Saturday-Sunday,
July 16-17, 2011

Saturday

Today was a pretty quiet day here for us, since it was my first "solo" day. Anna Kate was a little more fussy than usual (perhaps sensing Joe's absence) and so Adrienne and I spent most of our time in the room, playing, resting, etc. Little Miss had decided that the crib isn't such a hot place to sleep, preferring now the comfort of Mommy . . . which is healthy! So we're sharing a bed now. We went to our guide's room in the afternoon and filled out all our paperwork for next week's Consulate appointment. Something neat about the Chinese adoption process is that the child becomes a U.S. citizen as soon as her feet touch U.S. soil, which in Anna Kate's case will be the airport in Chicago!

What a great moment it was when my parents arrived at the White Swan . . . it was quite surreal to open the door and have them here! I'll be forever grateful that they made the long journey here.

Sunday

It was so special to introduce little Anna Kate to Gramma B and Pappa, and she greeted them with a sweet smile and a "high five". I have to pause here and mention how incredibly blessed Joe and I are to have families who LOVE our girls and have supported us every single step of the way. Anna Kate will arrive home to an abundance of love from her grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins!

After breakfast (remember - big, delicious buffet!) Pappa, the girls and I joined a few families from our group for a tour of two parts of Guangzhou . . . one very new, and the other very old. In the newest part of the city we saw the world's tallest television tower. Both areas were very interesting, but I especially enjoyed the older section of the city. The area we visited featured traditional Chinese architecture, and a pretty park with a big pond. Despite the heat - which was intense - we had a really nice time. Sometimes I just have to pinch myself - - I'm in China!

Anna Kate had a wonderful day, continuing to come out of her shell and entertain us with her fun personality!

I'll be sure to post photos from Sunday once we are home - - as of now I'm unable to download photos from my camera to my mom's Mac. For the rest of the trip I'll be using her camera.