On Friday evening we arrived in Guangzho, for our last big stay before we headed home.
Big bed, little baby. 🙂
Saturday morning was Britt’s medical appointment. Our guide strongly suggested just one parent take Britt and the rest of the group stay back. So Tab and Britt headed to her appointment while the other kiddos and I stayed back at the hotel.
She did great at the appointment and they were back rather early. We headed out for a little adventure. We found this amazing park just a quick walk from our hotel.
Our hotel had one western restaurant…a delicious Italian restaurant close by. On our walk there for lunch, we spotted this restaurant that had turtles swimming around in an aquarium out front.
The Italian spot was delicious! And then it was a quick walk to a really cool park.
I don’t remember the name of the park but it was HUGE!
It was a great spot to get out ALL THE ENERGY!
There was a big section full of carnival rides. The Slaughter kids were big fans!
Bowen decided he’d look twelve on this day. Ha! Right?
We had a great afternoon strolling around the park.
We headed back to the hotel, I got showered for dinner, and we took a cab over to 1920, a German restaurant. We stayed at the Marriott, which was about a five to ten minute cab ride over to The Garden Hotel (which I’d say is where most adoptive families stay…it was surrounded by much more western-things.)
Tab sat in front with the driver. These bars were too funny.
Miss Britt was a big fan of the German restaurant. And her mama was too.
Everyone wanted their picture with Britt.
We stuffed ourselves with pretzels, sausages, schnitzel, mashed potatoes, and (my personal favorite) sauerkraut. YUMMY!
We rode the escalator a time or two before calling it a night.
Britt would wave like a crazy lady on this escalator so we did it over and over again.
Can you spot her little hand? *Sorry for the picture overload, it was just sweet.
Two sisters all ready for bed.
Sunday morning was SHOPPING DAY! Our plan was to do a little shopping at the Pearl Market. Then head to Shamian Island for a little more shopping.
Have I mentioned before I have a very sensitive nose? It’s the kind of thing Tab will make fun of because I’m crazy sensitive to smells. Well, this pearl market was NOT the place to be sensitive to smells. I can’t even describe the smell AND it was incredibly warm inside which made the smells worse. All that to say, we shopped as quickly as human possible and were ready for our next stop.
Our guide took a TON of pictures and eyes are closed in every single picture. But this is our new normal for a bit so I kind of love this picture. Pure chaos but completely blessed chaos. 🙂
Shamian Island is where all the adoptions used to take place in China so it’s a special spot to visit. And this is a photo op for all adopted kiddos. Britt was so comfortable in the carrier so we decided to improvise. 🙂
This area was gorgeous and very southern looking with the big trees. We met a ton of adopted families. One family in particular that lives just fifteen minutes away. Super cool to see all kinds of American families growing their families this way.
At this point, Bowen would put his arms around anyone who wanted a picture. haha!
We got some souvenirs, had lunch at Lucy’s (a staple on the island), and then headed back to our hotel.
Britt took a little dip in the pool. She liked it for about twelve seconds and then was over it. I can’t blame her. The water was way too cold for me.
We preferred to sit pool side and watch. (And I’m doing that thing where I over compensate smiling for the kiddo with me. WHY do I do that?!)
The big kids and Tab swam while we snacked under the umbrella.
At this point in our trip we were SO ready to head back to Texas with our girl. We’d had great attitudes about everything up until this point and we just hit a wall. We were ready to be home! As you can tell from the pictures, Britt was adjusting so well. She ate what we gave her, slept (not consistently) at night, and napped everyday. We were just all ready to sleep in our own beds, eat American food, and show Britt her new home.
I have one final China post and then our Welcome Home post to share. I’ve gotten a ton of e-mails and messages about adoption. My plan is to answer questions in a separate post. If you have an adoption question, please e-mail me at alittlebitofeverything83@yahoo.com. I’ve shared before that I want to keep some of Britt’s story private, but at the same time I want to shout at the rooftops just how amazing adoption is. This little girl has BLESSED us in so many ways! Please send any questions and I’ll be working on a Q and A Adoption post.
I’m trying to post more frequently on Instagram. Please follow along with us at “slaughteren”.
Thanks for stopping by today! Happy Monday!
These posts are coming at the perfect time! Our Anderson really wants to go to China with us when we pick up Collins but he wants to know ALL THE DETAILS about where we will be staying, what we will be doing, etc. Ha!
http://www.lettinginthelightblog.com
Oh my word! These posts are just so sweet! Britt's smile in those selfies melts my heart!
Oh, Erika! This was just so sweet! I am so thankful that you followed the call to bring this precious girl home! What a blessing for us to watch unfold! Xo
I'm so sad your journey is coming to an end because I've so enjoyed following along in these posts! What a blessing y'all will be to each other.
Sweet Britt. Your children…how sweet are they. I LOVE how well they love Britt already. God had already prepared their hearts.
What VPN did you use?
I have a very "sensitive" nose too, so I can totally relate! Britt is such a cutie pie, and I really enjoy reading about your adventures in China.
Better Net. 🙂
I have loved following you on this journey. It's been such a sweet thing. Love this
love your story and keep those big smiles mamma! Your family is the cutest!
Sweet Britt! I'm sad the China posts are coming to an end! I've loved them, friend!!
That Inspired Chick
So so sweet!!! Can't wait until I get to read about her coming home!!!
So wonderful following your amazing journey! My husband and I hope to adopt in the future, and so it warms my heart reading all of these sweet adoption posts!!
http://www.wiesnering.com
Love every.single.one of these posts and it brings back memories of when my nephew was adopted 2 years ago. We all got fun souvenirs from the pearl market :). Thanks for sharing – just love it all 🙂 Adoption IS amazing, our family has been so blessed by it! xoxo ERIN
Thank you for sharing this journey with the world and for being open about it not all being a piece of cake. You have shown a lot of honesty- that it's not easy and perfect. I really appreciate that. God bless you, your family, and precious Britt.
What a sweet sweet girl. I can't wait to see her continue to blossom. On another note, I am a fellow sensitive nose gal, and I always say, out of all of my senses, that one had to be the strongest… why??? So many things a girl doesn't need or want to smell. 😉
Goodness I love these posts! ❤
I can just imagine the smell!!!! But I'm loving all the Britt posts!!!
Sorry if you've already addressed this but I'm so curious how you choose Britt's name. It's absolutely precious! I would love to hear how y'all picked it. 🙂
I love that Bowen would put his arms around everyone for pictures. He's such a sweetie!