Fuzhou Day 3

Thank you so much for your emails, comments and posts. It means so much and we really need it. Adoptions are not seen very often here and so we get many probing stares. Some will eventually smile, some look very angry and others will set their children down to play with Livi. And still others will try very hard to communicate with us.

Wednesday morning we had free time so we went to the park right across from our hotel and walked a little. There were lots of pigeons that were not scared of us at all.

Mommy and Livi at the Hot Springs Park by our hotel



Hot Springs Park



In the afternoon we went to the Fuzhou museum of history. Then to the residence of a high ranking official that ended the selling of opium by the British to the Chinese people. Starting the Opium War. He is considered a National Hero. We then went to a traditional tea ceremony. Neither of us are fond of tea and we both burnt our tongues. But it was neat to see their tradition.

Us with the Lady at the Tea House who showed us how to make tea



We also visited the West Lake Park. This park is on a lake that was made in 282 AD and was part of ancient Fuzhou.

Mommy, Daddy, and Livi at the West Lake Park in Fuzhou



We have done almost no shopping so when we get to Guangzhou, we will probably go crazy! We truly can not wait to get to Guangzhou and be with the other two families that we traveled to China with. We feel so ALONE here. At times it makes us very nervous.

My greatest challenge is the food. I have been eating mostly rice. But I did enjoy the eggplant dish that we had in Beijing. But tonight for dinner we get to go to PIZZA HUT again. I AM SO HAPPY! Yesterday we had lunch here in the hotel and it is NOT westernized like the breakfast buffet is. The most "out there" food item I have to tell you about is, brace yourselves, the pot of "Madicinal Ox Penis" (that's what the sign said!). I did not stir the pot to see if the sign was accurate. Anyone hungry?

When we received Olivia, she was 95% potty trained, but has reverted quite a
bit because we have been putting diapers on her. It is just to hard to keep a 2
year olds clothes clean when using "squatty potties". When not at the hotel it is
extremely rare to see a western potty.

Bonding is going exactly contrary to what I expected. I thought Olivia would just
fall in love with Ken, but she is totally a mama's girl right now. If I start
to walk away from her to do anything, or to go out of her sight at all, she
screams and cries "Bao" (hug). And when I come back to her and Ken hands her to
me she wraps her arms around me and holds on for dear life. Although I must add that as I am typing this, she is having a great time in the tub with Baba helping her. So I need to let him do the fun things with her.

She is VERY active. She doesn't like to be still for very long. And is very strong willed. Sounds like fun for a 14 hour plane ride back to the GOOD OL' USA huh! ;o) She is also very small as we had expected. She has tiny little hands and feet. She wears a size 4W shoe, 18 months are absolutely just right on her now, and 2T is still big.

When we received Livi, she had been very well prepared to meet us and called us Mama and Baba almost immediately. We received a lot of information about her and many pictures of her life in the past 9 months. She had a teacher that she was very close to, who wrote a little life history about her. She has been in foster care with 6 different Christian families. They have been caring for and teaching her many things about God and how to pray etc.

Please continue to pray for her attachment process. We miss you all very
much and can't wait to get home.
Mystina, Ken and Olivia