Days 4 & 5 in China...

Day Four...
This was a trying day. Lauryn is a very busy little girl. There is so much that is so brand new to her that she is taking everything in stride. She started some new behaviours today that really tested both Kyle and I. She was hitting, throwing things, and if something was taken away from her she would start to cry... big big tears, if we'd give it back to her... all was well. Tears stopped instantly! hmmmm... She also bit my t-shirt. I am sure she is just as frustrated with us. We both sometimes think that she is trying so hard to tell us something. She tried McDonalds french fries for the first time and LOVED THEM! I mean love them! She tried ice cream too. Not a big fan! I think because her palate is also affected, she gets instant brain freeze. Not sure she had ever had something so cold in her little mouth. Bedtime was difficult. We went to the passport office. Lauryn fell asleep and wasn't too happy to be woken up to get her picture taken. It went okay. The security people thought it was hysterical! I had my first mommy meltdown! Everything is just so different here. Kyle worked on both of us and then went to get a well deserved massage. Went for authentic Thai food...again VERY different. I am such a Canadian.... I had rice, and fried pork! LOL! Kyle is much more adventurous... he tried everything! So proud of him!

Day Five - MUCH BETTER DAY

Lauryn got up at 3 this morning and cried for the first time in the morning. Got her up and out of her crib, changed her and we just cuddled. She adores her stacking cups. She played with them and woke Kyle up! She went back to sleep around 4:30 and I got ready for the day.
Today we went to the Guangzhou Safari! What a day!
Our hired car and guide met us in the lobby at 8:00.
Lauryn was happy after breakfast for a bit. She was pretty tired, so a little grumpy. Kyle and I have both decided that we need to push her a little to experience everything with us. She needs to know that no matter where we are, we are her safety. We will keep her safe.
We got to the park (kinda of like Toronto Zoo) around 8:50... the gates didn't open until 9:15. It was hotter then hot... 38 degrees at 9:00 in the morning! We looked around the gift shop. didn't buy anything but water! Lauryn is pretty freaked out buy stuffed animals! I am sure this will change. Her first meeting with Johnson and Peanut should be interesting!
Got in the gates and rented a stroller. Which Lauryn LOVED. Not sure if she has ever been in one before, but it was a hit!
We saw all kinds of animals. They had a animal kindergarden. It was increadible. Baby tigers and bears, monkey, deer... they were so cute. You can get so close to them it's pretty amazing! Lauryn thought this was great! She just was all eyes and kept pointing and giggling.
You can feed alot of the animals too. For 10 yuan, you can buy a bunch of leave and feed Giraffes! It was amazing. Probably my favourite part. We also fed a bunch of banana's to a baby elephant... The animals are very well looked after. Especially the tigers and the panadas. After walking around, we took a train around another part of the park - this part is like African Lion Safari. IT was pretty neat. Lauryn tried very hard to fall asleep and was successful for the last 10 mins! Poor girl! They were amazing to see. Nice park and we all had a good day.
We got back to the hotel, Lauryn fell asleep in the car and was a tired, hot, grumpy girl when we got back to our room she had her meltdown! This time she was kicking and crying... am I a bad mom? I kinda thought it was funny! She did the cutest thing ever today. I have mentioned that she likes to imitate things. Well, after I fed her, I was giving her kisses and telling her... Lauryn Kisses... she put her sweet little mouth in an "o" shape and leaned in towards my face and then giggled...ahhhh enough to make me cry... The she threw herself on her tummy and fell asleep. Kyle left to go and try and find shoes... Kyle wasn't successful. Everything was too small! Imagine if I went looking! YIKES! Kyle got back to the hotel and I left to send this email. Lauryn is still sleeping.
We are going AMERICAN for dinner tonight. There is an Italian restuarant that we can walk too. Very excited about this!
We leave Guangzhou tomorrow morning at 8:30. Our flight is at 11:00 and then we go back to Beijing to meet the rest of our group and their children. We are so excited to see everyone with their kids, and to show off our beautiful girl! she is pretty amazing.
I will update more when I can.
With lots of love from this side of the world!
xo