Weekend adventures in Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou around 8 pm on Friday evening. We were picked up at the train station by our terrific driver who we would have for the week. It was a little funny that he didn't need a sign with our names on it to find us, he just knew that the tall white people with the Chinese baby must be us! He drove us to our hotel, the China Hotel Marriott. We checked in and the staff couldn't have been nicer! "Why yes, we would be glad to upgrade you to a suite for free. We also have a free breakfast buffet and free happy hour with free cocktails. Oh and wifi is free!" I knew this must be our reward for surviving the first week! We loved Changsha for its authentic Chinese experience, but we loved Guangzhou for feeling more like home. The executive lounge meals included Chinese options (for the brave eaters like Brian) like steamed squid and dumplings, and about any American breakfast item you can ask for (which made me happy!). We were also able to save money by eating dinner at the happy hour most nights. The China Hotel is popular among adoptive families and we can definitely see why!

Saturday morning we met our guide and driver (and another adoptive dad and son who also used our agency) to get Milo's medical clearance. This was required prior to his consulate appointment so that the USA knew that he was healthy enough to immigrate.
There were many other adoptive families at the medical office. It was heartwarming to see so many kids of different ages and special needs be getting forever families.

Milo passed his medical check with flying colors. He was 18 lbs and 29.5 inches, just a tiny guy!! This explained why he fits in the 9 month clothes we brought! Another amazing thing we learned that day was that Milo did not have a cleft palate! His referral paperwork stated that he did, but we hadn't had a chance to get a good look in his mouth.
Poor Milo hated every second of his medical exam, but luckily it was quick and because he was under 2 he didn't have to have bloodwork, vaccinations or a TB test like some of the other kiddos.

Sad face!!

The rest of the day we played around and enjoyed our giant hotel room. That night we decided to venture out via taxi to meet some new friends for dinner. Ashley and I met on a Facebook group for folks with a similar adoption timeline as us and I was so excited to finally meet her and her family! I felt like we were already good friends after chatting for so long! Their hotel had some shops near it and we walked to Pizza Hut for dinner. Even though we felt a little guilty for not enjoying some of the amazing local food, it was great to eat something familiar and spend time with people who understood the crazy ride we were on. We also chatted about the next day's adventure, which was shopping with a local guide we hired based on the recommendation of many adoptive families.

That night was the first night Milo slept the whole night without waking up crying. It was so nice to get a full night's sleep (although he was still sleeping with us so we were still woken with a kick to the ribs or a heat producing baby rolling against us) and have him wake up with a smile!
Ashley, Evan and their sweet new daughter Ellie met us at our hotel to meet our shopping guide, Ann. The first part of our adventure was a subway ride. We had heard good things about the subway in Guangzhou and they were right! It was fairly easy to navigate (although we did have Ann telling us which ticket to buy and when to get off), clean and safe.

Our first stop was a park where a jade vendor that she knew met us with many different choices of jade jewelry.  After that she took us to the toy market and pearl market. The shops there were amazing! They were in GIANT mall like buildings with hundreds of stores each in a tiny space no bigger than a closet. We were so glad to have a guide as I don't think we would have been brave enough to shop there without her! Some highlights of our purchases were some traditional Chinese silk outfits for Milo for the next few years, matching jade dragon necklaces for Brian and Milo and some beautiful pearl jewelry for myself, family and Milo's future wife.

Shopping for jade in the park

Pearl market

Ashley and I feeling very glamorous while picking out our pearls.

Seems legit right?

Some of our purchases:

This is a hand carved stamp that says our last name in English and Mandarin

These came from that scary dungeon shop!

Brian's jade koi fish necklace and my jade circle necklace

We were once again so thankful for the carrier that Brian's cousins gave us and that Milo loved it because he was happy in it the entire day as we ran all over Guangzhou and even fell asleep for a while! The only downside was it was hot and humid, so Milo and I definitely had a bonding experience sweating on each other.

After some much needed showers, we met up with Ashley and her family again for dinner and some play time at the playground in our hotel. Their daughter Ellie was full of smiles and it was fun to watch her with Milo! Although Milo still wasn't quite sure how to play with other kids, Ellie had fun trying to teach him!

Next up is our Consulate appointment and the Pearl River cruise!
Also, for any future adoptive families reading this, you must shop with Ann! It's an experience you won't forget!