Almost home!

Well, it's our last official day in Guangzhou. We had our famous red couch pictures, which I'll try to post from the Blenz coffee shop that's letting me use its computer for free, and we'll head to the consulate this afternoon. Then it's off to the airport at 7 a.m. tomorrow, with estimated arrival at home at 8:08 p.m. via United. PLEASE let everything go smoothly, as Miss Squirm Worm will be a challenge to keep occupied.

Mom's coming home with a bum left wing -- she took a tumble at the Chen family temple yesterday. Scared the daylights out of me. We had one of our travelmates, an orthopedic nurse, look at it. Don't think it's broken, though there could be a fracture, but she has limited range of motion. But she's a tough bird and is coping.

Leaving China this time is more emotional than before. Partly because we fought so hard for Who III, partly because I know we won't be back for many years -- until the big girls are old enough to understand. We've been blessed with so much from this country that it's hard to say goodbye. Yet no one will be happier than I when we hit US soil.

One of the best parts about this journey, besides getting Cate, was that our coordinator, Catherine, was the same person who guided us during our 2004 trip when we met both girls who eventually became Who I and II. It brings us full circle, and it's been so special to have her with us.

We've also met many lovely people. Today I explained the China adoption process to an older British couple who were dining at the White Swan and wondered why there were so many Caucasian families with Asian babies. We have been blessed with a wonderful travel group. And our friends and family at home have kept us going even when things seemed impossible.

Thank you, all, for what you've given us. Our blessings extend well beyond the Three Whos.

Next post will be from HOME!

Guangzhou

Greetings from Guangzhou, where it's hot and steamy but we're glad to be out of the big cities and away from the traffic.

Our flight out of Nanchang was a nightmare -- China Southern had a 6 hour delay, no reason cited (certainly not weather!). We didn't arrive at the White Swan until 2:30 a.m., with lots of babies who hadn't slept and very tired parents. But the babies were real soldiers, did a great job.

We passed our medical exam with flying colors, despite a runny nose that hasn't quit and has evolved into an ear infection. We stopped by the White Swan clinic last night for some good Chinese medicine and hope to be on the mend before we hit the plane Wednesday morning.

The shopping in Guangzhou feels different this time -- I'm not buying everything in sight, but being selective and opting for quality over quantity this time. We found a beautiful painting of a Caucasian mother with Chinese daughter (and cat!). I'm thrilled, but my greatest Chinese treasure is Who III, who continues to amaze and delight despite her cold.

Today we strolled through the park and saw people doing Tai Chi and ballroom dancing. It was absolutely lovely.

Yesterday saw us visit a very expensive jade shop. Nice to look, not so nice to buy on our budget. But I did get a picture of the Lamborghini Guangzhou dealership for hubby. He'll be thrilled!

Later today we'll go bargain for pearls. Whee!

Mom's been a great traveling companion, willing to see everything and go everywhere. But I"m sure she'll be glad to get home to the super pups.

Probably our last post from here, as we'll have our Consulate appointment and try to pack all our goodies up for a safe flight home.

USA, here we come!

Of Temples and fries

Today we visited the Teng Wang pavilion in Nanchang, where we watched a wonderful show with dancing and singing -- and a special performance of "Oh Susannah＂on the Chinese ertu. Pretty funny! Afterward, we made our way back to the hotel on our own, fending off a beggar woman who apparently took offense at my telling her "no."　We're pretty sure she called me a nasty name in Chinese. Oh well, you can't please 'em all!

Cate slept through the whole thing. Her cold and the teething really knocked her out today. She's generally a very happy baby, so we knew she was under the weather when she was fussy. So we let her sleep.

Later, we bundled her up (it's actually COOL in Nanchang and very breezy!) and headed to drop off the disposable camera with pictures the orphanage took of her. Can't wait to pick it up tomorrow. We then went to a pedestrian mall, where we were definitely a sideshow. Mom thinks she gets stared at a lot with her white hair. I think any white faces are a novelty. It won't be that way when we arrive in Guangzhou Friday, so we're enjoying the experience. I'm also looking forward to less traffic -- crossing the streets here with a baby stroller is a death-defying experience (almost as harrowing as riding in the taxi yesterday!).

We managed to order double cheeseburgers at McDonald's, and they tasted pretty much like home. It was a nice change from rice!

Tomorrow we'll visit a park and a porcelain shop. Jiangxi is known for its porcelain, so I hope to find something special for Cate to remember her homeland. This country has given us the most beautiful gifts -- our three daughters -- and we want to celebrate that heritage whenever we can.

We can't wait to get Cate home to meet the big Whos and daddy! We're halfway there!

GOTCHA!

We have Who III! Little Miss Cate came into my arms about 10:40 a.m. Monday in China (10:40 p.m. Sunday for most folks back home). She never cried, studied me, looked out the window and quickly was cracking smiles. What a joy she is!

She's soooo tiny, but strong. She reminds us so much of Who I as a baby -- full of life, active as can be and a great sense of humor. Mom and I are in love, and we know Whos I & II and Baba will be too.

Monday was an exhausting day. After meeting the babies, we went to register the adoptions, get the passport photos taken and then to the notary. The registration office was swarming with adoptive families and it took more than two hours for us to have our turn. Then at the passport office the official discovered an error in our paperwork, which meant we had to come back today after the orphanage fixed the problem. We finally got the babies back to the hotel around 6:30 p.m.

Today was much more relaxed -- a trip to Walmart. Cate stayed with Mimi at the hotel napping while I went to find Huggies in the smallest size possible. Our third Who is TINY, and none of the clothes or diapers I brought fit her. The dresses will stay on, but pants ... she has no waist, no bottom ... it's a riot. One of our travelmates gave us her 3-6 months clothes that didn't fit her daughter, and I'm giving her our 6-9 months.

Our group is great. More maturity here, with 3 sets of grandparents among the 5 families. All but one couple (who got twins) are experienced parents. It's just really cool to see.

Our coordinator, who was with us on our first adoption journey, says Who III reminds her of our first daughter. We can't agree more, and I see now all the reasons for the delays. We were meant to have THIS child. And if we'd gotten a referral months ago, as we originally thought we would, she wouldn't have been ours. It's simply unimaginable.

Ni Hao from Beijing

Greetings from Beijing, where it's a lot cooler than our 2004 trip but we're just as exhausted as before!

We had a long but uneventful flight to China on Wednesday/Thursday. Yesterday took us to Tiannanmen Square, the Forbidden City and then to a Chinese acrobatics show that my Big Whos would have loved. Today saw the Great Wall, where a crew was filming a Visa commercial (Visa -- it's accepted everywhere, even on the Great Wall!). Pretty interesting!

Mom did a great job making it up the wall. We did a little power shopping too (when in Rome ...). Now our bags are packed for our morning flight to Nanchang, where we'll meet Who III Monday morning (Sunday night EDT). We can't wait!

We got an update on our newest Who: She has a little cough but is healthy, and is described as very active. She should fit right in!

And we're off!

The time is FINALLY here -- in about 12 hours, mom and I will be on our way to China to meet Who III! This has been an agonizing wait, much harder than our first trip (which went SO smoothly!). It's taken us 9 weeks since we first learned we had a new daughter to even get on a plane, and that's simply too long.

I've spent the last two days running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Can't remember whether I packed something or not. Struggling to get online. Still no confirmation from Panda phone, but travel agent says they got confirmation. I figure I'll just show up bedraggled in Beijing and say, "You got a phone for ME?"

We're scheduled to land in China just after 3 p.m. on Thursday -- that'll be 2 a.m. to most folks back home. Sleep tight!

I hope to be able to update the blog while we're away, but we had to scrap the laptop plan because our home Internet connection has been faulty since we "upgraded" to fiberoptics. I wasn't willing to haul another 8 pounds of gear in the off chance Mr. Fixit and the Big Whos could actually read it. I plan to hit the business centers and Internet cafes instead. Wish me luck!

We could not have done this without the support of our friends and family, who have kept us fed, entertained and clinging to our sanity these last few months. We are incredibly blessed by the people in our lives, and to have the opportunity to make a difference in another child's life. It's an awesome job.

Countdown

Most folks spend their last weekend at home before heading to China doing something relaxing, or packing, or cleaning the house. Us? We ripped out the dining room carpet, painted the walls, and laid hardwood floors.

Nothing like a little deadline pressure to get our rumps in gear.

Seriously, with the arrival of Who III imminent, reality set in -- the time for home improvement projects will be gone for many months to come. The almost 4-year-olds are big helpers -- Who I hammered in boards while her sister ran the sweeper. But Baby Who isn't going to be allowed around power tools until she's at least 18 months old. No child labor available there!

The room looks good, if I do say so myself. Burgundy walls (all 8 coats -- THAT was a brilliant color choice!) on the bottom, "linen tint" on the top. I even rehung the curtains!

Wish I could say mhy packing was going as well. Still searching for the perfect combo of bags, still unsure if the laptop will actually work in China. We made the not-so-bright decision to switch our Internet and TV service to our neighborhood's new fiberoptic service. Seemed like a good idea until the installer arrived and said we were just beyond the recommended distance from the box. But he thought it would work, so here we are.

When it works, it's great. But our Internet has been really unreliable since it was installed, so I'm panicking that I may haul the beastly laptop to China for naught. The whole point was to use Skype and call home and use the Web cam to see my big girls and let them see baby sister. None of those functions is working well right now. So I'm agonizing. Nothing like having a Libra trying to make a big decision under pressure. AAAACK!!!

I keep telling myself to breathe. In a few days, none of this will matter. T-minus 60 hours .....