It is Saturday evening in Guangzhou. We arrived here last night at 8 pm. It was a short flight from Nanning, about one hour. Our last day in Nanning was uneventful. Grace was up and raring to go by 3 am. She is comfortable watching a movie on my laptop and then coloring or writing her letters while the rest of us sleep. But by 5 am, she wanted some company so the day began very early.

By the time we left for the airport at 4 pm, we were afraid that Grace, who played at full speed all day with her friend Kelly, was going to fall asleep making navigation of the airport difficult. But, she hung in there and made it onto the plane with lots of gusto. However, as soon as she got to her seat and buckled up, she immediately fell into a sound sleep and did not move for the entire flight. The take off and landing did not even phase her. I had to carry her off the plane, through the airport, onto the bus and upto our room before tossing her into a bed. She did move until this morning. She has traveled so well but her clock is still off. When she falls asleep, there is no stirring her.

Mary, on the other hand, was very playful and giggly for the flight. She seemed to like her first airplane ride. Each day, or perhaps I should say each hour, she blossoms and shows us more of her personality. Her paperwork from the orphange indicated that she was she and timid and did not like to be held by strangers. Those words seem accurate but she is very playful at times and has the cutest little laugh. She still wants only to be held by Mel. When I do hold her, she cries but not with the gusto she used to display. She has been holding out her hand to me when she walks....but only when her other hand is attached to Mels.

Mary is such a petite little thing. We think her Chinese name, Ting, fits her very well. We say, she is a tiny little Ting. She can walk if holding on to something or someone. She is definitely not shy when letting you know whether she likes something or not, be it food, drink or people.

Our hotel here in Guangzhou is beautiful. It is a popular spot for adoptive families so there are large number of Chinese kids roaming the hallways and restaurants. The hotel also has a large business class and there are lots of folks from all over the world staying here. We have had fun meeting folks from so many different parts of our world. All are interested to know why we have 2 Chinese daughters.

Mary had her required medical exam today. It is sort of a joke, but one step one must take before leaving the country. We are attending a church service near the hotel tomorrow and that should be interesting. The service is held in Chinese and English. Then, on Monday, we go to the U.S. Consulate's Office for a swearing in ceremony as Mary and the other adopted kids officially become U.S. citizens. That is a very special ceremony.

Other than what's mentioned above, the remainder of our time will be sightseeing and purchasing some clothing for Mary and Grace as it is extremely inexpensive. The shopkeepers love to bargain and it makes the shopping experience much more interesting.

I'm attaching some pictures from today. The view out our hotel window looks out over the Pearl River and is quite nice. It is only 8:30 pm her but everyone but me is fast asleep. We are getting some rest but never seem to feel rested.