Aug. 12

We had an excellent day! We woke the girls up at 7:30 a.m. to get ready for breakfast. We didn't feel rushed today, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.

Scarlett began to accept more different types of foods. She started off with yogurt with bananas, Cheerios and congee mixed in. And she drank some milk. Sienna had her usual noodles, yogurt and orange juice. Peter had eggs, baked beans, tater tots, french bread with cheese, a cherry dessert, orange juice and tea. I had baked beans, tater tots, french bread, a roasted tomato, the last slice of a vegetable mini-pizza, tater tots and orange juice.

At 8:55 a.m. I looked at my watch and said, "Look, it's almost 9; we have to meet in five minutes to go on our tour." Peter said, "No, we meet at 9:30." I told him he was wrong, but he insisted he was right.

We soon went up to the room and the phone rang. It was 9:15 a.m. and they were wondering if we coming on the tour because we hadn't met in the lobby at 9 a.m. So we scrambled to get the kids ready as quickly as we could. Fortunately we remembered to bring the girls' strollers (which we borrowed from the laundry next door for free).

The first stop on our tour was the Six Banyan Temple. I was expecting to see some beautiful banyan trees, but I was told that they were there thousands of years ago and were long gone. Nevertheless, there still was a lot to see and experience. For example, there were numerous statues of Buddha which attracted many worshipers. At the various altars, the worshipers could leave offerings for Buddha. The most popular "sample gift" that they had arranged at the altars were cans of Coca-Cola. Afterall, "It's the Pause that Refreshes." (Some of the altars had Sprite instead.) Worshipers also left things like fruits, vegetables, fresh flowers and cooking oil. I believe someone even left a bottle of Pocari Sweat (a Japanese version of Gatorade).

Our tour group went to a special temple were they quickly put together a blessing ceremony for the children and their parents. The lead monk chanted and sprinkled water on our heads. This special moment was the main purpose of our visit.

After about an hour there, we boarded the bus to go to the Chinese Folk Art Museum. This was an open-air museum that featured different sculptures, paintings and handiwork. It was a challenge to get around easily with strollers because there would always be a few steps here and there. Also, each enclosed area had a six-inch threshold; this is a sign of importance because it forces you to bend your knee as you enter the room as a sign of respect. It also forces you to lift the stroller wheels.

There had been talk of going to the zoo after the museum, but when the parents assessed the situation, we all decided just to go back to the hotel. The children were hungry and the younger ones needed a diaper change. On the bus ride back, we stopped for 10 minutes at the Holiday Inn Shifu (were two families are staying) for our guide, Lee, to collect some paperwork. Meanwhile, I hopped off the bus to get Peter a few pastries at a nearby shop. Soon we were on our way back to the White Swan.

Before going to our room, I popped over to the gift shop/laundry to pick up our clean clothes. They had washed and pressed everything and put it all into three packages of cellophane. A medium-sized bag of dirty laundry was cleaned for 60 yuan (about $8). It was a bargain indeed! Peter, too, was impressed with the quality as well as the price.

For lunch the girls had some corn milk. Scarlett had yogurt with bananas and Cheerios, and Sienna had nuts, cookies and a slice of bread. We were told she doesn't eat bread -- and she had rejected it all week -- but now she was enjoying it. I gave her a second slice with peanut butter on, but she took one bite and spit it out. Peter and I had vegetable sandwiches (bread, cheese, cucumber, lettuce and tomato). I had a chocolate chip muffin, but Peter saved his for later.

After lunch it was nap time. The twins snuggled up with me as I read the newspaper. The three of us slept for two hours together. Then Sienna and Peter went for a stroll while Scarlett and I slept another hour.

At that point, we got ready to go out together for a trek around Shamian Island. Our first stop was to the gift shop/laundry to see Stella. I dropped off a small bag of laundry. Also, we asked Stella where we could get more of a particular brand of corn milk and yogurt. (We had the packages with us to show her.) She told us of a nearby grocery store.

Sure enough, the store had both products we needed. We got a few other items as well. They had a gift shop within the grocery store and I located the Ma Ma shirt I had been looking for. The woman wanted either 60 yuan or $6. Peter told her we didn't have enough money because we needed to get the groceries. (He meant that we had inadvertently left the hotel without as much cash as we should have.) She immediately lectured him, "You have so much money you make me sick." We paid for the groceries and had enough to get the t-shirt besides.

We walked around for about 90 minutes. We went back to see Stella. She told us she now had the stacking cups that Scarlett wanted. (She had a sample set that Scarlett had played with, but we wanted a new, clean set.) Peter left me with the girls in the store while he went back to the hotel to get the folding bike. While he was gone, I selected some red Chinese slippers for the girls and two pairs each of jeans (one pair for now and one pair that will fit in a few months). As Peter assembled my bike in the store, I found some roller skates for Sienna. These are the style that fit around your regular shoes. I put them on her and she loved them! She was unable to skate on her own, but she enjoyed having me wheel her around. My parents met at a roller rink, and I roller skate in our neighborhood at home several times per week (while Peter runs in front of me), so I am pleased that this recreational activity will not skip a generation. (By the time Scarlett is ready for skates, Sienna will have outgrown this pair. Plus there was only one pair of young children's skates in stock.)

When the bike was ready, I set off for a ride around the island. Peter stayed in the store and watched the girls play with the toys. Stella seemed to enjoy having the girls around. I cannot imagine better service. She had been so good to our children that I wouldn't dream of buying things anywhere else. (The exception is squeaky shoes because she doesn't have matching pairs in the girls' sizes.)

I rode around for about 30 minutes or so. Then I went to Lucy's and placed an order for two basil and cheese noodle dishes, two orders of mashed potatoes and an order of corn on the cob (since they didn't have broccoli that night). I said I would be back in 10 minutes.

Back at the store, Sienna grew increasingly excited about my bike. She was no longer content to simply sit on the seat. She wanted to go for a ride. So Stella and I went outside. She helped push the bike while I held Sienna on the seat. She loved it!

Peter attempted to take the bike back to the hotel while it was still assembled, but the doorman wouldn't let him do it. (Peter and the doorman have been "at odds" -- but in a playful way -- since Day One. Peter always tries to go in one of the five doors that is locked rather than the one that the doorman opens for everyone.) So he came back to fold the bike and put it back in its suitcase. Then the doorman told him the suitcase was too big for the elevator and he again refused him entry. So Peter simply went to the doors on the other side of the hotel.

When he came back, he noticed that Sienna had taken an interest in one of the etching artist's noodles. The artist got Sienna her own bowl of noodles. She loved them! The noodles were cooked in broth with chunks of pork. The noodle made Sienna so visibly happy that Scarlett decided she would like to try them. And without any fussing or bib, Scarlett began eating the noodles! We were extremely impressed! Each girl consumed a cup of noodles. We offered to give the artist a box of basil and cheese noodles as a replacement and/or to pay for the noodles, but she refused (so even more "good will" and customer loyalty was built). We checked out with our various items. We promised to be back the next day for the laundry and to give Stella a chance to try my bike.

Back at the room, we thought we would have the girls eat a small dinner -- if they were still hungry. But instead, Sienna started taking off her clothes and pointed to the bathtub. So we bathed the girls before feeding them. It wasn't logical, but it is difficult to reason with a three-year-old who doesn't speak your language. (Sienna started to call Baba "Papasita" which really confused us because we hadn't used this endearing Spanish word around her.)

Scarlett was happy to eat mashed potatoes with pieces of corn in it. She also liked the basil and cheese noodles. We couldn't believe how in just a few days we have been able to make so much progress with her! Of course, it takes time and patience to introduce these new foods. But it is very satisfying to know that we have already made a positive difference in her life.

Sienna wasn't interested in her mashed potatoes and corn. But she seemed to love the basil and cheese noodles more than any one else in the room. Once again her entire face turned green from the basil. Having a towel underneath helped protect the bed from the same fate. Both girls accepted some water with their dinners.

Peter and I both had fewer noodles than anticipated, but we supplemented our meal with apples. Scarlett seemed interested in taking a bite! However, she couldn't figure out how to do it. Sienna was curious, but ultimately she refused to try a slice that Peter gave her.

After dinner, the girls were still wide awake and ready to play some more. So that's what we did. Then at about 10 p.m. Sienna willing got in her crib while Scarlett insisted on cuddling with me in my bed. I quickly fell asleep. Peter eventually put Scarlett in her crib.

All day I kept checking my e-mail as much as possible. My brother and cousin were to begin their travel to China. They successfully made it to LA in the morning and checked into their airport hotel. They left there luggage there and then went on a Hollywood tour. Their flight was to leave at 10:30 p.m. PDT, but they experienced a nine-hour delay! There was a computer glitch at LAX which affected 20,000 passengers. Basically the people coming in from international destinations couldn't go through customs because the computers went down and there was no back up system. Since those people couldn't get off their planes, the other fliers couldn't get on. If they had known what was going on, they could have spent the night at their hotel, but instead they spent the night in the airport. (Fortunately they were in the terminal itself rather than sitting on the plane.) What a nightmare!