Day 7 - Smile!

John finally got a smile! It took some major tickling though! He and Carter were wrestling and laughing on the floor beside where she was playing so he rolled and started tickling her ribs. She finally smiled and shoved his hands away. He continued to tickle for several minutes, and she continued to smile and push his hands away. No laugh, but we'll take it!
Equally note worthy is that she finally had a bowel movement. She didn't eat much at breakfast - guessing she was finally feeling ill. We're just relieved that it finally happened!
Mental note to anyone traveling to China - DON'T bring travelers checks. Our adoption agency said it would be okay to bring for personal spending but our legal stuff had to be cash. Should have just told us to bring all cash. Except at the hotel in Beijing, exchanging them has been AWFUL, and we've done it at either a hotel or at a bank. The bank took over 20 minutes this morning. They check your signatures VERY closely, and if they don't match perfectly, then they don't want to take them. Neither John or I sign our name EXACTLY the same way every time. Particularly when signing a stack of travelers checks! I've got to go to American Express's website today to see where their specific locations are in Guangzhou and see if any of them are close to us. Might be easier to exchange there.
Did a bit of shopping today. Got the kids a traditional Chinese outfit. Victoria and Addie got matching ones. Victoria thought Carter should match, but he wasn't open to pink and purple. We'll get pictures of them all dressed up later this week! We also got Addie a really nice silk, two sided blanket. One side is pink and the other blue (both sides w/ flowers). We've saved most of our shopping until we got here. I need to go shopping for another suitcase to make the trip home. This must be common because ALL of the shops we've been in so far have them for sale!
The architecture on Shaimen Island is really pretty. During the opium wars, this was populated by the French and British. You can see it in the building designs. There's a lot of construction right now as they're doing renovations on the outside of many buildings. I've enjoyed walking around on the island as it's much calmer than Changsha, but on the flip side, crime apparently is worse. Our guides have warned us of pickpockets and counterfeit money. Veronica told John this morning to make sure he pays in exact change. The police presence is alot more prevalent here as well. I'm enjoying the inexpensive merchandise. Everyone tells us to make sure we negotiate with the shopkeepers, but I almost feel guilty doing so. We got the blanket and 2 dresses today for $19 USD.
One shop stole my scrapbooking idea! I wanted to put in Addie's scrapbook - "Made in China", but I wasn't sure how tacky that might be. But, it's officially printed on a t-shirt so I figure I can get away with it!
The White Swan hotel has some sort of deal with Mattel. I had read about their Barbie's on-line, but forgot about it until we got back to the room today. Waiting for Addie was a Going Home Barbie. It's Barbie holding a Chinese baby. It's so cute! John said "that's a collector's item". I think I convinced him that it will be rather difficult and cruel to show it to her and then not let her play with it! The hotel also has a Mattel sponsored playroom. We haven't located it yet, but we'll go in search of it later!