(Sunday November 29th)

Good evening from Beijing!

What a busy day it has been! We all had a great night's sleep. I must add here that Hannah has only cried once ONE night since being with us. And that time was only for a minute. She was cold and needed to be re-covered. So, we are very fortunate that she is such a fantastic sleeper! I thought that maybe being in a new crib last night and a new place would phase her a little, but it didn't. She is one brave, loving little angel.

We left our hotel this morning at 9:30am and returned just after 5:30pm. Our first stop was at the pearl factory where we watched a short video on how pearls are cultivated etc. Then we were able to do some shopping. I wasn't aware that China is the only place with actual freshwater pearls. We bought Hannah a small strand for her Christening.

We then drove to The Great Wall. Despite being so cloudy in Beijing, it seemed to get brighter on our way to The Wall. In the city, with the pollution the views are unclear. You may see that in the distance there is a mountain, but it is behind what looks like cloud. You see that there are buildings etc. but they are unclear. It truly makes me thankful for how clear things are in Canada. We are incredibly fortunate to not be living in these conditions. It is a true reminder that we need to take care of our planet. As we approached The Wall it seemed much less polluted and you could see the gorgeous mountains. Then THE Wall! What a splendid sight! It is absolutely incredible to see in person. We started the climb with Hannah in her sling on me. She fell asleep and seemed so much heavier when she did. I didn't go far (hardly began the climb really) but with Hannah soundly sleeping, and the stairs so steep and uneven, I didn't think it was safe to continue. I stayed on a platform and watched Kevin climb! He went way up to the first main peak. It took probably about 30 minutes. It is MUCH harder than it seems! Most people stopped long before that. I was impressed! As Hannah and I waited, we met many nice people. One Chinese woman came over and I said Ni Hao and she immediately approached and turned me around and looked at Hannah! Thankfully she didn't waken her! She smiled warmly! There were some men there who were from Africa and such great sports. We talked a little bit and they were so happy that Hannah had already 'climbed' The Wall! Then there were three young men who came to me and asked if I could take their picture (or at least that is what I thought!). So I say yes of course and hold my hand out for their camera and they look puzzled. I then ask where they would like to stand. Again, bewildered! So I ask them, "Do you want me to take your picture?" And they say no.... Ok....... ??? So they say with me! LOL So, anyway, each stood with us and we took pictures. I felt like a celebrity! Hannah would have if she hadn't been practically snoring!!!! We ended up buying Hannah her name stamp at The Great Wall. As a side note/grumble.... I am thinking twice about buying/ordering gifts unless I am there to see them. Remember when I mentioned the lady (suggested through our guide.... assumed it was legit) who was going to make the silk clothes etc. in Nanchang? Well, we went to our Guide's room and looked through the samples of material and finally chose the material and style we wanted for a two piece silk suit for Hannah. We also ordered a little bracelet with her Chinese name engraved. Well, when we went to pick them up the material was entirely different. Not at all what I chose. And the style was different. The border clashed in a very loud way with the outfit and I was really upset. I explained this situation and there was no apology at all. I didn't want to make this a very bad experience so I said that I could live with the material but absolutely not with that border. The lady said they would change that.... Great. Well she brought it back and it is just ok. I was so very disappointed. This outfit wasn't cheap either. I was trusting that I was ordering something of great quality and to my choice from our daughter's hometown. I didn't make a fuss as it was clear it wouldn't have mattered and I didn't want to leave without anything. So, it is ok, but really not what I chose. Disappointing to say the least. The bracelet is engraved so roughly that if we run a finger inside, it cuts. Thankfully, Kevin has a tool at home that can hopefully smooth this out and make it safe to wear. I am only mentioning all of this in hopes that someone else won't be caught in this situation. I think to prevent this happening, I would highly suggest taking a picture of exactly what you choose. I wish I had. Anyway, enough of that rant. So, needless to say that I didn't jump on the chance to order the stamp or scroll this time through our guide. We are hoping to buy the scroll when we shop perhaps tomorrow.

After The Great Wall we went to eat as a group at the most amazing restaurant. There were many dishes and all were delicious. It was above the Cloisonne factory. We shopped there after, but didn't buy anything and then the bus brought us to the Jade factory. It was a very busy day indeed.

Tomorrow we are leaving the hotel at 8:30 Am and we are going to the Canadian Embassy for our paperwork. After this, Kevin and I are branching off and going to Yashow Market and then we'll take a taxi back to the hotel.

Our hotel is called the Holiday Inn Central Plaza and it is beautiful. Our room is clean and comfortable and the restaurant is very good. Like our hotel in Nanchang, everything is decorated for Christmas.

What a giggle bum our Hannah is. I keep waiting for a storm, but there hasn't been any. If she fusses, it never takes more than a minute (at the most!) to comfort her. She is delightful from the time she wakes up in the morning until she literally giggles herself to sleep. Last night was the first night that I didn't rub her chest for her to fall asleep. She just snuggled up and giggled and within a few minutes was sound asleep. She did the same thing tonight. When she wakes up in the morning, she wakes up in the sunniest humour possible. She loves to snuggle still and is more active each day. As we were stuck in traffic on our way back today, she was getting a little restless and Kevin and I kept her laughing and squeaking with glee with songs, tickles etc. She learned patty cake with me and LOVED it! She also likes the Itsy Bitsy Spider but not as much as patty cake! Patty Cake requires lots of Hannah movement which she adored! We are so fortunate. I cannot imagine life without her in it. It may sound crazy but I instantly felt like we knew each other so well. I love my girls and know God made the perfect connection. We have been so very blessed by his love.

Much love xoxo