Saturday, March 11, 2006

We're watching this show. It's called the Hannah Burke Show. It goes 24 hours a day, every day. Every time she does anything it's cute.....laughing, crying, waving, pooping, peeing, hiccupping, getting boogers, etc., etc. It's about 4 am China time....everybody is sleeping but me. This has become my normal wake up time that I've settled into.

We started out the day with breakfast with the whole gang in the hotel buffet and then off to the city park. Their park was so interesting. There were people gathered with musical instruments singing, we fed the giant gold fish in the big pond, some were having picnics, and others were playing sports. There is a huge memorial to war veterans of the revolution in the middle of the park. Every place we go, the Chinese people are fascinated with our babies. We would say "nee how" which means "hello" and they would say "hello". So, the Americans were speaking Chinese and the Chinese people were speaking English. The school age children are required to take several years of English and we met several who were eager to practice on us. Hannah waves, smiles and squints her eyes while showing off all her new teeth to everyone we meet, even before we meet them. If I was a single man she would be the ultimate chick magnet. (Chick magnets are props guys use to meet girls...they can be a dog, kitten, child, etc.) There were these little dinner cruise boats on the lake where you could go on a lake cruise. We saw people fishing. After a quick stroll through the park, we went to an art and calligraphy museum which was another place we could buy souvenirs.

Lunch was won ton soup and won ton soup.....then back to the room for our nap times and hanging around. Our room has become the official hanging out place. It just happens this way everywhere we go. It must be our gifting or something. We are making some very close friends here as we experience a very personal journey together. I told the whole group that I didn't want to offend them or anything, but they might as well know, right out front, that my baby was the cutest one of the whole bunch. Jane, from CWA met us for supper last night and I went up to her and told her I thought they were totally unfair in the way that they gave out babies. She looked shocked and asked why. I told her that they had given us the most beautiful baby of the whole group and it wasn't fair to the other parents. She caught my drift and laughed.

I noticed that Hannah felt warm after her nap. Pam took her temperature and it wa 102.6 Farenheit. Hannah had lost her appetite some over the last 24 hours and we could tell that swallowing was uncomfortable. She also had kept putting her hand on one of her ears...but then she would pretend she was talking on the phone. So, after a telephone consult with Dr. Cindy Raybon, Pam did her thing and got her started on antibiotics. (THANK YOU CINDY) We came prepared. When we come together with these babies we bring new germs that they are not immune to. Even if she isn't feeling good, Hannah always manages to give everyone her big smile and wave. This must be the perfect child. To us she is even though we will have some "spoiled" issues to resolve when she gets settled into a routine at home. Hannah is feeling more secure and clings to "bunny" her stuffed animal a little less than before. "Bunny" is like the American Express Card, we don't leave home without it. If we get into the hotel lobby and forget the bunny, I have to go back up to the 32nd floor and get it. So, if you turn on CNN and see a report of a fat bald white american man wandering the streets of Changsha, China holding a bunny and a diaper bag.....that's me. The Chinese men snicker a little when I go by. They think the diaper bag is my purse. The things we do for our kids. I'm really getting stretched.

Thanks to all of you who signed the guestbook. The city scene in the photos is the view from our room. I'm going to give a picture of one other family in our group each day...today's featured family is the Zooks from Montana. We have one more day in Changsha and then off to the White Swan Hotel...see itinerary for name of city.

One more thing....we got all our legal papers from the Chinese government which completes Hannah's adoption in China. (Did I tell you that already?) Next week, we go to the U.S. Consulate and to a doctor for a thorough exam. As far as China is concerned, she is ours!!!

Jeff