ONCE UPON A JADE MARKET, MEDICAL EXAM AND RIVER CRUISE

So I need to go back a day and recap the events for that day. I was very ill yesterday so there was no way I could have crawled out of bed to blog. So sorry for that but we thought you all needed a break as well since the prior days post only produced 3 comments. Like I said, I was not feeling myself yesterday. After mountains of paperwork to obtain Halainah's Visa we set off to find a market that was across the island. We found it after walking many miles and going through weird alley ways that contained people selling anything you can think of including, dried sea horses and animal sculls and tiger paws. It was more than I cared to view so needless to say we walked quickly. The market was insane. There were people everywhere. We enjoyed the market because it did show us the "real" China that we have been craving since Nanchang. But it was way too busy for us and we set back to the hotel. My body was so weak I could hardly hold myself up. By the time we got back to the hotel I just collapsed. My throat hurt worse than I can ever remember. By the end of the night I knew that I had something serious. So I started a regimen of Emergen C, Airborne and antibiotics. Tony was an excellent dad and cared for Halainah all day which included changing stinky diapers, feeding her, making bottles and rocking her to sleep. I didn't pick her up once yesterday or kiss her so by this morning I missed my little Lainey Bug so very much. I feel a little better today but still can't swallow so hopefully by tomorrow I will feel better.
My brother and I went to a jade market and a pearl market. I was in search of a jade bracelet that I wanted as a connection to my daughter. The market was overwhelming to say the least. But after a while I found one that I was in love with. The asking price was 800 yuans. Our guide told us that was way to much so she told the sales woman that we would give her 300 yuans. They said no that it was worth way more than that and showed me some more that they would give us for that price. But they were smaller and not as translucent. So we started to walk away. They called us back and when all was said and done we paid 350 yuans. Just about $52 American dollars. It was a GREAT deal and it's beautiful. The pearl market was overwhelming. It was literally 6 stories high with thousands of stores. I did not purchase anything there it was just too crazy for me.
This morning we had to take Halainah for her medical exam. It is part of the Visa process. Halainah did not like it one bit. They checked her height and weight. She is 21 pounds according to their scales. They checked her ears, nose and throat. And they checked her heart. The doctor said that she does not hear a heart murmur. So that is the second doctor that has told us that the hole in her heart has closed. Of course we won't celebrate until our doctors tell us that she is healed. But it all sounds like very good news. Halainah received a clean bill of health which made us very happy.
After the medical exam we dressed Halainah in a traditional Chinese dress for her famous picture on the red couch. It has been a tradition that every family that adopts a China baby takes a picture on the red couch in the White Swan Hotel. Well it was not that exciting at all. It literally is a small couch in the lobby of our hotel. All the babies cried, well at least Halainah did and there really wasn't a good picture. But I guess we can say that she sat on the famous red couch.
At night we went on a short night cruise. It was a lot of fun and it was awesome to see the lights of Guangzhou. It reminds us a lot like Las Vegas. It has been about 60 degrees during the day, sun is shining and we can wear a light sweatshirt. I am not looking forward to the frigid weather back at home.
Halainah is still the best baby I know. She has the cutest laugh and daddy can get the best belly laughs from her. She is extremely ticklish and mimics a lot of things we do. She constantly makes us laugh. She bonded with us right from the beginning and we have noticed that she no longer goes to strangers easily. She wants to make sure that mommy and daddy are near by. She has attached herself to us as we have attached ourselves to her. We cannot imagine our lives without her. She is God's greatest gift and we are forever grateful for his glory.