Wonderfully LAZY day!!!

Today we slept in until after 8 am!!! Or at least the kids did :-)

Sera decided this morning to drop her WaWa, or doll into the toilet and flush it.... I saved it and tried to boil it., but could not let her have it back. She was very unhappy, but finally settled for carrying her pink blanket around with her. I think she was trying to wash it? Or ? Who knows, but her little mind was turning! We now know the bathroom doors must stay closed at home!

We then had a leisurely breakfast down at the buffet and started to wander the island. We just walked and walked and enjoyed the park, the sculptures and the sights of the streets here on Shamian Island. It is a very European section and feels much like home, or at least much more so that the provinces we have been in. Beijing, Shamian and Shanghai seemed to be so much more familar modern and current.... The other places felt like a totally different world....

Aubri found a dragon puppet which she bought with the money sha had brought. She was so pleased with her purchase!! I have to admit that I think she made a very good choice. She loves puppets of any kind, most especially ones she can use for ventriloquism. This one has strings, but is very cool, none the less.

We window shopped mostly, thanks to the costs of our visas home. I did buy Sera a pair of shoes with little squeakers in the heels. She needed a pair that fit and these are adorable. She loves the sound she makes when she walks. I was hoping that this would to help motivate her to move around more. She prefers to just sit and not walk around too much. Her little buddah belly is proof of that! I was so pleased with my purchase, until Aubri asked me what Bella, our female standard poodle who loves squeaky toys, is going to do with Sera's shoes!! Oh NO!! I think these will have to be for when she is out and about and NOT for walking around the house! I can just see Bella trying to eat Sera's little feet!! NOT a good idea Mom..... Oh well!

I wanted to go into GZ to shop for just a few little things some people had asked me to get and just look around, but the guides were busy with the consulate paperwork and I was not brave enough to go out alone. I want to go home safely ,,,,,, I am a bit paranoid now, unfortunately. I will try to find what they want in Beijing when I have a guide with me who knows where to go and how to converse with the store owners. I am ok with using the calculator to barter, but am not OK being in a crowd with Sera and Aubri together. We attract a huge crowd. Some stare and touch Aubri wth curiosity and smiles, while others are curious about Sera. Then others are just plain nasty and very rude about staring at Sera......

So... we enjoyed the park here on Shamian Island quite a bit.

We had lunch at Lucy's and Aubri was thrilled to get a milk shake and grilled cheese sandwich! They even cut off the crusts!! Sera also liked hers!!

We came back to the room and took a good nap and then went to dinner with the other IAAP families. For some reason Sera refused to eat!! She sat and almost cried and started wildly rocking in her stroller. She would not get out of it to sit in a high chair. The guide came over at the end of the meal and convinced her to eat some. She perked up, but did not insist that the guide stay with her!

After dinner we walked to Starbucks with the Strakas. All the girls LOVED the chocolate Fappicinos! Sera included! Noelle sucked hers right down and did not let go of the cup until it was gone even though it made her little hands COLD! Sera loved having me use the straw to drop some in her mouth. She giggled and laughed more for me than she ever has!! It was a true blessing!! We will be going back there tomorrow. Starbucks truly worked it's magic!! We also found a bearista toy there which Sera latched onto as a WaWa! It was very soft, like her doll and was a black penguin bear!! I much prefer the black to the light pink which turns gray in this air!

After Starbucks, Aubri wanted to go back to the playground so she played on the exercise equipment and Sera YangYang just laughed and laughed at her!

We came back to the room and the girls took a bath. Bath time is generally one of the best times of the day and Sera usually undresses eagerly. Not tonight.... We discovered that Sera's crying and discomfort at the restaurant was because she had pooped her pants and she was very upset as I cleaned her up. She has not had an accident before this and has pointed to let me know that she needed to go.... I guess with all the chaos there she couldn't or I did n't see it. Poor baby, no wonder she was upset! The tub soon cheered her up!

Aubri is in bed with her now and just told me that Sera gave her a kiss!!

Life is good and we will be HOME soon!!!