Day 11 Saturday, April 21

We discovered the benefits of baby benadryl today! :) It has taken the edge off, and not a second too soon, as Mom and Dad were getting really exhausted!

Today was a day off, and we really needed it. Since there were no tours planned, we were able to sleep in (8:30) and take it easy in the room without having to hurry out (although we did almost miss the breakfast buffet downstairs, and had to run down in our PJs....all three of us mind you! :) We didn't start our day until 11:00 am, and then spent most of the day checking out all the baby stores (there's tons of them...its obvious this island caters to the adoption crowd...nothing but restaurants and baby shops everywhere you look). We also found the bakery on the island, next to the White Swan hotel. We had heard about the "Apple Puffs" from a few people, so had to go check that out.

So it was a nice day to just walk around Shamian Island and spend some quality time with Allie (although extremely muggy and humid today weather-wise.....more laundry needs to be done for sure!) I (Blair) get the feeling that Alison is getting more comfortable with us as each day goes by. We have discovered, though, that she is really good in the mornings and evenings, but is really fussy and cries a lot in the late afternoons (right when Dad needs to nap). We are guessing she doesn't like being cooped up in a small hotel room, so to give Mom a break, I took Allie in the stroller to the park in the middle of the island tonight. I was able to talk to some of the locals, and learn more about the life here. Allie has been a big draw wherever we go...people just walk up to us and want to see her, and she always gives them a big inviting smile. :)

In the last day, we've made some new friends from Eugene, Oregon. A single mom (Kristina) and her mother are here to adopt their 2 1/2 year old daughter, Marissa, who is also special needs. Marissa has a small benign tumor on one of her eyes, but other than that is perfectly healthy. The mom and grandma are here all alone--not with any group--so we have tried to include them in stuff we're doing. They came over to have pizza with us last night, and it was funny to see six adults, three kids, and three large pizzas taking up one hotel room.....lots of laughs and stories (I guess their in-country guide is just a hoot). Anyway, the pizza was actually quite good, and we were so happy to taste something other than Chinese food for a change. :)

It's also fascinating to talk to Kristina about her experience. She works for the state of Oregon as a social worker/case worker, and is very involved with placing children in foster homes. Originally, she had wanted to adopt domestically, but has found that the politics and poor condition of the foster system convinced her to go internationally. I thought that said a lot.

Tomorrow is a tour at 10 am, and then we are thinking about taking a cruise on the Pearl River nearby at night. It'll be interesting to see how Allie likes the water.

Tami sends her best....