Days 9 and 10-- At the Zoo (and the Park)

We have developed a nice little routine with Anna Kathryn.  Up around 7 (depending on how she slept).  Breakfast at the hotel buffet:  an egg, rice or congee, fruit, banana bread, and more.  This girl can really put away the groceries!  I think today she ate almost as much as I did.  Then we head back to our room for a bottle and an outfit change (breakfast is usually a messy meal) before heading out.  

Of course, this picture tells the whole story; Anna Kathryn enjoyed a big helping of prune baby food with her dinner.  We were trying to "help things along"-- and it worked!

Most days we have gone out between 10-1 for an excursion, and then back to the room to cool off and for her nap (and sometimes one for Mom and Dad). Afternoon is playtime, followed by an early dinner, bath, bed.  Two times we have been able to talk online with my parents and sister, and that has been very fun, although AK is so busy hamming it up she goes to bed rather late those nights.  

She is already changing and gaining new skills every day!  The first day we had her, she hated tummy time, couldn't roll over, and couldn't stay upright when we'd sit her up.  Playtime is on the king-sized bed in our hotel room, so she has a soft place to land (the feather comforter helps.  Hope they plan to wash that thing when we leave, since we have, ahem, done a lot of living on it over the past 6 days!). 

 Now she rolls over like a champ, is sitting up more steadily, and trying to creep-- or crawl; I can't remember the difference right now.  Today she spent some time digging things out of her diaper bag, which is about as big as she is.  Tummy time with daddy and mommy is lots of fun!  

The other night we introduced her to the Wonderful World of Books.  The librarian in me is so proud of her-- she just loved her book.  Granted, she enjoyed chewing it more than reading it, but that's to be expected. 

What is this new and marvelous thing?

I love books!!

Her strong will is evident.  When she wants something, she goes after it with single-minded determination.  If she is not in favor of something, she will screech and bat her hands at the offending object/washcloth/diaper/etc.  Today she took the shortest nap ever-- 25 minutes in Wal-Mart and in the van on the way back to the hotel after a busy morning.  Considering that there were a million or so people at the Wal-Mart, the fact that she could sleep at all was impressive. We got back to the room, she woke up, and all other attempts to put her down were futile.  

She howled in her crib and then caught me peeking at her between the slats.  Instant grin.  

Daddy tried to rock her to sleep.  Wailing ensues.  Daddy turns her upright.  Smiles and laughter.  

We are pushovers.  What can I say?  We've waited a long time to do this much spoiling.

Oh, yeah, we've also done some sightseeing around Nanchang, despite the nearly 100 degree (humidity to match) temps.  Nanchang is a bustling city, somewhat industrial, but with nice public areas and plenty of shopping.  Also, many KFCs.  We haven't sampled that yet, but the pepperoni pizza we got from Pizza Hut yesterday was quite tasty.  It came with a side of ketchup!

Saturday we went to the zoo with our guide.  The zoo was bigger and had more animals than I expected.  It is definitely different from an American zoo:  there were some species I wasnt too familiar with, and the animal pens are mostly concrete with little or no natural habitat spaces. Still, they seemed reasonable well cared for, and the animal acts were highly entertaining.  Very much like what you'd expect at the circus. 

 Anna Kathryn paid more attention to the crowds of kids with their families, but Mark and I enjoyed the animal acts a lot.  She did enjoy watching the fish.
 Mark couldn't resist feeding a frenzied group of giant goldfish.

First we saw the sea lion show, then we went to the big animal show. We saw monkeys walk a tightrope and ride bike, a bear that did tricks on hanging rings, and a goat that walked the tightrope with a monkey on its back.  

This pony and tiger trick was pretty amazing, too: 

Anna Kathryn and Mark got up close and personal with a bear.
The zoo is cool (even if we are sweaty)!

Today (Sunday) we went, along with the England family, to the local park.  We strolled the shady paths, watched people exercise and do tai chi,  and listened to a little Peking opera.

Mark and Anna Kathryn were mesmerized by the sounds of Chinese music.  We saw one couple where the wife was singing, and the husband played a 2-stringed violin.  Another man, a musician and teacher, played his instrument, and people would wait in line to sing impromptu duets with him.  

Sunday morning in the Park...

We also went to "Porcelain Street", filled with shops full of Jiangxi's famous and gorgeous hand-painted porcelain.  Jiangxi province is famous for this.   Mark and I planned to get a tea set for Anna Kathryn and some gifts for others, so we had fun shopping!  We wrapped up the day with a trip to Wal-Mart.  It looked a lot like Wal-Mart at home, only it was 2 stories and FULL of shoppers.  I was thrilled to find Maybelline eyeliner and Coca-cola Light.  There were even rollbacks:

First trip to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.  It will not be her last!!

I was determined to get pictures into this post, and I succeeded!!  It only took about 2 hours, off and on, to load all these shots.  I hope it will be easier to blog (and I'll be more consistent) in Guangzhou, our next and final stop in China.  In case you hadn't already noticed our itinerary has changed several times along the way.  The latest is that we are leaving for the airport at 8 AM tomorrow, instead of 3 PM, and Sally is working hard today to get Anna Kathryn's passport in hand by the end of the day today. 

BTW: Even though the post date says Saturday, I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, China time.  

We have enjoyed our time in Nanchang, and are grateful to have experienced a little bit of life here so that we can share these stories with Anna Kathryn as she grows up.  However, we are excited to be heading to Guangzhou, reuniting with our travel buddies, and finishing the US end of the paperwork.  

Good night from China!