March 3

Our day today included a trip to the Guangzhou “walking” street.  Much like the walking street in Beijing that Andrew Zimmer featured in his show Bizarre Foods a couple of years ago.  We weren’t too adventurous when it came to our food choices, not wanting to get sick the last few days before we come home.  However, we did a little bit of shopping, but didn’t find much. 

 

We have a trip to Shamain Island coming up where we know there will be more shopping opportunites.  Shamain Island is where we spent our week in Guangzhou when we adopted Addison, so we are quite familiar with what lies ahead as far as the prospect of using some of our spending cash.  Shamain Island isn’t a sand covered beach resort like it might sound; it is an island of concrete surrounded by a man made moat if you will.  Jen is looking forward to our visit.

We took turns going to a local foot message clinic this afternoon, and before we leave I fully intend on a return visit.  Who wouldn’t, considering a 70 minute massage was around the sum total of $20 US dollars!?!

To Debbie, Sandy, Sally, Jen and Rhonda… we met up with our guide from when we were here four years ago, Shiyan.  We were at the medical appointment for Tovin, and she went running by…Jason noticed her first.  I quickly got up and went to talk to her.  She said she would love to meet Addison, and will be at the consulate with her Bethany families the same time we are for our meeting appointment with Tovin.

We were able to get to know a few of the other families a little better today that are part of the Lifeline adoption agency group.  There are quite a variety of families with only one other couple from the northern states, that being the state of Washington.  Everyone else is from the South.  It was a little cooler today, in the mid 60’s and windy.  Once again I was in shorts and even the guys from the southern states thought that I was crazy.  However, 60’s and windy is way warmer than what we left and or what you guys are having right now, so even though people think I’m senseless I’ll continue to suffer through these extremely cold temperatures.  ;-)

Tovin has shown us that he has quite a creative imagination.  It’s hard to explain with words what he does, but it’s been fun watching him use his imagination and then laugh and giggle as he looks to see if we’ve been watching.  We are finding out that Tovin really enjoys some of the finer things in life, such as Starbuck’s hot chocolate, mom’s pampering with rosebud foot massages each night before bed along with his lotion leg and arm rub downs.  He loves to have his head rubbed, combed, and brushed, and can’t seem to get enough face to face contact with mom.  He is quick to give a hug, and reaches out to both Jen and I if he’s standing alone and we offer to pick him up.  He’s come such a long way in such a short time; it’s amazing how fast the bonding process has started.  We know full well that this process has just started and that we have a lot more bonding and attachment time to invest with him and him with us. 

Thank you all for your prayer through this whole process, but keep them coming as this adventure has just begun.

Once again, Jen and I would like to thank her brother and his wife, Jay and Sheila, for taking time to be away from their two precious children to join us on this journey.  At times it may seem to them that they have just been along for the ride, especially since things are going so well for both Tovin and Addison, but believe me when I say that it would be a struggle to say the least if they weren’t “along for the ride!”  I’m not sure what it would have been like had this transition for both of our children hadn’t been so easy as it were, and they hadn’t come along for the ride?  So thank you Jay and Sheila!  And thank you once again both Nathan and Elizabeth for sharing your mom and dad with us, we know that you miss them probably as much as they miss you!  Knowing that they won’t get a chance to read this until we get back to Hong Kong on Thursday night makes it that much more meaningful that we say thank you to them.  You truly are a blessing. 

Good night from China,

Jason, Jen, Addison, and Tovin