if i were a rich man...

Or at least a smart man, I could be a rich man!  We went to the pearl market today and boy, I had no idea how many different kinds of pearls there were!  It was astounding.  You could pick from thousands and millions of pearls and make whatever you wanted to.  Big ones, little ones, white ones, gray ones, perfect ones, imperfect ones, pink ones, yellow ones.  A little overwhelming, but I knew what I wanted which was super basic.  Each strand ran anywhere from $15 to $75.  One lady in our group said that last time she was in china about 9 years ago she bought a necklace for $50 and went home and had it appraised for $1200!  Man, we could finance our whole adoption at the pearl market!  Of course, that would require me knowing something about pearls, which I don’t.  Maybe next time.  I bought myself a necklace and then we bought two for Lydia – for some sort of special occasions.  Maybe 16 year old birthday and wedding, or something along those lines.  We bought a big long strand of each so she will be able to do with them what she wants.  Actually, I had picked out one of the least expensive ones and Eric said we should get the more expensive ones in addition!  What kind of man is that?  I think a father who loves his little girls.  So we walked away with two different presents for her someday.  I don’t know if she’ll appreciate them or not but she will at least have the symbolism that we bought them in china when we came to get her.  And hey, she can always hock them on eBay and buy some new tennis shoes, or whatever timeless thing 16 year olds want!  : )

Currently, Lydia is screaming in our room.  She has been coming out of her shell the past two days and is quite the stinker.  Tonight, she has decided she doesn’t want to go to sleep and so she is crying in her crib.  I have tried to hold her and comfort her and she just continues throwing a massive tantrum.  So I finally have decided to lay her down.  It is so hard to know what to do with the little thing.  If it were my biological child for one, they would not be 2 years old and screaming about bedtime…but if they did their little butt would get some attention.  She, I am afraid, is going to have a hard few weeks ahead of her (and so is our whole family…).  Today she threw a massive tantrum in the middle of the hotel floor – kicking and screaming.  Embarrassing to say the least.  The good part is that the whole group is figuring out what to do with their kids and so they are understanding.  As long as she is getting what she wants, she is a gem!  I have to remember that she has only been ours for a week.  She has had a lot happen in her little life in the past month.  I am getting increasingly nervous about home.  What do we do when she is screaming at night?  She is sharing a room with Anna Claire and our house is not that big!  And what about the 1000’s of times a day she doesn’t get the toy that she wants.  And how about the Mommy who can’t devote 100% of her energy to her?  And then there’s Daddy who has to go back to work?  AAAAHHHHH!!!!!  I’ll stop thinking about all those questions right now!  Tonight has enough worries of its own.

After the pearl market Eric and I decided to leave the group and go explore Guangzhou.  It was fun, in an exploring china sort of way.  We definitely were the only westerners around and were getting quite the stares with Lydia.  Although when we ask, our guides have said that generally the Chinese think positively about international adoption, I have not felt warm and fuzzy feelings from the general population.  they just seem puzzled and the older generation definitely seems to look at us with disdain.  Today we had a younger person, maybe late teens or early 20’s ask about Lydia.  They said, “you American, she Chinese.  How come?” it was like they had no concept of adoption and they couldn’t figure out how in the world eric and I could make a Chinese baby!  And when we were at mcdonalds for lunch, along with at least 200 other people (for real) the family we sat across from stared at us THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE EATING.  They could not stop.  I wanted to say to them, “Your government is the one who forces women to give up their babies!  Don’t look at me like I am the crazy one!”  but…I didn’t say that.  It does intrigue me though.

I still can’t get over how many people there are.  It is amazing.  It is like mt. trashmore on the 4^th of july, except everyday and everywhere.  I told eric that if we ever move to china (which I am NOT planning on doing) the hardest part for me would be the people.  They are everywhere and there is no such thing as personal space.  A claustrophobics nightmare.  And of course, what would a day in china be without seeing multiple children pooping on the sidewalk.  Really?  Yes, really.  I don’t think you should be able to host the Olympics when your population doesn’t know the meaning of a toilet.

We did some more shopping tonight.  I didn’t think that was possible but now we have moved into the realm of Christmas presents.  Hey, what’s a person to do when they have 15 days on a little island filled with nothing but shops!  So if you are on my Christmas list you can pretty much count on getting something from Guangzhou (not from the pearl market, ladies).  we tried to go to hong kong but turns out you have to have a separate visa so that was a no go. 

Coming home is getting to be a real thought in my head.  I started packing today.  Not because I needed to, it just made me feel better.  We are getting all our laundry done before we leave!  Now that is a perk of china.  We found this great little store that does our laundry dirt cheap and it comes back smelling great, folded, and vacuum sealed in plastic bags.  In some ways I can’t wait to get home and in other ways I am scared to death.  Lydia is still crying…I have handed her off to eric…could be a long night…

We can’t wait to see you all soon.