Nanjing to Guangzhou

Greetings,
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday.   It was a hectic day and we were all exhausted at the end and did not feel like hooking up the electronics, nor did we have many pictures.
Friday was mostly about packing - I looked around the shambles of our room and our purchases from the Thursday night and was not sure how it was all going to come together.  I started getting packed early in the morning and then we got the children dressed and off with David to breakfast.  After breakfast, David, Granddad, Grandma and the children went out - just to walk around the shops again and to go to the department store for some specific items - all a strike out.   Our one big suitcase had gone overweight so Granddad took a few items that he stuck in his bag.   While they were gone I got all the packing finished and then waited for Denise to call to say she had Isaac's passport.    I needed to send that passport number to OCDF who we are doing our next portion of travels with after Guangzhou so that they could book all of Isaac's flights.   The family arrived back and Granddad weighed my suitcase which just made the 44lb internal flight limit.   Whew.   Denise came up to the room and we gave her a gift.  She also had a gift for Isaac which was very special.  It is the "mascot or symbol" for lack of a better word for the city of Najing.  It's the baby dragon - it's name is Bixie (sounds like bishi) and it is known as the evil dispeller - it eats up evil and just gets fatter and fatter - does not poop.  Denise gave Isaac a little charm of this Bixie made of Rain Flower Stone which is also unique to Nanjing.   It was very sweet of her and something that will be special to him.   We took the bus to the airport and Isaac fell asleep on the way.   We did all the checking in and went through security and made our way to our gate.   David was starving so he left me with the children and he went off with Granddad and Grandma to figure out something to eat - they were gone for ages.   Indigo was chatting away to the mom from another adoptive family and Isaac was eating bagel and peanut butter.  We read the flea sneezes because Indigo had told this mom about that book and so she got it out for me to read and then she coerced this other mum to read her another book.   We finally got some food, including the kids having some verson of a hotdog on a stick, but I can promise you that it was no Hebrew National!  After waiting and waiting, everyone from our gate started moving and it turns out they switched gates so we started to follow but also stopped to check the departure information and then headed to the new gate and waited, and waited.   Isaac wanted to be moving and would just pitch a fit when restrained so we chased him around a bit - he loves to be chased.   Finally, at least an hour late, we boarded.  I sat with Indigo and Isaac and David sat between Grandma and Granddad.  Isaac really did incredibly well on the flight.   We really hoped both kids would sleep but Indigo was wide awake and every time Isaac would seem to be starting to dose off they would bring a drink or a snack.   He ate a whole mochi - Rick, he is a little guy after your own heart.  It made me think of you and all the mochi Ellen bought you in Hong Kong.   For some reason Indigo was obsessed with the bread on the sandwiches they gave us - with very suspect contents, so I was happy to let her have all the bread she wanted.   It was just a two hour flight and pretty smooth.  As said before, Isaac was pretty good considering it was his first flight - he did try a few times to slide down under the seat belt and would angry when he was stuck but pretty much resigned himself to the situation.  I dread the return flight home!   Safe arrival at Guangzhou and all luggage arrived safely and we met our guide Rebecca.  She put us on the bus with the driver but then stayed at the airport as another family was arriving.   We drove to the city and both children fell asleep on the way, Isaac in David's lap and Indigo leaning against me.   We arrived at the Garden Hotel - it is magnificent!   The only two pictures from the whole day Friday are how the children were when we arrived - Isaac transferred asleep to stroller and Indigo on her daddy's shoulder all through check in.   We came up to our rooms which are awesome.    Slight mix-up with Granddad and Grandma's as they were given a single king bed.   However, that seemed to be resolved lickety split and they are right across from us.   We have an awesome suite which we should have photographed before walking in because it will never be the same again.    We have a living room area with a flat screen, desk, table, couch and chairs and Indigo's rollaway bed in this room and then separated by a pocket door is our king bed and Isaac's crib and the bathroom which is quite superb.   The bedroom also has a flat screen, not that there is much tv watching to be done - just enough of the news this morning to know about the snow expected in our home area!  Granddad says they are calling it "Snowmagedden" and that there could be 30 inches - please let it melt before we get home!  There is a glass wall between the bathroom (the walk in shower and tub) and the bedroom.  When Grandma and Granddad went in their room the screen was up so anyone in the bedroom would be able to see the person showering/bathing!   However, there is a remote control which lowers the screen so everyone's modesty is preserved.    I know Granddad would have liked that feature if Granny was sharing a room with him!    Isaac woke up completely shocked by his new surroundings and crying.  David quickly changed him into his pajamas and he settled down.   Indigo woke up and was very excited by her "private room bed" which is along a mirror so she can see herself (jumping on the bed...).   David went out with Granddad to check out hotel and for Vicky (assistant guide) to show them surrounding restaurants, grocery store etc. and they had a beer.   After feeding the children the snacks we had on hand, I put Isaac to bed and he was out like a light.  Indigo was boing, boing for a while and then fell asleep.   Off to bed for us.  This morning we gave the children some snacks in the room as they were hungry and then all dressed and went to breakfast.   Isaac threw his first tantrum when we were leaving the room as he wanted to go out in the stroller and we were not takiing that.   He was shrieking but calmed down by the time we made a public appearance in the restaurant.    I got them food and he really was mostly interested in the chicken congee but then ate some other things too.   David brought the kids to the room while Grandma and I finished up.  When I arrived in the room it was to great excitement - Isaac pooped on the potty!   I guess in the clean up process from that, he also peed on the floor!   Oh well.   We met the group - five families and traveled to Shamian Island to the dreaded medical appointment.  We parked at the White Swan - what a flood of memories that brought back from our adoption of Indigo - it was where we stayed while in Guangzhou.   The whole island is under an amazing amount of construction and all the buildings are covered in scaffolding - the street that had our favorite shops is all covered by scaffolding, sidewalks are dug up etc. - it's quite crazy.   We trekked to the medical building and it was just packed to the gills with adoptive families - so many - families everywhere.    It seems chaotic but they really process you through.  Isaac's first stop was the examination with the doctor - he screamed and cried the whole time.  We had to take off his shoes, socks, pants, diaper.  The doctor asked questions about and asked if we knew his special need, poked and prodded him.   He wanted to see him walk so we put the shoes and socks back on and he walked towards me, away from the doctor.   When we wanted him to walk back towards the doctor he would have none of that.    Indigo wanted to be involved and she amused herself playing with the examining room curtain - you can see her hiding herself and then the big reveal.   I was then holding Isaac as he still cried and then his next ordeal was to have his ears looked at and his throat looked at.    They did not do an eye test on him.   We were then told to go to the cashier to pay 1437 Yuen for his needed vaccinations (new under the Hague, all the kids need these vaccines before going home - no choice) so they look at the provincial medical record and determine what they need.  While at the cashier I saw our friends Adam and Laura Beth and their new daughter Maya Mei - it gave me goose bumps and a lump in my throat to see someone we knew and to meet their daughter.  Maya Mei was very sweet and wanted to pick up Indigo but Indigo wanted none of that.   We then waited and waited and waited for these shots.   David at least got Isaac happy again with snacks and swinging him.  While we waited, Indigo went with her Granddad to a nearby playground area and had a good time there with him.   Finally it was our turn and he absolutely knew what was going to happen and he cried and cried.  A TB test on the underside of the left arm, a vaccine in each arm and a vaccine in each thigh.    He was fairly quickly consoled by the lollipop we gave him.   At this point we were so shattered and he was so exhausted from so much crying, it already being lunch and nap time and the shear trauma.   We decided just to go to Lucys - an American style restaurant.  However, David had said I needed to find some pants for Isaac as his were smelly and I wanted to grab a drink.  I got the drinks right away and headed to meet them at Lucys.   On the way I saw our guide and asked her where I could find pants so I ended up having to head back the same way I had just come from.   I got some pants really fast and headed to Lucys.   When I got there David met me at the door - basically with "Thank G you're here!).  Apparently Isaac had just had a complete and utter melt down - shrieking and screaming to the point of David having to remove him from the scene - he had been hitting and throwing his body.   Granddad told me that his lollipop stick had broken so that the small ball of lollipop and short bit of stick were in his mouth.   Well, of course, not really desirable so David took it out - it just set him off - probably more than normal because he was tired and hungry, but he just lost it.   It sounded truly awful - I missed the worst of it.   We had lunch - cheeseburgers and fries!    This seemed to help everyone.   Indigo and Isaac shared grilled cheese and fries and Isaac ate a bunch of pieces of my burger.  I had also got him and Indigo a bottle of water and you just cannot take the open bottle from him although of course it tips and spills etc.   I personally felt like I got hit by a Mack truck and then run over with the steam roller, and perhaps everyone else felt much the same.    We went back to White Swan were we were meeting the group at 2 p.m.  Isaac fell asleep in the stroller but we did enjoy the koi pond and fountains at the White Swan where we had taken a family picture of Indigo as a baby - we took a couple of pictures of her there today.   Unfortunately Isaac woke up when we boarded the bus but he lay quietly on my lap the whole way back to the hotel and then went down for a nap - Indigo feel asleep first.  I was lying in the room with Isaac but he would not sleep - chucked everything out the crib, so I decided to motivate myself to get on the computer and then he fell asleep.  David went out to the supermarket and took some of the photos of the street scenes and then the sign for the hotel and the hotel itself.  Also, some photos in the lobby - that black background is marble and the gold is paper cut!   It's gold paper cut and is the largest paper cut in the world.  Also, the lobby of this hotel is the largest in Asia.   Apparently we're taking photos of the families tomorrow in the lobby.  
The two photos from yesterday and then so far for today (Saturday February 6th in the link below):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7322989@N05/sets/72157623238739501/