Day 4 in Guangzhou

Today's tour was one of those you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it kind of places. Streets lined with shops selling every kind of herb and dried animal parts - or live animals too, actually. Scorpions, sea horses, tiger claws, you name it and I think we saw (and smelled) it. Then we turn a corner and there are shops selling puppies and kittens and chicks and bunnies. I wonder how many people in China have the space to keep a dalmation or a golden? Turn another corner and you're smack in the middle of a huge pedestrian shopping strip with clothes, shoes, shoes and more shoes. I think we've all had our fill of shopping to last us quite a while.

This afternoon our group took the famous red couch photos. Unfortunately it was scheduled right during nap time - which Baby J missed entirely - so he was not his usual cheesy grinning self. Instead, he scooted all the way to the front of the cushion and was bawling for mama to come get him. Oh well. He looked cute anyway... and we'll have pictures up later. I think we got a couple of decent ones of him alone before the crowd of babies and families and paparazzi flashes got him all worked up.

Nothing terribly exciting to share, really. It's a little like groundhog day around here but boy do the days start off nicely with breakfast! We're all going to miss the yummy spread when we're back home eating bowls of cereal with sliced bananas. Today's new skill unveiled by Baby J is his attempt at blowing kisses...which is kinda like putting his hand up to his mouth and licking it. Not quite right, but cute nonetheless. The little genius also knows the word diaper - this afternoon grandma said "let's change your diaper. Can you go bring me a diaper?" and as I saw him heading for the bag of diapers in the corner I was just shaking my head...and sure enough he stuck his hand in and tried to pull one out. Genius. He understands & can communicate eat, byebye, hat, ticklemonster (yes, he invites me to tickle him by mimicking the sound and hand motions I make), ball, nose, mama and nightnight, and he understands sit down, diaper, fish, shushu, baby, bottle and shoe. We've also been working to get him to nod his head instead of always shaking his head no...so now he does an emphatic nod yes - but just once. We call that "hao" which is like yes or ok...but he cracks up when we say hao! when he nods. He is walking more steadily and can control his direction and speed a little better. All of this in just a week and a day! Did I mention he's a genius?