She Turns One!!

She likes cake!!! It took a couple of swipes across her mouth of the icing to figure it out, but once she had a taste she decided it was good stuff! We're lucky to have the photo of her birthday hat on her head bacause she hates anything on her head.

Our whole travel group is now back together in Guangzhou for the final steps of the adoption process. Four of the families flew to different provinces after leaving Beijing to go pick up their kids. It's interesting to hear of their experiences in the different regions. One family went to a fairly remote region and they said they only saw one other caucasian person during their 5 days there. We all had dinner at a traditional Chinese restaurant last night and our guide ordered for everyone. I think the food was good, although, to be honest, I only ate about 4 bites. Between trying to get MaryAlice fed and me feeling the effects of bad Chinese water, I haven't eaten too much. She's making great strides in her fine motor skills and is now able to get the finger foods into her mouth about 50% of the time. She rest is ending up on the floor, so mommy needs to supplement while she practices.

The other photos are of our trip to the jade and pearl markets with a guide Ann of Red Thread China. It was an interesting trip since I was not feeling well and almost passed out. Ann pulled out a potion that my mother would love (think liquid Vick's vapor rub...my mother's cure all!) and started to rub it on my temples and back of my neck. She then told me to rub it around my belly-button which I willingly did since I felt so bad. Who knows, the shop owners could be laughing about it today, "Can you believe that crazy American girl rubbing medicine on her belly-button". Oh well, I'm better today and Marcia and Monica were fabulous in taking care of MaryAlice, completing the purchases and getting me back to hotel. On an interesting note, while in the pearl market store, Monica was drinking some bottled water that we had purchased at the grocery store 3 days prior. Ann tells her that that brand of water is no good and that the government tested the plant and said it was bad. Mystery solved and nothing a little Cipro couldn't fix. Marcia and Monica went back with our group to the pearl and jade markets again today. I stayed back at the hotel with MaryAlice and took her to the clinic at the hotel to check her ears. She's had a little runny nose and I've been giving her a decongestant, but this morning her sneezes her a little more "productive", so I wanted the doctor to look. She said her right ear looked infected (this is through the hotel manager interpreting), so I'm going to start her on the antibiotics. The long trip home will be difficult enough without a baby with an ear infection. She doesn't seem bothered by it and is just a delightful little girl with a feisty personality. She's so funny how quick she imitates hand gestures and sounds. She loves to blow raspberries and make a fish faces. Well, that's it for today's post. I just gave her her first dose of antibiotics. There's a reason I didn't go into pediatric nursing! Any tips for getting the medicine from the syringe into baby's mouth and getting her to swallow before spitting it out??