Tuesay September 15

We got to sleep in today, our guide was bringing our paperwork to the consulate at 10:30 and required us to stay in our room until we heard from her.  We didn't get up until close to 9, got ready, ate breakfast and then hung out in the room.  I spent my time trying to pack a couple of suitcases.  We have gotten so far two suitcases worth of gifts from Jade's parents.  We will have to go and buy some more.  The girls all played cards and got a little wild.  Normally in hotel rooms we don't let them get wild, but I think today they needed it.  They also blew up some balloons that we got from Jade's mom.  The phone call from our guide came in around noon, we got the go head that we would be free for the rest of the day.  Jade's mom was waiting for us with 4 more bags of different types of fruit.  Once we got that put in our room, we headed out.  My knee was in a lot more pain then Monday, but I had better range of motion.  We headed to the metro station to take a subway, the younger girls get in free, when we go thru the gate, we have to move real fast seeing that it only opens probably 3 seconds.  My sister and Jenny was going thru one of the metal turning one and my sister got hit hard on her right thigh with the medal thing and she now has a huge painful bruise there.  We were on the subway for awhile before exiting just outside of downtown Guangzhou.  We then took a little taxi ride to a Jade store that is owned by a friend of Jade's dad.  We got to look at the Jade, he gave us huge discounts.  We brought Erin her Jade bracelet, each of the girls a round Jade necklace pendent like Dave and I.  My sister got some really good deals too.  We are very thankful for Jade's parents with the Jade jewelry.  We know we got good quality and a really good deal and no pressure.  By the time we left the Jade store, I wasn't feeling well physically, I couldn't pinpoint it, but I just wasn't feeling right.  So we headed back on the metro and got off close to where our hotel was.  Some of the girls were tired and I wasn't in the mood for supper.  We started to walk into a hot pot restaurant and I was tell Dave that I needed to go back to the hotel when all of sudden we are meeting Jade's cousin and her boyfriend.  So I ended up staying.  I told Dave I felt cold and he said the restaurant was cold.  So the meal started, and everyone was trying to put food on my plate and try to get me to eat.  I kept saying I wasn't hungry and that my knee was hurting.  That got Jade's family concerned and they wanted to take me to the doctor, I said no.  At one point I felt like I was going to pass out.  I did managed to eat some, but not to anyone likings.  The hot pot is kinda like a fondue thing.  Monika was brave and tried some clam because she wanted the shell, she didn't like it, but at least she tried it.  Jenny also had clam and loved it.  When we left, Jade's family walked us back to the hotel and then told us they would go and get some Chinese medicine for both Cindy and I leg.  About 20 minutes they were back with something called Axe Brand Red Flower Oil that has a real Cinnamon smell to it. Both Cindy and I will use it and hopefully it will make it better.  We took my temperature and it was 101.6 and my leg was more swollen but no redness.  Erin didn't like seeing me in pain (the other girls didn't either, but you could really see it in Erin that she didn't like it).    The kids are doing well, considering how busy we have been, and having "formal" like dinners almost every night, they have done well.  Erin is acting like a typical 13 year old.  I think she isn't "delayed" at all from being in the orphanage/boarding school, but probably won't know for sure until we are in America and start the testing and schooling and having her hang out with people her age.  We are so thankful for smoothness of this transition has been going.  We know that it won't always be this way, but am thankful that we have had this time to be together on "good" terms before the reality all sets in.  Picture taking didn't happen much today.  The first picture is of the Jade store and the second picture is the girls wearing their outfits they got from their "godmothers".  The dresses are huge on them, but that didn't matter, they were going to wear them.