China Trip - December 15, 2004
Today, we had another slow-paced day in Chongqing. Last night and this morning, we received more calls from family members at home, and Elisa obliged by giggling into the phone. She had another great night of sleeping, finally awaking at 7:30am, still a bit groggy. We had been advised not to try to put the baby into a bath tub on the first day because it is too confusing and traumatic. So, this being the second day, we decided to put her into a small tub provided by the hotel. (The Holiday Inn Chongqing really knows baby hospitality!). We figured we'd have a big battle, so we started out playing a game of throwing rubber ducks into the dry tub first. To our surprise, when we put Elisa in the water, she loved it! She splashed water all over the bathroom and her parents. She even dunked her own face. We think maybe they already were giving her baths at the orphanage, because she seemed to know the drill. Note the poor design of the rubber ducks we brought from Canada -- they float on their sides...
Here's Elisa trying a new punk rock look. Vito, what do you think?
We dressed up Elisa in the lady bug outfit from Rita & Vito. It looks like Elisa is imitating the Madonna and Child painting. Notice the fog / smog outside. We're trying not to breath too deeply.
Elisa socializing with Pat, another one of the adoptive moms in our group.
The nanny told us that Elisa was a good eater. Now we're starting to see her true eating potential. We transitioned her from her half-size bottle from the orphanage to a full size bottle, which she took immediately. We now have her on formula mix of 1/3 Chinese (Nestle) mix, 2/3 formula from Canada (also a Nestle product), with vitamin supplement added. Chugged it right down. Then we went downstairs for breakfast buffet, where she put away a bowl of steamed eggs, made for the babies with a little sesame oil and soy sauce. Then, an hour later she downed another bottle before nap. We're not sure where she's keeping it all.
At the breakfast buffet.
After breakfast, we spend a little time in the gift shops, where we purchased some future gifts for Elisa. Some of the parents have a tradition of buying sixteen small gifts during the adoption trip, to be given out on birthdays up to the sixteenth birthday as a way of celebrating birth in China. Can't say what we got because Elisa will be reading this...
In the hotel bar, Elisa and Rick gave their first concert. (No patrons at our first concert, but the wait staff enjoyed it!). Elisa seemed to like the music, and bounced along in time. Really, she did. And she played along with the tambourine (well, actually a teething ring). Earlier in the morning, she was imitating our singing. She seems to have a low voice, possibly providing the alto we've been needing for family sing-alongs.
Back to eating... Discovering the joys of arrow root cookies.
After a quick lunch, we all piled onto our tour bus again and did a tour of the waterfront district. The peaked building is a large concert hall with a domed ceiling. It seats 4000 people and is used for opera, Broadway musicals, ballets and business and political meetings. We purchased a modern-style Chinese painting in a shop in that building.
In the modern building behind the decorated gate is a museum for the Three Gorges Dam project, where they will commemorate the hundreds of towns that are being lost as the water rises.
As with our previous tours, our group attracts a lot of attention from people on the street, including young and old, men and women. The grandmothers are particularly interested. People come right up to the baby and many touch the baby's sleeve or cheek. They ask many questions (usually in Chinese, so we can't really answer other than to smile). They smile and give a thumbs up sign, which presumably means that they wish us well. (And if it means something else, we don't want to know!). We were warned by our guides that every part of the baby must be covered from the cold, otherwise the grandmothers on the street will scold you. But I think they approve of the pink parka.
Click here for short video of Elisa standing and taking a step.