Yesterday was a really fun day. We woke up early, had breakfast, and headed out to Haizu Square. This place is something else. We were actually able to get in this time. It's row after row after row of shops (more like booths) selling everything you can imagine. Think TaiPan or Pier 1. They were also selling little toys and gadgets like you would find in an Oriental Trading Catalog. There were Chinese trinkets and American stuff all mixed together. We were definitely in the minority. Very few people spoke English. You would point or gesture towards something you were interested in buying and then they would type a number into their calculator. You would type in a counter offer on the calculator and the bartering would begin. It turns out that Bman is a natural at this. He doesn't ever impulse shop. He likes to take his time and think things through before he parts with his hard earned money. He had no problem walking away from their offers. This made them absolutely crazy. They would practically chase him down and sell it to him for what he had offered. He bought a chess set and a remote control jeep. He also got a nice watch. You could easily get lost in this place. I'm sure we didn't see everything because we got so turned around. It covers an entire city block with multiple floors. There is an opening to the "outside" on each of it's four surrounding streets. We came out on a totally different street than we entered on. It was quite claustrophobic inside and very smoky. Everyone here smokes cigarettes and I don't think I will ever get used to the smoke. Anyway, it was quite an experience and we may end up going back before we leave.
We took a taxi back to the hotel in time for the kids to swim before we had to meet Lee to take Lucie for her medical exam. The medical building is within walking distance from the hotel. We first stopped at a photo shop to take Lucie's passport picture and then we continued on. By the time we got to the medical building, Lucie was sound asleep (she LOVES the baby carrier and falls asleep in it often). They were able to start some of the exam before she woke up...but when she did wake up, she was MAD! She screamed and screamed. She did not like the ladies in the lab coats. There was a gentleman ENT that she didn't mind so much. He had this cool little piano toy that played music. She was so enthralled with the music that she didn't notice him looking in her ears. Although she couldn't help but notice when he shoved a tongue depressor down her throat. Not pretty. It turns out that our little Lu weighs 17.3 pounds currently. She is a lot bigger than I was expecting. She is wearing 6-12 month size clothes. She has the cutest pudgy little legs that all of the Chinese people point out to me. "Wow," they say, "healthy baby!" as they pinch her little legs. She is very strong. She loves to jump and dance.
Last night the boys rode the shuttle to the airport with Ali. She should be in California by now. Hopefully everything went well with customs and all. The girls in our travel group all met for dinner, while the boys were gone. We went to the Cow and Bridge a Thai restaurant just a couple of blocks away. It was really fun! We have met the nicest people on this trip--especially those who are traveling with us. We have been very fortunate to get to know them and really enjoy their company!
Ali and the girls
The Family
Our Travel GroupThere's not a lot happening today. We are going to have to plan our own fun it looks like. We have to meet for a little while with Lee this afternoon to do some paperwork, but that is it. We are so thrilled that Julie O is getting her baby today. We couldn't be happier for her. She was scheduled to meet her baby on the same day we did, but experienced some complications. Thank goodness it has all been straightened out and she will finally get to meet her little one!
Happy Fourth of July everyone! We hope you eat some apple pie for us. We love and miss you all!
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