Second full day in Guangzhou and we are doing great. It's been pretty cold (50ish) and rainy so we have spent lots of time in the room playing and have gotten to see how playful this little girl is. Early on we thought she was going to be shy, but it appears to not be the case. She's very happy and squeals alot. She is a great imitator. Darrin has taught her how to act like a monkey (I laughed so hard) and now he's trying to teach her to say Tarheel. She's also enjoying her food. Tonight she had a bowl of rice cereal with peaches, half a cup of my potato soup, crackers and a cookie. An hour later she took her regular formula bottle. I hope we don't regret that later. When I stop feeding her she lets me know quickly that she's ready for another bite. At this rate she won't be in those 12 month clothes for long. When we're out lots of the Chinese people want to hold her. We don't mind, but she usually won't go unless it's a man offering to take her. She still has a thing for men, even the other men in our group.

We did half day of siteseeing this morning with our group. We started at the Chen Clan family temple created by the the Chen family (at one time one of he richest families in China) in memory of their ancestors. It was open air temple with a beauiful garden in the middle and different shops and art galleries around the perimeter. We got to see an artist painting using his hands and view some beautiful embroidery that covered almost an entire wall. Really talented people. Our next stop was to a tea room where they gave an example of what makes a good and bad teapot. Of course, theirs was the best in the world and we couldn't resist buying a small ceramic one. In another room we all sat on theses little chairs and had a tea tasting demonstration. There was jasmine (my favorite), oolong, rosebud and gingseng. I got to tell the group about my Papa's ginseng experiences and what a healthy and expensive root it is. Too bad is was the worst tasting tea but it was still a special moment. I took a photo of the leaves in a bag, a cup of the tea and the paper that tells about it. It says gingseng tea is good for a sore throat and bad breath. We picked up some for Christmas presents : )

We ate McDonald's again today (third time in three days) and ordered dinner from Danny's Bagels (an American man who came to China and opened a little takeout restaurant that caters to adoptive families with American food). It was pretty good and cheap. A big day of shopping tomorrow and hopefully we'll venture out with some food other than McDonalds. Darrin said no Chinese food for him for at least six months. It's supposed to be beautiful here tomorrow--with the high almost 80. After 6 days of rain we are ready for it. We miss the Florida sunshine. We also miss our big boy, but we sure made the right decision to leave him in the capable hands of family members who love him. The trip is going to be so memorable, but it is very hard. He would not do well with the rigid schedule or unusual food. It will sure be a good reunion when we get to him.

Good night from Guangzhou, China...See some of you in about four days. The countdown has begun.