One Post, 3 Days

Things are going really good, or at least as good as can be expected. We are in Guangzhou now which has been nice and warm. Humid, but warm. Drew did great on the flight from Hohhot to Guangzhou. He was so excited to ride on the plane. New Day did a fantastic job of preparing him for the plane ride. He was awake for the take off and was asleep within five minutes. He slept fro about an hour or son of the three hour flight. Matt and I (along with all the other parents) are SO dreading the 13+ hour flight from Tokyo to Detroit. The upside is that Drew seems to fall asleep quickly in any type of moving vehicle (car, bus, van, etc).

On Saturday morning we had to do the boys' medical exams. Drew and Jaxon were both troopers. Matt went with Jaxon and I stayed with Drew. There are three steps to the medical exam. First there is the height and weight area. Then there is the actual physical exam. And finally there is the ENT where they check the kids' hearing by playing a toy keyboard. If they turn their head in the direction of the keyboard that means they can hear. After that we had to get the boys' vaccinations. Jaxon had to get 4 shots including TB and Drew had to get 3. The dads took turn holing each others kids so they didn't associate pain with their new fathers. Matt held a 6 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. As soon as he walked out of the room you could tell he was pretty upset about it. He said they reall jab the needles in and he would probably flinch as well. Jaxon did great, the TB test was the worst. And Drew did pretty good for a 4 year old getting three shots in one day. Both boys' arms were quite sore after the shots and still are today. Drew has a dark bruise on his arm where they did the TB test.

Sunday we went to the Guangzhou City Zoo and the supermarket. The zoo was for the most part pretty much the same as ours. Most of the animals were sleeping including the one and only Panda in the whole zoo (sorry Emma). It was probably the fastest trip I have ever taken through the zoo. Our guides pretty much herded us through like a bunch of cattle.

Before the zoo we stopped at a supermarket which is equivalent to our Wal-Mart. Some of the other parents had to get baby supplies so we took the opportunity to pick up some more clothes for Jaxon. He has his own style which is nice because he is not afraid to tell us if he doesn't like something. He told me through the translator that he like the Chong Style of shirts. Obviously I had no idea what that was so I had him ask one of the employees who quickly took him over to a table with several shirts on it. All they are are short sleeved button up shirts with a collar. So, I had him pick out two shirts. Surprisingly, he picked out a pair of shorts so I had him get a couple more pair as well.

Today is Monday and this morning we had to take the boys back to the Medical Examination Office to have their TB tests read. We were a little worried about Jackson's. There were 4 families that had to get their tests read and two of the 4 tested positive. Want to take a guess at who one of those 4 was? Jaxon's was positive and at first they wanted us to wait and come back at noon to see if it looked any different. Not being a complete idiot I knew that the "bump" was not going to go down in 3 hours so I asked if we could just do the chest x-ray now along with the other family. At first I was told "no" and to just come back at noon but through our guide I was able to argue that I would just rather pay the $15 USD to get the x-ray if it meant we didn't have to go back. So, we were able to get the x-ray right then and of course he tested negative for TB so we were free to go. Thank you GOD!

Right now we are just resting in our room for a bit. Some of the group went on a city tour which included a Budhist Temple. We decided not to go and are getting ready to walk off the island to check out the herbal market (live animals, bugs, scorpions, spiders, snake skins, etc). I will take lots of pictures IF I am allowed. Tonight we our group is going on the Pearl River Cruise which is a boat that cruises down the Pearl River (right outside our hotel) and also includes a buffet dinner. Blake and Jaxon are looking forward to it. Me not so much only because I just found out it is mostly seafood and well, I am NOT a seafood person AT ALL. I know, I know.

I will try to post pictures with this post, but he connections here are the slowest ever. We are told it is because of the trade fair and all the internet traffic. So, if I can't get pictures, I am sorry, but you can definitely count on lots as soon as we get home.

Oh, Jaxon is loosening up more and more each day. Last night he, Blake and I were in a little shop. Blake and Jaxon were on the other side and all of a sudden I hear a crash. I immediately said "Blake!" and his response was "It wasn't me, it was Jaxon." So, I took off to the other side and poor Jaxon was standing there looking like he was about to cry. I told him over and over it was okay and was able to tell him that we break things ALL the time. The shop owner even told him not to worry about it. As soon as we left the shop Blake and I were teasing him about it and he just laughed. When we got back to the room we told Matt what happened and he too teased Jaxon about it and Jaxon just kept laughing. He really is a great kid and seem to be quite smart and mature for his age. I think he is going to fit right in and there is no doubt that he wasn't meant for our family. I just love the way God surprised us sometimes.

Drew on the other hand is quite a handful, in a good way. He definitely is becoming a momma's boy. He and Gabe are going to have so much fun together. They are SO much alike (which I know could also be a bad thing). He loves to run and is definitely not shy. He will talk to anyone and everyone who will talk back to him. He is your typical boy in every way. In fact, he has already fell and skinned up his knees.