TB Check, OK

Today we got to sleep in a little.  We left a little before 10am, so we had a nice leisurely breakfast for the first time. : )  We took a van to the clinic again today for Lydia's TB test to be checked.  It took about a half hour in the van each way and about two seconds for them to look at her arm and say it was ok!  All that time in the van, for just a few seconds at the clinic.  Well, at least the test was negative.
We headed back to the hotel and ate lunch and put Lydia down for a nap.  This was the first time since we became a family that we have been able to eat lunch at a normal time and to put her down for her nap at her "regular" time.  Well, this began a battle of the wills.  She really did not want to take a nap, but we knew that she was getting tired.  We ended up with her in the middle of the bed and Brian on one side and me on the other to keep her from getting up.  She was not happy at all...kicking, screaming, etc., but just a few minutes of that and she was asleep.  Hopefully this will not become a regular occurance! 
Once she fell asleep, Lydia slept well.  We opened the curtains about 2pm and she slowy woke up.  She really doesn't like waking up, which is fine with me, since I feel exactly the same way.  We ordered Papa John's pizza for an early supper tonight.  It tasted so good.  Almost like home, they even had the garlic butter for dipping the crust.  Lydia didn't really like the pizza (hopefully this changes soon!) and she really didn't like the dipping butter.  She kept pointing at it like she wanted it, so I dipped some crust in and gave her a bite.  The look on her face was hilarious...almost like we gave her a lemon or something like that!  I let her spit it out since she thought it was so disgusting.  She ate a granola bar and some fruit for her supper.
After that she was running around the room throwing the beach ball.  She had so much energy that we thought she would enjoy playing on the playground.  She was all energetic until we got outside and then all she wanted to do was stand there.  They had slides and swings, but nothing interested her.  Some other kids came along too, but that still didn't interest her!
We met our facilitator, Helen at 5pm to go on a cruise on the Pearl River.  Another couple with us requested that she help us get tickets and it was recommended by some of my friends, so we asked if we could tag along.  We took a cruise on a traditional type dragon boat down the Pearl River.  We got to see all the lights of Guangzhou, including the new TV tower, which Helen said was over 600 meters tall - that's like 6 football fields stacked upright.  It is really tall and very pretty with the lights on it.  Those lights, the lights on the bridges and some other buiding lights change color and make it like a light show.  Lydia thought the lights were pretty too.  It was raining a little as we got into the taxi at the hotel, but for the boat cruise, the Lord provided perfect weather - not too hot and not too cold.  Because of the rain, there were some low clouds that covered some of the tall buildings and the TV tower.  They had a rice and chicken dish for us on the boat.  I had already filled up on pizza, but Lydia ate some of my rice and Brian had my chicken.  We enjoyed a fun time together as a family.  Toward the end of the cuise, Lydia started getting very silly, which we have discovered means that she is getting tired.
We headed back to the hotel for a short bath, which she is beginning to enjoy a little.  Tonight she was eating the bubbles!!!  She and Brian are both in bed snoring and tomorrow is an early day for us, so I'm going to head that way too.
Before I close, we ran into that couple with the older girl two more times - once yesterday and once today.  They are doing much better and the girl looked a lot happier!  Also at the playground, we were talking to some of the other parents, asking about their kids, where they're from, etc.  We told one dad that we were from Wisconsin and he said, "Oh, just one state over from us.  We're from Iowa."  Well of course, my ears perked up.  I told him that I grew up in Iowa in Ankeny and he said, "That's where we live, over by Crocker Elementary."  Their last name is Kreagle (I don't know if the spelling is correct), and we started talking about different things in Ankeny.  I asked where they go to church and he said Saylorville - the church I grew up in.  They had just started attending, but knew some of the same people we knew.  Such a small world!!!  If you're from Saylorville, be sure to say, "Hi" to Mason, their new son.  He and Lydia are about the same age, so maybe someday they'll meet at a church function and we can tell them that it isn't their first meeting. : )  Amazing who you run into when you're in China!!!

Lydia and I on the River Cruise

On the way to get checked.

Waiting for the boat with a sucker and two wet wipes!

Our cruise boat - a traditional looking dragon boat