Our Journey to Mary Yue-Anne: Travel Journals

Today was sort of a half day. We had to start packing in the afternoon, so the morning tour had to be short. Our rep took us to the large park in the area. The word "large" could not fully describe this park. It had everything! Coy ponds, shrub sculptures and amusement park rides. It was beautiful. Absolutely breath-taking. There were even some older folks gathered to play music in the gazebo. There were many bicyclists and motorcyclists buzzing around the park as well. Our group seemed to be the celebrities in the park as everyone wanted to stop and stare (at US and the babies)! We did the room service thing again for lunch. I know, no guts. Mary was getting ready to take her nap so we didn't want to risk going to a restaurant and having her crabby! We ordered some fried rice for her and I to share. She was a pig!

I am glad to see that more and more of her personality comes out each day. The orphanage report said that she was calm and quiet. I think they were looking at the wrong baby when they wrote that. Mary is anything BUT calm and quiet! She is full of energy, loves to be the center of attention and is inquisitive about everything! She can't help touching everything. I am surprised though that very little goes in her mouth. She won't even put snack items in her mouth. The orphanage workers warned us of that. I imagine that will change as her environment changes. I am curious to see how she is around her new big brothers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to figure out how to get all of this STUFF into the suitcases! (the suitcases by the way are getting HAMMERED on this trip. I hope mom and dad did not pay too much for them for me at Christmas, because I am not sure they are destined for more travels) We got rid of a bunch of items that Mary either didn't fit, didn't like or would not use. The lists of travel needs I have been studying over the past many months were a little exaggerated. There are so many things I brought that will NOT be coming home with us (and not going to Guangzhou)! Rob got rid of a few "thrift store" pants he would not be wearing (too hot) and we threw a bunch of things away. There were a few items that we purchased in Changsha that needed to fit too. We bought Mary her jade necklace (going in the carry on thank you), an embroidered fan and stuffed animal, a collector stamp book (weighs a ton) and several other little things. They were gonna add weight, that was for sure.

We met up in the elevator lobby to receive all of Mary's paperwork from the
Registration and Notary office. We got her passport! We got her adoption paperwork! We are ready to go! Daphne also made this a special occasion by presenting us with more gifts. She gave us a map of Hunan and circled Zhijiang for us, and she gave us a priceless memento for Mary, a bit of soil from her home town. She had pre-arranged with Mary's orphanage to bring with them (when they delivered the babies) a small bit of soil for each girl. It is an old Chinese tradition to give a family member a small bit of soil if they are to be traveling far from home. This will help to remind them of home if they get homesick. Daphne put the soil in little silk pouches for the girls and made most (if not all) the parents cry. Such an amazing gift can never be properly repaid.

Tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou! Here are some pictures from today.

Mary & Mama on the bus