Ahhhh....I am enlightened

• No piccies today because I am simply too wiped to battle Blogger which is skittish with the uploads tonight. You'll have to trust me that my girl is still all that and a sack of congee :0)
• It has been a little rough going lately. My SIL is a sickie and I've been dragging babelet in and out in the rainy cold. Rainy & cold has been the Nanchang experience since we arrived. I am really over it about now.
• We did some hotel spelunking and found a creepy secret passage behind a beautiful marble wall. We didn't venture far because who knew what was in there???
• Uh, points scored to all who decided that funky thing in the last post was a female urination device to help with aim in squatty potties. That is precisely what it is and I am just thrilled that it was staring at me from the nightstand. 'Whoa' is all I can say to it being used for formula. I have managed to avoid the squatty experience the entire trip thus far. I just don't feel the love.
• I do LOVE Leechee fruit. That stuff is awesome.
• We ventured back to Wal-Mart today to score the Chinese version of cold meds and cough syrup for my SIL. That was quite a venture. I have to say that I absolutely love the Chinese people for the most part. They are so kind and helpful. But, there is always the exception. I got the smackdown in the baby food aisle from the clothing police. She was a vicious one. She gave me the stink eye and was pulling at PIPA's clothes and grabbing my hand. I didn't really feel the warm fuzzies.
• Nanchang taxi rides WILL turn you into a praying person if you are not one.
• PIPA broke through the log jam of poop last night with some tummy massage and leg exercises. It was some hard work and a fair amount of tears but she was one happy baby when the jam broke free. We're cranking along just fine now.
• Girlfriend eats like a horse. Amazing what that little body can take in. I have to regulate or I do believe she would eat until she popped.
• Did I mention it was very cold and rainy here? It's the kind of weather that you feel in your bones. I am ready for Guangzhou...no doubt.
• PIPA smiles like an absolute hambone when you point a camera at her now.
• We are working with our PT exercises. She has a floppy flexibility that freaks me out a bit but, hey, she could be an acrobat. She puts her arms back behind her and then bends them at the elbow. This has earned her the nickname: Claire Qing Chicken Wing. Poor kid is going to think 'Chicken Wing' is her name because it is kinda sticking ;0)
• Don't eat anything called 'local meat'
• There are many unusual smells in China. That is hard to get used to as well. It takes getting out of your culture to really appreciate the differences of other cultures.
• I was kidding when I said I wanted the baby who would easily go to sleep and then just lay in her crib, smile and play until I was ready to get her going for the day. So far, that is EXACTLY the kid I have. I'll soak it up while it lasts. If it weren't for the other wildly social and fun aspects of her personality I would be worried that she was on mental/emotional lockdown but she is not. She's doing very well interacting during the day.
• I found these amazing Oreo cookie bar things here and, wow, are they good. Yeah, just what I need.
• We had KFC today. One of the pieces had a feather still sticking on it. I know I am settling in just fine because I just plucked the thing off and kept on going. That would have wigged me out on Day One. Give me a month here and I probably would eat fish eyes.
  
• Off to kick back. Hope all is going well for you all. I really do love China but I will be happy to get us all home as well.