Nanchang to Guangzhou

Greetings from Guangzhou, Guandong province, "ancestral" home of the
Lo's. A momentous day for all of us -- beginning with the obligatory
buffet breakfast in the scary hotel lobby. Then, my parents and Dave
took Darcy for a stroll while I hurriedly packed our belongings and
met our guide Jane in the lobby for noon. A happy morning all around
as Emperor Crazy Rooster (Darcy) napped for almost 2 hours in the
stroller, then -- sorry, baby bowel movement comment follows -- pooped
for the first time in 4 days (can you say "stress"?), and Jane
provided us with all the notarized Chinese adoption forms along with
Darcy's Chinese passport even though the offices were backlogged (Jane
is wonderfully pushy and gets fabulous results).

Then, off to the airport. All in all, Darcy was a rockstar. He spent
most of the flight putting cheerios into a glass of water and mushing
them with his pruning fingers. I know, he's a culinary genius in the
making! Other than a medium-sized meltdown upon descent, Darcy was
perfectly behaved. Granted it was a one hour flight -- our 13-hour
flight from Beijing to DC may be an entireley different story.

We arrived at the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou
around 5:30. The WSH lives up to its billing - it's lovely and from
what I can tell, the service is unbelievable. For one, there appears
to be a butler posted outside our door. Dinner was very, very nice -
what a change from the dump, I mean, prosperous, people-centric,
strong industrial center that is Nanchang. Darcy ate with abandon
again, pointing wildly at what he wanted served to him, grunting and
howling when we didn't get him food quickly enough. I know, he is a
demure soul. Tomorrow, we have an 11:00 mandatory physical for Darcy
at the US consul (yes, I am bracing myself - Emperor Fussy Pants will
not be amused) and a more informal, but far more useful check-up with
the CAWLI pediatrician, the wonderful Doctor Jerry. Darcy is getting
a cold and is rather snotty. Still adorable but snotty.

So, to recap, lots of smiles today and even a couple fits of giggles,
a big poop, a first flight, and a lovely new hotel and city to
explore. All around a good day.

-- Laurelle