A Wal-Mart Circus

We’re beginning to adjust to hotel living with child. Though at this stage, with a new child, nothing would feel better than our own home. It is Wednesday morning here, about 9:00, and Allie is still sleeping (since 9:30 PM). She really perked up yesterday. She began to smile and laugh occasionally and this also brought more crying. Overall she is doing great. She is definitely more attached to Ronnie at this time. If she is upset there is little comfort with dad. Her favorite thing is to look at herself in the mirror—this guarantees a big smile and laugh. We weighed here last night and she is about 9 kilograms. You do the math.

Yesterday morning was dedicated to paperwork and paying our adoption fees. First a trip back to the adoption agency to pay the bill and then to a notary for the official paperwork for her Chinese passport. We also had a few minutes to question the orphanage director for some more information about her. They didn’t have much more to say except that she is smart and that she lived in a foster home with another baby that is in our group. So we are trying to have the two kids spend some time together. They do seem to like to hang out.

The afternoon trip provided the real excitement of the day. We went to Wal-Mart. It is a very large, two-story department and grocery store. The top floor had all the usual clothing and household items. We bought Allie some more clothes. The lower level is where the groceries are. This is where it differs from a US store. Large tanks with all kinds of live fish, and turtles, dried products of all kinds, and many other types of Chinese food that are not in your Wal-Mart at home. The main attraction, though, was us. A group of Americans pushing shopping carts with Chinese babies through the local Wal-Mart is not your usual Tuesday afternoon. We found (and were told) that it is much more socially acceptable in China to stare. Everyone stopped to look at us, and the place was packed with people. I thought I was the prime exhibit at the zoo. Certainly no one meant any harm, but it was quite disconcerting.

Today we we’re going to the park that commemorates the first military victory for the Chinese Communist party—it all happened here in Nanchang on August 1, 1927.

PS We would to hear your comments, either in the comments section or on our emal. Thanks.