The Great Wall and other retail adventures

We had a great day today – no pun intended. : )

Charlotte slept until almost 7:30, but I woke up at 6:00, so things worked out well. I had a chance to shower, wash and make all the bottles for the day and generally get her gear in order, all before she woke up. NICE.

We were all loaded on the bus by 8:30. Our first stop was the jade factory. We had a guide who took us through the history of jade in China and gave us a quick education on the how to pick quality jade. Essentially, there are 3 different grades: A, B and C. Although I am not a huge fan of jade (I’m still holding out for some black pearls), I fell victim to the Chinese tradition of mother passing on a jade bracelet to her daughter on her wedding day. All trip we’ve been looking for something special and uniquely Charlotte, and we both really felt this was the thing to do. The jade bracelets are incredibly tight, so as you can see in the photo the sales person has to put a bag over your hand to try it on. We must have tried about 30 or so before finally settling on one. Since this is Charlotte’s special bit of jewelry, we decided to buy a good quality bracelet. Let’s just say this will be an heirloom piece.

Next stop was the Great Wall. To say that this is an impressive sight really doesn’t do it justice. It is completely unbelievable that it was constructed before any heavy machinery was available. It is quite the workout to climb, and pretty unstable footing in many places. (check out the steps in the photo) Needless to say, we didn’t go too far. With Steve already injured and me with a baby strapped on (putting my balance off a bit), we just took it easy. We went up to the first tower and that was it. It was still nice to hang out at the bottom and enjoy the scenery. I think this will be a fun adventure when we come back when the girls are a little older.










Next stop was lunch at a huge restaurant that is part of a “Friendship Store” (aka shop for tourists that is government run). The food was great – except for the fish – which might have been good, but it was so visually unappealing that no on touched it. At the shop we bought matching silk outfits for AJ and Charlotte. Let’s hope they fit!!

We got back to the hotel and everyone was pretty exhausted. There is a Subway (yes, the sandwich store) just down the street, so a bunch of us decided to have subs and eat in one family’s room. All the guys went out to get the food, so the Moms suspected they were up to something, but we didn’t know what. They came back with subs, (who knew they made such good comfort food???), and cards for all the Moms. A few minutes later, room service arrived with a bit bottle of champagne. It was a great Mother’s Day surprise.


And finally, Fu Ling arranged for a tailor to come to her hotel room at 8:00 tonight. Men were filled for custom made suits, and women for traditional Chinese dresses and jackets. Steve got a suit and I got a red/black dress and a black jacket. The clothes will be ready on Wednesday. Exciting!!

ON the Charlotte front, she had a pretty good eating day today. Aside from her usual bread-fest, she had banana at breakfast and steamed egg at lunch (FINALLY a little protein). She wasn’t much interested in dinner; I think she was too tuckered out from the lack of proper napping today.

I can’t believe the difference in her personality in just 6 days. She smiles and laughs most of the time, loves to play on the floor and still gives lots of hugs and kisses. The difference now is that she is giving the hugs because she wants to, they are not the same desperately clingy hugs of the early days. It is actually kind of frightening how quickly she has settled in to being with us.

We spoke to AJ again tonight and it is clear that she is now missing us as much as we miss her. We are all definitely ready to be together again. She has also been sick with and ear infection for the last week, so knowing that she wasn’t 100% and my parents were dealing with that has also been a bit of a worry. Thank goodness for the webcam. If any of you future travelers are considering getting one, I would highly recommend it. It is only $100 for the webcam, and then you can talk to anyone set up on MSN for free. (Yes, I said free. Both hotels we’ve stayed in have had free internet service in our rooms). We have also been using Skype, but the sound quality on MSN seems to be better. Either way, it beats the hell out of paying for long distance calls, and, people at home get to see the baby. In addition to AJ and my parents, we’ve also been chatting on-line with Steve’s parents, and a couple of his sisters. It is great technology.

Time to sign off. Tomorrow we have another early morning and it is an important one. Medicals for the babies at the Canadian embassy. This is the last bit of official stuff we have to do. After this we just wait to get her VISA and then we are homeward bound!!!