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

Hello from hazy Guangzhou! We arrived around 11:30 a.m. after a 50 minute plane ride -- Maya's first, and Zoe's fifth of this trip! Maya behaved perfectly! Let's hope she can keep it up for 15 hours on the return flight. We checked into the famous White Swan Hotel. It's a wonderful hotel, with a waterfall in the lobby, but mostly it is famous among adoptive families because it has the "Swan Room," a play room decked out by Mattel China division. In fact, Mimi and Maya and Zoe checked out the Swan Room while I checked in. After checking in, we grabbed a quick lunch at the noodle shop near the White Swan and then rested for a while. Maya, in typical toddler fashion, had tired herself out so thoroughly she did not want to nap. She screamed in the crib, but fell asleep lying on my bed. I think this is an omen of things to come! At 3:30, we headed out to get the girls' visa pictures, and their visa physical. The picture was painless, as was the physical, but Maya sure enjoyed the former over the latter! At the clinic, we were told to proceed to three stations -- Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat; Weights and Measures; and Medical Check. We could go in any order we wished, so long as we hit all three. The place was full of adoptive families, as well as Chinese seeking to emigrate to the U.S. It was bedlam! At our first stop, they checked Maya's hearing. The lady squeaked a pink pig in one ear, and Maya turned her head in that direction. Then she jingled bells in the other ear, and Maya turned her head that way. She passes the Hearing Test! Then the same lady checked her throat, which Maya definitely didn't like (and I didn't like how roughly the lady squeezed her cheeks to get her to open her mouth, especially since she was already opening it to scream!). Next stop, the Mecical Exam, which, as far as I could tell, was ensuring that Maya had two arms, two legs, a tummy, and a back! That's about as thorough as it was. And, Maya hated that, too (can you blame her?). Last station, Maya weighed in at a whopping 21 pounds. I didn't catch her height, though. All the Chinese who hear Maya's age say she's tall. And as we were shopping this evening, the shopkeepers say she has big feet! All of this makes her just like her big sister! Finally, the exam was over! Maya passed with flying colors -- she's healthy enough to emigrate to the U.S., at least! We went to the Cow and Bridge Thai Restaurant for dinner, and it was very good! Mimi had fried rice in a pineapple and I had fried rice in a coconut. It was a dinner with our travel group, and our table was simply LOADED with food! Maya ate rice until she was fit to pop, and Zoe loved the fried pumpkin. Maya was fussier today that she has been since Gotcha Day. I don't know if it is moving again to a new hotel and new crib or if it is just an exciting day with a traumatic exam and a short nap. She woke up several times during the night, and ended up in my bed for the remaining time. We'll see what happens tonight . . . . This page accessed 514 times