First Day in Eliza’s Hometown

(This was written Sunday afternoon, July 13, at 4:00 p.m.)

This morning, after letting Addie sleep as long as she could, we skyped with the kiddos back home! Was a balm to my soul!

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Then we showered, got ready, and headed down to the breakfast buffet. It did not disappoint! (Grant, you would have LOVED it!)

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These photos are for you, Mom, to show you how good I am eating! I got some fruit at the buffet, made my quinoa flakes into a porridge with some boiling water, added a baby food pouch to it, and added some peanut butter to a banana. It was good and filling! I felt fantastic today!

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After breakfast, we headed out for a walk to check out Eliza’s hometown and to get some bottled water! Here are some photos of our hotel –

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And some photos from our room on the fifteenth floor!

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Yes, that is a Starbucks below! My darling hubbie got us both a grande this morning while Addie slept!

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We walked through a mall close to our hotel.

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Then we played charades with a couple of gals to try to find the grocery store. We succeeded! It was SO NEAT! We are just taking everything, absolutely everything in. So fun to see all they had on their shelves.

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This is for you kiddos at home. Check out what we found in downtown Guangzhou!! Straight from our neighboring farms at home, all the way to Guangzhou, China. Too cool!

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The walk to and from the mall and grocery store was rich with culture. We just can’t get enough.

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We also checked out the hotel health gym and the hotel pool. Wish you were here, boys! You would love it and the water is so warm!

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We meet at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow to head to the Civil Affairs Office to meet Eliza. Addie and I packed her things and got out some toys for her today!

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THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED WHILE IN CHINA:

……always watch your feet while you walk. We have all tripped several times, and Addie almost walked right into a ground level pond!

……we did not know the definition of the words heat and humidity until now.

……our water pressure and showers at home are the pits! The shower here is its own room encased in glass! Wish we could bring it home!

Share in our praises!

*Addie is feeling 100% again!

*Skype, e-mail, and blogging are ALL working!! So thankful!!

*We have adjusted to the time change very quickly and easily!

*Only ONE MORE SLEEP until we have Eliza!!

*The children at home are doing well!

Please pray for our day tomorrow, in every way!

OH MY GOODNESS!!! TOMORROW WE WILL HAVE ELIZA IN OUR ARMS!!!!

11 comments

  1. Heather says:

    This is so surreal – YOU ARE IN CHINA!!! Everything there looks so fancy. So glad you got to enjoy your free time and some Starbocks 🙂 Praising God for Addie Mae’s health. He is so good ♥

  2. Kelly says:

    It is 4:50 pm Sunday July 13th here, which means it is almost 8AM Monday July 14th there and I can imagine you are crawling out of your skin (after all we are sisters and a bit alike!). I’m not sure I’ll be sleeping tonight just feeling your excitement. Praying everything goes well today for you and sweet Eliza does well meeting her forever family. Love you lots and can not (CAN NOT) wait to see the pictures and hear all about it. Enjoy every minute. I’m sure your smile is as bright as ever! Love you!

    • Steph says:

      Sitting at breakfast right now, (visiting with family’s that already have their children) and the smile nor the tears will go away!

  3. Daria says:

    Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us. This is so exciting! I can’t wait for tomorrow. I keep thinking of the day I was able to be with you when you first met Grant. I will never forget that day.

  4. Christy says:

    Hi! I hope you don’t mind me stalking your blog. I am a friend of Kelly’s from high school. We adopted from China March 2012 and I really enjoy watching others go through the experience. We stayed at the Garden in Guangzhou too and loved it! Be sure to visit Shamian Island while there. It is a great place to shop and there is a great restraunt on the Island (if still there) called Lucy’s that has good American food. Congrats on the new addition to your family. She is beautiful and looks like she is happy and will adjust well. Enjoy every minute of the trip. I miss it and am ready to go back! Good luck and safe travels.

    • Steph says:

      Christy, So sweet! Thank you for your comment!!! We have plans to go to Shamian and I can’t wait!! We are enjoying this to the fullest! This journey has been amazing!!

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