little 'helpers', Joe is reading about the Bearcat game for tomorrow,
and I'm not so tired. On an earlier blog I wrote about the hotels we
are staying at in both Beijing and Guangzhou. In Guangzhou, we are on
an island called Shamian Island. The British built here years ago and
the architectural is very beautiful and there are lots of plants and
trees. When people get married here, they take their wedding pictures
before the wedding. Since it is so beautiful here on the island, the
couples are everywhere, everyday. Lillian really gets a kick out of
watching the picture taking and the beautiful brides. Today we walked
across the bridge to the mainland and did some market shopping. You
are stepping back in time some 1000 yrs if you ignore the t-shirts. I
find this a fascinating part of China, how the distant past and the
present collide in today's modern world. A book I brought with me but
reading for a second time, is 'China Road; A Journey into the Future
of a Rising Power' by Rob Gifford. He was the NPR correspondent in
China for six years and is fluent in Mandarin. If you are interested
in what China was, what it is, and what it might become, this is an
interesting read. Since he is a reporter, the book reads easily and
not stuffy like a text book. I really enjoy these older countries, you
can feel the past of thousands of years of humanity.
Ok, more personal stuff. Margaret has taken to Joe pretty well. She
lets him touch her and hold her, maybe not all the time, but most. She
is cute as a button and weighs about as much as a peanut. Joe called
the girls peanut and pumpkin today but not to Lillian's face:) Lillian
is getting accustomed to Margaret crying before she goes down to bed
so that's not bothering her much. We did have a crash into the table
corner today and Lillian was very worried about Margaret, of course we
were fine. The doctor's visit really let us know that Margaret DOES
NOT like doctors, female or male, had some bad experiences in the past
I guess. Just some basic measurements today and no shots or tests.
Margaret loves to play with Lillian and the giggles are hilarious from
both girls. Margaret was definitely a little helper at the orphanage,
she cleans up her mess and puts it in the garbage can! She folds her
clothes and wipes her own mouth and hands. As for Joe and I, we are
doing well. Both of us are very happy with our little family and
already can't imagine not having Margaret. She has moved into our
hearts so fast it's amazing and I thank God(or fate, however you want
to see it) for bringing her into our lives. We are so blessed. But
someone remind me of that when they are teenagers and I'm banging my
head against the wall:) Ok, here are pics of the day. The little girl
with Lillian is the Jone's six year old Zoe that I mentioned earlier.
Looks like things are going VERY well - we're so happy for you. Margaret is a cutie! I don't remember Veronica EVER helping to clean up -- hope Margaret keeps that! When we were with you at Shamian Island last time it was so hot - is it cooler? Have you gone to Lucy's? The cow and bridge restaurant (I think that's the name) was a great Thai one. Enjoying your blog.
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