Tuesday, Dec. 1st

We are now back to our hotel after a great morning out!

We left the hotel this morning at 10 Am and we only returned around 3:30pm.

The weather here again today is beautiful! You can see a blue sky which is very rare because of the pollution.

We set out in our bus down the side streets filled with small stores and food stands. Again today I noted bicycles passing with animals piled high (dead.... couldn't really recognise what type of meat). There are places with meat hanging outside, but these are rarer too see here in comparison to Nanchang which seemed to have this everywhere. We arrived at Tienanmen Square and each time our group stopped, we drew quite the crowds. So, we would move on! We spoke to many people along the way. Each very friendly. There was a man who asked where the babies were from and when we said Jiangxi he said that people there are all crazy. EEEK Actually, I believe that he was trying in his way to say that the parents had to be crazy. I have noted that no one seems to show understanding for the reasons of abandonment. They are quick to make an excuse, judgement etc... It is a very big subject obviously and one that is very complex. I will never think of our daughter's birthparents with anything other than respect, love and the most tremendous appreciation for their great loss.

We walked through the Forbidden City which from our experience, we were prepared for a very long walk (close to 4 hours). We fed Hannah Faith her lunch as we strolled. She also had a little morning nap at the beginning of our stroll.

When we were leaving the Forbidden City, we were approached by some young people hoping for pictures with us. Ok, actually only Hannah and me too! NOT Kevin! LOL They pushed him out of the pic which we both laughed about. So, he also took a picture! hehe On our way to the bus, we were approached by many people begging for money. There were people with physical needs, elderly people and people with children and babies. It was very difficult. Then there was a little boy who was about 5 years old who was literally pulling on pant legs etc. hoping for money. He broke my heart the most...

Changing the subject, we then went to a small local restaurant which didn't look as though it sees many tourists. We were warmly welcomed. The rstaurant was cold as are many buildings here. It was also filled with smoke. Smoke is everywhere! In elevators, hotels, restaurants etc.... There is no such thing as NO Smoking zones. Actually, there is a sign in the elevator, but it is clearly invisible! Anyway, the restaurant was playing chinese music and quite loudly. Hannah had already fallen asleep in the bus and slept right through the restaurant experience! It was nap time and I was happy that she had a proper nap today! We ended up sitting at a round table with our guides and bus driver! The pressure was on to not make a total mess with our chopsticks! We did quite well! No mess! But one of the dishes we shared was so slippery! My hand started to shake from sheer concentration! LOL I admit that I was a little nervous. When we had come in I peeked in the back room and saw aquariums again. There were buckets filled with dirty dishes. Definitely different and of course no western toilets here! Needless to say I could easily wait till we arrived back at the hotel! :))) Our dishes arrived with the most delicious food imagineable. Wow, everything at home will seem too bland after this! Really really delicious! I guess a lesson should be learned here not to judge by the looks!

As I type, Hannah is happily playing. She is laughing her giggly bum laugh! She has such an infectious giggle! Simply adorable!

Tonight we are going to eat in a restaurant close to our hotel. They are supposed to also have english menus! Perfect!

To answer your notes, we had such a great visit with Louise last night! It was wonderful to see her in person and she hasn't changed a bit. She said the same for me, so God Bless her! LOL We were able to Skype with our girls at home so it was especially wonderful that she was able to talk with Mara-Grace and vice versa. She brought us a beautiful scroll with a picture on it of all the zodiac animals. It also means happiness. How thoughtful.....

Tomorrow we are visiting The Summer Palace. I love this place and am looking forward to our outing which will be followed by lunch. Btw, "Lunch" here is typically much later. Like after 2! Supper is after 6.

All of our love from Beijing.

P.S. Ummmm, if you view our pictures at http://hannah.kjvb.com
note that I am not really a dork (ummm, saying dork perhaps sealed the deal!). In the pics where I am doing the peace sign and more, I was only joking around (as Mara would say). We've noticed that most people here do a silly pose and usually always the peace sign when posing for a picture! This kind of reminds me of when my brother and I were kids and we'd do the bunny ears peace sign on top of each other! LOL
xoxo
P

(Monday Nov. 30th)

Greetings from Beijing!

This morning Kevin, Hannah and I set out with our group to the Canadian Embassy. Our guide did the actual paperwork portion, so we had about an hour of waiting. We decided to take a little walk around the embassy. One of the men in our group asked the guard if he could take a picture of the sign. The answer was no. We then said we are Canadians. We were told we needed to show our passports to take a picture. Our passports were inside with our guide! So, Kevin explained this and he was allowed to take a picture after showing I.D. Things seem very official, severe and serious here. It was a little intimidating to say the least.

Kevin and I had told our guide that since we are in the general vicinity that we would be taking a taxi to the Yashow Market (Similar to the silk market, but it is our favorite!). So, after the paperwork we took a taxi and headed to do some bargaining! For the record the taxi took about 15 minutes and cost 10 yuan which is equivalent to under 2$ Canadian!

The building and atmosphere were the same as we had remembered. You push your way in through plastic strips and the shopping begins! There are 6 levels of shopping paradise! Each floor is made up of many different stalls selling everything you can imagine from jewellery, small electronics, clothing galore, shoes, belts, purses, gifts etc.... Each stall has a salesperson holding a calculator. And they will say things like, "Hey, Lady, you like Prada? You need purse?" And then they continue to call out to you and after you if they name a price for something and you decline they ask you what your best price is etc.... If you walk away, they generally yell many other offers out and if you keep walking they will settle on the price you chose. You could be 8 stalls away and they will be yelling. Once they agree, you turn around. I was told I am , "tough lady" today! ROFL I wish!!!! But, I suppose I am a shopper after a bargain! Trying to be fair and kind, but if it isn't a price I want to pay, I simply won't. It is interesting as you will have maybe 6 people at once calling out to you. They want you to step into their stall and then they try to hold you there by the arm! I love the whole experience! :)) We bought a little surprise for Miss Victoria today! We are planning to return and do some more shopping again this week.
As long as the price is right! hehe

After this we took our taxi back to the hotel and are now waiting to head down to have some supper. Kevin and I missed out on lunch but we did stop shopping long enough to feed Hannah!

We have some plans tonight to see Louise. Louise was our guide on our trip for Mara-Grace. She is so sweet and we keep in touch via email. So, we'll be seeing Louise! Looking forward to catching up with her!

I will write more in the morning! Actually, probably tomorrow night (tomorrow morning at home!) as tomorrow we are leaving in the morning to visit Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City.

xoxo

(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

Ni Hao from Beijing!

This will only be a short post as I am more than ready for my bed! I just wanted to say that we arrived safely in Beijing before supper and all went amazingly well. It was an early start, hurrying and waiting and travelling and waiting, travelling some more etc. and despite all of this, Hannah didn't lose her shining spirit for one minute. She truly is the most easy going baby. We are so very blessed.

I was very emotional leaving Nanchang today.... For so many reasons. I shall carry it in my heart with me always.

So thankful that all went so amazingly well today. Now, I am off to bed. Tomorrow is a very busy day (The Great Wall!!!!!!! Also pearl shopping and lunch and another outing, but I cannot remember what:))

Thanks for your loving comments!

xox

(Thursday, November 26)

Before I forget, yes Blogger is still blocked in China. However Kev being Kevin (Mr. techno) has found a way for us to be able to still have access.

I am sorry that I didn't have the energy last night to write about our day. I like to do so while it is all still so fresh in my mind. With the air quality (or lack of) here we all have sore throats and heavy chests each day. While walking in the city, it is best to wear a mask. I haven't really... And last night I was just feeling extra tired. Today is the same way I feel like I am fighting something. So far, I have stayed in today in an attempt to let my throat heal up before our flight tomorrow. No fever or anything serious thankfully. So, this morning (Friday) Hannah and I had the pleasure of doing some playing while Kev went for some more paperwork and to present our gift to civil affairs (which we didn't do while we were there the first time. We asked if we could and were told no, to wait, not today.... so we didn't give it and then later asked when we would and were asked why we hadn't! hehe)

Ok, so yesterday.... Thursday.... was a beautiful day. Again we have been blessed with gorgeous weather. Sunny and 21 degrees celcius. After breakfast we walked with the group to have Hannah Faith's visa picture taken. It was a very short 3 minute walk from our hotel. Basically it is an outdoor store and in the back there is a camera and there was a little chair for Hannah to sit in. I sat her in the chair and she didn't fuss whatsoever. She really has been the most easy going little person I have ever met. She sat there and the photographer came forward with a very used comb ( those who know me well know how this set my heart in a lurch! LOL) and Hannah sat patiently while she combed her hair behind her ears and then took 3 snaps. Then she yelled for the next! So we went back out on to the street to wait for our group to be finished.

While we stood outside, we noted many different people and situations. So different from home. With the utmost respect for this beautiful country, some of the differences are naturally amusing (for lack of a better word). I also see so many things that physically make my heart hurt. While waiting, we saw two little twin girls with 2 adults who looked like their grandparents. They were standing around and enjoying smiling at us. We saw 3 separate puppies running on the sidewalks. I was beyond worried that they were going to run into what seems like the worlds busiest street. A street I might add that is filled with honking! And cars going each and every way. Weaving in and out of their lanes. Pulling U turns in the middle causing mayhem! Traffic that you need to eventually just cut into while walking and hope your feet make the safety of the other side! Needless to say, worrying about the puppies was quite natural. Also, we saw two cats sitting in the store front. One where a little girl about 10 seemed to be working with her mother. And the other was next store to that. All of the store fronts are open. Probably closed by metal screen at night? Anyway, these two cats really looked so different from our cats in Canada. They were the thinnest poor little guys. They didn't look necessarily unhappy, but just the same, thin and filthy as can be. They reminded me of giant rats in a way. Anyway, a lady turned on some water on the side of the store. The kind we have outside that we hook a hose on. If Kev wasn't doing paperwork, I would ask him for the name! LOL This lady rinsed out dirtied little pants and then dumped the water out of the bowl and filled it with grapes. The grapes were then put on display to buy in her store. The health board would be all over that at home!

After the pic and lunch and Hannah's nap we met downstairs at 2pm and set out in our group's bus for an afternoon excursion. We first drove to the Youmin Temple which was maybe a 20 minute drive from our hotel. Again the traffic and driving is pure and utter chaos! We arrived and strapped Hannah into her carrier (thank you Wanda! It is heavenly!) and we walked through outside courtyards and then a garden. There were two tombs. Two brothers. Sadly, I missed most of the story (in french, my mind wandered and then I was lost. Kev was daydreaming and couldn't fill me in either! LOL ) I believe it was built for or by a man who believed that he had the pill of immortality. I will research this more later. It was lovely to walk through just the same. Hannah loved every minute of it in her sling eating her cookies!!!! We also saw two brides and grooms having their wedding pictures taken. Our guide explained that they are wearing the white dresses only for this picture opportunity and that they would marry at a later date and wear the traditional red dresses.

After this, we drove to what is known as the best porcelain store in China. Since Jiangxi (Hannah's birthplace) is famous for it's porcelain, we (me slightly more!) thought that it was important to have a keepsake for her for the future. We bought a set of fine porcelain vases and then another single vase which caught my eye the minute I first walked in. We originally bought the set and then standing outside decided to go back in to inquire about the other vase and bought it too!

We got back to our hotel about 5:30 and met with the group at 6:30pm to walk to a restaurant close to our hotel for an authentic Nanchang meal. I confess, I was a little apprehensive in ways. First off, because I have a super sensitive system that is often a problem at home! And secondly, because I wanted to recognize what I was eating! Anyway, we arrived and the doormen opened the door for us. We walked up the stairwell and there were about 6 women (all gorgeous looking) greeting us and then one walked us through the restaurant. The restaurant was huge and had many glassed in private rooms. We passed a room which held many aquariums which I would prefer not to think about. We also passed a turtle pond. Again, happy thoughts! The atmosphere was one of prestige yet was sharply contrasted with yelling staff. Everyone working there was yelling loudly and running! I joked with Kev that this was a very relaxing work atmosphere! We were escorted to one of these private rooms. There was a huge round glass top table in the middle and some couches on the side. We took our seat and I ended up having Hannah-busy-hands on my knee as the highchair didn't have sides or a table or tie-straps. So, on my knee she was. Our guide ordered what she thought we could tolerate (no seafood etc...). The dishes kept coming and coming. We had a feast! I tried everything but what I thought was chicken (it ended up being duck). The man sitting beside Kev who was eating it crunched down on something and then realised it was a beak! Somehow I didn't want to try that then! I ate eggplant, sweet potato, pork, many vegetables I have never even seen before, rice dishes etc.... And for desert pumpkin filled warm dough. I wish I new the names of everything. I am not kidding, we must have had 15 dishes coming to the table. And our own servers in our own private room. It was a feast beyond all feasts! And we ate and were served like royalty. The other night we shared about 5 dishes at a traditional Chinese restaurant (in our hotel) and it cost about 40$ Last night it cost 10$ total! We thought there was a mistake!!!!!!!! The only mistake was not eating there earlier! It was astonishing! What a wonderful experience. Hannah adored everything she ate and they brought this fluffy egg dish for the children especially which she devoured! I am so happy we had the opportunity to have some tastes of Nanchang.

We came home and Hannah had her bath and refused her bottle again. She had fought my attempts to give it to her at lunch too. She is so easy going that when she fights, it is really unusual. I thought perhaps that she was just overly tired at naptime or perhaps her mouth was sore. But when she fought me again at bedtime I was concerned that she suddenly didn't like her formula? Didn't add up. So, I transferred it to a little cup with a lid that we had packed. Well, that is all she wanted! She drank every sip! Poor little sweet pea! She was instantly content! And went to bed and had a glorious sleep straight through until 7:30 Am (right on schedule according to her reports).

There you have our beautiful Thursday in Nanchang adventure!

Now here I am (Friday, November 27th) , during Hannah's nap and Kevin is doing some more faxing.

At 3 pm we are going to our guide's room to pick up the silk outfit and bracelet we had ordered for Hannah.

This morning when we went downstairs for breakfast, we entered the lobby that had been transformed overnight to a Christmas wonderland! Garland, trees, lights are all over the hotel. There is even a giant gingerbread house in the lobby and also in the restaurant which is also beautifully decorated. It is astonishing that they accomplished all of this in one night! It really is gorgeous! For the Americans, last night they had a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the hotel restaurant. I thought that that was very thoughtful.

After the paperwork this morning, Kevin came home to the hotel and then went back out while I fed Hannah in our room and gave her her formula. He went to buy us some KFC for lunch. I have been too worried about eating it this week but everyone else has and the haven't been ill. So, here goes!

While on his walk to bring lunch he saw a little boy. Let me interrupt myself here! Yesterday on our way to the porcelain store, I noted a little boy who really tore at my heart. He was on the sidewalk, with just some shorts on and he was on a board with small wheels as the bottom. He was lying on his stomach on this board begging for money. He was all alone. His feet were badly deformed. I so wish that we could have helped him in some way. But we were on this bus. I thought of him often last night and again this morning.... Anyway, while Kevin was out, he saw another little boy chest down on the same type of board and his legs looked crippled. Kevin didn't have change on him and it really bothered him. On his way back from KFC (two meals cost 45 yuan- approx. 8 Can. Putting last night's meal into perspective) the little boy was with who looked to be his mother. They were sharing a pear. Kevin slipped her 50 yuan. He said that she took it and VERY quickly put it away. She didn't really respond, not that he was waiting for that, it just struck Kevin that she was fearful it would have been seen. He quickly walked on and then looked back to see her telling her little boy something. It is nice to think that they may have something more than a pear.

This is our last night in Nanchang. We have tried very hard to soak in everything and everyone that we could have while we are here. This is a very special place to us. This is where our Hannah comes from and we will always hold it close in our hearts. We were given our daughter from here and we will never take that fore granted. What an incredible, indescribable gift....

Much love from Nanchang (quite possibly our last post from this beautiful place) as we leave for the airport at 8:30 AM....

(Thursday November 26th)

Good morning from Nanchang!

It looks to be another beautiful day here. Clear and 21 degrees celcius. It is just after 7 AM and Hannah Faith is starting to stir a little but isn't awake yet! Victoria and her friends Aimee and Laura just video called us to take a peek at the sleeping angel!

We have been so fortunate to be able to talk with everyone (and see them) at home a few times each day via Skype. How wonderful that has been as we are obviously lonesome for our girls and family too! That is why comments are extra important! So, if you are reading this, it is wonderful to read your comments!!!! We know we have had many views on our blog, but not very many comments, so please post away!!! Also, this is all done for Hannah's journal and your words will be something to treasure in years to come.

Everyone at home seems to be doing quite well. Mara-Grace had a few moments of insecurity, but we were all able to help her through them. The other morning she wasn't quite sure where she fit in I think and we were able to change her mood by telling her the story about Hannah peeing in the tub. Pee is always so very hillarious when you are 3 or 4! hehe Then we requested that she tell Hannah (who was hoping so much that she would:)) a story. Mara-Grace quickly enjoyed the prospect of a new audience member and indulged us with 3 stories, a ballet recital, gymnastic performance etc.... This changed the mood and I am sure we will have more spells, but we will get through them. They are so normal with a new sibling in the picture (Literally speaking! LOL).

Our group that we are with are all very nice. We get along well with everyone and my french is improving daily I hope! I meant to mention the other day the difference we saw when we returned to civil affairs the following day of receiving our babies. The first day most of the babies were quite upset. The next day they were all in wonderful humour.

Our guides are wonderful. We have Sandrine and also Beatrice who is in training. They are both very kind and a pleasure to be with.

I will post more later. Much love xoxo
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(Wednesday November 25th)


After breakfast, Hannah Faith, Kevin and I went for a walk and to do a little shopping. I was hoping to find Hannah a little pair of boots, but didn’t find anything that caught our eye. We bought some water and a few extras instead. It was so wonderful to walk through Nanchang this morning. It is such a different place than at home. So many different sights, sounds, smells. For instance, most of the balconies on the apartment buildings (you never see just one house) have their raw meat hanging outside. Chicken, sausage, fish etc… Also, most of their clothes, shoes etc. are also on the balconies.

One thing that is very different in Nanchang as opposed to Kunming is that I have not seen babies in carriers here. In Kunming it was very common to see babies strapped to their mother’s backs, chest, even head and shoulders! This is not the case here. Babies are not in strollers or carriers. They all seem to be wearing split pants so we have seen many little tushies on this trip! And when they need to pee or otherwise, they are squatted down or legs pulled up exposing the appropriate parts to do their business on the sidewalks etc…

The people in Nanchang fascinate me the most. They are curious, and we attract a lot of attention wherever we go. We have not met anyone who wasn’t friendly to us. I said Ni Hao to many many people today, always with a smile and we were greeted so warmly in return. The other night, when we were shopping with others in our group, we went into a store and two of the clerks were touching and talking with a blond haired girl in our group. She is 11 and such a sweetheart. Anyway, they were holding her hands and touching her hair, face, looking at her skin etc…. There is a great curiosity and it seems to me, that with children people feel more free to be able to express this.

This afternoon we met with our group and walked to Tengwang Pavilion which is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. It is absolutely glorious! Hannah was very content exploring this beautiful pagoda from the comfort of the carrier she was strapped into. I am enjoying it so much! I had Hannah hooked to me for our walk this morning too and she adores being in it! She is such a snuggler!!!! Anyway, she was all eyes looking at all the different levels of the pagoda. Hannah would arch back to see the ceiling and all around! She drew a lot of attention and many people took her hands etc. and she didn’t seem to mind one bit. Strapped to her Mommy, eating bin bin crackers and smiling back at people seem to be just her idea of a wonderful time. Mine too!!!!! We walked up many many steps and then explored 5 stories. We took the elevator up and then walked down enjoying each level. The elevator ride was 1 yuan each which seems to be about a nickel. There is even a level towards the top where you can walk out and see the beauty of the river and city below and around.

Then there are the little gardens surrounding this majestic place. They were so lovely to walk through. They even had a bonsai tree garden. Many ponds with very large goldfish and turtles! And there is a restaurant that had many signs with arrows pointing the direction to it with a picture of someone and President Clinton who had obviously eaten there. That fact is their major publicity for this restaurant.

It has been a lovely day…. Tomorrow morning (Thursday) we are walking to have Hannah’s visa picture done. Then in the afternoon we are going to see a temple and then to a place where they make and sell porcelain (porcelain is one thing Jiangxi is famous for!). Afterwards we are going as a group to have some Chinese food!

Today is our third day with Hannah Faith. What a delightful little soul she is. She is very easy going in nature. She will tell us when she has a request but is very patient about it all. She has a wonderful sense of humour and an incredible appetite! She loves everything we have given her! She is content to play on her own and usually doesn’t fuss now when I set her down or leave the room for a minute. She loves to play and she absolutely loves to mimic and tease. She is so funny and has the most infectious laugh! She also ADORES riding in the elevator and talks up a storm while in there. On day one with her I sniffed her foot and smiled at her to see if she’d smile back. She didn’t, she just watched me curiously. Well, tonight while being changed (which doesn’t seem to bother her either now) she stuck her foot to my nose and started to laugh! So ahha she did remember! We happily played this game!!!!! She also loves to play peek a boo and she gives us kisses now upon request. She is ticklish and she adores receiving many kisses bathed on her cheeks and neck!

What a treasure it has been getting to know our darling angel in person! We have been so blessed and I will never take this incredible gift forgranted. We are so very much in love and I think it is mutual. I have said many prayers that our transition would go as smoothly as possible and I often prayed that Hannah would be able to grow to accept our love and comfort. Well, I know for sure that our prayers have definitely been answered. How very blessed we have been with our three girls. We are so thankful…

Goodnight from Nanchang! Xoxo