Pearl River Cruise

Tonight we took ZhuZhu on a cruise of the Pearl River. It is the third longest in China and I also heard it was at one time one of the most polluted rivers in the world. There has been lots of green vegetation floating in the river and there are boats that go up and down the river picking this stuff out of the water with nets on long poles. The water is very muddy. I was told that the vegetation is from landslides that end up in the river, but who knows.

Our cruise was a dinner cruise and there were four families from our group that went. The weather was wonderful after having rained earlier in the day. We were able to stand out on the deck and look at all the lights on the buildings. The Chinese really go all out with the lights! Many of the buildings have animated displays that can only be done justice by video, but the photos give you a taste.

The hotel in the background is where we are staying, the White Swan.

ZhuZhu was in a good mood and really liked the feel of the wind in her face. She was all lovey tonight, so it feels like we are making good progress. She did a "magic" trick for us with her fingers that is really cute. I'll try to catch it on video soon. She continues to open up to us each day. We are just beginning to see her personality and it will be even more fun when we understand all that she is jabbering about.

We are close to wrapping up our visit to China. Very soon we will be on the way home to start the next leg of this adventure. We are sure that Keegan and Oliver will welcome ZhuZhu into our family with open and loving arms. We can hardly wait for them to meet her.

To those of you who have been following on this journey, we hope you have gotten a feel for how special this has been for us. We have really felt the love pouring out of the other adoptive families as they proudly shared their experiences with us over this past week or so. We hope we have done a sufficient job of providing you a window into this experience

I know that I came into this not sure what to expect. My emotions were all over the map. Now, only a week or so into this journey, I can tell you this for sure, when you see that sad face that you looked at in the pictures turn into a happy, giggling child who wraps their arms around you and plants a kiss on your cheek, there can be no doubt that this is right and good

You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:18

Touring Guangzhou

ZhuZhu seems to be accepting that she is stuck with us. She is waking up happier and was ready to get out of her pajamas and into her clothes this morning so we could get going. She seems to like to be on the run and thus should fit in nice with the schedule that is normally maintained around our house.

We have been working on winking and other "tricks". She does high fives, knucks, and peek-a-boo. She also likes to "clink" the glasses before we take a drink. Oliver and Keegan should love all of these tricks and I am sure they will teach her additional things. Below is an example of her winking.

Marcy has been trying to organize a dinner cruise for us and some of the other families tonight. While she was talking to various families at breakfast ZhuZhu and I went looking for photo opts. Below you will see a few shots that were taken inside the hotel.
Today our group activity was to tour a few sites in Guangzhou. We went to Liurong Temple (six Banyon tree Temple) and the Guangdong Museum of Folk Arts (Chen Clan Temple), a museum that houses relics and artwork including famous embroidery.

At the temple, several families participated in a baby blessing ceremony. Marcy, ZhuZhu and I climbed to the top of the pagoda for a nice view of the city. The safety standards in China are quite different from what we are use to. There was only a small railing keeping us from falling 9 stories (actually 17 stories, there were 9 outside levels with an interior level between each). It was a hard climb as the head clearance was very low in many spots. It was also quite hot, imagine that in the sub-tropics.

Next was the museum with its many detailed carvings, embroidery pieces, and other fine works. We enjoyed seeing this fine work and cannot imagine how long some of this takes. some of the artists may have spent a lifetime working on these items.

The dinner cruise is still on for tonight with several families. Hopefully we will have some more good stories and photos to post after that.

Nice to see, nice to hold...

Nice to see, nice to hold.

Once broke, consider sold.

This sign was at one of the shops we stopped at today and I thought it was cute. The message was also very clear!

Today our travel group activity was "shopping". ZhuZhu was very patient and quite well behaved throughout the adventure. More details on the shopping later.

This morning had the least amount of tears of any morning so far. We barely used one tissue! ZhuZhu seems to be getting into the routine (if you can call it that). She really did good today and only cried a little at bed time. She wanted to go back out on the town, but at 10:00, it is time for bed. It has been pretty much regular parenting battles lately, such as not picking up toys, putting away dirty clothes, or brushing her teeth. We are picking our battles at this point, but will have to make sure we get more consistent once we get home.

ZhuZhu continues to get lots of compliments about how beautiful she is when we are out and about. Part of it is a ploy by the shop owners to make you feel good and want to come into their shop. I think all of the children here are cute in their own way, but ZhuZhu has to be the cutest (I might be somewhat biased . . . ).

The shopping was pretty incredible. First, we went to a store where all the merchandise is guaranteed genuine. I think it may have been state-owned. They had several grades of jade, beautiful porcelain, and other treasures. You can purchase many things on the street, but when purchasing fine articles and works of art, it is best to purchase at a place like this. Jade is particularly valued in China - and a red string necklace with a jade pendant is usually given to children at 1 year by the eldest member of the family. It will bring safety to the child and of course, happiness. We did make a few purchases here. We are trying to find items for ZhuZhu that are particularly valued in her birth country for future gifts to her.

Next was the pearl market. Imagine looking up 6 stories and seeing shops of jewelry all around you on each floor! That is what this was like. All of the shops house different types of polished rock or gems. They are all on 16" or 18" strands. You have your necklaces, bracelets and earrings made there. There are also pieces already made using the stones of the particular shop. We spent all our time in the pearl shop. They were lovely, as you can see below. A few purchases were made here as well. How could I resist!

There are some beautiful, ornate pieces here at the hotel. Here is one of them. All are for sale, although I don't know that I would want to put this in my carry-on bag.
Tonight, we were talking with our boys, Keegan and Oliver. ZhuZhu said "Ni hao, Keegan" and "Ni hao, Oliwer". Then she said "Hi, Keegan" and "Hi, Oliwer". And "bye -bye". We were showing her their pictures when she was talking. It was very cute! She has such a little voice. I know they are in love with her already, aren't you boys? They have been so good while we have been away. We are very proud of them!

It's difficult to believe we only have two days left in China and then we are on our way home with our daughter. We have been meeting new families every day, either in the hotel toy room, at breakfast (which, by the way, is fabulous at the White Swan), or while we are out and about. Every family has its own story - most of them are spine-tingling. Here, we hear the word "destiny" a lot. It is truly God's plan for each of these precious children to become part of a loving and caring family. I am trying to link some websites of other travel families to this blog - it may not work tonight, but stay tuned. Caution: these sites are addictive! The children are true blessings of God's grace! Please continue to keep us and all these families in your prayers. Good night.

5 star room service

Greetings from Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. ZhuZhu has her wings! We had a successful flight after roughly a 1/2 hour delay. Several of the other families we met while in Nanning were on the same flight with us to Guangzhou, and many are staying here at the White Swan. ZhuZhu did great for the first half of the the flight. It was only about an hour long, so not much time to get antsy. She wanted to get out of the seat belt about 45 minutes into the flight, but we were able to convince here this was not a good idea by showing her the "fasten seat belt sign". She did have a hard time with the decent, or maybe she was just tired. We gave here a sucker for the departure, but with the short flight length didn't give her another for the decent. Anyway, we ended up waiting to be last off the plane to give her some time to settle down. Nothing major, just some tears.

ZhuZhu ended up falling asleep on the way to the hotel, so maybe her mood was more related to being tired and hungry than issues with the plane ride. We will see when we fly next week if planes are the problem! We rode to the hotel with one of the travel group families, Steve and Christine. It was like hooking up with life long friends when we saw them. We had so much to talk about, sharing our experiences. I also ran into a few others from the travel group as I snooped around the hotel looking for something to eat.

Now to explain the title of this post. When we arrived, we were very hungry. It had been about 9 hours since we had eaten. Our plan was to eat at the airport in Nanning, but there wasn't really anything to eat once you got through security. We said, "why not get room service?" I'll tell you why, a hamburger and a coke would have cost 188 RMB plus a 15% service charge. For those unfamiliar with the exchange rate, this equals about $31.80. Yes, I did the math right and that is only for one. If we both wanted to eat our own, it would have been over $60. Getting hot dogs would have saved us about $3.00! Needless to say I went on a snack mission but it was too late and all the shops in the hotel were closed. We had crackers, granola bars, and water; nice Chinese meal.

This morning was great fun getting to see most all of the travel group again with their new additions. Each child is so darling. I think awesome is an over used word, but I have to admit it is truly awesome to see how much love all of these families have to share with their newest members. There are MANY adoptive families here, most with infants (11-15 months) from all parts of the world. The entire area we are in (Shamian Island) caters to the adoptive community.

ZhuZhu had to test us a few times today to see where the boundaries are. She did not want to put on her dress - the dress we had been trying to get her into all week. We did finally manage and she went to breakfast pouting. She perked up when she saw all the babies. We met the group at 10am and walked a few blocks to have ZhuZhu's photo taken for her visa application and then around the corner for the medical exam. It cracked us up to see the signs in the medical clinic "Quiet, Please". There were probably 20-25 children plus parents and other family member in this quite small office. Plus, there was a lot of crying. ZhuZhu was great in all the exam rooms.

Had lunch at Lucy's - a small restaurant with Western style food. ZhuZhu wanted french fries - again. We'll start the nutritional program at home and make sure we have the waitress tell her next time that they are out of french fries (we did that in Nanning). Vince took care of paperwork this afternoon and the girls went shopping. ZhuZhu needed shoes! Really, she did! Found a pair of squeaky sandals that fit her (most of the items here are for the infants - there is not very much for toddlers or older children unless you are looking for the traditional dress). Some time since then, she has removed the squeakers and tossed them somewhere - the little stinker! The squeakers are actually cute at first, but get to be quite annoying.

After dinner, we went to the toy room here at the White Swan. It has just been renovated and is a great room for the kids to blow off some steam. ZhuZhu went right for the Duplos! Keegan, better put your Legos on a higher shelf or just get used to some new designs created by your sister!

Played with Bao Bao, also. His parents, Janet and Kevin, were our "neighbors" in Beijing and are right down the hall here. I don't know if dinner ever got on the table - too many cooks in the kitchen!

ZhuZhu got her first dose of neon tonight, as we ventured out of the hotel to check out the night scenery. The White Swan sits right on the Pearl river. The photo shows one of the hotels on the other side of the river.

Yiling then off to Guangzhou.

Today we will travel to Guangzhou, the last leg of our trip before the big return home on July 2nd. We will be staying at the infamous White Swan Hotel. Apparently this is a very nice hotel that caters to adoptive families.

Before leaving Guangxi, we added a tour to Yiling village. This area has a very unique landscape that may have inspired Dr Seuss.

We were taken by our guide to a farming village where we were able to walk out in the fields. We saw corn, rice, tomatoes, pumpkins, potatoes, and many other vegetables. We talked with one man who was harvesting his corn. It actually looked quite nice with large, long ears. He told us he has 1 acre of corn and 1 acre of soybeans. The corn is used to feed his pigs. We told him we also raised corn and beans, but he probably thought, "Yeah right, you really look like a farmer."

ZhuZhu LOVED the animals. This was in her report, and they were not lying when they told us this. She wanted to pet everything. She seemed especially fond of the sow that had 10 piglets. She also liked the baby calf. I think she will like the farm.

ZhuZhu still has occasional moments, but they are getting fewer and further between. We are very much enjoying that wonderful personality that you all will likely fall in love with very soon. This afternoon as we are packing she has been making necklaces, playing with puzzles, and trying on her new sunglasses. I think she likes them!

Last night in Guangxi

We had another roller coaster day. The waves of grief just hit ZhuZhu from out of the blue. I can totally understand how she feels to lose a loved one.

We went to the Nanning SWI (Social Welfare Institute) today. This is the grounds that are comprised of the orphanage where ZhuZhu was admitted initially and two buildings for the mature Chinese. It is common for both the children and adults to be housed within the same complex. They have a very beautiful park and Vince and ZhuZhu went there to play while Mary and I went into the office building to meet with the foster mother, director of the orphanage and pediatrician.

The park at Nanning SWI

The visit was difficult as you can imagine. The foster mother really loved ZhuZhu like her own (she has a bio son). It was difficult to part with ZhuZhu because she brought so much happiness into the foster family. I told her that ZhuZhu was truly a lucky little girl because she has three mothers who love her very much - her birth mother, her foster mother and myself. We also talked with the institute pediatrician who told me that ZhuZhu is very healthy now and told me to keep her away from biscuits and fried food because it will cause her tonsillitis - well, I will take it under advisement. They are all very happy that ZhuZhu has a forever family that will care for her and meet her needs.

Back at the hotel, we ran into the Brown's, a family from Montreal who has adopted a little 3 year-old girl the same size as ZhuZhu. We all went for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Their Kylie is very rambunctious and smiles ALL the time. She is a delight and I believe ZhuZhu enjoyed watching her. She will enjoy seeing Keegan and Oliver and having children to play with all the time.

Mommy had this great idea to go to the zoo this afternoon. Probably not such a great idea (a nap would have been a better one) but I'm glad we went anyway. The zoo is huge! Their exhibits are loaded with animals. They don't just house one or two animals but have several in every exhibit. ZhuZhu loved it! She was talking away about all the animals and kept saying "this is good" in Chinese. She was sooo lively at the zoo. I know this is her true personality. The sky was rumbling with thunder so we went very quickly and didn't see but maybe 1/3 of the zoo. Some of the area was under construction, as well.

ZhuZhu with the penguins

One of many tortoises

ZhuZhu is opening up more every day. Today, she was very talkative and giggling more. Her little voice is so cute! She will hold both our hands and skip in the hallway. She brings us much joy.

This evening, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner with our guide, Mary, and her boyfriend. Mary enjoys it and it was her choice. We had nice conversation with them and ZhuZhu was hot/cold throughout dinner. She was seriously tired after such a long day. I also dragged her into a nearby department store to purchase some "real" China.

Tomorrow, after visiting a village in the country, we will fly to Guangzhou, the final leg of our China journey. So, we may not be posting for a couple of days. Thanks for all your wishes, comments and prayers. Who would have ever thought we would have such great technology?!

Boys, have a great time at the lake. I hope you are having good weather. We love you very much and hope you are documenting your vacation through pictures. ZhuZhu loves the camera as much as you boys.

Duck, anyone?

Today it rained off and on in Nanning and that makes for some interesting sights. It is not rare at all to see people riding scooters while holding umbrellas, or ladies dressed nicely (with heels and all) riding a scooter or bike while covered with a rain poncho. Too bad the photos didn't turn out so you all could see this too. Umbrellas are common here even on a sunny day as many Chinese like to keep their skin as light as possible (it is beautiful they believe). Half the world away, many people in the U.S. go to tanning beds to get darker . . . go figure.

Not related to the rain necessarily, but still quite interesting is the photo below of the guy on the motorcycle.

Yes, those are freshly killed ducks on the way to some restaurant to be served for lunch or dinner today. You will often see food being transported like this around the city.

Another interesting sight is the bamboo scaffolding. (Sorry, again no photos turned out due to the rain) some of the bigger construction jobs use steel, but most of the smaller jobs use bamboo that is tied together with what looks like some type of grass. OSHA would have a field day here . . .

Today was a day for touring and learning more about the Chinese culture, especially about this area. We went to Qingxiu Mountain and saw a temple that housed several Buddha (photos of the Buddha are not allowed), a really neat Pagoda (Longxiang Pagoda), and we fed the Koi fish in the lake. After returning to the hotel for lunch we ventured out to the Guangxi Provincial Museum that contains many relics from the various ethnic groups that live in this area. A quite educational day indeed.

ZhuZhu feeding the Koi.

Longxiang Pagoda

We climbed to the top of this Pagoda for some interesting views of Nanning and the surrounding area. The misty rain made for less than perfect pictures, but the memories will stay with us forever.

Mom and ZhuZhu in the Pagoda

In addition to our education on the local culture, we continue to learn more about ZhuZhu each day. Today was a roller coaster ride ranging from giggles and smiles, to flashbacks with sobbing and tears. She has also started to test the boundaries with us. She is learning just how far Ma Ma and Ba Ba will let her go (not too far by the way . . .and if you don't believe it ask Keegan and Oliver).

The photo below is at one of the peaks of the roller coaster ride. Sieferts, here we come! Today we saw more of ZhuZhu's fun side. She was jumping up and down and giggling when she found out we were going swimming. She can be so fun and cute. We can hardly wait until that is the norm, rather than the occasional moment between periods of sadness caused by flashback memories of those who loved her so much before we got her.

We said "I do"

ZhuZhu (juju - her nickname - this is what we call her now) woke up this morning with tears in her eyes and quiet sobbing after she saw mama. Baba was another story. She did go to him, but the tears continued. We managed to get ready for breakfast and headed down. She was much better once we got moving.

We met Mary in the lobby at 9 am and went back to the hotel where we received ZhuZhu to file the paperwork. On the way to the hotel, Mary said that we would be asked several questions. Answer "yes" to all of them - it is like getting married, she told us.

We were taken to the same waiting room as yesterday. ZhuZhu started playing a little. Here she is back in the caterpillar I had mentioned from yesterday. A little bit more happy here.


Here she is on a rocking horse.


We went into a room where the provincial registrar was and said our "I do's". Then the registrar told us that she was officially our child! We are now a family of five! The registrar did give us the opportunity to back out, but I think the tears of joy were the answer to that question.

Next, we were on our way to the notary's office. This was just officially recording the adoption and preparing the paperwork for the birth certificate and other papers (I think). Just a quick note, not only do you sign the paperwork, you also must leave an ink print of your right thumb. And it is red, but the ink comes off easily. ZhuZhu had to leave her foot print. It was bigger than the space allowed. What do they do for the older children?

Paperwork completed, we headed to Wal-Mart. This time, the official Wal-Mart! We wanted to get books and cd's for ZhuZhu in Chinese and pinyin. We also purchased another piece of luggage that ZhuZhu will have for her checked bag. ZhuZhu was initially riding in the cart but when it became too full, she wanted out and started putting things in the cart where she had been riding. Mary thought this was very funny and said "She is very smart". I'm sure ZhuZhu felt like a queen because most anything she picked up went into the cart. As a side note, earlier in the van as we passed the nicest shopping center in Nanning, Mary told us that ZhuZhu had told her nannies "My American mother will take me there and let me buy anything I want". Like a dream come true, I suppose, but they do not take Visa.

Back at the hotel, we set up our times for tomorrow and then went to the hotel restaurant for lunch. ZhuZhu ordered noodles with chicken and they brought it to her with chopsticks and one of those Chinese soup spoons. ZhuZhu picked up those chopsticks and started transferring food from her bowl to her plate to allow it to cool. It was amazing! Then, she started using the spoon like a shovel and put food into her mouth. She would also use the chopsticks.

When we were about finished eating, Vince had written "I love you" and "Lara" on a piece of paper from the table. ZhuZhu picked up the pencil, and was scribbling. Look below for her "scribbling" (Vince's is on the bottom, if you were unsure). Can you believe it???? Do you see how she started with the LAR for Lara and then crossed "LARA" out? Do you think she is trying to tell us something? I have no idea what the other symbols on the paper stand for but she was telling Vince something over and over, so it must be significant. We will ask Mary tomorrow for the translation.She was so tired, she crashed shortly after lunch. What a real beauty! She is so precious and we are truly blessed to have this child of God in our hands.

Upon waking, we had tears again. I believe she thinks this is just a dream and that one time when she wakes up, she will not see us. Au contraire. We convinced her that swimming would be a great thing to do. That went fine. The pool is huge, outdoor and about 94 degrees. Many people use it. I could not tell if she had ever been swimming before. Vince thought she had. We had more tears shortly after returning to the room. I believe she is just overwhelmed with such grief for her foster family. She will purse her little lips and the tears will start flowing. It truly breaks your heart.

After things calmed down, we headed for dinner. This was the first time she did not allow baba to feed her. Only mama could feed her. This is huge! She has been a baba's girl and mama has been the "go fetch" person until now. She did want some of baba's pork chop but would not allow him to give it to her. Finally, after he offered it to her and she pointed to mama, he plopped the piece of meat in his mouth. Next time she took the bait. While we were waiting for the bill and conversing with the family at the next table, ZhuZhu wanted to sit on mama's lap. We are making progress! However, we still had tears before bed tonight. We were able to talk to the boys tonight. They said "Ni hao" to ZhuZhu. She was so tired, I don't think she understood the connection. Soon they will meet their sister and fall in love with her, just as we have.

Just a few notes on her general attitude: if we keep her busy, she is smiling and happy, chattering in the cutest little voice. When we get too loud, she says "SHH" and puts her index finger to her mouth. She loves to color but does not understand that coloring is not for every book. She has been eating well, but takes her time. She has the cutest way of brushing her teeth: she swooshes the water around in her mouth and then spits it out like a fountain. Her hair has never been cut (that I can tell). She loves her baba and will go anywhere with him. She wants to be held by him. She must press the elevator up or down button and then presses the correct number once we're inside (usually without being told). Her eyes are still full of sadness. People tell us how beautiful she is - everywhere! (I am a bit partial).

I must tell you, every time I look at her, I almost cry. We are truly thankful to the Lord above for her life and the blessing to us as a family. We thank you for your continued prayer and support.

Every good and perfect thing is a gift from God above.
James 11:

The Gift

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.
2 Corinthians 9:15

I am writing this on Tuesday afternoon. The hotel did not have Internet access last night (Monday) so we apologize for not posting a most incredible day! I will write this post as if it were Monday night.

When we got to the hotel breakfast, we headed for the buffet. OK only one or two things looked like "breakfast". We each took a hard boiled egg and juice. We later found the "western" breakfast area and realized we could order eggs any style. Also they have pain au chocolate - a favorite of mine from France. We ran into Bobbie and Tom (Al Moe's nephew) and their daughter, Emily. I tell you, this is one small world!. After breakfast, we wandered around the hotel. Everyone on the 9th floor here is adopting. I think I had mentioned before that there are about 10 families here adopting. We spent time talking to one gentleman. They are in the next room and adopting a 5 year old. It is their second adoption from China. They have 9 year old (bio) and a 3 year old.

For lunch, we went to McDonald's. I know, sounds sooo American, but you can only eat so many noodles. Right away, the cashier pulled out the "see and point" menu. Vince had the Big Mac meal and I had the cheeseburger Happy Meal. All for less than $5. People were staring at us. How novel for Americans to be in McDonald's! We went to a shopping center afterwards and looked around, mostly to make the wait more bearable.

We met Mary, our lovely guide, in the lobby at 3pm and we were off to the Guangxi Fucai Hotel to meet Lara. We were ushered into a room with a few toys and after some time were told to go to another room. On our way to the other room, Mary said "Look, there she is". She was with 3 ladies from her orphanage in the hallway. She was wearing a light green fairy dress and squeaky shoes. She is absolutely beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in to two braids that were tied together in the back of her head. I bent down to greet her but she didn't want anything to do with me. Vince tried also and we went back into the waiting room and started playing with the toys. They were telling her "it's your mama. it's your baba". She went hiding into this caterpillar and was peeking out these little windows. She didn't want the doll. Lara told the nanny "I'm afraid of her", and started wailing. Every time they would say "mama" she just shook her head NO. It was sooo hot. I took her and she continued to wail and we were all wet with tears and sweat. She went back to the nanny and we went into the hallway, but she was still wailing. In the hallway she said she wanted to go to the elevator. Mary said she was very smart to say this.

She kept saying "No way" in the hallway, sobbing the whole time. It was difficult to remain composed since she was in such distress. She started waving bye, bye. She said "Mama, I don't want to keep". We tried bribery some more with crackers but she said she wasn't hungry. We tried the animal book (thanks, R, we will owe you a book). The nanny was telling her, "if you continue to cry, you will not be beautiful". There were several children being placed with their parents and there was crying and screaming everywhere. They wanted her to take our hand but she refused, boo-waa (no way!). We found out that she had been with her foster parents right up until the night before because they wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. They truly loved her and I am sure it was very difficult for them to give her up. She is so beautiful and very attached to them.

After a few minutes of trying to reason with her, we pulled out photos of our home and her big brothers. We had picture of the farm and cows. She said "no, that's not my house". She was still sobbing (this is after 15 minutes). In the hallway, they had a shopping bag with several items in it, including a 100 family quilt, that we found out later, had been put together just a couple short weeks (since they found out we were making one, I think she thought that she had to make one). She was wiping her own tears and nose and the book started to keep her entertained. She loves animals (very unusual for children here). The book is a sound book with four animal sounds and pages with each one, chick, sheep, horse and pig. She was pushing the buttons for the sounds and turning the pages. We got out the animal finger puppets. She seemed to enjoy this and was calming down a bit. However, she would wail every now and again. She took the book and we went into a room (this is another 15 minutes later).

In the room, she started warming up to Vince a bit. The nannies started to leave the room one by one, but the head nanny stayed. She said I should hold her. But when I tried to take her, she said "I'm mad!". I eventually took her and she was crying and trying to get away. After a bit, I handed her to Vince. He fought her a long time. We told her that if she wanted to get down that she would have to hold our hands (mostly so she wouldn't bolt). She finally got down and took our hands. We looked around the adjoining room. Upon realizing that all the nannies were gone, I think she just gave up. We got out the camera and took a few pictures of her. When we were ready to take the photo, she would giggle and then she loved to see herself in the camera. She let baba take a photo of her and mama and then mama took a photo of her and baba.

Then, we let her take a few photos. That was really the icing on the cake! We went down the hall, jumped into the elevator, down to the lobby and got into our van for the hotel. This whole event probably took 55 minutes. She was becoming very attached to baba. Mama was the pack mule.

We arrived at our hotel and came to the room. Mary came to the room and I took care of the paperwork with her. The book was Lara's security blanket and she would only let Vince hold her. Mary suggested to go for dinner and then possibly a Wal-Mart trip to keep her stimulated and so she might sleep better. We played with her in the room. We had the cameras out and she had the photo album. We would say "Ge ge Keegan and ge ge Oliver". She saw the video of Keegan playing baseball and then pointed to the picture we have of him batting and said "Ge ge Keegan" plain as day. It was her first "English" word! Aren't you so happy, Keegan? Oliver, it is difficult to say your name with the "l" sound. She may be saying it, but we don't understand.

We ate in the hotel restaurant. When we were ready to order, the waitress asked "What for the baby?". We answered with "Ask her". So, Lara ordered the rice congee with chicken (like chicken with rice soup only very thick). It came first and she ate slowly. When our beef tenderloin meals arrived at the table, she was eye-balling our food. We cut it up and put it on her bread plate - the meat, corn, kidney beans and broccoli. She enjoyed it very much and also was eating the congee. We then went to what we thought was Wal-Mart. It turns out, Wal-Mart was actually next door to the shopping center we were at, but all the shopping centers seem to have their food items on the bottom floor. We purchased diapers for the orphanage and chocolate for the foster family.

We arrived back to the hotel when it was dark. Going up in the elevator, Vince was holding her and I kissed her on the cheek. She kissed me back! I was amazed! I think she gets it. Mary was saying this afternoon how she puts two and two together very quickly. We got the TV on and she seemed to like the cartoons. She took a quick bath - she is still leery of me, but I think she felt dirty and we know she likes baths, and put on her pj's. Like I said at the beginning, the Internet service at the hotel was down and we really wanted to post but were unable to. We all turned in around 10:30pm. She is pursing her lips and trying not to cry, but the tears are rolling down her cheeks. I rocked her and sang "Twinkle, Twinkle..." and the alphabet song until she fell asleep.

It was a very emotionally exhausting day for all of us. But, we have custody of our little girl until tomorrow when she will officially become our daughter (they give you a trial period).

Keegan and Oliver, we wish we could have talked to you tonight. We are so excited for you that you have a beautiful little sister. She adores your photos. You are very special to her already! Mommy and Daddy miss you a lot. We love you!

The East and the West

Do not be afraid – I am with you!

From the distant east and the farthest west I will bring your people home.

Isaiah 43:5

Some translations read something like: "I will bring your daughters from the East, your sons from the West".

As I read over the comments from last night's blog (compliments of Vince), I was especially touched by the Hountz's. Please, everyone, read it! Had me in tears. Thank you, Hountz's, for sharing this with us. We know that you understand our persistence and wait. I thought of this verse which is so applicable for our Gotcha Day. We have to wait until 3pm to meet Lara. I think I will be a wreck all day so I plan to take a few Tylenol to calm the nerves (where is the Adavan?).

How fortunate and blessed we are to be able to show Lara the gift of Jesus Christ and his incredible grace. Here, the Chinese people may say how lucky she is to be going to America, indeed, to live in a place where people have opportunity to worship as they please, we are all truly lucky.

Vince did mention how Lara likes animals. Mary says this is very unusual and that it is destiny that we meet since we live on a farm. There is an ancient Chinese belief that says:

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.

Mary is also impressed by Lara's foster parents. They truly love her and have provided the best for her. It may be a tough act to follow, but we figure once Keegan gets a hog for a 4-H project, all will be fine. I am not so sure about the dog... We hope she likes cows - I can handle that.

Switching gears, I hope that Ripley County's Relay for Life went well this past weekend. It was an event I hated to miss, but the team will be back next year. Thanks to all who participated in some way, whether through your monetary commitment, walking or through prayer. It will all help to bring this disease closer to eradication.

Now, it's time for breakfast. Maybe we will meet some other famiies that are at this hotel to adopt their children through other agencies - I believe there are 5 on our floor. Now I leave you with one last verse:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heberws 11:1

May faith fill your lives, whether it is through the adoption of a child from somewhere in this world or in the life you live everyday.

Nanning, here we come!

Today our travel group split up and headed off to our individual provinces. Most families left the comfortable confines of Beijing and embarked on an adventure to a new location where they will meet their daughter or son.

We flew into Nanning and met our guide, Mary. She has been terrific so far and helped us settle into the hotel this afternoon. We will be meeting with her tomorrow at 3:00 to go get Lara. She gave us additional information on Lara including that likes to take three baths a day! She also likes animals such as dogs and pigs, sounds like a farm girl to me.

As we flew into Nanning, we flew over a lot of farmland. The fields are very small and irregular shaped. Mary told us that the Guangxi province produces 60% of the sugar in China. We have asked her if she can give us tour of the country side later in the week if we have time.

The terrain in this area is quite intriguing when viewed from the airplane. There are rocks that jut out of the ground creating a "Dr. Seuss" type look in some areas. With any luck we will get photos to share later this week. Here is a sample I found on the web.


We took a walk this evening in "People's Park" and crossed the zigzag bridge, watching people feed the red carp that are in White Dragon lake. This will likely be a popular destination for us over the next few days as it is within walking distance and there is plenty to see there.

Tomorrow is the big day. We have waited for this day for over 26 months since our documents were first logged in. At times it felt like it was taking so long, but now that we are here, it seems like we only started the process a short while ago.

I wonder if we will sleep tonight . . .

Whoever thought a wall would be famous?

What a day! We were in the lobby to meet our group at 9:30am and headed off to the Great Wall of China . We went to the Juyongguan Pass section. This section is significant in that it was the only pass accessible from Mongolia. It was a rather warm day and the sun was actually shining. At this section, we could have walked for several hours but were limited by time. We did go quite far and had a great view from the area we climbed to. The steps are all different heights. I don't know if this was easier or more difficult, but it felt out of balance. The way down was more difficult in stepping, but we did not have to stop to catch our breath at all. I cannot describe how exhilerating it felt to be on the Great Wall! This is one of the world's greatest engineering feats, certainly the largest manmade structure in the world!

Needless to say, we were a sweaty mess when we arrived back on the bus!


Next stop was the Cloisonne Factory. This work is all hand laid. It takes about one week to complete a small vase (about 8") and one month for a large vase (24"). It is very beautiful! Of course, after the tour, you get dumped out into the gift shop - just like Disney World. Before we were allowed to shop, we had lunch as a group in a restaurant there. There were several great dishes on the lazy susan on the table. Most very good. Only one fish head on the table and no mystery dishes.

We did shop in the gift shop and found some great items for future gifts for Lara (this is not one of them - it would cost several hundred if not a few thousand dollars, not to mention getting it home).

Next stop - the Summer Palace. A beautiful summer home - all on 290 hectares with a manmade lake and a 782m covered walkway along the shore (the emperor's mother enjoyed walking outside, but was unable to do so in the inclimate weather, so "volunteer" workers built this walkway). Must be nice! We took a boat ride on the lake and walked through so quick that I am sure we missed many areas of this most beautiful place.

A "marble" boat on the lake. The legend says that if your boat sinks, your kingdom will sink.

Grandma's covered walkway

Our final stop of the day was not actually a stop but meerly a drive-by. We were driven past the Bird's Nest - the stadium built for this summer's Olympic Games. It will seat 100,000 and will house the opening and closing ceremonies. Nearby is the Olympic Village and the Natatorium.

The Bird's Nest

We truly have enjoyed our stay in Beijing thanks to our wonderful guides Tracy, Grace and Catherine. They have been so helpful and willing to answer all our questions.

Our checked bags are already down in the lobby for tomorrow's flight to Nanning. We leave the hotel at 8am.