Christian here. You all have probably been wondering: where did the $300 from Student Council go? Well, I’m here to tell you that. After I gave the orphanage the money, they heavily thanked me and StuCo for the  generous donation and informed me that it would be used for…… [the audience holds its breath anxiously] 2 NEW WASHING MACHINES!!!!!!

We finally get to fly back to Texas tomorrow.

Texas. Home to Blue Bell, Chick Fil A, Chuy’s, Outback, the best BBQ in the nation, our home, our family, our friends. And dear sweet tea, oh how we have missed you. Over two weeks of not being able to drink anything that doesn’t come out of a bottle has been rough. Not even ice has touched our lips during this trip. Other than Christian’s noon tea with the ladies, which was boiling hot, it’s all been bottled. Basically, it has been Coke, Pepsi, water, or some peach drink David recommended to Monica while we were in Nanning. I’m pretty tired of colas at this point.  The bonus is that none of us have been sick. Let’s hope it stays that way.

We spent our last day in China at the zoo, shopping, and then eating dinner with our newly found friends. The zoo was a rather nice one. We got to see some pandas, tigers, lions, monkeys, and such. The funniest thing we saw, though, was a GIANT preserve for raccoons. Really. Our guide Kathy was amazed that they are so prevalent in the states. She thought it was funny that they will walk up to us to get fed by hand. We only spent a few hours at the zoo, but it was a great way to pass the day. We wanted it to really pass along so we could get down to packing.

After receiving Alexis’s Visa to enter the USA from Kathy, we headed out for our last meal together here in China. Our last dinner was at a local Chinese diner that Kathy wanted to share with us. This place was a dive. The funny part was when we walked in the door and the Chinese boy being adopted by the other family put his hands over his nose due to the overwhelming smell of spices. Even Monica had to question the wisdom of this location at that point.  It cost us all of $69 Yuan (about $11 USD) to feed the family. Definitely one of our cheaper meals, and according to Monica, one of the better ones. It was Chinese. That’s all I can say about it. The chopsticks are no challenge. I guess I should try eating some Q with them sometime. Stab a rib or some brisket. 🙂 Christian now has a box of chopsticks made out of different types of wood. It’ll be fun watching him try them out with different meals. I expect a pair will end up with his lunch at school every now and then.

While I type this, we have 95 percent of everything packed. Monica is still doing last minute things. Christian is reading a book on his iPod (anyone surprised there?). Alexis is rolling around the bed next to me showing me the McDonald’s toy she got at some point in this journey. We have less than nine hours before our van pulls out of the parking lot beginning our three hour drive to Hong Kong International Airport. That’s 6AM China time. Our flight leaves at 11:40AM HK time. Fifteen hours later, we should be landing in Chicago, 1:40PM CST. We will go through customs & immigration and then recheck our bags for the last flight.  A few hours later we will be on our way to Houston.

Are we ready to be home? Absolutely. Are we excited we are going home as a family of four? No doubt. Was it awesome to have our family and friends following along virtually? Words cannot express how much it has meant to us for you all to be with us in this even in spirit. Are we glad our entire family made this journey together? Well, there’s no other way for us to do this. We are a family. Now, of four.

See you in the Texas, my friends.

We are on the homestretch. Today, we got up early and went to the American Consulate to apply for Alexis’s Visa. Sadly, they wouldn’t let us take any electronics with us, so we didn’t get to take any pictures. Happily, the entire process took less than 30 minutes. If all goes as planned, the Visa is picked up tomorrow and returned to us. It’s the last step before we pack our bags to fly back to Texas.

We spent the afternoon shopping at Shaiman Island. It’s not really an island. It’s the shoreline next to the White Swan hotel and the Pearl River. It’s also the place you go to find the best prices on the same stuff everyone else sells.

Our short taxi ride to Shaiman Island placed us at the entrance of the shoreline park. We were immediately drawn into the groups playing what looked like hackey sack. As we got closer, we realized a few things: 1. it wasn’t a hackey sack but something more like a badminton birdie weighted to react like a hackey sack, and 2. everyone in the park playing the game was old….and very athletic. It was intimidating. We stepped in and played a little. In the end, we bought a few of them. The lady who was selling them showed us how to play and was also the person who made them. It was impressive.  You’ll have to check out the video in the DropBox for April 24th. YouTube is blocked, so no embeds for me here. 🙁

Shaiman Island is the one place Christian has been waiting for the most. He wanted to make a deal on something. He had a few things in mind, but he was willing to negotiate on anything at that point.

And negotiate he did. He found a calabash instrument and a North Face backpack. He paid something like $165 yuan ($26 USD) for the calabash with the case. It was the same as the one that was $280 Yuan ($45 USD) at the museum. The woman in the shop had to come outside and tell Monica and me how great a negotiator he was. She said, “He’s tough dealer.” Then she told us we should be proud and her daughter was the same way. Her young daughter makes money babysitting, and she considers every purchase as to how many hours she has to work to pay for it to decide it’s worth. Christian stood there and smiled at the praise he was getting from her, but he was ready for the next deal. If nothing else, he has practiced the arts of math, communication, and business skills quite a bit on this trip. He was always converting Yuan to USD in his head during his conversations with the vendors. He wouldn’t make a move until he had it in his head like he wanted it. He was even walking away from deals for a single Yuan, roughly equal to sixteen cents.

Another of his prized purchases is his new North Face backpack. One dealer had it for $380 Yuan ($61 USD). Thats a pretty good deal for a North Face backpack, but it wasn’t good enough for him. He walked away with it for $132 Yuan ($21 USD). It made me want to grab one and let him deal for me. Keep in mind, Monica and I stayed away from everything he did with these deals. He was mono a mono. He only came to us when he was ready to get cash to pay. I so honor that trait in him to be strong and confident enough to do this on his own with adults, not even taking into account the language barrier. The kid knew what he wanted and went for it. Even Monica was bummed she didn’t let him negotiate for some thimbles she bought for a family member or a shirt she bought for Alexis. At the rate he was going, they might have paid him to take the things and leave the store.

After our lunch and nap, we met the other family we are grouped with here in Gungzhou for the traditional picture. While the picture use to be on a red couch, that hotel is under remodeling right now. So, we used the next best thing: the reddish staircase in the lobby. (Red is the color for lucky in life.) Then we followed it up with Monica and Christian putting on their traditional Chinese clothing they purchased and got a few pictures of them, too. My beautiful family. 

Anyway, I need my sleep now. We go to the zoo tomorrow, maybe do a little more shopping, and pack for our trip home. That last part is what I’m looking forward to the most. It’s time.

Yesterday, we spent a little time at a Buddhist temple and a museum. We even did a little shopping at a neighborhood grocery store. It rained. We walked through things quickly. Mostly, we wanted to get back to nap. We are wearing out. It’s not jet lag. It’s just flat out tired. When I’m napping, that tells you something. I’m sure it’s as much the stress of the entire process wearing us down as it is the getting up early for meetings and paperwork. Christian is taking it in stride. He even took some time to enjoy some jasmine tea with the ladies at the arts and crafts store. It was tea time, after all. We were told it was a great honor to be asked to sit with them during this time. Glad he had the experience and took them up on it. Monica and I were talking today about how we are so glad he is the age he is so he can soak up the culture and the experience and enjoy it for a long time. It’s something not many kids will ever get to experience even as adults. And he’s been such an awesome big brother (gu gu) and a big help to us in the entire process.

He even took some time to learn a new instrument at the museum we visited. It’s called a calabash. It’s named after the fruit that it is built from. It reminds me of a small gourde. The musician who was demonstrating it taught him Auld Ang Syne on it. He almost pulled the trigger and bought himself one, but he held off. I think he has Shaimon Island in mind. That’s the place where everyone goes to wheel and deal. It’s become his new hobby: negotiations. We would have not enjoyed this trip as much without him with us, nor would we have maintained our sanity as well. He has kept us laughing, spent time checking on each of us to make sure we are doing well physically, and even grabs the stroller every time we walk out the door. He’s been a God send to us throughout. Alexis is so lucky to have him leading the way for her. Monica and I are so lucky she has that, too.

Dear Alexis,

I write this post to you for you to understand about your personal adoption story. God placed a desire in my heart to have another child, specifically a little girl, in June 2006. Your daddy and I had already closed the door to any more children, but God as we know, is relentless when we open our heart to His will. We examined state adoption, open adoption, and international adoption from various countries. It was December 2009, when we took the leap of faith and filed an application to adopt from China. We were initially told that the wait would be 3 years and 9 months. That seemed way too long and it could not possibly take that long, but boy was I in for a long roller-coaster ride of emotional turmoil. We finally got the anticipated call 4 years and 1 month later. Throughout the wait, God was always by my side whispering to me of His promise to bless us with a child.

I was so very nervous on the Gotcha Day. I was so filled with anxiety that all would go well, that we would bond together as a family. When I first saw you I cried and cried to finally see and touch you. From the first sight of you, I knew you were the most beautiful girl in the world! I tried to go slowly as I approached you as to not frighten you. The nanny from the orphanage would point to the photo album we had sent and say, Mama, then point to me. You said, “Mama,” and touched my chest. This made my heart melt and I cried all the more. So long had I waited to hear those words.

The first 2 days Alexis,  you, were a little shy, reserved, and clung to me, which I dearly loved. Whenever you would cry you would heave a loud sigh and you would wipe large droplets of tears from your gorgeous eyes. Christian and I agreed that it was the most pitiful sight that broke our hearts. The three of us loved you from the start. We had been waiting for you for 4 years and 4 months.

To help you become accustomed to us, we called you by the name your foster family called you, Tian Tian, pronounced Tin Tin, meaning Little Sweetie. The first 2 days you avoided eye contact and would even roll your eyes at us when you did not like something or when we tried to make you laugh. American humor is quite different to the Asian culture. You definitely would let us know when you did not like something with a adamant shaking of your head no.

The nanny had said you had liked to run, but you loved to be carried most everywhere which helped with the bonding. She also said you loved to sing. We noticed this on walks in the park you would break out singing the sweetest melody of the Cantonese version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I would sing the English version while you would sing yours. What bilingual education! We found out also your favorite song was Where’s Daddy, a popular Cantonese pop song about daddies bringing their city children to the mountains to fish, play, and explore. What adventurous days ahead you have with your own daddy.

On the 4th day at the Pagoda Botanical Garden we all noticed a definite change in your behavior and mood. You began to assert your will for what you wanted; whether it was to go further on the path or wanted to be held instead of being in the stroller. This morning before we left I had been reading my Bible study by Lysa Terkeurst, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God, about the importance of a father. Our guide David brought our family to eat at a fabulous and scenic Chinese restaurant called Ubud. At this point you were still solely attached to me, but at this lunch is when your heart bursted with love and joy in your daddy. You began to play and giggle and at one point you looked at him and motioned for him to pose for the camera with you. From this day on your guard has been let down. You dance with him, run and jump on him, hug and yes, even give him your 1st kiss. I know from personal experience there is nothing like a daughter’s love for her father. Nothing!

From the start of our adoption journey, Christian has wanted a little sister to care for. He has so many scenarios planned out for taking care of you, whether walking you to and from school, or taking care of a nasty bully. It took a little while for you to warm up to him. He would get up close and you would put your hand up in his face and wave for him to get back. I know it hurt his feelings, because we felt you would take to him first being a kid. From the beginning Christian was the official bottle maker and stroller pusher throughout the busy streets of Nanning. What made the difference and helped you bond with Christian was how he was able to pick up on the language so quickly. He would use his translator or ask David, our adoption rep. for a word or phrase to say and you simply would respond, whether it was hold hands, be gentle, or to eat. Christian had bridged the gap of language difference and formed the desired bond. After we arrived in Guangzhou he began to help put you to bed, read your nightly story, and even snuggling with you in bed. What a wonderful big brother you have!

Some of my current favorite things about you Alexis is: your contagious laughter that is so loud and uncontrollable you almost fall over while standing up, the way you swing your arms as you sashay, when you are happy you sing, the largest smile, the way you hop and skip when you walk, and the best for last is the way you feel like you have always been a part of our family.

Today was a day that kept us at the hotel for the most part. We spent roughly an hour this morning gathering, sorting, and signing paperwork for the US Consulate in preparation for our appointment on Thursday. At that point, we apply for Alexis’s Visa to allow her admittance to the USA. We have the paperwork ready, so we just wait until Thursday morning early.

Speaking of waiting, we spent the rest of the day in our hotel room awaiting a call from the clinic to give us the results of Alexis’s TB test. If it came back positive, then we’d make another trip to the clinic to have a chest x-ray as a final indicator. This is standard for all kids over two years of age that are being adopted. We finally got the call around 3PM that the tests came out okay and we didn’t need to make a return trip to the clinic. Yeah!

I would say the wait was hard on us, but it wasn’t. Immediately after the morning paperwork meeting, Monica and Alexis went back to the room to “nap.” Christian and I went to the Executive Lounge to snack and watch more TV and surf the net a bit. We went back to the room around 1 to see what they wanted for lunch. We woke them up. We got Monica’s order for her sandwich along with an order to eat there, take our time, and don’t wake them up again for a bit. We did as we were told. We grabbed some Subway and ate lunch in the Executive Lounge for a bit. We were back in the room a little before 3. They had just gotten up. Alexis was still adjusting to the light in the room, so they hadn’t been up long. We got the call a few minutes later and were relieved to know we could enjoy the rest of the day without worry.

We had a 5:45 meet-up time in the lobby to go on a dinner cruise with the other five or six CCAI families that are here. We were early and the second family in the lobby. Yes, I know that those who know us find that hard to believe. It was nice, to be honest. We had even walked across the street to get Alexis a Happy Meal at McDonald’s since she’s not a big pizza eater. We found out that it’s because they don’t eat a lot of cheese in China. Anyway, she had her chicken nuggets and corn (the replacement for fries here) and she was a happy camper.

The short bus ride to the Pearl River took us through some area we had not previously seen. We do want to come back through here as there is a market we have had several people tell us that we need to go to for great deals on Chinese trinkets.

The Pearl River has a pretty storied history in China, and the government spent over $40 billion Yuan to beautify the shoreline and scenery for the Olympics. They did a pretty nice job. We noticed in Nanning how much the Chinese like to add multi-colored lights to their structures. We were told it is because it will bring them luck and success. The buildings and bridges along the Pearl River are no exception. Even the Canton Tower, the fifth tallest freestanding structure in the world, had its own light show going. We spent time on the top of the cruise ship enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery for the most part. We did go down to the second floor to watch a juggling act. The kids got a kick out of that.

After a short ride back to the hotel, it was time to call it a night. We have to be up early in the morning for a city tour. I hear there’s a Buddhist temple and a market in the mix at some point. And, as usual, there will be hair bows and tutus for Alexis, I’m sure. Looking forward to photographing them all. I seem to be getting a better handle on using the camera in different situations. I know you might be seeing some fuzzy pictures in the DropBox folders, but that’s because I’m not taking much time filtering them out right now. Sleep is more important. Besides, digital is cheap. Take a few hundred pictures to get the three or four you really like. And this trip is far too important to miss the opportunities of capturing these moments for our family.

Clinic Day. The place all good kids go to cry. And some of them put on quite a show. But first, we had to get the family up and to breakfast.

Monica awoke first. She wasn’t quick enough with the camera settings, but if you look closely at this photo she took, you can tell our little girl is already in love with her big brother. Christian decided last night that he wanted to sleep with her. We were happy to oblige and to see he has accepted her to willingly. He made sure she was all tucked in and comfortable. This scene made our heart happy. I was glad she at least got enough light into the camera for us to have this picture. In case you cannot tell, Alexis has her hand on top of Christian’s hand.

The breakfast at the hotel was pretty tremendous. I didn’t take pictures. I should have. I’ll try to one of the mornings we are still here. The food offerings run the gamut. Since we were hoping to get to the hotel lobby on time, we just grabbed a few things and ate pretty quickly. I have to say, though, you should not leave that restaurant hungry. If you do, it’s your own fault. Even I could find enough to eat there to keep me happy.

But this is Clinic Day. We met the other families in the lobby and all nervously sat/stood around waiting for the go ahead to load the bus. Some shared their previous stories of Clinic Day while others just walked their children around in strollers to keep them happy. Monica was intent on holding Alexis right before this possibly, epicly (yes, I made that word up) horrendous experience for our new, little daughter. I think Monica was more nervous than Alexis, but Alexis had no idea what was ahead for her.

We loaded the bus and spent about 20 minutes listening to the directions given to us by Jocelyn, one of the other CCAI employees. She talked us through what would happen once we arrived. We would go to the fifth floor by elevator, walk through the reception area, get a Visa photo taken, move to a holding area for adopting families, and then go through four different rooms where our children would receive different checkups: general screening, ENT, height & weight, and then the blood draw for the TB test. Seemed pretty easy and straightforward. We handed over our $1570 Yuan for the appointment and awaited our arrival at the clinic.

First of all, the reception area was loaded with Chinese families who were awaiting clearance exams for travel with their own children. I certainly appreciate the separate, smaller room for adoptive families. I think that many people and kids in one place (with plenty of crying kids) would have just made our kids (and their mommies) even more uneasy about the upcoming events. I’m sure it’s why they do it that way.

Anyway, the Visa photo was a snap, no pun intended. Then we spent about 20 minutes waiting in the adoptive families waiting area for the checkups to begin. We were first in the general screening room. Easy. Next was the ENT room. Alexis was a bit uneasy about the whole deal, but overall she handled it well. She had on her Doc McStuffins stethoscope and the doctor compared it to her own. You could tell she loved the children. The next room was just height and weight, but that freaked Alexis out  for some reason. It only took a few minutes, but there was plenty of crying involved. I don’t remember the weight. I recall something like 28 lbs. The paperwork is in Chinese, so I have no clue.

Then the third room. The dreaded TB blood draw. The two nurses came out and took Alexis from Monica, went into the room, and shut the door. That’s right. No mommies allowed. We knew Alexis was in there because we sure could hear her. Man, she was not happy. It only took a few minutes, but she was back out the door and into Monica’s arms. She was crying and pointing. She’d point at the bandaid on her left arm and then point at the nurses. She was one ticked off little girl. We took her back to the other end of the hall where our stuff was at. I swear, every person we passed along our walk down the hall, Alexis had to show her bandaid and point to the room where the crime had been committed. She wasn’t going to let them off easy. Christian and I think we interpreted some of Alexis’s Chinese as, “I know where you ladies live!” Monica doesn’t think her little girl would ever be like that. Judging by the strong will this young lady has exhibited in the week we’ve had her, I wouldn’t discount my translation.

The good news was that the Clinic Day was over for us. We just had to wait until the rest of the families finished their visits, load the bus, and enjoy a smooth 20 minute ride back to the hotel. We decided to hit Subway for lunch again before napping. This is where we first observed a little trick of hers. We noticed that Alexis likes to hide food that she doesn’t like to eat. It was the olives. Now, I don’t like them either, so I don’t blame her.  It was pretty funny (to me mostly). She was lining them up in the little crack between the table and the wall. Unfortunately, the wall was the glass wall to the front of the restaurant. They kind of stuck out sitting there. She didn’t see a problem with it at all, though. Christian did similar things with food he didn’t want when he was that age. Funny how their personalities are so much alike: strong willed, verbal, and bright. Monica thinks we traveled all the way to China to get the little girl most like Christian. She’s probably right.

Once back to the hotel, we went straight to the room for a nap. Monica and Alexis napped. Christian and I headed to the Executive Lounge to watch a movie and take care of the aforementioned snacks that might get in our way. We had the entire lounge to ourselves. Only one other guy was there, and he was a few rooms away. We finished the movie, a few Pepsis, and a Bundesliga  soccer game. We had an hour before dinner and two females to wake up.

Dinner was at a Cantonese/Portuguese restaurant near the hotel. To say Alexis loved it is an understatement. Me: meh. Christian wasn’t much of a fan either. Monica thought it was good. But Alexis. She was in hog’s heaven. You have to check out the pictures for April 21 at the link to the right on the blog, but this one is just a sample. The funniest part was that she out ate all of the adults, went to the bathroom when everyone was finished eating, and came back for another round. This girl is healthy. For those of you familiar with Chinese adoptions, you might think she is gorging. She’s not. She doesn’t hide food for later. She doesn’t want food in her hands to feel safe. She ALWAYS offers to share any food she has with others. She even tried to share her cookie with one of the doctors that ticked her off at the clinic.  She’s just got a great appetite. We are so fortunate that the foster home took such good care of her. It is obvious in so many ways. The $210 Yuan we spent on dinner was wasted by Christian and me, but Alexis more than made up for it.

Our return trip to the hotel included a walk through some of the shops in the hotel. One of the jewelry stores had some beautiful jade sculptures. Hundreds of pounds and thousands of dollars. These folks are artisans. Very nice work. We walked past plenty of clothing shops, a Starbucks, and even a mani/pedi shop. Monica decided to wait until she gets back home to have another mani/pedi visit. There’s some irony in there somewhere.

We made a quick trip through the Executive Lounge to check out the evening desserts and then back to the room. It’s been a long day, and we have an early start on more paperwork tomorrow. We have a dinner cruise tomorrow night. From what I am told, the Chinese government spent $40 billion Yuan on making this river and it’s shoreline beautiful for the Olympics, so it should be a beauty to behold. Expect lots of pictures. We also have a zoo visit, a city tour, a trip to the market (where the knockoff stuff is sold), and maybe another Wal Mart trip in our future. For now, we sleep.

Today was pretty much just a travel day for us. We packed early, said goodbye to David, and caught a flight to Gaungzhou. This is the city where the US Consulate is located, so it is the last stop for all international adoptions from China back to the USA.

Alexis handled the flight well. a nice gentleman swapped seats with me so that I could sit next to Monica and Alexis. Monica figures it was because he saw a little kid and didn’t want to endure the noise for the flight. Either way, it worked well for us. Alexis wanted to sit in my lap, so she sat looking out the window for awhile. When she started to get a little squirmy, we gave her a custard pie (like a Hostess cupcake without the frosting on top). That kept her occupied until she finished it. Then she wanted to swap to Mommy’s lap so she could nap the rest of the way. Yay for us! First flight went smoothly. Even Christian ended up sitting next to a Chinese teacher who asked him all kinds of questions about American schools. He stayed engaged pretty much the entire trip.

Once we landed, we grabbed our bags and met Kathy. She’s a very sweet CCAI employee who is tasked with keeping us in line for our entire trip here. She had our private van lined up and ready to go to the hotel. During the 30 minute ride, she filled us in on who she is and what we will be doing. It was great to get to know her before hand. She did everything possible to make us feel comfortable. Considering Monica was still mourning having to leave David, she needed this. 😉

The China Hotel, Marriott is a great facility. It is giant, too. It’s like a mall and a hotel all rolled into one. The room reminds us of Hong Kong at the Hyatt. Since I’m a Marriott Rewards member, we get access to the Executive Lounge upstairs. Christian and I plan to escape there for snacks and drinks pretty much every day we are here.

When we checked in, we were told that we could have Papa Johns or Subway delivered to our room. Both restaurants are right across the street. We opted for Subway since we had our fill of pizza the last week or so. Kathy called the concierge with our order and we were told it would be about 45 minutes. About 20 minutes later we got a call from the concierge saying that Subway was too busy and it would take at least two hours to get us our order. Keep in mind that we hadn’t eaten since 9AM. This was close to 3PM. We decided to trek to the Subway and stand in line to get it. I’m glad we did. The THREE Subway employees were apparently overwhelmed by the TWO customers they had sitting in the dining area. I can only imagine the horrors of such a busy day. <eye roll> Anyway, we communicated well enough to get our sandwiches, chips, and drinks and then enjoyed our meal with the other two patrons.

We went back to the hotel and checked out the playground where we ran into the family we had met in Nanning. Their week had gone well. We met another family who had adopted a little boy from north of Guangzhou. He is a very small framed little boy. While he was nearly two years old and walking well, they were having to put on 12 month old clothes on him, and they would still hang off his little frame. He is such a cute little boy. He had his cleft lip repaired already. He had a great time running around the playground trying new things out. We then decided to check out the pool scene. Lots of folks enjoying it. The water was a bit cool, so I’m not sure if we will go swimming this week or not. We decided to just go to the room and rest. Alexis decided to do a little creative coloring with some new markers she found. One changed bedspread later, we were back in business. (Mental note: She is a two year old. Remember that from now on.)

After an evening visit from Kathy, we were ready to just go to bed and catch up on our sleep. Tomorrow’s a big day. It’s the clinic day. All of the little ones get checked out by the local clinic to receive clearance to leave China. For the most part, it’s an easy process. Then, since she’s over two years old, they draw blood for a TB test. That’s where it’ll get interesting. 

We spent our last day today in Nanning at one of the museums. It had different areas for the different ethnic groups that live in this province. The museum was very well done. I especially liked the recreated village out by the pond. The buildings were excellent, and culture was so evident. They had giant drums where a young lady was getting lessons. David asked if Christian could try them out, and they were more than willing to allow him on stage to take a turn. The teacher showed him one pattern and Christian got it down right off. The young lady told David he was a very fast learner. Christian never mentioned he’s been playing drums for a few years now. I will come back and embed a video of him playing once we get past the Great Firewall of China and can upload to YouTube.

The museum also offered Monica a chance to buy some items from Alexis’s part of the province. Many people have suggested that buying several things now and giving them to her as she grows is a great way for her to stay in touch with her culture. I know we have some jewelry and some clothes to start her off with for several years. Christian also didn’t waste any time checking out the scene. Well, the scene checked him out. Over a dozen girls surrounded him smiling and making comments to him. David translated a few things, but mostly Christian just stood there and smiled. If he had WiFi, he would have had the Google Translator app out conversing with them. Instead, they stood in awe of him and giggled “Goodbye” to him as we walked away. #MacDaddy

There was a woman with the girls that asked about Alexis and her cleft lip and cleft palate. David was nice enough to translate and share that there are many medical procedures that will help her live a perfectly normal life. The lady was very happy to hear that and was also happy Alexis was in a home now that could provide her with these things. Again, David was thrilled to be able to educate others on the special needs of orphans. You can tell it is his passion. When we asked him about how many nannies he will be training in Beijing next week on therapies with special needs kids, he said, “Several, but it will help so many little kids for them to know these things.” You can tell he has a servant’s heart and is doing the job God had planned for him.

We also took time to sit in a resting area inside the museum and just have a nice conversation with David about the Chinese culture as well as our own in Texas. Monica took notes in the hopes that she can tie it all together at some point down the road when she’s scrapbooking this journey. David was also soaking in our answers to his questions. You can tell he wants to know as much about the cultures of CCAI families in the hopes that he can be better prepared for those who visit to adopt children in the future.  I know I have said this already, but CCAI has such a gem in David. His continuously positive attitude sure helps make our time here so much more enjoyable. There are never any concerns with him. He always has an answer to every problem that could come up. “That’s easy. No problem,” is his reply. David is welcome in my family’s home any time he wants to visit Texas. I hope he visits. He needs to try out some Chick Fil A and Texas BBQ. Sweet tea just might ruin him for all other drinks.

We left the museum to grab some lunch. David took us to the local mall. And by mall, I mean this place was the Beverly Hills of malls: Prada, Gucci, Guess, Hugo Boss, and so on. Even the Pizza Hut we ate at was high end inside. We had some spaghetti, pizza, seasoned waffle fries, fried rice, and beef shiskabobs. It was quite an assortment of food. And as if that wasn’t filling enough, Monica spied a Dairy Queen down at the end of on of the mall sections, so we made a trip to DQ. Alexis had a great time eating some of my sundae and then some of her mother’s smoothie. Christian kept his dipped waffle cone all to himself. I don’t blame him. It looked pretty good.

A short taxi ride back to the hotel to proof some papers one last time, and then we finally got Alexis’s passport. The foster parents and orphanage were kind enough to provide something of a little diary to help us know more about Alexis as a baby girl and all of those important milestones. When we get back to the states, we will have to have one of our friends translate it for us.  David read some of it to us. Sounds like Alexis is like me and doesn’t like the heat much. She’s apparently not shy about shedding some clothes when the temps get hot. Good thing we live in the country surrounded by acres and acres of trees.

Alexis is doing so well now when it’s time to lay down for a nap or bedtime at night. There’s no crying or fussing. She grabs a book or two and climbs up next to Monica. Sounds a lot like Christian. She even wakes up like a Floyd: slowly. David realizes this as well as he told us at least four times before he left for the day that we need our luggage in the hall by 9AM and us in our private van to the airport by 9:30AM. We got the hint.

Our time in Nanning has been wonderful. While the temperatures were very warm and quite humid, we didn’t encounter any rain all week. That allowed us to go to the park, take walks, spend time out in the courtyard, as well as a few other things while we were here. I might have failed to mention we had to change rooms after our second night here. The AC didn’t work so well in the first one (even though the hotel staff said the room was freezing). Our room on the 15th floor has been perfect to help us cool off after our long walks. We have been able to learn about the culture while we were here. That was really something we wanted to do. Christian picked up several new Chinese words thanks to David and a Google Translator. That has been a big help with Alexis. She responds so much quicker with a little Mandarin thrown her way.

We only have a one hour flight to our final China resting spot: Guangzhou. We have some medical visits and a visa visit at the American Consulate to take care of. We will meet up with several families who have also been across the country adopting their own children. I hear there’s a ceremony involved, and Monica is pretty pumped about that. Alexis will wear her first Easter dress tomorrow for the trip. Christian and I really didn’t pack Easter worthy clothes. I guess our Under Armor shirts will have to do.

Here’s hoping that Alexis enjoys the plane ride. At least it’s a short one.

Paul & Diane Wood are saints. Well, technically, Paul’s a deacon, but those who know he and his wife like we do believe saints is more accurate. They have continued to bless our entire adoption process since day one. They have asked about the progress when even I had forgotten we were in the middle of it. They have prayed at all of the right times for our safety, patience, and God’s will. They have housed and fed me when I needed that mental break right before our trip. Paul even got me into a golf tournament where our team placed third and I got the shirt I wore on Registration Day. They are interwoven into our family in so many ways.

Paul sent me an email early this morning that I felt I needed to repost here. It is another example of the Christian love we have pouring over our journey that will keep us steady and on track. Thank you Paul and Diane. You know the FOUR of us love you.

Scott and family (all four of you)

While reading the blog, I got to thinking(trouble for us all). The Catholic Church usually has something for every occasion. So I went digging in to my Book of Blessings and found the following which I pass along to you all.

The blessing ceremony has a reading from Scripture: Mark 10:13-16 (very appropriate in my opinion). And they list 5 others that might be used depending on the circumstances.

The actual blessing is as follows:

Loving God, your Son has taught us that whoever welcomes a child in His name, welcomes Him. We give you thanks for Alexis Lin Floyd whom Scott, Monica and Christian have welcomed into their family. Bless this family. Confirm a lively sense of your presence with them and grant to these parents patience and wisdom, that their lives may show forth the love of Christ as they bring Alexis Lin up to love all that is good. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

I then got to thinking (still more trouble) about birthdays. Alexis now has two – her actual birth day and her birthdate into the Floyd Family. Double party.

Continued safe and blessed travels.

Paul and Diane.

Photo Credit: Vladimer Shioshvili via Compfight