01.07.2005 REFERRAL!!! 03.03.2005 Travel Plans! 03.11.2005 Arrived in Beijing 3.12.2005 More on Trip 3.12.2005 Touring Beijing 3.13.2005 Second Day Beijing 3.14.2005 We Have Maya! 3.15.2005 It's Official! 3.16.2005 Shop 'Til You Drop! 3,17.2005 AM Museum 3,17,2005 PM Mother's Love 3.18.2005 Nanning Zoo 3.19.2005 Green Mountain Park 3.20.2005 Paperwork, Park, & P 3.21.2005 Guangzhou 3.22.2005 Shop 'Til You Drop! 3.23.2005 Last Day in China! 3.23/24.2005 The Journey Home 3.24.05 DFW Homecoming Post or view Messages

Nanning is called the Green Pearl of China, and today it proved it deserved the name! We visited Green Mountain Park, and the trees and flowers were beautiful! We visited the same park during our last trip to Nanning, but were able to see a bit more of it this time. Our first stop was a long bridge (actually a corridor, since it was only a foot or so off the ground) made entirely of bamboo. Every time I stepped, it crunched, and I was convinced I broke it! But it held up to all of our tromping feet. After awhile, we abandoned the bamboo corridor because Maya wanted to walk, and it was easier for her on the sidewalk. Look at my happy girl enjoying the outdoors! Zoe had her fair share of fun, too. She and I took a boat ride at our second stop up the mountain. Zoe loved to steer the boat, but I insisted that I steer each time we went under the narrow bridge over the small lake. At the top of the mountain is a Buddhist temple, which we visited last time, too. Next to the temple last time there was a small booth with colorful Chinese costumes for people to dress up in and have their pictures taken. Last time, we watched a couple of old Chinese ladies dress up in costumes of minority cultures. This time, we had Zoe's picture taken: Zoe had a blast posing for the pictures, and we bought 4 different views (this one was one my mom took.). Doesn't she look gorgeous? The boat ride and the costume pictures were good "big girl" activities for Zoe. Zoe is still having a hard time sharing Mama, but is definitely doing better. I'm trying to do better, too, making sure we do at least one Zoe-and-Mama thing at each of the attractions we visit. I guess it will take us all a while to get the balancing act down! Tomorrow we have no planned activities. We will meet in the morning to prepare our paperwork for the American Embassy in Guangzhou. And we'll probably spend the afternoon trying to stuff back into our suitcases all the junk we've pulled out (and more!). Then early Monday morning we head for Guangzhou, which is our last stop in China before returning home. As much as we are enjoying it in Nanning, it will be fun to be back at the White Swan in Guangzhou, which really caters to adopting families. And it will be even better to be back home! P.M. My baby had her first haircut this evening! I'm already regretting the loss of her baby curls in back, but her hair was so long in front that she couldn't see a thing, and she started pulling her clippies out and trying to eat them! Just when I was thinking that her foster mom had her well trained in the hair-clippie department! You should have seen the look on Maya's face when she caught sight of herself in the mirror after her bangs were cut! Zoe likes Maya's haircut, because now they have the same hair, she says! I think she looks much more grown up with her hair cut, and from the back, she looks just like Zoe at that age. Still, I miss my baby-baby! Ah, well. We all have to grow up. Sigh. This page accessed 572 times