We had a free day (no paper work or appointments) and tried to stay within the hotel. Our day started and ended well. After breakfast we went to the outdoor pool where Erin and Barrett got into the kiddy pool. That did not go over too well for Barrett. He is still a bit timid around water and does not like having his shirt off. You would think when the temperature here is in the high 90's the water would be warm... It was actually somewhat cool. In an effort to get him back on a normal schedule we purposefully made our way back to the hotel room by noon to put him down for a nap. This opened up a great opportunity for Erin to go shopping with a local hired guide named Ann. She took both Erin and Denise Walker to the wholesale market where all the other stores get their merchandise. It was amazing to see the bottom line pricing for things we have seen in the stores. For instance, she got a nice chop stick set for $4 when in the US stores it would cost $30. Barrett got a nice traditional Chinese outfit for $3. It was a great experience and worth the $8/hour cost of Ann.
I got a chance to take Barrett to the indoor playground and see what toys he likes. The first thing he grabbed was a music toy that plays a short melody. He would hit the music button and then play with some magnetic toys and hit the music button again when it stopped. This scenario played out for 40 minutes. He is great at sitting in one place and working on a toy if he finds it interesting.
Barrett has had a hard time bonding with Erin and it has been hard to get him to warm up to her. He laughs and plays with her but does not typically come to her first when I'm in the room. This is slowing changing though and we have been told by many friends that this is a text book case for adoptive children. They usually gravitate to one parent over the other for various reasons, none of which has anything to do with the parent. The reasons all stem from the orphanage and how each child was cared for and interacted by the nurses. This all vanishes once the child gets back to the states and starts his or hers new life.
This night was special. We all went on a boat cruise on the river overlooking the large skyline of Guangzhou. We ate dinner with warm soda (cant wait to get back to a culture that uses ice) and then headed up to the top deck to see the neon lights that outline the many buildings and bridges in the city. On the way back to the dock, a juggler/clown came out to entertain the kids. She was very good and creepy at the same time. They played very loud Latino party music during her act and all the parents and adoptive kids looked a little confused.
We did not get back to the hotel till 9pm... Well past Barrett's bed time and it showed.
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