Some new photos

Here are some new photos taken over the past few months. Thomas and Katherine grow before our eyes. Katherine is flourishing in her new environment. She seems happy and content. Thomas is a great big brother to her, teaching her many lessons on how to be "rough and tumble." Before we know it Katherine will be able to keep up with the big boys.

Honey Bunny

Just had to chronicle Katherine's Honey Bunny. This was the object she latched on to from the get go. It was nice that she found an item to comfort her. The Honey Bunny came with us everywhere and was dropped on many a dirty street, restaurant floor, etc. The smells it took on were not so Honey-like. Honey Bunny became Dirty Bunny and Dirty Bunny quickly turned into Filthy Stinking Bunny (FSB for short). I'm about to throw Bunny into the wash. Hopefully it won't upset Katherine once it has a Downy-fresh American smell. Sometimes Mom's have to make hard choices. It has to be done.

Home at last

After a very long day of traveling from China we made it home the evening of July 7 with our new little American citizen. The trip was long and by Los Angeles, our brains were mush from jet lag. Thomas, the seasoned traveler that he is, showed no signs of tiredness. Katherine did well on all flights with the exception of the last 20 minutes into Salt Lake City where she surely thought her head would explode from ear pain. The longest 20 minutes of our lives. But, once in the airport all was well. We considered kissing the ground when we arrived.

Our long journey starts a new chapter. Katherine's world has been rocked AGAIN, but she's managing very well. She's sleeping for 14 hours at a stretch, trying to adjust to this crazy new time zone. Meeting new people makes her cling to me tighter than ever, but when she's home alone with just our family she is becoming more confident each day in her new surroundings. She seems slightly more at ease while meeting the many neighborhood children who have come to welcome their new little playmate.

Our trip to get Katherine was life-changing. We're looking forward to settling into our family of four. Thanks again to all those who followed us on our blog.

Homeward Bound

The US Consulate has blessed our last 50 documents and accepted our $380 dollars as legal tender (crisp new bills only- please). Big Daddy has finished one of the biggest paper chases of his life! We will take the oath of US citizenship for/with Kat this afternoon and head for the airport 1st thing in the AM Saturday.

Our designated room in Guangzhou consisted of two single beds, period. So we threw the budget out the window and upgraded to a really nice Jr. Suite. All involved have appreciated this unauthorized expenditure. Turns out that Guangzhou is much much bigger than Nanning. From start to finish this country has not ceased to amaze me.

We return home as a new family.

Of course we have Katherine. Everyday she reveals more of herself to us. Behind those endlessly deep brown eyes we are finding more laughter, misceviousness, and strong will.

All of which delights her daddy. As with any new baby, one cannot help but be filled with a great sense of possibility.

Thomas comes home a with a host of new stories. From the Great Wall and Buddist Temples to new chinese pool-mates and squat toilets, Thomas has cart-wheeled acrossed China and really enjoyed the experience. He is a natural born traveler. In spite of his love of routine, he has been able to adapt to every new situation and in many cases seen more than I. I feel lucky to have had him with us on the trip. I will confess that getting the Nintendo to charge here in Guangzhou has been a very good thing indeed.

For Gail and I we return with a great sense of mission accomplished. It was worth every minute of the wait! Thanks to everyone for your comments, emails, prayers, and good wishes.

More photos...

Just in case you're not burned out on family photos.

Guigang--Katherine's birthplace

Yesterday we traveled to the city where Katherine spent the first 10 months of her life. We were able to view only the front gates of the orphanage, but each family got to visit their child's abandonment place. Katherine was found at the back gate of the bus station. Guigang, about 2 hours east of Nanning, is a larger city than we expected, but definitely more rural with water buffalo roaming the streets. We drove through many a sugar cane and rice field to get there.

We've known Katherine all of six days and we're quickly learning that she likes to EAT. The only time she gets the slightest bit cranky is when we're ending the eating experience. She has a death grip on my arm as I feed her noodles or what ever I'm eating (literally) with chopsticks. It's so crazy what a baby her age can eat. We are always the last to leave the table. I guess that's pretty typical, but I am amazed. She's eating more than Thomas!

For the record...we stink. Literally. Our room smells like a mix of sweat, tinkle, and formula with a little pooh mixed in for good measure. John thinks they may need to fumigate the room when we leave this fine hotel. There is no way to stay fresh in this country. Locals are so well groomed and nicely dressed and us American's look like we've just stepped out of a steam bath all the time.

We feel as though we've been in China forever. Thomas occasionally has flashbacks of his old life, but has done so well on this trip. This has truly been an awesome experience for our family. Tomorrow we leave Nanning for Guangzhou on the last leg of our journey. We're looking forward to a little change of scenery and a new place to stink up.

More Nanning.

Today we went to the Guangxi Provincial Museum to try to learn a little more about Katherine's people. In China, there are 56 ethnic groups of different cultural backgrounds and religious practices. Ninety three percent of the people are Han. The second largest ethnic group in China is the Zhuang, of which most live in Guangxi Province (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.) The Zhuang are closely related to the Vietnamese, as Vietnam is only 100 miles to the south of Nanning. So there is a possibility that Katherine could be of minority ethnic decent. Who knows, but while we watched a traditional musical dance performance, Katherine was jammin'. Thomas and Gail joined in the dance. Great fun was had by all.