Tuesday, 4 September 2007 Another open day today to do as we wish.
Breakfast bar……………………..…CHECK
Baby fed……………………………....CHECK
WALKING in Swan Room………CHECK
Down for nap……………………...…CHECK
After a good morning of eating and walking (yes, she really started walking by herself this morning). Eliz and I slipped off while Kate was napping to explore, shop, and drink some Starbucks. We hiked past the Holiday Inn Shifu (where two other families in our group are staying – about ½ mile from our hotel) and walked down the street in front of that hotel to look at all the shops along the way. I was basically one long street of retail shops where you could get clothes, bags, DVD, shoes, shoes, shoes (plenty of shoe stores). I thought about Dad at one point because one shoe store was entirely Converse and 75% of the shoes where the canvas All Stars from yesteryear.
After heading back to the island (Shamian) we stopped at the Starbucks to enjoy a latte and some cheese cake…yum! Then we hit a couple of stores and street vendors and ended up picking up a little artwork. As we were doing so, I kept looking up at our room window to see if the drapes were drawn back to see if Kate was awake yet. It was not until we walked into the room that she woke up. Perfect timing.
Later, Eliz and Gram went out again to help support the local economy. It’s a good thing Gram has two beds in her room because I do not know where she would store her purchases if it was not there. I’m just kidding and must apologize for an earlier comment I made about Gram and her picture taking. I had doubts that she really caught Kate walking for the first time the other day, but after reviewing the evidence from her camera, I stand corrected and respectfully apologize. (She made me do this.)
While they were out, Kate and I headed down to the Swan Room to play a bit and practice her walking some more. Earlier this morning she was walking across the room between Eliz and me. I was such a fantastic moment to see another major hurdle crossed right in front of you eyes. She gets up a head of steam and then lunges into your arms as she gets close. I hope to include a clip with this posting if any of mine are short enough to load. We met a nice man (Greg from Australia) and his daughter (Bridget) while playing and compared stories of our last week here. He leaves for Shanghai on Wednesday to do his Consulate appointment, etc. at the Aussie Consulate.
Once we had played and walked a bit, we popped into the stroller and were off around the block to see what was happening in the steets. Almost everything happens outside or in the streets here. You will see 85 year old women doing stretches on a bench, 10 year olds playing on a step, 4 year olds eating at a store opening (and have them shout “HELLO” as you walk by), adults of all ages playing badminton with or without a net, and school children playing games in the local park outside the primary school. We got to see all these things while walking around for just a few minutes. It is quite amazing. When we got back to the room, Kate had a delicious dinner of beef/carrots, prunes, apple paste, and a couple of bran crackers. This was until we ate (at Lucy’s) where she gets to eat some more from out plates. There has not been a food yet that she has not put into her mouth. She may eventually spit it out after sucking any juice out of it (ie. watermelon), but she tries it nonetheless.
After dinner at Lucy’s, it was a sprint back to the hotel in the pouring rain. Then it was bath time for Kate followed by bed time. We are very lucky because she goes down very easily at night and in her crib.
Wednesday is the day we go get her medical check-up and get pictures made for her visa. After that, we are free yet again to roam.
Three days from now (8am Wed morn) we will be on the plane to Tokyo bringing our precious daughter home. We cannot wait to see everyone and introduce you all to Kate.
God Bless,
Kyle.
They got a good one of Kate in mid cry which you can kind of see to the left. It was sad and funny at the same time. After their photo shot, we walked a few blocks to the medical examination building here on the island. The exam was really quite simple. There were three stations that each child had to visit. 
One checked their torso and main body parts (chest, legs, head circumference). A second checked their ear, nose, and throat. The third captured her vital statistics (weight, height). The whole process of pictures and medical exam took just over an hour. I’m glad we seemed to get there early because a couple of other groups arrived after us and it became very crowded with all the babies and parents in the less than spacious exam waiting area.
