5/25 - 5/30 - Another week down and much improved. This week there were very few screaming sessions and Kimberly has bonded more and more to Dan and I. We started the week by skipping the Memorial Day parade. I thought the loud band and firetrucks might scare her - especially since she is afraid of the vacuum cleaner! But, so am I - that's why I don't like to touch it. We did some shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot for more gardening stuff and finished the planting in the front yard. We still need some mulch, but that has nothing to do with Kimberly. The day ended at DQ where she shared Dan's chocolate ice cream cone and LOVED it. As we were leaving, Russell, Jodi and Emma showed up. She waved and reached out to Emma to say bye-bye, which made Emma the happiest girl in the world. We had a good quality weekend and bonded together as a big family. This week Dan had 3 loads per day so the Grandparents had to watch her for a few hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday while I worked in the afternoons. Each side got to watch her for a few hours and put her down for a nap. She woke up every morning (and nap time) as a happy little child ready to play the day away. She is very comfortable with the dogs and cats, so much so that she decided to lay on everybody this week. Silky, the black cat, didn't think that was such a great idea and took a little swat at her nose. Kimberly never cried, but stopped to rub her nose from the sting. Charlie, the dog, grumbled once or twice at her when she fell on him this week. So far, the animals have been very understanding, but are still supervised with her in the room. Silky and Mr. Kitty, aka Evil, have been wonderful with her, lettering her play and pet them all the time. The child is a non-stop eating machine! She went to Ruby Tuesday's last weekend with Dean and Michelle (and us) and the Brick last night by ourselves. She was wonderfully behaved and ate most of her food. Tonight she ate 9 shrimp with Dad; he was so proud. Yesterday, she ate half of Mom's cereal. Papa will be so happy; she can put away an entire plate of pancakes in one sitting, too! She has learned NO and even says it now. This past week she had a temper tantrum when I put up the wagon that she was playing with and made her come inside. That was truly a tantrum, which I ignored till she came to me. She also insisted on moving a candle many times one day. After the third time I told her NO and took it away, she started to cry. I put her in the corner of the living room and left her there for a minute. She didn't move, but still wimpered. After a minute I took her by the hand and brought her back to play and all was well. Kim is also picking up some more English. She knows "bye-bye" and has started to wave. Today she said "hi" - doesn't know when to say it, but she said it. She has also started to say "doggie" and "birdie". She has been playing very well with Mikayla and Emma this past week. She played well with Jillian and Jayden last weekend, too. There are some moments where she wants to be in charge and play by her rules, but they seem to have worked it out. Hugs and kisses come easy from her towards Mom and Dad and her new cousins. She has met some new people this past week and does well one on one with Mom or Dad on hand. Yesterday, she met Mary Lynn, Darby and Maddie Griff. Today, we drove to Ashland and she went to her first horse show, which may have been too much too soon. She had a screaming session when we first arrived when too many people came around to see her. She made it clear that that was not a good idea. People scattered and then Dan (security blanket) introduced her to some close friends one by one and she was able to play with friends. After about two hours they headed home and she napped in the car. Tomorrow should be a quiet day and Monday will be the big doctor's appointment. I'll post more after the doctor's appt and when we get some new pictures taken. We have been in contact with the four other families that traveled to China with us from our agency and all of the kids seem to be adjusting well.

5/14 - 5/24 - We've been home a little over a week and have come a long way, at least the little one has. I will continue to update the blog weekly and post pictures when I can. We seem to be on a pretty good sleep schedule now; Kimberly goes to bed around 9:00 PM and wakes up about 8:00 AM with a two hour nap in the afternoon and a bath every evening. The potty schedule is back on track, too, every morning like clockwork. She has tried all sorts of new foods. Her favorites are hotdogs, french fries and spaghetti. She also tried some ice cream yesterday and decided that was pretty good. Mashed potatoes, toast, scrambled eggs, noodles, rice, pizza, bratwurst, pudding, jello, breaded chicken patties and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are all on the edible list. She does not like oatmeal, milk, yogurt, toasted cheese sandwich or cereal with milk. Silky (cat) and Kimberly play pretty good and Reba (cat) still runs from her. The dogs are very tolerant of her. She hand feeds them teddy grahms and gives them her toys to play with. Neeko has figured out that food time in the kitchen is a good time for him. She has also petted all of the minis and ponies at Papa's house. Kim Kim has definately learned who Grandpa is and likes him best. Mikayla and Emma have learned to play with her, too. She has been to the store many times and out for a walk on Headwaters Trail. Yesterday, she even went to Emma's pre-school to pick her up. She has spent a couple hours alone with Grandma and Grandpa Thornton and with Grandma Bowers. Dan and I both went back to work this past week and our schedules were compatible. He worked in the mornings while I watched her and I worked in the afternoons while he watched her. He thinks I had it easy and I think he had it easy. I had to feed breakfast and lunch and he got to nap for 2 hours. I think she has tried out every toy that is in this house. Nothing is untouched. She likes anything that makes noise and lights up when she touches it. She also likes some of the pots and pans in the kitchen cupboards. Kimberly has had a few crying sessions at the end of this week. I swear she was thinking, "I hate you and I want to be back with my old family." Usually they last a few minutes, but one session lasted fifteen and I was afraid the neighbors were going to call the cops on me. They've done it before, you know. Her vocabulary is up to a few more words. She can say Mama, Dada, Bye-Bye, Kitty and is working on Doggy. I also heard something that sounded like E-I-E-I-O. She hums along to music and sings her own version of songs. Last Friday I started with a sore throat and cough which had me down for a couple of days this week. I'm feeling a little better today. I just hope Kimberly and Daddy don't catch it. Kimmy's first doctor's appointment is coming up on June 1st and she'll have a complete workup with the international adoption specialists at University Hospital. We'll know more about her heart condition at that time. Our plans for the big Memorial Day Weekend include gardening and grilling and maybe a parade. The adoption agency we used has a big party this weekend at the Cleveland Zoo. We opted not to go this year, but will probably attend in the future so she can see and make new Chinese friends. All in all, she is adjusting and getting used to life in America. She still barks and will throw a minor tantrum when she is unhappy. But for the most part, she is all smiles and laughs and is a happy little girl.

"SLEEP", It's kind of like air. You don't miss it to much till your not getting any!!! So where did the child that was sleeping well threw the night go??? We are making progress,she's getting more comfortable around the pets. And has even started to try and pet Silky. And we found out today that Wendy's fries and chicken nugget's and a Hi-C. Are great little finger foods for the car ride. All in all, Kim Kim has is doing good. Friday night we all had pizza at Julie's parents house with the family. All the girls played well as we all looked over the pictures we took in China. We have taken some new pic's. But I'm just to tired to down load them and post them. The 4 hours of sleep in the last 3 nights has me on the ropes. So this is going to be a short post. So I'll post pic's in the next update, I promise.

Dan..

5/14 - Our first full day in Mantua, OH USA started at 4:30 am when Kimberly woke up like a happy little kid. Today's breakfast was toast, rice and a few dry frosted mini wheats. We need to hit the store today for some kid food. She played around some and started to get familiar with the house, staying close to Dan. There were tears off and on a few times today for different reasons or no reasons. The morning started with tears every time I held her and Dan was out of site. She hadn't gone #2 on the plane, so we figured she was a little uncomfortable today (3 days worth). She was afraid of the little potty chair when we first put her on it, so back to the tub. After breakfast she went in the bathtub and we got results. In between entertaining Kim, we tried to unpack and get some things done around the house. I opened up a bunch of her toys and she started playing with anything that made noise or lit up. That worked for an hour or two, while Dan got caught up on the computer. Sometime mid-morning she took a three hour nap with me. Dan woke us up a little after 12 and we explored the house some more. I'm hoping this will put her close to the daily EST time schedule. She had a fruit cup, jello and tried tators tots for lunch. Dan took her for a short trip outside to look at all the greenery. In the two weeks that we were gone weeds took over the garden, the lilacs and irises have bloomed and the leaves have popped open on all the trees. The outdoors looks beautiful. Kim-Kim seemed to be interested in the chickens when they collected eggs. The tricycle was pretty cool, too, even though she isn't sure how to use it. I have found that nothing gets done quickly with a two year old. Around 2:00 we headed out for the day's errands: post office, vet clinic, Carol's, my parents and the grocery store. The post office was easy since she stayed in the car; the car seat was OK by her. She went in to the vet clinic with us to get some medicine for Silky's eye. She was shy at first and hid behind Dan, but before long was smiling at the girls and gave "five" to everybody there. Next she got to visit with Grandma Carol and Cousin Carrie. They were happy to see her. Next stop was my parent's where she played with Emma and Mikayla when she came home from school. She started out unsure but warmed up to them when they were playing with the kid's kitchen stuff. She even thought the baby toad was pretty cool and dropped the container, giving him a headache. Emma was the first to smell the messy diaper, which she volunteered to change and Mikayla wanted nothing to do with it. On our way to the grocery store Kimberly fell asleep, messing up my whole time schedule plan. Dan put her in the stroller and pushed around; she never woke up till we got home. For dinner tonight Dan made hamburgers on the grill. She ate a whole hamburger dipped in ketchup and some jello. Everything tastes better with ketchup according to Kimberly. She played with her toys some more and then had her nighttime bath which ended in a ten minute screaming, crying episode. Neither one of us could console her. Eventually she stopped the crying and sat in Daddy's lap, watching Deadliest Catch and munching on pretzels, while I did some laundry. Neeko was downstairs and beside himself the whole time the crying was going on. By the end of the night the dogs and cats were allowed to be in the same room with her, as long as one of us was there to protect her. I was able to bounce her upside down and she could touch Neeko's back with her hand and his tail would touch her face. She thought thwas pretty funny since she didn't have to look at his face. Charlie is fine so far, since he just lays around and doesn't move much. She doesn't even realize he is there half the time. At 10:00 she went to bed for me with a light up glo bear that she thought was pretty cool. She used it as a pillow and was out for the night. I wase able to go through some clothes and put things away and Dan did some of his work until we were tired and joined her. Sorry, we didn't have the camera out yesterday, but should have it out today for some more pictures.

5/13 - Thirty hours later we made it home. We were up at 5:00 am Wednesday morning Chinese time and arrived at our doorstep at 11:00 pm Wednesday night and went to bed an hour later. It was a long trip, but we are happy to be home. It was nice coming home to happy dogs and cats. Thank you Carol and John for taking care of everything at the house! We left China on time and arrived in Tokyo after an easy ride. Our next plane was late coming into Tokyo so our departure was 1-1/2 hours late, which turned into two hours after we sat on the runway for an extra thirty minutes. Some of the other couples rebooked their final flights out of Chicago. We kept our same Chicago-Cleveland flight, thinking we had enough time. That was another good flight for Kim since she slept the first seven hours of the eleven hour flight. Daddy got about 1 hour of sleep; I got a little more myself. After circling O'Hare for another 30 minutes we landed with 45 minutes to go through immigration, pick up our checked luggage, renavigate through customs and security and find the right terminal. Of course, the 4:56 flight out of Chicago was on time and we didn't make it. We hopped the next plane out at 6:38, which was delayed by an hour and finally landed in Cleveland around 10. At that point, Kim was fussy and we were doing our best to prevent tears. My father was there to pick us up and the luggage and away we went. At home, Kim was wide-eyed and clingy, not sure about another place to stay. She did go to my father with a smile and gave him "five". The cats and dogs were happy to see us and it was hard to put them back in the basement once we got home. I'll have to spend some special time with them in the next few days. While Kim-Kim was having her nighttime bath, Silky (cat) came to join us in the bathroom and jumped on the toilet seat. Kim shrieked terrifying tears and was sure that the little black cat was really a tiger. About midnight the three of us squeezed into a queen sized bed and went to sleep for the night along with Reba (another cat who insists on sleeping with me). We had been sleeping in an extra wide King sized bed in China. We thought it would be best to keep her with us till she gets used to her own room and crib. Needless to say, neither I nor Dan got much sleep with a little one kicking us and trying to turn sideways all night long. I'm sure there will be a few naps today and tomorrow till we can get caught up on Ohio time. Thank you again for everybody's well wishes for a good trip and safe travel.

5/12 - Today was our last day in China and we took it pretty easy. There was no more shopping to do or sights to see. This morning we had breakfast and a morning stroll outside before things got too hot. We ran into some last minute shoppers from our group and headed back to the hotel for lunch in the room and a short nap. All five families met in the lobby this afternoon and boarded the bus to the US Consolate. Our paperwork was all in order and Kimberly has her Visa to travel to the US. We went to a large room with 25-30 other families and showed our passports and waited for the oath taking. All parents had to stand up, raise their right hand and swear that their paperwork was complete and true to the best of our knowledge. We were joking that Kimberly was going to have to take an oath to always listen to us, go to bed on time and eat her dinner. It was a rather simple ceremony and we got our immigration paperwork for her. When we get home, they told us we will have to apply for a US Birth Certificate and US Passport. No hurry, because I don't think we are going anywhere any time soon. On the bus ride back we decided to have a nice Chinese dinner together. Zhou ordered food at the Victory hotel and made reservations for five families with five high chairs. Halfway back to the hotel, Kim decided she was done and had a little fit. When she gets mad she chirps, barks or yips. I'm not really sure what it is, but it means she is mad. She hasn't pooped in two days, so my best guess is that she was uncomfortable. Soon enough, she'll learn our language and we'll be able to communicate. At the hotel we grabbed the stroller and headed off to dinner. We were the only ones in the restaurant at the beginning and then a few families came in throughout our meal. The food was good and we had time to visit with friends before the crazy plane ride tomorrow. Kim-Kim had her bath and went to bed about 9:00 so we could finish packing. I packed a suitcase for Kim inside one of our bigger suitcases on the way here and everything fits in three suitcases going home. Tomorrow is a big day for us - three plane rides. We leave the hotel at 6 and Guangzhou Airport at 9:15 to head to Tokyo. There is some discussion about the swine flu and possible quarantines. Hopefully, we don't get caught up in that. Everybody is healthy and has been warned: don't cough, sneeze or hiccup in public. We even have masks if needed. We layover in Tokyo for four hours and then fly into Chicago at 2:20 pm. At that point we have to go through Customs and Kimberly is officially-officially adopted. After a 2-1/2 hour layover there, we head home to Cleveland to arrive at 7:12 pm. It will be a long day and I hope the little one can sleep along the way and doesn't fall apart too bad. The good news is that all five families will be traveling together to Chicago and then we split. The bad news is that Zhou is on a different flight. We are armed with the stroller, food and toys and will do the best that we can. We'll be happy to be home soon. When we get home it'll take us a few days to get caught up with the time change and new feeding schedule. At some point I hope to get a link set up so everybody can view the pictures. Thank you to everyone for all of your support, well wishes and prayers for safe travel.

5/11 - We're one day closer to coming home. Kim-Kim woke up early today (6:30) and helped me type yesterday's blog. If there are any misspellings, please blame her. We let Daddy sleep in till 8:00 and headed down for breakfast and then some play time in the room. There is an adoptive family tradition to have pictures taken in Chinese dress on the red couches at the White Swan hotel. All five families met in the lobby and trekked to the hotel. It was beautiful and very picturesque. We snapped a ton of pictures of Kimberly on the couch, in front of flowers, the ship and the waterfall. Then we took pictures of all the kids together on a couch. After an hour we were getting hot and she was getting cranky so we headed back to the hotel, stopping at one more store along the way. She had some lunch, a nap and a little more lunch after she woke up. Zhou went to the Embassy this morning to turn in paperwork and apply for Visas for all of the children. When he came back we headed on the afternoon adventure on foot to a traditional Chinese cooking and pet market and the jade market. The food market was filled with herbs, roots, nuts and all kinds of dried things that the Chinese use. Next was the pet market where they sold lots of fish, turtles, birds, kittens and puppies. Vendors filled both sides of the streets for blocks. We looked, but didn't dare buy anything. A few blocks later was the jade market and a Buddha Temple. Inside the temple there were over 500 Buddha statues. The Chinese people came in at all times during the day and night to pray. We wandered the jade market and headed for home. The market seemed to be just as crowded on Monday as it was on Sunday. Zhou had a stop to make so Dan said he could lead the group back - until he saw a knockoff military surplus store and we lost him. We made it back with all of the kids and strollers and Dan was about five minutes behind us. We were hot and Kim-Kim was ready for some play time. She had been cooped up, but happy, in the stroller for a few hours. We hung out to get our second wind and then headed to La Dolce Vita, an Italian restaurant, with the Harp family. Dan shared his spaghetti with the little one and she loved it! She was not that happy with my spinach and cheese filled ravioli. She also had a piece of pizza that was left over from the Harps. I think she will fit right in with our eating habbits. She also loves crackers, cookies and potato chips. Her little arm fits right in the Pringles can and she knows what to do. Back at the hotel she had a late bath and down to bed. She has gotten fussy these past few nights about going to bed. She thinks 9:00 bedtime is really 9:00 playtime. We had a few tears as we tried to quiet her down; eventually she fell asleep. Tonight it was on top of me. All in all she had a good day today and the other families have said they have seen changes in her (for the better) in the past two days. In general, she is a happy child who is willing to try anything. She eats and naps well and we have been trying to keep her on a set routine. Dan is still worried about the three airplane rides to come on Wednesday. We are armed with the stroller, more toys and she has already been through it once. I think we'll be ok, unless she misses her sleep.

5/10 - Happy Mother's Day to my mother, Carol and all the other mothers reading this post. Kim-Kim woke up a happy little girl, like she always does. We did the usual breakfast and met at 9:30 for today's adventures. The bus took 4 families plus Mary Clare (Finnegan's stayed back with Eva) to the Folk Arts Museum. There were lots of exhibits like tea, gardens, porcelain, china, woodcarving, ivory, brick carving and embroidery. Our little girl rode in the stroller the whole time. Each family went their own way and then we met up in the courtyard again. Next stop was the pearl market; it was at a crowded shopping center with multi-floors of jewelry vendors. Zhou knows the area and already had a reputable and inexpensive pearl store picked out for us to visit. The booths were small and the aisles were narrow, but we navigated with four strollers and set out to shop. The pearls were sold by the strand and we could design the piece of jewelry that we wanted - a necklace, a longer necklace or a doubled up bracelet. In the middle of picking out pieces Jie-Jie, the new little Harp daughter, cut her thumb on something and it bled and bled and bled. Sharon, her mom, is a nurse and pulled out the first aid kit to bandage it up. A little bit later in the day she took her to the Children's Hospital where they cleaned it and wrapped it again without stitches. While we were at the mall, Zhou also took us to an electronics store for needed computer supplies. Somewhere between pearls and computers Kim-Kim fell asleep in the stroller. She slept on the bus back to the hotel and we had a late lunch of noodles while the other kids were napping. Dan was working on a headache and he decided he needed a nap, so I took the little one out shopping. We had some girl-girl time. I bought a bunch of stuff that will hopefully mean something to her when she gets older. I bought her squeaky shoes for now. We went back to the room, woke Dad up and tried the shoes out in the hallway. It is a Chinese thing; they put squeakers in the heels of the kid shoes. When the child steps they squeak. She also got a jingle bell that I put around her arm. She loved the noises that she made walking up and down the hallway. We still had time before dinner so I grabbed the camera and we went for a walk. There was a small park/playground nearby. The trees and greenery were beautiful. Families come to this area just to hang on and enjoy themselves all day be playing badmittin, hacky-sack, skateboard or whatever. A lot of weddings have been taking place and brides come to this area for photos. Weddings take place at any time through out the week, depending on when the lunar calendar says it is lucky for the bride and groom. Kim-Kim stayed in the stroller and was happy to take in the sights. Dad met up with us in the park and we hit another store, Jordan's, for more baby toys for the plane ride back. We tried to pick out soft stuff without multiple pieces - in case they get thrown. We also bought her a Chinese flag and Chinese songs on CD. Next we found a stroller similar to the one from the hotel. Dan would have paid full price, but I was able to barter them down. That was our only real big purchase so far. Back to Lucy's we went for dinner without the baby bag. We managed, but gotta remember that in the future! We didn't have time to walk by the river or shop on the way back because the girls had an appt at 9:00 pm for massages. All of the shops believe in staying open late - even on a Sunday. Kim-Kim got to play in the tub again tonight and then we put her in the crib for bedtime. That wasn't her idea of bedtime so she started with tears. After a few minutes she went to bed with Dan and was out before we could say Boo. I headed down for my massage and we walked to the professional medical building about 5 minutes away. All of the girls and Zhou sat on a stool with our feet in a bucket of stuff fully clothed in a group room. The guys came in and worked on our upper backs, shoulders, neck, lower back and arms. Then they did a whole lot of pulling and stretching. It felt good, but was hard to relax with a knee in my back. Then we sat in recliners and they worked on our feet and lower legs. That was the best part! The whole massage was $100 yeun ($15 USD), included tip and lasted 1-1/2 hours. We walked back to the hotel at 11:00 pm Sunday night and stores were still open. Everybody was sound asleep back in the room when I crawled into bed for a good night's sleep.

5/9 - Our first full day in Guangzhou ended better than it started. Kim-Kim woke up on her own (happily) at 8:00 and we went down to breakfast to meet the other families. She ate some breakfast and then got a much needed bath. An hour later we met in the lobby to head out on our morning jaunt. The passport photos and medical exam were within walking distance. Kim sat in the chair and looked at the camera, but didn't smile for her picture. Of course she smiles for the camera all the time in the room when it is just us. We waited around while Zhou finished some paperwork and bought her a cute little light up toy to keep her happy. We also found a local fish/seafood store that sold everything LIVE. She was getting discontented at waiting and decided to start roaming. When I picked her up the screaming started again - all the way to the medical exam area (1/4 mile). It wasn't a terrified scream, but a mad "I want down" scream. It was only half tears and not as bad as last night's episode at the airport. I held her till we got to the building and would not let her go. She finally settled and was put down. During the medical exam, she had to go to three stations - height & weight, physical exam, and ENT. She cried and screamed through all of it; everybody did, too. She weighs 25.8 lbs and is 33" tall. (I think, hard to remember with no nerves left.) On the way back to the hotel, we let her walk at her own pace and life was good. STROLLER. We asked the hotel if we could use a stroller for the next few days and they brought one up. She ate some apple, Apple Jacks and cookie in the room for lunch and then took a three hour nap while Daddy fixed the computer. I put her down in the crib and shut all the lights off and she was out. Our hotel is on a small island that is part of Guangzhou, the fifth largest city in China. The island is beautiful with plenty of local shopping. We walked out of the hotel and there were small shops up and down every street that sell all kinds of Chinese souveniers from trinkets to jade and t-shirts to silk comonos. We stopped in three and I bought a little bit everywhere I went. It is hard to decide what to buy because the price is in yeun. $6.75 yeun equals $1 USD. A $200 price tag seems like a lot, but it is really only $30 USD. A salesperson follows you around the entire time and they are truly into sales. You have to ask how much and barter from there. If you put it down they will come down on their price. I heard "last one, make you good deal" a few times today. I headed back to the room with my purchases and to give Dan a break. He had it all under control; the little bug was still sleeping. I took my notebook of important papers and headed down to our meeting with Zhou at 4:30. We filled out papers and papers and papers for the US Embassy appt. Have you ever read the Paper Reduction Act Statement on the bottom of every government form? It's kind of funny. Anyways after papers we walked to Lucy's Bar & Grill for dinner with the stroller. YUM and great idea! I know I will sound American, but that was some of the best food I have had this whole trip: sweet and sour rice on the patio next to the river. It was supposed to be sweet and sour chicken, but the little one decided my chicken was better than Dad's french fries and sandwich. All five families went with their children and we pulled enough tables together to eat as a group outside. As nighttime rolled in, the lights lit up in the trees, on the river and across the river. The atmosphere was similar to the islands (without the drunks) and we both enjoyed it very much. We took a stroll along the river (without a railing) with Kim in the stroller. She likes the stroller better than being carried and was quiet, so we thought she was getting tired. We headed back to the room and she got another bath and played some. Of course, the thought of her being tired was a joke. She was probably just overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and people. Back in the room she was jumping, giggling and playing hard. She tried to crawl in the stroller a few times in the room - this could be a problem. Lights out at 9:00 and she was no where near ready for bed tonight. We layed her down in bed and she wiggled off the end, over top of us, twisted around and did everything but go to sleep. Dan has also nicknamed her the Alabama Red Wiggler (aka worm). After five minutes I had enough and put her in the crib to settle down. When I turned the lights on ten minutes later, she was quiet but standing up in the crib watching Dan sleep. I picked her up and brought her to bed where she finally was out. Even though I enjoy shopping for me, a lot of this is for her. We want to buy her stuff from China, as part of her heritage, to give to her when she is older. We want her to always know where she came from. That is one of the reasons I am trying to be so detailed in this blog. When she is 16 she can read about the trip and her country and I hope it will mean something to her. The shopping thing is what I told Dan. :)

5/8 - We made it to Guanzhou late last night and went to bed about 11:30. The little one had a BIG day - wasn't all good, but it was big. We started out with a big breakfast and went back to the room to play a little. Dan was busy packing so I had babysitting duty. Qin-Qin loves to spin around and be thrown up in the air. She laughs and giggles and says something that means "do it again" (I think). When we slowed down and she realized there were suitcases packed and the room didn't look the same, she went back to "stress mode". We tried some lunch in the room, which ended when all she did was throw apple pieces and Apple Jacks at Dan. I suggested a long nap in case she does not fall asleep on the plane. Good idea! She slept peacefully for 3 hours with Daddy at her side. After we woke her up there was more play time, but no kids left in the playroom. She likes to push buttons and see things lights up. All of the toys in the playroom had their batteries removed so they weren't much fun. The computer and the remote control are lots of fun, so is the hands free button on the phone. At 5:00 we checked out and went down for an early dinner. Five nights in a five star hotel was around $300 total, with the adoptive family discount. Qin-Qin ate spaghetti, ham, french fries and fried rice. When we were finished Vickie was waiting for us wearing a Wrangler t-shirt. She said Wrangler jeans are very expensive in China. We laughed and said Dan wears them all the time. It was a quiet trip to the airport and we checked in about 1-1/2 hours before our flight. The luggage came in under the weight limit, so I could have shopped some more, but was saving myself for Guanzhou. We met another couple from HI that was also waiting for our flight. They had adopted a 10 month old little girl that was napping. Qin and I roamed all around the terminal and checked in with Daddy every 10 minutes. She was happy and laughing, but shy around the Chinese ladies that tried to talk to her. Somewhere in the waiting period she decided to throw a screaming/hitting/throwing tantrum for about 10 minutes. It was the kind of screaming that makes everybody in the airport look. She finally came around and we were embarassed and scared of what the flight would bring. We were one of the last to board and luckily our seats were in the back of the plane. I held her while the plane took off and Dan was armed with all of the toys and cereal. The plane went up and came down an hour later with no issues. We headed to baggage claim and I picked her up and it all started again. I put her down and it stopped. She does not want to be contained at times. Zhou was waiting for us and we piled into the van to pick up the Harp family, too. Qin-Qin made faces over the seat at Shu-Shu and Jie-Jie, their two little girls, and ran around some in the lobby. We got to our room about 11 with no naps and the little one wide awake. We had to shut all the lights off and lay down with her till she fell asleep. Then we got up, showered and unpacked and headed to bed a little before 12. The five families we started with are all back together and we'll meet up in the morning for breakfast. It'll be interesting to see how she interacts with kids her age. We are her fourth family in less than two years, so I understand why she has some behavior issues. Together, with time and faith, I believe we will get through to her and she will love and trust us and much as we do her.

5/7 - Another day of the same - except hotter and more humid. 83 degrees here feels like 95 at the World Show in Tulsa, OK. We were sweating when we stepped off the elevator this morning, before we even went outside. Last night was a good night for Qin-Qin. She was a quiet sleeper till about 5:00 this morning when she decided to kick both of us out of bed and sleep sideways on all of the pillows. What a Princess! She ate a good breakast full of congee, fruit and apple juice. Dan and I stuck to the bacon, sausage, pancakes, pork dumplings, steamed buns, fried rice and a little fruit, too. We met Vickie about 10 and headed to a local park. The park was like a metropark and a fair mixed together. It was large, green and full of people just relaxing. It was filled with concrete areas for tai chi, trees, bushes, flowers, ponds and carnival games and rides. I saw some birds that looked like our sparrows and some that looked larger than a mockingbird. I tried to get pictures, but they were always hiding in the trees. There was a small wading pool filled with goldfish where the kids were allowed to fish, while adults fished in the larger ponds. We let Qin-Qin play in the bouncy game and she looked lost. There were other kids that tried to play with her and she didn't know what to do. She bounced around a little on the edge but mostly waited for us to pick her up. We headed back to the car and went to the embroidery factory. The pieces here are beautiful! The workers embroider small and large portraits that look like oil paintings until you see them up close. Some of the big ones took 1-2 years and were $1-$2 mil yeun ($150,000-$300,000 USD). This province is known for their tiger embroidery. The eyes of the tiger are supposed to follow you where ever you go due to the different color silk threads that they use. It was a short tour and small factory. We had tears (and screams) from Qin for the first time on our way out. Back at the hotel we tried some rice, apple and pear for lunch and she told us that she was not hungry by spitting it all out. She went off to the play area and then down for a 2 hour nap. After she woke, we played some more in the room and went to the play area again. She interacted with the 5-6 year old girl that she met yesterday. They were both talking to each other. Qin definately looked up to the girl, followed her around and let herself be picked up. She looked like a lost little soul when she looked back at us; it was a sad look. Qin had a snack when she woke up and ate like a horse at dinner. We tried the dinner buffet for the first time tonight. OMG. I pretty much stuck to dinner rolls, fried rice and pork dumplings. The food looked incredible and was beautifully prepared, but I wasn't in the mood for duck neck, duck feet, octopus, baby squid, turtle, snake or frog legs. I'm sure I missed some, but you can get the picture. Qin does not like green beens (my girl), honeydew melon or deep fried fish. She does like noodles, pasta and grapes For desert she tried some ice cream, which was a definite NO, I think because it was cold. We are trying to figure out her likes and dislikes since she didn't come with a manual. We headed back to the room for a bath and some shut eye. Tomorrow will be her trip to the airport and first big plane ride. Lucky for us it is only 1.25 hours long - a good preparation for the big one next week. We are getting cabin fever and ready to move on, but we must wait for her passport to be finalized tomorrow before we can leave this area.

5/6 - "Boo" means "no" in Chinese and Kim-Kim heard it three times today. When she tried to hit a girl in the playroom the girl said it back to her and she stopped. We took note. When she tried to hit Dan's glasses off of his face she was told "Boo" on two different occassions. That stopped that behavior on the spot. They made nice and she was laughing at him within a minute. Some of that may have come from another restless night. It was better than the first night by far. She went down good and slept until 2 or 3 and then started the shakes and woke up around 3 in a good mood and wanting to play. We had her up for a bit and then laid down again. I'm not sure what time she quit playing and when the shakes started again, but that is how we woke up this morning around 7. Dan and I took an hour to ourselves and then woke her up around 8 for the usual morning start of breakfast. She didn't eat a ton and was distracted by what was going on around her. We met Vickie at 10 for a tour of Yuelu Academy, over 1000 years old and no longer a teaching institute. It is the temple where Confuscious taught and stayed. The gardens are beautiful and very peaceful for meditation. Kim-Kim walked part of the way and Dan carried her the rest. Today was the first time she would walk with us hand in hand. By the way, she is not really responding to Kim-Kim or Qin-Qin either. After a brief tour we hit the store for some more nipples and bibs. In the car she seemed a little stressed; we don't know why, but her fist was in her mouth. On the way back to the hotel You-Know-Who fell asleep - probably the reason she was unsettled. We decided to take a nap before lunch today and figured it would all wash out at the end. The nap was as peaceful as could be; no signs of shakes. After a two hour nap we headed down to lunch to find out they were closed. We headed back to the room to raid the fridge and found housekeeping locked out of our room. All of a sudden our keys didn't work either. Three men with laptop computers and one with a suit were finally able to put it back together again in 45 minutes. Little girl ended up getting a late lunch, but she ate a lot on the bedroom floor. She and I went to the playroom for a bit to give Dad a break. She half played with the other kids. She half shared and half took and did a lot of talking. Two older girls showed up, maybe 6-7 years old, and she followed them around the floor. Kim-Kim got in somebody's space and hit the other girl's arm. That girl gave her a firm BOO and it was over. Everybody split up and went their own ways for dinner. We opted for a quick walk around outside after rush hour and a late dinner. She looked at the people and sites outside and the fist went back in the mouth. After Dan's arm got tired, I tried to take her. She wiggled and whined and Daddy took her back. He is definitely her security blanket! We stopped at the restaurant for fried rice with vegetables for her and sandwiches for us. It turned out the other way around when the food came. She liked my ham and french fries with ketchup and I ate some of her fried rice. The waitress boxed up what was left of the fried rice and back to the room we went for some quiet time. Tonight's bath was a piece of cake and we added a hair wash, too. She played around with the books before 9:00 bedtime. She doesn't look at the pictures and really isn't interested in hearing me read; it is more fun just to turn the pages. Today was a relatively quiet day. What you can't see, but we know is here, is the progress we make every day. There still haven't been any tears while she is awake, but I'm sure she is crying inside when she sleeps. She is a happy child and laughs very easily. She clings to us when there are crowds and readily looks to us for comfort. There is a lot of eye contact and touching on our part and she is starting to reciprocate. It may not sould like much, but we know it is there.

5/5 - Did I tell you that she is BEAUTIFUL? She has a full head of hair, cowlick on the top of her crown, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, soft brown eyes, button nose and the cutest little smile! Last night was ROUGH, to say the least. Yesterday's post ended with a couple nightmares. Those continued all night long and got stronger and longer. In her sleep she would roll her head back and forth and flail both arms and legs. Many times we got it in the face or stomach. She started in bed with us with a bottle. We carressed her back and front to no avail. Dan picked her up, held her and walked the room for an hour. It continued off and on in his arms. At one point when she was quiet he woke her up. It continued after she went back to sleep. He put her in the crib for the remainder of the night and it still continued. Once she was in the crib I got some sleep; I think Dan stayed awake all night with her. The books have said this is all part of the grieving process, but we feel awful for putting her through this. Early to rise and off to breakfast. I put food on the plate for everybody and Dan fed. I don't think he ate much himself, but she had a full breakfast of congee (hot rice cereal), rice, appricot, banana and apple juice. Vickie was waiting for us in the lobby and we headed back to the Adoption Center to finalize the paperwork. At one point there was an exchange of words between Vickie and the Notary Official. The Chinese people have a different way of working with each other - everybody is in a hurry and they push to the front of the line. What we would perceive as rude is routine here, but nobody takes it personal. They can have an arguement and walk away laughing about it. The notary's fee was $350 USD and we only had $100 bills. Our version of the story is that he said, "too bad, get me a $50 or I'll keep $400". The same thing happened to some of the other couples we found out later in the waiting room. Vickie ended up going to the bank next door to make change and took care of everything. We answered some questions, had a family picture and that paperwork is final. When we came back Dan jumped on the computer and I took her to the playroom. There was an older girl, about 7 that was on a bike and riding up and down the halls. Kimberly took off running after the girl, who was also adopted this week. The girl spoke some Chinese and so did Kim-Kim. She was not interested in sharing toys when we went back to the playroom. Everything the other girl had, she tried to take away. We've been playing with nicknames for her and she doesn't always respond to Qin-Qin. I'm guessing that we are not saying it with the correct tone. She seems to look at us when we call her Kim-Kim, but maybe it's in my head. For now, that is what we are calling her. I think a night of restless sleep was catching up to her and Dan. He took her down to buy some steamed rice for lunch and brought it back to the room. She had a mini breakdown in the restaurant while they were waiting. Back in the room, she ate a little and started throwing the rest at Dan so we said time for a nap. She had a long restful sleep of 3 hours with no terrors; so did he. About 4 we woke her up and played in the room. We ventured out for a walk to the local Wacko store - a mini supermarket. I took some pictures of the people, street and hotel. She was heavy in Dan's arms, but the sidewalks were too busy to put her down. In between people, there were bikes and scooters weaving in and out. Vickie said Changsha is considering outlawing motorcycles. Instead they use electric scooters here. Vickie also told us that the Hunan Province is famous for the spicy style of food. The girls here are called spicy girls because they usually have a temper and are strong willed. At the store I bought some noodle bowls (which are spicy) to mix in the hotel room. We wandered back to the hotel and walked around the shopping areas. The hotel and night lights remind us of Vegas. We stopped back in the playroom for some pictures and then our room for dinner. She ate most of the steamed rice, 1/2 banana, some cereal and some cut up noodles - which she loved. There have been a couple of wet diapers, but nothing else. We've been told she is potty trained, which means she poops in the squatty-potty, but only when they hold her over it after breakfast. Since nothing has happened from that end, I tried to hold her over the western-style potty. She got the scared look again so we switched to a bath. This time we put her in the empty tub and let her play with some bath toys. That's where it happened. After a cleanup and she was comfortable in the tub Dan turned the water on slowly. She splashed around in the tub and had a good time. She let me bathe her, but we haven't tried to wash her hair yet. Pajamas and a few good books and she was asleep 30 minutes later. I read to her, but she really thought it was more fun to turn the pages on the book and look at the pictures. We haven't figured out a common language yet, but we are communicating on some level. For a little girl that speaks no english, she really is easy to read. The day was successful and we are growing stronger as a family. She was much more accepting of me, but still can't take her eyes off of Dad. If he gives her a funny face, she breaks out in laughter. We believe that we made the right decision to adopt from China and that this little girl was meant for us.

5/4 - Happy Gotcha Day to Kimberly and Happy Birthday to Me! Don't ask me how, but we got more sleep last night than in Beijing - even on a hard bed. I think we both decided to stop worrying about it; since we can't predict or change anything now. What will be will be. And so it was. We woke up early and baby-proofed the room then headed down to breakfast which was as good as Beijing - missing the EAC company. We did meet 4 other couples with babies that are staying on the same floor of the hotel. Vickie, our local guide, met us in the lobby at 10:00 and drove us to the local Adoption Center. We arrived 10 minutes before Qin-Qin (Cheen-Cheen) or Kimberly, not sure yet what we are going to call her. We were in a small room with 4 other families who were also receiving their babies. She came in with the Orphanage Director and we recognized her right away. Dan started filling out the paperwork and I held her for a few minutes. When it was time to sign papers we switched and he held her for a bit. We found out that she has been living in foster care since January 2008 and her heart condition has disappeared. She has/had an older sister that is about 10 years old. That means all the cousins will act as her big sisters and Mikayla will have to be the big, big sister. She received the care package because she was wearing the outfit and had the doll that I bought. They also told us about her daily schedule, food intake, potty breaks, play time and personality. The Director said she is quiet, introverted and does not take well to strangers. Well she sure took to Dan! He gave her his best play face and she loved it - laughs and giggles a minute. She accepts me for the time being, but is unsure. I can see it in her eyes. The meeting lasted about 15-20 minutes and we all headed back to the hotel, stopping first at the super market for formula. We had to sign a 24 hour trial agreement and will go back tomorrow for the final adoption paperwork. After spending sometime in the room, we went down to the restaurant for some lunch. Kimberly started to have a fit when I, and then Dan, tried to pick her up. Apparently, she is independent and wants to walk herself! We were told she likes steamed rice, steamed egg, congee and vegetables. We ordered some egg for her, which she really didn't take to or she may have been nervous and unsure around us. We all went upstairs and spent time together and then laid down for a nap. She was asleep in less than a minute. Around 4:30 we woke her up gently and she remembered us. Two other families were in the hotel playroom and we joined them for 30 minutes. She looked and listened to the other babies, but didn't want to leave Daddy's side. Back in the room she and Dan had a good play session which turned into some hitting and biting. We toned it down and decided to try the restaurant again for dinner - steamed rice this time. After we ordered, Dan ran up to the room to get her bottle and she was on the edge of a meltdown. I saw the tears welling up in her eyes and she was frantically rubbing her nose and eyes. When he came back she settled down and ate. Rice was a good choice; she ate almost the whole bowl! We each had hamburgers - which weren't our kind of burgers. The three of us headed back to the room for some quiet play time and a bath. She is used to two baths a day in a small basin and was not sure about a bath in the tub with us. We got through it with some fear in the eyes and a big towel to dry off followed by pajamas from Cousin Jen. Kimberly and Dan laid down on the bed about 9 with a bottle (only Kimberly) while I started some laundry. She looked at him with big eyes and was trying to process what was happening. After 10 minutes she fell asleep and has had what appears to be two bad dreams with flailing arms and shaking head. I'm sure this is part of the grieving process that we will see for the next few months. We are on the lookout for all behaviours and are confident we will all fall into a happy family unit. As behaviour goes, she is able to see and hear, follow sounds and motion, able to walk/half-run down the halls, climb on and off the bed, hold a bottle and sippy cup, play with dolls, starting to play with crayons, laugh and smile, climb stairs, stack blocks, throw a ball and lightly play the piano. Her personality will change in the coming months, but for now, she doesn't want to hold our hands, tolerates being held, lets us touch her all over and seems to be hesitant about me. She will make and hold eye contact, but didn't want Dan's glasses on his face. She babbles and seems to understand her name Qin-Qin, but I don't think has spoken any real words to us. For now, all is well and we'll see what tomorrow brings. We had some email troubles tonight but I think Dan got it fixed after she fell asleep. We have taken TONS of pictures and one day will get them posted on this blog. If not, we'll have a link to all pics at the end of this trip.

5/3 - Today was our last day together as a group. We hit the breakfast bar with Tara and Aaron as soon as it opened. The food was great like always. I tried some pickled something that looked like caterpillar larvae. You will have to see the picture to believe it! Anyways it was really a vegetable root. The reason I'm telling you this is because Dan had a handfull, too, which came back to haunt him later in the trip. We packed our luggage and repacked and repacked trying to keep both suitcases under 20 kg. After we got to the airport, Zhou said they combine the wait and count it that way! Oh well. We met the bus and others at 9:00 am again and headed to the Temple of Heaven. This is where the Emperor would go to pray for a good harvest. It reminded me of the Forbidden City in that there were lots of different courtyards and structures, but not individual rooms. There were many gardens (and restrooms) along the way, too. It looks to me like the Chinese people come to these landmarks and hang out the way we might go to a local park - just a lot more crowded. Halfway through the trip, the pickled caterpillars caught up with Dan. The next stop was the bus and a shopping emporium. There were 4 floors of shopping with little vendors set up to sell their wares. They were vultures. "Lady, Lady, lookie, lookie, you want a purse?" Everything was for sale - knock off purses, clothes, shoes and jewelry. Most places to shop are on the barter system. We looked, but I knew there was no room left in the suitcase. There will be more shopping in Guanzhou when we have Kimberly's suitcase and the weight limit is 50 lbs. The Harp family had to split because they had an early flight out. We finished up our visit along with the other 3 families and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for a relaxing lunch. Dan was revived and tried the soup. After a little shopping in the store we headed to the airport. Zhou walked us in and helped us check in and sent us off at the security gate. We waited for 2 hours and boarded a bus to drive us out on the tarmac to climb a large plane. It was an easy flight, but my stomach was a little quesy, probably from anticipation of what is to come. Vickie, our local guide, was waiting for us at the airport after we collected our luggage. She has worked for the adoption center for 7 years and explained the events for the week. Changsha is the capital city of Hunan Province. Hengyang City, where Kimberly was found is about a 2-1/2 hour ride away. The Hunan Province is known for their agriculture - lots of rice patties and fish. Hunan means south of the lake and the name came from their location. Hunan is south of the second largest lake in China and is also home to part of the longest river in China. There is not a lot of factories here, but they do have a bike and twin engine factory in the outskirts of the city. Traffic is crazy, like in Beijing; Vickie called it "unorganized". That is an understatement! Scooters, cars and pedestrians weave in and out of the streets and somehow manage not to hit each other. In general, there is a lot of horn blowing and swerving. The hotel is downtown and beautiful; it looks like Vegas! Vickie helped us check in and we headed upstairs to crash before the BIG DAY!

5/2 - We started the day again at 4:00 am China time. That's what happens when we go to sleep without dinner the night before! We picked up around the hotel and headed down to breakfast early. Most of the other couples appear to be on the same schedule, too. When 8:30 rolled around, we headed down to meet Zhou and the bus. Today's adventure started at the Opera House, locally called the Bird Egg. Yesterday we saw the Bird Nest, the Olympic Stadium. Somewhere in Beijing there is a communications station that is called the Bird Leg. The Opera House was surrounded by water and beautiful! It was built prior to the Olympics and cost millions of dollars. There were 4 or 5 floors and 3 full theatres inside, along with many galleries and small stages. We sat down for one mini performance and chatted up with a local computer science student who was interested in America. The people here are very friendly and curious about us. Next we walked to Tienneman Square, which is the largest square in the world. It was bustling with people, so we didn't get the full effect of what happened here 20 years ago. Dan was a little nervous about the crowds, but we've been told China is a very safe place. The security and military presence was heavy. It was surrounded by political buildings where the dignitaries meet when they are in country. We headed off under the many-lane road and came to the Forbidden City. This estate was used by the previous emperors and has 999,999 room. It is now a National landmark. It really is like a city - many different buildings and courtyards attached to walkways. We didn't really get to see inside any of the buildings, but we did venture to the back by the gardens. There were trees that were hundreds of years old, beautiful flowers and a huge rock that was used to climb and see for miles. Speaking of miles, it feels like we must have walked miles! Zhou set up rickshaw rides and a traditional lunch in a family's home next. Dan and I squeezed into a rickshaw which was operated by a bike and driver. We were by many small courtyards and this looked like a common setup in Hutong. These homes were hundreds of years old and very valuable due to their location and history. The home where we stopped had been in the family for 4 generations. The wife, husband and daughter lived next to the father's parents. We only met the mother, who was a great cook, and the translator, Kendy. I was a little afraid when I saw 4 crickets in little cages on the table. I was told those were for good luck - not eating! The house consisted of a living/dining room area, bedroom, small kitchen and a shared bathroom. It was nothing like a home in America. A typical home cooked lunch was totally different than I expected and DELICIOUS! We thanked the woman and headed back to the bus. Before we boarded, we stopped at a porcelain factory and saw how they make clay vases, apply color and glaze and cook them in the kiln. By this time we were all beat and hot. The bus took us to the silk factory, which was one of my favorites. We saw exquisite silk oriental rugs. The finer and larger rugs can take one worker up to 1-1/2 years to make! The real thing is beautiful and the price was steep. Upstairs we learned how the silk moth becomes a worm and eventually spins the cocoon. It was cool to see the entire process of how to make silk thread and a silk comforter. We purchased a silk comforter which will need a cover, but should be cool in the summer and warm in the winter and will last 30-40 years. The showroom was filled with scarves, ties, clothes, handbags and other decor. I settled for 2 meters of beautiful fabric. I missed my fabric shopping buddy, Celeste, but Dan helped me pick a beautiful lavendar fabric with pastel butterflies that I hope Kimberly will like. We piled into the bus and headed back to the hotel. Zhou briefed us on what to expect for the next few days when we all go our seperate ways to the orphanages. We will meet up again in Ghaunzhou with our babies in less than one week. Today was our last full day in Beijing and I originally wanted to go to dinner tonight, but it looks like sleep one out again! Dan has discovered that Chinese food is very easy on his stomach and a big breakfast means no dinner necessary.

5/1 - Since we went to bed early last night, we woke up early this morning, probably about 4:00 am Beijing time. We unpacked, watched CNN and checked email. By 6:00 I was ready to roll so we went for a walk outside with the camera. 6:00 am in Beijing looks a lot different then 6:00 pm! We decided to check out the hotel continental breakfast - good choice! There was Chinese and American food at the buffet. We've been told - no ice, no water and no fresh fruit. So we stuck to fried rice, bacon, sausage, pancakes, french toast, croissants and potatoes. After a filling breakfast we met in the lobby for our day's adventure with Zhou. Our first stop was the jade factory. We learned about the hard gemstone jade and jadeite. We saw some workers carving jade and saw many fine pieces of jewelry and sculptures. Unbeknownst to us, May 1st is a holiday in China - their version of Labor Day. The trip to the Great Wall was modified since there were so many tourists. We started to walk around and came upon a mass wedding. The brides were beautiful and all a size 2! Half of the families made the loop and the other half made a small venture around. Dan and I were in the latter group. We took it easy on the knees. The great wall is really thousands of steps going up a mountain! Instead of climbing, we bartered with the local merchants. They saw americans and called us over. Ken and Dan were mobbed by Chinese wanting their pictures taken with Americans. The wall itself is very impressive. About 1:00 pm we left and headed to lunch, which was really the Friendship store in disguise. We learned how they make copper/brass vases and color with the beautiful inlay. After the quick tour we sat down to lunch which was served family style. We had some sort of sweet & sour chicken, breaded chicken, pepper steak, rice and some other dishes that I didn't try. Neither one of us tested the fish that was in full attire on a plate. We walked around the store after lunch where they sell all kinds of pretty little trinkets. Mid-afternoon we left and headed to the Olympic stadium. We all traveled together in a small bus and had room to relax. The traffic by the stadium was CRAZY again. I guess everybody had the same idea for a way to spend their holiday. The plan was to see the inside of the stadium but found out it was closed once we got there. It was closed because of the holiday. We were able to take some pictures from the outside and then headed back to the hotel which is where I am now. Mary Clare nicknamed Dan Freckles on the busride back. Aaron was named Showoff. I'm not sure what they decided to name her, other than Too Much Energy. Dan is napping and I am tapping and munching on some of his chips. He bought cucumber flavored chips and they are pretty good! The food has been excellent and his stomach seems to be doing fine. He had an earache after we landed yesterday, but it seems to be better this afternoon. And our luggage made it in one piece. What could be better?

4/29 - The alarm clock didn't go off and we woke up 35 minutes late, but still got to the airport on time. Good thing John showed up early! After that little SNAFU all went well. We met the Harp family - Ken, Sharen, ShuShu and sister Sue while we were waiting for our plane. We were delayed leaving Cleveland by about 15 minutes and had an easy flight to Chicago. After sitting in Chicago for almost 4 hours we took off on the longest plane ride of our lives! Lucky us, we got bumped to Economy Plus! That means about 2 inches extra of leg room. We went up through Canada and above Alaska and over the Berring Sea. Coming down over Russia we hit some turbulence about 1-1/2 hours before our arrival. The ride was LONG and the seats were not made for sleeping. Somewhere on the plane, Dan found the Finnegan family - Jamie, Kathy and Mary Claire. We landed in Beijing about 3:00 pm local time (3:00 am Cleveland time) and were running on maybe 1-2 hours of sleep on the plane. We met Tara and Aaron (can't spell the last name) and Barry and Denise Schwartz at the baggage claim. We made our way through Customs - piece of cake and met Zhou (Joe), our guide. John, our bus driver, took us to the Holiday Inn Beijing where we checked into our rooms. The room is small and has a king size bed that is hard as a board. The lights only stay on for 1-2 mintues unless you leave the key in the inside key slot. That is one way that China conserves energy. The traffic was CRAZY driving to the hotel. We saw lots of people on bikes and small cars and some out walking their dogs. After a 20 minute break at the hotel, Zhou took us to the local supermarket and showed us around some. There is a Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC within walking distance of the hotel. Dan bought some chips and pop at the supermarket and we crashed for the night.