hotel for a short nap.   I tried to confirm our flight home in the business center of the hotel, but didn't have any luck with that.  In the evening, we were having trouble deciding where to eat.  We ended up walking up and down the street with all the restaurants and finally took a side street.  We ended up finding Oggi's restaurant and ran into a handful of other families from the hotel too!   We ordered a margharita pizza, which was delicious.  A big shout of thanks to the Goble family for sharing 2 pieces of their pizza that they had leftover with us.  Many of us have learned that once our kids sit down at a table, they expect that food will be there immediately or shortly.   They aren't used to waiting to order and then for it to be cooked and to come to your table.   This helped Lena avoid a breakdown and we were very appreciative!   It was a small, but busy place.  I'd highly recommend it to adoptive families staying at this hotel. 

When we got back and Rick and Evan went swimming for a bit.  When they got back, we gave Lena a bath.  Rick put her on the potty first and she actually went!  :)   Once the kids were in pajamas, Lena was snuggling with dad.  Rick got her to give him her first kiss.  :)  Not sure if they know what a kiss is- maybe she has never been kissed before.  Breaks my heart, but she will know every day from gotcha day on what it means to be truly loved!    Then it was bedtime and time for mom to catch up on the blog that I had gotten so behind on due to a busy schedule and some tech issues.   I stayed up way too late, but it was nice to feel almost caught up.