Last Days in Nanjing

On Thursday afternoon, our guide Sandra brought us our final paperwork, including Lily's very own Chinese passport! That evening, the agency sponsored a very nice dinner at a place within walking distance of the Jin Ling Hotel where we stayed in Nanjing. Sandra was kind enough to order an interesting variety of foods, including a very delicious beef dish in an interesting steamer, which made gurgling sounds like it might explode at any moment, and a dish with duck and vegetables which you scoop into a biscuit and eat kind of like a small sandwich - very tasty.

Lily doesn't sleep particularly easily. Horizontal is not her favorite "attitude" in general. After much effort and lots of walking around on Thursday night, we put her down to sleep, but she awoke at around 2 am and cried for about an hour straight, despite our best efforts to calm her down. We felt bad for our neighbors at the hotel, but never heard and banging on the walls. Eventually, Deirdre performed some sort of magic trick which resulted in Lily asleep on the floor, which by that time was good enough for us and (apparently) for Lily. She slept there soundly for the rest of the night.

On Friday afternoon, we flew from Nanjing to Guangzhou, our last stop before our return home. We were pleased to see that Lily was OK with the whole airplane thing, at least for this 2 hour flight. Mom did spend some effort keeping her entertained, but there was very little fussing, and this girl loves to be tossed around, so take-offs, turbulence, and landings are just fine with her.

Saturday morning had us going to the requisite medical examination, then filling out paperwork with our Guangzhou guide, Li. We have very little "official business" left to do at this point: Li will take our documents to the Consulate on Monday, then we have a short ceremony to complete the visa process on Tuesday and that's it. Then we have the long flight home, which should be a great test for all of us!!

Now that this girl is feeling pretty good, we see her true personality, which is active, entertaining, and wanting things her way! We understand even more her "rock star" status at the orphanage - she's quite a bit of fun! Lucky for her she's absolutely adorable, so her parents are quickly becoming wrapped around her finger and are mostly able to keep her happy. Check out the pictures for irrefutable evidence of a high degree of cuteness.

Balancing Act

First Bath (Lukewarm Reception)

Bedtime - Walking Around with Dad

Morning After a Night on the Floor

Lily and Abby at Breakfast

She Loves the Headband (Thanks Shanna!)

Cute Girls!

In a Sea of Adults

Lisa, Abby, Deirdre, and Lily

Whew! She likes the front pack!